by K.N. Lee
Was Heaven shining light on her path?
She asked herself this, doubtful, despite seeing the glowing woman in her dream the night prior. She never imagined seeing a celestial fairy, even while asleep.
She glanced at the eagle as it circled above her once again.
“Thank you,” she said, risking a smile.
Smiles hadn’t come easily in quite some time, but the kind gesture didn’t go unnoticed.
Someone, or something was guiding her, and though she hadn’t allowed herself to trust in a long while, there was little choice but to accept this gift.
Signs had always appeared in her life, and noticing them was a practice that she had mastered. Somehow, the animals and the winds had led her to the safe haven she was just forced to leave.
For two years, she’d been safe in the household of her aunt and uncle. Though her aunt and mother hadn’t spoken in years after their arranged marriages, Aunt Li had taken her in without question. Having married a merchant, Aunt Li and her family lived inside the walls of a village much bigger than where she’d grown up in the countryside.
That safety and security had been abruptly stolen from her just hours ago.
She began down the path, somehow aware of the fact that she‘d lost the beast. It led into thicker woods that provided a shield of a sort. Bushes rich with berries littered either side of her.
Blueberries.
She gently pulled her full from the twigs and popped them into her mouth.
“Thank you ancestors,” she said under her breath as she savored each burst of juice and flavor.
The red lantern began to flicker and glow, and Mei peered down at it.
Her eyes narrowed as the red lantern’s light began to flicker.
“What are you trying to tell me?” Mei whispered to flame that appeared.
She wasn’t sure how she knew so, but the flame seemed to understand her. She stared into the depths of its glow and ever-changing colors. It was hypnotizing, and she had to force herself to look away.
“Hello,” a voice said, and she froze, frightened.
“Who’s there?” Mei asked, and glanced at the owl.
Couldn’t be…
“No one,” the voice said. “Nothing.”
Unarmed, she fought the urge to feel frightened—the urge to run away.
“You don’t sound like no one,” Mei whispered, spinning to see where the voice had come from. “Or nothing.”
All she saw were trees, and fog, and another flicker of blue light out of the corner of her eye.
She squeezed her eyes shut, and opened them again, hoping to blink away whatever debris had to be in her eye or upon her lash.
“What do we sound like?”
Mei’s brows lifted. “Oh, so you’re a ‘we’?”
“Indeed,” the voice said. “Indeed.”
She gasped then, and picked the red lantern up from the ground.
“You’re the dragon that saved me,” she said. “Aren’t you?”
“Ah, you are quick, aren’t you?”
She inhaled and peered down at the glowing light the lantern cast on her face. “When I want to be,” she said, under her breath.
“You’ll have to use your wits more than ever now,” the flame said. “Your wits, your strength, and your power.”
“What power do I have?” Mei asked, eager to discover what hidden potential awaited within. She knew she could stop time. Perhaps that was her gift.
“Yes,” it said. “It would be nice to know that answer. It’ll be even nicer when you decipher it on your own.”
Her shoulders slumped. “Oh, come on. Can’t you just tell me? Give me a hint—something?”
“We can give you many things; our guidance, blessings, knowledge. But, you must unlock the power within. You, and only you can do so. It is your first task.”
Mei pursed her lips. “Of course. Nothing is ever easy.”
“If it were easy, it would have no value.”
“Whatever you say,” Mei said, exhaling and looking to the stars. “So, how am I supposed to find out what my power is?”
“There are many ways; pain, heartbreak, loss, fear”
She raised a hand. “Stop right there. You’re joking, right?”
Silence.
Mei ran a hand through her hair. “Ancestors help me.”
“We are,” the flame replied.
Chills ran up her arms.
“You’re my ancestors?” Mei asked.
“Mei,” the flame said, taking on the distinct voice of a woman. “You haven’t much time to waste. Tarth’Ral wants you, and will have you if you don’t protect yourself. You discovered your ability to stop time when faced with imminent danger. You must learn to use your powers.”
She tensed then. There was something familiar about the voice who had just spoken. She knew it—from another time—another place.
“Who—?”
She swallowed, though tears burned her eyes. She knew that voice.
“Who are you?”
The silence lasted a bit longer than she could tolerate, and she found herself shouting the question again.
“Who are you?”
“Mei,” the flame said, in the same female voice. “I am your mother. I am with our ancestors now, and we are here to guide you.”
Her throat went tight, and she fell to her knees.
The world spun, and her heart thumped so hard in her chest, she could barely breathe—barely think.
“Mama?” Mei called, her voice faint and broken, like a frightened child. “Is it really you?”
She spoke again. “Yes,” she said. “I am here, with our ancestors.”
She sucked in a breath and clutched the ground beneath her.
“This is a gift,” Mei said, through soft sobs. “A beautiful gift.”
“Yes, it is. Your baba and I are here, along with every one who has come before and now watch over you from the Spirit Realm. We take on the power of the golden dragon when there is a need, but we cannot do this every time you are in danger.”
