Rising

by C B Samet

  When we stopped kissing, he placed his palm against my cheek.

  “I’ve never—” I began.

  He silenced me with a brush of his thumb against my lips.

  Leaning down, he kissed me again. My heart was racing out of my chest. My hands explored every inch of his torso of their own volition. Feeling his response to my kiss and touch, I knew he was as intoxicated as I was. I wanted to lose myself in his strength and his vulnerability.

  Then, I felt him subtly pulling away from me. Not wanting the pleasure to end, I kissed his chest and started to move my hands beneath the water. There was more of his amazing body to explore.

  “Abbey,” he said breathlessly. He gently grasped my forearms and held them to his chest. He kissed each hand softly.

  I looked at him in puzzled amazement. Why was he stopping what felt so perfect and right?

  “Abbey,” he repeated. “I want to be with you, and I wish this moment could last forever.”

  “Then, why are you stopping?” I pleaded, hungry for his lips.

  “I want it to be perfect,” he explained, hesitantly. “I want us to be united first.” The words stumbled out of his mouth.

  His eyes looked distressed, as though waiting for me to become angry or incredulous. My initial feeling of rejection was replaced with tenderness. His vulnerable side had surfaced. Though he wasn’t asking me to marry him, he was expressing that he intended to do so someday. I felt the sensitivity in his words. He was my friend and companion, and I loved him. Of course, I would honor his request for restraint.

  Wrapping my arms around his giant torso, I squeezed. “I love you more every day, Joshua. I’m sorry you had to wait so long to hear it.”

  He smiled a wonderful smile and kissed me again. His touch reignited the fire of desire. I returned the kiss, then did the only thing I could do if I was going to respect his wishes. I sank under the cool water and reluctantly swam a safe distance away.

  After rinsing, I swam to shore and wrapped myself in my sun-warmed red cloak. I watched Joshua get out of the water and tried to calm my galloping heart. I disguised my disappointment when he dressed by checking to see if any other clothes were dry. My undergarments were dry, so I slipped into them.

  “Most of our things are still wet,” I explained.

  “We will need to carry them back. They can hang on the carriage and dry.”

  I nodded. As he started to dress, I turned and loaded the clothes on Unis’ back to distract myself from watching him.

  “Something’s wrong,” I heard Joshua’s concerned voice. My eyes flickered around us. The lake was tranquil, a warm breeze blew, but there were faint cries of alarm in the distance.

  Joshua dressed, mounted Unis, and dashed off toward our camp.

  Rushing to my clothes, I shrugged off the cloak and dressed hurriedly in my black leggings and blue tunic. In the distance I heard a hideous shrill. The high-pitched, screeching was followed by a billowing roar from some mysterious creature. I tugged on my boots.

  Phobus appeared at my side with my belt and belongings gripped between his teeth. Grabbing the belt, I withdrew the Ballik blade and thanked him with a nod. It glistened brilliantly in the sunlight. Beside me, Phobus was already kneeling. I threw on my cape, leaped on his back, and we charged.

  When the camp came into view, chaos reigned.

  While being attacked by large, ravenous black birds—Scouters—Joshua was struggling to help the Queen get back inside her carriage. She appeared to be limping. Baird was firing arrows into a swarm of diving Scouters above them. Their wingspan was as wide as he was tall. With no fear of death, they dove in with sharp, crooked black beaks and blazing red eyes.

  Allis and Inok were encircled by three enormous, snarling, four-legged monsters. Large black feet with giant claws emerged from their matted ebony fur. The two men were armed with spears, but it would not be long before the demons pounced on their pray. The men looked small in comparison, and they were outnumbered. Horrified, I watched one of the bulky, terrestrial animals spring. Allis disappeared under its hairy body.

  If I had ever been in battle or even a significant physical fight, I might have had some inkling of what strategy of attack to implement. Instead, I did the only thing I could think to do. With Phobus in full gallop, I dove off toward the nearest beast, leading with the sword. I sank the blade into the demon’s neck as I landed on its back. The impact knocked the breath out of me, but I clenched its coarse black hair to stay on it. A nauseating smell of putrid sulfur and dried blood wafted up from its fur.

