“What is this?” the priest asks. He looks down to see Fritz’s grinning face flickering in the middle of the gem.
“It’s a gift and a reminder that he was a hero,” Nyx replies, her voice cracking and tears filling her eyes. “I think out of all of us, he would want you to have something like this.”
Aedyn lets his tears flow down his cheeks as he gently strokes the smooth surface of the gem. “Thank you, Nyx.”
Nyx gives Aedyn a kiss on the forehead, which leaves a glowing imprint of her lips. The imprint sinks into his skin and the priest slumps into Nyx’s arms. He snores softly as she drags him out of the room and across the hall. An empty bed sits in the vacant room and she lays the sleeping half-elf on it.
“Sweet dreams, Aedyn,” Nyx whispers. She waves her hand and all of the light in the room is sucked into a single candle that flickers on a small table. A proud smile crosses her face while she slips out of the room and closes the door behind her.
*****
Nyx takes a deep breath before stepping into the hallway that will lead her to Luke’s room. She isn’t shocked to find Luciana standing in the middle of the hallway like a lost child. The young girl has been trying desperately to get food to Luke for the last six hours. Nyx notices the plate of cold, untouched food sitting on the floor. The caster walks past Luciana and eyes the three stab wounds in the door. She extends her hand to knock only for the young girl to grab her and pull her away.
“Sorry. He’s still angry,” she whispers, quickly letting go of Nyx’s wrist.
“If this keeps up, I’m just going to blow the door down,” Nyx swears. She leans against the far wall and stares at the sealed door.
“Please don’t do that,” Luciana half-heartedly laughs.
“You laughed. Good to see you’re feeling better,” Nyx mentions.
“I’m not,” the girl shyly admits. “It was just a funny vision in my mind of you blowing away the door and half of the mansion.”
Nyx rolls her eyes before grumbling, “Nobody believes in my restraint.”
“I miss my brother, Lady Nyx. He was a womanizer and a troublemaker, but he was always good to me. I . . .” Luciana says, a few tears rolling down her chin. “I don’t know how my life will be without him. My parents are helping the guards look for his body, but I fear what they will find since he has been gone for five months.”
“I understand, Luciana. Yesterday was a nightmare for all of us, but we all have to come to terms with it eventually,” Nyx kindly assures her. She can barely believe her own words, but continues to put on a strong face for the girl. “So, far it looks like Luke is the only one having trouble. I just can’t figure out if he is more upset about Nimby or Fritz. I’m not the best one to figure him out, but Aedyn is suffering as well and Fizzle vanished this morning. Have you heard him say anything in there?”
“I hear some shuffling from time to time, but nothing clear,” Luciana reports.
“He’s pacing and moving, which means he still has energy,” Nyx mutters, her frustration growing thicker. “I wish I knew what was going on in his head.”
“It would be easy if we could read his mind,” the young girl claims. Nyx crosses her arms while she cocks an eyebrow toward Luciana.
“Bard scrolls tend to glamorize the mental magics. In reality, telepathy is painful and invasive unless done by a pure psionic. I would probably drive him insane or melt his brain if I tried such a spell,” Nyx says, approaching the door again. “The only way we can get to know what he’s thinking is by asking him. I think it’s time we did just that.”
The sound of an exaggerated, feminine cough cuts through the air before Nyx can knock on the door. Luciana jumps while Nyx carefully turns toward a slender form. The white peasant shirt and brown pants make a curious contrast to the green, velvet slippers and blue cloak. A delicate, smooth-skinned hand emerges from the cloak to straighten her collar, but her face remains hidden in shadow. The woman gracefully moves toward Luciana and Nyx. She stops a foot away from the caster and extends her hand. Nyx notices that the woman’s skin is as brown as her own skin used to be after a day of fire-casting.
“I would like to thank you, Lady Nyx,” the young woman whispers.
“For what?” the caster asks suspiciously.
The woman shudders as the sound of gentle laughter fills the air. “You have stood by his side through everything and you saved his life.”
