by Cathi Shaw
Thia watched that blood pool on the bed by his cheek. Now it was clear that Teague would die if he stayed her. Celeste could not sentence him to that.
I will go to the surface, Thia said, but you must let me take Teague with me.
Celeste looked at her, her expression unreadable. Thia sent out her feelings of fear and sadness.
Please, he will just die here. You felt it and now you know it.
Celeste sighed. Yes, he will die here but he may die on the surface as well.
Thia nodded. He may but he may not as well. Please, Celeste, let us try at least. You owe us that.
Thia felt a gush of liquid run down from her nose, her hands going to her face and coming away with blood.
Celeste watched her. We will prepare for you both to leave shortly.
Celeste sent three of The People with them. Two to carry Teague on a stretcher they’d devised and the other to lead the way. Celeste had explained that it would not be a fast climb. They would only go short distances each day and then rest until her body adjusted to the lessening depth. A fast surfacing could be deadly in its own way.
Delphine took Thia aside before they left. You must continue to practice your meditation, even while on the journey.
Thia nodded. Truthfully she couldn’t imagine not doing so. Her practice had been an essential part of her life.
You know that you have the ability to help him. Delphine glanced at Teague.
How? Thia asked.
The spell he’s under has disrupted his energy force. You need to reactivate it. You are the only one underground who reacts to Teague so strongly. Use that to your advantage. I know you can do this, Thia.
As Thia bid farewell to both Celeste and Delphine she felt a flicker of hope start in her mind. Maybe she could save Teague.
****
It took nine days to reach the surface. Celeste had explained that their guides would only take them there and then they would return to the Underground. Thia, with or without Teague, would have to find her own way to Séreméla.
Celeste wanted to avoid having an encounter with the Elders. Apparently there were still some of the Elders who remembered her and she had no desire to renew their acquaintance. This wondered what kind of animosity existed between the two races but her instinct had told her not to ask Celeste about it.
Thia's nosebleeds had stopped after the first three days of climbing and Teague had no reoccurrence of the bleeding. As they got closer to the surface, Thia felt her energy returning.
The People who had led them onto the surface and looked around distastefully.
I don't like the smell of this place, one of them said, extreme distaste projecting from him.
Thia didn’t agree. She was stunned at how long they’d been below ground. On the surface winter was fast disappearing and buds were appearing on the trees. The air smelled fresh, light with the scent of approaching spring. She couldn't see what was distasteful in the odor. She felt almost as though she were home again.
After settling them in a sheltered area beneath some trees, The People returned beneath ground as quickly as they could. Thia sent thanks and warm greetings to Celeste and Delphine through them.
Once she was sure they were gone, she sat beside Teague. He was lying still and motionless under the trees. She began to breathe slowly and deeply, clearing her mind of all her worries and fears. Once she achieved complete peace, she opened her eyes and studied Teague’s sleeping form.
She then took both his hands into her own and concentrated. As the tingling warning began to snake up her arm she focused her mind on the energy. As it began to surge through her, she firmly held onto it and then focused on directing it back into Teague. She closed her eyes and focused hard. Teague come back!
Nothing happened for several moments but as Thia rode out the energy bursts, redirecting each one back to Teague she felt a shift in the energy flow. Suddenly his eyes flew open.
Thia?
"Teague!" she said aloud, laughing in relief, while her eyes clouded with tears.
"You're holding my hands," he said with wonder.
She laughed and nodded. "I am."
Teague shook his head "But no one has ever been able to touch me."
We're on the surface, she said unnecessarily, automatically shifting to the more complete form of communication.
You didn't leave me? he asked.
Thia shook her head. I couldn't.
Teague smiled at her and she helped him sit up. He closed his eyes for a minute. Celeste had warned her that when Teague first woke he would be exhausted from the weeks of inactivity below ground.
It's gong to take a while for you to feel better, Thia told him. We can rest, we have supplies. She gestured toward the pile of supplies that The People had provided them with. There is no rush to move onto Séreméla until you're stronger.
And as she found some food for Teague, she felt a feeling of contentment wash over her. He was back with her. Optimism surged through her. She felt certain that good things were going to happen to them.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Kiara and Mina watched Caedmon stride across the lawn away from them.
"You two don't seem very close considering you spent the last two months together," Mina observed softly.
Kiara watched as Caedmon stopped to talk to two Elder girls, laughing and looking completely at ease and she felt a twinge in her heart. She turned to her sister. Mina was watching her with an expression of pity on her face. Kiara’s anger at Caedmon surged. She didn't want anyone's pity, not even her sister's. He’d put her in this position.
"Tell me what happened, Kiara. I hate to see you in pain," Mina urged, when Kiara looked away.
Kiara swallowed. Would it help to talk about it? She wondered. She looked at Mina; her green eyes were full of worry. Well, she reasoned, if it didn't help her at least it would perhaps ease Mina's worry for her.
"I guess it started before we left the Inn," she admitted thinking back to how Caedmon had helped her with her training.
Mina raised her eyebrows. "I remember you being very distrustful of him."
