by Kealohilani
The men all placed their fists over their hearts and bowed their heads.
“WHY ARE YOU ALL STILL STANDING HERE?! GO!”
All but one of his men ran to carry out his orders. As the others fled, Rutghar shrank in size while his grey ponytail and thick armor morphed into supernaturally-silver feathers— until he became a sleek and sinister-looking hawk. Rutghar flew off with a shrill cry and was soon out of sight.
Drakne clutched his scalp in irritation. He had been chasing these people for far too long! They were having too much luck. Someone must be helping them.
Once again, he thought of the girl. Why couldn’t I kill her? Why had he even hesitated? She was exquisite. Could he have been so weak as to be blinded by something so common as physical attractiveness? No, beauty could never sway me… Could it?
She must be more powerful then she looked. The vision he had seen of her disturbed him. The power he had sensed from her was beyond imagination.
He was not intuitive and had never experienced an intuitive gift before. He did not like it at all. It made him feel— and he tried to stay neutral and in absolute control at all times.
It must have come from her somehow. Was it possible that she was too powerful for him to kill in a direct attack? Although that idea was incomprehensible— at the same time, it felt correct. Maybe it would take something more subtle.
After all, even his master feared a woman. Perhaps she was the one. He needed to change his tactics. He needed to study her carefully before making his next move, in order to avoid another incident like the one he had just experienced.
Even though he had not been able to hit her heart— an unprecedented miscalculation— the purple spell ball he had thrown at her would start to weaken her protection rapidly. He considered the matter for a moment. The right corner of Drakne’s mouth went up into a smirk. Did this woman really think that she could beat him?
He scoffed at her arrogance. It was weeks to the nearest town— now that he had diverted them from the direct route. That meant that he would have plenty of time to break her— if the spell did not finish the job for him.
Lani came through the portal into the sanctuary and doubled over, grasping her lower back. She took a couple of deep breaths and rubbed the area slowly.
“Ouch! Does that portal always hurt that much?”
“I have never stepped through this enchanted ring before. I feel no pain, myself. However, it is quite disorienting. Are you well, my love?”
“Yes, I think so. My back just hurts a little.”
Lani smiled as Jharate tenderly caressed her back. She loved how attentive he was. She relaxed and allowed the pain to drift away beneath his touch.
The expressions on the faces of all around her turned Lani’s attention to the surroundings. She joined them in their awe as she took in the intricacies of their refuge.
They were in a vast and magnificent cave. Its walls luminesced and looked as though they were made of abalone shell. An unseen source of light made them glow from within.
The air was fresh and pleasantly cool. Both she and Jharate took in deep, satisfying breaths. She smiled at the wonderment in his eyes as he beheld the cave. She felt the same way as she continued to survey their surroundings.
A bubbling spring burst forth from the center of the main cavern and emerged from a very large white marble bowl atop a matching five-foot tall pedestal. As the water filled this bowl, it flowed steadily over its curved-lip edges and formed a dome-like sheet of water— which fell continuously into the pool below.
Its water was as crystal-clear as the twenty equidistant sparkling goblets— set around the fountain’s green marble rim. The rim was wide enough for twenty people to comfortably sit atop— around the fountain— with room to spare in-between them.
On the ground— leaning against the fountain— were twenty new leather rucksacks with gold buckles and fasteners. Attached to the bags were canteens and bedrolls. Lani saw Jaresh searching inside one of the bags and noticed that it was full of supplies and tools and dried meats and dried fruits. Neatly stacked against one of the cave walls— about fifteen feet away— were some new shower stalls, which doubled as stretchers, and which were also loaded with supplies.
At the far end of the cave was a large and graceful waterfall. It sparkled like sapphires and flowed into a pond full of fish. Many delicious-looking fruits and vegetables grew near this pond on heavily-laden trees, on bountiful bushes, and in the ground in perfect rows— with pictures of each vegetable depicted on shiny copper tags attached to little posts. Lani laughed quietly as she noticed what Justin was discovering.
