by Kealohilani
Drakne tightened his fists and replied through clenched teeth.
“Where did they go?”
“Again, Your Excellency will have to pardon me. One of them used an apparition to escape behind, so I could not see which way they went. A thousand apologies, my lord.”
“Your apologies mean nothing! I want those travelers! Was it not impressed upon you, just yesterday— when I came to you personally— exactly how important it was to keep them here until my men arrived? I told you well before those rebels set foot on your property! And did I not remind you of said plan only hours ago?”
“Again, a thousand pardons. If only Your Excellency had informed me of how powerful they were, I could have taken greater precautions.”
“You are lucky I still have need of you at this moment— otherwise, I would kill you for the incompetent imbecile that you are. But I promise you this— if I do not find them, I will have your tongue cut out and bring you before my master and see if you can talk your way out of his wrath.”
Rezarahn made no reply. His eyes lost the flicker of cockiness and he looked down at the ground. His throat constricted and his posture sank about an inch as he stood there in silence.
“That’s better. Now, you and your men will aid mine in searching for them. Bring me word of their position or so help me, you will live— just long enough to regret it.”
“We will find them, My Liege.”
Rezarahn placed his right fist to his heart and bowed his head slightly toward Drakne. He turned and quickly disappeared from sight. Once Drakne was sure that he was alone he pulled his hair back hard against his skull. He had let his ego get in the way.
He should have taken them when he had the chance. Even if he could not have killed Lani right away, he surely could have killed the rest— even one at a time— passing them off as accidents since no one had been aware of his presence. Simply electrifying the water at the warm pools would have done them all in with one easy blow!
Now, he had lost every last one of them— and so near Destavnia.
BLAST IT ALL! thought Drakne. He had to find them. He had to. His master would not tolerate this failure. Not when there was so much riding on it— especially concerning Princess Adrienne. Drakne roared in exasperation and stormed away to join the search.
Repressed Emotions
Jharate opened the door at the end of the tunnel and they all emerged into the fresh clean air of freedom. Everyone could feel the spectacular difference— but none more so than Lani. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.
There was something about the spirit of this land that was palpable to her. She hadn’t noticed until she had arrived here because she had witnessed beauty and artistry in the other kingdoms and because she was traveling with good people. But— in contrast with Destavnia— those same kingdoms had an underlying feeling of depression and darkness.
The strong aura that Destavnia emanated told her that this land was still filled with hope, faith, and love. She lifted her hands slightly to her sides as if to feel the peace flowing through the air. She sighed in relief and smiled widely.
“We are in Destavnia!” Arante shouted out to inform the group of the obvious.
“Finally!” Kendra exclaimed as she collapsed onto her back in the long dense ultra-soft grass and looked up at the pink sunset— her dress falling in a way that made her look like she was on the cover of a romance novel— except that she was completely covered and her dress was still intact.
“I never realized how tired I was before now,” Raoul chimed in before joining Kendra on the ground— taking in a huge liberating breath. “These boots Tierza bought me are awesome though. My feet don’t even hurt and they don’t feel sweaty!”
“TMI,” Kendra remarked.
“Well it’s a cool thing, Kendra…”
Laern also sat next to Kendra on the opposite side, with his arresting signature smile. Kendra giggled quietly as she looked into his supernaturally-hypnotic glittering brown eyes.
She caught her breath as he reached his hand to the other side of her face and gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear— letting his fingers drag down to just below her jawline, then to her neck before removing them. She tried to exhale quietly and slowly without being noticed as she felt her toes curling in excitement.
“Impressive, isn’t it?” Tierza chirped to everyone within earshot. “It would have taken us about two weeks to get to the river that would have brought us here— had I not found the magic travel tunnel. Instead, we have arrived in a matter of a few short hours! I haven’t been through that tunnel since I was a small child— and that was ever so long ago. It’s a miracle that I even remembered it!”
“Yes, yes, very clever,” Arante answered, rolling her eyes. But the smile never left her face and she changed her tone to reflect her sincerity as she finished with a quiet, “Thank you, Tierza.”
“I’m glad to have been able to help,” Tierza replied with a gratified smile and a delicate nod before Arante went to sit down on the grass with Erik.
“That’s my girl!” Justin exclaimed happily as he put his arm around Tierza’s neck and shoulders, letting his relaxed hand hang down a little in front of her. His face changed to a wide-eyed, panic-stricken expression as he realized he had said those words aloud and he took his arm off and stepped back a little.
“Not that you’re my girl as in— No wait, that didn’t come out right— It’s just so fast and I don’t know if— What I mean is we just haven’t talked about it and I don’t want to be presumptuous in calling you— Heck with it! Tierza, will you be my girlfriend?”
“Girlfriend? What is a girlfriend?”
“That’s not a term here? Oh wow, how do I explain this one?”
“Courting?” Lani suggested.
“Oh!” Tierza chirped, with her glittering green eyes lighting up even more. “You want to court me, Justin? Is that what you were asking?”
“I mean if you want to. I don’t want to court anyone but you… So if you feel the same way then maybe yeah. We could court each other… and just each other?”
