by Kelly Napoli
CHAPTER 5
APOLOGIES
The next few days went by dreadfully slow and dreadfully quiet. Kiethara had never felt so alone in her life. The forest did not feel like the same forest she had come to know and love. Her surroundings now felt…unfamiliar. The trees seemed limp, the grass wasn’t as green, and the rays of sun that filtered through the leaves seemed to be reducing. Even the animals seemed quieter than usual. This repeated day after day.
Silence.
Stillness.
Emptiness.
Her surroundings soon caused her to be depressed, for something great in the forest was missing. As though the heart of it had been sucked clean out. Its unnatural aspect became more subtle; her spark seemed more subtle. And nothing could replace it. The missing piece was a magnificent power that had come to love her as though he were her father, and nothing could fit into that empty void.
She was sitting in her hammock like always, her body in the seemingly dead forest but her mind elsewhere. She didn’t enjoy this new path she was traveling now, one that was void of Aaron. All it had given her was an enemy with superior skills and a stranger from a foreign kingdom. She should have realized what she had before she gave it up—Aaron was indispensable, while everyone else would only come and go.
Kiethara fiddled with the locket around her neck. Say Gandador was using Navadar to destroy the forest. Maybe this had been his goal, to separate Aaron from her. That would have taken much wisdom, thought, and planning. Gandador was afraid of Aaron—that was why it had taken him twelve years to return. If this had been Gandador’s plan, well, she had to admit it was smart. She sat there marveling the complexity of it, only one truly stunning factor that left her impressed:
It had worked.
She felt it. A cold fear spread slowly through her veins like a poison, her subconscious now embracing what it must have been avoiding before. Now it hit her hard, showing her the reality that was waiting for her behind the veil of denial. There was no way to avoid it now, and there was no way to change it. This unexpected turn in her twisted path would make each passing minute more of a struggle than she had ever faced.
Aaron was not with her. He had left her abandoned. Her training would stop; the pitiful strength she had now was the strength she would have to use for now on and, in her heart, she knew it wouldn’t be enough. The forest would fall. So why did Aaron leave? He left because he thought she had been gambling the forest, but what did he think he was doing? She can’t survive without her powers, and he knew that. He was sentencing her to death.
Perhaps she could train herself. Observe the enemy with a keen eye and watch for weaknesses, all the while relying on pure instinct to guide her through the rest.
No, it was no good, and Kiethara couldn’t just keep pretending that this could work. She wasn’t safe, and neither was the forest. Aaron had deserted her because she candidly flouted him for the first time.
The forest’s fate seemed to be sealed.
And it was all her fault.
Low rumbles broke from the sky and lightning momentarily blinded her. Curious, she heaved herself out of her hammock and walked to the middle of her clearing, craning her neck up at the sky. Gruesome clouds were slowly churning and the wind howled mournfully, sending her waist long hair up in her face, obscuring her vision. But she didn’t need her eyes to hear the crack of thunder that opened up the sky.
Heavy rain drops fell to the forest floor. They landed on her pale face, which was still pointed upward towards the stars. The rain soaked her before she could gasp.
Now, bitter tears mingled with the water from the sky. She relished in the slight sting each rain drop caused as it hit her cheeks. It distracted her from other pain, pain she wanted to banish forever. She closed her eyes and spread her arms wide, willing the storm to help her, or end her. She wanted the storm to answer her questions, and she didn’t care if it was a whisper or a scream.
Kiethara didn’t know how long she stood there. A minute, an hour, a day? She didn’t want to know, really, now that time held no meaning.
It happened in a split second, too quick for her mind to process all of it. But what she did get was just enough.
Behind her eyelids a blinding flash shone through, so bright that for a moment she thought the sun had returned. However, the sound behind the noise wasn’t far behind.
An earsplitting crash roared and ripped its way through the clouds. Gasping, she looked up at the sky; the clouds were now starting to split apart, letting in scattered rays of sunlight. That last strike of lightning and roll of thunder must have been the last of the storm’s power. The storms dramatic exit; its lasting impression.
Yet the glow from the flash did not seem to fade. That couldn’t be right, for the sun was not out enough to shine like that. Puzzled, Kiethara kicked off into the sky. She flew higher than the tallest tree, which gave her a view that never failed to stun her. From horizon to horizon the endless green spread, only interrupted by a lake or stream. Normally, it was a breathtaking sight. Today, however, what she saw was quite the contrary. She was surprised she managed to stay in the air.
