He lifts his arm, the one I’m holding. “There are seven daughters of the house of Benel and you have the power to affect.” His eyes examine each one of my fingers. “We have that in common. I’ve made men who’ve called for my head be loyal beyond degree, and women who’ve regarded me with spite, love me.”
I am greatly disturbed by this revelation. “Then you’ve used the power of light to do evil.” I release his wrist but he quickly grabs mine instead, squeezing my arm tightly but not so much that it hurts.
“Why does that make me evil?”
He pulls me into him and I’m light on my feet as my body easily cooperates with his demand.
“You’re forcing your will upon an unsuspecting creature,” I answer. My head is no longer dizzy from the force of our touching and the warmth of his touch might as well be a million miles away. “You are right. If you are evil, then I will not hate you; but I cannot love you.”
His hand tightens around my wrist. “I didn’t ask for your love,” he hisses like an earth serpent.
“Then what do you want from me?” I’ve never been this angry before.
A tiny smile forms on his lips and once again I sense deception from him. “I need you not to hate me.”
“Then release me. Then I’ll be sure not to.”
He snorts. “You still refuse to acknowledge what we are don’t you?”
“What are we?” I ask, and he answers by smashing his lips onto mine.
The lightheadedness is back. Our mouths are warm. His tongue is hot upon my tongue. This, what we’re doing, seems natural. I’ve kissed Tryst thousands of times before but not once has it ever felt like this.
He pulls away before I do and puts his lips to my ear. “You’re not making this easy,” he breathes. “Adore, we are bonded,” he says in the hollow of my ear.
“What?” I gasp.
But he is a peculiar being with silky white hair and skin, and lips that are delicately pink. I would have never guessed the creature I would be bonded to would have such an appearance. I’ve always been partial to skin that glows like the sapphire stone during the season of The Tilt. Like Ast’e’ku, a mank’tak, or Enuian male, who shimmers like the Velvet Stream in the South Orb. The Ast’e’ku’s nose curves like the beak of the bird called “the parrot” and he’s able to use his beautiful nostrils to blow blessings of bliss upon all who request it. He’s a beautiful Enuian, unique and desirable to the eyes, and he is considered perfection to the heart because bears happiness.
Although I cannot say that I’m not drawn to the Selell, his beauty is novel, very near to that of Pan’a’tua.
“But I cannot bond with you,” I confess. “I have to leave. My sister needs me.”
His lips are still against my ear and he doesn’t loosen his hold on me. “Do you know what I do, Adore?” He gruffly asks. “I take what I want.”
“And what do you give?” I automatically ask, although I can’t recognize the sound of my own voice. It’s small and desperate.
“Ha! Nothing,” he bellows.
“And that satisfies you?”
“I want you here with me. If I let you leave, then I won’t have what I want.” His eyes narrow to slits. He’s threatening me with that look.
My defiance is reflexive and I call the power of light to my fingertips. “If you keep me here against my will, you won’t have me. I will battle you, Selell, and I will not lose.”
His lips stretch into a weak but telling smile. “Well then…” he says.
The door and the stained glass window fly open. A black sky which lacks moons and stars settles over the earth. If it weren’t for the long poles topped by white bulbous light fixtures casting their beams in the darkness, it would be pitch black along the redbrick cobblestone walkway and the lawn which holds limestone statues carved into human forms posed in precarious positions. These sculptures intermingle with headstones with names and dates etched into the rock.
The Selell takes a step back to give me passage. “You’re free to go. But I have to warn you—the humans have gone mad. It’s not safe to be out there all by your lonesome.”
“The humans have gone mad?” I ask, quite perplexed by his assertion.
“The sun has pulled a Houdini.”
My frown turns more austere. I do believe he’s using local vernacular.
“It disappeared,” he says after interpreting the expression on my face.
“But why?” I earnestly whisper as I observe how dark it is beyond the confines of this large and beautiful estate. “The sun has been promised to the Earth. It will never leave.”
He sniffs sarcastically. “All promises are made to be broken,” he says with an indifferent shrug.
I shake my head, ardently disagreeing with him. “No, not this one.”
Regardless, because of the darkness I stand hesitant to make my escape. The cold of the night settles upon me. At this very moment an emotion takes root inside of me. The farther I try to see into the darkness that falls over the earth, the more identifiable this emotion becomes.
“But you’ll come with me?” I ask nervously.
He’s grinning again, and I take that as a good sign. “I’ll go with you as long as you promise me one thing.”
I feel my eyebrows pull into a guarded frown. “What is that?”
“You promise not to ask my name. I’ll tell you when I’m ready.”
It’s a simple enough request. I am aware that he is someone who practices evil. But I cannot dismiss the power of the bond. Other than my sisters, I feel that this Selell will be my safest companion.
“And you’ll help me find my sisters?” I clarify.
“Yes.” His answer is resolute.
“Then, I promise not to ask you your name.”
Chapter 3
The Decision
The white-haired Selell offers me shoes before we depart on our journey to find Na’ta. They are sandals but the sort that conceal the toes with a tiny strap around the ankles. They are green and the first pair of shoes I have ever worn.
