That does sound impressive, she thought. “But why would there be backlash?”
Devlin stared at her. “How many people know there's more magic than only Elementia?”
“Oh.”
Scurrying, Stella started searching for him again. What if he was missing for a dangerous reason? He never told me what happened at the palace, and I never mentioned Taranis.
Devlin helped her search. Looking on the other side of the street he occasionally slipped out of view. The city was fairly large, but moving at the brisk pace they were setting, they quickly made their way all the way around the market ring. Reaching the Royal Twins, Stella stopped.
Devlin came jogging up. “He could’ve gone in while we were searching.”
Stella shot him a look, a knot forming in her stomach. “What if he’s not?”
“Then we’ll keep looking,” he said taking her arm. “There’s lots of places we haven't looked yet.”
“Yeah,” she said following him in.
The blast of warm air cheered her up a little, but it didn’t last long. Looking around It was obvious Rick wasn’t there. Flare was right where she left her, but where were Adam and Assan?
“Where’s Adam?” Devlin asked walking up.
“You can find both him and Assan over there,” Flare said pointing at a window bench next to the door.
The two men, with their faces covered in food, were silently trying to crush each other's hands.
“What happened this time?” Stella asked a second before Devlin.
“Adam was rubbing it in Assan’s face that he lasted longer than him.”
“And the food?” Devlin asked.
“Assan decided to rub something in Adam’s face,” Flare said in deadpan.
Stella let a small smile appear on her lips. “You said that like it was normal. Has Rick come in?”
Flare shook her head. “You didn’t find him?”
“No,” Stella said turning to go back out. “I’m worried.”
“Stop and eat first.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Stella!” Flare said. “You are going to eat first.”
Spinning back Stella looked at her.
“Sit,” Flare said patting the bench. “Both of you. Adam, Assan, please go find Rick.”
“We searched the merchant's ring!” Devlin called to them.
“Always leaving the work to us,” Adam joked getting up.
Wiping food off themselves, they walked out the door.
Flare looked at Devlin. “Info.”
“Info?” Stella asked.
“Shadow Light seems like a possible threat,” Devlin said.
“That's a new name,” Flare said.
Stella huffed sitting down. “You’re cheating!
Flare blinked.
Playfully pursing her lips, Stella waggled her finger. “It’s wrong.”
“I’m just a poor boy watching the events!” Devlin yelled. “All I’m doing is saying what I saw ma'am!”
Stella couldn't help but laugh. Good thing they'd reserved the entire place. But the maid did give them a funny look as she placed two bowls of soup on the table. Potatoes and other vegetables floated in a dark broth.
“I love soup!” Stella said digging in.
“We know,” they both said laughing in unison.
“I do have one important insight,” Devlin said getting serious. “Everyone seemed to be targeting you guys.”
Flare sighed. “What else is new?”
“No, I mean everyone. At first, they completely ignored anyone who wasn’t Lighting Gem. They only targeted you guys. That's why both of you were knocked out so fast.”
“Hmm,” Flare said. “That’s new. A noble?”
“To organize this, it has to be,” Stella said in between bites. “I believe Rick had a dispute with the king.”
They both stared at her. “Thanks for the info Stella,” Flare said glaring at her.
Stella shrugged. “I haven’t had time. Some more pressing things have happened. He was pissed when we met to go into the Undercity.”
“I can look into it,” Devlin said.
“Thank you,” Flare said. “Any more info?”
“There’s another lighting Elementalist.”
“What? How!”
“I don’t know. But I saw him fight, and he’s going to be a real threat.”
Stella slurped up the last bite of her soup. “What guild?”
“Shadow Light.”
“That's right, you mentioned them earlier,” she said standing.
“Where are you going?” Flare asked.
Stella looked at her. “To find Rick.”
“She needs to get her kisses in,” Devlin said chuckling.
Creating a whip of air, she flicked him on the ear.
“Hey!” he yelled.
Smiling she turned and walked out the door.
He hasn’t kissed me yet, she thought stepping outside. The frosty night air instantly froze her nose. Where to?
Picking a direction Stella started walking down the street. She wrapped her cloak tighter around her, the double moons of this world giving her enough light to see her breath. The dancing candlelight in a window reminded her of that night on the ship with her in his arms.
“Snap out of it,” she muttered. “First you have to find him.”
A whiff of smoke mixed with the scent of bread turned her head. She looked trying to spot the source. It smelled delicious. At that moment a man who looked like Rick crossed the street.
Quickening her step, she rushed to the edge of the street. Peering around the corner of a building, she spotted him again. He was walking away from her, toward, well she wasn’t quite sure where he was headed. He passed a lit window and the light illuminated his face. Stella refrained from smiling. It was definitely Rick. The shadow’s danced across his yummy face.
But now she was curious. What are you up to?
Skulking forward, she slid along the shadows, his footsteps echoing on the empty street. Empty street? She hadn’t noticed it was empty. Rick stopped and looked behind him. Stella held her breath and didn’t move. He seemed to be looking right at her! Keeping absolutely still, she waited. You were almost always spotted the moment you moved. Holding her breath was such a dumb idea, her lungs burned needing air. But if she breathed in now it would be loud enough for him to hear. A few seconds more and she’d be forced to run or explain what she was doing. What am I doing?
