by Kealohilani
“I don’t know why he didn’t kill me. He certainly had plenty of time on the battlefield before Jharate was able to pull me out of the way,” Lani recalled, choosing to ignore the rest of what Kendra had said earlier.
“I am sure he was about to kill me. But then it was like we connected for a moment. I felt his power. It was almost as if I could see into his soul… So what I do know is that he is definitely no one to be trifled with.”
Drakne smiled again. He was glad that she appreciated his power. He was surprised she had been able to read him though. It was unsettling.
“Anyway,” Lani began, blinking to pull out of the strange feeling she found herself entangled in when speaking about Drakne. “I don’t know why he bothered putting me under a spell to break us up. It seems like an odd thing to do when he obviously wants me dead.
“Arante was confused by that too. I mean if he had time to hit me with that spell, why didn’t he just hit me with something that would kill me? Not that I’m complaining.”
Drakne raised an eyebrow in thought. That was a good question. One he could not answer.
The only explanation at the moment was that he had felt her power. He knew that trying to kill her directly was useless somehow.
But that was an oversimplification. The feeling he had had whilst he was connected to her was far more nuanced and intangible. He had never had an intuitive ability before and so he wondered why he trusted this premonition— for lack of a better word— so implicitly. It was definitely more fun this way though.
A more pressing matter caught his attention. He saw Arante approaching Jharate as he passed into the same area where Lani and Arante had just met.
Drakne knew what she was going to try. He strolled over to watch her fail or— if necessary— to ensure that she failed, if Jharate seemed to be breaking out of the spell.
“Jharate, I want to talk to you.”
“If it is concerning Lani, you would be wise to save your breath.”
“It is concerning Lani and you are going to listen to me!”
“I would not wager to that effect.”
Jharate turned to walk back toward the camp. Arante threw her hands forward and conjured an image of Lani to block his path. The holographic Lani now stood directly in front of him. He stopped dead in his tracks and turned around to face Arante.
“I do not wish to see her face and I will thank you for not placing her in front of me. I am already forced to expend a great deal of energy to evade her every moment of every day.”
“Then you had better listen to me! Or so help me that won’t be the worst thing I do to you. I know you too well, Cousin. I know your fears. I can make them all come to life in living color everywhere you turn!” Arante flicked her hands around dramatically to emphasize her ability to surround him.
“Very well,” he growled. “Make it brief.”
“That’s more like it. She was under a spell, Jharate.”
“That was certainly succinct. Why would I believe this story?”
“She had a vision after she snapped back to herself. She saw Drakne throw a purple ball at her as she passed through the portal. That’s why she was in pain on the other side. It wasn’t just the normal effects of the portal— it was more! We just didn’t notice because none of us had ever been through it before.”
“Lani received a vision. How convenient.”
“You know she has visions!”
“Yes, I do. However, how am I to know that this particular vision was not fabricated for her own purposes?”
Drakne smiled. Jharate was so smug, judgemental, and self-righteous. Drakne didn’t have to do a thing. The spell was holding full power over Jharate’s heart.
“Jharate! I know that girl. She is not a liar. And for some reason— that I am starting to think is completely irrational— she loves you!”
“She has a superb way of demonstrating her affection!”
“She was under a SPELL!” Arante yelled.
“Then perhaps she should have been stronger. Perhaps she should have resisted it!”
Drakne bit the knuckle of his glove to keep from bursting out in laughter. The irony of that statement was beyond delightful!
“Oh wow— good thing you’re here Jharate, because I would never have thought of that. You’re so right. The girl from another world, who didn’t even know she had a gift until a couple of months ago, and, who didn’t even know spells existed— and who had never faced Drakne before— should have been able to resist a spell that hit her in the back?!”
Jharate opened his mouth to reply but Arante spoke before he could.
