Vardaesia

by Lynette Noni

  Alex wasn’t thrilled by anything she was hearing. And yet, in the future vision the Library had showed her, even though Medora had been lost, it was still the Tia Aurans who had kept Aven from venturing to Freya. The avatar of Kaiden had told her that they had stepped in, stopping Aven from continuing his anti-mortal crusade across worlds. So regardless of Zaylin’s words, Alex knew that whatever power they had—weakened or not—was still enough. It had to be.

  “You didn’t answer my question,” Alex said quietly.

  Holding her steady gaze, Zaylin said, “If you prove yourself to the empress, she will come to your aid. Continue to impress her with your tenacity and you will have allies in your war—for what little it may be worth.”

  Alex felt a heavy weight leave her so quickly that she swayed on the spot. “Thank you, Zaylin.”

  The helper’s eyes flared with an unreadable emotion. “Don’t thank me yet, Alex. You still have a long few days ahead of you.”

  That much, she already knew. And when Zaylin relieved Alex of her empty chalice and told her to get some rest, she didn’t hesitate to crawl into bed, turning her back on the light streaming in from the three suns blazing in the afternoon sky.

  It was a mark of just how exhausted she was that she didn’t linger on Zaylin’s words despite her overwhelming curiosity about the Immortal Wars. She was desperate to hear how the Tia Aurans had conquered and banished the Meyarins, just as she was intrigued by why Zaylin believed they were no longer capable of doing so again. But her questions could wait, because as D.C. had said, Alex had time.

  And right now, that meant she had time to do as Zaylin had ordered—and rest.

  It was dark by the time Xira’s quiet mental call woke Alex, the blue moons glowing brightly in the sky.

  Feeling wonderfully refreshed, she responded to his question and sat up with a yawn, clapping her hands three times to turn on the light before stretching languidly.

  “You look about as relaxed as I feel.”

  Alex jumped and twisted towards the balcony, finding Kaiden striding casually through the wispy curtains and stopping just in front of them.

  Self-conscious, Alex asked, “How long have you been out there?”

  Kaiden sent her an amused look. “Despite what you think, I’m not a total creeper. I only just arrived.”

  She tilted her head and squinted as if to judge his honesty. “You weren’t standing there and watching me sleep?”

  “As delightful as that sounds, my preference would have been to join you.” His eyes were filled with mirth as he finished, “You should know that by now.”

  Flailing for a response, Alex settled on rolling her eyes as she slid out of bed, grateful that she’d gone to sleep fully clothed. Not that Kaiden hadn’t already witnessed her in all her pyjamafied glory, but still. Rumpled as she was, at least she was decent.

  “Are you going to make a habit of climbing into my room under the cover of darkness?” she asked, pulling on her boots before walking over to him, past him, and stopping on the balcony under the moonlight. She looked to the skies briefly only to whip back around at his next words.

  “I sure hope so.”

  Alex couldn’t keep her lips from twitching—or her cheeks from heating—before she wiped her features clear again. “Sounds like you’re feeling better.”

  He allowed her change of topic, but the gleam in his eyes made it clear he understood it for what it was.

  “This morning was rough,” he admitted, moving to stand with her on the balcony. “Telekinesis is one of the harder abilities to control, and since I was already drained from using it during our strength test, the repeat today was brutal.”

  Alex’s forehead crinkled. “When did you use it in the strength test?”

  All of a sudden, Kaiden looked uncomfortable. “It was nothing, really. Forget I said anything.”

  Even more intrigued, Alex said, “I want to know.”

  She was surprised when he rubbed the back of his neck, clearly not wanting to answer. Nevertheless, he said, “Let’s just say that rocky overhang wasn’t entirely… secure.”

  It took Alex a second to catch on. “Wait. Are you saying…”

  “Turns out, we all need to lose some weight,” Kaiden said in a dry attempt at humour. “The six of us combined were too much for the overhang to handle, so I did what I could to keep it from ripping off the mountain. That’s why I couldn’t use any kind of gift to help you catch and hold D.C. when she fell, just in case you’d wondered why I left you both hanging.”

