by Kealohilani
At first she thought her pain was triggered by a bad dream. But, after a moment, she realized the bad dream was, in fact, reality. Careful to stifle the sounds, she let herself sob for a few minutes. She missed Tyler and Jenna and her parents so much! And to see how much pain they were in back home at this exact moment— it was almost more than she could bear.
She had done a good job of keeping herself from thinking about home too often prior to this point. Focusing on anything and everything else had worked— for the most part. But to have a vision like that…
She sat up straighter and put her shoulders back. She couldn’t let herself continue this train of thought. She couldn’t think about this if she wanted to keep it together. And she needed to keep it together.
Her family was safe. And she was in the best place possible to help them. That was what she had to focus on if she wanted to survive this world and hopefully find a way to get back to them someday. That focus was what they all needed and she would do her part.
This resolution didn’t do anything to stop the pain of this moment right now though. Lani lay back down— as she forced her sobs to subside— and quietly cried herself back to sleep.
Drakne and over one hundred of his men had been traveling hard and fast on horseback, in order to reach the thick and troublesome Forest of Kar. Even so, it had taken days to get there from the castle, since there had been only two varsins left in the castle stables. Drakne had ordered his men to retrieve both of them for his personal use— one to ride, and the other to be brought along, un-ridden, as a spare— in case Drakne’s varsin did not suit him.
However, Drakne’s men were not familiar with handling varsins. And as soon as they opened their stalls to harness and saddle them, both of the animals had bolted out of the stable at full speed— uncatchable, as a varsin’s speed was well beyond the speed of a normal horse.
This had forced Drakne to ride along with his men on plain ordinary horses, which— to the never-ending exasperation of Drakne— needed to be rested from time to time. Drakne had sent the men responsible for losing the varsins into the castle to clean up the scorch marks from Vranah’s red power balls in the throne room and had replaced them with three soldiers from the castle.
Using trackers, they had been searching the forest for weeks now. Drakne was sure that he had to be making better time than those he sought— because the children who had grown up on Earth would have no knowledge of this land— and yet they were nowhere to be found!
Because he had no intuitive powers, he had no way to know how close they really were— but they should not have been able to get even this far alone! And with this abominable forest, they could be right in front of them, or they could be on a completely different path, or— blast it all— he and his men could have passed them already! That the trackers gave him constant assurance that they were closing in on his prey only infuriated him further.
The weeks of trudging through the trees had been chipping away at Drakne’s sanity one second at a time. Drakne always did as his master bade him, but his orders were becoming a colossal pain.
Tracking and hunting was work for those inferior to himself. This was not the proper use of the second-in-command. True, Vranah had given him a great responsibility in tracking the Half-Hearts— but why couldn’t someone else find them? Then he could simply take them to his master triumphantly.
He was sick of this vile forest and everything in it! The birds, the squirrels, the deer, the trees, the bushes, the streams— everything was driving him crazy.
“We will stop here for the night.”
His men immediately spiked their torches into the ground, and dropped the loads they had been carrying as they began to set up camp. Drakne returned to his thoughts as his soldiers worked.
This forest is a problem. They had been forced to leave the horses outside of it because the trees were too thick. I have been traveling on foot through these elf-forsaken woods for far too long! Wait a minute… the trees.
That was the answer. He would burn a path through this wretched place. He could easily contain the flames so that the fire would not rage out of control. And if he could not, why should he care? He did not need this forest and neither did his master.
“Never mind, men— change of plans.”
Drakne smiled at his own genius as his men began to quickly reverse the process they had started just moments ago. The sound of rocks sliding through the thick trees ahead caught Drakne’s attention, and one eyebrow rose as he saw a girl come tumbling down a small embankment— landing directly in front of him. Drakne snapped his fingers and a force field surrounded the confused and frightened girl.
“Who are you?”
“I-I-I’m nobody, really.”
The girl’s eyes darted wildly as she saw the large number of men around her. She stretched out her hand to touch the force field and recoiled in pain with a small shriek.
“Do not try my patience, woman!”
Drakne struck her with a small bolt of current from the cage and she screamed.
“I ask you again. Who are you?”
“My name— my name is… Kara.”
“What manner of clothing is this that you are wearing? Where are you from?”
“I’m not from here. Please, all I want to do is go home! I never asked for any of this— I just want to go home!”
“You could not have survived this far into the forest on your own. Where are those you travel with?”
“Please… I just— I just want to go home! I JUST WANT TO GO HOME!”
“Do not make me ask you again!”
Drakne struck her with a larger energy bolt and this time she cried out in greater pain.
“All I know is that they’re headed for the lake! I snuck out of camp while everybody was sleeping. I’ve been wandering around for hours trying to find a way back. Please! I just want to go home!”
“If you know of the lake… you must be with people who know this forest… How many are in your camp?!”
“I don’t know! My friends and I didn’t mean to come here! I just want to go home! I want to go home!”
