by Kealohilani
Arante handed Jharate’s bag to him with a peeved look on her face. Jharate returned her look with a determined stare and she looked away.
Lani noticed, but was grateful because she was pretty sure that Arante was going to keep whatever her feelings were to herself. An admirable quality. Maybe they could even become friends someday.
Lani could see that Jharate sensed Arante’s disapproval as well— but that he truly could not have cared less. That was what was most important in her eyes.
She sincerely believed in respecting parents and other family members. However, she admired men who stood up for true love against their family’s well-meaning opinions and advice.
A man who could do that with his family— respectfully— while never letting his woman doubt his feelings or alliance with her— even for a moment— was a rare man indeed. One more thing to be grateful for when it came to Jharate.
In Lani’s mind, love was no place for diplomacy. She felt that trying to please everyone only hurt the one who truly deserved the respect and loyalty— traits which when spread too thinly amongst multiple people could not be recognized as such anymore. She had always put her man first and it felt wonderful to have Jharate do the same for her.
Once Arante had capitulated and looked away, Jharate carefully squeezed Lani’s hand and looked down at her with a reassuring smile. Lani smiled back happily.
“Alright,” Arante began loudly. “Drakne and his men have somehow already reached this side of the lake. They’re at Asharen’s camp. Drakne is obviously not an idiot like Asharen. And Drakne has a much clearer chain of command— should anything happen to him— which we all know is more than unlikely.
“We need to move quickly and change routes as much as possible. Ten to one he has ruled out the direct path, so it may be best to start there— and then change to the winding path whenever we need more cover and back again when we don’t.”
Everyone nodded. It sounded logical to try to do the one thing that someone on the outside would not expect— even if it left them out in the open to start with. They began their journey, using the direct route.
Off in the shadows, the same glittering green eyes that had been intently staring at them deep in the Forest of Kar were again watching them now. As the group came closer the eyes turned and sped off ahead of them.
False Sense of Security
Chapter Nineteen
Lani and Jharate walked hand in hand at the back of the group. They had not let go of each other even once since he had taken her hand in his back at the tree. Lani could still feel the glowing feelings from the kiss inside her heart.
She found it kind of funny that— although the kiss had been wonderful— it had somehow rendered the two of them a little less talkative than usual. She kept looking up at Jharate, and he kept looking at her— and the two of them both smiled every time their eyes met as they walked. Still, no talking. After a while, Lani attempted to start a conversation.
“Soooo, what do you do for fun? I mean, when you’re not running for your life and saving damsels in distress.”
Jharate took so long to answer that Lani was almost startled by the sound of his deep serene voice.
“I have always enjoyed playing Tarsi,” he answered exultantly. “Between battles, of course,” Jharate added seriously, as if he did not want Lani to think him a ne’er-do-well.
“Of course! I would assume your duty always comes first from what I know of you.”
Jharate looked very pleased or relieved at her assessment as he nodded in acknowledgement. Lani couldn’t tell which. She stifled a laugh. He was so dang cute!
“What is Tarsi?”
“Tarsi is Trisaknen sport, played with two teams. Each team attempts to carry the ball to the opposite side in order to score a goal— while the other team attempts to stop them from doing so.
“The players may kick the ball, or carry it, or throw it between themselves and their teammates. If they are tackled, they must let go of the ball and move out of the way— in order for the other players to keep the ball in play.
“The game continues until the hourglass runs out. Whichever team scores the most goals, wins. I enjoy it immensely because of the fast pace and physical exertion. It is truly exhilarating.”
“Really?! That totally boggles my mind! That sounds just like rugby!”
“Rugby?”
“Yes. Rugby is a game in my world that is exactly like that! We have another one kind of like it too, American football— but they wear a bunch of protective pads and helmets and uniforms and stuff and the game keeps stopping with every tackle and things like that.”
“Are these boys who play the game you speak of?”
“Well they start when they are younger, but the men are the ones who play it professionally.”
“Why would grown men need protective uniforms to play a game?”
“Hmmm… I really don’t know… I always did say that ‘Real men play rugby.’ But then again, I have a lot of friends who played football— and they ranged from tough to hardcore— so I probably shouldn’t say that.”
Lani laughed nervously. She felt silly. She was rambling and she couldn’t seem to stop. She hoped that Jharate wouldn’t notice.
“What were your favorite diversions before you were pulled into this perilous world?”
“Oh, wow! There are so many things I like to do! I love the beach and swimming and snorkeling and surfing. I love reading and playing the piano.
“I like drawing and sculpting. And building things out of various objects from nature— like a small decorative boat I made from coconut husks and shells and driftwood and other natural debris I found on a beach one time. But painting is my fave!
“I obviously like writing too. I mean, I told you about the book I was writing. I never thought it was real though.”
Jharate looked highly amused.
“Oooh! I really like fencing!”