“That’s generally what courting means,” Lani whispered to Justin with a wink. “It’s a little more serious than the word dating is to us.”
“I knew that.”
Lani laughed. The sheepish look and silly smile on Justin’s face said very clearly that he did not know that before now. Not that she blamed him. Not everyone was into old-school romances the way she was.
She figured she probably shouldn’t tell him that what she meant by “a little more serious” is that courting was tantamount to working towards engagement— sort of a pre-proposal commitment. She didn’t want to freak him out and make him sabotage something that could be good for both him and for Tierza.
“I would love to be your girlfriend, as you call it.”
Tierza’s eyes shimmered even more and Justin sighed happily. He pulled her into a great big hug and squeezed her so tightly that she could barely breathe— before letting go just enough to put his hands on both of her cheeks as he went in for a kiss.
His hands traced down both sides of her neck, down her back, and to her waist as he pulled her in closer. She put her hands on his chest and, as she kissed him back, she gripped his shirt.
An uncomfortable smile formed on Lani’s face— and she averted her eyes away from the happy, yet awkward, moment. As she walked a little ways away to give the budding couple their privacy, Lani looked intently out at the new surroundings. She had been dreaming of Destavnia for so long— and now that she was here, it defied even her wildest imagination.
Emerald ferns, forest-green pine trees, parsley-colored bushes, mint-green underbrush, deep aqua-green grass, jewel-green flower stems— more shades of green than she could ever hope to name were now before her eyes.
The lush mountains were no exception, but they were being kissed with the rose-gold light of the setting sun. Wait— how is the sun setting? Did we leave later than I thought? Or we
re we in the tunnel for longer than I thought? Never mind. Focus, Lani. We’re here!
Birds chirped happily in the trees and little lightning bugs were starting to become visible as the light faded slowly into twilight.
The more Lani saw, the more she felt as if she had entered the Garden of Eden.
A mesmerizing and soothing sound whispered through the air as the gentle breeze rustled the metallic shimmering leaves on trees, which reminded Lani of quaking aspens. Bright purple, silver, and even rainbow-colored butterflies flew lazily over the plethora of multi-colored wild flowers that dotted the grass in the large meadow and thickly lined its edges.
Many of the butterflies and flowers sparkled as if dusted with glitter. She mused that if this land had been in a movie, she would be amazed that all of this color and glitter could look so elegant, sophisticated, and natural, without being the slightest bit tacky-looking or cartoonish.
Lani’s mouth fell open as she peered into the trees and saw a family of unicorns— even more majestic than those described in the storybooks she had read as a child. Their brilliant white hair glowed as if they were under a spotlight and their bright blue eyes shone like sapphires. Their dazzling spiraled horns were so silvery that they reflected everything that came near.
Lani started as she heard a low moan behind her. She whirled around and saw Jharate kneeling in the grass— his hands clutching his head— a look of agony on his face.
Lani ran to him and fell to her knees in the soft grass beside him— putting her arm around him and holding on to one of his arms to support him as much as she could.
“What’s wrong, Jharate?”
“Nothing. My head is aching. It is as if my skull is about to cleave in two.”
Lani felt her heart do a cartwheel. She recognized those symptoms all too well. She held her breath and remained deathly silent as she looked at him expectantly.
“Strange… It is gone now.”
Her heart sank as she saw the look on his face and the coldness return to his eyes. He seemed confused as to why he was talking to her. She released her hold on him and hung her head. The spell had not broken.
Lani breathed in deeply and sighed. Why had she even allowed herself to dream it? As they stood up she saw his muscles tighten— ready to walk away. She placed her hand gently on his arm as she spoke softly to him.
“No, wait… Please.”
Jharate paused. Lani blinked incredulously. She hadn’t thought that would work.
She suddenly realized she didn’t have anything to say to him other than how much she wanted him back— and she couldn’t say that without him walking away for sure. A surge of panic jolted through her as her mind frantically searched for something— anything that didn’t have to do with how much she loved him.
“Mmm… I um… Oh! I wanted to know how you found out Rezarahn was a traitor.”
Jharate exhaled and the tense look on his face melted into relief.
“Do you remember when you caught me in the library?”
“Who could forget?” Lani muttered under her breath.
“Unlike you, Rezarahn did not catch me.”
Maybe because you didn’t break a vase to announce yourself until after he left, Lani thought before she asked, “What do you mean?”
“I was searching for a particular book when I heard someone approaching. I surmised that you and he might be entering the library— and I was not in the humour to be seen. I hid behind the sofa in front of the fireplace.”
Like any gentleman would do… Lani mused, sarcastically.
“It was very fortunate that I did so. Drakne walked in with Rezarahn.”
“What?! Drakne was right there in the room with you before I came in?”
“Correct. He and Rezarahn were arguing. Rezarahn told Drakne that he did not want to keep their previous agreement. At least, he did not want to complete it in every respect. He wanted you,” Jharate explained with a slight twitch.
Lani blinked in surprise. She didn’t know quite how she felt about what Jharate had just said. It suddenly made sense why Rezarahn was trying to get her to run away with him so quickly. He had been trying to save her life!