Drakne paused. He knew his orders had been to kill any woman he saw, but this girl was obviously no threat. She was weak. She did not even try to withhold the information he needed. She could not be the one his master feared. She might also possess additional information that could be valuable to them later.
“Enser, Kolbin, come here!”
“Yes, sir,” two voices answered in unison.
“Take this girl to our master for questioning.”
“Yes, sir!”
Drakne snapped his fingers again and the force field disappeared. Enser and Kolbin each grabbed one of Kara’s arms and pulled her to her feet. Drakne swirled his gloved hands in the air in front of the two henchmen and the girl they held.
A whirlwind formed and began to surround them. It picked up speed until it took off with its three passengers, toward Trisakne. Kara’s frightened scream faded into the distance. They would reach Vranah in half the time of the flight of an unladen level-five expertly trained Kresarian dragon.
A smirk crossed Drakne’s face. Things had definitely taken a turn for the better for him. He would soon have those he sought within his reach.
Drakne stretched his long, thin leather-armor-clad arms straight up and pulled them down to his sides, very slowly at first, and then with a quick jerk— until they were parallel with the ground. His head went up briskly at the same time— his face to the sky.
His eyes glowed for a split second with orange and yellow flames as he lowered his head back to level. His hands swept straight in front of him and his palms extended forward with a great push. Flames burst forth from his hands and began to clear a path one hundred feet wide through the forest.
He felt the power surge through his body with intense force. He rolled his neck to adjust it and smiled. Trees exploded and nearly disintegrated in the magically-enhanced forest fire. Drakne walked forward,
arms at his sides, palms facing forward at a slight distance from his body.
The wall of fire no longer came from him but it obeyed his every move. The flames disappeared wherever he took a step forward and the ground magically cooled— but the fire never paused from its destructive path.
His open-mouthed men stood gaping at the spectacle. One by one they forced themselves to break free from their trance, and slowly moved to march closely behind him.
Out of the Frying Pan into the Fire— Out of the Fire into the…
Chapter Fourteen
"WAKE UP! EVERYONE, WAKE UP! RUN! RUN FOR THE LAKE!”
Jolted from their sleep by Arante’s frantic cries, everyone scrambled to their feet. Lani scanned to locate the danger. Eyes now wide, her heart skipped more than one beat before pounding frantically like a jackhammer.
Deep in the forest, a fifty-foot wall of fire was coming toward them like a blazing tidal wave. Their ears were filled with the sounds of the roaring flames and the exploding trees as it advanced.
The camp fell into instant chaos as people screamed and shouted to each other. Every person ran and grabbed everything they could before following Arante. They were close to the edge of the forest and the trees were thinner here, but not thin enough.
The fire came closer and closer. It seemed that no matter how fast they ran, they could not increase the distance between themselves and the flames. The fire advanced still faster, and they began to feel its heat on their necks.
“Lani!”
Lani turned toward Jharate’s voice, but could barely see him through the now-hazy darkness. He rushed to her and they ran together— dodging tree branches and rocks— trying desperately not to trip.
This was a worst-case scenario for Lani. She had never been a good runner and was somewhat uncoordinated when it came to navigating around physical obstacles. And that was under the best of circumstances— with no pressure and nothing more than a chair or two to avoid. She hoped that the sheer adrenaline would keep her going and somehow give her the abilities she lacked.
It was still pitch dark and the only light they had was coming from the massive wall of fire behind them, which flickered wildly and cast moving shadows in all directions. Arante yelled that they were nearing the lake.
Lani’s heart beat hard from exertion and anticipation, but she still could not see her way out. So far her hope to have better-than-normal coordination was being fulfilled. She stayed close to Jharate and tried to follow his every move.
Peering through the darkness ahead, she continued to anticipate upcoming obstacles, gracefully leaping over them. She was shocked. She now knew she could make it to the lake.
Her self-doubt turned into concentration as she continued to spring over anything in her dark and winding path while still keeping pace with Jharate— who must have been slowing down for her, even at this rate. Then, the flickering firelight fooled Lani’s eyes into thinking she had successfully cleared a twisted tree root. Instead the root grabbed her foot and held it tightly— breaking her leg as she fell to the ground. She smacked her head hard against a rock.
Jharate stopped dead in his tracks and looked back. He saw Lani lying motionless at the base of a tree. The wall of fire was just moments away, and gaining. He dropped the provisions he was carrying and ran back for her.
Jharate gently untangled her foot from the root that had taken it. Lani was unconscious and her head was bleeding profusely. He carefully lifted her limp body into his arms.
Now the fire was mere seconds away. He ran and ran, ducking under tree limbs and making sure that he, himself, did not trip— while trying his best to shield her from any more damage.
The color was draining from Lani’s face and she was getting cold. All Jharate could do was to keep running forward with everything he had. They had already been at the back of the group and this had left them even further behind. No one had seen what had happened. They were alone.
Arante cleared the forest and hurtled into the shallows of the lake, followed by everyone else. She looked back once she was waist-deep in the water and realized that Jharate and Lani were missing. A burst of panic filled her soul.
