by Arden, Mari
"I'm an earthling like you. I was born and raised here. A lot of us are," he confesses, grinning. "We've been here for thousands of years, living and hiding among you." He hums the X-Files theme song, and I laugh, looking up into his face. He's gazing ahead so he doesn't notice me studying him, observing the dimpled chin and strong nose. From underneath him I can see thick eye lashes framing electric blue eyes. I'm so close I can actually see wisps of dark blonde hair growing above his lips.
Suspicious, I ask, "Are you naturally a red head?" Instantly, he looks embarrassed.
Hiding a smile, I say, "No judgment here. I tell myself it's real even if it comes from a bottle," I half joke.
He grins. "Is it that obvious?"
"Well I'm literally an inch from your face." For some reason that seems to make him happy and he presses his head closer until we're centimeters apart. I hold my breath, suddenly reminded of the reckless kiss I shared with him earlier. Any other time I would be mortified, but tonight I feel different from myself. I still feel fear and pain, but my heart's feeling something else as well: stalwart. Strong.
Dangerous.
It's just a little bit of power, but it's enough to put something forceful in my eyes.
"All right," he says, looking mischievous. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."
"Are we talking about the same thing here?"
His grin broadens. "You in or out?"
I raise an eyebrow at him. "Well considering how many times we escaped death, I have to admit I'm feeling a little reckless…" Whispering so he has to strain to hear, I say, "In."
He stops midstride, setting me back on my feet.
I use his body as an anchor, and lean onto his side.
"You'll have to step back for this one," he tells me.
Intrigued, I do as he wants. He begins fumbling with his hair and the skin around it. He's jabbing his skin, scratching and pulling. When something begins to break around his head, he makes an exaggerated sound of pain.
Pretending to glare at him, I say, "I'm not falling for that trick again." All I hear is a low chuckle before a piece of flesh comes off. Even though I know it's not real, I can't stop the gasp escaping my mouth.
"See?" He points to his forehead. "No blood." I'm confused for a second more before I finally realize what he's doing.
"It's a wig," I exclaim, laughing.
He's shaking his head, letting the wind blow through his dark blonde hair. "All I know is that they're right. Red heads do have all the fun."
"So do you put that thing on every time you rescue a damsel in distress?" I guess, smiling.
"Yes." He gives me a wolfish grin, filled with mirth. I roll my eyes as Kaiden picks me up, settling me on his chest. We continue walking, and I notice that nothing is crumbling around us, and the wind isn't shrieking like a banshee. We're moving through dense bushes and trees, but I'm still worried it's not real.
"Have we passed Saguinox territory?"
"Yes. We're safe now," he says confidently.
"How can you be sure?" I ask, uncertain.
"This is the path I took to get in. It's owned by the government, and hasn't been touched by the Saguinox."
"Do you think more will come for us tonight?" I ask, unable to stop the slight tremors rocking my body.
He holds me tighter. "I don't think so. They've been very secretive and busy. We were able to intercept a few of their messages," he informs me. Inhaling sharply, I wait anxiously for him to finish. "It was very clear the warriors would be gone this week. I'm not sure what's happening, but it's big." He looks down at me. "We knew I only had a short window to get them in and out."
"Them," I repeat slowly. "Do you mean Chloris… and Nymphora?"
"Yes."
"What do you guys do?"
"We're mercenaries."
What? I gasp.
"People hire us to do things for them."
I'm suspicious. "What sorts of things?"
He stops for a long moment. "Anything."
It's an ambiguous answer, and my mind is jumping to all sorts of terrible conclusions. I try to picture Chloris doing something like killing for money, but the image doesn't make sense. She seems too timid and nervous to do something like that. Maybe he's sensing what I'm thinking because he continues, "Some of us only do what we believe in. I've never done anything I've been afraid to admit to. This is something my family has always been a part of," he confides.
Nodding, I say, "Okay."
