The Kingdoms of Evernow Box Set
Page 65
“I agree,” said Azrael. “Because even people at the Capital who don’t get released, still don’t live for long. I think the Capital highly underestimated how important human contact is. It may have worked to rid the kingdom of the disease—if there was even such a disease in the first place—but ultimately it’s what led to the demise of the people.”
“You’ve really thought about this.” Freya nodded, seeming to be impressed, giving her the confidence to continue.
“It’s the small things as well as the big. You putting your arm around me just now when I was sad about Rani, took away some of my pain. Pain that normally I’d continue to carry. You picking up Bindi when she cries lets her know that she’s loved. Rani grasping my hand as we walked into battle gave me strength. It’s all these small things that heal us on the inside that make our bodies stronger on the outside. If you have a broken soul, you can’t possibly expect your heart to pump until your hair turns gray.”
Freya ran a hand through her own gray strands.
“I didn’t mean you, of course!”
“No, it’s okay. I hope you did mean me. Because the color of my hair is a privilege I didn’t expect to have in life. Each wrinkle on my face, each strand of gray that grows, is evidence I’m alive when the Capital wanted me dead. I hope all my children have gray hair one day.”
Azrael’s hand fluttered to her dark hair. She hoped so, too. She wanted nothing more.
“Do you think we look alike?” Azrael asked.
“A little,” said Freya.
“Do I look like my father?” Now she bit down on her tongue, not her lip. This was likely a question too far.
“I never saw his face. I’m sorry.”
Azrael put her own arm around Freya now. “Please don’t say sorry. I’m sorry I asked. I’ve found you and that’s enough for me.”
“You’re going to have a wonderful life,” said Freya. “I have a feeling you’re going to be the most powerful healer this kingdom has ever seen.”
“I’ll never be as powerful as you,” said Azrael, meaning it.
Freya shook her head. “It’s true I’ve been blessed with a gift, although, I suspect it’s present even stronger in you.”
“How can you think that?” Azrael asked.
“Because of your dreams. I have them too, but they’re nothing like yours. Not as vivid, not as certain, not nearly as powerful.”
“What does it feel like to heal someone?” Azrael asked. “What are you actually doing with your hands?”
“Feeling for energy so I can rebalance it. It’s like a vibration. You just said how important it is to be healthy on the inside in order to be healthy on the outside.”
Azrael nodded, keen to learn more.
“Why don’t we go to the Healing Room now and I’ll show you?” asked Freya. “The sooner I start teaching you, the better. There are a lot of broken souls on their way here from the Capital. We’re going to be very busy with our healings.”
“Can I join you in just a moment?” asked Azrael, not wanting to return under the ground so soon. It was difficult to get used to a life without the sky above your head.
“Of course. Come and find me when you’re ready.”
Azrael watched her mother return to the Colony, then scanned for Spector on the horizon, still turning circles in the sand. Perhaps he really was the eagle he insisted he was. And perhaps she was an angel. She did know things that other people didn’t seem to, and Freya was right in saying that her dreams were particularly vivid.
Would she be the most powerful healer the kingdom had ever seen? She wasn’t sure about that. But if she had even a small amount of Freya’s healing power then she could certainly try to repay her debt to the Colony. After all, she owed these people her life.
She looked at her palms in her lap, hoping they’d be able to sense the vibrations Freya talked about. She was certainly going to try. And whatever the case, she had her whole life ahead to figure all this out. And that life would be far longer than the one she’d expected to have back in the Capital, even if Rani was in love with someone else.
Perhaps sometimes friends did need to leave each other behind.
Rani’s destiny was to lead. And it seemed that perhaps hers was to heal.
She just hoped she didn’t let Freya down.
FREYA
THE EVERNOW
Freya placed her hand on Azrael’s bare feet.
“I’m going to work my way up, scanning your energy centers,” she said. “You don’t need to do anything. Just lie there, close your eyes and relax.”
Azrael nodded her consent.
“Now, normally I wouldn’t talk through a healing, but I’m going to explain to you what I’m doing, so you can learn.”
She lifted her hands from Azrael’s feet and scanned her body with the palms of her hands, hovering just over her, trying not to cringe at just how unbalanced this poor girl was. Although, this was totally normal for a reborn. Especially one who’d experienced the horrors of the Conception Center. But she’d healed the other reborns. She’d be able to heal her daughter, too.
“A number of your energy centers have been blocked,” she said. “I can feel this through my palms. It’s a tingly feeling, like a hot prickle. When it’s your turn to try, I’m certain you’ll be able to feel it too.”
She placed her hands lightly on Azrael’s stomach, which was one of her more compromised centers. Unlike her throat, which was one of her areas of strength, a sign of a good communicator, something that Azrael had certainly proven since her arrival in the Colony.
“Now I’m just going to move my hands through your energy pattern, pulling your energy field up and out to reset it.”
She worked on rebalancing Azrael’s energy, one center at a time until she’d worked her way up to the top of Azrael’s head.
