I scowl at him. “Apparently this is all amusing to you.”
“Not really.” He takes a moment to gaze at me. “But you, Ad’ru. You amuse me.”
There…
I’m watching his eyes grow perceptibly lighter until he twists his body around to search behind him. He focuses on the glass door and then turns his alarmed expression to me.
“What?” I ask, now that he’s transferred his panic.
“Here,” he says and without permission gathers my hair in one hand and twists the long wavy strands, working very fast.
When he’s done, my long locks are knotted at the nape of my neck. I reach back to touch the tight ball, wondering why he did that and how?
He curls his arm around mine and then guides me to a stool at a very high counter. We both sit with our backs to the door and the Selell once again lowers his face to mine. “You want to find your sister, Na’ta?” he asks in a low whisper.
His nearness has taken my breath away and I’m only capable of nodding.
“Remember that,” he quickly says as I hear the whistle of air when the door opens and then a harsh voice shouts, “Exgesis!”
The Selell is no longer seated beside me. My eyes shift to the human behind the counter and he’s frozen in place, staring straight ahead. A loud crash rings out. I whip myself around to see. The white-haired Selell has collided into one of the marble-topped tables breaking it in large chunks.
However, that name, Exgesis, repeats in my head and I squeeze my eyes shut tightly. I’ve heard it before but where?
“This is going to be too easy,” says the other Selell who has black shaggy hair. He is glowering down over the white-haired Selell.
The impact has left the white-haired Selell groggy. The black-haired Selell’s hand swiftly shifts to the inside of the long black coat he’s wearing and when it’s visible again, he’s clenching a weapon. It’s a silver-bladed dagger. A few humans in the room watch in shock; others scramble to get out of the way. This new Selell has tainted the air with violence and he means to put an end to his target.
“You don’t want to do this, Chex,” my Selell says as he struggles to stand on his feet. “Name your price.”
“Zero,” the aggressor replies without deliberation. “And yes,” he eagerly nods and lifts his eyebrows at him. “I want to do this,” he sneers.
But suddenly my Selell streaks quickly out of the aggressor’s trap, leaving a white shadow in his trail. These phantoms chase each other around the room, leaving destruction in their path. Chairs and parts of tables whip through the air, slamming into walls and shattering. My eyes work to keep up until I’m facing the dagger-gripping, black-haired Selell. I gasp as a hard body presses against my backside and the soft white hair of my Selell swipes my cheek.
“When are you going to stop hiding behind girls and kids, you coward?” the black-haired Selell scoffs.
Exegesis…. I ponder.
Then, the Selell called Chex glares at me with his black eyes and I instantly shudder. He tilts his head forward to take a tiny sniff of me and ruffle his brows. He looks ominous. I can sense death and the blood of others all over him.
“You’re one of those sisters?” he growls. It sounds like he’s demanding an answer from me but I’m too petrified to speak. Then he turns his menacing eyes on my Selell. “How did you get this one, Exgesis?”
“Exgesis,” I mumble because the revelation of who the Selell is starting to come to me.
“Ha!” the black-haired Selell snorts at me, and aims the sharp tip of his weapon at Exgesis. “You don’t know who this bastard is?”
That object is so very dangerous in his hand and I’ve gathered my bearings enough to touch him on the wrist. “Could you please put that away?” I ask, trying to steady my voice as I flood him with as much light as I can.
“No,” he bluntly says. “I know you’re working your magic on me and don’t worry your pretty little head off. It’s working but you’ll never get me to let down my guard around that bastard. And you shouldn’t either.”
“Come on Chex; this is not the place for your grudge.” Exgesis scans the room. All the humans watch us, stunned. Many of them are clutching tiny square gadgets in their hands.
The black-haired Selell named Chex laughs loudly and then simmers down by taking an exaggerated breath. “You care about humans now, do you?” he scoffs.
“This isn’t about you, Chex!” Exgesis barks.
“Put your hands up!” the human behind the counter demands.
