by Kealohilani
“How is it possible that I wrote about all of this?”
“I do not know for certain. It seems quite probable that you have the gift of vision. However, I am nonetheless stunned by the scope of what you have seen and written.”
“I have the gift of vision?”
“I believe so. It is the most plausible explanation. As you know, it is a gift I myself possess. I too have seen you before this day.”
“Really? What did you see?”
“For a long time I saw only you. I could not see that your world was any different from my own— as the visions were quite brief. At times I saw you gazing through a window. Other times I saw you reading in various locales— in libraries, under trees, and by a waterfall, to name a few. By and by the visions became longer and more vivid.
“One morning, only days ago— not long before dawn here in the forest— I saw you walking out into the deep darkness of early morning in your world, on a smooth pathway near a line of tall yellow lamps. There, a carriage with no horses— made of black armor— arrived and stopped before a peculiar dwelling. You stepped inside with two young men and were carried to a place with flying carriages— covered in armor of many colors.
“I continued to see more and more until I found you in the forest. Everything I beheld was strange to me. I have never seen anything that compares to your world.
“I have learned of Earth in our history— however, it seems that our two worlds have diverged greatly in the millennia of separation and independence since that time when our ancestors, whom you referred to as the Ancient Alameans, initially closed the portals with your Ancient Egyptians. What do you call the magical metal carriages, which fly through the air like great birds?”
“We call those airplanes. The ones on the ground are called cars or automobiles. And they aren’t magic— they’re just machines we use to go places.”
“Fascinating. We have some machines here— although nothing of that design. In your account, you mentioned that Vranah opened the portals and linked our worlds together again, which caused an event you called Vietnam. Was that event recent, or is that time far gone?”
“Many years before I was born.”
“I see. And you say that Earth has been suffering as we have suffered— side by side— unaware of their destiny being chained to ours ever since that time?”
“Yes— even I didn’t know, and I was writing it! We think we’re causing one hundred percent of our own problems— even the ones that make absolutely no sense.”
“I still do not understand how you arrived here. The knowledge of how to travel through the portals has been lost to us. I assumed that Earth had long since forgotten this skill as well.”
“I don’t know either. I wish I could tell you. Like I said before, we were there, and then we were here.”
“This is all quite remarkable. Our world was as sure that Earth was no longer a part of our existence as your world was sure that we did not exist.”
“What does all this mean?”
“I do not know. Nevertheless, it is astonishing— and I wish very much to hear more of your world. Oh, I am so dreadfully sorry!”
Jharate dashed towards her and in an instant was at her side. Lani gasped as she felt a rush of heat race through her, originating at her heart and flooding to all her extremities. It took her a moment to realize what he was apologizing for— and why he was suddenly so near her.
He gently held her hands so that he did not touch her wrists as he inspected them. The tender touch of his skin on hers made her shiver with electric desire. She worked hard to control her breath and remain still. Lani looked at her wrists to see what he was studying so intently. They were quite swollen.
“Oh… I forgot about that.”
Jharate carefully let go of her hands, placed his hand on the small of her back, and guided her to where she could sit down. He was so near her that as Jharate exhaled, she felt his warm breath on the back of her neck. She shuddered as her hairs there stood up on end and sent a shockwave of tingles through her body. She could feel her cheeks burning and hoped that the dim light would not reveal her deep blush. As the heat inside her intensified, Lani wondered how long she had been holding her breath.
Jharate stepped away from her momentarily and quickly rummaged through the supplies surrounding them. As he was searching, Lani reminded herself to breathe again— while his distance momentarily diminished his delicious scent— and worked on regaining her composure.
Lani brought her wrists slowly in front of her to see more clearly what had happened to them. She again noticed the swelling, but this time she also saw the purple streaks where the ropes had dug deeply into her skin and they were bleeding in places. She instantly thought about Justin and the others.
“Jharate… My friends?”
“I will see to their safety and wellbeing— directly after I see to yours. Arante will not harm them in the meantime. You have my word.”
“Thank you,” she said, sighing in relief. She instinctively trusted that he would help them even before she asked— but hearing it out loud took a weight off of her mind.
Jharate returned with a clean white cloth and poured some water out of a canteen onto it. He knelt by her side and gently pressed the cloth to her wrists. As he continued to aid her, he felt a strong impression come to him.
It was not from his mind, or even his heart. He was sure this feeling was coming from somewhere beyond the physical realm. It was a feeling of urgency— as if Lani’s safety depended upon him.
He was worried as to how this would sound to her— or if he should share this with Lani at all. The feeling became stronger and more urgent, as if refusing to be ignored. Jharate knew he had to tell her.
However, he still did not know how. He did not want to frighten her. And then the words became perfectly clear— as if someone had spoken them in his ear— and he spoke them aloud as they came to him.
“Lani, I have two more promises that I must ask you to keep— in addition to your word that you have already given me concerning the secrecy of my identity as a Half-Heart.”
