"Don’t they hate each other?" I asked. Rini took off running towards our camp, though it was over twenty minutes away by foot. I caught up to her on my psi ball.
"It’s faster if you fly," I said, watching her take off.
Back at camp, Souta was suspended in the air above Kyle. Souta had a bruised eye while Kyle had a scratch down his right cheek. Rini lunged at him, screaming. Kyle threw him aside and started to walk off. Rini moved to catch Souta before he hit the ground.
"You’d better watch out," Kyle said, touching his wound. "He’s learning how to control his transformations. You don’t want to be around him when he ascends."
Souta aimed a spit ball at Kyle, managing to hit his leg. I followed him away from Rini and Souta, though giving them an apologetic look.
Kyle clenched and unclenched his fists repeatedly. "I did just what you asked. I started to light the fire when he showed up. He started to yell at me about how lighting the fire was his job, then he transformed and attacked me," he said angrily, then shivered. "I could have died officially if he was trained better." He looked at me. "Died. I’ve never worried about that before now, but I seriously could have."
I grabbed his hand and tugged on it, hoping he would stop. "We hadn’t planned who would light the fire, it wasn’t your fault," I told him. "Let me see your cut."
He smiled slightly. "I’m fine, it won’t do anything to me," he said, but let me check it anyway.
"It’s fine, but I still wanted-" I paused. "You haven’t fed yet."
"I haven’t had a chance," he replied. I frowned at him, and he laughed.
"How much longer before you run out of time?" I asked.
He paused, as if deciding wether or not to tell me the truth. "I won’t lie to you. I have less than a week." He cast his eyes to the ground.
I glared at him. "You will feed before we get to our destination," I said sternly.
Kyle took my hands. "I know, I will. Tomorrow, you’ll understand why I chose then when the day rolls around," he told me with a soft smile, looking almost sad.
I leaned up to him, then pulled back down and settled for a hug. He hugged me back, though confused. "Why no kiss?" he asked.
"No kiss for you until you feed," I told him, breathing deeply through my nose, enjoying the smell of his shirt.
"Well fine then, be that way," he replied with a chuckle. His chuckle reverberated through his chest.
"We should probably get back," I said after a few moments, though not letting him go.
"Probably," he replied, still hugging me.
We stayed like that for another ten minutes when my legs started to give from exhaustion. It was getting late and I had done a lot of training today. We walked back to camp.
The ocean rolled out as far as the eye could see at the border. Kouseitan’i was a large island, but we had crossed from the centre of it all in around a week’s time, excluding our weeks of training.
"This is the end of the human country," Rini said. "All that’s past here is water. The King’s men have searched past here by boat many times."
Kyle laughed and waded into the water. "Maybe you just haven’t looked hard enough," he said with a grin and took a handful of wet sand. "Now follow what I do."
Each of us waded in and took a fist full of sand. Kyle threw his into the air and let it hit him. The next thing we knew, he was gone. I did the same, letting the sand hit me. It just barely touched my skin when I felt like I was one with the air. Barely a moment later I felt my normal self again. Souta showed up next, followed by Rini. Her eyes were closed tightly.
"You can open your eyes, Rini," I said. She opened her eyes. "It didn’t work."
"Yes it did," Kyle told her. "Our world and the human world look the same. Well, they are the same. We are just in a different dimension. This dimension is the original while the human world is a copy made by a power-hungry wizard."
"Sure . . . I’ll believe that . . . for now."
"I can’t believe she didn’t even notice we’re facing the opposite direction but we never moved," I whispered, though only Kyle heard. He chuckled softly.
Around a mile from the beach where our horses should have been were two Hippogriffs. "What? No dragons?" Rini asked sarcastically.
"They don’t like Vampires," Souta whispered with a wink. I frowned and climbed up behind Kyle.
"First we’re going to Chikara. When we get there I will stay a mile away at our meeting place," Kyle told us. I frowned but didn’t question him.
We flew in silence for a few minutes before I spoke. "Why don’t dragon’s like Vampires?" I asked with my cheek pressed against his back.
"We got along fine for a very long while, we even used a few in the war against Werewolves. One of them was injured and it started to bleed everywhere. They are a very scarce race so we tried to save it. Our spit has healing abilities, generally used if we want to sample someone’s blood or change them. Anyway, it’s rider jumped off and started to lick the wound to seal it before it died, but after a moment, he went crazy and started to tear the wound open more so he could get more of it’s blood. Dragon blood is like a drug to us, it smells sweeter than even your blood, and yours is quite sweet, but it tastes twenty times better than the worlds greatest candy to humans. We become hooked almost right away and need more to live. In the end, we must be chained enchanted by the Gods themselves until we miss our last chance for feeding and fade away," he said solemnly.
"I see," I whispered, rubbing his stomach without meaning to.
