Though of course he wasn’t, he was wearing casual slacks and a colonial V-neck blouse under a heavy leather hide jacket. The shoes on his feet even looked casual like comfortable brown moccasins. Somehow the time defying styles worked perfectly together on him.
“Lara!” Came the frightened shout of Zeftx, and she realized they must have been looking for her. How long ago had she lost them? “Lara!” She heard again with a tinge of desperation.
“Lara!” She could hear Jade too now and they seemed to be coming closer. The stranger looked at Lara with puzzlement. She broke the spell and turned her head in the direction of the shouts. He studied her profile and smiled.
“Lara,” he whispered as he reached out to touch her face and regain her attention, “the perfect name for the perfect maiden.” He withdrew his hand from her and she watched him trace symbols in the air with his forefinger. She didn’t understand what it meant but she couldn’t find her voice fast enough to ask either. Lara was starting to feel slow and clumsy with words altogether.
He shot her a sideways smile before turning his back and walking away from the clearing and into the trees. As he moved away from her, he also faded into the air like mist, completely vanishing from sight before even reaching the first line of trees.
“A ghost?” Lara whispered in shock to herself. Then she shook her head from side to side. “Not a ghost,” she corrected. He had touched her, twice. Once when she fell and again when he learned her name. He was corporeal, but she was still too new to these strange occurrences to understand exactly what that made him.
Zeftx ran into the clearing exhausted. As soon as he saw her he shouted one more time unnecessarily before bending over to put his hands on his knees and catch his breath. Lara stared after where the stranger had been for a minute before walking towards Zeftx.
Zeftx’s milky pale skin was drenched in sweat from searching. His rainbow eyes were frantic when she first glimpsed them, but now they were settling into a mixture of purple and teal. The stranger had been mysterious; Zeftx had struck her as gorgeous. With a jolt Lara realized they were both mysterious and gorgeous in their own ways.
Moments later, Jade found her way into the clearing, the worry on her face receding when she realized that Lara was unharmed and alone except for Zeftx who stood by her side.
CHAPTER 9
Lara, he thought in amazement. Even though he had since moved on to completing his task the reality of her presence continued to sink in. He had found the single most beauteous being in existence. What she was still confounded him and he hadn’t come any closer to a definitive answer.
She could yield magic that much was certain. When he’d entered the clearing he could taste it suddenly enveloped as he was by so much magic concentrated in one place. Even Sole the Immortal Sun King had to have noticed.
Of course, if she was so powerful that the Immortals would take a closer look, he shouldn’t feel so stunned to realize a lonely gypsy and a tall demon would discover her. He had watched them approach through the trees as he stood nearby cloaked behind a mask of runes which he’d stenciled into the air.
Already they had known her name and she apparently recognized them. Their association only added to the mystery. Who were they to her? Lara, in all her perfection appeared to travel side by side with an old gypsy and a murderous demon. He spat on the ground in an attempt to purge the taste of fury from his mouth.
Maybe Lara just didn’t know any better. After all, it had been seven years since the demons killed his father in the war. For all he knew, Lara was still a child digging in her mother’s vegetable garden, utterly oblivious to the carnage outside of her own homey fences. She could have enjoyed a pleasant childhood free of hatred and fear.
Not every child was forced to become the adult in the family by the age of ten. Maybe outside of Opal things were different. Maybe for the creatures of Emmitaenu who didn’t grow up in a coven of witches life was different. Maybe Lara truly didn’t know any better after all.
Reaching under his jacket he extracted a travel sack to hold the supplies he gathered. The bag was secured diagonally across his chest, looping behind his neck and over the opposite shoulder by a thin but sturdy braided cord. It wasn’t large, but big enough to contain his findings and allow him the freedom of his hands when carrying it all back. A witch was entirely handicapped without the freedom of his hands.
After retracing his steps back to the honeysuckle plant he collected a dozen blooms and packed them neatly inside. Pulling leafy stems as well to ensure he collected enough green to balance the sweets, he packed them carefully and tucked the bag back under his jacket against the right side of his body.
With an underutilized, idle mind his thoughts returned quickly to the maiden Lara. It was impossible for him to suppress a smile when he remembered her falling blindly into his arms unaware of how she needed him there at that moment and he unknowingly going to her as though by design.
The connection he felt was immediate and strong. Words weren’t strong enough to break through it. The way she swayed into his embrace, them coming together in a perfect fit as if she belonged with him. He wanted to kiss her, impulsively, and hold her close but she jerked away in the same instant and he knew his impulses would only frighten her away. If he found her again, he would introduce himself and offer to court her properly.
“Lienkin, how are you?” Resonated the sing-song voice of Tres Dohis. He groaned as the words shattered the flow of his thoughts. Turning to face the tailors’ daughter he found himself wishing for the millionth time that she would find someone else to pester.
Today she carried a handful of wild flowers probably plucked to their deaths because they matched her ruffled lacy dress cut low squarely over her bosom. Tres physically matured earlier than most girls in their village revealing yet another hint of her foreign origins.
Though her parents Tahj and Raye Dohis came from a distant land and joined Opal as the first generation of their bloodline, Tres had become the village jewel with her dazzling smile, doe eyes, shoulder length brown curly locks, and naïve charm.