“Are you listening to yourself? You should be giving her massive amounts of respect for being able to get out of it at all! How many people do you know— whom Drakne has personally cursed— that have ever come out of it, unless he released them? HMMM? I’ll tell you how many. None! I’ve never heard of one. NOT ONE! Not until now! Lani is the entire list!”
“You act as though I should care. It was a mistake to plan a union with her in the first place.”
“You can be such a prig sometimes! Ugh! Mistake? That’s an ugly insult! She doesn’t deserve that!”
“I choose for all of Trisakne— not merely for myself.”
“What better queen could our people have?! She’s proved herself in a way no one ever has before. She’s earned my respect. And once our people hear what she was able to overcome she’ll have earned theirs as well.
“All of our loyal friends here already like her and respect her for who she is— just like I already did. Knowing her unprecedented strength against dark magic and the phenomenal depth of her love for you will only add to it.”
“I need to focus on my destiny. I was wrong to think she could have been a part of it.”
Arante closed her eyes briefly with her delicate manicured hand on her forehead.
“Pray tell— what destiny?”
“I am a Half-Heart!”
Arante was dumfounded. Her mouth opened in wide-eyed surprise.
Drakne’s mouth fell open as well. Only Vranah knows who the Half-Hearts are. How did you discover this?
“How do you know?” Arante asked Jharate.
Good girl, Drakne praised.
Jharate became quiet and solemn. Tears formed in his eyes and he tried to choke them back as he spoke.
“I had a vision whilst in the Forest of Kar. I witnessed Vranah informing Keanu that he is… that he was a Half-Heart… and that I am a Half-Heart, as well. Vranah vowed that he would come for me next and then he— he killed my only brother in front of my very eyes.”
Drakne realized that would explain it. Perhaps the gift of vision was a more useful gift than he had given it credit for in the past.
“I didn’t realize… You told me your father and Keanu had both… But I didn’t know how much you had to witness and I didn’t want to ask and… I am so sorry that you had to see that.” Arante placed a hand on his shoulder. She took a breath to collect herself and looked him in the eyes. “There’s nothing you could have done. If you had been captured with either of them, you would be dead by now too.”
“I am aware of that fact,” Jharate sighed. He took a step back, away from her touch, and stared at a nearby boulder. “I simply detest the helplessness I felt— merely being allowed to watch— not to act… And then, Lani came. It was as if my prayers had been answered. She healed me. She healed my heart. I felt safe with her. I wanted to protect her and to be with her forever… That dream has been destroyed now.”
“It doesn’t have to be…”
“She inflicted a greater wound on my heart than any other could have ever done. She cannot be the one. I must focus on finding another Half-Heart now so that we may end this war once and for all. I must forget her.”
Arante remained silent for a moment and looked away pensively. Suddenly, she looked back up at Jharate as if she had just had an epiphany.
“But Jharate! What if Lani is another Half-Heart? You
have no way of knowing. Think about it! You have wanted to get married for years. You feel that desire keenly. And yet you haven’t been able to find anyone.
“Your father brought how many women before you to try to find a suitable companion? Let’s see there was Princesse Selana of Destavnia—”
Arante waved her hand and a holographic image of the past Karahn, Jharate, and Princesse Selana stood before them. The Princesse had light skin and black hair that was curled into perfect ringlets. She stood with exquisite grace and carried herself perfectly.
“She was beautiful and accomplished— a woman that any prince would have sought after. And what was wrong with her?” Arante queried.
The past image of Jharate whispered to the image of Karahn, saying, “She is far too vain, Father.”
“And then there was Contessa Regianna whose family had run to Trisakne years before, for safety, when Lanas fell.”
A slender brunette stood before the same two holographic men. She had olive skin and sparkling green eyes.
“She was gorgeous and sweet-natured! But she wasn’t good enough for you!”
“Father, the woman cares nothing for the enlightening of the mind. We have nothing in common.”
“And thus, Contessa Regianna was dismissed. Then there was Vikontessa Tesha of Kresar, whose family also gained asylum in our land.”