Kyle enjoyed this for a few more moments before landing the Hippogriff. "Here is where I must bid you farewell. I will see you again soon," he said, kissing me lightly. As I took off I gave him a small wave and caught up with Rini and Souta.
The whole time we were in the village I was distracted. I came to when the chief mentioned us being sisters and Rini sounded confused. Why didn’t Kyle tell her? Well, we were thrown out of the village, Souta seemed upset, but Rini was miserable.
When we met up with Kyle I was forced to ride with Rini. We took a break at a hot spring along the way, but Kyle still wouldn’t let me anywhere near him. Damn Werewolves. While Rini soaked, I washed myself repeatedly to hopefully remove the scent, but it hardly worked.
"How do I get this Godforsaken stench off of me?!" I yelled over the rock wall.
"Strongly scented soap or to be smothered by a Vampire," he yelled back.
"Which do I get?"
Silence. "We’ll try both. Use the soap first."
"Rini, do you have . . . thank you," she handed me a bright pink bar of soap.
After I lathered and rinsed a few times, I sunk into the water. "How you feeling?" I asked.
Rini looked up. "Oh, I’m alright," she replied.
"You sure? We can talk if you want."
She paused. "I just feel so betrayed. Was he pretending to like me this whole time?"
I shook my head. "I highly doubt it. I saw the way he looked at you, he really did like you," I told her with a smile. "Oh, and to Kyle, quit eavesdropping."
Rini smiled. "I’ve always trusted my gut, I’m not about to stop now!" I said.
"Thanks."
We climbed out of the water and headed off down the hall to change. Kyle slid open his door and walked off after us. We changed back into our clothes, I chose my training kimono, and prepared to carry on.
I stood in front of Kyle with my arms spread. "Well? I lathered at least twenty times, do I still reek?" I asked. He inhaled deeply and shrugged.
"I’ll fix your smell later, though your clothes are helping." He helped me up, then mounted his own. Rini climbed up behind me and we took off.
"By the way, why didn’t you tell me that me and Amaya were sisters?" Rini asked Kyle.
"I though Amaya would tell you and you smelled so much like that Werewolf that I might have actually hurt you," he said. "It will take three days to get to the castle."
"Hey, that cloud looks like a turtle," Rini said, pointing ahead of us.
"Ah, yes, that is where the Gods of nature live, they watch over the Great Tree, it is off in the distance there," Kyle said, pointing to our right. Though trees in both the human world and the supernatural world were tall and wide, this tree was ginormous. It was over three times the size of the tallest tree we could see and five times as wide.
"If this world is the original, why doesn’t our world have a Great Tree?" Rini asked.
"You destroyed it. It was burned to the ground by the first King’s men so he could build his palace. Though it was a good thing because the Great Tree is the source of magic for people. Anyone who drinks a cup of tee made from one of its leaves will gain witch or sorcerer magic abilities, depending on their gender. That’s where magicians came from in your world. The originals drank a cup and obtained magic, but we called them magicians because their family was not magical. Their offspring obtained some of their powers, but they kept weakening through each generation," Kyle told us with a grin.
"Oh," was all Rini had to say.
We set up camp hours later underneath a canopy of trees. I used my pyrokenesis to light a fire while Rini pulled out food and Kyle set up three bedrolls. I was confused about the third one because he doesn’t need to sleep, but I didn’t bother asking. We ate in silence and went off to sleep. I doused the fire and slipped into a ball in my bedroll. On my own it could easily fit another person.
Rini drifted off to sleep after a few moments, and Kyle double checked it by poking her cheek. She swatted his hand thinking it was a bug but was sound asleep. He slipped himself into my bedroll with ease and held me close to him.
"What are you doing?" I asked, stifling a yawn.
"Smothering the smell," he whispered back. I didn’t protest, and I drifted off to sleep pressed up against him.
When I woke up the next morning, Kyle was sitting on his bedroll drawing pictures in the dirt. He smiled when he noticed me watching him. "G’morning," he said.
I yawned and sat up. "Morn" I mumbled, my voice thick. "Why’d you get up?"
"I didn’t want Rini to catch me," he said with a chuckle, pretending to cut off his head. I laughed.
"So do I smell any better?" I asked.
"Much," he replied.
"Anyway, I’m gonna go wash then get dressed. Are there any sources of water around here?"
He pointed over his shoulder as I picked up my pack. "Thanks," I said. "Oh, and stay."
Kyle laughed. "What am I, a dog?"
I shrugged and walked away, still chuckling.
There was a wide river with a small waterfall at one end. I stripped down and waded into the water. It was a bit chilly but good to alert the senses. I returned to using my lightly scented soap again now that I smelled better. To rinse off I stood under the waterfall. It thudded against my head, shoulders and back, feeling like a very weird massage. I towel dried my hair and sat on the edge of the river with my feet dangling in, the towel wrapped loosely across my chest. When my feet started to prune, I got out and started to dress. While I pulled on my pants, I started to hum a tune I learned when I was a blacksmith. I wore the same outfit as when I left the village with Rini. Black pants, black bodice and boots.