  I braced for it to buck and throw me off its back. Instead, as it died, it released a deafening roar and sank to the ground in a pile of black ash. I coughed the ash away from my face and struggled to stand. My knees were weak.

  Nearby, Allis was covered in ash from the creature he had slain. He must have stabbed it as it had pounced on him. He lay wounded, his own blood spilling around him, but he was quickly recovering and applying pressure to stop the oozing.

  Looking left, I saw the third and final beast turn. Its yellow eye focused upon me. It was as large as a bear but shaped like a canine, with drooling jowls and a mouth so enormous that half my body would easily fit inside. I gripped the sword in my hand and raised it defensively, though shakily.

  The creature crouched to leap, and Inok took the opportunity to launch his spear into the beast’s side. It struck and buried into its flesh but seemed to do little more than infuriate the creature. With an angry roar, the demon creature spun around and directed its animosity at the now unarmed victim.

  “No!” I screamed.

  I ran toward Inok with my sword in front, but I was too far away to strike before it pounced. Inok disappeared beneath the black furred animal as it sank its teeth into his neck.

  Joshua arrived and charged the beast from behind with his sword swinging, but was knocked aside by its bulky, thrashing tail.

  Too short to reach its neck, I swatted at its shoulder with my blade. It shot out a rugged paw and knocked me to the ground with little effort. Then, it turned toward me, baring red, bloodstained teeth. The fear of obliteration coursed through my veins.

  I gripped my sword feebly, but there wasn’t time to stand, not that standing would change my fate. It was going to knock me down and sever me in half with its massive jaws, though not specifically in that order. Death standing or death on the ground was still death. It hunched and readied itself to spring. I braced for impact.

  A deafening rumble of hooves approached like a hundred sprinting horses. I looked up to see the ox thundering toward us, his massive hooves tearing up dirt and grass with each stride. The beast above me hesitated, hearing the sound of a roaring train rushing toward it.

  I quickly rolled out of the way as the ox lowered his head and slammed his two curved horns into the head of the black beast with the full force of his tremendous body. The horns sank deep, bursting straight through the monster, which exploded in a flare of black ash. The ox snorted black dust out of his nose, then walked contentedly away from the scene of the battle.

  Dropping my sword, I scrambled on my hands and knees to Inok. Kneeling beside him, I wiped ash and tears from his eyes. Blood poured from his neck and from the gashes on his chest and abdomen. It spilled over the grass and coagulated.

  So much blood.

  “Inok,” I whimpered. I held his hand, and he returned the grip. I felt his rapid, thready pulse. His chest rose and fell in shallow breaths.

  “Joshua!” I screamed.

  In the distance, he was struggling to get back on his feet.

  Turning back to Inok, I held my hand over the gaping wound on his neck, but it was like trying to dam the rapids at Aithos with a tree branch. His glassy eyes focused on me.

  “Don’t fail, Cross,” he choked through clenched teeth, squeezing my hand until I thought he would crush bone.

  With that, his grip slackened and his chest stopped its rise and fall. Blood continued to ooze out around him.


  Joshua arrived seconds later and surveyed Inok’s injuries. He placed a hand on his chest and silently felt.

  “He’s dead, Abbey,” he finally said.

  “No,” I insisted. “He was just breathing.”

  “I can’t heal the dead,” he said, regretfully.

  “You have to fix him!” I shouted. I squeezed and shook Inok’s hand, waiting for him to squeeze mine again. He stared with fixed, glassy eyes, his blood pooling around us.

  Joshua lowered his voice. “I can’t.”

  Burning tears streamed down my face as Joshua stood and walked toward Allis. I closed Inok’s eyes and laid his blanket over him. For all of his bitterness and dislike of me, he had saved my life. He was a runner, loyal servant to the Queen, and better fighter than I could ever be. Now, he was dead in exchange for my life.

  The weight of guilt pressed around me like smothering steam from a hot spring billowing out on a sweltering day.

