The Land Of Shadows (3 page)

I take a deep breath. That could be the truth, but then why do I feel such a high electric current pulsing through her? If she was weak, her talent would be weak. I get the feeling this family is hiding something from me, and that something has to do with why Luna has turned so bitter. I understand the boy’s loyalty and love for his sister but I’m in no mood for games!

“Lucius, let me make myself clear. I will only ask you once, after that I will take her to Alder. Don’t force my hand, you know I will.” I get the reaction I am looking for. Lucius’ eyes jump nervously to Luna. “We will just tell her you had no choice in the matter.”

Lucius sighs as he gives in to my threat. His eyes fill with the worry he’s been trying to suppress in my presence. “I am not sure what is wrong with her. I woke to a noise early the other morning and when I went to check, I found her on the porch. She practically fell into the house. She had no strength in her. She spoke two words to me, collapsed, and has been like this ever since.” He sweeps his hand frustratingly in Luna’s direction.

“So you have no idea what is wrong with her?” My patience is about to snap with Luna’s family. How can they just let her lie here and not attempt to get her any help?

“I know what you are thinking, Storm, and you are wrong. It is not a matter of getting Alder to look at her, it is—” Lucius turns away. This is one of those make or break moments. I want to know what turned Luna away from me all those years ago, and I know Lucius is fully aware.

“What is it then?” I take a step closer, anxious to finally know the truth. “What is so important that you will let her suffer like this?” I’m about to explode! Awo alone knows where I get the strength from to remain calm.

“It is not for me to say! Luna will never forgive me.” And just like that Lucius clams up again.

That’s all it takes. I can’t stand to live in the dark where Luna is concerned. Before Lucius can take his next breath I slam him into the wall, raising him off the floor. “You have tested my patience for far too long!” I don’t know what I did to offend Luna or this family but by Awo I’ve had enough.

Lucius grabs hold of my hands and his whole body lights up. One thing the boy should know is that his talent is useless on me. The villagers have forgotten my talents over the years. Lucius might just be in for a surprise.

“Do you really want to do this the hard way, Lucius?” I’ll give him one more chance before I teach him a lesson that Raighne has obviously forgotten to teach him.

“I am sorry, Storm. I have to defend my sister at all costs.” I can see he means every word. My heart feels for him, but Luna is more important than some secret!

“Loyalty holds no place when you are placing her life at risk! I truly pity you, boy.”

With that, Lucius flares up to his full heat and attempts to either burn or blind me. I’m half annoyed that he would use his full power on me. It has no effect on me, seeing as I draw my power from nature. Has it really been so long since I’ve used my talents that everyone has forgotten what I’m able to do?

“I hope you are really as good as they say, Lucius.” For a split-second confusion flashes across his face before I throw him out the window.

I watch as Lucius heads for a meeting with the ground, but just before impact he twists his body and lands gracefully on his feet. Raighne trained him well. I hate, and I mean I absolutely
hate
using my talents. But, for today only I will make this one exception. I’ve had enough of this family walking over me and the time has come for them to realize I mean business.

I call on the winds to stir under my feet and have them elevate me out the window and down to the ground. When Lucius’ eyes widen with shock, a satisfied grin spreads lazily around my lips. I hold my hand up and create an orb of electricity. It crackles blue and white on my palm.

I glance casually to Lucius “You should know your talents are wasted on me. You may channel your talent front the sun, but I get mine from all of nature.” I chuckle and then bounce the orb on the palm of my hand. “Do you want to throw the first orb, or should I?” I don’t wait for his answer and hurl the orb at his arm. I don’t want to injure him too seriously, but I’m tired of hiding my talents and letting people walk over me. It’s time to remind these people of what I’m able to do!

Lucius ducks and the orb barely grazes his skin. I have to suppress my laughter when he lunges to his feet, fury sparking in his eyes. When he throws an orange orb at me, the game is on. I know he’s not using his full power, and I stand and take it. I absorb the power of the sun and watch as Lucius mouth drops open in shock.

“Storm, you have no business with my trainee!” Raighne hollers. Great! Just what I need … Raighne to spoil the fun just as I was getting started.

“Your trainee had a choice.” I keep my eyes locked on Lucius.

“Is this the truth, Lucius?” I hope this doesn’t turn into a twenty-questions session.

“Storm is right. This is between us.” I lift an eyebrow. I’m quite impressed with Lucius for standing up to his trainer. Few dare to go against Raighne … well, few who lived to tell the tale.