Back at camp, Rini and Kyle were talking and cooking breakfast. After we ate, I stood up and pointed to a high branch to my left. "Hey, Rini, how ‘bout a bet?"
She grinned. "What are we betting on?"
"I bet you fifty gold you can’t get onto that branch without climbing the trunk or using your powers!"
"Deal," she said, dropping fifty gold at her feet.
"I want in on this," Kyle said, dropping fifty gold as well.
Rini walked under the branch, crouched and sprang up, but just barely touched it. It was over two feet above her head.
I laughed and collected my winnings. "Now I bet you fifty gold that I can get onto that branch without climbing the trunk or using my powers," I dropped fifty of my winnings. They each dropped in another fifty. I grinned and walked up to the tree and jumped onto a lower branch, then onto the higher one. "Pay up," I said.
Rini looked flabbergasted. "That’s so not fair!" She yelled.
Kyle cut in. "Actually, she never said you couldn’t use other branches to get to it," he told her. She frowned and threw the gold at me.
We continued flying, Kyle finally finding my smell acceptable again and allowing me to ride with him. As the sun started to set, we saw a looming castle in the distance. It had at least a hundred pointed metal spires. The only entrance was the large, cast-iron doors in the front that could be seen from where we were. A long winding path made it’s way up to the doors.
Kyle frowned. "We’re a day ahead of schedule," he said.
"Is that bad?" I asked.
"No, I just don’t get how we got here so fast."
"We haven’t been stopping to train, only when sun sets to rest."
"Yes, I suppose that’s it."
The sun had officially set when we landed at the front gates. Two women dressed in black armour waited for our arrival.
"Welcome back, Kyle," the one on the left said, bowing her head.
"Indeed, Mira," he replied, nodding at her, then the woman on the right. They pushed open the gates with ease, allowing our access.
The woman on the right gripped Rini’s wrist and inhaled deeply. "You, my dear, reek of wolf," she said in disgust.
"Relax, Miranda, we were accompanied by a werewolf temporarily. She smells, yes, but she is no wolf," Kyle told her, placing his hand on her arm. Rini glared at the both of them and walked through the gates with her nose in the air.
Kyle pushed open the heavy cast-iron front doors and escorted us into the huge entrance hall. The walls, though black on the outside, were bathed in a polished white. There was a long, rich red coloured carpet that ran through the centre of the room up until a large black door. On either side of the door were stairs of polished white marble, matching the floor. The stairs turned when they met the wall and up to a platform above the door. Another black door matched the one below, directly above, two smaller doors beside each stair case. The ceiling was extremely high and arced. Gothic* torches lined the walls.
*By Gothic, I mean torches that could be found in a Gothic building, such as a basilica.
Kyle lead the way through the door directly in front of us. Two people behind the door pulled it open, allowing us access. After we entered, they left.
A rich, entrancing voice echoed through the empty room. "Kyle, you’re back, and you brought the girls, it seems!" the man boomed happily. He had long black hair that was tied in a loose ponytail at the nape of his neck, a few strands falling in his face. His eyes were black, but he seemed quite happy. His features were quite young, maybe that of a seventeen year old boy. He had high cheek bones, thin red lips, narrow eyes and a square chin. He was wearing a black cloak that trailed past his feet with long arm sleeves that passed his finger tips and a hood at the back. Near the bottom of the cloak the black faded into a red that matched his lips. The cloak had one button done up in the centre of his chest. He wore long black pants and a white muscle shirt, one strap showing on his shoulder, the cloak hanging off it slightly. He sat turned to his side, his legs hanging over one arm with his back against the other. His shoes were black as well with a small heel at the back to make them look more royal. As for a crown, he wore none. He did have a couple of large studs in each ear.
"Hello, Your Highness," Kyle said, bowing.
The King rolled his eyes. "Kyle, we’ve talked about this."
"Sorry. Hello, Lucifer," Kyle tried again, straightening himself.
The King, Lucifer turned to me. "Amaya, come here," he commanded politely. I did as told and walked up to him, never taking my eyes off his. I couldn’t, his features captivated me. He brushed his fingers across my hand looked me over. "I know that you are telekinetic, but show me everything you can do."
I started with my psi ball I summoned it in seconds and jumped, placing it underneath my feet. When I ran forward on the ball, I moved forward. I ran up to the wall and jumped, running faster when the ball hit the wall. I ran all the way up the wall and to the peak of the roof before releasing it. I dove face first towards the marble floor and changed the colours of the sparkles around me, mainly to black and red, but with some orange and purple mixed in. As I neared the ground I shouted. "Rini!" She ran forward and grabbed onto my outstretched hands, spinning me in a circle and releasing me when my feet touched the ground. I skidded backwards on my feet and came to a stop.
I gestured to the stool in the corner. "Would you miss that if it was destroyed?" I asked.
