by Kelly Napoli
CHAPTER 15
OVERWHELMED
Kiethara might have been too exhausted to dream the night before, but that was certainly not the case this time.
So, she was in this tree.
Not just a tree, but a massive tree. One bigger than any other tree in the forest. This she knew for a fact, for even though she was only situated on a thick branch in the middle, her line of sight stretched far over the tops of the trees below her, from horizon to horizon with only blue lakes and streams to interrupt the expanse. It was beautiful, although the sky was a menacing pearl gray. But Kiethara just looked up at it with a curious expression. It did not bother her. Nothing did, not while she was in this tree.
For the first time, she looked down.
The height was dizzying. It was such a long way down. She pursed her lips. What would happen if she fell? The question did not bring any spike of fear or hint of worry. Some small voice in her head told her she should be afraid. It was as though she had a small siren in the back of her mind, but her thoughts did not stray towards it, and she chose to ignore it.
The wind picked up.
It blew very hard. The tree swayed dangerously; she watched how the ground below came closer and then watched as it shrunk away as the tree bent in the opposite direction. It became so intense that the tree was almost bent in half; however, she continued to stand on the branch, practically horizontal at some moments, not bothered enough to muse over the miracle that kept her perched on the bark.
Again, a voice in her head sent out a warning. This isn’t right, it whispered. You should be falling. Falling down to the ground. You’re supposed to be screaming. The voice got louder and louder, but again, she ignored it. She just allowed her body to drift with the sway of the tree, back and forth, to and fro, enjoying the rhythm. It made her happy.
No, the voice said. No! Do not be happy. Do not let it take you. This isn’t good; it’s not happy. It’s terrifying.
Kiethara frowned. This voice, this warning, was ruining her happiness. She wanted it to cease its meddling—it was so pretty up here. Besides the sky, which grew darker and darker, the view was very inviting. She wanted to be higher so she could venerate its grandeur appropriately.
Then she was not alone.
The Spirit of Aaron was suddenly above her. He was at the very top of the tree. That wasn’t fair; she wanted to be on the top…Why was he up there? He wasn’t even enjoying his coveted position, for his arms were crossed while disapproval radiated off of him with a fierce intensity.
Kiethara looked down again and was mildly surprised at the two people who were positioned underneath her.
The first person she saw was Navadar. He was standing on a long branch that was situated between her and the ground, holding on strongly to another branch within his reach. His expression was a mixture of fear and worry, as always. He really needed to get some new emotions. He should aim for some happiness, like her.
No, the voice interrupted rather grudgingly. You should be worried, as he is. Happiness here is going to lead you astray. She ignored it and allowed her gaze to move its way down to the ground and to the second person.
Was that Gandador down there? Yes, it was. The fact didn’t bother her, though; she only gazed at him with increasing curiosity. Why was he on the ground? Everyone else was in the tree.
It’s a good thing he isn’t in the tree, the voice told her. That should be making you happy. He should make you scared. He wants you dead.
Kiethara cringed at the concept of death. That word had no place in this tree. Everything here was wonderful. Besides, the voice knew not of what it spoke of. Gandador only desired her crystals.
She then noticed that Navadar was trying to climb the tree, yet he kept slipping. Every failed attempt seemed to make him angrier and angrier. That wasn’t right. She didn’t want him angry—anger had no place in this tree. So, to solve the problem, Kiethara started climbing down.
A noise from above distracted her. She looked up to see Aaron shaking his head. He beckoned her to come up with him. Now. She was not supposed to go down.
Go with Aaron, the voice encouraged. He is good.
Well, so was Navadar. Anyway, he was closer. Aaron was just so high up and she did not feel like crossing that distance at the moment. Plus, the tree was still swaying, so wouldn’t it be safer to go down? Yes. Her logic made sense.
Every branch she descended seemed to make Navadar happier, elating her even more. Eager, she climbed down faster until she reached him.
The tree shuddered.
It was not because of the wind. The tree continued to move in tune to the force of the wind, but every few moments it shook as if receiving heavy blows. Kiethara looked around curiously, a smile still on her face. It seemed nothing could dissipate it.
Look down! Look down! The voice in her head ordered. And for once, she didn’t ignore it. She looked down.
The smile disappeared.
Gandador had his sword out. He drew it back behind him, paused for one terrible moment, and then swung it at a horrifying velocity until it chopped at the thick trunk of the tree. Every time the sword hit the tree, Kiethara could not stop herself from wincing. It was as though something too was stabbing her in her heart. How strange. She must have been too happy to notice it before.
Another blow to the tree. She felt a twinge of annoyance. Did Gandador have to ruin everything? All she wanted to do was have a nice time with Navadar. Remembering Navadar, she turned her gaze towards him.
He also adorned an annoyed expression. This was wrong. A minute ago, they had all been happy. It seemed like Gandador could pop that joyful bubble in less time than it took for a fish to swim downstream.
From above, Aaron called her. Come here, he was telling her. She rolled her eyes. The top of the tree was the most dangerous place to be! The tree was about to be chopped down; therefore, she should be on the ground.
