Becoming (21 page)

“Ladies?”

Skye grinned up at him. “I wonder if you’ll
be so polite on the other plane,” she said, giving his arm a
friendly pat as she got out of the vehicle.

He didn’t respond since she was already
whirling away from the vehicle and looking around with wonder
etched on her features. She loped gracefully over to Olivia and
linked arms with her, saying something he couldn’t hear and
pointing up into the trees. Turning, he looked down at Amber, who
had also gotten out of the Land Rover and was now quietly staring
at him. He closed the doors he had opened. Then he took her hand
and started walking determinedly in the opposite direction of where
the others stood.

“Gabriel—” they heard Ini-herit object.

“A minute,” Gabriel said firmly in
response.

They walked until the woods enveloped them
and the only sounds were their crunching footfalls. Finally, he
stopped. Then he put his arms around her and hugged her. The fear
and emotion he had been suppressing now surged forth, all but
seizing him around the throat.

“I don’t know how much time we have left,
Amber,” he said, trying to keep his voice level.

Pressing her cheek against his heart, she
whispered, “I don’t care how lame or clichéd this sounds. I can’t
do this if I don’t go into it believing we’ll still have each other
on the other side. Please tell me you believe that.”

I believe it. We didn’t come this far to
lose each other.

She pulled back and caught his gaze, and he
knew he had been successful in transmitting his thoughts. Rather
than say anything, she nodded.

He kissed her gently, and then framed her
face with his hands so he could hold her gaze. “I want you to know
before anything changes that I had plenty of plans for us for the
future.” He watched her honey-brown eyes grow warm and slightly
damp. “I figured I’d nag and drag you through college like I did
through high school. I’d propose to you sometime during our junior
year so you and Mrs. B could plan the wedding for after we
graduated. We’d get jobs we liked and we’d buy a house, maybe have
a kid or two.”

Now a tear slid down her cheek and he brushed
it away with his thumb. “We would’ve had plenty of friends and
neighbors and cookouts during the summer. Maybe I would’ve even
convinced you to get a dog.”

The sound she made in response to that was
something between a laugh and a sob. She had always been
distrustful of animals.

He caressed her cheek to wipe away another
tear. “Well, maybe a fish. Anyway, I always figured we’d grow old
together, sitting out on the front porch whenever the mood struck.
I certainly never figured us for anything ground-breaking or
terribly exciting. And yet, here we are.” He took a deep breath and
exhaled. “Essentially, the lives we know are about to end.”

Again, she nodded. She couldn’t seem to
manage anything more.

“We may not have wanted it, but we’re about
to embark on something both ground-breaking and exciting. And, in
my mind, the best part is that we get to do it together.” He paused
and again gave her a light kiss on the lips. “When Ini-herit first
said that you had to go back to the Estilorian plane, my first
reaction wasn’t confusion or disbelief over the weirdness of what
he said. Instead, I felt like my world had tilted off its axis. All
I really heard was that he was going to take you away from me. And
when he said I was going, too, well, the world righted itself. I
don’t care how insane all of this is. If we’re together, we’ll get
through it.”

Her tears had dried. She gave him a small
smile and said, “I can sense the depth of your confidence. It
helps.” She reached up and placed a hand against the side of his
face. “I may not have had very definite dreams about my future like
you did, but I can say what I did envision always had you in it.
I’m not about to let that change now.”

He kissed her then, long and deep. And they
allowed themselves this time to let go of everything except each
other, knowing that soon the choice to do so could be taken from
them.

The sound of something thrashing vigorously
on the forest floor drew their attention as they neared the edge of
the clearing where the Land Rover was parked a short time later.
Amber looked up and caught Gabriel’s puzzled gaze just as they
broke the tree line.

“Olivia?” Amber saw her sister on the ground
in the grips of an apparent spasm.

“Oh, thank goodness,” Skye gasped. She was on
the ground beside Olivia. “I was just about to come and find you.
Her eyes changed to this lime green color and she just—”

Amber had run across the clearing and was
already on the ground. After a quick assessment of Olivia’s
condition, she said, “Gabriel, get Aurora.”