  Alex hadn’t wondered. Not even once. “You kept us all from falling? And you didn’t even tell us?”

  “Like I said, it was nothing.”

  Looking at him in wonder, Alex said, “You have a strange definition of ‘nothing’, Kaiden James.”

  His eyes brightened and he moved a step closer. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever heard you use my full name before.”

  “Don’t change the subject.”

  “I like it. A lot.”

  Unwilling to be distracted, she said, “Seriously, Kaiden. You didn’t just keep us from falling—you saved our lives. Why didn’t you say anything?”

  He sighed and glanced out across the city sparkling in the moonlight. “What was I going to say? ‘By the way, guys, I’m the reason we’re all still here—you can thank me later’?” He shook his head. “I don’t need praise for protecting the people I care about. That’s not the kind of person I am.”

  Alex just kept looking at him, even more amazed. “You’re something else, you know that?”

  He chuckled lightly and returned, “I think the same about you.”

  Feeling the compliment settle right down to her toes, she became distracted for only a second as Xira mentally called out and she responded, before she focused on Kaiden again.

  Mustering her courage, she quietly asked, “Do you have plans for the next few hours?”

  He cocked his head, curious about the waver of nerves audible in her voice. “Nothing that doesn’t involve you.”

  She should have perhaps scoffed at his confidence, but instead warmth blossomed within her. Still quietly, she asked, “Do you trust me?”

  With his gaze locked on hers, he didn’t hesitate to answer, “More than anyone.”

  Unable to keep from closing her eyes as his declaration washed over her, Alex only opened them again so she could reach out and entwine her fingers with his. Embracing the not-unpleasant feeling of butterflies that were now swarming within her, she stepped forward, closing the distance between them.

  She was acutely aware of Kaiden watching her every move as her right hand kept holding his, but her left trailed up his chest to curl around the back of his neck, sliding through his silky dark hair.

  Holding his now impossibly alert eyes, she put gentle pressure on the back of his head and slowly tilted his face down towards hers. She heard him draw in a surprised breath, but she also heard something else—something she had been waiting for since awakening from her nap.

  With a wicked grin spreading across her lips, she swerved her head at the last possible moment to whisper into Kaiden’s ear, “Then whatever you do, don’t let go.”

  She was close enough to feel him freeze, but before he could say or do anything, she pulled back swiftly and tugged on his hand, her grip strong enough that he had no choice but to follow as she dragged him sideways…

  … and sent them both straight over the edge of the balcony.

  Seventeen

  Alex let out an exhilarated whoop as she and Kaiden plummeted through the air, holding his hand tight as they soared down the length of the palace. But then, just as the ground rose up to meet them, Xira swooped in from below, his arrival timed perfectly to catch them.

  As if she’d done it thousands of times before, Alex manoeuvred into a secure position in front of his wings, drawing Kaiden with her until he was seated at her back. She was almost certain she felt his thumping heart when his arms slid around her and Xira
launched them straight back up into the air.

  Now that was entertaining, Xira said to Alex. The only way it could have been better was if he’d trusted you less; then he might have at least looked a little scared. Amused, the draekon finished, I think he enjoyed the fall as much as you did.

  Alex just grinned in reply, knowing what he’d said was true. Kaiden hadn’t even screamed during their freefall. In fact, when she’d glanced over at him the instant before Xira’s arrival, he’d had a smile on his face almost as wide as hers.

  But, euphoric or not, that didn’t mean she was going to get away with the stunt she’d pulled. And she knew that when, wrapped in Kaiden’s embrace, he leaned forward to speak over the wind, directing his words straight into her ear. “Well played, Jennings. But don’t think you won’t pay for what you just did later.”