  Seeing the glow emitted from the Healing Che Stone, I took a deep, shaky breath and walked to where Joshua was healing Allis. I could see on Joshua’s back the beating he had taken from the vicious Scouters. They had clawed off flesh and pecked out areas down to his bone. I grimaced at the sight of his deep, oozing wounds.

  He finished healing Allis and turned his powers lastly to himself.

  I turned my frustration on Allis. “Is this part of the majestic journey?!” I demanded. “Is Inok’s life just another part of the quest?” I paced angrily.

  Allis, for the first time, was not smiling. I glanced at Joshua, whose look of pity and disapproval made me feel shame at my outburst.

  Baird placed a hand on my shoulder. “Inok is not the first to give his life against Malos, and he will not be the last,” he said softly.

  “You think I don’t know that?” I snapped, still pacing.

  I didn’t want to think about the other lives that would be lost. Grabbing a flask, I washed the blood from my hands. Inok’s blood. I felt a rising urge to vomit, so I splashed water on my face and the back of my neck. I scrubbed the ash off my face.

  When I was finished, I walked back to Joshua, who was sitting on the ground recovering.

  “Is the Queen well?” I asked Joshua hesitantly.

  Joshua stood wearily and nodded down at me. “She was a little battered, but she’s fine now.”

  He started to walk back to the carriage. I reached out and stopped him. Hugging him tightly, I murmured, “I’m sorry.”

  Looking down at me, he clasped my face gently in his hands. “It’s okay, Abbey. You don’t owe me an apology.”

  I released him and turned to Allis. “I’m sorry, Allis. Are you all right?”

  He smiled wispily and nodded, though there was a sadness in his eyes. He walked over to Inok and started murmuring the Caballus burial rites as he wrapped the lifeless body in the blanket I had laid over him.

  Walking toward the carriage, I spotted Inok’s Veil Stone. It had landed near the wheel of the carriage. I picked it up and turned it over in my hand. It was a dull, bluish quartz now instead of the gleaming crystal it had been when activated by Inok. I opened the door to the carriage.

  “Are you well, mum?”

  Seated in silence, she nodded. Her tattered undergarments were draped over her lap. Her usual impeccably straight posture was slouched and weary. The lines about her face seemed more pronounced, more strained. She looked pale and small.

  “What happened?” I asked.

  “What are the damages?” she asked.

  Barely above a whisper, I said, “Inok is dead.”

  She sighed in resignation. “The Slashers found us, a three-dog pack, probably by smell. Inok defended me bravely, but lost his stone in the process. That gave the Scouters the opportunity to attack from above.”

  I surveyed her, trying to see what her injuries had been. The only remaining evidence was a pile of bloodstained clothes beside her.

  Without invitation, I sat across from her on the soft seat of the carriage. “It’s my fault,” I confessed. “He died saving me.”

  She nodded solemnly. “Then he died in service to his country.”

  “But he was so much more valuable,” I protested. “He had the stone and the speed and the strength to do more in battle than I ever could. Even he knew that.”

  Without Inok and his ability to activate the stone, we were vulnerable to another attack.

  “What he knew,” she began softly, “was that your quest must succeed or we all die.”

  I still pressed on, not understanding. “But it’s not my quest. Anybody could collect these artifacts and give them to the Champion. Inok could have done it and probably faster,” I added.

  She looked at me for the first time with pity rather than scorn. “Abigail, you don’t give yourself enough merit. Only someone who had studied amongst the Caballus could have thought to take me there for safety. Only someone who had earned their respect would have been granted access to the Gunthi monks for guidance or won the loyalty of the Princeps. Only someone who had scaled the icy cliffs of Karnelik could do so once again. And only someone who had studied the writings of Baird Potts could earn his adoration so easily to get the Che Stone of Strength.

  “You are not on this quest by chance but by divination. You are our intended leader, Abigail Cross.”

  I looked down, my eyes wandering to my hands. My suspicions about Phobus were confirmed. He was the magical horse of the Caballus legends. I rubbed my hands together and then looked at my palms. The blue star stared back at me.

  “Then as leader, we are all getting to safety now.” I stood and exited the carriage, my sorrow at Inok’s death flaring back into anger and frustration.