All three of us look over at him. He’s pointing a handgun at Chex’s head.
Without warning, Chex makes a move and, when the streak stops, he’s holding the handgun and aiming it back at the human while keeping the sharp point of the dagger aimed at Exgesis.
Loud gasps and a chorus of whispers erupt. The humans are baffled by what they’ve just witnessed. This entire scene doesn’t sit well with me either.
“Chex,” I say holding my palms up.
“Yes,” he says, overstating agreeableness.
I’m immobilized, trapped by his menacing but intriguing eyes. “They’re afraid—the humans are. We should leave. Leave our matters to those who are aware of them?”
He’s grinning, showing a straight line of white teeth. “Humph,” he grunts. “I thought I liked the one who set my ass on fire, but the diplomatic approach is…” he sucks air through his teeth.
As I flinch, Exgesis draws me closer into him. Chex’s eyes don’t miss seeing this and his grin grows broader, showing how amused he is in the same sinister way Exgesis often does. The two of them carry similar traces of darkness within.
“Certainly,” he sings facetiously as he whips his shoulders forward and slides the dagger back inside his long black coat. Then he fixes his slanting eyes on me. “You just come on over here with me and we’ll be on our way.”
Now it’s Exgesis who’s laughing. He sounds so wicked that I twist around to see if he’s vexed with ek’et’ru. I release a sigh of relief because I cannot see the red haze of death swirling in his eyes.
The two Selells are not concerned by the number of people who have gathered on the sidewalk behind the cracked window. Instead, their eyes anxiously search the street.
“I’m taking you back to Ze Feldis and Elo. Let’s go,” Chex says curving his head toward the door.
Hearing the name Ze Feldis sounds like salvation. He can lead me to Cl’auta.
“Enough!” Exgesis roars so loudly that it feels as if the earth shakes.
The fear that’s trapped in the room has become so strong that it now grips me. I can no longer bear it. I reach inside of myself to gather the light of peace. Chex watches me pucker my lips and before he can figure out what I’m doing, I blow as hard as I can. Blinding light explodes, filling the room. When the i’lek’u subsides a soft yellow shimmer settles over the space. Every human is subdued. And this time my power works fully on both Selells. The hold that Exgesis has on me is no longer tight and possessive; instead his grasp is full and desperate.
Chex is compelled to take staggering steps over to the counter to drop the handgun. “What the hell did you just do to me?” he complains. His body is weak because he’s fighting against the good that now constrains the evil inside of him. To remain standing, he rests on the wood railing for support.
“What you’re feeling will pass if you stop struggling against the light,” I say to him.
He grimaces. “You don’t know what you’re doing.”
And then, it takes me by surprise but something suddenly rushes toward me and I’m lifted off the floor. There’s a sharp change in the temperature. The warmth that Exgesis’ touch stirs up within me is gone. I am no longer engulfed by the i’lek’u. There are no broken tables or chairs and fearful humans are far away from here. I look up and there’s the murky night sky.
“Better,” Chex says, stretching his lengthy neck from one side to the other. “Now, that sure does change the nature of our future asso
ciation,” he says sarcastically. “So are you coming or not?” he asks forcefully.
“Wait,” I nearly shout, hampered by frustration.
I’m confused and am missing the warmth of my Selell. Where is this place that the Selell Chex has taken me? We’re on a grimy concrete bridge stretched over stale gray liquid. I’m appalled by what I see. I have never seen water that dirty. The humans have clearly neglected the source from where it flows. And then a horn wails. The sound makes both me and the bridge tremble.
Once it’s quiet again and my trembling has turned to shivering, I ask, “But you can take me to Ze Feldis?”
“And I can take you to Na’ta,” Exgesis whispers so gently in my ear.
He’s here. The bitter cold has yet again passed away. He’s against my backside and I want to fall into him, swim in the warmth.
Chex curls his top lip. For a moment I think he’s going to attack Exgesis, the bringer of the warmth, but he stays where he stands.