  His warm breath on her nape caused prickles of awareness to trail along her skin, and she was certain he must have felt her shiver in his arms. To cover, with one of her hands gripping Xira’s scales while her other remained linked with Kaiden’s against her stomach, she twisted until they were eye to eye. Still grinning widely, she replied with the same words she’d said to D.C. only a few hours earlier, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  She swivelled forward again and didn’t bother to hold in her laugh when he growled playfully in her ear. They couldn’t share further words, however, because they soon became too distracted by the wonder of the flight.

  Xira’s glossy black scales reflected the light of the overhead moons as he flew them high over the gaudy extravagance of the city and continued across the bare, cloudswept land.

  What do you say, Alex, are you up for a bit of fun? Just like old times?

  She didn’t need to think twice about her answer, so thrilled as she was to be flying with him again just for the sake of it. Definitely.

  Then you’d better tell your boyfriend to hold on.

  Her fingers gave an involuntary twitch, both the ones grasping Xira and the ones entwined with Kaiden’s. He’s not my boyfriend.

  Yet.

  Alex’s lingering grin swiftly turned into a frown. Seriously, Xira—stop reading my thoughts.

  Stop—

  I absolutely did not project this time, she said, cutting off what she presumed he’d been about to say.

  Xira’s chuckle was mental as well as audible. Maybe it was wishful thinking on my part.

  Why would you say that? You don’t even know him.

  He was in your future vision. You felt safe with him then, just as you do now. That’s good enough for me.

  Alex rolled her eyes to the heavens, wondering why every person and creature in her life seemed determined to play matchmaker. Your opinion has been noted, along with everyone else’s.

  Good. Now pass on what I said.

  Squeezing Kaiden’s hand to get his attention, she twisted back to him and called, “Remember what I told you before?”

  His eyes sparkled right along with the shooting stars surrounding them. “The part where you told me not to let you go?”

  She’d actually just said not to let go, not to not let her go. There was a clear, deliberate distinction in the way he’d answered, his words filled with much more meaning than hers had been. But still, she opted to lightly answer, “Close enough.”

  And with her mental go-ahead, Xira snapped his wings close to his side and plunged them downwards, spearing through a gap in the clouded land and down, down, down until they reached the unending purgatory desert. Far in the distance, Alex thought she could see the ruins of an ancient city, but before she could manage a closer look, with a quick twist mid-air, Xira pulled up and spiralled them into the heavens again, higher than ever before—so high that Alex felt as if she could reach out and touch the stars streaking all around them.

  Tumbling and whirling, Xira continued to frolic with them in a perfectly choreographed dance of flight. They swirled and barrel-rolled their way through the unimaginable scenery before finally approaching the edges of the vast Sky Kingdom.

  Please tell me you have another wildflower island here? Alex asked, having loved the glowing flowers in Draekora. The island was still there now—indeed, it was where the free Meyarins had set up their settlement—but it was nothing more than a deadened wasteland, all beauty having left with the exodus of the draekons.

  There’s something I think you’ll like even more, Xira answered.

  Alex couldn’t imagine how that would be possible, but when he turned on his wing and began to crest in a slow, downward arc, she found her eyes widening as their destination came into view.

  Glancing up at the stars above her head and then down again, she felt like she was peering into a mirror, except the stars beneath her were stationary, not streaking. It was like someone had painted a galaxy onto the island, a sight that became even more magical as the distance between them lessened. And that was because, as Xira touched down on the grass-covered land, Alex realised that it wasn’t flowers or plants or anything else living that provided the celestial view; instead, it was thousands upon thousands of floating, bioluminescent sparkles. It was like being surrounded by multi-coloured fireflies, only the specks of light weren’t sourced by creatures, they were simply suspended in the air, a glowing offering of starbursts.

  Marvelling at the scenery hovering all around them, Alex waited for Kaiden to slide down from Xira before she followed after him, the two of them looking around in silent wonder.

