Alina's Crossing: Guardians of Terrin (14 page)

“I'm truly sorry about robbing
you of your grand moment. You thought you could come here and kill me, as your
destiny predicted, but I can’t allow that.” said Shael.

I had a hard time looking at
him because of his freaky eyes. It was scary to see the red and black twisting inside
of them, knowing what was causing the eerie whirlpool. 

“I can’t let you continue
hurting these people.” I said.

“You can’t let me? Who are
you?
 
You have no idea what it is that I
do or how hard it is to keep this kingdom from anarchy.” Shael snapped back.

Feeling the tiniest surge of
confidence, I continued to engage Shael in conversation. “I know that your ways
are vengeful and that people are dying. That is no way to rule!”

“How do you know what it is to
rule? You came here from an entirely different world, listening to only what
these treasonous people tell you. You have no foundation for your threats. You
are nothing here.” Shael spat.

‘When would Paul make his move?’
I wondered.

Shael’s eyes started to spin
faster with his anger rising. They wound themselves into a tight red coil. I
could once again feel Jeb starting to tense up beside me, preparing himself to
fight.

Shael was going to release the
Shadow and aim it directly for me.

I kept my composure, my eyes
locked on Shael. I could sense movement above me.

Paul was going to jump!

Just as soon as the thought
crossed my mind, I got the long-awaited flash in my head.

In my vision I saw Paul,
jumping off the top story and onto Shael and the ensuing struggle that it
caused. It was just a quick flash, but I realized that now was the time for me
to act.

I had to get that box back.

I concentrated on my goal, the
box, but not knowing where Shael had stashed it was making it harder to
visualize.

I quickly cloaked myself,
knowing that if my plan and Paul's plan didn't work, at least it would be
harder for the Shadow to find me when I was invisible.

I hoped.

I then cloaked Jeb, who turned
to me with a look of confusion. I turned Jeb around roughly pointing up to
Paul.

Paul made his leap and chaos
ensued mere seconds after I cloaked myself.

Jeb and I watched Paul tackle
Shael to the ground.

Joe was still sitting on the sidelines.
He was still uncloaked and didn't see Paul jump Shael. When Shael fell, it
startled Joe.

He jumped up to his feet in
confusion. All he saw was Shael flailing on the ground by himself and grappling
with nothing, not knowing that Shael was actually under attack.

“Joe you idiot! Cloak
yourself!” yelled Shael with a struggled and strained voice. He was still being
held down by an invisible Paul.

Joe ran to the desk to grab the
cloak. Jeb saw Joe run in the direction of the desk but he reached Joe first.
Jeb punched Joe with so much force that he flew backwards.

Joe was knocked unconscious.

I saw Jeb shake his hand from
the pain of the punch. His was torn between the satisfaction of preventing Joe
from getting their cloak and the hurt his betrayal had caused.

“Grab the cloak!” Paul yelled,
still grappling with Shael.

Jeb ran over to the desk,
quickly grabbing the stolen cloak laying upon it.

Paul jumped off of Shael and we
all darted for the exit. We were just to the door when I remembered we still
didn't have the box.

I stopped, giving it one last
desperate attempt at conjuring the box but it didn't appear. I put my hands up,
like I had done in the cemetery, but I was too frantic to do it properly. I
knew we didn't have time for me to try to project it back to me.

We would have to leave it for
now, but I would be back for it.

Joe had woken up and crawled
over to Shael who was still dazed from Paul's attack and helped him up.

Shael noticed they were alone.

“Find them you idiot! Now!!” he
barked to Joe.

Joe ran around to the desk,
searching frantically for the cloak.

“The cloak….It's gone!” yelled
Joe desperately.

“WHAAAT?” roared Shael. He ran
to the desk, his hand still holding the knot on his head, throwing things off
his desk in anger and frustration.

“They...they must have gotten
it when we weren't looking!” Joe said desperately.

He realized he was entirely too
sure of himself during the encounter. He started as the hero and now he a
target due.

They didn't know we were still in
the room with them. I was still earnestly trying to get the box back to me.

Jeb started pulling me, knowing
we had to make our escape. I reluctantly let him start to lead me away, but I
stopped when I heard what Shael said next.

“If you don't find them and get
that cloak back by nightfall, I will release the Shadow once an hour every hour
and I will be starting with the children. It will be worse than anything you
could have ever imagined. The carnage will be on you Joe.” Shael said.

I saw Joe's face fall.

 
He realized then he made the wrong choice,
sided with the wrong person.