He grabbed a nearby net and scooped out a bright lavender fish. The moment the fish was out of the water, an identical fish popped out of nowhere in midair and splashed into the water below it to swim happily with the others!
Justin laughed much louder than Lani did as he found that whatever he took was immediately replaced. His giant grin seemed almost permanent as he got busy with his plans for a meal.
“This is awesome! Anyone see a frying pan or a knife?”
Wandering around the enormous cave, everyone else was too engrossed in their own discoveries to answer. He shrugged and continued to search happily on his own.
Lani looked to see if she could locate what he sought. But she didn’t see anything either. She gasped and felt her stomach turn over as she saw him eyeing his battle-axe! It was completely clean and shiny— she found that odd, but stranger things had happened— but magically-clean or no, that was totally gross!
“Justin, don’t you dare!” Lani called out.
“I know, I know! I’ll find something else,” Justin grumbled, thwarted.
Lani sighed in relief. Jharate had not noticed Justin’s request either, as the cave had him enthralled. Lani thought about asking him for his knife— but knowing how Justin was, she thought he would have a lot more fun discovering things on his own anyway. Plus he was a lot of fun to watch when he got this way. She squeezed Jharate’s hand happily.
“It is beautiful, is it not, my love?”
“It’s gorgeous!” Lani smiled.
Jharate kissed the top of her head and Lani turned and stood on tiptoe to kiss Jharate’s cheek. She returned to watching Justin. Lani saw Justin’s gaze fall upon an empty fire pit that was surrounded by a low stone circular wall, with a very wide flat ledge on top of it.
There, on the ledge, sat several copper wire baskets stacked neatly on top of each other. The shiny spit had multiple tines for these baskets to attach to— and a crank to turn the mechanism for even cooking. In one giant and energetic leap, Justin was beside the fire pit.
He took the fish out of the net and put it in one of the wire baskets and set it back on the wall. Before he could take another step, he stopped dead in his tracks. His mouth fell open and his eyes opened wide.
“What is it, Justin?” Lani called across the main room.
“Holy mind-blowing convenience, Batman! The fish is boned and filleted!”
A fire burst into a perfect blaze inside the fire pit, ready to broil the fish.
“AWESOME! I may never leave!” Justin laughed in a half-giddy, half-maniacal sort of way. The volume of Justin’s voice finally drew Jharate’s full attention— as well as the attention of several of the rebels.
Justin ran and grabbed two fistfuls of vegetables straight out of the ground, without even glancing at the tags. He put his selections, as is, in the basket and watched expectantly. Everyone watched with him.
“Ha! Julienned to perfection! ‘Not too sweet, not too rancid’ Holy cow! Gordon Ramsay couldn’t do better! And I didn’t even have to clean them! This place is too good to be true!”
Lani laughed delightedly. She loved seeing him this happy. His exuberance was contagious. The rebels who had been watching returned to their conversations and exploration. Jharate raised one eyebrow.
“Are cows considered holy in your world?” Jharate asked Lani, as he handed her a goblet full of
the crystal clear water.
“No. I mean, yes— in some places. Not where we’re from though. It’s just an expression meant to convey surprise or excitement.”
“I see.”
“Thank you for the water, my love,” she said as she sipped the ultra-refreshing liquid gratefully.
“It is always my pleasure to serve you, Lani.”
“Wow! That’s the best water I’ve ever tasted!”
“I am so glad it pleases you. I am in agreement with your assessment of its quality.”
Lani giggled softly in appreciation and squeezed Jharate’s hand. She loved his desire to make her happy, but his formality was so adorable!
She finally tore her attention away from the joyful spectacle that was Justin, as fresh glittering tropical-looking pink, purple, blue, and white flowers— which grew near the waterfall— caught her eye. Their wonderful perfume floated through the air. She inhaled deeply and felt an instant sense of peace and wellbeing.
