by J. G. Maltos
“What do you think happened to The Divines?”
Aries straightens his back, “The Divines were known for prophecies and riddles. They were loyal to their ability but I don’t think they would let a Divine fall at the hands of greed.” His back tightens, “I don’t think they are completely gone.”
“How do you know?”
“The force of the crystal still works,” he says flatly. “Our crystal was destroyed and our Divine with it. I don’t see us ever coming back without a Divine to source our crystal.”
I bite my nails as my feet pace across the room. Should I tell him that I have more than one ability? Can I trust him so quickly when I can’t even make myself confess it to Koura, who I have known my whole life? I decide to take the risk. He knows more about my past than I could ever comprehend.
I just hope it’s the right decision. “I-I have fire abilities.” I ball my hands in a fist. It is the first time I say it out loud and I don’t regret it. But, I do feel guilty for not telling Koura.
Aries stands abruptly. “Excuse me?”
“I have fire abilities,” I say in a more certain tone. “During the fight with One Ear. T-They developed and I burned his skin. I haven’t been able to use them since. I don’t know what brought them on.” I rush out, like vomit.
He runs a hand on the back of his head. “Maybe what they injected you with?”
My back stiffens, “Yes! That could be it. Physician Xenio believed the serum could have altered my blood. That could be a side effect of the serum.” I run a frantic hand through my hair.
Aries looks deep in thought as I rattle around in my head whether to ask the question or not. Aries is something out of a dream. He is an Elite since his parents were the King and Queen and now he is in my room, sitting on my bed. He is well trained in his ability but a single question burns in my head.
“Can I ask you something?” I hesitate.
Aries tilts his head,“Of course.”
I pull at the hem of my sleeve. "How can you protect me now, but not in the cell?"
A heavy sigh blows past his perfect lips. "Yet another question I've yet to answer. Since leaving the cells, I've been able to better sustain my abilities. I was barely able to manifest myself to pull you out of the water. I can't explain it if I'm being honest."
"Let's add that to our list."
"What list?" His golden hues shine brighter.
"The list of things we don't know but need to figure out. There is so much, honestly," I admit, already feeling the heavyweight of everything going on piling on my shoulders. “Sometimes I wish I wasn’t who I am. To live in the shadows sounds so bliss right now.” I think out loud. I had taken my previous life for granted. I just want things to be how they were. I want to be able to do what I want and have no care in the world. But, I know that will never happen. I have endured too much and that has changed me.
Instantly I regret it as Aries' stance changes, and in seconds he is up and moving toward the door. His back is tense.
"Wait!" I call, running over to him in my own rushed state. He stops and I slam into his back. I feel myself falling backward when two firm arms wrap around my waist, holding me in place. My hands grasp his shoulders to steady myself, and I am left staring at two equally surprised golden eyes.
I freeze, acutely aware that I am so close to him I can hear the rapid beating of his heart. His breathing syncs with mine, our faces are a breath away from each other. Although I shouldn't be, I'm surprised to find how warm he feels beneath my touch. A man-made of smoke and shadows. His eyes trail down my face and anchor on my lips.
"I'm sorry," I breathe out. "I spoke without thinking. I-I forget how hard it must have been for you."
His icy breath prickles my skin, sending a wave of heat through my body. He parts his full lips to speak. A harsh knock on the door has us jump apart from each other, and in seconds I find myself alone in the room surrounded by a sweet, smoky scent.
These people have got to work on their timing, I think to myself.
Koura walks through the door and takes in my startled face. "You okay, Al?"
"Never better." I clear the hitch in my throat and hope that Koura doesn’t catch it. "Were you needing something?" I turn toward my dresser, hoping for a distraction, and catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. My cheeks are flushed red.
Koura takes a relaxed step in my room, his shoulders light and carefree. "I finally managed to get some free time and wanted to come check on you. I hear the girls are part of your court now," he smiles mockingly.