We continue in compatible silence for many minutes. Knowing that this isn't part of the Saguinox land, I breathe in fresh air, wondering how I've never notice how clean it is; how sweet it smells.
"Do you know what I want to do?" I ask.
"What?"
"I want to drive."
He laughs. "All right." His voice is amused. "Once your leg's good, you can drive again."
"I want to be in the city," I continue, my mind imagining the bright city lights. I want to be around humans.
"Mmmm." He makes the sound in my hair. We walk in silence for a long while. Even in the dark, I see charred skin on my palm. It hurts, and I open my hands, letting the wind wash over the pain.
Eventually, it gets so dark that Kaiden almost bumps into a tree. He laughs, but I'm the one who almost got hit. Taking a deep breath, I whisper, "Light." A tiny flame flickers above my open palm, swaying slightly underneath my breath. It's small, but it's better than nothing. I hold it up to help light the way.
"You'll burn me with that," Kaiden reminds me, moving his face to the side.
"Don't be such a baby. It's just a little fire."
He grunts, but he doesn't put his face near me again.
"Kenna, I want to tell you something," Kaiden abruptly begins after a lengthy silence. His voice is more serious than I've ever heard it. "It's very important so listen carefully." He takes a deep breath. My heart begins to hammer.
"This realm has always been filled with magic. There are hundreds of planets that magical creatures inhabit. Earth was the last to be formed, and the only planet left that has remained, for the most part, untainted by black magic. Earth has never been important because there was always greater power somewhere else." He stops. "Are you understanding?"
I'm dazed with all the information he's giving me. "Even after everything that's happened, it's so hard to believe it's real," I whisper, unable to fully convey the bewilderment, fascination, and pain of what I'm feeling.
"Aliens are very real," he states. "Every alien I've ever met has had magic. Don't let yourself be confused. It could cost you your life. Humans have a silly idea of what aliens are and what they look like. It's nothing close to the truth."
"You said there was always greater power somewhere else and that's why Earth has been left alone for so long," I recall. "The Saguinox have revealed themselves here. Does that mean--"
"Yes." His answer is sad and angry at the same time. "It means that power is here now." He takes another deep breath. "It means that they're here to stay."
"Why?" My question is a petrified whisper.
"That question has many answers. I don't know them all. This is what I do know. They've destroyed everything. Earth is the only planet left. To understand what that means we need to go back." He holds me tighter, as if I'm going to flee after I hear what he's about to say. "Thousands of years ago there used to be universal laws created by the Council. The Council was made up of powerful magicians from every race and every planet. They had in their possession something called the element crystals. No one knows how they came to posses these, but for as long as time has existed the Council has protected them. These crystals are energy sources that specifically control elements present in all the planets. To possess these would be to have powers over the entire universe. The crystals needed guardians, and were protected by the elemental witches. These were magical people who had an affinity for certain magic special to the crystal, like air, water, land which they called tierra, and… fire."
I s
tiffen in his embrace. Before I can say anything, he rushes on, continuing. "The Council wasn't perfect. Their intentions were always good, but corruption and power often rose to the surface of everything they did. Eventually it all fell apart, and when the Council disintegrated, the magic did, too. The crystals disappeared. No one could find them
"Then, a hundred and fifty years ago, rumors surfaced about some remarkable crystals. There were whispers that in order to protect them some elemental witches hid them in people. No one believed it for a long time. I mean how could you? It was crazy." Kaiden's voice shifts, growing darker and angrier. "Then the Saguinox began invading planets, and triumphing over every type of magic. That's when people started investigating. It's a long story, but the only thing you need to know is the Saguinox have the crystals."
He takes another deep breath, like he's trying to forget something painful. "We believe for a long time now they have been using the crystals to destroy their enemies. What they didn't know is that the crystals are wild magic. There's always a price to using them. They destroyed many planets before they finally understood, but by then it was too late. There was only one planet left, still untouched, still pure." His embrace tightens. "They have every crystal, except one. Someone hid it very well, and it's been lost ever since."
