Central

by Raine Thomas

  If her breath hadn’t left her in a wild, uncontrollable rush, Olivia knew she would have screamed like a demented person.

  Skye let out a combination between a petrified shriek and a peal of laughter. Looking over at her youngest sister across the expanse of air between them, Olivia almost smiled when she realized Skye was all but in Caleb’s lap, clutching his tank top in tight fists and pressing her face against his chest. He looked rather resigned and had his arms around her.

  Her bout of humor faded into embarrassment when she realized she was doing much the same to James. She had instinctively turned to grab him as soon as her terror had gripped her. Giving him a shamefaced smile, she slowly loosened her grip, patting him on the chest. Then, he shocked her to pieces.

  He laughed.

  She forgot all about the whizzing rafts as the completely foreign sound washed over her. Her own smile spread widely and she gave him a tight hug since she was already pretty much wrapped around him anyway.

  “You knew what was about to happen and didn’t tell me, right?” she guessed.

  “Yep.”

  Even his response was more human than usual. And she decided right then that she would go through the terror of this trip all over again if it resulted in his laugh.

  What Olivia thought of as rafts were actually enchanted platforms. There were a number of them in the ocean and along the shore on this plane, and they could only be seen by non-Mercesti Estilorians. The enchantment on the platforms also recognized that the occupants were non-Mercesti before lifting off.

  James didn’t think he had ever seen anything as hilarious as the look on Olivia’s face when they started rising into the sky. It made him smile again just remembering it.

  She hadn’t let go of him. Even when their speed stabilized and they were simply moving over the water at a great height, she kept an arm around his waist. He could hardly deny that he enjoyed her nearness, so he hung an arm over her shoulders and anchored her against his side. She had worn her hair in a single, practical braid for the trip. When he turned his head, he realized he just had to lean the slightest bit to breathe in her scent.

  She smelled vibrant and full of life. It reminded him somehow of crisp, ripe apples. Sweet and enticing. Her scent brought to mind the night in the olive grove and the moment when he suspected that she had been about to kiss him. He frequently found himself wondering what it would have been like.

  “How long are we going to be on this thing?” she asked.

  They had been traveling for over an hour. “I cannot really say. No one who leaves Central remembers where it is once they leave.”

  She looked up at him and her lips curved into one of her soft smiles. He stared at her mouth.

  “You called it Central,” she said, leaning a bit more into his side in appreciation.

  Forcing himself to look away, he cleared his throat. “It seems the name fits,” he said by way of explanation.

  Since he had turned his gaze to the left, he saw his leader lean down and place an idle kiss on Amber’s forehead. How she could sleep through any of this was mystifying to James. But she hadn’t stirred.

  “Do you know what the plan will be when we get there?” Olivia asked. “Ini-herit and Knorbis have been rather vague.”

  He again caught her gaze. “I believe that for today we will merely be shown our accommodations. Tomorrow evening there is to be a welcome dinner of some kind. Everything has been readied for us.”

  “And after that, we’ll start going around and visiting with all of the different classes?”

  “At some point, yes. I am sure they will gauge the timing of that by the reactions at the dinner.”

  She was quiet for a long time. Then she looked up at him. “You’ll be staying with me through all this, right?”

  “Of course.”

  Then she looked down at the platform and quietly admitted, “I don’t really understand how our connection works. I know you’ve been obligated to watch over me, but I don’t know how long it’s going to last.”

  He tilted his head. “You are wondering when we will…part ways?”

  She nodded, still not looking at him. He was glad to have the moment to process his own reaction to the question. He hadn’t in all the time he had been Olivia’s Gloresti ever envisioned a time when he wouldn’t be with her. But he knew as well as anyone that the Gloresti-Corgloresti pairing wasn’t meant to be permanent. Typically, it lasted until the Corgloresti transitioned back to the Estilorian plane and then the pairing dissolved. At most a couple of years.

  Did that mean that when Olivia was fully trained and her powers fully realized that she would no longer need him? That their pairing would dissolve?