"Not in the least," Lucifer replied, gesturing for Kyle to grab it.
I shook my head and outstretched my left hand. "Telekinesis." Rini and Kyle backed away as the stool whipped through the air, hitting my hand with a crack. Lucifer watched, extremely entertained.
I dropped the stool to the ground and pressed my fingers to both of my temples. I stood well away from Lucifer, and Kyle and Rini stood in the corner. I clenched my teeth and released the energy I had stored, then jumped back. A ball of blue flames erupted in front of me. I threw my hands out in front of me and sent the ball flying at the stool. The flames licked the stool, which was incinerated almost instantly.
"Pyrokinesis." I said.
"Clairvoyance, this one you can’t see me do, but I’ll tell you what I see," I said next, standing straight with my feet together, my arms folded. I shut my eyes. "Rini see’s me as a donkey at the moment." I turned to Kyle. "Kyle . . . I’m not going to go there." Then I turned to Lucifer. "And you . . . you see me as many things. Most of them are blurred . . . the one I can see the best is what I would describe as a goddess, not trying to sound conceited. It’s a beautiful woman hovering above a field of pink flowers, flowers woven into her hair and wearing very natural looking clothing." I grinned, then opened my eyes to look at Lucifer. "You were blocking me out."
"Apparently the one I wanted blocked out most was clearest to you. If I could, I would be blushing furiously right now," he said, still smiling.
I blushed slightly. "Moving on. Invisibility." I shut my eyes for a moment, then opened them again. "Did it work?"
"Indeed. I occasionally catch a glimpse of your stunning purple eyes," he told me."
"You flatter me. I can also fire blasts of psychic energy at people, but I prefer weapons."
"Well, thank you. Rini, come forward please."
She scowled but walked up to him anyway. He brushed his lips against her hand as well and opened his mouth to speak, but paused. "I hate to sound rude, but you reek of wolf."
Rini scowled even more. "Well my apologies," she said angrily.
"It’s no matter, we can fix that easily. Please, show me what you can do."
"There’s no way I can do as good as Amaya," she muttered. Lucifer raised his eyebrow.
Rini walked back to the middle of the room, held her arms out in a T shape, and lifted off the ground. Only recently had she discovered that she could create sparkles around her hands and feet that would trail along after her. She twisted in the air, arcing backwards and plummeting to the ground. She had her eyes shut, but she seemed to know where the ground was. Lucifer gasped when she was just centimetres from the ground, but she arced her back and flew along the ground. She did a spiral around Lucifer’s chair then did a backflip and landed like a gymnast where she took off. Lucifer applauded her.
"I can also use telekinesis, but that does not need to be demonstrated. Next, my special ability. Amaya’s was pyrokinesis, I have a few." She pointed her right hand at the plant in the back corner of the room that seemed to be dying. A ball of water formed and splashed over the plant. She kept her hand there but started to swirl it to the right. The plant grew, and grew and grew until it was over seven feet tall. She swirled her hand in the opposite direction and it shrunk until it was just a sprout in the pot.
"I can do the same things as Amaya otherwise. I will use clairvoyance though, just for fun." she turned to Amaya. "She sees me as . . . me?" she turned to Kyle. "He see’s me as . . . why am I a giant question mark?"
"Because I don’t know what I see you as yet," he replied.
"Anyway. Lucifer . . . you see me as . . . an angel? From what I see I have flowing blonde hair, a long, white gown and two huge angel wings."
"It’s very true though," Lucifer told her. "Now, down to business. First of all, welcome to the original world. By now you have seen the Great Tree, correct? Good. We have arranged for rooms for both of you. They are side by side, the door on the left from the main hall. What’s more important though, after seeing what you can do, I would like you both to be assassins for our army. Meaning that while everyone is occupying the soldiers, you would be assassinating the King."
Rini grinned from ear to ear, I even smiled slightly. "I see you approve. Welcome, then. You are our two assassins. I will allow you both to design practical clothes for your new jobs. Just two or three. They will be made for you in a few hours after you finish. Work on them when you want, we’re in no hurry to win this war.
Kyle showed us our rooms, but he seemed a little uncomfortable. When I opened my door, he started to walk away. I grabbed his hand and pulled him inside after me. He didn’t try to stop me. I flopped down on my huge, plush bed, pulling him down with me. He smiled, but his eyes were swirling with black, kind of like when you pour milk into coffee.
"What’s bothering you?" I asked.
He layed down beside me. "It’s Lucifer. He’s kind, yes, but I’ve never seen him take such a liking to anyone before. I’m afraid for you, he could very well try to take you as his bride. The last time he though of someone as a goddess, he took her, but she died quickly because of cancer. I think he’ll try again," he whispered, his right arm draped across my waist.
I looked deeply into his eyes and kissed him. "He is quite attractive, yes. But I don’t love him," I whispered back, placing my right hand on his chest and wrapping my left arm around his back.