A new woman appeared. She had auburn hair that was half up and half down. It cascaded down past her shoulders and stopped just above the waist. She had hazel eyes and a warm smile.
“Father, she does not fit. I do not know how to explain that fact, as there is nothing obviously wrong with her. We simply do not match.”
“You gave the same answer for the dark-skinned angel from Kelamosa, Princess Karani‘oka‘are, not two days later. She was brilliant, sweet, kind, playful, spiritual, and had every attribute you could possibly ask for in a future wife— in fact, every trait you had ever listed. But for some reason, she didn’t ‘match’ you either!”
The woman Arante was referring to appeared in front of him. She was by far the most beautiful of the four. Her black wavy hair fell down to the middle of her thighs— and she had a tropical red flower above her right ear, indicating the fact that she was a single woman.
“Then there were all of these women whose claims to nobility, beauty, poise, intelligence, and charms were all equal, and yet…”
Nearly twenty more women flashed in, as Arante created them one at a time— some with light hair, some with dark hair, some with very light skin, some with medium skin, others with very dark skin— every possible type of dream woman imaginable.
They stood in a ring around Jharate until he was surrounded. Jharate cringed when one of the women he particularly disliked appeared nearly in his face. Each time, the holographic Jharate said the same thing.
“I apologize, Father. She does not fit. I can feel that there is something very important missing.”
“Hmmmm. None of these girls fit you? None? Any other prince would have jumped at the opportunities that you had handed to you! And yet you held out. Looking back it’s a wonder I didn’t figure out you were a Half-Heart! I thought you were just being a prig. But this whole time— you honestly and truly did not ‘fit’ anyone else.”
“I am assuming that you will shortly be arriving at the purpose of this discourse,” Jharate answered, flatly.
“Aaah! Of course I have a point! I am getting to it. What did you tell me just the other night?”
Arante didn’t wait for an answer. The ring of women immediately disappeared as Arante conjured an image of Lani sitting against the log where Jharate had left her at Arante’s beckoning. The holographic images of Arante and Jharate repeated their conversation.
“I do not know how to explain it, Arante. Lani simply fits me. We feel right together. It is as if we are two halves of one whole. I believe it is destiny.”
Jharate avoided looking at Lani, and said nothing. Arante looked as though she were trying to keep herself from slapping him as she continued.
“And, if you needed any further proof— which really you shouldn’t at this point— but if you do— remember Drakne wanted the travelers from another world. It was one of his demands. Why would he specifically ask for them? How would he even know about them? Why would he care unless they posed a threat?”
Jharate still said nothing. Arante persisted.
“Wouldn’t that go along with Lani’s vision that she received on the ship? Vranah says that one of the Earth girls is a Half-Heart. Wouldn’t that mean there is an even greater chance that Lani is one? A greater chance than anyone else could have?”
Still nothing.
“In my mind that means the chances are huge! You’ve literally got a fifty-fifty shot! So Lani is your best bet! Because I’m sure Kendra isn’t one!”
A fleeting look in Jharate’s eyes seemed to show that he agreed that Kendra was not a likely to be a Half-Heart— but there was no other response. Arante tensed her hands into fists and then extended her fingers as she went on.
“Furthermore— if you’re stupid enough to want to try and find another one-out-of-a-billion— no one knows who the other Half-Hearts are! And if Lani could grow up on Earth and be one, who knows how many others might not even be on our planet? No one but Vranah knows anything about this— and I doubt he’ll tell you.”
Drakne motioned toward Arante with his hand, nodded, and cocked his head slightly, as if conceding her point. She had presented a very compelling argument. He himself felt that Lani was the most likely candidate. Drakne readied himself and watched carefully in case this insightful reasoning started to take hold in Jharate’s mind.
“Don’t let your injured pride doom two entire worlds, Jharate— to say nothing of ruining the happiness that you and Lani could have in your union.”