Smoke was climbing into the sky about a mile away, twisting into the air, mixing with the thinning clouds. The dark gray of the smoke stained the patches of blue sky that managed to break free, coming out of the trees in tight puffs and expanding as it floated higher. Below the smoke Kiethara could make out orange-red flames devouring trees whole, licking up their bark with an indefatigable force. The heat of them could even be felt from where she was hovering and the smell wafting over made the inside of her mouth and nose burn. It smelled like exactly what it was: destruction. The slight wind blew the smoke towards her, causing her eyes to water. Below her, animals were running for their lives. They bolted through her clearing: squirrels, birds, deer, canines, panthers, cats. Even a small family of tigers crossed through her clearing. The smaller animals were easily overtaken and trampled by the larger animals, and their cries echoed loudly, each one holding the same thing in it: fear. Fear rang through the forest. It was clouding her vision and logic, and panic was spreading almost as fast as the fire was below. The animals trampled all her possessions in their rush; her blanket was torn and buried under paws and claws, her baskets were shredded as easily as if they were tearing through snow. Her berries were squashed. Not that it matter to her, they could easily be replaced, but lives could not. Of course, they would soon be pointless sacrifices if she didn’t stop the fire from killing them all, and it was spreading. Fast.
Kiethara tore through the sky in the direction of the fire, so fast she soon realized she had come too close; the smoke was starting to blind and gag her and she was forced to propel herself back. Having no other option, she descended into the trees.
Her feet touched the ground. She broke into a sprint, swatting branches out of her way, listening to the crackle of the hot flames. It sounded as though it were laughing. The sound of it rang through the forest, mixing with the screams of the animals. They twirled together in the air just like the smoke contradicted with the sky.
Then, at last, the flames came into view. They were greedily licking up the trees, reaching their tongues toward her. The heat from them pooled Kiethara in sweat. Her navy blue eyes scanned the fire as an expression of helplessness twisted her face. How in the world was she supposed to stop them? If only it was still raining! Her clothes and skin were dry now, and she envied the cool, wet feeling the rain had brought her.
Kiethara shook her head—she had to stay focused. She didn’t have water, but she could control the wind. She had gotten better at it since her fight with Gandador. If she blew against the fire, it would stop spreading.
Kiethara raised her arms. The crystals in her bracelets glowed brighter and brighter as she held tight to her fear, focusing on using that to direct the winds. With all her strength, she directed them to blow against the fire.
The fierce winds whipped her hair into her eyes, and she had to plant her feet firmly on the groun
d to prevent herself from being blown over. She let the winds die for a moment, brushing her hair out of her eyes to assess the result, but all she saw was burnt forest and bright flames. They had stopped burning in this direction, but they had just started spreading in a new one. Panting, Kiethara tried again, but no matter what direction she sent the wind, the flames did not grow any weaker.
She let her winds die again and lowered her arms. It wasn’t working. Suddenly, the fire started racing in her direction again, faster than she had seen it ever go before. It threw her off guard and flooded her with fear, but before she knew it, the fire was only a mere ten feet away.
Then Kiethara was surrounded by a golden sphere. Inside the sphere the temperature was cool, the air was clean, and it emitted a reassuring magical light. The sound of the fire was muffled. Of course! Why hadn’t she thought of it before? She certainly had enough fear to control the wind and a shield. And now with it, she could probably walk through the fire and not feel a thing! Although, she wasn’t sure if she had the stomach to perform something like that. One slight distraction could cause it to disappear, and then she would be burned alive.
“Kiethara!”
Kiethara did not have to turn in order to know who had called out her name. She had memorized his voice the moment she had heard it.
There he was, on a beautiful buckskin horse. The horse’s sleek black tail twisted in the fire-spreading wind, and its light beige coat shone brightly in the fire’s flickering light. However, this was not what held her attention.
The horse’s master was looking down at her, and in his forest green eyes were the same range of emotions that were shining in her own. Fear, panic, confusion; they was all present. His shaggy blond hair was already filled with soot and his slightly tan skin was once again tinted by the light emitting from her shield. He was wearing the same black leather boots, but he had a new tunic on. This one was blood red.
“Navadar!” Kiethara called back, her tone full of shock. She extended a hand towards him.