"I love you," he whispered.
"It’s faster if you fly," I said, watching her take off.
Back at camp, Souta was suspended in the air above Kyle. Souta had a bruised eye while Kyle had a scratch down his right cheek. Rini lunged at him, screaming. Kyle threw him aside and started to walk off. Rini moved to catch Souta before he hit the ground.
"You’d better watch out," Kyle said, touching his wound. "He’s learning how to control his transformations. You don’t want to be around him when he ascends."
Souta aimed a spit ball at Kyle, managing to hit his leg. I followed him away from Rini and Souta, though giving them an apologetic look.
Kyle clenched and unclenched his fists repeatedly. "I did just what you asked. I started to light the fire when he showed up. He started to yell at me about how lighting the fire was his job, then he transformed and attacked me," he said angrily, then shivered. "I could have died officially if he was trained better." He looked at me. "Died. I’ve never worried about that before now, but I seriously could have."
I grabbed his hand and tugged on it, hoping he would stop. "We hadn’t planned who would light the fire, it wasn’t your fault," I told him. "Let me see your cut."
He smiled slightly. "I’m fine, it won’t do anything to me," he said, but let me check it anyway.
"It’s fine, but I still wanted-" I paused. "You haven’t fed yet."
"I haven’t had a chance," he replied. I frowned at him, and he laughed.
"How much longer before you run out of time?" I asked.
He paused, as if deciding wether or not to tell me the truth. "I won’t lie to you. I have less than a week." He cast his eyes to the ground.
I glared at him. "You will feed before we get to our destination," I said sternly.
Kyle took my hands. "I know, I will. Tomorrow, you’ll understand why I chose then when the day rolls around," he told me with a soft smile, looking almost sad.
I leaned up to him, then pulled back down and settled for a hug. He hugged me back, though confused. "Why no kiss?" he asked.
"No kiss for you until you feed," I told him, breathing deeply through my nose, enjoying the smell of his shirt.
"Well fine then, be that way," he replied with a chuckle. His chuckle reverberated through his chest.
"We should probably get back," I said after a few moments, though not letting him go.
"Probably," he replied, still hugging me.
We stayed like that for another ten minutes when my legs started to give from exhaustion. It was getting late and I had done a lot of training today. We walked back to camp.
The ocean rolled out as far as the eye could see at the border. Kouseitan’i was a large island, but we had crossed from the centre of it all in around a week’s time, excluding our weeks of training.
"This is the end of the human country," Rini said. "All that’s past here is water. The King’s men have searched past here by boat many times."
Kyle laughed and waded into the water. "Maybe you just haven’t looked hard enough," he said with a grin and took a handful of wet sand. "Now follow what I do."
Each of us waded in and took a fist full of sand. Kyle threw his into the air and let it hit him. The next thing we knew, he was gone. I did the same, letting the sand hit me. It just barely touched my skin when I felt like I was one with the air. Barely a moment later I felt my normal self again. Souta showed up next, followed by Rini. Her eyes were closed tightly.
"You can open your eyes, Rini," I said. She opened her eyes. "It didn’t work."
"Yes it did," Kyle told her. "Our world and the human world look the same. Well, they are the same. We are just in a different dimension. This dimension is the original while the human world is a copy made by a power-hungry wizard."
"Sure . . . I’ll believe that . . . for now."
"I can’t believe she didn’t even notice we’re facing the opposite direction but we never moved," I whispered, though only Kyle heard. He chuckled softly.
Around a mile from the beach where our horses should have been were two Hippogriffs. "What? No dragons?" Rini asked sarcastically.
"They don’t like Vampires," Souta whispered with a wink. I frowned and climbed up behind Kyle.
"First we’re going to Chikara. When we get there I will stay a mile away at our meeting place," Kyle told us. I frowned but didn’t question him.
We flew in silence for a few minutes before I spoke. "Why don’t dragon’s like Vampires?" I asked with my cheek pressed against his back.
"We got along fine for a very long while, we even used a few in the war against Werewolves. One of them was injured and it started to bleed everywhere. They are a very scarce race so we tried to save it. Our spit has healing abilities, generally used if we want to sample someone’s blood or change them. Anyway, it’s rider jumped off and started to lick the wound to seal it before it died, but after a moment, he went crazy and started to tear the wound open more so he could get more of it’s blood. Dragon blood is like a drug to us, it smells sweeter than even your blood, and yours is quite sweet, but it tastes twenty times better than the worlds greatest candy to humans. We become hooked almost right away and need more to live. In the end, we must be chained enchanted by the Gods themselves until we miss our last chance for feeding and fade away," he said solemnly.
"I see," I whispered, rubbing his stomach without meaning to.
Kyle enjoyed this for a few more moments before landing the Hippogriff. "Here is where I must bid you farewell. I will see you again soon," he said, kissing me lightly. As I took off I gave him a small wave and caught up with Rini and Souta.