My eyes widen at the mention of my little trio. "They're great. I'm really happy to have Zee back. It's like I have a piece of me back I didn't know I was missing."
"Now you have wounded me, Princess." He lifts a dramatic hand toward his heart, causing me to smile.
"How could I possibly make any sort of dent in that ego of yours Koura?" I laugh wholeheartedly. "I'm only joking, I am happy I have you in my life as well."
His mocking smile turns into a warm, sincere one. "Glad to hear, Al. You deserve a little sprinkle of happy memories." He then takes a look around my room for a moment before settling back to me. "Maybe we can go do something to entertain ourselves in my rare free time?"
I jump at the idea, "Help me with my powers!"
“Are you sure?” His eyes brighten but still hold questions.
“Are you afraid I might beat you?” I taunt, walking toward my closet to change.
Koura straightens his back and folds his toned arms across his chest. "You're on, Princess."
The training room is bigger than what I could have imagined, surely to fit a large number of soldiers Frost Kingdom is known to hold. The walls are lined with countless swords and fighting gear. Chains hang from the walls onto the ground. I am aware guards can create their weapons with their powers. I would assume it takes focus and energy, things they need to conserve when entering battle. The amount of weapons in here still amazes me. The stench of rubber and sweat attacks me in one solid punch.
Koura notices the look on my face and drops his hand heavily on my shoulder, giving me a side grin. "You'll get used to the smell, Princess."
I shake him off with a playful glare, following as he leads me to the center where the blue mats cover the floors.
“What’s with the weapons?” I nod towards the row of deathly weapons.
He looks around and smiles, “I know we can create our own but that takes energy and concentration we need to fight.” I nod and cross my hands.
Koura stands in front of me and all traces of his playfulness evaporate into the air. He is thinking—-hard— and I suddenly miss the comfort of my bed.
"Stretch, warm-up, and then we'll do a mix of different cycles. We'll start with your powers first, just to see how much control you have. Then we'll work our way up to hand-to-hand combat with them to see how well they work under pressure." He points a sharp finger at the mats. "Start with the stretches and I'll go change."
I sit lazily on the mat, not bothering to hide the pout on my face. "All right, trainer," I grumble, but he's already off disappearing into the open hallway on the other side of the training room.
"Oh, Koura, teach me some moves!" I mimic beneath my breath, executing a series of very poorly motivated leg stretches. "Smart idea, Althea. Now you get a whole day in the training room."
"Were you saying something, Al?" Koura plops down next to me, scaring me half to death. He’s changed into a black shirt, black tights that peeked through his black and white shorts, ready for training.
"Oh, nothing!" I say a little too chirpy. "What was first on the list?"
A gleam sparkles in his eyes, "A simple warm-up."
Apparently, a simple warm-up is code for torture. I lose count of how many laps he has me do around the training room, and I damn the architect who thought designing a room this ungodly large was a good idea. Koura doesn’t stop there. He adds some other cardio to keep my heart rate up, and by the end, I am drenched in swea
t, my legs working double-time to keep me standing. Koura, on the other hand, is as dry as a whistle.
I collapse on the ground, swallowing air like a beggar.
"We can't let your heart rate get too low," Koura says with a clap of his hands. "We'll need to test out your powers."
I think back to my time at the hospital, remembering the doctor's mention of my unsettling heart rate, and bite back a retort. I push myself up from the ground and turn to face him.
Here goes nothing.
"About that," I struggle to find the proper words. "My body is still flushing out whatever they had muted my powers. That and the fact that I had barely started my training when everything went down, well..." I trail off, unsure of how to continue.
“Well, what can you do?”
I tap my chin, “I don’t know what all I can do, they just appear and disappear.” Koura's eyes widen slightly, putting the pieces together before settling into a sad cast that twists in my stomach. "Don't look at me like that. I'm getting better." It isn’t a complete lie. Back in the library with Aries, I felt something within my powers I hadn't felt in a long time. That must count for something. "Just give it time."