Still as much as he understood her girlishness and insane love of flowers, he knew well enough that they only served as a cover for her attempts to follow him. He wanted to roll his eyes but managed to stop himself. As if she could track him. Tres was the weakest witch in Opal and she was too insecure to venture into the forest for the sake of pleasure strolls.
To be fair, Lienkin could admit she was also the youngest initiated witch in Opal and that reasoning defended her limited powers. At least for now, but even he knew that Fantasia was stronger than Tres and she wasn’t even old enough to come to circles yet.
“Good day to you Tres,” he greeted at last. She smiled even brighter and dared to blush as if he’d sought her out instead of the other way around.
He wanted to blame the tailors for letting her grow into the self-absorbed materialistic damsel she was now. When he reached fourteen, the day of his initiation the tailors gifted him with a jacket, something that Opal had never seen before. Everyone wore cloaks until the tailors arrived, integrating their foreign customs.
Regardless, everyone loved the clothing they made. He wore the jacket now and it had grown very familiar to him, but on the day that he received it Tres was the one to do the delivering. Since that day, she hadn’t stopped visiting him. She managed to smother him even more a year later after her initiation.
“Will you walk with me back to the village?” She asked in the way only she could. He inhaled and exhaled slowly as he looked at her. She wanted to make it appear like he was courting her, but when she used that do-it-or-I’ll-cry tone, he didn’t dare to say no.
“Alright, but just this once,” he told her. She jumped with delight and linked arms with him. “Nice flowers,” was all the more he said and she took over from there, half speaking, half giggling her way back to the village while he wondered some more about Lara and how he could see her again.
CHAPTER 10
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“Lara, are you alright?” Zeftx asked as they walked back to the hut. To Lara’s relief after regrouping in the clearing they jumped right back into their search without the awkwardness of questioning. They didn’t make it any further than the fork in the path before Jade announced that it was time to turn around. “You didn’t run into any danger, did you?” His voice was gentle but his expression was intense, whittled with concern.
Lara considered his question carefully. She didn’t know what to tell him. She had run into someone although she couldn’t begin to identify him. Zeftx’s question was about anything dangerous happening to her and Lara knew she hadn’t been in any danger.
“No, I’m fine,” and for some reason she didn’t feel like telling him or Jade about the stranger, at least not yet anyway. He didn’t ask any more questions after that. Her well-being had been his only concern.
Together all three of them crossed the threshold again between the wild jungle and the ancient woodland where she had wondered off the first time. Lara peeked around in search of the glittery specks of gold but found none.
The rest of the way back Lara watched the sun sink slowly downward bringing new shades of gold, orange, red and violet to the bellies of the clouds. Her eyes raked the sky, taking it all in.
“King Sole is an expert painter,” Jade commented after noticing Lara’s fascination. Lara’s brows furrowed in confusion.
“King?” She looked around expectantly but saw no one else. “Painting where?” Lara turned to Jade for an explanation. Jade just pointed to the sky and smiled. Ask Jade a question and get a Jade answer, Lara reminded herself. She shrugged it off. At the moment she felt a sense of accomplishment since they found the fork in the path from Jade’s memory. Knowing that, tomorrow it would be easier to find her home.
They arrived in front of the hut at dusk. The birds above their heads chirped chattily like teenagers out late on a school night. Jade pranced in a jagged circle with one fist clutching a handful of her skirt and hiking it up high enough to avoid stepping on the hem. The other hand she held over her head, shaking an imaginary tambourine as she hummed along with the whimsical birds. Lara couldn’t resist laughing and applauding. Catching Jade’s contagious vibes, Lara even attempted to imitate the birds’ whistles.
Meanwhile Zeftx hauled aside the heavy drawbridge of a door, the traps straining at his neck and his breath coming out in a whoosh from holding it till the task was managed. Lara forgot about her whistling as her eyes locked on him like a polar magnet. Returning her gaze Zeftx gave Lara a prestigious bow and stepped aside to let her through first. Jade followed Lara with Zeftx on her heels.
He wretched the door firmly back in place as Jade flitted to and from the kitchen first with candles and flints which she handed to Lara to light, then with mugs of cool tea which she handed to Zeftx before going back yet again. Lara placed the candles back roughly in the same places she remembered Jade putting them the night before and walked around one by one trying to light them as best she could with the two flint stones.
Watching Lara struggle with the stones, Zeftx set aside the cold mugs to help her. She was crouching over a knobby beeswax candle that had burned down to almost nothing night after night. Her facial expression was sternly fixed with the effort of focusing on her goal. She didn’t notice him stoop right across from her over the same candle.
“Lara,” he whispered her name. “Let me help you with that.” She didn’t comprehend what he had said right away since all her thoughts were wrapped around lighting the candle and growing so loud out of frustration that they blocked out the sound of his voice. She was biting her lip to keep from shouting at the stupid rocks. If Jade can do it so can I, Lara tried to prove to herself.