  “This place—Xira—” Alex was so awed that she could barely string a sentence together. “How do you ever leave?”

  “The trick is to avoid coming here altogether,” he said, his dry tone making her turn from the view back to him. It was only then that she noticed his scales weren’t just reflecting the rainbowed sparkles all around them, they were coloured by them.

  Unable to stifle her bubbling humour, Alex reached her hand towards the nearest burst of light, grinning widely when it stuck to her skin like a small fleck of paint splatter. She hadn’t felt its touch, almost like it was a powder simply air-blown onto her flesh. It glittered everywhere, enough for her to understand how Xira, having flown them straight through the masses, was now covered in the shiny dust, almost like he’d just finished an epic game of draekon paintball.

  But that also meant…

  Turning to focus properly on Kaiden, Alex erupted into laughter. She then looked down at herself, and her mirth only increased. Having been seated in front during their landing, she’d mostly protected him from the coloured bursts that were splattered across every inch of her, but he hadn’t come away completely unscathed.

  Still laughing, she couldn’t resist reaching up and running her fingers through his sparkled hair and then trailing them down along his dusted cheekbone, his face lit with glittering freckles.

  “Since you look like you’ve just enjoyed the best art class of your life, I’m guessing the same is true for me?” he said, his gaze travelling over her while his eyes twinkled much like the rest of his glowing features.

  It was all she could do to nod, caught up as she was in her laughter.

  “I had a feeling you’d like it here,” Xira said, his resigned tone setting her off again.

  From his earlier comment, it was clear that this wasn’t an island he often frequented—for the obvious, colourfully messy reasons—but he’d still brought her, knowing just how much delight it would bring.

  Bounding forward, she wrapped her arms around his lowered muzzle, hugging as much of him as she could reach.

  “Thank you, Xira. This was exactly what I needed.”

  Pulling back, she caught Kaiden’s gaze. He didn’t try to hide how pleased he was to see her so happy—an expression that only deepened when she grinned widely back. Her grin, however, was mostly because he looked ridiculous, and she could only imagine she appeared worse.

  “Have your fun, but then you and I need to get to work,” Xira said, settling down onto the squishy grass underfoot. It, too
, held a bioluminescent shimmer, glittering all the way across the valley and past a silver lake up to the snow-capped mountains in the distance.

  “Work?” Alex asked, waving her hands in the air like a manic conductor and watching as more starbursts exploded onto her skin.

  “You’re going to practise your climbing skills,” he explained. “It won’t do if we need a quick getaway and you can hardly make it up my wings.”

  Still mesmerised by the splattering colours, she said, “It’s not my fault you’re so big now. I certainly haven’t changed in size.”

  Regardless of that, she understood his point. And so, after running amok with the floating sparkles until she was shamelessly covered enough to resemble a multi-coloured, glow-in-the-dark freak of nature, she turned her attention to Xira.

  Even with Kaiden reclined on the ground and watching with clear amusement, Alex was too light in spirit to feel self-conscious when Xira stretched out his wing and tried to explain yet again the best way for her to run up it. Over and over she attempted to smoothly execute the action, but over and over she failed to scale his monstrous height with ease. It wasn’t just that he was so large and his wing was on such an incline, but the glossy sinew made gripping difficult, causing her to try and pick her way along with caution rather than blazing a path up as per his repeated instructions.

  When she slipped and fell for what felt like the hundredth time, Kaiden was unable to keep his silence.

  “For someone with immortal blood, it’s amazing how uncoordinated you are.”

  Technically, she only had access to immortal blood, meaning she was able to glean from a limited selection of the benefits it afforded, and supernatural grace was sadly not one of them. It wasn’t like she was immortal herself—she was still as human as he was, at least in all the ways that mattered. But since Kaiden already knew that, Alex simply sent him a warning look from where she remained sprawled on the soft grass after her most recent tumble; a look that narrowed further upon seeing the laughter in his eyes.