Go up, the voice told her.
It seemed like the voice was crazy, too. They were all so foolish. The voice should really be quiet; everything it said was wrong. She needed to go down! Down, down, down.
So Kiethara began to climb down.
Navadar was all too willing to follow her down. He took her hand, as though he was going to make sure she didn’t slip. How unnecessary. She had learned how to climb trees before she had learned how to walk. This might be her biggest tree, her greatest challenge, but she could make it. All she had to do was focus and endure. It would be so much easier if she didn’t have that annoying voice in the back of her head, though.
Please don’t go that way, it whined. You are going to get us killed. You’re going to get Navadar killed.
These words made her stop short. What if the voice was right? She didn’t want Navadar to die. Plus, he would probably be just as willing to follow her up as he was willing to follow her down. But the way up seemed so tedious, so very difficult.
If you go to the top you could see the whole forest, the voice promised.
The forest.
Didn’t she want to go to the forest? Being on the top of the forest did her no good; in order to protect it, she needed to be in it. The view might be stunning from Aaron’s vantage point, but it was no less beautiful from the grassy floor, either. The lakes, her clearing, her mother’s beautiful meadow…
Earthaphoria was suddenly in the tree.
Kiethara froze, rooted to the spot. Her mother. Her mother was here. The thought made her happy. Almost overwhelmingly so. And she just loved being happy.
Go up! The voice encouraged. Go up to her! Give her a hug!
For once, the voice was saying the right thing. That was exactly what she wanted.
But Navadar did not want that. He continued to go down the tree, without her! Kiethara frowned.
He shouldn’t be near Gandador alone, the voice said slowly. It was worried about Navadar, too.
Huh. She hadn’t thought that much into it. It bugged her a little that he would be near Gandador, but it did not bot
her her. Nothing seemed to bother her. The tree was magic. The thought made her giggle.
Kiethara, the voice scolded. You’re not thinking straight. It should bother you. Tell Navadar to get back up here!
The voice was right again. Maybe it was a bad thing for Navadar and Gandador to be near each other. Oh, what was the worst that can happen? She sighed. It didn’t really matter.
Stop, the voice said sternly. Stop it! He is in danger! You are selfish!
The words hurt. She didn’t like it. She wanted to scream at the voice.
Her anger surprised her. It was wrong; she wasn’t supposed to be angry. The tree was good, she was good. Anger was…bad. She recalled when Sinsenta had made her furious…
Sinsenta was suddenly in the tree.
He appeared right in between Navadar and Gandador.
He had both his daggers out—one in each hand—and was staring at Navadar with a hungry expression. Navadar seemed oblivious to the sudden appearance; he just continued to work his way down the tree.
Sinsenta is going to kill him! The voice yelled.
Without thinking, Kiethara threw herself off the branch she had been standing on.
No! The voice screamed.
Kiethara ignored it, using her hands and feet to control her fall. Again, the laws of nature seemed to have no effect near this tree. She fell through the air with ease, weaving through the branches with a sense of grace. She whooshed past Navadar and aimed her body straight at Sinsenta’s branch.
Right before she landed on his branch she pulled herself into a summersault. The elegant twist helped her plant her bare feet lightly on the branch, only a few feet away from Sinsenta.
THAT…WAS…INSANE! The voice hissed at her.
Sinsenta spun around wildly, expression livid and eyes bulging. Like some rabid animal, he raised his daggers high to protect himself from the new threat. She saw that the two blades were stained with blood. That thought bothered her.
Now it bothers you, the voice commented, bitterly sarcastic. If things had bothered you before, we would have avoided this situation.
She winced. Now, she realized the voice had been right all along. Maybe she had been a little too happy. Perhaps the top of the tree was the best place to be. There was nothing she could do about it now.
Sinsenta raised one of his daggers higher with a grin. The scar trailing her right arm was suddenly on fire.
Use your magic! The voice screamed.
Too late.
The tree shuddered more violently than it had ever shuddered before. A strange creaking sound came from below them, followed by a groan. Both Kiethara and Sinsenta looked down towards the ground; Kiethara with a curious expression, Sinsenta with an expectant one.
What she saw made her stomach drop and ice shoot through her veins.
Gandador had finally cut down the tree.
The tree began to lean to the left, but this time it had nothing to do with the wind. In fact, the wind was blowing to the opposite direction. It was as though the weather was trying to push the tree back up. But its strength was feeble and nothing changed.
Oh, no, the voice in her head whispered.
There was a loud, final groan below her before the tree snapped. It fell fast, and it fell hard. The sky had now darkened to a point where it was as though it were night. She slipped off her branch and began to fall with the tree, her limbs flaring out around her. Yet there was nothing for them to do, no control that they could take. As she fell, her surroundings became darker and darker…fading…
Kiethara’s navy blue eyes snapped open.