“There’s energy all around us,” she said, continuing to knead her hands through her daughter’s energy. “Learning to feel it is a special skill that not everyone has, but once it’s mastered, it can be extremely powerful.”
“I can feel it already,” said Azrael, her eyelids fluttering open. “I feel lighter, like all the knots in my body have unraveled.”
“Don’t get up just yet,” said Freya, scanning Azrael’s body with open palms. “I can feel the edges of your energy field pulling back into balance. Give everything a few moments to settle into a new pattern. I think with a few more treatments we can have you feeling as good as new.”
Freya rubbed her hands together, enjoying the warm sensation as the tingling subsided. It felt good to be able to help people like this. Especially people she loved.
“You can sit up slowly now,” she said.
“That felt amazing,” said Azrael, rubbing her eyes. “Did you do this to us when we were first brought here?”
Freya nodded. “Of course.”
“That’s why we healed so quickly,” said Azrael. “I knew it was more than just food, water, and clean clothing. I felt so energized when I first woke up.”
“You respond well to this kind of healing,” said Freya. “You’ll remember how much more energy you had when you woke than Rani or Sharma had, despite you being in the worst state when you arrived.”
“That’s true.” Azrael blinked in agreement.
“Just another reason why I’m certain you have the touch.”
“The touch?” Azrael tilted her head.
“One of the special few who are sensitive to energy. Would you like to try it on me and find out?” she asked.
“I don’t want to disappoint you, if I don’t.” Azrael looked away.
“You could never disappoint me,” Freya said, taking her hand and stroking her fingers lightly. “I love you no matter what. You must know that.”
Azrael seemed to force a smile as she sat up and swung her legs off the bed. “Let’s find out if I have this touch then.”
They switched places and soon Freya was lying down with Azrael standing beside her.
Azrael moved her hands over Freya’s body, biting her bottom lip as she concentrated.
“I can’t feel anything yet.”
“Don’t try too hard,” said Freya. “You can’t force it. Take your time to tune in. When you feel it, you’ll know.”
Azrael took in a deep breath and moved her hands up and down from her feet right up to her head. Freya wasn’t worried just yet. It took some healers a number of sessions before they felt anything.
But when Azrael paused over her stomach, Freya held her breath and waited, certain there’d been a shift.
“I think I can feel something,” said Azrael. “It’s like little vibrations. I’m not moving my hands. They seem to be moving themselves.”
“That’s right. Just focus on that feeling and it’ll get stronger.”
Azrael nodded, her face deep in concentration, as she proceeded to move her hands.
“Trace the outline of what you can feel,” instructed Freya, watching as Azrael moved her hands in an even line over her torso then lifted them high in the air when she got to her head.
“Is that right?” said Azrael. “I feel like the energy around your head is right up here.”
Freya smiled. Her daughter had the touch. She was anxious over the pending return of her husband and son. This would be manifesting in the energy center in the top of her head. Only someone with the gift of the touch would’ve been able to detect this so accurately.
“That’s right, my daughter,” she said, with tears stinging her eyes. “Now I want you to pull your hands through that blockage, drawing the energy up and out.”
She watched as Azrael did as she was told, her movements swift and natural, like she’d been born to do this.
Freya breathed a sigh as she felt her anxiety clear. She spent so much time healing others, it was sometimes easy to forget that she too sometimes needed healing herself.
“Am I doing it right?” asked Azrael.
“It’s perfect.” Freya nodded, closing her eyes and letting her daughter take over. Her arrival at the Colony had healed Freya’s heart and it seemed her ongoing presence was going to heal her body too. The other healers she’d trained hadn’t learned the skill as quickly as this, nor had their healings been as immediately effective. With Azrael by her side, maybe, at last, she’d be able to let go of all the damage she’d experienced at the hands of the Capital.
“You’re crying,” said Azrael, stilling her hands.
“I’m happy,” said Freya, reaching out her hands.
Azrael pressed her palms to Freya’s and she felt her pain slide free.
AAROW
THE EVERNOW
Aarow stood at the top of the very same dune where he’d first seen Rani sheltering under the Joshua tree. Only this time she was standing beside him, which was most definitely where he preferred her to be.
Toran and Jinn were also with them, taking their animal hides and laying them on the hot sand.
Excitement pulled at Aarow’s stomach. He couldn’t wait to share some dune sliding fun with Rani. Everything had been so serious since they’d met. It would be great to just let everything go and feel the wind in their hair and the thrill of being totally in the hands of gravity.
“Are you sure you want to do it?” he asked Rani for the third time since arriving at the top of the dune.
“Of course. I told you. I’ve been locked in my bedchamber for far too long. I want to experience everything.” She grinned at him as if to prove it and he smiled at her tenacity. It was new for him to spend so much time with a girl who was so brave and eager to live a full life.
“You go first,” he said to Toran and Jinn.
His friends formed a circle with him and they knocked their fists together.
“Boom!” They splayed their hands and Aarow glanced at Rani, laughing to see a bewildered expression on her face.
“Don’t ask,” he said to her. “It’s just something we’ve done since we were kids.”