“Care to fill me in on what is going on here?” So it is going to be a twenty-questions session. This is not how I pictured my day going.

“It is nothing for you to concern yourself with, Raighne,” I say a little too impatiently.

“Need I remind you, Storm, you are using your talents on my trainee. I think that more than makes this my concern.”

Oh, us trainers, sometimes we’re so full of ourselves. Didn’t I just use that line of authority a minute ago?

I suppress the laughter building up inside me, and have to look away when I see Lucius struggling not to smile himself.

“I asked Storm to show me his talent.”
What? Lucius is standing up for me? No, it must be because he’s covering for Luna.

“And of course I could not deny him. It was a simple demonstration.” I smile broadly at Raighne who in turn eyes us skeptically.

“It was one demonstration too many,” he snaps. “I need not remind you of the last time you used your talent, Storm.”

I swallow my smile and glare at Raighne. “Peace be, Raighne.” I don’t wait to listen to what he has to say to Lucius, and let myself back into the house. Raighne is one immortal who I stay clear of. Luna is my problem and I’ve made it my mission to find out what changed her over the past years.

~*~

Fate will always seek you out no matter how far you run, or where you choose to hide.

Luna~

I don’t know how long it’s been since I started fighting the shadows clawing at me. I’ve been watching Carter beg for forgiveness. I can’t help but see him in a different light. He is as much a victim of Void’s as we all are. I now understand what Alchera sees in him. My poor Alchera! The nightmares that haunt her are dreadful!

It’s time to force myself to get up. It’s time to face what’s out there so I can save Alchera no matter the price I have to pay.

Opening my eyes is like trying to see through a pile of sludge. It’s so hot and stuffy in my room. I roll over and gather some strength so I can get up. I need to open a window to let some cool air in.

“Get your lazy backside out of this bed,” I order myself.

Managing to sit up, I rub my eyes to try and rid them of the excess sleep. I can’t believe it’s so hot tonight. I long to see my moon. I throw the blanket aside, but first things first, long sleeve off! Why I have it on in the first place is beyond me. It’s not like I need to cover myself when I’m in the privacy of my own room. My parents know not to touch me, so there is no one here I can hurt. I shrug out of the shirt and then crawl to the end of the bed.

“Come on girl, it is only a few steps,” I whisper.

I do a miserable little shuffle to the window, still rubbing at my eyes. Misjudging the distance, I slam into the windowsill. Instead of hitting the window I tip forward. My balance is non-existent. I can actually picture myself looking like an idiot, as my arms propel in circles to try and stop my fall.

An arm slips around my waist and pulls me back. “I have you.” It takes a lot of concentration to keep myself from grabbing hold of my rescuer. I don’t want to electrify the person by accident while they’re trying to helping me.

Wait, hold a second! I know that voice. There are only two people on Vaalbara with that specific blue-blooded, dignified accent and one would not dare touch me. The other, well, seeing as that I know Aurian hasn’t come back from the dead, it has to be…

“Storm?” I ask carefully while praying I’m wrong.

Arms tighten around me, pulling me back against a hard chest. I must still be dreaming, because I don’t want him to let go. I actually find myself half turning in his arms and pressing my face into his chest, just like I used to do in the desert. Just for a few seconds I allow the contact. As much as I’d like to deny it, I still need him after all these years, but he can never know that.

“You almost took a tumble there. What are you doing out of bed?” he whispers, his breath stirs my hair. The urge to lean closer to him grows stronger. This whole situation is too intimate. This is one night my heart is going to give me away. I’m sure he can feel it pounding rapidly against his chest.

“I am hot. I mean … it is hot in here,” I try to feebly explain. I close my eyes in defeat. Tomorrow I’ll make up for my embarrassing behavior. I’ll be a super, bad-tempered Luna out to destroy the whole of Vaalbara, but for now I just want to die of embarrassment while enjoying the feel of his arms.

He must sense my weakness and discomfort because he lets me go. His eyes are hooded and I know he’s taking in every inch of me.

“Why are you here?” It’s a good place to start.

“I am your trainer, Luna. Where else do you expect me to be? If one of my trainees takes ill it is my duty to look after them.” Ouch, that hurts. Then again, I did ask for it. I’ve pushed him hard all these years. Why shouldn’t he see me in the same light as he sees the other girls?

“You should get back in bed,” he whispers.