Mei wiped her cheeks, but fresh tears soaked them.
Her mother continued. “Through the flame of the red lantern, we will always be with you.”
“Can I see you?” Mei asked, as the tiniest ray of hope filled her heart. Perhaps she wasn’t truly alone in the world.
“No. We cannot take form again, but we are here.”
She nodded. She couldn’t expect to see and hold them again. This would have to be enough.
“Mama, what do I do? Where do I go from here? I’m so afraid, and I know the Matchmaker is hunting me.”
“Rest, Mei,” she said. “Rest, and we will guide you to safety.”
The flame died down, and Mei was alone again.
Defeated, yet empowered by the knowledge that her parents and ancestors were with her, she found a spot in the forest to curl up and fall asleep.
The forest wrapped its arms around her, welcoming and embracing her like a mother to a child. She drifted to sleep out there on her own, but now knew she wasn’t alone.
Chapter 12
ROHAN
The trees whistled with the wind, and blew fallen leaves onto Rohan as he slept.
He awakened to the chirping of the birds, and opened his eyes to bright rays of pale yellow sunlight.
The sun.
He hadn’t seen it in so long, and it’s powerful beauty brought tears to his eyes.
It’s light spilled through the canopy of the forest trees, and found him laying beneath a half wall of curved stone.
It was a beautiful spot, one that he couldn’t have chosen better himself. The thick moss provided cushion for his makeshift bed, the many sticks and tree limbs were perfect for warm fires at night. He glanced at the charred bits of tree branches, and noted how it must have gone out some time ago.
The wall of stone blocked the wind, and he had shelter and protection from the elements and creatures.
Not that he needed it. N
onetheless, Ziyi said that nature would be his ally now that he had a physical body once more—now that he was Warden. It was his fate, and he took it seriously, forsaking the spirit realm to protect the humans in this dire time.
But, he wasn’t alone.
The world spoke to him in ways most mortals would never hear—in ways they’d been taught to ignore.
He could raise an army if needed. But, he prayed that he would never need to.
He yawned, and stretched, and stood. Hunger reminded him that he hadn’t eaten real food in decades, though he hadn’t needed to. He’d been walking in the spirit world, setting events in motion, practicing his skills, and laying the foundation for a fated meeting.
The sound of the rushing stream was a melody he didn’t even realize he missed. He trudged through the mossy rocks and grass toward the stream and bent to grab a drink with his cupped hands.
Amazing. Water.
He couldn’t help the broad smile that stretched across his face.
“So many things to rediscover,” he said.
He splashed his face, hair, and scrubbed whatever dirt clung to him.
This new body felt good, strong. He looked down at himself.
“Lovely,” he said, noting the bronze shade of his skin, and toned muscles. He had long arms and even longer legs, which meant he was tall. “Ziyi, you crafted me well. Very well.”
He then noticed that he wasn’t clothed.
“That may be a problem,” he mumbled.
The privacy and assurance that he was all alone in the deepest part of the forest would be to his benefit.
That—and the song of the wood nymphs. They called to him, eager to chatter his ear off if he’d allow it.
“Not today,” he said, washing his hands and resting on the rocks for a bit.
The woodland spirits protested.
“Come on, Big Brother,” the nymph called. “Come join me for breakfast. I’ve nectar that will make you forget your name.”
He chuckled, and glanced at the beautiful elemental who outstretched her hands toward him. Her eyes glowed, even in the sunlight. She was brown-skinned, like the bark of the tree, with long amber hair. Her nakedness was covered only with leaves and flowers. He listened and watched the water trickle over smooth stones and race downward.
“I am sure your nectar is as sweet as you proclaim,” he said, though he knew the nectar she spoke of was not the kind to come from flowers.
“But, Big Brother, I am lonely,” she purred. “It has been so long since anyone could see me, much lest speak to me. Come closer now. Let me warm you up.”
He winced. “If you’re going to seduce me, don’t call me Big Brother in the same sentence.” He knew all too well of the rift between the elementals and humans, but that was one of the things he was sent to repair. There was much work to do.
“Rohan, then,” she said, rolling the R in his name in a way that made him shiver. It was perfectly intoxicating.
“Much better,” he said. “But, I’ve a mission I must tend to.”
She sucked her teeth with a deep sigh, and retreated back into the tree, where it seemed to open up for her. It then closed around around her, and wrapped ivy and moss around where she’d just been beckoning from.
Relieved to be left in solitude once more, Rohan sat in his spot. Glancing around, he saw some blackberries beckoning to him. After grabbing a handful, he tossed them into his mouth and savored every bite.
He paused, mid-chew, and observed the subtle vibrations.
He placed his palm against the soil, and let the cool dirt squelch between his fingers. Closing his eyes, he listened and trusted the messages his heightened senses brought to his awareness.
What he felt made his blood run cold.
A vision came to him. Darkness, clouds of smoke, screams and fire.