The whole time we were in the village I was distracted. I came to when the chief mentioned us being sisters and Rini sounded confused. Why didn’t Kyle tell her? Well, we were thrown out of the village, Souta seemed upset, but Rini was miserable.
When we met up with Kyle I was forced to ride with Rini. We took a break at a hot spring along the way, but Kyle still wouldn’t let me anywhere near him. Damn Werewolves. While Rini soaked, I washed myself repeatedly to hopefully remove the scent, but it hardly worked.
"How do I get this Godforsaken stench off of me?!" I yelled over the rock wall.
"Strongly scented soap or to be smothered by a Vampire," he yelled back.
"Which do I get?"
Silence. "We’ll try both. Use the soap first."
"Rini, do you have . . . thank you," she handed me a bright pink bar of soap.
After I lathered and rinsed a few times, I sunk into the water. "How you feeling?" I asked.
Rini looked up. "Oh, I’m alright," she replied.
"You sure? We can talk if you want."
She paused. "I just feel so betrayed. Was he pretending to like me this whole time?"
I shook my head. "I highly doubt it. I saw the way he looked at you, he really did like you," I told her with a smile. "Oh, and to Kyle, quit eavesdropping."
Rini smiled. "I’ve always trusted my gut, I’m not about to stop now!" I said.
"Thanks."
We climbed out of the water and headed off down the hall to change. Kyle slid open his door and walked off after us. We changed back into our clothes, I chose my training kimono, and prepared to carry on.
I stood in front of Kyle with my arms spread. "Well? I lathered at least twenty times, do I still reek?" I asked. He inhaled deeply and shrugged.
"I’ll fix your smell later, though your clothes are helping." He helped me up, then mounted his own. Rini climbed up behind me and we took off.
"By the way, why didn’t you tell me that me and Amaya were sisters?" Rini asked Kyle.
"I though Amaya would tell you and you smelled so much like that Werewolf that I might have actually hurt you," he said. "It will take three days to get to the castle."
"Hey, that cloud looks like a turtle," Rini said, pointing ahead of us.
"Ah, yes, that is where the Gods of nature live, they watch over the Great Tree, it is off in the distance there," Kyle said, pointing to our right. Though trees in both the human world and the supernatural world were tall and wide, this tree was ginormous. It was over three times the size of the tallest tree we could see and five times as wide.
"If this world is the original, why doesn’t our world have a Great Tree?" Rini asked.
"You destroyed it. It was burned to the ground by the first King’s men so he could build his palace. Though it was a good thing because the Great Tree is the source of magic for people. Anyone who drinks a cup of tee made from one of its leaves will gain witch or sorcerer magic abilities, depending on their gender. That’s where magicians came from in your world. The originals drank a cup and obtained magic, but we called them magicians because their family was not magical. Their offspring obtained some of their powers, but they kept weakening through each generation," Kyle told us with a grin.
"Oh," was all Rini had to say.
We set up camp hours later underneath a canopy of trees. I used my pyrokenesis to light a fire while Rini pulled out food and Kyle set up three bedrolls. I was confused about the third one because he doesn’t need to sleep, but I didn’t bother asking. We ate in silence and went off to sleep. I doused the fire and slipped into a ball in my bedroll. On my own it could easily fit another person.
Rini drifted off to sleep after a few moments, and Kyle double checked it by poking her cheek. She swatted his hand thinking it was a bug but was sound asleep. He slipped himself into my bedroll with ease and held me close to him.
"What are you doing?" I asked, stifling a yawn.
"Smothering the smell," he whispered back. I didn’t protest, and I drifted off to sleep pressed up against him.
When I woke up the next morning, Kyle was sitting on his bedroll drawing pictures in the dirt. He smiled when he noticed me watching him. "G’morning," he said.
I yawned and sat up. "Morn" I mumbled, my voice thick. "Why’d you get up?"
"I didn’t want Rini to catch me," he said with a chuckle, pretending to cut off his head. I laughed.
"So do I smell any better?" I asked.
"Much," he replied.
"Anyway, I’m gonna go wash then get dressed. Are there any sources of water around here?"
He pointed over his shoulder as I picked up my pack. "Thanks," I said. "Oh, and stay."
Kyle laughed. "What am I, a dog?"
I shrugged and walked away, still chuckling.
There was a wide river with a small waterfall at one end. I stripped down and waded into the water. It was a bit chilly but good to alert the senses. I returned to using my lightly scented soap again now that I smelled better. To rinse off I stood under the waterfall. It thudded against my head, shoulders and back, feeling like a very weird massage. I towel dried my hair and sat on the edge of the river with my feet dangling in, the towel wrapped loosely across my chest. When my feet started to prune, I got out and started to dress. While I pulled on my pants, I started to hum a tune I learned when I was a blacksmith. I wore the same outfit as when I left the village with Rini. Black pants, black bodice and boots.