Lani’s smile faded for a brief instant. The memory of killing Asharen’s man with her sword flashed through her mind. It hit her like a ton of bricks. But she didn’t want to dwell on it right now. Not when everything was so lovely.
Jharate squeezed her hand supportively. Lani knew he was noticing her distress and she wanted to get things back on track before they lost even one precious minute. She reminded herself of Jharate’s words of wisdom and reassurance and took a deep breath. She forced her smile at first— but as she returned to her happy ramble, it quickly became real again.
“Sorry, where was I? Oh, yes! I love doing anything outdoors like hiking and camping and fishing and things like that— although with fishing I am more of a watcher than a fisher because I feel super guilty if I catch the fish… But I can eat it if someone else does. Oh, and I absolutely love watching movies.”
“Movies?”
“Oh, I wasn’t thinking. You wouldn’t know what they are. Am I correct in assuming that Alamea has plays— or theatre?”
“Yes, my love— of course we do,” Jharate smiled.
“ ‘My love’… I love that!” Lani managed to say between breaths. “Okay, well, a movie is kind of like a play— but it’s performed ahead of time— and a device called a camera records the image and it can be projected on a wall or a screen. That way it can be seen again later— in many places across our world at the same time— without the actors having to be there anymore. But you can see the performances, exactly as they were originally performed.”
“I see. I believe I understand. It sounds similar to Arante’s gift.”
“Wow! Really? What is her gift?”
“She can conjure images of objects— and of entire events, which have happened in a particular area. For instance, if something had occurred here— where we are walking— she would be able to recreate it, whether it was hours ago or even days ago. Sometimes longer.
“She can also create false images for strategy. Sometimes her images are quite convincing— duplicates of their tangible counterparts. However, her
images are most often partially-transparent.
“Such was the case with the lanterns Arante conjured in the canopy of the tree to give us light last night while you were sleeping. The lanterns disappeared slowly as the night progressed. Therefore, by the time the camp had settled in for the night, they had vanished on their own. However, she could have removed them instantly with her gift— or could have made them to last much longer and to appear completely solid— had we needed her to do so.”
“That’s sensational! I wish I hadn’t missed it! I would love to see her do that! That’s like something we only have in our fictional stories. We need computers to create anything close to a phenomenon like that!”
This reminded her of something she had been meaning to ask Jharate. She spoke before Jharate even had a chance to ask her what computers were. He laughed quietly and smiled an angelic smile as she continued and blushed happily back at him.
“Remember how you said you would teach me how to use my gift, because we are similar?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Is there any way to control it? Like, to get a vision of something on demand? And is there any way to send messages or send a vision to someone else? Are there any other things that go with it?”
Jharate pressed his lips together. However, his laughter burst forth despite his effort. Lani’s cheeks deepened in color as she realized why he was chuckling.
“I’m talking too much and too fast, aren’t I? I do that sometimes, you know. I just don’t seem to have an off switch when I am excited about something.”
“No, no, I love it! You are utterly delightful when you are enthusiastic,” Jharate said, still laughing.
Once he regained his composure, he smiled as he continued in a clear voice.
“I will attempt to answer all of your questions. Our gift is highly intuitive. It is not so easily controlled as those similar to Raoul’s and Arante’s gifts. They can be completely immersed in anger, fear, or frustration— and they will still have the ability to use their gifts, once they have mastered them.
“The gift of vision, however, will only work when the soul is balanced. No matter how long you or I have studied and practiced our gift— there must not be any significant disruption to our inner peace if we are to have any hope of controlling it.
“That is not to say that you will never receive a vision under those circumstances. Nevertheless, it will be impossible in that state to receive one ‘on demand’ as you put it.”
Lani listened intently— taking every word into her mind, purposefully, where it would never be lost.
“To receive a vision at will, you must focus and relax. You must clear your mind of any worries, thoughts, or feelings. You must be at complete peace with your life and with your surroundings.
“Then— and only then— will you be able to ask questions in your mind. Whenever you have achieved this state, you will often receive an answer in vision— or sometimes simply through a feeling.
“As for sending messages or visions to a person who is not expecting a vision— nor prepared to receive one— I have heard of it occurring. However, I have never experienced it myself. I have been told that it is extremely difficult and nearly impossible to do intentionally.
“Now, as for what else you can do with our gift— that is highly individual. There are many possibilities.
“Some can share emotions or memories with another individual and some can show their visions to others. Occasionally, one with the gift of vision can feel another’s emotions or sense things about character that would not be visible to the physical eye.
“As I have implied, there are limitless possibilities. It all depends upon the individual. I, myself, am able to share memories with others.”
“That’s wonderful! Could you share one with me?”
“I see no reason why I cannot.”
Jharate grinned. He stopped and turned to face Lani.
“We will need to stand still for a moment.”