“Of course, we’re friends. I’m assuming you’re a friend of his as well,” Nyx says before finally accepting the handshake. She catches a brief glance at a thick chain strapped to the underside of the cloak.
“Something like that,” the woman states with another laugh. She pulls back the hood of her cloak to reveal black hair and vivid green eyes with a hint of blue. “By the way, I love your eye color. It’s so exotic and unique. It seems oddly familiar.”
“Thanks. Do I know you?” Nyx inquires curiously.
Kira leans close to Nyx’s ear, her breath tickling half-elf. “Fizzle brought me here to help Luke. I want it to be a surprise, so I won’t say my name. Though, you have heard of me and seen the tears he sheds for me.”
Nyx quickly figures out who she is and stares admiringly at Kira. “Oh, I guess you would be the best one for the job.”
“I will take care of your . . . little brother,” she whispers, a playful grin on her face. “Fizzle told me about that nickname before he went to find Aedyn. It's a very cute sentiment.”
“He won’t let anyone open the door,” Luciana points out.
“Very well, please teleport me inside,” Kira politely requests.
“Uh, that might be dangerous. We don’t know what he’s like in there,” Nyx cautiously warns her.
“I will be fine,” Kira assures the nervous caster. “Go tell the Lord and Lady that I will be staying for several days and would like to attend the party in honor of Fritz tonight.”
Nyx flexes her fingers in preparation for casting the difficult spell. “Are you sure about this?”
“Entirely positive.”
“Very well.”
Nyx begins to concentrate and places Kira’s hands in her own. Her ears pick out the curious pacing that has started on the other side of the door again. A careful and precise picture is formed in her mind. Kira keeps her eyes open as flecks of light float off of her and pass through the wall. It feels like minutes pass while Kira’s body turns into a ball of light. The caster makes a final motion as if to move the ball into the wall, which causes a sudden whiff of sound. The ball is gone and Nyx takes a final look at the door before heading for the stairs.
*****
“What are you?” Luke asks as soon as Kira materializes.
She stands entirely still, cautiously eyeing the sword placed against her throat. Kira takes a moment to examine Luke, who is clothed only in his unlaced boots and dust-covered pants. His blond locks are a tangled mess from continually running his hand through them. Glancing around the room, she can see the rest of his clothes strewn across the floor. Her eyes snap back to Luke the moment she feels him put more pressure on his saber.
“That’s rude, lover. You forget me after being away for less than a month?” she jokes, unclasping her cloak. It falls with a metal clang and Luke looks at the chain and sickle weapon lying in the clothing.
“I’ve been tricked a lot lately,” Luke whispers, his voice hoarse and dry. “There is no way that Kira would be here. You’re just another trap.”
“Fizzle came to the academy this morning and told Selenia what happened. She felt it would be best if he brought me to you,” Kira slowly whispers. She lets a small backpack slip from her shoulders before extending a hand to Luke’s face. “I can see that they were right. You’ve been through so much.”
“Don’t touch me!” he exclaims, shaking the sword and nicking Kira’s neck.
Kira ignores the warm blood rolling down to her shoulder. “I know you won’t kill me because you know the truth. You can see my heart racing an
d you recognize my perfume.”
“A doppelganger can copy all of that.”
“How can I prove myself to you?”
“Just leave and let me be alone.”
Kira slowly backs toward the door while Luke follows and keeps the saber against her throat. She stops and gives a quick, suspicious glance at her things. An awkward silence fills the room while his eyes bore into her and she continually looks from him to her belongings. For a brief instant, Luke’s eyes follow her gaze to the cloak and backpack on the floor. It is all she needs to step an inch away from the saber and pounce on him. Luke is about to stab her when her arm lances out and pokes him in the side. He backs away wriggling while she continues to poke him in the same spot.
“Stop that!” Luke exclaims in surprise. “Kira doesn’t move like that. What are you doing?”