On the one hand it was somewhat flattering that Rezarahn had not meant to betray her— but on the other, his flattery did not make his betrayal of everyone else any less horrifying. She hadn’t realized when he was asking her to leave everyone behind that he was asking her to let them all stay behind and die! How could he think she would ever be okay with that once she found out?!
That, and the fact that he had intended to double-cross any one of them when they had been guests in his home! They had been under his protection! It was because of his hospitality that they had even stayed a moment past dawn. They should have been safe with him!
“Drakne informed Rezarahn that he must travel to Trisakne to attend to a matter of great importance— and that he would return momentarily. Drakne added that his men were arriving soon and that Rezarahn was to keep to his agreement ‘in its entirety’ or he would rue the day that he had ever broken faith with him.”
“What did Rezarahn do then?”
“Drakne heard a noise and disappeared into the air. Rezarahn seated himself in a chair to feign that he had been reading all along— mere seconds before you entered. You are aware of what occurred in that room after that, as you were present.”
“Then you saw the whole thing?”
“Yes.”
Lani looked at him with her eyes narrowing in confusion. If he had seen the entire thing— How could he have any doubt of my feelings for him?! Hadn’t she just proved herself, yet again?
Lani gently rubbed her temples with her fingertips. This was starting to get old.
Was this it? Was Jharate just never going to come back? Wait a minute— there was something else that only now dawned on her. Her eyes widened and she felt the muscles in her shoulders tense up.
“I’m sorry… I’m not sure I understand all of this. Why didn’t you just tell me right then and there? If you knew he was a traitor, why would you let me get anywhere near him again?”
“I needed to prepare everyone for departure before I informed you thusly. I feared that if you had knowledge of his treachery, your behavior toward Rezarahn would allow him to realize that something was amiss, before I could make all of the necessary arrangements. I sent Arante after you the moment we were ready to depart.”
“Well thanks for not trusting me and for letting me put my life on the line like a complete idiot!”
“You are unharmed, are you not?”
“No thanks to you! You should have trusted me! For all you knew he— He could have killed me, Jharate!”
“I highly doubt that. If you recall what I said mere moments ago— you were the one whom he desired to save.”
She realized that this was true— especially in light of Rezarahn’s desperate attempt to get her to run away with him. But she had been in the middle of turning Rezarahn down. If Arante hadn’t come to get her— what would he have done once he realized she wouldn’t leave with him?
“And if you’ll recall what you just said mere moments ago— Rezarahn was told to go through with the plan! You know there’s a kill order out on me! What if Rezarahn had gone through with it? You took a gamble with my life!”
Lani could feel her chest rising and falling in rapid succession above the boiling heat rising inside of it. Anger coursed through her veins like a poison.
She found it odd, however, that most of her anger was not stemming from what Jharate had hidden from her, but from the fact that she had ever gotten so close to such a dangerous and deceptive man as Rezarahn. But that was Jharate’s fault too!
If Jharate had just forgiven her, she never would have been susceptible to the charms of the first man to come along and pay attention to her. In fact, no man’s charms could have worked on her— making it impossible for her to be in that situation in the first place!
She was a one-man woman and woul
d have had eyes for Jharate and Jharate alone, had she been his! Rezarahn’s charms had barely worked as things stood— with Jharate and her thoroughly broken up!
A second rush of anger encompassed her heart as she returned her thoughts to the fact that Jharate still wasn’t coming back to her after everything he had seen her do. He had just admitted to seeing the whole thing with Rezarahn!
He overheard the entire conversation— every last word! That meant that he knew— he knew how unshakably loyal her heart was to him! Lani’s hands clenched into tight fists and her knuckles turned white.
“I rescued you. What more do you want?” Jharate asked flatly.
“I WANT YOU! Can’t you tell?! I gave up Rezarahn before I even knew he was a traitor because I am in love with YOU! AND YOU HEARD ME TELL HIM SO! You won’t even give me the time of day and I gave up all that I thought he could offer immediately! And he had a lot to offer! I am so sick of WAITING FOR YOU! I—”
Lani choked on the words. She felt the stinging in her eyes and the back of her throat. She knew what it meant and she was tired of fighting it. Her throat constricted as tears streamed from her eyes. Her chest shuddered with a pained sigh as she looked at him and her hands fell limp at her sides.
She saw the flabbergasted look on Jharate’s face. She was honestly surprised he was still there— even if sheer shock from her explosion was the only reason.
Tears kept falling and she made no effort to stop them. She shook her head slowly. Casting her gaze to the ground, she summoned the courage to finish what she knew she needed to say— in a much calmer, albeit broken, voice.
“I go to sleep and dream about you… You forgive me and we are sooooo happy. Time goes on in the dream… sometimes for months. I get fooled into thinking it is real…”
Lani sighed.
“And then I wake up. I always wake up! What I wouldn’t give to be in a coma, because at least then I would have you with me all the time. I am so sick of waking up to a reality I hate! And I am sick of being in love with someone who refuses to love me back!”
Jharate continued to stare at her— completely taken aback. He opened his mouth as if to speak but quickly closed it again, only to stare at her in silence.
