Genesis

by Christie Rich

  “My lady,” came Jett’s soft call after what could have been minutes or hours. “I’m afraid we have to return. Too much time has already passed, and you still have training to do.”

  I nodded, taking one last sweep of her. It would last a lifetime.

  Knowing when to be silent had to be Jett’s finest quality. He hadn’t bombarded me with facts every tenth grader should already know, nor did he hover over me to take in my expressions. He let me experience on my own.

  By the time we got back to Eldrea, the bright sun dominated the sky. I walked closer to him. My voice sounded thick. “Thank you, Jett.”

  He pulled me in tighter then encircled me in his arms. “I am happy you enjoyed it. For a moment, I thought I had made a mistake.”

  I laughed. “Don’t mind me. I get freaked out over the stupidest things.”

  A shield fell over his eyes. “About that, Rayla. I need to apologize to you. When I finally found Alithea in the mortal realm, I was acting as the captain of the fae army. I had to bring her home. My whole kingdom was in an uproar, not to mention Theran. She begged me to give her more time. I allowed her one day. I didn’t follow her on one condition.”

  Not really hard to guess what came next. “You would have rights to her firstborn?”

  He nodded. “The Order has overseen the way we interact with Elementals for quite some time now. I knew I couldn’t have Alithea, so I thought to claim the next best thing. When I found out about you, I confronted her. She denied having you, but I knew better. You act like her, you move like her, you even smell like her.”

  I glanced away from him, not able to take his hard stare. “I’m considering you, Jett. I’m not sure I will ever be able to overcome your love for my mother, but I am giving a full effort to get to know you, to understand you. I like you, which I didn’t think was possible a few days ago, so who knows what will ultimately happen?”

  He swallowed. “That is all I can ask of you. But I want to be clear about something. I would have never acted the way I did if I had known you were there. I let my anger rule me that day. Alithea deceived me, and I paid a heavy price for letting down my king.”

  I frowned. “What did he do to you?”

  Clasping his hands behind his back, he paced in front of me. “He did nothing. It was the council that stripped me of my lands and forced me to live in the castle.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “When I came home without Alithea after my first search, the council set into motion a plan that had been in the works for some time. My family had the best lands within the kingdom. I would take you, but I am forbidden from entering them without escort.” He gave a solid chuckle. “I surprised the council by fighting back. The only reason I am still the captain of the army is because I am the strongest warrior we have.”

  I smiled. “Boastful much?”

  “What?” His face held real surprise. “Is it not a good thing to know one’s strengths and weaknesses?”

  “To know them is understandable, but you move to a much higher level of conceit when you start talking about them.”

  He scrubbed a hand down his chin. “Point taken. So, do you forgive me?”

  Somewhere along the way, I had, but did I want him to know it? Jett was a trustworthy man. He had given me back my privacy without thought to how that might set him at a disadvantage. He could have an ulterior motive I couldn’t see, but I doubted that. He seemed sincere. He seemed like a good guy despite my initial thoughts about him. “I have.”

  His smile ate up his face as light danced in his eyes. He had never looked so attractive to me. I hesitated, but the temptation to tell him clobbered my misgivings. “I like your smile.”

  Serious found his eyes. “You seem to like much about me.”

  I laughed. “You need to learn humility.”

  “Am I wrong?”

  I shook my head. “Haven’t you heard the phrase, something’s are best left unspoken?”

  “Sure.”

  “Think about what that really means, Jett.”

  He gave me a slight nod. “Are you ready for training? We have little time left in the day, and I had hoped to have you competent when you leave.”

  “I guess so.”

  Jett studied my face. “Is something bothering you, my lady?”

  I shrugged off the feeling I had been having all day. It hovered over my shoulder like a wraith waiting to snatch me, but he would know if someone was watching us. I didn’t want to admit that I had been followed out of Uldran, but there was no way to deny it now. For all I knew it was someone assigned by him to keep us safe. I sort of doubted that, but being paranoid hadn’t done me any good before now. “I’m good. Let’s get started.”

  Two hours later, I wished I had gone to my room. Mud encrusted skin is hard to maneuver. He’d taken much the same tactic that Taylor had—throwing me into a situation that called for action.

  “Again,” he said.

  “I need a break, Jett.”

  “The enemy will not be compassionate. She will find your weakest point and stick a knife in it. I cannot let you quit.”

  I stiffened. “I don’t want to quit. I just need five minutes!”

  “Is that what you will tell her in the middle of battle?” He threw his arms out. “She is relentless, Rayla. Didn’t you see what she did to Ammon and Luthais? Ammon is her blood. She has no feeling. She has no compassion. What she does have is a hunger to win.”

  I cocked my head. “And I don’t?”

  “You have desire, my lady, but I am afraid it will not be good enough.”

  “Why did Tabitha order the training to be shortened then?”

  He turned away from me, but I wouldn’t let him get very far. I stood in front of him. “I can take it. Just tell me what’s going on.”