“What are they?”
“Firstly, I ask you to vow that you will not run away. Secondly, I ask that you tell no one of this promise. Do we have a pact?”
Lani blinked and cocked her head almost imperceptibly to one side as her eyes narrowed slightly. She looked deeply into his eyes, and again saw the sincerity contained within them. She was confused but intrigued.
Although she found his request odd, she felt no desire to run away. It was hard to explain, but she never wanted to leave his side again. She finally nodded.
“Agreed. You have my word.”
Jharate nodded his head once and the corners of his mouth turned up a little. His eyes twinkled ever so slightly as he looked up at her again.
Her heart did a cartwheel in response. That small answer from her was all he had needed to hear. He hadn’t asked her if she was sure. He hadn’t asked if she could be trusted. He had just taken her word at face value— despite knowing her for such a short time. For him to treat her as trustworthy that quickly could only mean that he was very trustworthy himself. She smiled at the thought.
Lani watched him intently, as he attended to her, and breathed deeply. She felt safe and protected as Jharate continued to care for her injured wrists— applying soothing oils and salves. She was struck by how gently he held her hands and how carefully he touched her as he worked.
She could tell from his strong bronze muscles and the heavy sword that he carried— as well as from what she knew of his country’s history— that he was a powerful man who had probably seen many battles. It would be easy for a man of his strength to hurt her— even by accident— in the process of helping her. However, he seemed to be a man who worked hard to use his power to protect others— and he was treating her as if she were made of glass and could break at any moment.
She could feel the beating of her heart against her chest so strong and loud th
at she feared he would be able to hear it. All those feelings she had been afraid she would never feel again came flooding into her heart and soul.
She now knew how she felt about him. Despite how much she wanted to tell him of the feelings in her heart, she decided in that instant to recommit herself to always let the man be a man and express his feelings first. She would wait for him.
She felt a rising surge of hope that he reciprocated her feelings. That one day he would have the courage to tell her himself. For now, everything was right with the world and absolutely nothing was going to ruin it.
Tactical Error
Chapter Twelve
"How could this happen?! Must I be crossed at every turn?! GET OUT! All of you!”
Vranah stormed about his stolen throne room, hurling glowing red electric power balls— which materialized in his hands— at several of his servants. They darted frantically in every direction to avoid being hit.
Each narrow miss was punctuated with a disturbing crackling sound and an explosion against whatever object it touched. Although these particular spell balls did no damage to the inanimate objects— other than leaving behind a burst of sooty residue— one unlucky servant failed to move quickly enough and died before his body could hit the cold marble floor.
“What magic could accomplish this treachery?!”
As the great doors to the throne room opened suddenly, Vranah’s surviving servants fled and Drakne entered. The room echoed as the frantic servants pulled the doors shut behind them. Drakne stood perfectly still in the center of the room on the purple carpet with a flat expression and a bored dullness in his eyes. Vranah was now standing in front of the thrones, and still had his back to Drakne.
“You called for me, my lord?”
“WHAT?!”
Vranah spun around and launched a red power ball at Drakne before he realized who it was. Drakne’s hand rose quickly to the level of his eye. He calmly caught the ball in his hand and fluidly closed one finger at a time to absorb its energy.
The bright red color faded, and the ball broke apart into small light streams that wrapped around his hand and wrist before completely disappearing into his body. Drakne returned his hand to his side and waited.
“Oh, it’s you, Drakne. There has been a change of plans due to a small problem that has just arisen.”
“My lord?”
“I have felt a shockwave in the balance of power. One of the strongest Half-Hearts ever born has returned to our world.”
“Returned, my lord?”
“Yes— returned. You know almost nothing of my previous nemesis, whose hometown I have recently destroyed. I am sure you have wondered why she merited so much attention from me.”
Drakne did not reply.
“Many years ago, that confounded woman, Karsenia, became a problem. She possessed the gift of vision and had learned that the portals had been reopened. Next, she discovered the identities of the Half-Hearts.
“I did not have as much power as I do now, nor as many spies, because I had not yet taken over the bulk of the kingdoms. Consequently, she was able to slip several of the Half-Hearts through the portals and into the parallel world, undetected.
“Additionally, she took hundreds of non-Half-Heart children through in order to make it more difficult for me to find them later. She was finally discovered— by one of my most loyal subjects— and subsequently killed, as she returned from what would be her last trip through one of the seven gateways to Earth.”
“Was there no way to simply send your loyal servants through the portals to bring the Half-Heart children back to Alamea at that time?”
“No. And I decided not to pursue the matter further. To depart through a portal, one must be in close proximity of the portal itself. However, where you arrive on the other side can have a vast variance— depending on the skill of the traveler. With the children’s names changed and their whereabouts unknown, it would have been a tremendous waste of energy to look for them.