Kiara nodded. "Yes, you’re right. At first I didn't like him at all. But then you were hurt and he helped us get you back to the Inn. Once the Elders arrived, we were confined to the Inn and its grounds, forbidden to wander at all. It drove me mad," Kiara said remembering how frustrated she'd been.
"Caedmon felt the same and so we started training together." Kiara paused and smiled at her sister. "I guess that was when I realized I could actually learn a bit from him."
"Once we started on the journey, it was clear that Thia would not be able to keep up, so Teague found a cart for them to travel in. With Caedmon and I on horseback, we were thrown into one another's company even more. And then Weylon's idea for keeping suspicion off us while travelling emphasized the time we spent together."
Mina looked confused. "What was Weylon's plan?"
Kiara felt her face heat. "He insisted that we pose as married couples. He said it was the only explanation for our travelling with Outlanders."
Mina nodded thoughtfully. "It does make sense." Kiara was thankful that her sister didn't ask too many questions on that topic.
"After the cave in, I was without any supplies. My pack had been buried in the cave." She paused. "I was ... not myself at the thought of losing both Thia and you." She looked at Mina and her sister nodded, sympathy on her pretty face. "Caedmon found us shelter and forced me to stop trying to dig Thia out, which would have been futile anyway. Then he saved me from freezing to death by using his sleeping roll as shelter for both of us."
Mina didn't comment as Kiara told her of the long days and nights on the trip, how Caedmon and she had talked, shared their worries and concerns and how every night they had slept wrapped in one another's warmth.
"So why the distance now?" Mina asked after she heard Kiara's description of their relationship during the trip.
Kiara sat down and shook her head. "I
don't know what happened. Everything was fine until we were arrived at Revuover." She fell silent remembering the kiss. It was her first real kiss and it really should be a happy memory but Caedmon's behavior since the incident ruined it for her.
"What happened?" Mina prodded gently.
Kiara shook her head.
"Did Caedmon behave inappropriately toward you?" Mina asked, concern clouding her voice.
Kiara looked up in surprise. She didn't think her sister would jump to that conclusion. "No!" she said quickly. "No, nothing like that."
"I don't understand, Kiara."
She sighed. "I know. Remember how I looked when I arrived here. Dressed in that ridiculous outfit?" The blue dress had quickly been replaced with her usual garb of tunic and leggings when she arrived in Séreméla.
Mina smiled. "You looked beautiful."
Kiara snorted in disgust. "Well, it was Caedmon's idea that we procure fancy clothes so that we would not stand out in our travelling clothes. I’d lost my dress and all my other clothes in the cave in so you can imagine the state of the clothing I’d been wearing."
Mina nodded.
Kiara added, "When he first saw me in the fancy dress, Caedmon started looking at me differently. He said I looked like a girl."
Mina laughed, "That's one way to put it."
Kiara bit her lip. "Then he kissed me," she whispered.
Mina's eyes widened. "And how was that?"
Kiara looked down at her hands remembering the sensation of Caedmon's warm lips on her own and how she'd felt in that moment. How her stomach had dropped away. "Wonderful," Kiara admitted, "except right after that he started pulling away from me."
She told her sister how Caedmon had slept on the floor that night. “Then he rented the carriage and we arrived in Séreméla the next day. There was no opportunity to talk about what had happened," Kiara said miserably. "And you know how he's been since we arrived here."
Mina nodded soberly.
Kiara looked up at Mina. To her horror she felt tears filling her eyes. "I just miss him," she whispered. "This seems so stupid."
"Then why don't you talk to him?" Mina suggested gently.
Kiara took a deep breath and looked out the window at the greenness that characterized Séreméla. "Do you think that would help?" she couldn't help asking, hopelessly tingeing her words.
She felt Mina's hand on her shoulder. "I think that's the wrong question to ask, Kiara," she said gently. "I think what you should be asking is how could talking to him make it worse?"
****
The next afternoon, Kiara took Mina's advice and worked up the courage to go looking for Caedmon. She found him in the archery grounds with the same Elder girl he'd been with the previous day. Kiara felt her heart sink but then she forced herself to stick to her plan.
Rather than interrupt his training, Kiara walked up to the Elder who was in charge of the equipment and asked for a bow.
He smiled and gave her a beautiful bow and quiver of arrows so light they felt as if they were made of air. Kiara began making her way through the training grounds and soon she was so lost in the flow of training that she’d almost forgotten about speaking to Caedmon. In Séreméla the training grounds were both beautiful and challenging.
Half an hour later she looked up and saw him putting his bow away and preparing to leave the training area. The Elder girl was nowhere to be seen.
Gathering up her own archery things, Kiara strode over to where Caedmon was.
"Caedmon," she called as he started to turn away.
He paused and turned to her, his expression unreadable.
She set her bow and the arrows on the stand.
"Do you have time to talk?" she asked, hating how her stomach was churning nervously.
He didn’t look happy but he nodded reluctantly.
They exited the training grounds in silence. Then as if by unspoken consensus they headed towards the river where there would be few people this time of day.
