by Alyssa Ezra
“I don’t understand,” Storm Kar said.
“When that creature attacked us, the, what did you call it, the Tragger, I was so scared.”
“That is to be expected,” he replied. “Traggers are savage beasts that inhabit the fringes of the Mystic Folk territory. I dread to think what would have happened if I hadn’t got to you in time.”
“I wasn’t frightened of the Tragger,” Simone said. “I was frightened of you.”
She felt him sit up. “What?”
“When you fought that beast, you were so ferocious, so powerful, it scared me,” Simone went on. “It scared me that someone else could care about me that much to risk their life like that. I thought Dean would be the only man who could love me so intensely and now I realize you do to, and that terrifies me.”
“I want only to look after you,” Storm Kar said.
She turned and faced him. “Until today, I wouldn’t have believed that, but everything has changed. I realized how much I’ve missed out on by holding onto Dean’s memory. I want to move on, and live again.”
He reached down and stroked her face. “With me?” he asked, hopeful.
“Perhaps,” she said carefully. “I don’t regret what we’ve done, but I don’t know if we can take it further. I don’t want to lose you like I did Dean. I couldn’t stand that.”
He settled down and hugged her tightly. “I’ll never leave you,” he whispered in her ear. “I understand you need time. Whatever you decide, I will always love you.”
She held him to her and pressed her face into his shoulder. At that moment, she just wanted to be in his arms. As she listened to the rain that was still falling outside, she had no idea whether she would feel the same in the cold light of day.
Chapter 7: An Act Of Sacrifice
The rains did not abate the next day. They continued for most of the week and Storm Kar had to oversee the repair and maintenance of the flood defences to protect the crops of the Mystic Folk.
During this period, he and Simone slipped into something of a blissful domestic routine. While he was away in the daytime, she would help out with chores and at Grazing Elk Woman’s request, she began teaching the children about Earth and its customs.
Now that the Mystic Folk believed that she had become Storm Kar’s mate, they were very friendly and embracing, and each night when Storm Kar returned from his duties, they made love and enjoyed each other’s company. He had softened his stern exterior and seemed genuinely happy spending time with her. He said he loved her and she believed him.
The question was: did Simone love him? She certainly enjoyed being with him and had found she connected to him on an emotional level, but she could not be truly certain she loved him, not in the way she loved Dean. Storm Kar said that he didn’t care, that just being with her was enough for him, but she felt that she was being unfair to him.
She wanted to give all of herself to him the way he had pledged himself to her, but doing that felt like a betrayal to her first true love. She feared that by accepting Storm Kar, she was erasing the memory of Dean forever.
As the time drew closer for her to make her decision on whether she stayed or returned to Earth, her mind roiled with confusion. She now loved the Vision Land, but Earth was her home, where her life was, much as it was, to turn away from it would be a massive step.
One evening though, something happened to make her mind up without question. Storm Kar had not returned from his duties at the usual time, and feeling restless, Simone decided to go look for him.
She headed to the lower chambers beneath the citadel to where Storm Kar kept his laboratory. She rarely came here as he preferred to keep his work private and Simone respected that. As she entered the large room with its exotic looking equipment and mountains of ancient books and parchments, she couldn’t see him but spotted Pevas at a workbench mixing potions.
“Hey, Pevas,” she said brightly to the triad.
The three Phoenix Men turned in unison and bowed their beaks in greeting. “Good evening Simone,” they said as one. “It is nice to see you again. You are looking most healthy and fecund. Clearly regular copulation with Storm Kar suits you.”
“Um, yeah I guess so,” she replied, feeling embarrassed. “Talking of Storm Kar, I was wondering where he’d got to.”
“There was an emergency on the southern perimeter,” the birdmen trilled. “The floods have caused several Woodren to become uprooted and Storm Kar is repairing them as we speak. He may be several hours yet.”
“Oh, okay,” Simone replied a little disappointed. “I’ll go and grab some food then. Do you want anything?”
“We are content as we are,” Pevas replied.
“Okay, well see you around,” she said and headed back to the door.
“Wait,” the triad called after her, their joint voices flirting with uncertainty.
Simone paused and turned back to them. “Everything okay, fellas?”
For the first time since she’d join Pevas, the three birdmen looked at each other instead of looking out in the same direction. They started muttering in a strange fluting language that Simone could not understand, and they were not talking in unison. This went on for a little while, before the triad turned to face her.
“We were unsure whether to tell you this, Simone,” they said uncertainly, “but nobody else will. Especially not Grazing Elk Woman or Storm Kar himself, and we feel you have the right to know.”
Simone frowned at them. “Tell me what?” she asked in a suspicious tone.
The birdmen looked flustered and the one on the left began plucking feathers from his wing. Simone gave them a hard look. “Tell me what Pevas?” she pressed. “What do I need to know about Storm Kar?”
Pevas bowed his collective heads. “Simone, how much has Storm Kar told you about why he looks the way he does?”
Simone was taken aback by the question. “How he looks? I don’t know really, he doesn’t say much about it. I just assumed he’d been born like that.”