  For a moment I thought he was going to refuse me then he sighed. “Tabitha had a vision. She has not shared the details with anyone, but she ordered Taveon to bring you to me just after we received word of a large compound found on the outskirts of Phoenix.”

  “Arizona?”

  He nodded. “It appears the Order has set up compounds near every known rebel stronghold.”

  When he didn’t go on I prodded him. “What else?”

  “The Order has integrated into the rebel hierarchy, but we can’t determine if the rebels are aware of this. We also don’t know exactly what the Order has planned.”

  So even if I had stayed at home and gone to Snow College this crazy life would have eventually found me. That was comforting. Something else bothered me. “I thought there was only one sanctuary.”

  He grumbled something under his breath. “I said stronghold.”

  “What’s the difference?”

  “We weren’t aware of the rebel sanctuary when news spread of your emergence into the human realm.” He smiled at me. “You took us all by surprise. We couldn’t be sure where you came from, and the council ordered a search of the area after we had you within Faeresia. When we arrived, the town you grew up in had been leveled.”

  My stomach turned to stone as I thought about the home I would probably never see again. “What happened?”

  “The official story is earthquake, but we think the Order had something to do with it. We also know that many Elementals were taken from the facility your aunt headed.”

  “Were they taken to Okefenokee with my family?”

  “We don’t think so. I have been lead to believe they have been placed in other compounds around the globe.”

  I cringed, feeling the weight of my calling once again. “What will the Order do with them?”

  “That is something I wish I knew. I haven’t gotten permission to send teams to the compounds. With the dangers that now exist to my people, reconnaissance is no longer safe.”

  I frowned at him. “Neither is sitting around waiting for the enemy to get stronger. Haven’t they already allowed this to go on long enough? Why don’t you people just go get Ainessa?”

  J
ett hissed at me before he grabbed my hand. We were suddenly in a different room. “Never say her name! Haven’t you learned anything?”

  I ignored the dizziness and tried to focus on speaking. “What I have learned is that no one wants to confront her for what she has done.”

  “It is not as simple as you have imagined, Rayla. She is more powerful than any of us could have anticipated. Besides having infiltrated into the highest levels of the council, she brought down two of our strongest warriors. Worst of all, she has gained control of dark matter.”

  “Why are you telling me things I already know?” I shouted.

  “Because you haven’t learned the lesson. You think you are being strong when you say her name. You think you can bluff your way through this life?” He clasped my elbows. “My lady, you could not be more wrong. As the Nexus you have unlimited potential for power, but she has the darkest force in existence at her fingertips. All she needs is a bit more power from unsuspecting Fae and she will be able to unleash the dark matter, and I am quite certain she will come after you first. Once it has finished devouring your power, your world will be next. She will not stop until she has created her own.”

  “God would never allow that to happen!”

  “Oh, no? Think about it, Rayla. He cannot stop the free will of man. It is part of the parameters of this world.”

  Silence claimed me. I couldn’t speak for a while. Jett didn’t push me to respond; he let me process what he told me. “Why didn’t someone tell me sooner?”

  “We cannot jeopardize who you will become, my lady. We need you and your power to conquer her.” He stepped closer and caressed my chin. “She cannot be allowed to have you.”

  I looked away, unnerved by his soft touch. “If she has you quaking like this, how am I supposed to fight her?”

  He took a step back, the formal façade securely over his features once again. “Forgive me for putting such a burden at your feet. I did not mean to imply that you need to do this alone. You cannot. But the sooner you choose your bondmate, the quicker we will be able to deal with her betrayal.”

  “The council claimed they had it under control.”

  “The council claims many things.”

  I shook my head. This just kept getting deeper. “Who can I trust?”

  His expression was unreadable. “Only you can decide such a thing.”

  “That’s not very helpful.”

  “I know.” He nudged my shoulder. “Enough training. How would you like to go sightseeing?”

  What was there to see around here? Since I had no hope of seeing my mom again, I shrugged. “I guess.”

  “Don’t sound so enthusiastic.”

  I raised my brows, smiling. “Stop talking and start showing then!”

  He laughed then reached for me.

  We appeared outside in a small pasture. Over in the corner under a surprisingly verdant tree stood the white pegasus I had glimpsed a few weeks ago when the fae army came to rescue me from the island. My heart twisted for Styx, and with it came a clench of renewed anger for Jett in my gut.

  He led me closer. I tried to keep my judgments from showing on my face, but I wasn’t sure how long I was going to be able to hold in my temper. Why would Jett take Styx’s mate? For that matter, why didn’t she just fly away? Unless something kept her here, but what?

  The closer we got to her, the more beautiful she became. If Styx was darkness, she was pure light. Her wings glimmered in the sunlight as if a pale dusting of diamonds covered her. She shimmied at our approach. Jett made a cooing noise that settled her down immediately. She didn’t exactly appear afraid of him, especially since she trotted happily toward us. She stopped two feet away then bobbed her head while she nickered.

  Jett reached out and rubbed between her eyes. She nudged his hand with the tip of her nose as if asking for something in particular. He laughed. “So impatient.” He pulled some kind of fruit out of his pocket. I watched her take the shining orb wishing I had one of my own. All that training had drained me.

