by Jaymin Eve
Everyone laughed then. “So what do you like to do?” I teased.
Before she answered, there was a loud rustling from behind us, and I momentarily freaked until I realized that the trees were just closing the path, making it inaccessible again.
“Don’t stress,” Chase told us. “They’re making sure no one follows us. We’re not about to be crushed by tree branches.”
The Galinta were already on the short list of beings I trusted, so I was not stressed.
“My number one love is reading,” Emma said, picking up the previous conversation. “I used to live my life through books. Fantasy especially. Now I get to live out real life fantasy, and it feels like I have been preparing for this my entire life. I also love cooking, eating, knitting, and cats. Totally not a dog person.”
“What about dragons?” Star winked at her.
Pink tinged Emma’s cheeks, and she narrowed her eyes playfully at her friend. “I can’t lie. Dragons might just be my favorite now.”
She tripped, and Chase caught her again. With a sigh, she called over her shoulder: “What about you, Callie? What do you like to do for fun?”
I had to think about it for a moment, because she’d had this entire list. I’d never done much in my life I considered fun. “I guess … I like to fight – or train to fight anyway. The human body is an incredible thing. It can be honed and focused into a weapon. I can scale rock walls and climb ropes, flip and contort myself into a million positions. I like the power and control of that.”
I heard Emma’s groan. “Always ruining our friendship by liking exercise.”
“I can’t lie,” I said, mimicking her. “I love it. Even running. My mind calms when I am warming up. I usually run five miles before we start training.”
Emma sounded like she was choking. “Five. Miles! Are you freaking kidding me?”
She started muttering then about how I wasn’t human and the only time humans should run was to get away from angry dogs. “Don’t forget I am going to teach you how to fight,” I told her.
Her rambling cut off, and she sounded less annoyed when she replied with, “I’m actually not dreading that as much as I thought I would.”
I had no idea if I was going to be able to teach another person. I knew how to train and fight, but translating that into teaching a newbie was not easy. I had seen a lot of amazing fighters be really terrible teachers. But I would try.
“I also love cats, Converse shoes, jeans with rips in them, and casual shirts.” Because that all had to count for something. “Oh … and romantic movies.”
Her eyes lit up, and she almost died again trying to turn to me. “Hallmark, right? I basically live for the new Christmas movies.”
“Same!” I said, showing more enthusiasm than she’d probably seen from me before.
Then both of us laughed, and I once again thanked the fates for this new family I’d found.
We walked for a long time. The scenery didn’t change much, different variations of the same trees. “Do you walk like this all the time to get everywhere?” Emma asked Chase, sounding mildly fatigued.
“Yes.” His voice was calming. “Walking is the best way to get around. We do not allow transporters in Leights. We also don’t connect to the network except in an emergency. The Galinta are all we need.”
“Great,” Emma groaned. “How much further until we reach your town?”
“We’re walking above Fronza Canyon right now, so it should be another mile or so.”
I stumbled a little, my eyes drawn down to the gap between the branches. I wasn’t sure what a canyon was here, but if it was like Earth, then that meant…
“Holy shit,” Emma gasped, her eyes drawn down as well. “There’s a thousand foot drop below us.”
Chase looked confused, his eyes shifting between me and Emma. “There is no need to worry. We’re safe in the trees.”
“What if the trees decide to release us?” Emma whisper-shrieked, panic filling her voice.
Chase placed a hand on her shoulder, and … she visibly calmed. Whoa. He definitely had a magic just like the Galinta. “They will never let you fall.” She let out a relieved sigh, until he added. “Not unless you wrong them.” Then he winked, and I relaxed somewhat.
Marsil, moving forward, wrapped an arm around Emma, offering comfort. She leaned into him and I heard her murmur, “I miss Lexen.”
“He’ll be fine,” Marsil reassured her. “He’s a Draygo and an overlord minor. That’s a tough combination to hurt.”