At that moment, the heat, the sounds, and the smell all came back to her. Suddenly, he was the one surrounded by a shield. With a gasp she sucked in a lot of hot air and ashes, causing her throat to burn and her eyes to water.
She didn’t have time to fathom the mystery of her powers. She could figure this one out without Aaron as well. At that exact moment, she had wanted to protect him more then she had wanted to protect herself. Her powers bended under the will of her emotions.
“What?!” Navadar said, almost falling off of his horse. “No!”
His horse bucked underneath him, whether in response to the fire or the shield she did not know, but he managed to hold a firm grip. Despite the commotion, the shield stayed in place.
“Stay back!” she warned, turning back towards the fire, but keeping her hand extended towards Navadar. She needed to focus on the fire; the last thing she needed was the guilt of his death on her conscience for the rest of her life. Of course, Aaron would be pleased with that outcome. Kiethara shook her head sadly at the thought. No matter what Aaron said, she still thought he was wrong. Navadar was not a bad person.
As Kiethara really focused on the fire in front of her, she almost jumped back in shock. During the time of her distraction the fire had spread closer to her. Nearby trees were already in flames, only a few feet away.
With her free arm Kiethara summoned her powers. The crystals in her bracelets glowed, but there light was nothing compared to that of the fires. Again she attempted to push the fire back with wind, but it did nothing but halt its path of destruction. Desperation closed at her throat and, without realizing what she was doing, she brought her other arm forward to intensify her power. But the fire was too close, and she could not grasp it in time.
The tree on her left suddenly caught, blazing to life as red-orange flames licked up the bark. The tree seemed to turn from brown and green to black and orange in no less than a second. The tree made an odd creaking noise, then a loud crack, and suddenly all Kiethara could see was the white hot inferno falling towards her.
Then something slammed into her, sending her flying to the right.
Kiethara was on her back, gasping for air. Navadar was crouched over her, with either hand pressed down on the grass at the side of her face. It took her longer than it should have to realize that it had been Navadar who had knocked her aside. It had been his shoulder that had collided with her waist. Besides her, the tree came crashing to the ground, setting the grass ablaze.
Instinctively, her shield flew up around them.
The noises, the heat, the light, and the burning smell were all muffled, sending a jolt of relief through her body. The flames now burned all around them, but now they were safe, as long as she kept them surrounded in her golden safe house.
She frowned. She must have taken the shield off of Navadar without realizing it. Her lapse in concentration, at least, had allowed him to save her life. The forest was now in his debt. She was in his debt.
“Thanks,” she said in a breathless voice.
“No problem,” he said, a bit sarcastic. He jumped up and held his hand up. She took it, but before she could push her feet off the ground, he pulled her up effortlessly. Now on her feet, she surveyed the destruction around them.
It was painful to see the fire devouring the home to her and countless animals. Her winds weren’t having the greatest affect, and she didn’t know where the nearest water source was. Not that she could do anything with it. Aaron had not taught her that element yet. Pain twisted her gut as she realized that he never would.
That’s when it hit her.
Using her power on just one side of the inferno wasn’t enough. All it did was halt the fire from spreading a couple more feet for a moment or two. What about the other sides of the fire? Even if she found a way to stop all sides from spreading, she still had no idea how to put it out. One direction wasn’t enough, or four. She needed to hit it everywhere. There was only one place she could do that.
The sky.
Kiethara looked up into Navadar’s forest green eyes. He looked back, slightly confused. For a moment, she wondered what her face looked like to him.
“Stay here,” she ordered, her voice as austere as possible. Navadar’s lips pressed together in a hard line.
“You can’t go out there,” he said, grabbing her hand. His voice was just as stern. Kiethara sighed. She didn’t want to argue.
“I have to go. Do you realize the consequences of the forest burning down? The world would be sent into chaos. Aaron…” she choked, unable to finish the thought.
“You could die.” His voice was hard, but his eyes were sad.
“I don’t really have a choice, do I?” she said, and then she twisted her wrist out of Navadar’s grasp. Giving him one last glance, she prepared herself to fly, her shield disappeared.
The heat of the flames was intense. It pricked almost painfully at her skin, and the air was heavy and hot. She jumped into the air, replacing her shield around Navadar. She pushed herself through the ash and smoke, squinting at what she could she so far. A ways back was Navadar’s horse. The horse looked petrified, yet it seemed to be determined to leave with its master. She made a quick oath in her head that the horse would leave with a rider on its back.