There was light and colors…
Like fire.
Remember.
"Me," I whisper.
He presses his face to me. "Yes," he reinforces quietly. "Kenna, you are the carrier of the fire crystal. You're the miracle we've all been hoping for."
Chapter 28
Something soft touches my face. I wrinkle my nose to chase it away, which makes me sneeze. Jerking awake, I try swatting the insect back. When I do, my hand smacks straight on to a hard chest.
Kaiden's hard chest.
Suddenly, everything comes rushing back to me. Escape. The explosion. Damien. Kaiden. Death.
Fire.
With that last thought, I abruptly straighten.
"Ow!" we both yell simultaneously as my head bumps into Kaiden's chin. Feeling the arms around me sway slightly, I grasp his neck for more support.
"Sorry."
"It's ok," he says, but he's cringing. I know it's from more than just me. We've had quite a night.
"Kaiden, you can put me down." I shift anxiously in his arms. "I want to try walking." Gently, he unlaces the hand around my knees, setting me softly on my feet. The second my weight is put on my right leg, I cringe, shuddering from the impact. Gritting my teeth, I try to remove myself from Kaiden's hold, but he's firm, pressing his fingers into my back.
"Let me help you." When I open my mouth to protest, he continues. "I need to. Or else we'll never get out of this place." It takes a moment, but I finally nod, conceding his better judgment. Feeling like a big baby, I let him take me into his arms again, listening to the steady rhythm of his gait.
It's still dark out. "How long have we been walking?"
"A couple hours."
A couple hours? He's not breathing very hard." Aren't you tired?"
"Yes," he admits.
Bewildered, I remark, "You sure don't sound like it."
I feel him shrug. "I have a larger energy reserve than most do. It's sort of left over residue from my ancestry."
"Oh?" My interest piqued, I ask, "What does that mean?"
"It means I come from a long line of magic, which is ironic because I don't actually have any magic." He chuckles, and I feel the vibrations through my sides. I settle my head deeper into his body.
"Does that upset you?"
He takes a moment to think, then answers candidly, "No. It actually doesn't. I think who you are matters more than what magic you have." He sounds serious and wise.
I smile into his shirt. "And who are you, Kaiden?" I ask softly, realizing I don't know much about the guy who helped save my life.
"I'm an earthling like you. I was born and raised here. A lot of us are," he confesses, grinning. "We've been here for thousands of years, living and hiding among you." He hums the X-Files theme song, and I laugh, looking up into his face. He's gazing ahead so he doesn't notice me studying him, observing the dimpled chin and strong nose. From underneath him I can see thick eye lashes framing electric blue eyes. I'm so close I can actually see wisps of dark blonde hair growing above his lips.
Suspicious, I ask, "Are you naturally a red head?" Instantly, he looks embarrassed.
Hiding a smile, I say, "No judgment here. I tell myself it's real even if it comes from a bottle," I half joke.
He grins. "Is it that obvious?"
"Well I'm literally an inch from your face." For some reason that seems to make him happy and he presses his head closer until we're centimeters apart. I hold my breath, suddenly reminded of the reckless kiss I shared with him earlier. Any other time I would be mortified, but tonight I feel different from myself. I still feel fear and pain, but my heart's feeling something else as well: stalwart. Strong.
Dangerous.
It's just a little bit of power, but it's enough to put something forceful in my eyes.
"All right," he says, looking mischievous. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."
"Are we talking about the same thing here?"
His grin broadens. "You in or out?"
I raise an eyebrow at him. "Well considering how many times we escaped death, I have to admit I'm feeling a little reckless…" Whispering so he has to strain to hear, I say, "In."
He stops midstride, setting me back on my feet.
I use his body as an anchor, and lean onto his side.
"You'll have to step back for this one," he tells me.
Intrigued, I do as he wants. He begins fumbling with his hair and the skin around it. He's jabbing his skin, scratching and pulling. When something begins to break around his head, he makes an exaggerated sound of pain.