This seemed to mollify her, because she straightened, prepared to continue on. But my worry was back at the forefront of my mind. Daniel better be okay.
By the time we finally reached our destination, Emma looked more than a little frazzled. Her long auburn curls were frizzing; strain was evident around her mouth and eyes, and she had somehow managed to tear the sleeve of her white shirt. I, of course, looked fifty times worse than that. I was still wearing my school uniform covered in dried gunk from the tank.
Lately I’d been dirty more than I was clean, which made me uncomfortable because I generally showered twice a day. It would be great if there was some form of indoor plumbing in this village, along with food. Since we were up in the trees, though, that was probably a stretch.
The path ended with a series of step-like branches that deposited us to a lower level of the forest. We weren’t on the ground, and I was starting to wonder if there was a ground here. It appeared the trees just went down forever. This lower level had a “floor” of leaves, thick like a canopy, but apparently fine to walk on. Chase stepped right out onto it.
The area was huge, with lots of trunks dotted throughout, spiking up through the leafy floor. “Each one is a home,” Star whispered as we followed Chase.
I had no idea what she was talking about until I noticed the rounded door of the trunk nearest us. That’s what Marsil had stopped her from telling us before: Leights lived inside the trunks of trees. Amazing. They’d taken the concept of a “tree house” to an entirely new level.
Chase led us past dozens of dwellings like this, and the further we got from the stairs, the more villagers and huts emerged. Children ran by us, using branches to swing themselves around, playing and laughing. They all had long hair, mostly to their mid-back, but some even to their waist. Their skin colors ranged from the lightest tan to the darkest of ebony, all beautiful and exotic. The bone structure here alone would keep the modeling industry going for a thousand years.
They also appeared friendly and calm. Even the children. They played, but it was all smooth motions and graceful leaps through the trees. No screams or shrieks, just gentle laughter. Everything had a peaceful feel to it, and I just wanted to sit for a while and take it all in.
“I figure first you might like to wash up, and then food,” Chase said when we reached his side. “I’ll take you to the bathing areas.”
Bathing areas sounded a little too communal for me, but I was past the point of being picky. I needed to be clean. We passed another round area, which had stones and branches scattered about.
“We all eat together here, unless you prefer your own company,” Chase explained. “There are multiple villages like this spread out across the land of Leights. I visit between all of them with my parents. The overlord’s family is nomadic so that no village is lost or forgotten.”
“Do you have any brothers or sisters?” I asked him.
Chase shook his head. “No, my mother was lucky to be able to carry me to full term. We have long gestations, almost fifteen months, and it’s hard on a woman’s body. My mother was already weakened from a sickness that ravaged her in her youth, so it was very worrying.”
“So sorry to hear that. I bet she’s glad to have had her one child, though.”
Marsil chuckled. “I always thought my mother doted on me until I met Chase’s. He’s her golden child and can do no wrong.”
Chase shrugged, not looking at all embarrassed to be called out on his close relationshi
p to his parents. He loved his family, that much was clear. He owned it with pride.
Beyond the eating area, we came across another set of stairs. These led down to a large platform beside a round pool. A pool in the trees? What sort of crazy was this?
The water was so clear that I could see the bottom. It looked like a smooth wooden bowl, made up from half a huge tree trunk. “This is provided by the Galinta,” Chase told us. “They form the pool, and the water which falls in to it.”
It was about the size of an Olympic pool, but round. “Not much privacy,” Emma said with a dry laugh. “I personally keep my lady parts out of the public eye, for multiple reasons.”
“Yes, let’s not forget that her mate turns into a dragon,” Star said with a choked laugh-grimace.
I chuckled at the mental images of Lexen sprouting claws and shooting flames at any dudes caught staring at naked-Emma. It felt good to laugh. I’d been doing a lot of crying lately, so some happy relief was exactly what I needed. I did sober up when I remembered that Daniel was out doing God knows what, going up against Laous. He’d better be okay. I refused to consider any other possibility.