  “What’s her name?” I asked.

  Jett glanced at me before he mounted. “Bastion.” The pegasus sidled in response to her name.

  It fit. I smiled at her. “Good to meet you, Bastion.” I waited for her response to sink into my mind, but nothing happened. Tentatively, I sought her out. Nothing. There was nothing. How odd.

  Jett pulled me up behind him. He held no reins; however, Bastion cantered toward a clearing as if he were guiding her. Once she cleared the trees, we took flight.

  Exhilaration ignited my belly, and I squealed when we banked left. The arid wind circled my face, making it difficult to breathe. I didn’t care. This was just too much fun to worry about something so trivial.

  After Bastion leveled off, I set to scanning the landscape. Pockets of green dotted the otherwise tan ground below. They had to be settlements of some kind, but I couldn’t make out anything more than vague structures from this height.

  Jett shifted and turned in the seat. “So, what do you think?”

  I laughed. “I’d be able to tell you more if we actually landed somewhere.”

  “Good point,” he said. We immediately descended in a cloud of kicked up dust.

  When the air finally cleared, Jett handed me down then hopped off Bastion’s back. His smile lit up when I gasped at the sight of the nearing oasis. Similar to something you would see on a postcard, the palm trees swayed in the gusty wind. We made it through the underbrush, and I smiled at the sight of a sparkling pool. Smooth rocks lined the edges as if strategically placed for best access.

  I ran over to one and climbed on. The glistening water invited me to plunge into its cool depths, so I stripped off my shoes and dipped in my toes. Just right, but what now? I wasn’t comfortable with skinny dipping, besides the idea of spending wet time with Jett sent a shiver through me.

  Jett raced past me and dive-bombed into the pool, completely soaking me in the process. I laughed, not needing any more encouragement to join him. I pulled my knees to my chest just before I entered the water. When I surfaced, Jett was wiping water from his dark eyes.

  He grinned. “Water war?”

  In answer I splashed him.

  “So that’s how it’s going to be?” Before I could escape, he grabbed my upper arm then tucked me against his chest. He turned me around and pushed me under. No fair. He could reach the bottom. I kicked away from him and set to work a plan I hoped I could pull off.

  I emerged five feet away from him. “Cheater!”

  “I did no such thing, Rayla. You need to learn to move faster.”

  “Uh-huh,” I said, trying to keep my gaze off the boulder sized ball of water I had levitated to just about over his head. “And you need to watch out.” Without another word I dumped it on him.

  He shook out his hair and laughed. The beautiful sound reverberated inside me.

  How had I ever been afraid of this man?

  He moved toward me. “Oh, it’s on now!”

  “Learned some new words when we were out sightseeing, did you?”

  He cocked his head. “I might have been listening to a few young people earlier.”

  I smiled as charmingly as I could manage while I froze the water around me, yet made sure to leave a cocoon of warmth near my body. Jett halted at the barrier, giving me a questioning stare. “You have not had training in the water element, have you?”

  I shrugged. “Luke showed me a few things on the way to Lombarda.” His concerned expression didn’t change. “What is it?”

  He tried to wipe the look from his eyes, but I wasn’t buying his placid mask. “I hadn’t expected you to be this adept.”

  I laughed. “I hadn’t expected you to be that much of a kill-joy, either, but here we are.”

  He tested the blockade I had created. “Solid. Well done.”

  I started to say thanks, but the water around me jiggled with a suspicious force. Two seconds later, sharp chunks of ice rained down around my head. “Careful,�
�� I chided. “You trying to kill me or something?”

  He frowned. “I would sooner banish myself to the dark realms, Rayla.”

  “I was kidding! Geez. Don’t you know how to take a joke?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t get much occasion for such skills.”

  As captain of the fae army, probably not. “Well, maybe we should work on that.”

  “I’d be happy to…another time because unfortunately right now we have to return to the fortress.”

  I frowned. We were having fun, at least I was anyway. “Why?”

  He gave me a strange look. “Eldrea is best discovered in the light of day.”

  Okay. Weird reply. “What, are there monsters lurking in the dark or something?”

  Shadows danced in his eyes. “Let’s just say, you wouldn’t want to be caught out in the open when night falls.”

  I sloshed through the water toward him. “Why won’t you answer me?”

  His eyes were clearly evading. “I don’t want to scare you.”

  “Like you aren’t already. You’re freaking me out, Jett.” I circled a look behind me. “What exactly is out here?” Maybe something had really been stalking me? I was tempted to tell him. The next time it happened, I would. For now I didn’t want to ruin our day.

  He groaned. “Some of the creatures from the borderlands roam this place during the dark hours.”

  “Like hellhounds?” I wondered how Cerberus was. I still couldn’t believe how he had transformed after I touched him. His wound hadn’t just healed, his entire body had morphed into the biggest hellhound out there. I hoped he was adjusting well. It warmed my heart to think I had changed things for him.