The Selell walks beside me, holding my hand to keep me warm. What an honorable gesture. The radiant Selell is a silent being but in words only, not in thoughts. He often gazes down upon me with a confused expression on his face. I do not wish to know his thoughts. They are reserved for those with the power of the mind. Yet his silence is welcomed, especially as I absorb all that surrounds us. I cannot believe it; the time has come for me, Ad’ru, the first daughter of Felix Benel and Ce’lah’ime to walk upon the Earth.
My swiftness is limited in this universe and I find it frustrating. Together we move past wild trees that resemble black giants lurking in the lightless forest. I can barely see what’s before me. I’m relying solely on the Selell’s guidance.
“What is that smell?” I ask my companion. A caustic odor lingers in the air.
“It’s a lot of things,” he says. I feel his fingers tighten around my hand.
“What are those things you’re referring to?” I’m curious to know.
Even in the dark I can see his white face glance down at me. He’s a very tall creature. He lords over me and I feel trapped in his gaze. “Shit and death,” he says. I can see a bit of his teeth in the dark. I assume he’s lifted his top lip into that sinister smile of his.
“Death?” Now I’m intrigued. I’ve never seen death before. “Dead humans?”
He snorts, amused. “And animals…”
“You sound pleased by that.”
“I do?” He says in an extremely inquisitive tone of voice. Although I sense he is trifling with me.
Then he comes to a sudden stop. He turns to face me and his nose, lips, and eyes are very close to mine.
“You really are innocent, aren’t you?” he asks and then slides the tip of his warm finger across my top lip. “But you don’t look innocent.” He leans closer. His nose grazes my lips. “Or smell innocent.”
Here’s what’s happening to me and I allow myself to relish in even th
e tiniest sensation. My throat is tight, head is light, and I’m fighting the desire to touch and tastes tongues with him once again.
“Destiny has played the cruelest joke on you, Ad’ru. Clarity has Ze Feldis. Fawn has Artiste. Glo has Finn. You’ve got me.” He snorts cynically.
Do it… My heart begs, needing him to put his mouth on mine. Yet my head attempts to eradicate that desire.
“You are very well-acquainted with my sisters and me, are you not?” I can barely say through my heavy breathing.
“I’m not as acquainted with you as I thought.”
“As you thought? How could you be acquainted with me at all? You’ve never known me.”
His teeth flash in the dark. It’s a look that is so tricky it causes a shiver to run up and down my spine.
“Are you a sinister being?” I’m forced to ask, dreading the answer to my question.
“That requires a subjective answer,” he slyly replies.
“Are you always so vague, Selell?” I’m frustrated so my voice is harsh.
This time he lets out a shrieking laugh that bounces off the dusky trees. He’s amused by my frustration. But he has a peculiar sort of amusement. I can’t help but press my hand over the place where his body once carried a vital human heart. The i’lek’u pours out of my palm and flows into him, absorbing all the thoughts and feelings that make this Selell a living being. Because of the glare of light, I can fully see his face and he’s terrified.
“No, don’t,” he feebly protests as he tries to pull away from my touch but it’s too late. I’ve latched on and there’s no breaking the link.
It is so; he is confounded at the moment. He is struggling to regain full consciousness. But the light reveals that he wants something from me and I cannot determine what that is. However, he can’t hide what is strong in him. He’s greatly inflicted by arrogance, pride, and a deep desire to obtain all that he lusts for, and that includes me. I quickly remove my hand.
The Selell collapses onto the damp soil, clutching a fistful of the black shirt he’s wearing at the spot where my palm once rested against his chest. I kneel down beside him without allowing my knees to make contact with the corroded earth.
“What the hell was that,” he roars in anger.
“You’ve been deceitful,” I apologetically say, “And I need truth to journey further with you.”
He struggles to stand on his feet while brushing the mud off the back of his trousers. “I can’t believe I don’t want to kill you,” he grumbles.
I’m very shocked to hear that, mainly because he says it so casually.
“But do you know what I want to do to you instead?” He grabs me by the waist and pulls me into him. My nose is pushed up against his collarbone. I can smell his shirt; the scent is fresh and sweet. He presses my hips closer to his and I can feel something solid against me. He sniffs. “You have no idea, do you?”
The dark, the Selell, and the impure stench mixed with the sweet order that emanates from him and combines with raw passion makes me want to connect with this creature in such an inordinate way. Is this lust that infects me? In this moment, I don’t even recognize myself as Ad’ru the keeper of the light. So I force my head to stop spinning and my heart to stop fluttering. I am full of good. He’s touched by evil.
His wicked sneer returns but not for long. He whips his face around to look to the right of me. He’s alarmed and I wonder why. “Kill the light,” he barely whispers.
I direct the i’lek’u back deep inside of me.
Without asking permission the Selell lifts me off of my feet and cradles me in his arms. “Let’s get the hell out of here,” he says before streaking off.
