by Dreagen
“Mmm, a soak in the hot springs sounds pretty good right about now,” LyCora said as they walked out into the hall.
Rex found the prospect of relaxing in the thermal hot spring in the caverns below ground increasingly more enticing with every step; he could feel his muscles aching from the day’s rigorous activity. Although they became supercharged while using his flame, they were also still very much unaccustomed to it, thus resulting in three solid hours of sore muscles and stiff joints.
Less than thirty minutes later, they were all down in the caverns soaking their aches and pains away while reflecting on the events of the day.
Rex and EeNox leaned against the edge side by side with their heads tilted all the way back and their eyes closed while the two girls sat at opposite ends of the springs. Further in, DyVorians of varying sizes conversed about the arrival of the healer as they too enjoyed a relaxing dip in the waters warmed by the natural fire of KaNar’s geothermal vents.
“Oww,” Rex groaned as he lowered his head and rotated his arm forward than backwards. “My shoulder is killing me.”
“You need to sit lower so it can soak in the water,” EeNox said, opening one eye.
Rex complied and lowered his body further beneath the hot water until his shoulders were completely submerged. “Ahhhh,” he said, shutting his eyes again. “Better.”
EeNox smiled and leaned his head back again. “Still not used to using your flame, huh?”
“That obvious?”
“Pretty much, but I wouldn’t worry about it. I was aching all over when I started, too.”
“Oh, yeah, and how long ago was that?” he asked in a tone that implied he suspected the answer would make him feel more despondent.
“I don’t know, a year old, I think,” the other boy replied, opening his eyes for a moment then closing them again as he readjusted on the rock he was sitting on. “But, hey, no shame in being a late bloomer.”
Rex angrily snorted bubbles.
DiNiya, meanwhile, was sitting comfortably off to the side with her eyes closed, letting the warm water soak into her skin and wash away the stress of the day. I really needed this, she thought as she slowly cracked her neck on each side before sighing heavily and sliding further down into the water until only her head was above the surface. Today was certainly an eye-opener. First a ClorRax shows up this far north and tries to kill us, then a CeraVora comes along and does the same. What’s happening around here? She lazily opened her eyes and leaned her head to her left, looking at Rex and her brother conversing casually between themselves. Rex has certainly started to come into his own. Today was proof enough of that…the way he used his flame. He was already almost as proficient with it as anyone his age that had been using it all their lives. I envy you, Rex. Her thoughts drifted away from him to the arrival of one of the Northern Continent’s most prominent names.
The enormous DoraMax was definitely something of a household name, making her presence in town a conversation starter, but then there was AnaSaya—a healer worthy of the praise of those during the war. She remembered having met her briefly a few times when VyKia would come to visit, with her spending most of the time hiding in her room or behind her mother, too shy to do little more than peer out from behind her mother’s leg. Now that same shy girl had grown into an immensely powerful lavender flame. DiNiya, like almost everyone else she knew, had always wondered just what it would be like to meet someone with one so powerful that it could reach inside and literally touch the life of another. Lastly, there was still the matter of the rest of her present company, who was sitting in silence ten meters across from her and seemingly just as lost in their own thoughts. DiNiya sank lower into the water until only her eyes were above, and furrowed her brow as she stared off at her nemesis, who, from what she could tell, did not seem to notice.
LyCora’s mind was racing despite her calm exterior. What was that upstairs? she wondered. How can a healing flame be that powerful? Being of the blue flame meant that she was far more adept to actually feeling resonance or how much energy an individual’s flame was putting off. True, her power seemed strictly defensive in nature, but…it was more powerful than mine and even my mother’s! Who is she? She stretched her legs out in front of her and broke the surface with them momentarily before making them disappear below once more. She glanced over to the two boys from the corner of her eye. Those two seem to have grown thick as thieves. You can always count on boys banding together. Wonder if their combined brainpower allows them to think at the level of a single person? She smiled smugly at her own condescension. Still, it was not Rex’s relationship with EeNox that bothered her but rather the one he had forged early on with DiNiya. She pretended to know a great deal about her but had always deduced that she was more of the loner type, able to function well enough with others but always watching from the sidelines in her mind. LyCora was highly adept at studying people. It was something her mother had taught and encouraged in her, stating that a blue flame’s true power came from their ability to analyze and understand everything around them to know the most effective way to use their strengths in any given situation.
Because of this, she was able to deduce that Rex was more or less the same, but he was able to adapt much faster to a changing environment and new people than DiNiya could. They seemed, on the other hand, to be oblivious of themselves to what was right in front of them, what they might be capable of. Together, however, they might realize it by seeing it in the other. The prospect unnerved LyCora, even scared her a little, because if DiNiya had been able to do what she did back on that day, then imagine what Rex could? Worse yet, what would they be capable of together?Damn it, I wish she would stop staring at me like I didn’t notice.
“Soooo,” EeNox said, breaking the silence between him and Rex, prompting Rex to glance over, already suspicious just from his tone alone. “What do we think of AnaSaya?”
“What do you mean?”
