Secrets

by Shannon Pemrick

  I took a deep breath and slowed my heart to match my movements. I forgot about the crowd watching. I forgot about wondering what they were thinking. It was just the music and my slow arm and hip movements. Or it was, until the routine made us face the crowd. My heart began to race again, but I did what I could to make it look like nothing was bothering me. I needed to keep this dance looking as sensual as possible.

  But nothing was working. I needed something to keep my focus. My eye scanned the room as I turned my head with the music and locked onto one person. Raikidan sat at a small table next to Rylan, surrounded by friends and enemies alike, relaxing in his chair with an arm over the back of it and another grasping a small glass of liquor on the table.

  “If you get too nervous, find something or someone to focus on.” I remembered Shva’sika explaining to Ryoko during practice. “It’s easier if it’s a person, though. You can pretend you’re dancing just for them.”

  Could I pretend I was dancing for him? I locked on to Raikidan where I thought I’d be having eye contact if his hood hadn’t been blocking his face. Raikidan pulled the glass up to his lips and he relaxed more in his chair and a grin spread across his face. My heart began to go back to a normal pace. I can pretend. He’s the only one I can pretend with.

  Soldiers made comments and whistled as we made moves that I already knew they’d react to, but none of that mattered to me. My focus was Raikidan and as long as he reacted in ways that made this easier for me to do this, then that was all that mattered.

  The lights began to dim and my movements slowed. This was the part of the dance I had been dreading. Shva’sika had decided that we’d do small solos, and I was going to be the last one so I could end it. For now, I was to remain still as Ryoko did her part in a light spotlight, but that only made my heart race again. I wouldn’t be able to use Raikidan as a focus.

  Shva’sika was next, as the spotlight dimmed from Ryoko and sparks began to flash from Shva’sika’s fingers as she clicked them together. They were her light, and they made her movements look slower than normal. The audience approved of the spectacle. But all too soon, her lights began to fade and I knew it was my turn.

  Taking a slow breath to calm myself, I moved one hand over my mouth to snatch a small flame and the other to untie the thin scarf on my hips. When Shva’sika’s part ended, I grasped the scarf with the hand with the flame and lit it. It was only show fire, but that didn’t matter to the audience. My movements were fluid, and the scarf acted as a beacon and lit up my movements.

  The scarf floated over me as my snake arms, as Ryoko called them, moved in slow motions over me and my legs moved below me. I briefly switched my show fire to real fire to destroy the scarf, and then organically moved the fire around my body’s sensual movements.

  I sensed Ryoko and Shva’sika moving behind me as they got in position, signaling the dance was finally ending. My feet moved me backward as I lined up with the others. My movements became bigger and the fire larger, lighting up the stage.

  Shva’sika and Ryoko matched my arm movements and when the music queued, we clapped out hands together. The fire exploded into a bright light and the floor below us dropped. I blinked frantically to try to get my eyes to adjust to the new darkness, but the blinking didn’t helped. The only thing I knew was that the audience liked what they had seen.

  “Laz, you okay?” Shva’sika whispered.

  “Yeah, just trying to get my eyes adjusted.”

  “Keep them closed for a few moments. That should help better than blinking.”

  I nodded and did just that. When the platform reached its lowest point I opened them again. My sight wasn’t perfect, but it was better and improving by the second.

  “That was quite impressive,” the ice shaman complimented. “Of course, I didn’t get a chance to see all of it, but from what I saw, it was nice, and from the sound of it, the end was better. We might just have you fill in more often.”

  “I’ll pass,” Ryoko muttered as she walked into the hallway.

  “Ryoko, you okay?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I just need to sit.”

  I followed her into the dressing room and sat down next her as she relaxed with a sigh into the bed of pillows. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Yeah, just trying to calm down. That was stressful,” she admitted.

  “You did well.”

  “I nearly screwed it all up.”

  “Didn’t look like it.”

  Ryoko snorted. “Yeah, right.”