The persistent darkness annoys me. The sun hasn’t made an appearance since it descended when I first arrived on Earth. But the scent of the wild trees and rank soil passes, and within a very short period of time he’s standing on a sidewalk which runs along a street. It’s here, among the rows of stone buildings with bulging balconies and more street lamps, that the Selell reluctantly sets me back on my feet. We take awhile to pull away but here’s what I notice: his heart is beating, and fast. On Earth, a Selell is dead, a being with no heartbeat or moving blood. Other than his brain, his organs have shut down. This is odd, but I feel this is not the time to question him about this phenomenon, especially since he takes my hand again and its warmth soothes away the cold.
“This way,” he says before taking a step off the sidewalk, landing one foot onto the cobblestone street.
“Wait!” I shout, now clinging tightly to his arm.
He’s watching me, puzzled, and I wonder why.
“My father warned me to be careful when crossing modern roads on Earth. Vehicles can be a danger to me.”
At first, the Selell appears more puzzled than before. In his moment of pause, I finally notice the people: there are lots of them. Then he throws his head back and laughs so loudly that the passing humans eye him with a certain amount of disdain, which I find alarming. This time there’s nothing sinister coloring the tone of his laugh.
“Did your father also tell you to look both ways before crossing the street?” He’s still grinning, amused.
“Yes, he did,” I reply, remembering that. “Although he didn’t say that precisely; but his words were very similar.” He’s still grinning at me in that peculiar way. “What is it?” I ask him but he’s immediately distracted by a number of humans passing us in a single-file line.
“It’s too late to repent,” their voices rise in unison. “The sun is blood, judgment is soon, and then the pit.”
Their brown and yellow faces are slathered with black ashes. The energy they emit is strong with fear and despair. Little ones are even trailing behind them, and they are also terrified.
My companion snorts at them and then twists his head to bark over his shoulder, “The sun isn’t blood you idiots!”
“You shouldn’t say that to them,” I automatically scold, keeping my voice low.
“I thought you were a proponent of the truth.”
“Proponent of the truth?” I give some thought to the vernacular he used. “Do you mean that I’m an advocate for truth?”
After taking a moment to study me with those amused eyes of his, he grunts, “Ha,” and then tugs me toward the street. “We should get moving. I won’t let you get hit by a car, Adore.”
We’re almost across the street before I’m able to part my lips to object. However, I decide against saying anything since we’ve made it across safely.
“See,” he turns to say as we step onto the sidewalk on the other side of the street. “I told you I’ll keep you safe, although I can’t take credit for it.”
He points and I look where his long white finger directs my eyes. There’s something that looks like a long wooden bench in the middle of the road.
“Traffic is blocked,” he says.
A number of humans zip past us. Although their eyes search in all directions, they manage to stop on me and study me for a number of seconds before shifting to my companion. One by one they do this, and I am curious as to what is so puzzling about us. Can they tell that we are not fully of their species? The humans continue to regard us curiously but I can no longer focus on them because I can’t take my eyes off the white-haired Selell. He is apprehensive and peering ahead very judiciously. We’ve increased our pace as he takes a long look over his shoulder. His eyes connect to something and before I can see what that is, he tugs me into him, curls an arm around me, pulling me closer to him.
“This way,” he hurriedly whispers. Our feet are off the ground as he makes haste to guide me past a glass door to one of the establishments lining the long, busy sidewalk.
We’re safely inside an establishment. The electrical lighting is dim. A spare number of humans sit at square, white- and gold-swirled marble-topped tables. Each one of them has a quietness about them - no, a solemnity about them. However, like the people on the outside, they’re observing us. I watch two male-type
human beings whisper to each other without taking their eyes off of me and then their eyes regard the white-haired Selell. We are receiving too much attention from beings who are capable of inflicting so much pain on those who are different from them, and that cannot be good for us.
“What sort of place is this?” I ask because the ambiance makes me nervous.
I lift my palm, intending to abolish any negative energy and replace it with peace and benevolence. But before I can release the i’lek’u, my companion obstructs my hand. His long fingers completely cover mine.
“What in the hell do you think you’re doing?” he gripes.
The two men are still watching us. “Why are they looking at us in that manner? I detect evil intentions.”
Once again, he tosses his head back to laugh. I notice how his lengthy tresses spread across his broad shoulders. Some of the mank’taks wear their hair in such a way, but his locks are more graceful, cascading down from his scalp like the crystal clear liquid of the Geng’ket Falls.
He suddenly turns quiet and gently swipes the back of his long fingers across my cheek. I’m mesmerized by his now dark green eyes which seem to have grown lighter since I last looked into them.
“They’re watching you because, even before life, humans regard beauty; even when shit’s like this.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t understand how you are using the word, shit.”
“You never heard the word “shit” before?”
“Yes, I have, but not in the context that you have just used it in.”
He lowers his face to meet mine. “This is the shit they’re in,” he whispers. “The sun is missing and they’re slowly going insane.” He roams the room with his eyes. “I give them a solid month before they snap and start killing each other. It’s their nature,” he hisses past clenched teeth.
I shake my head skeptically, refusing to believe the apparent truth. “No,” I staunchly say, “The Creator gave the Earth a sun. It can’t just disappear.”
“Hey, take it up with your creator, not me. Hell.” He lifts his arms and shakes his hands to make a point, “I thrive in the night.”
Light Speed Page 3