“What do you mean, what do I mean?” Rex glared at him. “Oh, come on, don’t tell me you weren’t thinking it too!”
Rex turned his head to show his lack of interest. “Something tells me we’re rarely thinking the same thing.”
“Ouch, that stung.”
“Get over it,” Rex said with a smug grin as he once again closed his eyes. EeNox looked disheartened by his lack of interest. “She was pretty cute though,” Rex said without moving or opening his eyes.
EeNox looked back over and smiled before resuming his placid state in the soothing warm waters.
The four of them sat in total silence with only the distant murmurs of the spring’s other occupants farther off filling the cavern.
Three hours later, they were clean, dressed, and feeling very much rejuvenated from their adventurous start to the day.
“Hard to believe this morning actually happened,” EeNox said, stretching his arms upward as they walked through the streets toward the shop.
“How do you figure?” DiNiya asked.
“I mean, it’s just that after that nice long bath, my body feels so relaxed that I can’t picture running for my life a few hours ago.”
“You sound disappointed,” Rex said.
“No, I just mean—”
“He’s right,” LyCora interrupted. “Maybe next time you can smear a little fish blood all over yourself to ensure that everything upwind that eats meat comes running to take a bite out of you.”
Rex laughed boisterously, which surprised even him. He had been very closed up and cautious when he first arrived but had slowly opened up over the course of time, to the point where he now felt comfortable enough to allow some of his cynical sense of humor to shine through, or at least show an appreciation for LyCora’s.
“You know, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you blamed me for what happened today,” EeNox said, looking over at LyCora.
“You were the one who insisted we come with you on your little fishing trip.”
“So?”
“So it’s your fault, brainless!”
“How the hell was I supposed to know all that would happen? I mean, damn it, woman, cut me some slack! I’ve gone out there almost every day and never had that happen to me! You really think I would have gone had I known?”
“Whatever,” she said with a sigh and walked ahead of him.
EeNox rolled his eyes and made a face behind her back.
DiNiya turned and said sarcastically “ladies’ man” as she pointed to him with both index fingers.
EeNox bit his bottom lip in an effort to hold back less-than-kind words.
“Hey, it’s ShinGaru,” Rex said, nodding up ahead to the familiar cloaked figure who was walking down the path from the shop towards them.
“Hello, ShinGaru,” DiNiya said as he got closer. “Haven’t seen you in a while.”
“Hello,” he replied in turn. “I’ve been working on the western coast.”
“Still exploring the ruins in the sunken caves?”
“Yes. I’ve only returned topside ten days ago.”
“Exactly how long were you down there?”
“Two and a half cycles…give or take a day or two.”
“Two and a half cycles?” DiNiya repeated in surprise.
“Give or take a day or two,” EeNox added sarcastically.
“I know exploring ruins is a real passion of yours, but please be careful. I’ve heard many say it’s very easy to get lost down there and that no one would ever know if something happened to you.”
“Your concern is appreciated but not needed. Don’t worry. I know full well what I’m doing.”
Rex had been steadily picking up on the more commonly used vernacular of the language for some time now. Fortunately, the people of this world had the innate ability to pick up on things extremely fast, which meant he did, too. Yet for some still unexplained reason, he had been unable to do so while on Earth. It was not until he returned to EeNara that all these inherent abilities characteristic of the SaVarian and DyVorian came to the surface. He had remembered reading something that related to this during his many lunches spent in the school library. One article in particular stood out to him about something called “fast mapping,” which was a baby’s ability to pick up on things quickly in order to hasten their development. It was something everyone was apparently born with but lost after the first three or four years of life. All the races of EeNara, however, not only seemed to be born with this innate ability, but also retained it throughout their lives, giving them the ability to quickly learn how to read and speak a language as well as develop new skill sets in short amounts of time. If that was not enough, this developmental trait seemed to be heightened to a much greater degree than it was on Earth and developed at three or four months of age amongst the SaVarians as well as all the DyVorian races. If only it had been up and running back there. I would have been the youngest paleontologist in history: a bygone dream, from a bygone life. He had begun to suspect that it had something to do with his flame being dormant for those years, although he did not pretend to understand the particulars.
“How long will you be in town?” DiNiya asked ShinGaru.
“For a little while. At the moment, I am not sure for how long exactly.”
“Oh,” she said with a slight look of surprise. “Something related to your research?”
“Actually, I’ve decided to take some time off.” Everyone gave him a surprised look, as they all knew ShinGaru was not the type to put a hold on his work, especially not when he was working on a special project. Sensing what they were all thinking, he sighed with what was obvious disappointment. “In truth, the science guild has revoked my application to work out of the Rainbow Caves, stating that the risk outweighs any potential discoveries that could be made.”
“Wow,” said EeNox. “I’m really sorry to hear that. I know how important it was to you.”
“Well, I for one think they’ve made the right decision,” declared DiNiya.
“DiNiya!”
“I know it sounds mean, but the truth is I was worried sick about you the whole time you were gone. You’re like a brother to me, ShinGaru, and those caves are considered dangerous for a reason.”