Jharate paused for a moment. He looked straight at Arante as if considering the evidence she had put forth— a slight glimmer in his eye.
But the fleck of light disappeared and the coldness returned. He stood up straighter, and every muscle tensed as he looked down on Arante. When he finally spoke, his voice was measured— but a sting of rage accented each word that he uttered.
“I doubt that she is a Half-Heart.”
“HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT AFTER EVERYTHING I JUST POINTED OUT?!”
“Because you cannot know what she is or who she is. So unless you have found irrefutable proof that she is indeed a Half-Heart, I will bid you goodnight!”
Jharate walked away from her before she could counter. Drakne took a very elaborate bow for his handiwork and mouthed a couple silent thank-yous to an invisible audience. His power was so extraordinary he even impressed himself.
“YOU DON’T DESERVE HER!” Arante yelled after Jharate, shaking with anger.
Drakne agreed. Jharate did not deserve Lani. Although she would not live long enough to find someone who truly did.
Lani heard the last two things that Arante had yelled. She saw Jharate storming away from Arante, and Arante stomping angrily after him— but turning, instead, to head toward Erik, who greeted her with a comforting hug.
Lani sighed heavily. It was no use. She was just going to have to get used to being alone. She sunk into a deep melancholy. She excused herself quietly— to her friends’ helpless dismay— and walked over to her bedroll.
She closed her eyes and went to sleep— feeling so hurt that she couldn’t feel anything at all. Her heart was shattered. And she now knew it was going to stay that way— galaxies away from home, with no possible path back.
Isn't it Supposed to be Damsels in Distress?
It was dark outside. Warm golden light radiated from the kitchen of the Thomas family home through the bow windows, creating magical reflections on the surface of the pool in the backyard. Inside, Tyler and a few of his friends were seasoning four giant steaks with salt and pepper— preparing to cook them in a pan on the stovetop.
“Those look so good!” exclaimed Alex, a slightly-t
aller-than-average seventeen-year-old boy with medium-blonde hair and green eyes.
“I know, right?” Tyler replied with a laugh.
“Just throw them in the pan already!” ordered Zack, a taller eighteen-year-old boy with classic brown hair and blue eyes.
“Agreed,” added José, a tall sixteen-year-old boy with jet black hair, brown eyes, and tan skin.
“I’m literally dying right now,” Alex complained.
“Literally?” teased Zack.
“Thank you, Officer Grammar,” retorted José with a sharp tone.
“All in a day’s work.” Zack pretended to tip an invisible hat.
“Y’all talk more than a bunch of girls,” Tyler joked.
“Why on Earth do you say ‘y’all?’ ” José asked. “You’re a born-and-raised Californian— and so is like all of your family. Well, except your parents are from Wyoming originally, right? But still. I don’t hear a lot of people from Wyoming going around saying ‘y’all.’ Plus, your parents have lived here longer than they lived there.”
“I don’t know— it’s just something Lani used to say. I don’t know why. She stopped staying it as much at some point but… I guess I’ve been saying it more since…”
The mood in the room dropped like an ancient elevator car with a snapped cable as Tyler’s voice trailed off. Tyler’s friends had come over for the express purpose of trying to distract him from the fact that his sister had been missing for over two months now. And here they had accidentally stepped right in it. A moment of uncomfortable silence passed.
“If you guys aren’t going to do it, I will!” Zack declared, grabbing the steaks and throwing them in the hot pan.
It worked. Everyone laughed and the steaks sizzled like mad— sending a heavenly aroma into the air. Tyler snapped out of his dwelling cycle and helped cook the food. After Tyler seared each side and rendered the fat, Alex threw in the butter, thyme, and garlic— amping up the smell of the steaks to mouth-watering torture level.
However, they had forgotten to open the sliding glass door in the nearby living room— or any window for that matter— and the kitchen soon filled with smoke. The smoke detector blared its piercing alarm and sent the four boys into a frenzied chaos.