Pretending to glare at him, I say, "I'm not falling for that trick again." All I hear is a low chuckle before a piece of flesh comes off. Even though I know it's not real, I can't stop the gasp escaping my mouth.
"See?" He points to his forehead. "No blood." I'm confused for a second more before I finally realize what he's doing.
"It's a wig," I exclaim, laughing.
He's shaking his head, letting the wind blow through his dark blonde hair. "All I know is that they're right. Red heads do have all the fun."
"So do you put that thing on every time you rescue a damsel in distress?" I guess, smiling.
"Yes." He gives me a wolfish grin, filled with mirth. I roll my eyes as Kaiden picks me up, settling me on his chest. We continue walking, and I notice that nothing is crumbling around us, and the wind isn't shrieking like a banshee. We're moving through dense bushes and trees, but I'm still worried it's not real.
"Have we passed Saguinox territory?"
"Yes. We're safe now," he says confidently.
"How can you be sure?" I ask, uncertain.
"This is the path I took to get in. It's owned by the government, and hasn't been touched by the Saguinox."
"Do you think more will come for us tonight?" I ask, unable to stop the slight tremors rocking my body.
He holds me tighter. "I don't think so. They've been very secretive and busy. We were able to intercept a few of their messages," he informs me. Inhaling sharply, I wait anxiously for him to finish. "It was very clear the warriors would be gone this week. I'm not sure what's happening, but it's big." He looks down at me. "We knew I only had a short window to get them in and out."
"Them," I repeat slowly. "Do you mean Chloris… and Nymphora?"
"Yes."
"What do you guys do?"
"We're mercenaries."
What? I gasp.
"People hire us to do things for them."
I'm suspicious. "What sorts of things?"
He stops for a long moment. "Anything."
It's an ambiguous answer, and my mind is jumping to all sorts of terrible conclusions. I try to picture Chloris doing some
thing like killing for money, but the image doesn't make sense. She seems too timid and nervous to do something like that. Maybe he's sensing what I'm thinking because he continues, "Some of us only do what we believe in. I've never done anything I've been afraid to admit to. This is something my family has always been a part of," he confides.
Nodding, I say, "Okay."
We continue in compatible silence for many minutes. Knowing that this isn't part of the Saguinox land, I breathe in fresh air, wondering how I've never notice how clean it is; how sweet it smells.
"Do you know what I want to do?" I ask.
"What?"
"I want to drive."
He laughs. "All right." His voice is amused. "Once your leg's good, you can drive again."
"I want to be in the city," I continue, my mind imagining the bright city lights. I want to be around humans.
"Mmmm." He makes the sound in my hair. We walk in silence for a long while. Even in the dark, I see charred skin on my palm. It hurts, and I open my hands, letting the wind wash over the pain.
Eventually, it gets so dark that Kaiden almost bumps into a tree. He laughs, but I'm the one who almost got hit. Taking a deep breath, I whisper, "Light." A tiny flame flickers above my open palm, swaying slightly underneath my breath. It's small, but it's better than nothing. I hold it up to help light the way.
"You'll burn me with that," Kaiden reminds me, moving his face to the side.
"Don't be such a baby. It's just a little fire."
He grunts, but he doesn't put his face near me again.
"Kenna, I want to tell you something," Kaiden abruptly begins after a lengthy silence. His voice is more serious than I've ever heard it. "It's very important so listen carefully." He takes a deep breath. My heart begins to hammer.
"This realm has always been filled with magic. There are hundreds of planets that magical creatures inhabit. Earth was the last to be formed, and the only planet left that has remained, for the most part, untainted by black magic. Earth has never been important because there was always greater power somewhere else." He stops. "Are you understanding?"
I'm dazed with all the information he's giving me. "Even after everything that's happened, it's so hard to believe it's real," I whisper, unable to fully convey the bewilderment, fascination, and pain of what I'm feeling.