He nods, looking away. He paces the mats with that serious look that his fellow soldiers must have seen countless times before. Something must have crossed his mind, as his face immediately perks up. "Do you know how the Earth Kingdom got so powerful?" Koura is soft yet eager, begging me to know.
I quirk an eyebrow at the obvious question. "We helped create the crystal that enhances the abilities of every kingdom."
"It's not 'what' but the 'how,'" he says as he crosses his arms causing his shirt to tighten at the sleeves. "Your kingdom connects with the Earth. You manipulate your power source, channel your natural energy, and transform the minerals embedded in the ground into something new. You can channel that same natural energy back into yourself and reform." I stare at him in bewilderment, but he continues. “The last person who could channel that energy was someone from your line, decades ago."
"You think I can do that?" I say, shocked. "I can barely grow a leaf in my current state."
"Maybe not right away," he admits with a shrug. "We just need a little juice flowing and we can go from there."
I nod reluctantly and close my eyes. I strain my focus on my gift, searching for even an ounce of heat that could signal its existence. Eyes creep up the back of my neck and a familiar scent washes over me.
Aries.
I try to ignore him and take my focus back onto my gift. I slow my breathing as sweat builds at the base of my neck. Like a miracle, heat pools at my fingertips. My eyes snap open, and I focus on Koura, on anything before the heat fizzles out.
I release the air I don’t know I've been holding. My mind unfolds, and the heat disappears along with it. I hold still, trying one more time. A small shock sparks at my fingertips this time. I lift my arm and the heat disappears once more.
"I'm sorry," I say, breathless. "Whatever they gave me, it hasn't worn off compl—" A sharp sting radiates from the side of my rib. I touch my side and lift my shirt to see a bruise already forming. I raise my gaze to Koura and I am surprised to see him in his fighting stance, blank face, ready to fight.
"What was that for?" I growled.
"All I hear are excuses," Koura raises his fist. The veins under his skin define as he rolls his shoulders back.
I walk toward him. The strain of his tone lights up a fuel of annoyance in me. He has never spoken to me in that manner and I don’t like it. I narrow my eyes as I near him. He looks back at me with indifference. My palms start to sting while I continue to glare at Koura.
Koura comes toward me again, his fist protecting his face, as his hip twists to throw a kick towards the side of my arm.
I block it but still stumble back at his strength. I waste no time in collecting my footing once again, despite the pain that shoots up my arm.
Koura nods in approval.
I had to learn to fight when I was a prisoner. Before they had isolated me after trying to get a note out of my existence. I have gained some weight since being here, hopefully giving me some advantage that I didn't have when fighting One Ear.
Koura swings at me. I dodge his punch, but I stumble backward again. I collect myself, feeling my anger slowly crawl inside of me wanting to escape.
Well, he gave up on power training rather quickly.
This time, I charge at him, lowering myself to the ground and sweeping my foot across his ankle in one swift movement.
He slams onto the ground, but he recovers quickly. A heavy hand runs down his face, wiping off the sweat onto the mat. Determination covers his face and he charges at me. Koura fist extends around me and hits me in the same spot of my ribs from earlier.
I wince at the pain, but still manage to notice the twist of his hip as he readies himself for another kick.
This time, I'm ready to catch his ankle in the hook of my arm. I jerk my body to twist his entrapped leg and he falls sideways. I roll with him, using his momentum against him, lifting my leg and pushing down on his now sweaty back, locking his knee behind him.
A puff of air escapes him at the impact, and he twists his hips to get out of my hold, but it makes my knee dig deeper in between his shoulder blades.
Sweat trickles down my face, covering my lips with salty droplets. I lower my head, anticipating his counterattack, but it gives Koura the perfect opening. He strikes his head back, colliding it with mine and my hands lose their grip on him with the impact.
I feel my knees hit the mat as Koura pushes out from under me. My vision becomes dotted, and for a split second, I swear I was back in the cell.