“What was her name?” Chex asks, pinching his chin as if he’s calling up his memory. “Fawn. That’s it, isn’t it?” He sets his gaze on me. “That’s your sister?”
“Yes,” I squeak in a high-pitched voice. Just hearing her name makes me feel closer to her. “You know Falu?” I ask.
He points toward us with his chin. “He does too. Before you decide to go off and bed this fellow, you should know all about how familiar he is with Fawn, or Falu, or whatever the hell her name is.”
Suddenly my Selell turns me around to face him. The movement was so fast I could hardly feel it happening. These creatures are quicker than we are on the Earth.
“I knew your sister, Falu. We were - acquainted,” he says very calmly. The look in his eyes says he’s pleading for me to hear his words over Chex’s.
I’m looking into his eyes. My thoughts are thrown off track because I see that they’re green again; not only that, but it’s become apparent who this Selell is.
“You’re Lario Exgesis…?” I can hardly hear myself ask and now I find myself gasping for every breath I take.
All of a sudden I feel trapped between two dangerous creatures. But with what I’m remembering about the one I’m facing, he is the most treacherous. He fed Falu the mirk, human blood; deceived her into loving him and now he is the one dark fleck in Cl’auta’s heart because, more than life itself, she wants him dead.
“Bingo,” Chex coolly says. He’s moved closer to me; I can feel his presence hovering from behind.
“We’ve come this far and I haven’t done anything to hurt you, have I?” Exgesis whispers in desperation.
“Just because he hasn’t doesn’t mean he won’t,” Chex quickly adds.
My poor face, which has come to display expressions I have no control over, frowns hard. “I’m not sure. You have been hurting me by keeping me away from my sisters,” is my honest reply.
“I’m helping you find your sister!” he shouts excitedly. His eyes are ablaze. Then he releases a hard breath to calmly ask, “You want to get to Na’ta, don’t you?”
I swallow hard as I’m only barely able to nod.
“I’m the only one that can take you there.”
“And why is that, Exgesis?” Chex cynically asks. He touches me on the shoulder and his hand is cold. “Listen Love. I’m giving you an easy out. Take it. Usually he’ll let you go over your dead body. Never his. And by God - little ‘G’ then ‘od’ - if Exgesis is ever willing to let you walk, then fucking pigs are flying.” Even though I can’t see him, I know he’s flashing that wicked grin of his. That look is natural for him.
But the question that Chex initially asked is very valid. “Yes, why are you the only one who can take me to Na’ta? Surely Cl’auta can?”
“Because the portal opens in….” he takes one hand off of me to twist his arm and study the face on the timepiece that’s strapped around his wrist, “…seven minutes, exactly.”
“Where there’s a will there’s a way!” shouts Chex, and I’m swept off of my feet, carried so quickly that my head grows weak. When I come to a stop, Chex is squeezing me close to him with his forearm lodged against my belly.
But he only has me for a matter of seconds. I’m pulled out of his grasp by a stealthy force which sends me flying across the concrete bridge, but I’m able to gain control of myself before I slam into the metal guards. I gaze up the path, Chex straddles Lario Exgesis and they’re struggling over an object. I gasp as soon as my eyes make out what it is: the dagger. Chex has the tip of it aimed at Exgesis’ heart and Exgesis has Chex by the wrist, struggling to keep from being gutted.
Even from where I stand, this contest looks easy for Chex.
“No!” I shout and aim my palm at the Selells, striking them both with a more powerful dosage of the light.
At first they freeze where they are and then, to my relief, Chex drops the dagger and the metal clinks on the icy asphalt. The light has made them groggy so they struggle to rise to their feet. I race over and lay my hands on Exgesis’ chest. He may be untrustworthy and he may be the reason why Na’ta is being held captive, but he is my warmth and my bond and, according to my vision, my sister needs me.
“I’ll go with you,” I tell Exgesis. And with my declaration, Chex streaks away to escape the light.