Next she noticed a double ring of trees and ran over to them— still holding Jharate’s hand— who easily kept up with her. He smiled at her enthusiasm. Together they counted twenty silver gossamer hammocks strung between the inner ring of trees and the outer ring of trees— which happened to be the exact number of the remaining rebels.
Lani turned to Jharate and her eyes widened slightly again. He seemed different. She looked down at herself and she, too, was different. They, like Justin’s weapon, had been completely cleaned.
They were more than clean. There wasn’t a smudge or smear from the battle left on them. Their clothes looked as if they were brand new and had just been washed, dried, and ironed. Every last scratch they had received in battle had healed. Even Lani’s tank had repaired itself!
The two of them walked back to the fountain. Scanning the main room, Lani saw Raoul double and triple checking Erik’s arm. Amazement was apparent on both of their faces as they noticed that there wasn’t even a bloodstain or tear in his shirt.
Lani lifted her hand to her left temple. It was healed. A fact that Raoul also double and triple checked. And her hair felt full, silky, and tangle-free.
In addition to all of this, everyone had perfectly-styled hair. Kendra was complimenting one of the female rebels on this very detail.
“You look so beautiful, Te‘era! You should wear your hair like that more often.”
“Thank you, but it is not very practical for battles.”
“Kendra is right though. You look absolutely gorgeous!” Lani chimed in.
At that same moment, Lani caught a reflection of herself and discovered that her hair looked the way it felt— full, silky, shiny and straight. She looked as if she had just had her hair washed and blown dry at a salon— where they had then proceeded to brush her hair a thousand times and had finished it off with a hair-shine product.
The rest of the band of rebels looked as though they might be ready for a costume party back on Earth— or a movie poster photo shoot— rather than having come straight from a battlefield in Alamea.
Even more impressive than the physical changes was the general feeling of emotional wellbeing. Everyone seemed peaceful, relaxed, and some— as in Justin’s case— downright playful. It was as though the terrible losses from the battle had not happened— like the burden of grief and suffering had been removed for now. Like all pain and loss had been lifted. Washed away. Healed. Both from recent and far past alike. Lani had not felt like this since she was a little girl.
“What is this place?” Lani asked, musing.
Arante was quick to answer with a proud smile on her face.
“This is the fabled Pure of Heart Sanctuary. The entrance only reveals itself when good people are in danger. If we had passed by under normal circumstances, we would have only seen the mountain wall.
“I haven’t ever known anyone personally who has been inside of it, so I was desperately hoping that it actually existed when we retreated from the battlefield. Luckily— it does! Only people with a pure heart may enter. Any evil person who attempts to come inside will be punished, just for trying.”
“How long can we stay here?” Justin asked, just before taking a big bite of food from his overly-loaded plate with his overly-loaded golden fork.
“Well, that’s the trick… According to legend, you can stay indefinitely. There is no time limit. However, there comes a point where— if you stay too long— your heart will not remain pure because it is selfish to stay longer than necessary.”
“Shelfish? Whah wouldit be shelfish?” Justin asked with his mouth full.
“Good people are needed to win a war, right? And if all the good people could just run in here and stay forever, evil would win on the outside. It was designed to give righteous warriors a respite, which would be long enough to heal— and to give them some much-needed food, rejuvenation, and sleep— but not to be a permanent sanctuary.”
“So what happens if someone tries to stay too long?” Lani asked.
“It depends. If you just stay too long unknowingly, then it will eventually just kick you out when it is safe enough to venture outside. But— if you purposely try to stay for too long— you will meet the same end as if you were not pure of heart when you stepped through the ring in the first place.”
“Forgive me for not knowing, but what end would that be?”
“The sanctuary will literally split your body in two and spit you out.”