The triad shook their heads and then stretched their wings. A ball of flame appeared several feet in the air in front of them. Simone watched as the ball began to take the shape of a face.
“This is how Storm Kar looked originally,” Pevas said.
Simone stared at the handsome, boyish face with its high cheekbones and deep, thoughtful eyes of onyx. “This is Storm Kar? But he looks so different. What happened to him?”
“Storm Kar longed for the perfect soul mate, but could find no one suitable amongst the Mystic Folk. Then, the Great Spirits sent him the vision of you and he knew you were the one,” Pevas explained as the image faded away.
“Unfortunately you were on Earth so he had to devise a means to get to your world and find you.”
“I know that,” interrupted Simone. “He built the portal that brought me here.”
Pevas shook his head.
“That was the second attempt. The first method he tried was to build a star craft to get him to your planet. We helped him construct such a vehicle and he did get to Earth.
Unfortunately he searched your world in vain, unable to find you. He had believed the Great Spirits would simply guide him to you, but it was not as easy as that. Dejected, he made the return trip to the Vision Land so that he could gather more information.
As he neared our world though, the ship was caught in a Doom Storm, a cloud of negative energy that possesses malevolent powers. It damaged the ship beyond repair, and transformed him into how he looks now, ruining his face and giving him the power of his fire eyes. We tried to find a way to reverse the process but it was of no use. He would have given up looking for you as well, but his need to meet you was too great, so we began work on the portal that would locate you.”
Simone tried to take all of this in. “I thought he was always like that,” she said numbly. “He said he was an outsider to his own people.”
“Not because of his looks,” Pevas said sadly. “He always felt out of place, that is why he
was so desperate to find a destined mate who truly understood him. He feared he would spend the rest of his life alone.”
“So he came to Earth and ended up becoming disfigured,” Simone said bleakly. Guilt rose up to choke her throat. “It’s my fault he’s like he is. Why didn’t he tell me?”
“He doesn’t care about what happened to him. All that matters was he got the chance to find you.”
“I care though!” Simone yelled. Her eyes misted up with tears. “He ruined himself for me! How the hell can I live with myself after this?”
“All is not lost,” Pevas said quickly. “We did not reveal this knowledge simply to torment you. There was a more noble purpose.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The Great Spirits that talked to Storm Kar also whisper to us,” the triad went on.
“We received a vision telling us that Storm Kar’s salvation would come from the woman he loves. There is a way to reverse the terrible damage inflicted by the Doom Storm.”
Simone’s eyes widened with hope. “There is, how?”
“To the north of the Mystic Folk territory is the Mammoth Tusk Mountain,” Pevas said.
“Within it stands a shrine and within the shrine is the Plant of All-Healing. By simply touching it allows someone think of anyone who is in need to cure them of their malady. By wishing Storm Kar to be normal again, you could restore his face.”
“Well that’s great,” Simone said eagerly. “Let’s go, get this plant.”
“It is not as simple as that,” Pevas replied. “To touch the Plant means instant death. It will turn anyone who dares into ashes.”
“Then you’re saying there is no hope,” Simone replied. “Storm Kar will be like that for the rest of his life, and it’s my fault.”
“The Great Spirits told us this might not happen,” Pevas said. “We do not know how but they hinted there was a chance you could survive, though we are not sure how it is possible. We only know that you could also die if we are wrong.”
“I’ve got to try it,” Simone said firmly. “I owe Storm Kar that much.”
“You owe me nothing!” Storm Kar’s deep voice suddenly rang out across the chamber.
Simone spun round to find him standing in the doorway, his red eyes blazing with fury. He marched towards them and both Pevas and Simone recoiled.
“What are you doing telling her about the Plant?” Storm Kar snapped at the birdmen.
“You know its certain death to touch it!”
“Forgive us, but we only want you to both be happy,” Pevas said meekly. “The Great Spirits called to us, we had to pass on what they say. We just want to help.”
“We don’t need your help or that of the Great Spirits!” Storm Kar retorted. “Do not interfere!”
“Don’t yell at Pevas!” Simone butted in, regaining her confidence again. “They’re right, if there’s a chance to heal you, we’ve got to try it.”
“Not if it means you die!” Storm Kar snapped. “If you die then all of this would be for nothing, and I couldn’t bear that.”
“But it’s my fault that you became scarred!” she protested. “I can’t bear the thought that there is no way to reverse that. This is all my fault!”
Storm Kar held her tightly in his arms. “None of this is your fault. I made the choice to go to Earth. I understood the risks. It was worth it to have you by my side. Even if you decide to go back to your world, our time together was worth every sacrifice.”
Simone thought of Storm Kar alone and her heart bled. She didn’t want to leave him now, and she didn’t care about his appearance. It was what was underneath that counted, but she had done this to him and she was determined to put it right.
* * *
“I don’t know, lass,” Jedediah said knitting his brows together. “Master Storm Kar wouldn’t like it.”
“Please Jedediah, I have to go to the mountain,” Simone pleaded. “I have to try and help him.”
It had been almost two weeks since she had discovered Storm Kar’s secret and it had devoured her every waking moment. Though he had assured her it didn’t matter what he looked like as long as she was happy, she wasn’t willing to let it go.