A sudden light erupted around her. It took less than a second to realize that the blinding light was coming from her crystals. A fierce fear was squeezing her chest, squeezing it until the point at which her breaths came in gasps. She couldn’t explain it, but it was the same type of fear Gandador had caused. Around her, the winds picked up with a howl. Once again, it was all too much…
Her shield appeared around her, but it did much more than that.
It exploded.
It seemed to come straight out of her heart—her chest was thrust forward as she lurched up in her hammock. The strong surge of emotion, of power, coursed unconditionally through her veins; her heart was pounding. Her head was thrust back and her hands balled into fists while her shield continued to pulse from her body. Animal cries echoed through the forest and a flock of birds took off into the sky.
Kiethara witnessed all of this, saw her magic expelling from her body, but she couldn’t pull it back. She had lost complete control. It—her magic—was pushed from her body so forcefully that it was almost painful. A strangled scream erupted from behind her pale lips.
Suddenly, her crystals weren’t the only things emitting light.
The Spirit of Aaron had finally arrived.
“Kiethara!” he yelled, but she barely heard him.
All of a sudden, hot, strong arms snaked around her chest. These arms of light pulled her arched back straight as she felt a more powerful magic override her own, forcing it back inside her. The overwhelming, choking sense of fear was calmed slightly and common sense began to leak back into her thoughts. Her fists stayed clenched, though, as more magic fought its way from her and another cry escaped her.
“Kiethara! Fight it! Calm down, take control!” Aaron ordered.
His words helped her crazed self see some reason. With much effort she restrained the wild power within her. Her surroundings began to make sense and her limbs were back under her command. She let her arms relax to her side as tears rolled down her cheeks and her gasps slowed.
Aaron was sitting behind her on the swaying hammock. He still held her tight, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. In fact…it was nice. Nice to have her father figure’s arms around her. She could not recall any other hold equal to it.
“Kiethara?” Aaron asked gently.
It took her a minute to reply.
“What was that?” she asked in a breathless whisper.
“That was a very close call,” he said.
“A close call to what?” she asked, a small sob escaping her lips.
“Shh, Kiethara, it’s over,” he soothed.
“What’s over?” she stressed. He sighed.
“Do you remember the first time you fought Gandador? And what I told you about magical bursts?”
Kiethara was now in the process of taking deep, even breaths to calm herself down. She closed her eyes and attempted to recall the conversation they had had. It seemed so long ago.
“Yes.”
“Well, that very nearly turned into one.”
“But I was asleep!” she said.
“You were also dreaming,” he pointed out.
Yes, that was true. She could remember every detail vividly—it had been so real. She could still feel a faint echo of every emotion, still feel the sickening sway of the tree.
“You were in it. So was Navadar, my mother, Sinsenta, and Gandador…There was this tree…” Kiethara trailed off. The dream suddenly seemed very unpleasant.
Aaron nodded, releasing his hold on her. He swiftly stood up and then turned to face her.
“Are you under control?” he asked.
“I believe so.” Her breathing had returned to normal, the choking fear had vanished, and her crystals had returned to their normal dull glow.
“Very well. I suggest you get some work done,” Aaron told her.
“Wait, Aaron!” she cried. “You haven’t explained why my shield does that now.” It was very unlikely for him to leave something that way.
“It’s simple enough. I thought this would be a good opportunity, because you need to know how to train yourself, in order to prepare for when I—” Aaron suddenly cut off.
“It’s just one level up from your shield,” he continued before she could ask. “You had an increased level in fear, so your shield did a bit more. Gandador seems to be helping your progress with your shield a lot.”
Interesting. It seemed like A
aron was hiding something from her. Again. A small stab of betrayal pricked at her heart. What in the world could he possibly be hiding from her now?
She couldn’t think about this now. She had something else on her mind.
“Is it really possible for him to take my crystals? To take control of the forest?” she asked. Aaron hesitated before answering.
“When Gandador said that, I had thought he was kidding. But it wasn’t a lie. He truly believes what he said. I have always admitted that his best trait was his wisdom. Now, well, I think the lust for power has finally gotten to his head. He is basing a lot of his moves on theory these days. That makes him dangerous…and vulnerable.”
“Dangerous and vulnerable?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Hmm, how can I explain it?” he mused. “Imagine a wild, strong animal. This animal is fierce as it confronts a smaller animal. The smaller animal is in the way of this larger animal, preventing him from acquiring its prey. Most people would think that the larger animal could make it past the smaller animal easily; however, the smaller animal knows how to proceed. The smaller animal is more determined, also, besides the obvious strength of the larger foe. The other animal gets confused, then hesitant, and is on the verge of making a mistake. Who wins?”
“I pray the smaller animal,” Kiethara said. Aaron chuckled.
“You still didn’t answer my question, though. Can he take them?”
“I don’t know,” he sighed. “Just…get to work.”
Aaron disappeared and Kiethara frowned. Something was certainly odd about him. First a cursed dream, then a threat of a magical burst, and now a discovery that there were more riddles to unravel…There was only one word for how she felt.
Overwhelmed.