“I’ve been working very hard this semester and you’re not at your best,” Kira answers with another playful poke to his side. “As for what I’m doing, it’s called tickling and your spot is right there.”
“This isn’t-” begins Luke. His words are stopped as Kira slips under his sword arm and kisses him on the lips. The warm contact makes his eyes begin to water before he finally drops his weapons and holds her tight. Kira breaks the kiss once Luke’s body begins to shudder with the grief he has been holding in.
“Just don’t let go and everything will be fine,” she quietly promises.
“I’m sorry,” he cries into her shoulder, feeling her blood on his face.
Kira takes his face in her hands and smiles. “Don’t be. I should have knocked and not caught you by surprise.”
“I’m sorry,” he repeats.
“I said it was okay,” Kira sympathetically assures him. “You’ve been under a lot of stress. You need some sleep.”
“How can you still love me after I failed?” Luke pitifully asks.
Kira finds herself crying as she looks into his eyes. She can feel the deep wound in his heart as if it has infected her. It is a wound that is a hundred times worse than any of the injuries that she has seen Luke heal from. Her mouth goes dry while she struggles to think of anything that could help him recover.
“You can’t answer the question,” he states.
“I love you because I love you,” Kira whispers. She feels him laugh in disbelief, so she sternly adds, “I love you, Luke Callindor, if for no other reason than that is what my heart tells me is right.”
“How can you stand to be with me after I failed so badly? Please tell me the truth,” the half-elf begs in a choked voice.
“You didn’t fail anybody,” Kira declares, stroking his back.
“Fritz is dead because I couldn’t protect him,” Luke argues, a seething rage overtaking his sorrow. “Nimby stayed with the Lich because I couldn’t turn him to our side. Aedyn is in pain over the loss of Fritz. Let’s not forget I kissed another girl and let the decoy Kellia get killed. I just can’t get anything right.”
The moment Luke tries to pull away, Kira wraps one of her slender legs around his leg and holds him tight. “Well, the Kellia decoy getting killed was a little careless. Although, the real Kellia has proven that she is too cautious to stand on a balcony out in the open while being hunted. The truth is that it was a decoy and not the real one. You shouldn’t beat yourself up for a situation that your employer expected, Luke,” she explains while stroking his hair. “It was a fake Kellia and it knew the risks of its job. Fizzle told me that you kept her alive through chaos elves, demons, goblins, a vampire, the Lich, trolls, bandits, and zombies. Be proud that you got her this far and be thankful that it wasn’t the real one.”
“It was still a mistake,” he contends.
“Everyone makes mistakes,” Kira says with a warm smile. “The two of us were very good at making mistakes while we were at the academy. Both of us will make many mistakes in the future because we’re only mortal.”
Luke inhales a shuddering breath as he starts, “I failed Fritz-”
Kira raises her eyes to the ceiling before untangling her leg and pushing him back until he falls onto the bed. Luke tries to sit up only to get pushed back down by a gentle hand to the face. His struggles continue as Kira hops onto the bed and sits on his stomach. She waits until he gives up trying to get away and leans over him. He turns his head away, but Kira moves her head to keep their noses touching.
“You didn’t fail anyone, hero,” Kira assures him. She gives him a quick peck on the lips before sitting up. “Look at what you know about the situation. You’re smart enough to realize what Fritz and Nimby did.”
“Fritz was killed by Nimby on a bridge and I should have been there to stop it from happening,” Luke stubbornly argues.
“You can’t see the future, lover. You can only see the past and the present,” she says, patting Luke on his bare chest. “Paying attention to what you could have done prevents you from seeing what happened. Fizzle explained everything to me and told me what he thought actually occurred. Selenia agrees with his guess because it sounds like something Fritz would do. Fritz went out there to stop Nimby. He knew exactly what he was doing last night.”
“Are you saying that Fritz went to the bridge to face Nimby and stop him from killing me?” Luke snaps in frustration.