“It is too hot. I want to open the window.” He reaches for my arm but I quickly step backwards, out of his reach. I turn and bolt for the long sleeve I left on the bed. I avoid eye contact as I pull the shirt over my head. I would rather suffer heatstroke than have our skin touch by accident. Storm is the last person I would ever want to hurt.

“You just said you are hot,” he states, confusion clearly all over his face.

Time to lie!
I grab my pillow for some form of comfort and hug it tightly. “I am cold again. It must be some kind of fever. Maybe it is something I ate.” Not like I’ve eaten anything for a while.

“I can see that you are sweating ice cubes.” His usual sarcasm is lacking its bite. He moves quickly and places his hand on my back. A wonderful coolness seeps right through my clothes, where he’s touching me. I don’t dare move as Storm sits down next to me, too scared my body will betray me again.

He moves his hand over my back, down to my waist, spreading a blissful coolness through my overheated body. It feels so good. His other hand lightly traces a path from my shoulder, down my arm, and I almost forget to pull my hand away in time to avoid us touching skin to skin. He doesn’t let that deter him one bit. He pushes me onto my back and I hate that I like his attention so much. His eyes look like they’ve been chipped from ice, which means he’s angry, again.

“Why, Luna?”

I just shake my head. He keeps asking me why, but I’ll never be able to answer him. I can’t tell him why I’ve had to put this gaping distance between us. The day after we shared our first kiss Alder told me about my destiny. I had to push Storm away. I’ll never forgive myself if something were to happen to him.

He leans into me and panic sets in. Storm is stronger than me right now. As he leans in I might make the biggest mistake of my life and forget that I’ll hurt him by allowing him to kiss me. But he doesn’t try to kiss me. Instead he blows a cool breath of air over my cheeks, along my jaw and down my neck. It feels so good my body breaks out in delicious shivers.

Storm needs to leave, now. This is way too intimate. I’ll forget that we have to be enemies and beg his forgiveness!

I let out a slow breath and look away, not being able to keep eye contact any longer. I can’t let him see what he’s doing to me. Any sign of weakness and I’ll never live it down. He is only being kind because he thinks I’m ill, I need to remind myself of this.

“You are awake!” Lucius’ voice makes us jump a part. I surprise myself with the speed I suddenly have to get to my brother and away from Storm.

“Lucius!” I whisper with relief. I practically throw myself at him. If I could crawl under his skin to hide, I would. My brother’s arms wrap around me.

“Take what you need.” Lucius’ whispers right by my ear for only me to hear. I slip my hand under his shirt, placing it firmly on his back. The energy that pulses from Lucius into my fingers feels revitalizing to my starved body. I want to cling to him until I’m sated but I know I’ll drain him. I force myself to break away as soon as I can think more clearly. Clearly enough to withstand Storm!

Lucius catches my eye. He knows I need a lot more. He’s not ready to let go yet. “Are you feeling better?” There are so many questions jammed into that one and I can’t answer them all right now, not with Storm in the room.

“Yes, I am.” He’ll have to be happy with that for now, at least until Storm leaves.

“A happy reunion between brother and sister,” Storm’s tone is filled with sarcasm, and he mockingly raises an eyebrow. “Are you always this happy to see each other or is it just my presence that is making you cling to your brother, Luna?”

It’s time to go back to being mean Luna. It’s the only way to keep him at a distance.

“Storm, you have done your part as trainer. You can see I am fine. You can go home now.” I keep my back turned to him. I don’t want to do this face-to-face. I don’t want to see the anger in his eyes.

“Not until I know what is wrong.” He sounds more determined than ever.

“I felt like taking a breather. You should think about taking one yourself. It sure looks like you need it, before you end up burning your whole house down.” I know I shouldn’t provoke him, but once we start I just can’t stop the things coming out of mouth.

Lucius’ eyes widen and he grabs my arm just as Storm takes hold of my shoulder. I stop breathing altogether.

He leans in close to my back, until I feel his breath on my hair. “That will not work on me, Luna. One way or another I will find out what happened here these past three days. Your so-called ‘breather’ left you clutching a pillow for dear life and I want to know why. I have had enough of your secrets and standing on the sidelines while you throw your life away.” He steps closer. I have to close my eyes against the onslaught of emotions he wakes in me. His lips are a breath away from skimming my cheek, the result of which would be disastrous. “No more, Luna. I will not back down.”