As they continued to walk in silence, Kiara tried to think of an easy way to introduce the topic but she was coming up with blanks. Just as she was beginning to think that this was not such a good idea Caedmon stopped walking.
"Kiara, was there something in particular you wanted to talk to me about?" he asked carefully, his gaze somewhere over her left ear.
Stupidly she felt tears start to gather in her eyes. This was a disaster. How could one man reduce her to such an emotional response? This was a bad idea.
She turned her back and shook her head. "Never mind," she whispered.
Suddenly she felt Caedmon's hand on her arm as he tugged and softly coaxed her into turning back toward him.
"Kiara," he said gently, brushing the tears from her face, his voice echoing pain. "Has something happened?"
She looked down. "No, not really."
Caedmon sighed. "Look, you're clearly upset about something. Did I do something?"
She looked up at him then, suddenly realizing how ridiculous this was. She decided to find the courage she liked to brag that she had and just tell him.
"Why have you been so distant since we came here? I don't understand what I did to make you angry but I thought if we talked maybe you could explain and I could fix it."
He laughed darkly. "Fix it?" She was shocked by his bitter tone. "No. There's no way you can fix it."
Kiara stared at him stunned by his tone. "What did I do, Caedmon?" she asked not being able to keep the hurt from her voice.
He shook his head in frustration. "You didn't do anything in particular, Kiara." He sighed. "Look, I just realized things were changing between us and it would be better if we took control of it before we arrived here."
Kiara stared at him. "Changing how?"
Caedmon looked at her darkly. "That kiss was a long time coming. I didn't want to put you in an awkward position when we arrived here."
"Awkward how?" Kiara asked, confused.
He just looked at her silently.
"You didn't like the kiss?" she asked, anger building. "Did you just kiss me out of pity or something?"
Caedmon was the one who looked angry now. "I kissed you because I wanted to. I'd been thinking about it for days, weeks even." He stopped then added quietly, "and I still want to – that's the problem."
Hope lightened her heart. "You still want to?"
Caedmon shook his head. "Forget it," he said savagely. "It's my problem and I will get over it. But for now it's just easier for me if I stay away from you."
He brushed passed her heading back toward the lodgings.
"I liked it," Kiara called to his back and he froze. He stood there for a moment, then turned and looked at her, his expression guarded.
"What did you say?" he asked.
Kiara stood straighter, a smile on her lips. "I said I liked it." She looked down at her feet then back up at him. "I wish you'd do it again," she admitted softly.
Caedmon’s expression was stunned, then he took two large steps back to her and pulled her into his arms before he lowered his lips to her own with such speed at Kiara's breath was taken away.
When Caedmon lifted his head and gazed down at her, Kiara couldn't stop herself from laughing up at him.
"I've missed you so much," he said softly.
"Oh, Caedmon, I've missed you too." She wrapped her arms around him and nestled her head on his chest. "Can we stop being so silly?"
He nodded and kissed the top of her head then straightened. “Come on, let’s head back.”
They were both unaware of the dark shadowy figure watching them from the copse of trees. It waited until they had disappeared from the path and then it turned and disappeared through the trees in the direction of Council headquarters.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
When Teague was finally well enough to travel, Thia did as The People had asked of her. She erased all signs of their camp and destroyed the supplies they had left them with.
It's imperative that none of our technolog
y is left on the surface, Celeste had told her when she gave Thia the deconstruction device.
Now Thia stood with Teague on the edge of the camp and watched as what remained of their supplies wilted into the ground. All trace of her time with The People seemed to have been erased.
They set off in the direction of Séreméla. Although Teague was feeling well enough to travel, they didn't rush. It took all his concentration to move so they focusing on putting miles beneath their feet and didn’t talk much.
They'd gone half a day's journey when they saw two figures on the horizon.
Hunters? Thia wondered.
Teague squinted in the direction of the figures and then nodded.
Should we hide? Thia questioned but Teague didn’t answer. He seemed fixated on the figures in the distance. Teague?
Suddenly he gave a yell and began running toward the figures. What was he doing?
The distant figures froze and then the larger one gave a returning yell and suddenly they were galloping toward them. Thia looked for cover but there was no place to hide and besides they’d already been spotted thanks to Teague.
As the distance closed between them, Thia blinked her eyes in disbelief and then began to move toward the riders herself. It was Caedmon and Kiara.
"Thia and Teague! You're alive?" Kiara was off her horse and had her sister in her arms within seconds.
"We thought you were dead," Kiara whispered and Thia was surprised to see how close to tears her sister was.
"We're not,” Thia said assured her sister unnecessarily, happiness making her giddy.
"What happened?" Caedmon asked. "Did the tunnel actually lead to a way through the mountain?"
Teague nodded. "A roundabout one but it saved our lives," he said with a grin. Thia knew they would have to tell their siblings about the Underground but she was relieved Teague didn’t blurt it out immediately. And Kiara and Caedmon were too happy to see them to ask too many questions. She had to think about how she would reveal the secrets of Celeste and her People.