Finally, he turned back continuing onto wherever he was going. Letting him walk a few steps she sipped in a tiny bit of air. Big mistake. Her lungs demanded more... now! Gasping she took in a deep breath of air. Her eyes shot up, making sure he hadn’t heard. Her heart was taking a hammer to her chest... nothing. He kept on walking.
How did he not hear that? she thought gliding forward again.
After a few minutes, he stopped and looked around. He stood in front of one of the unused mini-stadiums. Opening the door, he slipped inside.
What’s he doing in there? she wondered.
Running across the street, the door opened. Gasping, she flattened herself against the ground. Only his hand reappeared holding a sign that said “Closed.” He placed it on a hook and shut the door.
“Smart,” she said pushing herself up.
Reaching the door, she cracked it open just a hair. Peering in she saw only blackness. Pursing her lips, she opened the door, crouched low, and slipped in. The door closed, and it was dark. Stella blinked several times waiting for her eyes to adjust. Slowly she began to see.
To her relief, there wasn’t an angry Rick standing in front of her. Glancing around, she didn’t see him anywhere. Then she heard it. The familiar hum of the crystals.
What is he doing?
Straightening, she looked over the wall. A small opening in the ceiling bathed the arena in moonlight. Rick walked down the steps a couple aisles over. Reaching the base, he hopped the wall and landed in the arena. The muscles in his ar
ms rippled as he did. Striding to the crystal in the floor, he knelt next to it and sent a bolt of lightning into it. A couple of seconds passed. But then, an army of men appeared in the arena. They all looked exactly the same, identical swords hanging from their hips.
“How did he know how to do that?” Flare asked.
Stella almost screamed. “Where’d you come from?” she hissed.
“We followed you, following Rick,” Devlin said.
She was wrong, her heart hadn’t been hammering at her chest. It had been tapping. This was hammering!
“Are there any other surprise guests?” she asked turning to face them.
“No, only us two,” Flare said.
“Shh, he’ll hear us,” Devlin said.
Looking at the arena, Stella didn’t need to be silenced. He was amazing! He was fighting the crystal men he’d created, dancing from one opponent to the next. As soon as one fell, a new one filled the gap, and he just kept going and going, spinning and twirling about the field. In one hand was the black sword she saw before. But in the other was a sword whiter than any metal she’d ever seen. He slid just out of the way of some strikes, while blocking others, all the while striking down one opponent after another.
“Wow,” Flare said. “I may have to steal him from you.”
Stella couldn’t tear her eyes away. “He’s a Blade Master.”
They watched in silence. A sword strike drawing too close to his face, his ankle melted into shadow, making the blow just miss.
That was the first time he used magic!
“What was that?” Flare asked.
“Shadow Magic,” Stella hissed.
“But he uses lightning!”
“He has some ability with Shadow too,” she said.
More than some, she thought. He went full blown Gad in the Undercity.
“Is that even possible?”
“Will you two shut up,” Devlin said. “He’s going to hear us.”
He was having trouble now. As he fought, the crystal men were getting tougher and tougher. He threw his swords into the chests of two men and spun kicking a third in the face. Lighting crackled, and two blue disks of energy formed in his hands. Blocking several attacks, he ducked down. Two beams of white light shot from his hands eliminating two more foes.
“Three magic’s!” Flare said a little too loud. “That’s impossible!”
If only she knew.
Lighting shot through the air striking just above their heads.
“Who’s there?” Rick shouted.
“Time to go,” Devlin said running toward the door, Stella right on his heels
Why are we running? she thought.
Two more bolts shot overhead.
That’s why.
The bolts didn’t disappear. They solidified into chains dropping down into the arena.
“He’ll be on top of us,” she panted rushing out the door.
“No, he won’t,” Flare said and then proceed to melt the hinges together.
After several seconds of running, Devlin stopped. Following suit, Stella stopped and rested her hands on her knees.
“Nice view,” Flare said slapping her butt as she ran past.
“Why are we running?” Devlin asked.
“Because, chicken,” Flare said smirking. “You were scared of the big bad Rick.”
“If I recall,” Rick said leaning on a wall next to them. “The door's hinges were melted.”
Chapter 19
R ick stood on top of the city wall, the sun warming the frigid air around him. Breathing in a deep breath, he looked down. He loved this view. The rising sun bathed the circular city in a soft glow. Now that he thought about it, this city was similar to the Elven city he once lived in. That restored memory was one of the kinder ones. Sometimes he wished he hadn’t wasted so many memories. The cloak and soul spells were powerful, and only he could use both, but they came at a cost. Every minute erased months of memories, and when he used both, it multiplied into years. Speaking of memories, he still wasn’t sure what happened between the portal and the elimination-round. One moment he’d been stepping through the portal, and next he was late for the tournament. Normally stepping into a realm was just like stepping through a doorway, no memory gap involved.
Patting his jacket pocket, he discovered an apple in one of them. A big grin appeared on his face. He missed his cloak, but this jacket had so many pockets! All for food of course. After rubbing it against his chest he took a bite.