A smile crosses Kira’s face before she gives him another deep kiss. She stares into Luke’s eyes as she releases his lips. “You get a kiss for the correct answer. You forget that there are friends who would lay down their lives for you just as you would sacrifice for them. Do you believe that Fritz died for no reason?”
Luke’s voice takes the tone of a scolded child as he answers her. “No, I guess this explains why Fritz had a talk with me as if he wouldn’t be around much longer. It also clears up why he kept blanking out when he mentioned talking to Nimby about the doppelganger. He still didn’t stop Nimby from attempting to kill me, but it wasn’t an immediate death strike. Maybe Fritz got through to him and . . . saved my life.”
Kira stretches her body out along Luke’s and starts to nuzzle his neck. “You forget the power that you hold over those around you. All of us have become driven and determined. There is something about you, Luke Callindor, which brings out the courage in us all.”
“I still failed them,” Luke claims.
“The only way you will fail them is if you give up,” she softly insists. She puts her ear to his chest and closes her eyes while listening to his heartbeat. “Remember that every sacrifice a friend makes for you is done to push you toward your goal. They want you to reach that goal as much as you do.”
“Where did all this philosophy come from?” Luke asks curiously.
“I was taught philosophy as a child. It stuck more than history and numbers, but I rarely have a chance to share my wisdom,” Kira admits, an impish grin appearing on her face. “I am a high society ditz after all.”
Luke absent-mindedly strokes her hair. “I’m sorry you had to see me like this.”
“I would have had to see this side of you at some point.”
“What makes you say that?”
“I would think the answer to that is obvious.”
“Enlighten me.”
Kira runs her hands along his arms and holds his hands against the soft bed. She pushes herself up in order to smile down at him. He looks up at her with an expression of innocent curiosity.
“When your wanderings are done, you will come home to me,” she confidently swears. “I don’t care where I have to go with you or what type of life I have to live. If you want to live off a small boat or move to the top of a mountain, I will be with you. As soon as you become a great hero and satiate your wanderlust, you will make me your wife and we will be a family.” Her cheeks blush slightly at her own dramatic words. “Sorry. That last part sounded kind of smothering and over the top.”
“Don’t be. I . . . I like the sound of that.”
“Oh really.”
“Yes, I want to be with you too.”
“What about me m
entioning a family at this point?” Kira asks, letting go of his hands and rolling onto her side. “I’ve heard that saying stuff like that can scare a man away.”
“It’s many years away, so I’m not worrying. Unless you want to practice,” Luke suggests with a charming smile on his face.
“That’s the playful Luke that I wanted to see,” Kira laughs, a few tears in her eyes.
“I missed you and . . . I feel like everything will be okay when I’m with you,” Luke admits, kissing her neck and pulling her close. “It’s like you take all of my fears and worries away whenever you’re in my arms.”
“I hate to say this, but you should tone it down,” Kira whispers, half-heartedly pushing away. “I don’t have any medicine with me. Lady Adara might have some that she can . . . discreetly give me, so we will have to wait until later tonight. After all, we don’t want to start that family too early”
Luke kisses her cheek and strokes her arm. “Then, I guess we’ll have to settle for kissing and sleeping next to each other for a few hours.”
“You know, they’re going to throw a party in honor of Fritz and Sebastian,” Kira nervously mentions. “I heard about it when Fizzle dropped me off in a random hallway.”
Luke props himself up on his elbow and lets his fingers gently glide along her side. “I don’t really have anything to wear aside from my travelling clothes. Lord Gideon seemed disappointed that I didn’t dress up at the last party.”
“You didn’t have any good clothes in the first place,” Kira kindly teases him. Her cheeks slowly turn red and she looks around the room as if trying to avoid a question. “So, I had Fizzle bring me to Daniel Skyblade first. I brought a forest green shirt with yellow trimming for you to wear. I made sure to bring a silver torque, black pants, and leather boots to give you a full transformation into a well-dressed noble. I also made sure to get a dress that would match your clothes since we will be walking in as a couple.”
Legends of Windemere: 02 - Prodigy of Rainbow Tower Page 47