  “Ryoko, you did great!” Shva’sika encouraged. “You really did.”

  Ryoko sighed. “I don’t feel like I did.”

  I looked at her with a sly grin. “Just ask Rylan when we get back out there. I bet he’ll let you know what he thought.”

  She pushed me over and I laughed. A shaman I had never met before came around the room divider screen with a bundle of clothes in her hands and handed them to us. We thanked her and dressed ourselves in our normal attire. Once we were dressed and the dance costumes were folded and piled neatly, we made our way into the main party hall. I could feel eyes on us everywhere as we came around the divider screen, but I ignored them, which helped Ryoko keep calm.

  When we came to our little group of friends they didn’t act out of the ordinary, much to my surprise. Blaze didn’t seem to know who we were, but that was to be expected by now. Rylan grabbed Ryoko and pulled her closer to him so he could whisper something in her ear. She laughed in response and pushed him away playfully, her nervousness now gone. Whatever he had said must have helped.

  Raikidan slid his glass of liquor to the edge of the table and motioned me to come closer. Complying, I took the glass and nodded my thanks but before I could take a sip he grabbed hold of me and pulled me into his lap. But that wasn’t all he did. He slipped his hand inside my cloak and rested his hand on the opposite hip, preventing me from getting back up.

  “Raikidan, what are you doing?” I asked.

  “Nothing.”

  “Let go of me.”

  Raikidan grinned. “I don’t think so.”

  I attempted to get away. “Let go.”

  Raikidan pulled me closer. “Nope.”

  “I said let go.” He was starting to make me feel weird.

  Raikidan continued to grin and rested his chin on my shoulder. “No.”

  I couldn’t believe him. What was with him? Yes, I could smell the alcohol on his breath, but he couldn’t be drunk yet.

  A soldier chuckled behind us. “Watch it, boy. You might go and get yourself into trouble.”

  I turned to see Zo. Why can’t I escape this guy?

  Shva’sika laughed. “Too late. He’s always in trouble with Laz’shika.”

  “That’s not what I meant,” Zo said.

  “Don’t tell me you believe that rumor.”

  “Of course I do.”

  “What rumor?” Ryoko asked.

  Shva’sika smiled. “That’s right, this is your first time here, Ren’ka. The soldiers here believe it’s forbidden for Guards to have personal relationships with their charges.”

  Ryoko looked at Rylan. “I guess I have to stop seeing you then.”

  Rylan chuckled and took a sip of his drink.

  “Wait, she’s a Guard?” Zo sounded shocked.

  Shva’sika smiled. “Oh, that’s right. They also think only men are Guards.”

  Ryoko laughed. “Okay, I’m sorry, but you guys are dumb.”

  “Ren’ka,” Shva’sika scolded.

  Ryoko lowered her head. “Sorry.”

  “Go easy on the girl, Shva’sika.” I looked up to see two identical South Tribe shamans walking up to us. “She’s always been one to speak her mind, and it happens to be the thoughts most of us are thinking.”

  “It doesn’
t make it any less rude, Ne’la,” Shva’sika said firmly.

  The one called Ne’la looked at me. “Thank you, Ambassador, for filling in for our older sister. She would have loved to see it.”

  “How is she doing?” I asked, playing along as if I knew her.

  “Stubborn like always, so healers won’t be giving her a hand for some time.”

  I chuckled. “You and your sister would be the same in her situation.”

  “That is true.”

  Ne’la’s sister tugged on Ne’la elbow and it was apparent her sister was either one of few words or mute. Either way, Ne’la understood what her sister wanted.

  “Please excuse us. El’na has reminded me of someone we must find.”

  The two women excused themselves, but as they passed Blaze they took great interest in him. With small grins, the two moved closer to Blaze and planted a kiss on his cheeks at the same time. I grinned. Tomorrow morning was going to be fun.

  Blaze blinked with bewilderment as the two pulled away and walked off. “Hold on. Tell me what I did right so I can do it again.”