Back at camp, Rini and Kyle were talking and cooking breakfast. After we ate, I stood up and pointed to a high branch to my left. "Hey, Rini, how ‘bout a bet?"
She grinned. "What are we betting on?"
"I bet you fifty gold you can’t get onto that branch without climbing the trunk or using your powers!"
"Deal," she said, dropping fifty gold at her feet.
"I want in on this," Kyle said, dropping fifty gold as well.
Rini walked under the branch, crouched and sprang up, but just barely touched it. It was over two feet above her head.
I laughed and collected my winnings. "Now I bet you fifty gold that I can get onto that branch without climbing the trunk or using my powers," I dropped fifty of my winnings. They each dropped in another fifty. I grinned and walked up to the tree and jumped onto a lower branch, then onto the higher one. "Pay up," I said.
Rini looked flabbergasted. "That’s so not fair!" She yelled.
Kyle cut in. "Actually, she never said you couldn’t use other branches to get to it," he told her. She frowned and threw the gold at me.
We continued flying, Kyle finally finding my smell acceptable again and allowing me to ride with him. As the sun started to set, we saw a looming castle in the distance. It had at least a hundred pointed metal spires. The only entrance was the large, cast-iron doors in the front that could be seen from where we were. A long winding path made it’s way up to the doors.
Kyle frowned. "We’re a day ahead of schedule," he said.
"Is that bad?" I asked.
"No, I just don’t get how we got here so fast."
"We haven’t been stopping to train, only when sun sets to rest."
"Yes, I suppose that’s it."
The sun had officially set when we landed at the front gates. Two women dressed in black armour waited for our arrival.
"Welcome back, Kyle," the one on the left said, bowing her head.
"Indeed, Mira," he replied, nodding at her, then the woman on the right. They pushed open the gates with ease, allowing our access.
The woman on the right gripped Rini’s wrist and inhaled deeply. "You, my dear, reek of wolf," she said in disgust.
"Relax, Miranda, we were accompanied by a werewolf temporarily. She smells, yes, but she is no wolf," Kyle told her, placing his hand on her arm. Rini glared at the both of them and walked through the gates with her nose in the air.
Kyle pushed open the heavy cast-iron front doors and escorted us into the huge entrance hall. The walls, though black on the outside, were bathed in a polished white. There was a long, rich red coloured carpet that ran through the centre of the room up until a large black door. On either side of the door were stairs of polished white marble, matching the floor. The stairs turned when they met the wall and up to a platform above the door. Another black door matched the one below, directly above, two smaller doors beside each stair case. The ceiling was extremely high and arced. Gothic* torches lined the walls.
*By Gothic, I mean torches that could be found in a Gothic building, such as a basilica.
Kyle lead the way through the door directly in front of us. Two people behind the door pulled it open, allowing us access. After we entered, they left.
A rich, entrancing voice echoed through the empty room. "Kyle, you’re back, and you brought the girls, it seems!" the man boomed happily. He had long black hair that was tied in a loose ponytail at the nape of his neck, a few strands falling in his face. His eyes were black, but he seemed quite happy. His features were quite young, maybe that of a seventeen year old boy. He had high cheek bones, thin red lips, narrow eyes and a square chin. He was wearing a black cloak that trailed past his feet with long arm sleeves that passed his finger tips and a hood at the back. Near the bottom of the cloak the black faded into a red that matched his lips. The cloak had one button done up in the centre of his chest. He wore long black pants and a white muscle shirt, one strap showing on his shoulder, the cloak hanging off it slightly. He sat turned to his side, his legs hanging over one arm with his back against the other. His shoes were black as well with a small heel at the back to make them look more royal. As for a crown, he wore none. He did have a couple of large studs in each ear.
"Hello, Your Highness," Kyle said, bowing.
The King rolled his eyes. "Kyle, we’ve talked about this."
"Sorry. Hello, Lucifer," Kyle tried again, straightening himself.
The King, Lucifer turned to me. "Amaya, come here," he commanded politely. I did as told and walked up to him, never taking my eyes off his. I couldn’t, his features captivated me. He brushed his fingers across my hand looked me over. "I know that you are telekinetic, but show me everything you can do."
I started with my psi ball I summoned it in seconds and jumped, placing it underneath my feet. When I ran forward on the ball, I moved forward. I ran up to the wall and jumped, running faster when the ball hit the wall. I ran all the way up the wall and to the peak of the roof before releasing it. I dove face first towards the marble floor and changed the colours of the sparkles around me, mainly to black and red, but with some orange and purple mixed in. As I neared the ground I shouted. "Rini!" She ran forward and grabbed onto my outstretched hands, spinning me in a circle and releasing me when my feet touched the ground. I skidded backwards on my feet and came to a stop.
I gestured to the stool in the corner. "Would you miss that if it was destroyed?" I asked.