She wasn’t sure why she sensed that the cat
would make a difference. But it couldn’t hurt. She placed her hands
on either side of Olivia’s face and felt some of whatever energy
was overloading Olivia seep into her. The tremors began in her
fingertips and would soon work their way up her arms. But it seemed
to help. Olivia’s thrashing subsided even as Gabriel quickly
approached with the pet carrier. The animal inside was mewling
loudly.

“Oh my gosh—your eyes,” Skye said as she
watched Amber begin shaking in earnest. With a horrified
expression, she scrambled back a few inches.

Gabriel managed to unlatch the pet carrier
and release Aurora. The white cat sprang free and made her way
right to Olivia. Aurora looked at Amber until Amber removed her
hold and backed away, and then she climbed onto Olivia’s chest and
leaned down until her feline face was positioned over Olivia’s.
There was a subtle, rhythmic rumbling sound emanating from the cat.
It grew steadily in volume even as Olivia’s movements stilled and
she seemed to regain control of herself.

Realizing Olivia was going to be okay, Amber
turned shakily to Gabriel. He didn’t need coaxing to pull her
closer and kiss her until she stabilized.

“Oh my gosh,” Skye said again. Her face was
pale and her eyes wide. “Is that what’s going to happen to me? To
us?”

“In your human forms, yes,” Ini-herit said
tonelessly. He was standing apart from them, by all accounts an
impassive observer. “That is why we must make this crossing. Olaya
was affected more strongly right now because she has an affinity
for nature and we are thoroughly surrounded by it.”

Olivia slowly sat up, her arms instinctively
cradling Aurora. She looked slightly stunned and some debris from
the ground clung to hair and clothing, but she was otherwise fine.
She glanced up at Amber, who was now standing calmly with her arm
around Gabriel’s waist.

“Is that what the kissing is all about?” she
asked in an amazed voice.

Amber grinned. “Not entirely,” she drawled
meaningfully. Then, after Olivia smiled in response, she added,
“But yeah.”

“Awesome,” Olivia breathed. She got to her
feet and then, after giving Aurora a nuzzle in the neck with her
nose, placed the cat on the ground. Then she turned and noticed
Skye gripping her knees and rocking slightly, so she squatted back
down beside her. “Hey, Skye, it’s okay. See? We’re fine.”

Skye looked up with frightened eyes brimming
with tears. “But you two have someone—or thing—here with you to
help when you start reacting like that. I don’t! What’ll I do?” She
sounded incredibly pitiful.

Amber sighed when she felt Gabriel giving her
a mental push forward. After rolling her eyes at him, she moved
away from his side and joined Olivia, squatting on Skye’s other
side and propping her elbows on her bent knees. “Look,
Skye…Ini-herit said that he thinks one of my powers is to heal
others. It worked for Gabriel and it was working for Olivia before
her cat took over. I’ll heal you if something happens.”

Wiping at her wet cheeks, Skye whispered,
“Promise?”

“You don’t know me, or you’d know I don’t say
things I don’t mean,” Amber replied matter-of-factly.

Her directness seemed to help assure Skye,
who finally sniffed loudly and nodded.

Olivia reached out to grab Skye’s hand. They
all got to their feet. “You’re not in this alone anymore,” she
pointed out.

With a watery smile, Skye said, “I guess I
forgot.”

Then Ini-herit turned their attention. “The
time is growing near. We must walk the rest of the way on foot.” He
glanced at Olivia. “The cat is your responsibility now.”

Turning her gaze to the cat winding her way
between her ankles, Olivia appeared lost in thought. Then she
looked up. “We’ll be fine.”

“Very well,” Ini-herit said. “Follow me.”

They walked for nearly two hours. Amber was
no stranger to this kind of environment, having grown up near many
different undeveloped wooded areas. But Ini-herit wasn’t sticking
to any kind of path, and they were steadily rising. She could feel
her calves burning, and in spite of the chill in the air, a light
sheen of sweat coated her skin. After the first hour, she removed
Skye’s sweater and tied it around her waist. Gabriel did the same
thing with his hooded sweatshirt and Skye followed suit with her
sweater. Olivia, on the other hand, seemed determined to remain in
her perfectly-coordinated best until she keeled over.