  He tried to imagine it and simply couldn’t. Olivia going off to live a life that didn’t include him, possibly with another male? For her to possibly join with that other male as Amber had with Gabriel, in turn possibly conceiving a child—

  She looked at him then, and he realized his thoughts had caused him to squeeze her rather firmly. He immediately loosened his hold.

  “I apologize,” he said. “I did not mean to hurt you.”

  “I’m fine,” she responded, raising a corner of her mouth. Her dimple appeared. That innocent dimple all but undid him.

  He could never give her anything but the truth. “I do not know what lies ahead,” he answered her finally. “I do not know what the elders intend for you or how long our pairing is meant to last. But I know that thinking of a time without you makes me feel fiercely unhappy and hollow inside. I would like to avoid that, whatever it takes.”

  Her brilliant answering smile told him he had said exactly the right thing.

  “Welcome to the home of our society,” Sebastian, eldest of the Lekwuesti, greeted them when they finally reached their destination.

  Olivia tried not to gape. She had never imagined the fantastic splendor awaiting them. Just looking at the remarkable beauty of the Estilorian home base made her eyes go wide. She noticed both of her sisters were equally impressed.

  Central was literally floating in the sky out in the middle of the ocean. Structures of all conceivable types of architecture were grouped together in massive air-islands spread over many miles, higher than Olivia could see. The islands sprawled up and out, creating a high, wide spiral. At the bottom of the spiral was the largest collection of buildings of them all. It was to this location they had just arrived.

  Most of the buildings on this bottom level were white, blending into the background sky like clouds. Others were cerulean blue, wispy gray, or even rosy pink or deep violet. Spires rose into the sky at a multitude of heights. The fading sunlight winked off of glass and metal. The bottom of the island supporting all of the buildings looked like a gigantic chunk of earth had been ripped up, the underside jagged and rocky. They had ended up at a kind of docking station built into that rocky base beneath the city. It looked like the mouth of a cave.

  “We have been anticipating your arrival for many weeks,” Sebastian said as he moved forward to assist them off the rafts. His pale hair and skin looked luminous in the rather dim tunnel. The white shirt and matching pants he wore contributed to the glowing image. Olivia thought he looked younger than her and her sisters, not uncommon among the eldest Estilorians. “My commander, Caoilinn, and I are the only ones who know you are coming today. We are planning to escort you as quietly as possible to your rooms and allow you the rest of today to settle in before everyone receives word of your arrival,” he smiled, “and chaos reigns.”

  Olivia caught the elder’s friendly lavender gaze and smiled gratefully as he took her hand and led her off the raft. She realized for the first time that he was only a few inches taller than she was. James stepped off behind her, touching the small of her back and guiding her to the left, where Gabriel stood with Amber and Ini-herit. Aurora leaped gracefully off the raft, padding up to walk beside them. Behind them, she heard Skye greet Sebastian as he assisted her.

  “This place is amazi
ng!” Skye breathed as she walked up to join everyone else. “I never imagined anything like this. I think we’re in the Bermuda Triangle.”

  Olivia blinked at the observation, but considered it carefully. When Gabriel smiled and patted Skye on the shoulder, she realized her younger sister had been correct.

  The Bermuda Triangle? Whoa.

  Sebastian led them all a short distance down the tunnel. It was only when the balls of light that were moving with them highlighted a corner on the right that she noticed the stunningly beautiful female standing there.

  “Amber, Olivia and Skye, I would like to introduce you to commander Caoilinn,” Sebastian said, indicating the female.

  Olivia absorbed the long, fiery red hair, creamy, unblemished skin, wide and sparkling lavender eyes, and lush, feminine curves displayed tastefully but flatteringly in a gauzy, draping purple gown. The Lekwuesti commander’s serene expression combined with her almost ethereal beauty gave her the look of a goddess. Olivia wondered for the briefest moment if she should bow or something, so regal was this female’s demeanor. In physical appearance, she didn’t look much older than the sisters.