Zeftx reached forward to take the stones from her but she wasn’t aware of his presence until his hands covered both of hers, pancaking the rocks in-between. Lara gave a little gasp and her head snapped up. They were face to face, noses tiny inches away from each other, frozen in place. She could feel the hum of his rapid heartbeat tingling her skin where her fingertips pressed against his wrists. It made her pulse feel like a sledge hammer beating a drum in comparison.
Lara watched Zeftx, seeing the series of emotions cross his face. His eyes were maroon with apple green specks planted in them. Twice he opened his mouth to say something, took a long deep breath instead, and closed his mouth holding the air hostage inside. Something about his eyes always made her feel hypnotized and frozen stalk still.
Unable to blink Lara stared directly into his face and watched his eyes drop to their hands as she slowly turned them both over so hers were on top and his on bottom. Shaking slightly she waited for him to look into her eyes again before she dropped the rocks into his palms. The second they left her hands she sprang to her feet and took two giant steps backwards. With her arms hugging herself and her teeth sinking into her bottom lip she watched Zeftx efficiently light the candles, making it appear as easy as if he were using a Bic lighter.
What just happened? Lara wondered. She couldn’t believe the way she had looked at him. The longer she watched him light the candles the more embarrassed she felt for staring him in the eyes. Now that she couldn’t see his eyes, she couldn’t tell if he had felt what she felt, or if that was just another freshmen-fandom moment over a hot older guy, regardless of the fact she was technically a sophomore. He’s nineteen years old, she reminded herself. Could nineteen year old boys like fifteen year old girls? Lara was suddenly tempted to ask.
“Yesss!” Jade said with a chuckle making Lara jump in surprise when she reentered the room with a tray loaded between both hands, “dinner is prepared!” Zeftx eyes flicked from Jade to Lara with sudden apprehension before relaxing, letting his brows smooth out.
“Yes,” he repeated Jade, holding her gaze and communicating something much different from the words he spoke. “I see that it is.” Jade appeared not to notice his wordless questioning. He picked up the mugs from where he put them aside and passed one to each of them.
“Bon appetit,” Lara offered as a toast and they clicked their mugs together over the loaded dinner tray. On the tray Jade had arranged three bowls of jungle salad. The ingredients were all fresh and juicy sweet. The seasonings Jade added to the home dressing were spicy and collided with the natural sugary juices of the stripped fruits. In Lara’s opinion the combination tasted the way fireworks looked. “This is delicious,” she spoke out loud. Jade and Zeftx both smiled at the compliment.
CHAPTER 11
After they finished their dinner Zeftx lifted the tray ready to wash the dishes on it. Jade climbed to her feet and took the tray from his hands.
“I’ll wash them, it’s the least I can do since you made dinner,” Zeftx offered but Jade placed herself between him and the tray in her hands refusing his proposal.
“Nonsense boy, I’ll wash while you keep Lara company.” Jade scooped up a candle and carried the tray through the kitchen door, shutting it closed behind her with the heel of her foot.
Again Lara was alone with Zeftx in the candlelit room. The light from the flickering flames danced shadows across his face as he sunk back into his seat on the rug. She watched the shadows move as she too sat back down cross legged with her knees pointing toward his.
The way the scarce light touched his skin exaggerated the dimensions of his face so that she could easily see the angles of his high cheekbones and the glitter in his eyes. His moony complexion was bleached even more by the glowing flames. Rather than looking more frighteningly like the demon he claimed to be, the accents only served to magnify his beauty.
“Thank you,” Lara murmured, “for helping me.”
“Thank you,” Zeftx said in reply. He leaned forward, gazing into her eyes while his filled up with unspoken questions. Lara felt immensely lured to him, drawn in by his unguarded thoughts fully exposed in the colorful glitter-speckled depths of his eyes.
“For what,” she almost forgot to ask. She was happily drowning under his hyp
nosis. Lara could gladly stay sitting forever like this watching his eyes shift colors with his thoughts. He had to be feeling something too.
Instead of answering her question, Zeftx placed both of his hands on the floor between them and leaned forward closer to her. He was definitely in the moment with her and she was finally sure it wasn’t just her imagination. Lara’s pulse thundered in her ears and she licked her lips nervously.
Without warning Jade broke into the room in a panic. She was running around extinguishing the candles as the roar of the gargoyles hovered above them. It wasn’t the blood in her ears as Lara had thought, but a very real thundering monstrosity coming to get them!
Lara jumped to her feet as a few thuds sounded on the roof above them. Her eyes flew to the open shutters over the window. They were caught by the candle light seeping through the glass widow like a beacon to the stone beasts.
A pair of angry black eyes set into a snarling stony face pressed against the transparent barrier. The piercing glare found Lara’s terrified face in the dimming room and the creature released an earsplitting screech. Lara blinked once and the monstrous gargoyle broke in through the window sending shards of glass flying everywhere. Ducking, Lara made herself as small as possible and shielded her body with her arms like she was taught to do in a school tornado drill.
More gargoyles forced their way in the window as the first stood tall and imposing, its bat-like wings curling around its back like a tortoise shell, while sniffing at the air. Catching her scent, it lunged for Jade who was still making a futile attempt to put out the last candles.
Discovery the Forest of Emmitaenu Page 4