He shuddered at the sight—but held on—desperate to see where the threat came from. His throat itched and burned from the thick haze of smoke. It was difficult to see anything through it, but he didn’t give up. He was seeing this for a reason. To resist would be a foolish mistake he couldn’t afford.
He’d made enough of those in his previous mortal life.
The forests were being destroyed. Trees toppled over, consumed by flames, turned to piles of white dust and ash.
Earth cried out in pain.
The longer he watched the assault of the dark fog, he noticed something far worse rising from the ashes.
Tarth’Ral.
Rohan ripped his hand away, and fell back onto his rear.
“This cannot happen,” he said, breathless. He cradled his hand as if it had been burned. He tried to shake those emotions and the darkness that had been revealed.
While he reeled from the vision a separate energy reached for him. A far away voice echoed in his head, “Mama, what do I do? Where do I go from here? I’m so afraid, and I know the Matchmaker is hunting me.”
Rohan couldn’t wipe away the reality of what he’d just witnessed. It was not a vision.
It was a premonition—and Shadow Clans were marching upon the land of the living. But, it was the voice inside his head that wouldn’t fade.
It was here—the girl with the red lantern was close.
Chapter 13
DIMITRI
The river rushed and frothed with white foam as Dimitri walked alongside its rocky shore.
With his pack secured to his back and an almost-forgotten tune on his mind, he was certain he’d escaped the worst of it. It was time to say goodbye to all that once was—to his painful past—and make courageous steps forward to his destiny.
He looked upward, and into the far distance where the white-capped mountains awaited. He just needed to follow the river to the valley, and seek out the hidden passage through the mountain.
“Never over or under, or around,” Master Sergey had always said. “You can only go through if you want to reach the other side.”
When he was just a lad, it had never made sense to him, but as he’d grown older and began to learn more about magic, it began to come together. Inside the mountain, there was a portal.
That portal would lead him to the Hidden Temples.
Sergey would be waiting for his return. The ancient artifact he now carried was a hard won prize, and would give them an edge against the upcoming storm. All of Dimitri’s life seemed to be a series of events where he strove for acceptance, and a place of belonging.
It was a lifelong struggle for most orphans, that much he knew. But, to have a family and still fight for belonging was an entirely different struggle.
Beautiful yellow butterflies flew around and caught his attention. One fluttered by and flapped its magnificent wings right before his face. He paused, and watched it seemingly dance around him, and fly toward the thick forest.
It had already taken him quite a bit to cut through Dire Forest, and he'd nearly lost a leg doing so. He'd had to tempt the wolf to keep it from biting straight through his calf just the night before.
“Sorry, love,” he said to the butterfly. “I won't be going back that way.”
The butterfly continued to beckon to him, and his brows furrowed. Still, he had no intention of getting distracted.
So, he continued on, leaving the friendly creatures to their day.
When a rustling came from the bushes, he sighed, expecting the worst.
This was the Dire Forest after all.
He sighed and kept walking.
“I don’t have time for any detours,” he said, not bothering to look to his right as a tall shadow began to stretch alongside him. “Like I told your accomplice; not today.”
He’d spent his entire life studying the mythical creatures of this territory, and their tactics. Human blood must smell quite nice to those lurking in the shadows.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and his abdomen tensed as he felt the creature move closer.
An arm outstretched toward him, and all Dimitri caught sight of were thin fing
ers made of rubbery flesh an bony knuckles.
“Ah,” he said, brows lifted as he sidestepped the arm. “Seems we’ve a draega.”
The creature blew putrid smoke that burned the hairs of Dimitri’s nostrils.
“Aye,” it said, and the words reminded Dimitri of metal scrapping stone. It then flickered its long tongue at the back of his neck.
He cringed.
Disgusting.
Annoyed, he fished a coin out of his pocket and held it out to the creature. He was lucky to not have given it a glance. He wouldn’t dare look into its eyes.
It would not have faired well, for either of them.
The draega sniffed his arm and hand, and pressed its cold, wet nose to the coin.
It then accepted payment and took two steps away.
“Been here before?” The draega asked, its voice deep, and ancient, but seemingly impressed by what had just transpired.
According to his studies at the temples, draegas loved gold, and would hoard coins and trinkets for centuries.
Dimitri shook his head and pressed forward. “Not in this life,” he said. “But, another perhaps.”
Chapter 14
Dimitri stood at the top of the staircase, watching the young mages file out the main doors, chattering and eager for their lessons with Master Sergey.
For once, he wished he was joining them. He’d been training there since he was a little boy. The moment his father discovered he’d been born with the gift of magic, he’d sent for Master Sergey to assess him.
Those were simpler times when he’d board at the temples, train as a wizard, and return home only for special occasions. That lasted for a few years, until he wasn’t allowed back at the palace.
The Hidden Temples had taught and trained magic users to use and hone their gifts since the early ages, when the elementals and humans had worked together and emerged from their tribal era to more advanced civilizations.
He headed straight for Master Sergey’s office.