  Olivia suddenly felt like a sewer rat in her functional tank top and pants. Would all Estilorian females be so gorgeous?

  Geez, talk about giving a girl a complex, Skye thought as she tugged on the bottom of her own tank top to try and pull the wrinkles out. Olivia gave her an appreciative smile and Amber snorted on a laugh. Even as the thought exited Skye’s head, she said aloud, “Hi there. Nice to meet you.”

  “The pleasure is mine,” Caoilinn responded, her voice musical with a charming Irish-sounding lilt. She took a graceful step forward and then sank to one knee, crossing her right arm over her chest. “Archigos Gabriel, archigos Ini-herit and archigos Knorbis, you have all been missed. We welcome you and Saraqael’s daughters.” She looked up, her gaze resting for an extra beat on Gabriel. Olivia figured she was absorbing the changes he had undergone in his absence on the human plane, such as his new eye color and lack of pairing markings lining his skin.

  “Thank you, Caoilinn,” Knorbis replied as the commander rose. “It is good to be back.”

  Sebastian stepped forward. “Please follow us to your rooms and we will get you settled.”

  Olivia moved forward gratefully, suddenly very eager to get cleaned up. Caoilinn remained in her position as they filed past…until James reached her. Then she stepped into line beside them.

  “Welcome back, James,” she said in a friendly and familiar tone that had Olivia’s internal radar flashing in warning. “It has been near twenty years now since you left, has it not? You are looking as fit as ever, if I may say.”

  “Thank you, commander Caoilinn. It appears not much has changed around here, either,” James answered with a half-smile.

  The smile, combined with the speculative look it generated in Caoilinn’s eyes, sent a spear of jealousy through Olivia. She looked at the ground, fighting the unwelcome and ugly emotion. As the Lekwuesti commander and James continued their conversation, she deliberately slowed her pace until she was walking beside Skye and Caleb. Aurora slowed with her, matching her pace. Skye reached out and hooked her arm with Olivia’s.

  Don’t worry, Liv. She’s got absolutely nothing on you. These Estilorians don’t know what’s about to hit ‘em.

  Olivia gave her sister a small smile, but when her gaze settled on James and Caoilinn and she observed the commander touching his arm, she could not muster up even a fraction of Skye’s confidence.

  Suddenly, she wished they had never left Gabriel’s home.

  Chapter Seventeen

  They walked a considerable distance, obviously taking a winding and circuitous route to their rooms to avoid making contact with any other Estilorians. James still paid careful attention to their surroundings as they progressed. He knew, as did Caleb, that the elders were all uncertain about what kind of treatment the girls would receive by everyone. They couldn’t lower their guards just because they were out of the Mercesti-inhabited realm of the plane. Danger and deceit could, unfortunately, come in all forms.

  It was a bit difficult paying attention when he had Caoilinn trying to engage him in conversation. He was rather surprised by the commander’s attention. They had only conversed a few times over the course of his existence, and those times had been during his training period after he transitioned. She had taught the lessons regarding hospitality and culture that he and quite a few others had to attend as they oriented themselves with their new existences. Otherwise, she was a relative stranger to him.

  Now, she was chatting away as though they were intimate companions.

  That is certainly how it must appear to Olivia, he heard Caleb think pointedly, and he realized he hadn’t been guarding his thoughts very well.

  Startled at the observation, he glanced around and realized that Olivia wasn’t near him. She and Aurora had fallen back to walk with Skye and Caleb. Irritated with himself for failing to notice, he left Caoilinn’s side even as she talked and rejoined Olivia.

  “Is everything all right?” he asked her quietly when he noted how unhappy she looked.

  She blushed, glancing uncomfortably up at Caoilinn. He realized then that the commander had abruptly stopped talking and was watching them with an unusual expression on her face.

  “My apologies, commander Caoilinn,” he said. “That was rude of me.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Do not think of it, James,” she said in soft, lilting tones. “I completely understand your Gloresti impulses.” Her gaze moved briefly to Olivia. “And your obligations.”