He had made so many sacrifices to bring her into his life and he had made her want to live again, and move forward without Dean. It was only right that she do anything to restore Storm Kar to his former self, even if it was at the cost of her own life.
Jedediah scratched the side of his craggy face. “’E wouldn’t like it. Us going behind his back like this. If he finds out he’ll blow a fuse.”
“He won’t until it’s too late,” Simone pressed. “Look, Storm Kar is over at the Phoenix People settlement helping them repair the damage done by the floods now the rain has stopped. He won’t even know we’re gone until it’s too late. Please, I’m begging you. I need to help him.”
Jedediah’s ancient eyes searched her face. “You really care about him, if you be going to take such a risk, lass.”
She thought about it and realized that was an understatement. She loved him with every inch of her being and she would do anything to end his pain. She nodded to the Podderer. “Yes, Jedediah. I have to do this for him.”
Jedediah nodded his great head and started to amble away from the balcony. “I’ll get the howdah then. My old pa always said you couldn’t talk sense to a woman who had made her mind up.”
“Thank you, Jedediah, I don’t know how to repay you for this.”
“Just don’t get yerself killed, lass,” Jedediah warned. “That’s all I ask.”
* * *
As they strode across the land, Simone realized exactly how big the risk she was taking. Pevas had said touching the Plant meant instant death, but the Great Spirits hinted there might be a way to restore Storm Kar without her losing her life. She didn’t like that they were so ambiguous. Couldn’t they have been more definite?
Still, it was too late to turn back now.
She had to go through with this, whatever the cost. It was the right thing to do. Looking out of the howdah she spotted the Mammoth Tusk Mountain on the horizon. It rose up ominously, a curved spur of white pointing to the heavens. As they drew closer, Simone saw that a crude path had been carved into the mountain spiralling up to the pinnacle.
“The shrine is carved into the bone at its top, lass,” Jedediah said as he started clambering up the side of the tusk. The howdah rocked alarmingly as he ascended. “You better hold on to your garters,” he warned.
Holding on for dear life, they finally made it to the top in one piece. Jedediah crouched down on the narrow ledge outside the entrance of the shrine and Simone disembarked. Her heart hammering hard, she entered the arch that led into the mountain.
The small domed room beyond was plated with gold and at its centre on a pedestal of blue crystal a large, red leafed plant hung suspended in a pillar of golden light. Simone felt its power radiate out to her, and it beckoned her forward.
Her body trembled as she forced one foot in front of the other toward the pedestal. Pevas warning that she could die if she touched the Plant rang in her ears, but she still carried on. She had come too far to turn back now.
In a few moments she was standing just outside the golden light. Her skin tingled at being so close and she heard the low hum of power. The Plant looked exquisitely beautiful and it seemed to be beckoning her.
For a long time, she stood watching it, her mouth dry. Then swallowing, she cleared her throat. “I’m not sure how this works,” she called out to the empty shrine, “but please, I want Storm Kar to be restored to how he originally looked, um, please.”
A pregnant silence followed in the wake of her words. Breathing shrilly, she reached out with her right hand toward the Plant. Her fingers extended, she gave the nearest of the leaves just the briefest of touches.
A force of unimaginable power knocked her backwards and across the floor. She yelled in shock and a burning agony ripped through her chest.
“Simone!” Storm Kar’s voice roared across the shrine.
Confused, she managed to turn her head and see him being carried by one of Pevas’ triad selves into the shrine. As soon as he was set down, he hurried over to her. She frowned as the pain devoured her. His face was glowing, changing before her eyes.
“Simone!” he gasped, kneeling at her side. “Simone! Why did you do it?”
“For you,” she croaked and reached up to stroke his face. He was transforming rapidly now, his face becoming handsome and boyish. Behind him, she was dimly aware of the three birdmen that made up Pevas standing over them.
Another surge of pain gripped her and she moaned out. She was dying, she would feel it, but it didn’t matter. Storm Kar had been restored to normal and Dean would be waiting for her on the other side.
“Simone, what have you done?” Storm Kar sobbed. “Why are you leaving me?”
Tears fell down Simone’s face. She didn’t want it to end like this, but it was too late. She had done the right thing and now she had to pay the price. She stroked his hair as he wept opening, pushing his face against her chest. Her eyes grew heavy and began to close.
“No,” she heard Pevas say. “It will not end this way. Something is changing.”
She didn’t understand what he was saying, and then the pain stopped. She opened her eyes and sat up. Storm Kar stared at her incredulously.
“What?” she gasped. “The pain’s gone, I’m okay. I’m not dying!”
“Oh Simone!” Storm Kar sobbed, locking her in a bear hug.
She clung to him fiercely in return, desperate for the warmth and comfort of his body.
“But how?” she asked numbly.
“Pevas worked it out,” Storm Kar replied, finally easing away from her and wiping his eyes. “He thought you would try this even though I didn’t want you to. He saw you go and came to warn me, that’s when he told me he had worked out how you could touch the Plant of All-Healing and survive.”