I took a step closer to the water while Chase attempted to explain how this bathing thing worked. “The legreto here has extra-special properties. It will hide whatever you want hidden. You’ll see once you go in. Use those trunks there to remove your clothes and then once you’re in, you’ll understand.”
He pointed toward a row of six trunks, which had a veil of leaves across the front of them. I stepped over with Emma; she kept her eyes narrowed suspiciously on the water behind us.
The leafy part of the tree moved as soon as we were in front of the trunk. Behind it was a hollow space, about the size of a decent dressing room in a department store. When I stepped inside, the leaves closed off behind me. There was a bench running the full length of the trunk, so I quickly pulled off my clothes, grimacing as they stuck to me where I was still caked in goo. Dropping them in a pile, I turned around, prepared to step out in all of my naked glory. Chase might think the water was going to hide me, but we still had to walk from this trunk to get into the legreto. Just as I took a step forward, the floor groaned under me, then it opened right up. With a shriek, I dropped down.
Chapter 14
As my feet hit the water, I managed to suck in one lungful of air before I went under. I wasn’t a strong swimmer. We’d never lived anywhere with a pool, and my mom didn’t care enough about me drowning to get lessons, so the most I got to do was splash at the beach when we lived near it.
It took me a beat, but I finally figured out that I was in some sort of tube … a slide maybe. Super cool except I couldn’t breathe under water, so it was going to get a lot less fun in a few seconds. My feet hit a flimsy barrier, pushing it to the side, and then with a whoosh I was out in the open water. I landed against the smooth wooden base. Pushing hard off the bottom, I broke the top of the water, gasping in air.
Blinking and wiping away the water from my eyes, I was distracted by how weird it was to be completely immersed in the legreto. Its increased denseness turned it almost into a suction as it clung to my body. I wish I knew more science to understand why that might be, but for now it was just a new fun thing to play with.
“I did not see that coming,” Emma spluttered behind me, sounding like she was choking.
Turning, I was mostly submerged, but she was standing up and I could see everything. Only, I also couldn’t. The water was draped across her breasts like an opaque swim suit. I stood as tall as I could then, glancing down to find I had the same thing happening on my body.
“Okay, that’s pretty freaking cool,” I said, running my hand across my chest. The water swished with my fingers. I could feel my skin, but I remained covered.
Emma flopped back then, her long hair trailing out behind her. “Some days it feels like I could live in Overworld forever,” she said wistfully. “Being born here, I believe there is a special connection between us and this world. That’s why it feels so much like home.”
I rubbed my arms, making sure all of the goo was gone. “Imperial feels like that for me, too,” I admitted. “But I wonder if it’s because its energy keeps me alive … it helped tether my soul to Daniel.” As soon as I mentioned his name, I felt a pang of worry. “Do you think they’re okay?”
“I’m sure they’re fine,” Marsil said, from where he was gliding around the large bathing bowl. “Laous is no match for all of the overlords.”
Nodding a few times, I put on a brave face before ducking under the water and scrubbing vigorously at my hair. Worrying like this was a new concept to me. I wasn’t sure what to do to stop my mind from dwelling on it.
As I popped my head up, it was just Emma and me again, the others having drifted off. Her expression was somber. “He was in a bad way when we found you.”
I stilled, taking a step toward her. “When you found me in that memory-wiping liquid?”
She nodded. “Daniel saved my life not long ago, and I have grown to care a lot for him. Lexen considers him a brother, and I’m starting to feel the same way. It was damn hard seeing him like that.” She looked like she was searching for the right words. “His eyes, Cal, they’re so sad. Every time I look into them, I want to hug the crap out of him.”
I chuckled, my heavy emotions giving it a strangled sound. She’d given me a nickname. I’d never had one of those. “I love his eyes,” I admitted. “I’ve never seen a color so rich and deep. And the gold through them … amazing.”