  Neither woman acknowledged him as they walked away and the group laughed at him. Blaze pouted but my attention left him when Raikidan began acting weird again.

  “I told you to stop it,” I said.

  “Raikidan, Laz’shika, why don’t the two of you cool it outside for a bit. We don’t need it getting too hot in here,” Shva’sika teased.

  I went to reply, except Raikidan stood up suddenly. I lost my balance but he caught me, and before I could really get my footing back, he escorted me toward the balcony. I hoped the balcony was empty. Then I’d be able to get Raikidan to spill what was up with him. I was wondering if someone was putting him up to this. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least.

  I leaned against the balcony railing once we were outside. No one was around, making it possible to talk to him, which was good since he wasn’t acting any different now that it was just the two of us. Actually, it was getting worse.

  I faced him and tried to push him away. “Raikidan, you can cut the act now. It’s just us out here.”

  Raikidan grinned and boxed me in. “Who said I was acting?”

  My eyes widened. “W–what?”

  Raikidan leaned closer. “You did it on purpose, didn’t you?”

  I gulped. “Raikidan, w–what are you talking about?”

  “Eira…” I gulped again and my heart began to pound in my ears. His hood now touched mine. “If you’re going to make me feel like a human”—he chuckled quietly and brushed my cheek with the back of his fingers—”then I’m going to make you squirm like one in return. It’s only fair.”

  My mind buzzed as I tried to figure out what he meant. It wasn’t until he rested his hand on my lower back and pulled me closer, did I realize what he meant.

  “R–Raikidan…” I couldn’t figure out what else to say. My mind wasn’t working the way I needed it to.

  His face was now near my neck, and a strong, warm sensation tingled throughout my body. There was no way that dance could have really made him feel this way. He had to be acting. It was just one big bet of how long he could make me uncomfortable. But who would he bet that with? We were all undercover.

  “Lazmira…” he murmured.

  I placed my hand on his chest and pushed him away from me. I stared at him in slight shock for a minute. “Who did you just call me?”

  Raikidan hesitated, as if he too was surprised by what he said. Before I got the chance to demand him again to explain himself, someone cleared his throat behind us. Raikidan grumbled as we turned to see who was getting our attention. I was surprise to see Zo standing a little ways off.

  “I’m sorry to interrupt, uh, whatever you’re doing, but your friends have requested your presence,” he informed us.

  I forced a smile. “Thank you, General. We’ll be right in.”

  Zo nodded and went back inside. I stared Raikidan down for a moment before pushing past him. I wasn’t going to get any answers from him about the situation now, thanks to Zo’s interruption. But I wasn’t honestly sure I wanted to know at this point. How did he know—

  Ryoko waved at me. “Laz’shika, hurry up! I have something to tell you.”

  I shook my head and picked up my pace. It didn’t matter. I was curious about what Ryoko had to say though. What had I missed while I was outside? Unfortunately, fate didn’t want me to know. Just as I reached her side, a loud boom was heard. The room grew quiet as everyone became interested in the strange sound and stared at the large double doors of the main hall. We waited to hear something else.

  It wasn’t long before people shouted in the hall outside the party room and then something heavy was hitting the door. Soldiers drew closer to the doors as something began pounding on them. They threw themselves to the ground when the doors burst into pieces. A group of people flooded into the room, and from the artillery they carried, it was apparent they weren’t friendly.

  “Rebels,” a soldier muttered.

  I wanted to argue with him, but I kept my mouth shut. These weren’t rebels. We wouldn’t do anything like this. These guys wore bandanas over their mouths to cover part of their faces and their clothes looked as though they stole them from rebellious teenagers or thrift stores.

  I watched as none of the soldiers attacked these supposed rebels. I couldn’t figure out why. Why wouldn’t they try to stop them? Then it dawned on me. None of the soldiers had weapons. Of all the times they wouldn’t carry weapons, naturally it had to be during a peace party. I narrowed my eyes. That made this attack far too convenient. How would they know it’d be a good idea to attack this party? Something wasn’t right here.