She shook her head and unleashed one of her heartbreaking smiles.
Toran had been towing the bulk of their supplies on a separate hide and he pushed it off the edge of the dune first, watching it rocket its way down to the bottom.
Rani gasped. “Will we go that fast?”
Before Aarow could answer, Toran and Jinn jumped on their own hides and set off after their supplies, whooping and hollering. He didn’t have to be able to see their faces to know they’d be smiling widely, despite the grains of sand that would be flying into their faces. It was impossible not to smile while sliding across the sand.
“We can walk down if you’d prefer,” he said, giving her one last chance.
Rani grinned at him. “Scared?”
Aarow laughed. “Okay then. Let’s do it.”
He sat down on the hide and patted the space in front of him between his legs for Rani to sit. They’d travel faster with their combined weight, although he wasn’t prepared to let her go on her own. It’d be too risky if she wasn’t able to hold on. Besides, she didn’t weigh very much so hopefully the speed wouldn’t increase by too much.
She sat down in front of him and he shifted his legs to lock her into place.
“I won’t be able to hold onto you,” he said. “I’ll need to hold onto the hide.”
“Should I sit behind you?” she asked.
“No, because if you let go, you’ll go flying. If you’re in front of me, the speed will push you back into me. And you can hold onto my legs.”
She nodded and looped her arms through his bent knees.
The proximity of having her sitting so intimately was almost a little too much to handle. They were going to need to set off soon before he gave in to the temptation and turned her face to kiss her.
“Quickly!” she said. “Before I change my mind.”
He leaned forward and gave her a peck on the cheek, before digging his hands into the sand and pushing them off.
The hide began to slip, and he took hold of the edges, hugging Rani firmly between his thighs. It was officially too late to change their minds now. He just had to hold on tight and hope she enjoyed it as much as he did.
Their speed increased and Rani was pushed back into him until her hair worked its way free from her veil and was whipping him in the face. He leaned forward so his cheek was pressed against hers and her hair flew out behind them like a black sail.
He held on tighter as their speed increased, enjoying the sensation of flying at a greater speed than he’d traveled before, with the girl he loved experiencing this moment with him. Their bodies were pressed so close and the experience so intense that it felt like they were two halves of the one being.
Unlike Toran and Jinn and the hollering noises they made all the way down, Rani remained silent, leaving Aarow unable to tell if she was terrified or enraptured by the experience. Either way, her feelings had to be intense. It’d be impossible not to be moved by the sensation of flying over the sand.
“I love you!” he shouted, unsure if the wind swept away his words before they had a chance to land in her ear.
He couldn’t help it. He knew he was supposed to be moving slowly with Rani, but right now, in this moment, nothing else in the world mattered other than his love for her.
She remained silent, leaving him certain she hadn’t heard him. He didn’t mind. They had their whole lives for him to tell her that he loved her. Hopefully, one day she’d even say it back to him.
He held his breath as they slid over a particularly steep part of the dune, racing toward the bottom where Toran and Jinn stood cheering them on, their two figures getting larger and larger with each moment.
Reaching the base of the dune, they scuttled across the flat sand, eventually skidding to a stop.
When he felt safe to let go, Aarow released his grip on the hide and wrapped his ar
ms around Rani’s shoulders.
She turned around and he caught the first glimpse of her face, thrilled to see the enraptured glint of joy in her eyes.
“That was incredible!” Her breath was coming in short gasps and she threw her arms around him, tipping him backward so she was lying on top of him.
He lifted his head to catch her kiss and they broke away, laughing at all the sand stuck to their lips. It was like trying to kiss a cactus. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve as she did the same and they tried again, kissing each other through the rough grains of sand.
Toran and Jinn came running to them, roaring with laughter.
Jinn threw himself on top of them and made kissing sounds, having far too much fun at their expense.
Aarow felt Rani freeze and stiffen, her eyes wide. She may have become comfortable with his touch, but she clearly wasn’t comfortable with anybody else going near her.
Jinn must have sensed this too, as he leaped to his feet and smoothed down his clothes, seeming unsure if he should apologize or not.
“Sorry, Rani,” he said.
She shook her head and smiled. “It’s okay.”
“Did you love it?” asked Toran, unaware of what’d just taken place.
“It was brilliant,” said Rani. “Better than anything I’ve ever done in my life. Well, almost.” Her eyes trailed to Aarow’s lips and he hoped she was thinking about kissing him because he knew he was. There was no more exhilarating feeling than that.
“Give me a hand with the supplies,” said Toran, punching Jinn playfully on the arm.
The two of them loped over to where the supplies had come to rest at the bottom of the dune.
Aarow stood and held out his hand to help Rani up.
“I’m so glad you enjoyed it,” he said.
“I want to do it again.” She bit down on her bottom lip, her body jiggling at the thought of it.
“There’ll be more opportunities on the way back,” he said. “Come on, let’s go to the river and get all this sand off us so I can kiss you properly. It’s your favorite thing, remember?”