As she stopped and faced him— he took her left hand and lifted it to his right temple. He then took his left hand to her right temple.
“Here. You must hold my right hand in your right hand like this,” he said, as he clasped her hand like he was about to shake it in greeting.
It reminded Lani of a science project she had made in fourth grade, which demonstrated closing an electrical circuit. This was much more fun, though! She felt a thrill of excitement flow through her as they connected.
“Close your eyes and take a deep breath.”
She closed her eyes and breathed as instructed— and he followed after her.
Everything was black. Blacker than closing her eyes usually was. She waited. A small, dim, pinpoint of light— as if it were at the end of a tunnel— appeared and brightened slowly. The light grew gradually larger and came closer and closer.
Suddenly, the light enveloped them and they were in an exquisite golden room. A huge, king-sized bed, with four posts and cream-colored satin draping from the wall behind it was the first object to come into Lani’s view.
A crystal chandelier hung from the center of the room. Near the window, in an ornately-carved rocking chair, sat a lovely woman. Her skin was creamy white. She had rich chocolatey-brown curly hair that fell to the middle of her back.
She held a newborn infant in her arms while her three-year-old son tugged at her intricately-embroidered dress— trying to see the baby. The woman smiled at the interest that her small son had in his new sibling.
“Come Jharate, sit on the window seat so that you can see your new baby brother.”
Young Jharate did as he was told— scrambling up awkwardly onto the window seat, which seemed too high for him. His mother laughed happily as she watched him climb.
“There,” Karsenia cooed, as she positioned the infant so that Jharate could see. “What do you think, my little angel?”
“What is his name, Mother?”
“His name is Keanu.”
“Khani?”
Karsenia smiled.
“No, sweetheart— Keanu.”
“That’s a hard name!” Jharate chirped in his adorable three-year-old voice that made Lani laugh with delight.
“It is a good strong name, like yours. And, like you, he is named after a good man.”
“What good man?”
“Not long after your father and I discovered your little brother would be coming down from Heaven to us, I was in another town helping a little boy just your age. On my way back home to you and your father, I found myself lost. A kind stranger stopped his carriage by the side of the road and inquired as to whether or not I was in need of assistance.
“I explained my trouble and he listened attentively. He could have merely given me directions. Instead, he helped me into his carriage and took me where I needed to go— despite the fact that it was many miles out of his way.
“When I returned, I relayed all that had happened to your father. He wanted to thank the man personally. However, I did not know where to find him. Therefore, your father decided to honor the man and his kindness by naming our unborn child after him.”
“I like that story!”
Karsenia smiled again. As the great door of the bedroom opened, a man came into the room. He was tall and strong, with rich brown skin that was a few shades darker than Jharate’s. He was ruggedly handsome and very large in stature. His muscles were enormous. He crossed the room to his wife and kissed her lovingly on the lips.
“How is the most beautiful woman in the world today?”
Karsenia positively beamed.
“Having a lovely day with our sons— and an even better day now that you are here, my handsome husband.”
“And how are our two fine sons doing?”
Karahn picked up Jharate effortlessly and swung him atop his shoulders. Jharate giggled freely as he answered.
“Very well, Father.”
“That is so good to hear! Did you know that you three are the most prized treasu
res I have? I love you all more than anything in this world— and I would do anything for any one of you.”
“I know that,” Jharate chortled happily, rolling his eyes with a big grin. “You tell us all the time.”
“That is because your father is a very good man. One day when you grow up and find a wife, you must remember his example. Treat her like the queen that she will be, and treat your children like the princes and princesses they will be.”
“I will, Mother,” Jharate assured, suddenly very serious.
Young Jharate squealed joyfully as his father swung him off his shoulders and down into his arms to tickle him.
Lani smiled gently. The room began to fade away down the long tunnel again into darkness. Once the deep blackness dissolved and she realized that she was staring at the back of her eyelids— she opened her eyes with a soft flutter.
“That was a beautiful memory, Jharate. I feel honored that you shared it with me. Thank you…”
Lani brought her hand down from his temple as Jharate did the same, but their right hands remained clasped together. Jharate became more serious now and he lowered his gaze to the ground. Lani brought her other hand up so that his right hand was now between both of hers, and squeezed it.
“It is my most precious memory. She died two years later. It broke my father’s heart. He continued to be an outstanding father— yet there was an empty space that I could always sense. He loved her so dearly… to have her gone so young… He is with her now.”
“I’m so sorry…”
Lani felt a lump rise in her throat. She knew her words were inadequate at best, but she had no idea what else to say. She gently caressed his arm. The corners of his mouth turned up ever so slightly, and he squeezed her hand tenderly in return.
“I miss them so very much,” he almost whispered.
“I understand. I’m sure they are watching over you now though. They are so loving. You are probably never alone.”
“Thank you. I know they are always with me. It feels as though I can almost hear them at times.”