  A man pushed his way through the group of rebels and scanned the room. “This will be easy. Kill them all.”

  Before the rebels and party guests could react to the order, I retaliated. Moving swiftly, I used a table as leverage and shot fire blasts at them as fast as I could. These supposed rebels weren’t skilled in fighting by the way they clumsily dodged my attacks.

  My attacks ceased and I stared down the leader of these rebels. “Leave now, or you will pay the consequences.”

  “For a peace lover, you’re not too peaceful,” the man taunted.

  “For an imposter, you’re not too convincing.”

  The man narrowed his eyes. “You don’t know what you say, woman.”

  “I don’t? I am an ambassador of the Tribes. I seek to maintain peace between them. I research and learn to obtain that knowledge to do so. Now we wish to integrate within the society of the cities. We wish be a part of something more. I watch and learn how the city and its citizens interact. I watch how things fall into place. You do not fit into that. You do not fit in. You do not work like the true rebels of this city. You have too much chaos controlling you.”

  “Everything is chaotic.”

  “Not everything. Even a wild animal driven mad with hunger still has a goal. The rebels have goals and priorities. You follow neither.”

  “You sound like a supporter.”

  “I am neutral. I watch but I do not participate. I listen but I do not speak. Now leave or reap the consequence of your choice.”

  The leader scowled. “Kill them all.”

  As the rebel imposters made their assault, the shamans retaliated, forcing the soldiers to stay back if they weren’t going to be of any use. Rylan and Raikidan came to aid me, while Ryoko stayed back with Shva’sika to protect her as she charged herself up. Psychics aided us, and even Talon joined in by the use of his unique ability. He also looked to be trying to make it so Tla’lli would stay back, but she wasn’t having it. With a strong whistle, she carried the wind on her breath and pushed a handful of the rebel imposters back. With the force we had, it didn’t take us long to take care of the problem. These peo
ple were untrained, ordinary civilians. They weren’t a match for trained combatants.

  I turned away from the group of lifeless bodies. So many lives wasted. Why would they do this? Why would they throw their lives away?

  “Grenade!” someone yelled.

  I turned and froze when a pin-pulled grenade came rolling at me.

  “Ambassador, move!” someone yelled.

  But it was too late now. I wasn’t able to get away in time. This was it. I grunted when Raikidan tackled me to the ground and a table flew over us and onto the grenade. It wouldn’t help and was probably going to make things worse, but I understood how someone would think it would help in such a situation.

  Raikidan held up my hood as he shielded me with his body. I clung to him and waited for the worst. I flinched when the grenade went off and things sounded like they were blowing up. Raikidan flinched and grunted in what sounded like pain. My grip tightened, but that was the worst of it.

  I looked around. Everything looked untouched, as if it was only in our heads. It wasn’t until I noticed the Psychics did I understand that the blast had been contained in a force field.

  I tried to get Raikidan to move so I could get up, but he wasn’t responding. “Raikidan?”

  When he didn’t respond again, I tried to move him by force and he moaned in pain. I tried again, and again he moaned but this time, something else made me aware that there was something wrong. I smelled blood.

  Chapter 35

  Ifinally managed to wriggle out of Raikidan’s tight grip and pull myself from under him a little, only to be horrified by his condition. Large wooden shards protruded from his back and lower body, with blood pouring out of the wounds. The psychics hadn’t been fast enough, and Raikidan had been hit by pieces of the wooden table that had been thrown over the grenade.

  No, not again… “I need a healer over here!” I shouted, finding it hard to not panic. If he couldn’t fully heal or be healed at all and he died, I’d never forgive myself.

  Two healers rushed over to us, and they weren’t alone. Two young, blonde psychic women followed them. One of the psychics used her ability to gently move Raikidan without hurting him, so one of the healers could help me move out of the way and check on my condition. My leg bled from a small gash, but that wasn’t a concern to me. I watch as the two psychics worked together to remove all the shards from Raikidan’s back.