I feel him move away but I can’t open my eyes. I can feel where his breath still lingers on my skin and it makes me want to cry. I want to scream at Storm to stay away, but at the same time beg him to
never
give up on me.

~*~

Storm~

For the life of me I couldn’t sleep after leaving Luna’s house last night. I ended up staring at the moon she loves so much, trying to figure out how I’m going to get through that stubborn head of hers. Now, standing on the training field and watching everyone arrive for the day’s activities, I’m no closer to an answer than I was yesterday.

“Still sleeping, Storm?” Caia’s giggles draw me from my deep thoughts and I have to smile. You can’t help but smile back at her. She’s so full of life and laughter.

“Just thinking of ways to make you suffer today, my dear Caia.” As expected, she laughs at me. Caia never takes me seriously. How they expect me to make a guardian of her, Awo only knows. She’ll love her enemy to death before ever hurting anyone.

“The day you harm a hair on Caia’s head Vaalbara will cease to exist, Storm.” Willow mocks me as she saunters closer with Elita by her side. Now, only Luna is still missing from my group.

“That may be, Willow, but you are a totally different matter.” I try to keep the banter light so the girls won’t pick up on my worry, especially Elita. She has a gift for picking up on the feelings of others. The only real reason Elita is my trainee is so she can learn to defend herself. As Aster’s successor and future priestess of Vaalbara, she needs to be strong in both body and mind. She might have Lucius as a guardian, but we’ve all learned from what happened to Alchera when Carter took her. Since then all charges have to be trained the same as their guardians.

My only two true guardians in training are Willow and Luna, and at this moment Willow is the only one who looks like she’ll be graduating. Her survival skills are unmatched by any other Vaalbarian, but then that might be because it’s her talent. I’m not sure and I need to keep a close eye on her so we can help her reach her full potential.

“Luna!” My head snaps up in the direction Caia is looking. She takes my breath away with her beauty every time I see her. I keep my face neutral as always. She’s here, and for now that is most important.

“Where have you been?” I’d like to hear her explain it to the girls.

“I just took a breather.” So she’s sticking with that story.

“So close to graduation?”

Thank you, Willow, my sentiments exactly.

Willow continues, “Just two more weeks and you will have a nice long break. You are cutting it a bit close.”

“Who is up first to teach you a lesson, Storm?” Luna taunts me. We’re back to square one it seems. She’s going to pretend that moment we shared last night didn’t happen.

“You and Willow,” I instruct them. I hear Luna’s gasp as I turn and head out to the far corner where we always practice. The girls know to follow me. Today will be the first day they face each other. They normally take turns practicing with me, but I think the time has come to see what they can really do, especially with that flow of power I felt in Luna.

I give them time to warm up and then stand back to watch. Willow looks at me as she waits for further instruction. I just smile and wink at her, hoping she gets the message.

Awareness flashes across her face and she smiles back. Before Luna can turn, Willow attacks and their training begins.

Willow is almost twice Luna’s size, a tall girl with copper hair and bottle green eyes. She was born to survive in nature. I swear, she is blessed by Mother Nature herself. As Willow gives Luna a low kick, she sweeps her feet out from under her. Luna hits the ground hard and her face scrunches up with pain. She rolls to her side before struggling to her feet.

Willow strikes out at Luna again. With one swift movement I didn’t teach Luna, she flips backwards a couple of times, putting space between herself and Willow.

She straightens out and stands in the normal fighting stance. She’s angry?

“I forfeit!” she yells, taking another step back as Willow advances on her.

A clearly confused Willow glances from Luna to me.

“You cannot forfeit, Luna. This is training.” I give Luna a pointed look, hoping she’s not in the mood to argue.

“Fine. Then I refuse to fight Willow.” Luna turns away and starts walking toward the woods. I rub impatiently over my face before setting off after her, not knowing whether to tackle her, or just give her a good old hiding.

I increase my pace when it’s clear she’s heading home. I grab hold of her arm and pull her to a stop. “You have to fight! You will not graduate if you continue with this attitude.”

Her eyes flash with anger. “Fine! Then I just will not graduate. I will not get chosen to be a guardian anyway, so why should I bother?”

I frown down at her. She’s never been this negative before. “Of course you could be chosen as a guardian. Drop the attitude and get back to training.”

“No!” She growls at me, and tries to yank her arm free.

“So help me …” I drag a hand through my hair, frustrated with this argument. “Luna, you are pushing me. Get back to training!”

“Make me,” she hisses and this time she manages to yank her arm from my hold.