“I assure you I’m always careful,” ShinGaru said in an attempt to ease her mind.
“I have no doubt, but more often than not things happen that are out of our control.” She sighed and closed her eyes briefly before retraining them on ShinGaru. “At least promise me you’ll stick around for a little bit before you go running back down to the capital.”
ShinGaru smiled and nodded. “Very well, you win. Besides, I suppose I could take this time to refocus my mind on other research I’ve been considering working on—plan my next move, so to speak.”
“Well, unfortunately you may have picked the worst time to come here and do that,” Rex stated.
“Yes, I have been made well aware of the unfortunate events that have befallen KaNar. I’m sorry to hear about TarFor. How is he?”
“Better from what I can see, now that the new healer has started treating him.”
“A new healer?”
“Yes…I thought everyone knew she had come,” DiNiya said.
“She…I’m sorry. As I said, I’ve only recently been brought up to speed on what has been going on. It stands to reason that a few facts would have eluded me.”
“You remember AnaSaya, don’t you?” asked EeNox.
“VyKia’s daughter?” ShinGaru asked with a hint of surprise in his voice.
EeNox nodded.
“I obviously remember her being of the lavender flame, but never so powerful.”
“It was a surprise to the rest of us too,” EeNox replied, sounding somewhat bewildered. “I just don’t understand why TarFor would have kept that a secret.”
“Indeed. Still, it seems like there is still more to this little mystery that we’ve yet to uncover in KaNar alone to keep us all preoccupied.”
“Perhaps they forgot to mention that people have died as a result of this little mystery?” LyCora said with a stern stare.
ShinGaru regarded her for a moment before speaking. “Yes, I am well aware of that fact, and am just as sorry now as I was when I first learned of it. I did not mean to come off as insensitive.”
LyCora looked at him with a hint of a narrowed gaze before relaxing. “No need to apologize. It goes without saying that anyone would feel terrible about what happened. I should apologize for just stating the obvious, and on behalf of all of us, for holding you up.”
Fully understanding the meaning behind the less-than-subtle hint, he nodded agreeably. “Very well. A good day to you all.”
With that, he glided past them back the way they had come, where they watched him disappear down into the crowd before they all turned back to LyCora.
“That was rude,” DiNiya said angrily. “Even for you!”
“If making light of those who have been murdered isn’t rude to you, then you have no business passing judgment on me, DiNiya.”
DiNiya looked as if she was about to say something back but stopped. Much as it pained her to acknowledge it, LyCora’s words rang with some degree of truth. She had long since feared that ShinGaru’s self-imposed solidarity had been taking its toll on his ability to properly interact with others. More often than not, he was his only company, and she wondered if he was becoming emotionally detached from everyone he knew. No, she thought. Someone who preferred his own company he may be, but never insensitive to the needs or feelings of others. ShinGaru had always been a confidant and friend to her, and she felt an overwhelming sense of guilt for allowing LyCora, of all people, to in any way sway her long-established perception of him. “He may not always say the right thing, but at least he always means well and never says what he does to hurt others. Unlike someone else I know.”
LyCora just stared at her for a moment, a million possible retorts racing through her mind, but none of them seeming to be able to properly convey what she was thinking. At last she just smiled and said, “I see there’s no point
in arguing with you, DiNiya. Not when you have me all figured out.” With that, she silently walked past her and proceeded on ahead.
The others looked at DiNiya, then back at LyCora, who was already twenty meters ahead. DiNiya decided not to let the matter bother her for now, knowing full well that would end up being easier said than done. She motioned for the others to follow her as she walked briskly to catch up to the other girl so they could continue their shopping.
BaRone held a strange fossil of half of a lower jaw with a single remaining tooth. He turned it over in his hands and studied the deep grooves where the other teeth had once fit, when DiNiya and the others came walking in. He looked up and smiled. “Well, hello there, my little morning warriors. Feeling any better?”
“Very much so,” DiNiya said as she pushed back one of her still-damp locks.
“My shoulder is still bothering me,” Rex said, rotating his arm.
“You should have AnaSaya give you a shoulder massage. Guarantee she’ll work that ache right out.”
“Really?” Rex replied, feeling uneasy at the prospect of a girl rubbing him down. Love them as he did, he always felt a little unsure of himself when members of the opposite sex made any physical contact—all of them except DiNiya, which was still something of a troublesome mystery.
“What is that?” EeNox asked, taking note of the fossil his father was holding.
“Oh, this?” BaRone replied, looking back to it. “It’s a fossil ShinGaru traded me for some dusty old statue I had sitting in the back.”
“Really?” Rex asked. “A fossil of what?”
“A DraGon.”
“Really? A DraGon?”
“A young one, too, judging by the size of the jaw.”
“You can’t be serious?” EeNox said.
“Hey, I’m just telling you what he told me.”
“But DraGon fossils are extremely rare. In fact, the last one was found, what? Over a hundred years ago?”
“But if the war was only ten thousand years ago, then their bones should still be in really good condition,” stated Rex. “Many of them wouldn’t even be fossilized yet.”