My blood runs cold and my nails claw at the ground looking for an escape. A figure comes rushing toward me and I frantically push myself across the mat to get away from him. Panic engulfs my body. In seconds, I'm pushed against the wall, my head slamming against the concrete and my vision becomes fuzzy.
Survive. The thought runs through my head as it has countless times before.
The same burning sensation creeps into my chest. It is a small, barely detectable heat, but I grasp onto it for dear life. The pit of my stomach turns from the sensation and it begins to radiate toward every inch of my body. Like instinct, when the heat reaches my fingers I look down, and green veins branch out my fingers.
I raise my trembling hands and use whatever energy I have left to lift the chains off their wall, sending them flying towards the figure coming toward me.
They wrap around him with their momentum, trapping him in place.
I gasp at the power radiating through me. I can feel every little particle within the metal of the chains. I reach to extend them and they bend to my command. The figure tips over with the weight of the chains and I'm left gasping for air. My body finally relaxes. He can't hurt me anymore.
My vision clears, and a rush of panic washes over me as I notice it's not just any man. I drop my arms.
"Koura!" I sprint toward him. My hands tremble over his body, horrified at the distortion of the wrapped metal. "I am so sorry! I-I don't know what came over me!"
"You're okay, Al." His voice sounds strained through the tightness of the chains. “Can you take these off of me now?"
I nod frantically, not trusting my voice. I try to concentrate on the particles within the chains, just as I had moments before. Then I place my hands lightly on them and force them to release. My heart picks up from the concentration and with a loud snap, they fall right off of him.
Koura takes a gasp of air and coughs uncontrollably. He moves to sit up and I shuffle away from him to give him room to breathe. Beside him, my trailing tears mixed with my sweat.
"Well, that was interesting." Koura coughs out after a moment and takes a large swig of water he must have brought with him earlier.
I don't respond. I just stare at my palms in shock at what I had just done.
"Look at me Al," Koura calls out softly.
I refuse to
move, afraid of what I could do. A warm finger cups my chin, turning my head and I meet his vibrant hazel eyes. His face is flushed red and his full lips are parted into a crooked grin. I am taken back by his smile. I could have ended his life and he is smiling at me. I felt that my heart had stopped at seeing what I did to him.
"I'm sorry, Al. I made you get into that state. I know what I was getting myself into." His eyes stare at mine, searching for something. Droplets of his sweat escape his chin and land softly on my knee.
The eerie chill returns at the nape of my neck. I pull my face away from him, aware that we are being watched. His hand falls beside him, and a glimpse of something flashes across his face.
"Any news from the Earth Kingdom?" I ask, half desperate to move the conversation, the other half genuinely worried about my fallen kingdom's state. "Now that people know I'm alive, what has the Lightning Kingdom done?"
"It's a poor kingdom now, Al," Koura says. "It is heartbreaking to know the Lightning Kingdom is treating them as just means of free workers. Some people are trying to fight back, but others are just trying to survive now."
"Koura, I have something to tell you." I pull my legs closer to me. Koura turns to me, calm and expectant. Red marks cover his arms from where the chains were too tight, and I wince. "The drug I was given back in the cells, it's not flushing out of my system easily. Back when I was in the hospital wing, the doctor said that my elemental crystal could help me."
Koura's eyes widen in realization as he understands my point. "You want to go into the Earth Kingdom?"
"I think that is the quickest way of anchoring my powers before they seriously hurt someone," I rush out. "The incident here is only a fraction of what my powers wanted to do. It's like they have a mind of their own, I feel that I might lose control."
Koura pushes himself up from the ground and paces in front of me. "Do you have any idea how dangerous it is? People are killing each other for basic necessities. Anything can happen to you. Plus, the Lightning Kingdom owns that land now, Al. Are you planning to just walk right up there? Elite Amir and Elite Zara could see that as a threat."