As she rose higher, the smoke devoured her like an angry beast. It blinded her and then gagged her, the smell burning her nose. She flew higher.
The smoke seemed to get denser, forcing her to close her eyes. If she didn’t do this fast, she would suffocate. Her lungs ached already. Refocusing, she began to gather her powers, seeing her crystals getting brighter behind her lids. She let it build inside her, let the fear contaminate every thought. Her chest was soon heavy with it.
But would it be enough? She had never pushed her powers this far before and, between the shields she was generating and hovering in the sky, she didn’t know how much she could do before something slipped. Did her power have a breaking point?
&nbs
p; She released it all.
A wind fiercer then the winds of a tornado suddenly erupted, whipping at all sides of the conflagration below. It pushed it in on itself, cutting off its path for destruction as well as its fuel. Her power relentlessly flowed into the winds, giving them strength to push harder, to compact the heat as much as possible.
She could begin to feel her powers drain, and she was starting to panic. If she let go of the shield, he would die. If she couldn’t stay up in the air until the fire was out, she would die. If she couldn’t keep the winds going, the forest would burn. She began to lose altitude, her hands starting to shake as she scrambled to push herself up. Her winds began to fade as she slowly sunk towards the ground below her. She opened her eyes and took a breath without thinking twice about it.
Remaining smoke rushed into her throat, gagging her like a piece of cloth. It blinded her as well, and pain seared somewhere on her body. She lost all focus on Navadar, on her winds…and she lost the ability to stay in the air.
A swooping sensation filled her stomach as colors blurred past her tear-filled eyes. She could feel her body limp in the air. She had no strength, no power left to act. Her mind was fogged, as though it was filled with the smoke as well. Her arms were dead tools somewhere by her sides. They could do nothing but let gravity twist and turn them.
A light suddenly flashed and her eyes seared painfully. She had forgotten they were still open. The swooping sensation in her stomach dropped in intensity, and her arms were still for a moment. Was she still falling? Yes, she thought lazily, but not as fast. Whatever that light had been—it was probably the flames—it had resulted in her slowing down.
But instead of landing in flames, she hit the ground, hard. Pain ripped up her spine as her head smacked into the ground. The small breath she was able to take intensified the white hot pain that lashed at her consciousness, threatening to pull her under.
Around her, there was no blistering, heavy smoke. There was no sick crackling of the fire destroying the forest. The heat was gone, even though she could feel sweat matting down her hair to her face. The only sound she could hear, thank goodness, was thudding boots. Wait, thudding boots?
Kiethara gasped and then hissed as the pain intensified. How could she have forgotten Navadar? How would she have been able to live if she had known that right after he had saved her life she had snuffed out his? She refocused on the sound she was hearing and let relief swell through her. He must not be dead, after all. Unless it was Gandador.
“Kiethara!” Navadar yelled. His voice was filled with alarm and panic. It was close.
She tried to respond, but she was too weak. So she did have a breaking point after all. She couldn’t even open her eyes!
“Kiethara!” he yelled again. This time it sounded very close, as though he was lying next to her.
This time she made more of an effort in her attempt to make a sound. She sucked in a small breath and let out a small moan.
She heard Navadar let out a sigh in relief, but she didn’t care anymore. There was something else that grabbed her attention, something much more important. A blinding light lit up her eye lids. It warmed her, sending a feeling through her heart that was too rare for words. It was a light that she thought she would never be blinded by again.
“We need to get her to the lake,” Aaron said. “I managed to slow her fall so nothing would break, but she is still injured, I’m afraid.”
The sound of his voice opened up a new preserve of strength in her mind, allowing her to wheeze out the words that were necessary.
“I’m...sorry…Aaron.” The words felt like knives running themselves up her throat.
“I accept your apology, Kiethara, but we need to get you to the lake as quickly as possible,” he said.
Kiethara finally managed to open her eyes and she was once again provisionally blinded, but her eyes were quick to adjust this time.
They were standing in a huge clearing. Its size was not what sent a huge wave of shock through her, although that was an incredible factor. Everything was black. Few trees still stood, and even those were completely burnt and dead. Around them, ashes still swirled through the air. With eyes full of tears, she tried to pull herself up. She let out a pained cry and fell back to the ground. There was no way she could make it to the center of the forest, and she didn’t have enough power left to fly.
“Should I…?” Navadar asked, unsure.