“Oh…” said Lani, slightly taken aback. “Well then…”
Lani suddenly felt extremely dizzy and staggered back. Jharate caught her to keep her from falling and handed his goblet to Arante so that he could free his other hand. Arante took Lani’s glass as well.
“Thank you, Arante,” Lani quavered, as she tried to focus and blinked to get her bearings again.
“No problem, Lani. You look like you need to rest. I’ll just take these back to where they belong. You are in good hands with my cousin.”
“Thank you, Arante,” Jharate added.
“No prob, Cuz,” Arante replied as she left.
“What’s wrong with me?”
“I believe that you are simply exhausted. You have fought well this day, my love.”
“But everyone else seems fine.”
“You are not ‘everyone else’ and I am grateful for that fact.”
Jharate easily scooped her up in his arms and carried her toward the hammocks. She felt a rush of excitement as her feet left the ground and she leaned her head against his chest as he walked.
He gently set her down in one of the silvery hammocks. It was impossibly comfortable! Like what Lani imagined sleeping on clouds might be. Lani sighed happily as all of the weight seemed to disappear from her body.
She looked to her left at the center space within the smaller ring of trees and saw that it was lush and grassy and dotted with clusters of the same fragrant flowers that she had noticed earlier near the waterfall. A pair of snow-white peacocks strolled peacefully amongst them— the male fanning his tail from time to time.
The sound from the rest of the cave was somewhat muted— including the sounds of the fountain and the waterfall— which would allow for more uninterrupted sleep. And it was warmer here. However, a gentle breeze kissed her skin.
Jharate took the hammock next to hers and took her hand as they each lay in their own hammock. They stared at the ceiling above the trees, which resembled the Alamean night sky— even though it was still daytime.
“Jharate?”
“Yes, Lani?”
“How did I ever get so lucky as to find you?”
She gazed at the simulated stars above her with a smile on her face and waited for his answer. He always said the sweetest things— so she was excited to hear what he would come up with next. She waited and waited and waited.
He didn’t answer. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He didn’t show the slightest sign of response. In fact, it didn’t even seem as if he thought he had been asked a question.
Maybe the muted acoustics had somehow combined with the fact that she had whispered her question and therefore he had not been able to hear her. She looked back up at the pseudo sky, replaced the smile on her face, and tried again.
“I said— how did I ever get so lucky as to find you?”
Again there was no answer. She frowned slightly. She was sure she had been loud enough to be heard that time.
Maybe he just didn’t know how to answer that question modestly. She forced the smile back onto her face as she continued to look above her and tried something else.
“I love you, Jharate.”
Silence. Okay… that she knew he knew how to answer. And she was equally sure that she had said it loudly enough. What was going on? She turned to look at him.
His eyes were open— so there went the possibility that he had just fallen asleep. He was just lying there— still looking at the ceiling— but he wouldn’t answer her. Why?
A jolt of terror seized Lani’s heart. This moment was getting far too close to resembling one of the many things that Josiah had done.
But Jharate was far beyond Josiah in maturity and had already done so many of the right things at the right times. Jharate had never let her doubt his love before— so what could this mean?
Was the magic of their relationship already fading for him? He had always responded instantly prior to this moment. Well, at least he was still holding her hand. That had to be a sign, right? The instant she thought this, he pulled his hand away from her so quickly it made her jump.
Another icy jolt struck Lani’s heart. Why had Jharate done that? Was it something she had said? She didn’t understand.
Again she was reminded of Josiah Harding. He had pulled his hand away from her in public. But that was because he was too shy to handle being seen at first. And Jharate had been fine holding her hand in front of everyone— even with giving her little kisses publicly from time to time. What was happening?
“Do you even care about me?”
Jharate was still lying on his back, staring at the ceiling with a flat expression on his face. Lani saw lavender ripples in the air around Jharate and his hammock. She blinked and they disappeared. Her heart beat a little faster. She felt sick to her stomach and tried to swallow her sadness before speaking again. Her eyes were burning now.