Amber had never been more grateful for her
years of track and competitive karate and the rugged physical
conditioning they required of her. As she made her way over another
fallen log, she admitted to herself that she was a little surprised
at Skye’s endurance. Her youngest sister had obviously worked hard
at her dancing and was benefitting from that now. She looked
exhausted, but was holding her own. It was a kind of revelation to
Amber that Skye’s tendency toward overly emotional reactions didn’t
necessarily mean she was weak.

“How much farther?” Olivia asked
breathlessly, drawing Amber’s attention.

She wasn’t faring well at all. Amber noted
that her cheeks were flushed, her hair was starting to come
unraveled from its knot and sweat dripped along her hairline. Her
breathing was harsh and erratic. This was not a girl used to
activities that strained the cardiovascular system.

“A bit higher,” Ini-herit said. He sounded
like he was sitting still, so unaffected was he by their climb.

Olivia made a sound in her throat that Amber
thought resembled a wounded animal, but to her credit, she didn’t
say a word. Frowning, Amber walked over and grasped her arm. Olivia
turned her head and gave her a small, apologetic smile.

“I don’t think I can do this, Amber.”

“Of course you can.”

Amber stopped walking, unconcerned that
Ini-herit marched on without pause. Olivia stumbled to a halt
beside her. Gabriel stopped about a foot from them, his eyes on
Amber. When she realized what was going on, Skye also stopped. She
moved closer as Amber reached up and placed her hands on either
side of Olivia’s neck where her pulse raced out of control.

“Try to relax,” Amber said. Then, smiling
slightly, “Well, as much as you can with my hands around your
throat.”

Olivia gasped out a choked laugh even as she
fought doubling over. Amber wasn’t sure what she needed to do to
make her “power” work, but she was certainly willing to try.
Closing her eyes, she focused on the feel of Olivia’s heartbeat
against her palms. It fluttered too quickly, like the wings of a
hummingbird.
It should feel more like the coo of a dove
,
Amber thought.
Calm…peaceful
.

Now she opened her eyes and caught Olivia’s
green gaze.
Her temperature should feel less like she’s just
stepped out of a sauna
, she reasoned.
It should be more like
she’s…relaxing in an air-conditioned room. Yeah…

“Holy cow,” Skye breathed. “Her eyes.”

“Beautiful, aren’t they?” Gabriel responded,
pride evident in his tone.

Amber released Olivia, sensing that any more
contact would have her sister lying on the ground and so relaxed
she wouldn’t be able to move. As it was, Olivia wobbled slightly
and had Gabriel and Skye reaching out to steady her.

“Oh my goodness,” Skye said excitedly. “You
did it, Amber! You helped Olivia!”

Gabriel released Olivia as soon as he
realized she was okay, and he walked over to Amber. Her eyes were
almost solid gold, but she wasn’t shaking as she usually did.

“You don’t seem to need this, but—” he leaned
in and captured her mouth. Amber lifted her arms to encircle his
neck.

“Aww,” Skye said with a giggle, elbowing
Olivia in the side.

Ini-herit returned, evidently realizing they
were no longer behind him. “What is this?” he demanded, looked
around at each of them. “This is hardly a time for kissing.”

Gabriel pulled away from Amber. He seemed
satisfied by whatever he saw as he stared into her eyes. He nodded
and said, “It’s always time for kissing, Ini-herit. Just one of
those things I was apparently sent here to learn.”

”Yes, well,” Ini-herit replied levelly, “Any
delay at this point could cost you a great deal more than one
moment together.”

Amber sighed and pulled away from Gabriel.
“The guy’s weird,” she said, glancing from Gabriel to Olivia and
Skye. “But he sure knows how to make a point. It’s time to move
on.”

“Oh, what I wouldn’t give for a bottle of
water,” Amber complained during the third hour of their hike. She
lifted her right arm so she could wipe the sweat from her brow on
the shoulder of her T-shirt. “Talk about dehydration.”

Gabriel couldn’t argue. He was nearly out of
gas himself. He was really feeling the lack of food and water over
the past few hours. With the notable exception of Ini-herit, all of
them were dragging. The increase in altitude wasn’t helping. His
breathing was growing more labored and he noted that the girls were
in similar conditions. The air was obviously thinning. More than
once, he wondered if they were all being led like ignorant lambs
right to their deaths. Ini-herit certainly didn’t instill much
confidence as a benevolent leader.