“Not to mention the fact that Earth dwellers often move about their planet like Kresarian gypsies. And— even if they had stayed relatively close to where Karsenia had placed them— there are seven possible destination focal points. I would have had to personally assess every young child and baby— within an immense radius surrounding each point— in order to determine whether or not they were a Half-Heart.”
“I see, my lord.”
“I assumed that the children were too young to have any chance of knowing how to make their way back to their original homes— without the help Karsenia had no doubt planned on giving them once they came of age. And I knew that no marriage they could ever enter into on Earth could possibly have any effect on the balance of power— as they have to be here in Alamea for that blasted magic to be triggered.
“Therefore, I chose to ignore them until I had dealt with all the ones in this world. Thereafter, I would have found them only so as to finish my collection.
“But, somehow, one of them has returned— along with some companions. I can sense her presence. However, I would not recognize her by sight alone now, as it was twenty years ago that she was taken through the portal. Consequently, I cannot give you a description.”
Drakne’s eyes lit up with interest as he listened intently. He had always known of Earth’s existence— but was surprised that anyone had taken Half-Hearts there. It had been a clever plan indeed! He, however, did not share his master’s annoyance at their return. Being here would only make them easier to find.
“I have a new mission for you, Drakne. We must forget about the prince for now. You may destroy the replica of Keanu. It is of no use to us anymore. Jharate is nothing compared to this particular female Half-Heart! As you may or may not know, there is one portal to Earth in each of the seven Kingdoms of Alamea… but I sense that she is not far from here…”
Vranah closed his eyes in concentration.
“No— not far at all. She is very close. Take some soldiers and head for the Forest of Kar. Kill her. Kill every woman you find in that blasted forest— just be sure that she dies!
“Once she is dead, the immediate threat will be neutralized. However, if you find the prince while you are gone, bring him to me alive. I want answers from him now! But he is not the priority. Do you understand?”
“I do, my lord. It will be done.”
Drakne bowed to his master and turned to walk down the luxurious amethyst-colored carpet toward the doors. As he turned, his face changed from the obedient flat expression it had held to a deep scowl.
His eyes narrowed and he clenched his jaw to remain silent. He hated it when Vranah spoke to him like a child. Of course he understood!
And Keanu’s copy was a masterpiece! It was criminal that it would be cast aside on a mere whim! He was glad his master could not read minds. He marched out of the room faster than he had entered in order to complete his tasks— his black cape billowing wildly behind him. Snapping his fingers, he flung the doors open and listened as the doors slammed behind him with an echoing thud.
The composure Vranah had affected while conversing with Drakne shattered. He returned to his frantic pacing about the room with a deep frown on his face.
I thought I solved this problem years ago when I had that blasted interfering woman killed! The Half-Hearts Karsenia had taken through could not possibly have had the knowledge to activate the portals by themselves. They were mere toddlers and infants when she had smuggled them to Earth. Something or someone had to be helping them— but who?
Karsenia had acted alone in her plan to rescue the Half-Hearts. Of that he was sure. She hadn’t told anyone— not even her own husband.
If Vranah’s most loyal subject had not been keeping such close tabs on her, Karsenia might never have been found out. She was their only help then and she could not be helping now. Karsenia was dead and she was going to stay dead. And the dead cannot help the living to that degree.
He continued to attempt to reassure himself of this fact. How
ever, his apprehension remained. Even though he had beaten her in the end, he still felt a slight twinge of fear concerning Karsenia.
Goodness that strong did not often occur in people in this or any other world. It was a force to be reckoned with— much more powerful than he wanted to acknowledge.
Karsenia had turned down an unprecedented offer once… one he was sure she would take… one any other woman would have taken… But that was no matter now.
The paramount priority at this moment was to find the girl Karsenia had saved— and to kill her. Vranah smiled with malicious joy in his eyes as he thrilled at the thought of Drakne returning with her body.
He would know if Drakne had eliminated the correct girl. He could sense Half-Hearts within close proximity— dead or alive— even if their names and identities had been changed.
Still… it was odd that he could sense this one so far away… especially in his current condition.
Vranah’s smile fell flat. His most recent expenditure of power in Kellinsi had been unfortunate. Had he not let his revenge supersede all else, it would have been easy to find this girl himself.
For the smallest moment, he wished he had paid more attention to the escaped Half-Hearts and attempted to find them years ago. But the moment passed and one of the corners of his mouth lifted into a snarl. It will not be long now, he thought— looking out the window at the dreary grey cloudy sky, as a particularly-large lightning bolt struck the ground.
Jharate and Lani emerged from the trees into the main area of the camp. Arante stood up quickly and pointed her dagger at Lani. Jharate’s jaw set tight and his muscles flexed as he stepped between his cousin and Lani. He glowered at Arante.
“You will await my orders concerning these captives, Arante. I am entirely capable of protecting myself. Furthermore, I am confident in the wisdom of my decisions.
“I have determined that she and her companions are no threat to us. Therefore, I have come to extend an offer. After that, they shall be released to do whatever they shall choose.”