  Skye made a sound in her throat and sniffed audibly. Olivia reached over and gave her sister a half-hug. Amber turned and looked at them both with a knowing and rather fierce smile before flicking her gold gaze toward the Lekwuesti commander and then once again facing forward. James and Caleb exchanged glances and shrugs, not understanding the byplay.

  Fortunately, they reached the end of the tunnel before anything further could happen. James had a strange feeling he was missing something important, but he didn’t want the thought distracting him when he needed to be on alert.

  “Your rooms are all adjoining,” Sebastian explained from the front of the group. “The doors between the rooms may all be locked on either side for privacy, but we felt it best for you to have the ability to easily access each other as needed without having to walk out into the more public corridor outside your rooms.”

  He led them toward a circular chamber with smooth walls made out of layered rock. Then he turned and looked down at Aurora. “This is where we must part with you, my animal friend. If you will wait here for me, I will return and show you to your accommodations.”

  Olivia looked down at the cat, then at Sebastian. “She says she’ll be fine here.” Then she squatted down and looked into Aurora’s eyes. They communicated silently, Olivia’s eyes glowing.

  After a moment, she smiled and patted Aurora’s neck. James frowned when he noticed Caoilinn’s gaze focused intently on the two of them. When everyone else moved forward, he directed Olivia into the middle of the chamber awaiting them, just as Gabriel and Caleb led Amber and Skye there. They each put their hands on the girls’ shoulders.

  “We’re about to move pretty fast,” Gabriel said.

  And then the floor faded and they were all lifted on an invisible but powerful current of energy. It carried them up and sideways, completely within Sebastian’s control. These were his private tunnels, accessed only with his presence and consent. Even though they were moving through the air, it still felt as though they were standing on a firm surface. This method of travel was extremely disorienting if you weren’t used to it, however. Amber, Olivia and Skye all leaned heavily into their Gloresti as they progressed. Although he couldn’t see Olivia’s face, he noticed that Amber looked pale and had closed her eyes. Skye didn’t look much better, but her eyes were wide, taking everything in.

  When they finally came to a stop, all three of
the sisters almost fell. They hadn’t been instructed on how to brace themselves. James quickly grabbed Olivia to steady her as Caleb and Gabriel did the same with her sisters. Gabriel took one look at Amber’s face and kissed her.

  Her color returned as her healing energy was stimulated. When they parted, she gave him a small smile and they exchanged a thought. He brushed her cheek with his fingertips.

  James saw Caoilinn observing them with a great deal of interest, much as she had Olivia and Aurora. Once again, he frowned. When he glanced at Caleb, he saw the same concerned look on his face.

  “I cleared the corridors shortly before I sensed your impending arrival,” Sebastian said as he stepped out of the circular transport chamber. “Everyone has been sent on various errands, so you do not need to be concerned about anyone intercepting us.”

  James and everyone behind him had to come to a sudden halt when Amber stopped abruptly before exiting the chamber. Her gaze was focused down and she suddenly swayed.

  “I’m sorry,” Gabriel said, grabbing her and turning her around so she was looking at him. “I should have warned you. I didn’t think—”

  She caught herself and straightened. After giving Gabriel an irritated huff, she glanced at Olivia and Skye. “There’s no floor. Or ceiling. Or walls.”

  Oh. Just as Gabriel had, James had forgotten that the sisters were completely unfamiliar with this type of architecture. He imagined that finding oneself about to step into what appeared to be nothing but a drop straight down would be quite alarming. And it was Gabriel’s polite and gentlemanly habit to always let a female walk through a doorway first unless there was a chance of danger, so Amber hadn’t had any warning.

  Caoilinn glided forward and said, “There actually is a physical corridor in place outside this chamber. It is merely an optical illusion making one believe it is not there. Anyone viewing this area from the outside would see a floor, walls and a ceiling.”