My lifeblood is rushing through me. I’ve never been so uncertain about anything in my life. I cannot discount what this Selell is capable of, but my father once told me to choose instinct over fear. And in this instance, I’m following the warmth which, to my relief, is flooding me once again.
Chapter 4
The Downpour
“Will you let me carry you?” the Selell, Lario Exgesis asks timidly.
He seems more careful now that I know his true identity. His crimes against my sisters and their bonds are great and certainly heinous. Fate was not kind to bond us, but bonded we are and so it is.
I nod stiffly because he stopped holding my hand to ask me that question. The tiny amount of cold afflicting my skin is akin to torture. This temperature is new to me and I simply cannot tolerate it no matter how hard I try. And he must know this because as soon as I give my consent, he sweeps me up in his arms and we’re on our way.
I close my eyes as we go and allow his warmth to help me pretend that I am home. I visualize myself racing through the Forest of Whispers where the purple versa trees grow. The sunlight filters through their rounded leaves that shimmer in the light and kisses every part of my face. But I’ve never been here like this before, in the Forest of Whispers. Not with the tingling in my stomach and the fire in my thighs. Not with my instincts overruling my reason.
“Ad’ru?” The Selell whispers in my fantasy.
“Yes,” glides past my parted lips.
“Open your eyes.”
I slowly peel them open only to find him grimacing into my face. So quickly, I’m becoming familiar with the lines, curves, and expressions of his face.
“We’re here,” he mutters.
I look away from him and all around me. We’re back where we once were, across the street from the establishment where the two Selells once battled. Two white cars with spiraling red and blue lights on top and the word police painted in blue along the side are parked in front.
The i’lek’u still flourishes behind the glass window where four men in blue shirts huddle around the man who drew the handgun from behind the counter and pointed it at Chex. I’m positive the humans cannot see the i’lek’u even though they are affected by it.
I search for some sort of portal but all I see are more buildings with pergolas, tall windows, and balconies with decorative iron or wooden rails. It would be easy to see the portal glow because most of the establishments that line the street are not lit from the inside or outside.
“I don’t see the portal,” I finally say, squinting out of frustration more than vision impairment.
“Give it time,” he quietly says, glaring straight ahead through the window at the men in blue shirts.
The thoughts in my head are still overactive. I’m wondering if I made the right decision. At this very moment I could be with Cl’auta. I understood when Chex said “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” Cl’auta would have figured out a way to get to Na’ta. Surely, her powers combined with those of my other sisters who reside on the Earth could only aid me in finding Na’ta and bringing her safely home.
Home?
The notion of home has become obscure ever since I laid eyes on this one Selell whose crimes continue to list themselves in my head. He’s the being who tried to dissolve the love between Cl’auta and Ze Feldis with lies and used deceit in attempts to steal The Book of the Seven Seeds. And yet here I stand, beside him. I trust this Selell, but find him far from trustworthy. In truth, I’m unwisely willing to risk danger to remain in his company. This could be a weakness of my humanity but the impulse is too strong to resist.
“You tried to kill my sister,” I mutter in the silence that lingers between us.
“Are you referring to Fawn?” he asks, still looking straight ahead.
I blink, taken aback by his response. “Have you tried to kill any other of my sisters?”
“I haven’t tried to kill any of them, not even Fawn.” Now he looks down at me. “And that is the truth.”
“Then why did you feed her the mirk?”
His scowl intensifies. “I count it as one of my transgressions. One day I’ll pay for them all, but will you make that time now?” he asks with fierce sincerity.
“But why did you deceive her?” I ask. My tongue swells from anticipation.
He runs a hand nervously through his hair as he considers my question. Then abruptly he looks away from me to stare straight ahead. “There,” he says with a sigh of relief.
I trace his line of sight with my eyes. I’m surprised to see that the portal is the cracked window.
“How did you know about this portal?” I ask, watching him with scrutiny.
“I don’t have time to answer your questions,” he says harshly. “Do you want to save your sister, or not?”
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