“Yes, but make haste,” Aaron replied impatiently.
Kiethara was confused for a moment, but then strong arms lifted her off the dead ground. She groaned as he jostled her. She was surprised Aaron had consented to allow Navadar to even touch her. Kiethara internally sighed and let her head rest up against Navadar’s chest. She was too weak to try to make sense of the situation.
They walked in silence, and she tried unsuccessfully to keep track of the time. Had an hour past? She couldn’t tell, but Navadar’s pace never slowed and Aaron’s light never faded.
On they walked, and she lost any sense of direction. Her throat burned with every breath and her body ached in rhythm to Navadar’s step. She was frightened by a dead sensation that had filled her after she had fallen out of the sky. Aaron had never explained what would happen to her if she lost all of her magic.
Finally, after what seemed like forever to her, his pace slowed and eventually stopped. She opened her eyes. They were in the center of the forest, the guardian’s lake. She was surprised to find it still lush and green.
“Put her in the lake,” Aaron instructed Navadar.
“In the lake?!” he asked.
“Yes, she will be fine.”
Kiethara heard Navadar suck in his breath and step forward. This must all be alien to him, she reminded herself.
She felt him walk forward and heard the water splash as he walked deeper. He bent down—her injuries seared again—and he placed her in the water gently. She eagerly rolled into it, allowing herself to submerge.
The water was wonderfully cool and crisp. She let out a breath of relief and smiled as her pain faded momentarily. The affect was tremendous—the cool water soothed her burnt throat and the throb in her head ceased. The magic surrounding her brought her back to life. She shuddered as she realized how close to death she had really been, but now she was safe, and this thought comforted her as she slowly drifted to the bottom of the lake.
Kiethara didn’t know how long she lay there, but she didn’t care. She couldn’t think of a reason why she would ever get up again.
Eventually, she opened her eyes. Navadar wouldn’t leave until she resurfaced, and he needed to get home and find his horse. Plus, she really needed to talk to Aaron. With a deep breath she tried to pull herself up, using some hard surface next to her.
She was on the right side of the graveyard, facing the giant stone that held the essences of the elements. Curious, she looked down to see what she had used to pull herself up. With a yelp, she pulled her hand back as though it had burned her.
EARTHAPHORIA
LIVED FOR 35 YEARS.
“OUR GREATEST GIFT IS LOVE”
“How did I do today?” Kiethara whispered. Her eyes shone as she gazed down at her mother’s grave.
“Just fine,” a sweet voice answered.
Kiethara let out a loud gasp and jumped back, knocking into another tomb stone. The water cradled her fall, though, not allowing the old stone to cut her. She stared at her mother’s grave with wide, shocked eyes. She must be crazy. Maybe the smoke had gotten to her head.
Something made her doubt both of those theories.
Kiethara ran her fingers through her waist long hair. She didn’t want to think about her mother. Too much pain, too little strength. She needed to resurface before she started talking back to the disembodied voices.
She propelled herself up, wincing when her head broke the surface. The throbbing returned, and her throat seared again with every breath. However, it wasn’t as bad as it had been, and for that she w
as grateful. Her eyes roamed until she found the two of them. They had stood facing each other, but now Navadar turned towards her. Right before that, Navadar had looked flustered and Aaron had the same cold atmosphere to him. Why couldn’t Aaron just let him be? And what had they been talking about? She pondered this as she clambered unto dry ground.
“Kiethara!” he called, his voice filled with shock.
“Hello,” she said as she stood, watching them look over her. She looked down at herself. One of her legs was badly bruised, and she could feel the bruises that were hidden by her dress. She must have landed on her side. Besides some other minor burns, she was still alive. That counted as a win in her book, considering everything.
“Are you alright?” Aaron asked.
“Fine,” she replied with a wry smile.
“We need to talk,” he said.
“He saved my life,” she informed him, one step ahead.
“To gain you trust.”
“He’s not enchanted!” she said angrily. She tried to keep her quick temper in check. She didn’t want to drive him off again.
“Not at the moment.”
“Let’s not have this discussion now,” she pleaded.
Aaron finally relented. “Fine. Get some rest.”
“Come on,” she said to Navadar, motioning him to follow. He took his place at her side and they began to weave through the trees.
But then she turned. She needed a promise before she could even consider falling asleep. She couldn’t live without it.
“Will you stay?” she begged. Desperation rang in her voice.
“I never left.”