“Do you always carry fruit in your pockets?”
Turning his head Rick saw the most gorgeous girl he’d seen in a very long time, also known as Stella. If only he hadn’t messed it up.
“I wa- hunry,” He said with his mouth full.
“You’re always hungry,” she said smiling up at him.
The world just felt like a better place with that smile. “Hence the apple,” he said twirling it in his hand. Then a silence grew between them. He didn’t know what to say. Of course, his wit would flee when he needed it. But good news, he didn’t sense any hostility from her. “Soooo,” he said dragging the word out. “What were you doing last night?”
Rubbing her arm, she looked at her shoes. “We looked for you, we ate, and then went for an evening run.”
Rick tipped his head back and laughed. “Yeah, I did some practicing, then I went for a run too.”
“More like a mad chase,” Stella said winking at him. “Maybe next time we could go running together.”
“I’d like that,” he said looking out over the wall.
“How can you stand so close to the edge?” she asked.
“It’s not as tall as the cliffs we climbed.”
“That was terrifying!”
“You were safe in my hands,” Rick said.
“Oh, is that why I almost fell?”
“I would’ve caught you if you had!” The silence grew. “Did you like the show?” Rick asked with a wink.
“Show?”
He staggered back pretending to clutch a dagger in his chest. “My practice!” he said, then smirked. “The one you stalked me to see.”
“I didn’t stalk you!” she huffed putting her hands in the air.
Rick acted on impulse and grabbed them. They stared into each other's eyes. He loved how her eyes were the color of emeralds. Stella pushed up onto her toes, her lips meeting his. His heart beat faster. It felt like a dream. He was floating though it only lasted a second before she stepped back, and his brain finally kicked into gear.
She kissed me? “Whoa, wait, what?” he rambled in rapid succession. Staggering back, he hit the wall.
She glared at him, her arms crossed underneath her breasts. “A kiss from Raven and you don’t blink, but with me, you recoil!”
“Last I checked you were done with me!” Rick almost shouted.
“Done?” she asked. “What are you talking about?”
“I, uh,” he stammered.
“You can say you didn’t like it,” Stella said looking at the ground.
“Oh, shut up,” he said grabbing her.
Leaning her against the wall he hovered in front of her face, a second before closing the gap. This time it felt like lava bubbling in his chest. Stella leaned in, kissing him back. Running his hand down her back, he felt goose bumps along her arm. He wasn’t sure how long they stood like that. Time seemed to freeze. But eventually, she pulled back smiling at him. Poking his cheek, she slipped from his arms.
“There’s someone here that I need to tell you about, his name—" Stella started.
“There you two are.”
Both jumped, turning to see Assan.
“Why are you up here?” Rick asked taking a bite of his apple.
“I was looking for you.”
“Could you come back in a minute? I was having a great conversation with Stella, and I have this lovely apple to finish,” Rick said only half joking.
An icicle shot from Assan’s hand into the apple knocking it out of Rick’s
grasp and over the wall. How could Assan waste a perfectly good apple? Without a second thought, he jumped up onto the wall and dived after it. The cold air rushed by as he hurtled toward the ground. Snatching the apple, he flipped around and disappeared. At least that’s what it would look like to those who watched. As soon as he grabbed it, he melted into the wall. Sliding up the side he discovered a crack. Slipping through he found himself in an empty bedroom. Double checking to make sure no one was around, he rematerialized. He looked at the apple and frowned. It was frozen solid. Throwing it against the door, he watched it shatter into a dozen little apple shards. Muttering in annoyance he pulled out another apple and took a bite. Rick opened the door and peered out into the hallway. It was empty. Spotting the stairs, he closed the door behind him, walking toward them.
“I wonder what Assan wanted,” he said to a painting of a goat on the wall.
Continuing to walk a grin appeared on his face. He kissed Stella! And it was magnificent. Oh, how he wished he could stick around and see where things would go. Or maybe even run off with her. But The Destroyer seemed to be gaining momentum at an alarming rate. If he didn’t act now the multiverse might plunge into another never-ending war. There’d be time for kisses, later. First, he had to find T. and get his rods back. Looking around he realized he didn’t have a clue where he was. By now he should’ve been at the stairs, but instead the hall ended with a wall.
“It’s a straight line, how did I get lost?” he said glaring at the wall.
Looking over his shoulder he spotted the stairs at the other end of the hall.
“They must have switched the stairs around,” he said nodding. “Yeah, that must be what happened.”
Spinning he walked down the hall. Passing the door he entered from, he purposely ignored the painting of the goat. Reaching the stairway, he started the joyful journey up the never-ending steps. Taking another bite of the new apple he put one foot in front of the other. Absentmindedly, he heard the footsteps of someone coming down the stairs. A man with blond hair stepped into view. Their eyes locked, and Rick couldn’t help but stare. The man’s eyes widened at first, but then returned to normal.
“Taranis!” Rick tried to say, but no sound came out.
“Hello old friend,” Taranis said smirking at him. “Long time no see.”
Gemini- The Beginning Of The End Page 21