"Not in the least," Lucifer replied, gesturing for Kyle to grab it.
I shook my head and outstretched my left hand. "Telekinesis." Rini and Kyle backed away as the stool whipped through the air, hitting my hand with a crack. Lucifer watched, extremely entertained.
I dropped the stool to the ground and pressed my fingers to both of my temples. I stood well away from Lucifer, and Kyle and Rini stood in the corner. I clenched my teeth and released the energy I had stored, then jumped back. A ball of blue flames erupted in front of me. I threw my hands out in front of me and sent the ball flying at the stool. The flames licked the stool, which was incinerated almost instantly.
"Pyrokinesis." I said.
"Clairvoyance, this one you can’t see me do, but I’ll tell you what I see," I said next, standing straight with my feet together, my arms folded. I shut my eyes. "Rini see’s me as a donkey at the moment." I turned to Kyle. "Kyle . . . I’m not going to go there." Then I turned to Lucifer. "And you . . . you see me as many things. Most of them are blurred . . . the one I can see the best is what I would describe as a goddess, not trying to sound conceited. It’s a beautiful woman hovering above a field of pink flowers, flowers woven into her hair and wearing very natural looking clothing." I grinned, then opened my eyes to look at Lucifer. "You were blocking me out."
"Apparently the one I wanted blocked out most was clearest to you. If I could, I would be blushing furiously right now," he said, still smiling.
I blushed slightly. "Moving on. Invisibility." I shut my eyes for a moment, then opened them again. "Did it work?"
"Indeed. I occasionally catch a glimpse of your stunning purple eyes," he told me."
"You flatter me. I can also fire blasts of psychic energy at people, but I prefer weapons."
"Well, thank you. Rini, come forward please."
She scowled but walked up to him anyway. He brushed his lips against her hand as well and opened his mouth to speak, but paused. "I hate to sound rude, but you reek of wolf."
Rini scowled even more. "Well my apologies," she said angrily.
"It’s no matter, we can fix that easily. Please, show me what you can do."
"There’s no way I can do as good as Amaya," she muttered. Lucifer raised his eyebrow.
Rini walked back to the middle of the room, held her arms out in a T shape, and lifted off the ground. Only recently had she discovered that she could create sparkles around her hands and feet that would trail along after her. She twisted in the air, arcing backwards and plummeting to the ground. She had her eyes shut, but she seemed to know where the ground was. Lucifer gasped when she was just centimetres from the ground, but she arced her back and flew along the ground. She did a spiral around Lucifer’s chair then did a backflip and landed like a gymnast where she took off. Lucifer applauded her.
"I can also use telekinesis, but that does not need to be demonstrated. Next, my special ability. Amaya’s was pyrokinesis, I have a few." She pointed her right hand at the plant in the back corner of the room that seemed to be dying. A ball of water formed and splashed over the plant. She kept her hand there but started to swirl it to the right. The plant grew, and grew and grew until it was over seven feet tall. She swirled her hand in the opposite direction and it shrunk until it was just a sprout in the pot.
"I can do the same things as Amaya otherwise. I will use clairvoyance though, just for fun." she turned to Amaya. "She sees me as . . . me?" she turned to Kyle. "He see’s me as . . . why am I a giant question mark?"
"Because I don’t know what I see you as yet," he replied.
"Anyway. Lucifer . . . you see me as . . . an angel? From what I see I have flowing blonde hair, a long, white gown and two huge angel wings."
"It’s very true though," Lucifer told her. "Now, down to business. First of all, welcome to the original world. By now you have seen the Great Tree, correct? Good. We have arranged for rooms for both of you. They are side by side, the door on the left from the main hall. What’s more important though, after seeing what you can do, I would like you both to be assassins for our army. Meaning that while everyone is occupying the soldiers, you would be assassinating the King."
Rini grinned from ear to ear, I even smiled slightly. "I see you approve. Welcome, then. You are our two assassins. I will allow you both to design practical clothes for your new jobs. Just two or three. They will be made for you in a few hours after you finish. Work on them when you want, we’re in no hurry to win this war.
Kyle showed us our rooms, but he seemed a little uncomfortable. When I opened my door, he started to walk away. I grabbed his hand and pulled him inside after me. He didn’t try to stop me. I flopped down on my huge, plush bed, pulling him down with me. He smiled, but his eyes were swirling with black, kind of like when you pour milk into coffee.
"What’s bothering you?" I asked.
He layed down beside me. "It’s Lucifer. He’s kind, yes, but I’ve never seen him take such a liking to anyone before. I’m afraid for you, he could very well try to take you as his bride. The last time he though of someone as a goddess, he took her, but she died quickly because of cancer. I think he’ll try again," he whispered, his right arm draped across my waist.
I looked deeply into his eyes and kissed him. "He is quite attractive, yes. But I don’t love him," I whispered back, placing my right hand on his chest and wrapping my left arm around his back.
"I love you," he whispered.