She turned back and squinted to see across the dark lake. The sliver of a moon shone down dimly— almost directly— on a small sailing ship with a gas lamp hanging from the mast, about one hundred yards away. She pointed to it sharply and yelled to all around her.
“Swim for the ship, now!”
Those who were not strong swimmers kicked as they held on to the sides of the supply stretchers, which floated because of the lightweight super-buoyant wooden poles.
Arante ran back to the shore as the others obeyed. She shielded her eyes and strained to look into what remained of the forest— hoping that the wall of fire had not consumed them.
Heat from the inferno reached her face and she held her breath as she waited… and waited. Finally, she saw their silhouettes clear the forest, just before the last trees exploded spectacularly behind them. With Lani still in his arms, Jharate ran with Arante into the water.
“Arante!”
Jharate stopped, knee-deep in the water, to keep Lani’s unconscious form out of the freezing cold lake. Arante’s eyes widened as she turned and saw the blood seeping from Lani’s head and the pallor that was overtaking her skin.
Arante looked behind them and saw the fire burn out. She peered through the smoke into the scorched remains of the woods and saw the shadowy figures of scores of men by the light of the dying embers.
“We have no choice, Jharate. We have to take her into the water and swim for it. You hold her head up out of the water and I will help support her. We’ll swim together.”
“If we do as you say, she will die!”
“WE HAVE TO! Or we will all die— or worse! There are men following us right now! What do you think they will do to her? It is her only chance, as well as ours. NOW!”
Jharate looked behind him for a moment. It was so dark that he could not see what she could see. However, he knew Arante’s eyes were extremely keen and he trusted her. He grimaced with a short sigh before turning back to Arante.
“Very well.”
Jharate carried Lani into the water— holding her head up with one hand, with one arm around her waist— and began to swim, mostly with his legs. Arante swam on the other side, trying to help keep them all afloat.
The water chilled their skin and the constant current made it feel as though they were making little progress. The two of them continued to push forward with everything they had, kicking their way toward the ship.
Arante felt her leather outfit pulling her down beneath the water. She kept fighting her way back to the surface and gasping for air, but each time it felt harder and harder, as if threatening to be the last.
“I can’t hold her anymore, Jharate. The current is too strong. We’re too close to the mouth of the river.”
“Go on without us.”
Arante hesitated, but finally released her hold on Lani.
“I’ll send help! Just hold on!”
Arante turned from her cousin and swam the last twenty yards to the ship. Justin and Erik pulled her aboard, but Raoul was the first to speak.
“Where’s Lani? I checked with everyone on the boat and she isn’t with us! Where is she?!”
“She— she’s,” Arante sputtered, coughing hard from all the water she had swallowed and shivering from the cold. She pointed out into the dark water. “Jhar— Jharate has her— Help him!”
Raoul dove overboard before she could even finish her sentence and swam in the direction Arante had indicated until he saw the shadows he was hunting for.
“Let me take her! You’re too tired from swimming all this way with her. I’ll take her in. You can catch up.”
Jharate sized Raoul up before he answered.
“Agreed. Take great care as you go. Her head is bleeding profusely and I believe her leg is broken.”
Jharate carefully handed Raoul Lani’s motion
less body. As Raoul took off through the icy water with her securely in his grasp, Jharate followed close behind, keeping his eyes fixed on Lani.
Raoul’s brain frantically reviewed everything he had learned during the one summer he had spent working as a lifeguard— but he had never imagined having so precious a victim in his arms. It was hard to remain as calm as he knew he needed to be. He focused on reaching the boat— but that wasn’t enough to keep the creeping doubts and fears away from his mind.
What if he wasn’t fast enough? What if he didn’t have the resources to save her? What if he failed in this crucial moment?
He felt his heart start to race faster and beat harder until there was a sharp pain in his chest. He prayed that she wouldn’t die. Raoul tried to force the dread from his mind as he managed to reach the boat about five yards ahead of Jharate.
“Erik! Justin! Help!”
They were already waiting— anxiously peering over the edge into the water— when Raoul arrived. There was no way to carry someone while climbing up the thin rungs on the side of the ship, so Erik and Justin leaned over as far as they could without falling in. Ja‘el and Ka‘ern quickly seized their ankles and lowered them several feet further. Working together, they carefully pulled Lani onto the ship.
Jaresh swung down on a rope and extended his enormous arm to Raoul— his feet braced against the side of the hull. As soon as Raoul saw that Justin and Erik had Lani safely aboard— he gratefully took the assistance and climbed up as Jaresh pulled him so he could make it onto the ship faster.
Justin and Erik struggled to keep Lani’s body properly aligned as they gently laid her down on the smooth wooden deck. Kendra gasped in alarm. The moment Raoul’s feet landed on the solid deck he rushed over to Lani, forcefully pushed Erik and Justin out of his way, and dropped to his knees by her side.
He leaned over her body, turning one ear toward her, and listened to hear if she was breathing. She was! He could feel her breath on his cheek! Thank goodness!