  Baird, Joshua and Allis were reorganizing the camp.

  “Baird,” I snapped.

  He turned toward me, blue eyes at attention.

  “Have you been to Marrin Beach?”

  He nodded.

  “Good,” I replied. “Can you manage the Queen and carriage there?”

  He looked over at them and back at me. Without hesitation, he willingly obliged. He walked over carrying his pack, touched the ox and carriage, and they all disappeared.

  I whistled, and Phobus dutifully trotted to my side. Unis followed him. “Allis and Joshua, I’ll need you to put Inok’s body on Phobus.”

  Joshua hesitated but Allis jumped to attention. “Are you okay, Abbey?” Joshua asked.

  “We are done with the journey,” I replied curtly.

  He nodded warily, then helped Allis. They gathered other belongings and clothes onto Unis’s back.

  I then told Allis to get on Phobus and Joshua to get on Unis. I wanted us all tightly packed together, since I had never attempted to transport a large group.

  I looked up at Joshua; his imposing figure on horseback caused me to catch my breath for a moment.

  “You once dove off the cliffs of Marrin Beach, right?”

  He nodded.

  “Then, I need you to visualize them so I can take us there,” I explained.

  Closing his eyes, he replied, “All right.”

  I rested one hand on his leg and the other on Phobus’ chest, and then exhaled a deep breath.

  “Joshua.”

  He opened one eye and looked at me. “Not too close to the edge of the cliffs.”

  “Right,” he smirked.

  I closed my eyes and felt the ground shift in an undulation under us. When I opened them, we were standing in sand. Crashing waves resounded on jagged rocks in the distance. The sun was setting on an ocean of blue and green. The horses jerked in surprise at the sudden change in scenery, but were quick to calm with Joshua’s deep, reassuring voice.

  I fell to my knees in exhaustion and the sensation of motion sickness. I didn’t know if it was from transporting us here, the sound of angry waves near us, or residual queasiness from the battle.

  All of it, I reasoned.

  Joshua dismounted and knelt slowly beside me. Wrapping his arms tightly around m
e, he pulled me closer. I was comforted by his pine scent and soft breathing on my neck. Behind me Allis dismounted. I watched him rustling through some bushes as he made his way down the slope of the cliff, leading the horses with Inok’s body to the beach.

  I forced myself calm by directing my attention to the rustic colors of the setting sun. “You are my rock,” I told Joshua, holding his hand in mine and kissing it.

  “That was quite a stunt back there,” he said flatly, not masking his disapproval.

  I had been wondering if he’d seen me kill the Slasher. Admittedly, it had felt good to kill one of them.

  “What should I have done?” I genuinely wanted to know if there was an alternative.

  “Not risk your life,” he pleaded, kissing my neck. “Hide somewhere, I don’t know.”

  I turned my head to look into his eyes. “None of us can hide. None of us are safe until this is over.”

  “I wish it didn’t have to be you,” he added.

  I assumed he was referring to our quest, though it was almost over now. I didn’t reply. Besides, I’d just had this conversation with the Queen, who had sympathetically explained why it had to be me. I think Joshua knew why it had to be me, too; he just didn’t like it. All that was left to do was summon the Champion, and then I could watch him lead us to victory. The danger, the travel—the worst of it was over.

  “When we’ve won,” I began, trying to muster optimism, “I think we should take a holiday. We could sit on the docks at Wahla Lake, listen to the birds, drink moon juice and watch the sun rise and set.” Again, I wasn’t prejudiced against all bodies of water, just oceans.

  “I’ll take you wherever you want to go,” he conceded. He kissed me softly on the cheek.

  My heart swelled and pounded uncontrollably. Turning my body toward him, I met his lips with mine. We kissed passionately. I felt near raging desire and forced myself to pull away from him. I wanted him to know that I respected his wishes.

  “As long as you keep kissing me, I’ll go wherever you want me to go,” I said.

  He sighed, a deep, longing sound. “I do want you, Abbey.” He cupped my face in his hands.

  “I can tell.” I smiled. “I like the idea of planning a future with you.” I ran my fingers through his hair. “I want to be able to savor every moment with you.”