She was right, though. Daniel had sad eyes, and I understood why. He’d lost so much in his life. His older brother, mother, father, younger brother. On top of that, he had Laous constantly trying to kill him in those days before he became overlord. If anyone needed love and a safe haven, it was my Daniel. I wasn’t sure fate had chosen the best candidate for him. I was almost as damaged as he was, but maybe together we could be each other’s salvation.
“When we arrived at that warehouse, he took off,” Emma continued. “He knew which tank you were in, even though it was nowhere near the door. When we finally reached him, he was just standing … staring at you.” Her voice broke and I also had a huge lump in my throat, trying to claw its way out. “I’ve never seen someone so broken. I’m not sure he would have survived losing you.”
The tears were coming now, no stopping them. “How do you do it?” I asked her, sucking down the sobs. “I keep alternating between never wanting to leave Daniel’s side and wanting to run as far and fast as I can. Because I understand how he felt when he found me like that – losing him is not something I would recover from. I’ve had so little in my life, nothing really. To now finally have so much … I’m petrified to lose it all.”
I sensed she wanted to hug me, but since we were actually naked – although disguised as such – she just reached out and took my hand. “I understand better than you’d think. When the fire killed my parents, I lost a huge part of my heart and soul. I was devastated to the point I wasn’t sure I would ever be happy again.” Her focus shifted out into the trees surrounding us. “Then Lexen came along,” she whispered. “He made me feel so much, and at first it was angry emotions – I mostly wanted to throat-punch him – but once we got over our animosity, we realized there was a bond between us. A true bond.” She met my gaze again. “Am I afraid now that I might lose the best thing to ever happen to me…?” She nodded. “Hells yes … freaking terrified. But even if he died tomorrow, I would never give up the time I’ve had with him. Never. It’s worth every ounce of future heartache.”
I got that. I truly understood what she was saying. But I wondered if she would say the same thing if Lexen were gone. Maybe she just didn’t know how bad the heartache would be because it hadn’t happened yet.
She shrugged, a wiry smile crossing her face. “At least they are really hard to kill,” she joked. “Unlike Earth men, our guys are made extra tough.”
That definitely was a huge bonus. “I wish you didn’t hav
e to lose your parents.” My heart ached for her. “It’s not fair.”
Her throat worked as she swallowed, opening and closing her mouth. Finally, she rasped, “Life is a bitch at times, but I know they want me to be happy, so I’m going to do my very best.”
Fuck it. I reached out and hugged her. It was just boobs, we both had them, no big deal. Emma gave me an extra tight squeeze and then we pulled away. Things got lighter after that. Chase, Marsil, and Star eventually made their way over to us and we talked and relaxed in the water. The pool constantly rose and fell as the trees took and filtered the water, returning it to the pool. Children, and even a few adult Leights, joined us, but for the most part, we were alone.
When we were clean and ready to get out, the tube slid us back up into the change sections. New clothing was waiting inside, neatly folded in a small pile. My uniform was gone, taken away to hopefully be burned. Dressed, I stepped out with wet hair and a lighter heart. The shirt and shorts I wore were simple, a lightweight material, the same shade as sand. The underwear was built in, which was surprisingly comfortable.
When we were all dressed, it was time for food, my stomach doing flip flops in delight. I was ready to eat all the things. Chase was at my side as we crossed the wooden path again, back to that huge round area designated for food and gatherings. “It’s really peaceful here,” I found myself saying.
“I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.” His voice had this amazing ability to paint pictures just with the beautiful cadence of his tone. “I’m really happy that Daniel found you,” he said, changing the subject. “For too long he has been alone.”
I forced myself not to think about Daniel, because there was no way I could shed more tears. It was turning into a joke. “You seem to be very … alone, in a way. People have waved and bowed and acknowledged you. I can see they respect and care for you as their leader, but they are distant.” I had no real excuse for being so blunt and forward. In my need to not think about Daniel, I also forgot to think about Chase’s feelings. “I’m sor—” I started, but he cut me off with a wave of his hand.