Joe looked defeated and started
heading towards the door.

I became angry.

My blood started boiling, and something
took over me. I saw Shael's face and I saw Joe's.

One was violent the other,
riddled with guilt and regret.

My hands started trembling.

I raised them up and at once I felt
something happening and I aimed them towards Joe and Shael.

I was no longer in control,
instinct had taken over.

The constriction in my hands
tightened and I stiffened them in reflex.
 
When I did that, a huge shot of energy blasted
from them. It blew Joe and Shael back so far they crashed into the bookcases,
books falling on them when they landed. Furniture moved, flying like twigs in a
wind storm, paintings fell, and couches tumbled like they weighed nothing.

My eyes widened in surprise and
a small smile formed on my lips.

Jeb grabbed my hand and we
started to run.

CHAPTER
10

PEP TALK

The boat ride was very quiet
back to Jaffee.

Jeb and Paul hadn't said
anything about Joe's betrayal to the group, nor had anyone asked about Joe's
whereabouts or if the plan had even worked.

I think they could tell by our
faces that it was not successful.

I didn't know Joe well enough
to feel the full sting of what he did but I could see Jeb and Paul's faces. The
pain expressed by both of them was enough.

Once back at Jaffee, we went
our separate ways. Back to our tents, back to wherever, to lick our wounds.

I knew our mission was a
failure and that I couldn't defeat Shael. We never even had a chance to capture
the Shadow.

I was tired, and so frustrated.

I laid on my pillow, threw the
covers over my head, trying to block out the noise from outside.

I didn't like failure. I didn't
handle it well.

I knew from the very beginning
I was in over my head, but still, I thought I could do it. I thought I was
doing the right thing.

Riff must have sensed something
was amiss because he was waiting for me on my cot when I made it back to my
tent. It was like he sensed I had had a bad day and was there to make it all
better. He crawled up close to me, snuggling in for a nap. His presence was
calming and the purring noise he made was soothing.

Sleep came quickly and deeply
for me.

I awoke hours later. It was
dark, but not too late. I still heard people milling around outside. I sat on
the edge of my cot, trying to shake the fuzz out of my head from my deep
slumber. Riff seemed perturbed by my movements, voicing his displeasure in me
bothering him. The fuzzy little creature snuggled up in my blanket brought a
smile to my face.

I took the time to wash and
change my clothes, finally having something to put in my little storage chest I
was given. I received several changes of clothing and personal items such as a
brush and soap since my arrival. I wasn't really sure of what I was going to do
after I was done bathing and changing my clothes, so I took my time, prolonging
the need to leave my little sanctuary inside the tent.

Riffs' little sleeping noises
had become so normal to me. It was just enough background noise to ease my
troubled mind. My stomach started to grumble after a while and I knew it was
time to go in search of some food.

I peeked my head out of my tent
and saw that the village was in full swing. Torches were lit everywhere, and
people were walking through the village. Children were playing and laughing and
people were conversing in little groups.

I guess they hadn't heard the
bad news yet.

I went to the food shelter and
filled a plate for myself, exchanging pleasantries with the older lady that was
doing the cooking. She had kind eyes and was very sweet to me, giving me an
extra piece of bread with a wink and a toothy grin.

I found a little tree stump out
of the main artery of traffic on the outskirts of the village to sit and eat my
meal. I needed to be by myself for a minute to regroup and refocus.

I started to run over the
events that took place earlier in Terrin. I still felt like a failure, like I
failed the whole population of the island and the kingdom in general.

Watching them, I knew the
happiness they experienced here was built on a need to just exist without fear.
But there were so many more people who didn't have that luxury. I knew I was
putting unnecessary blame on my shoulders, because no one but the people on
this island even knew I existed. But still, I knew and as much as I tried to
fight it, my second accidental display of magic was leading me to believe I was
more than I thought I ever would be.

I just needed to learn to
channel it.

The action of chewing and
swallowing my food was a good diversion for me because I didn't know where to
turn next. I was scanning the crowds in search of Jeb, but I never saw him. I
wonder if he too found a spot in which to lick his own wounds and battle his
own demons.

He had a huge betrayal from a
long-time friend. That couldn't be easy to swallow.

I spotted Riff running in my
direction on all fours, his little paws galloping quickly. His long, hairy ears
flopped wildly as he ran, causing me to giggle. He stopped in front of me,
squeaking and squawking, standing up on his two hind legs.

“Is it dinner-time?” I asked,
bending over to scratch behind one of his ears. His head leaned into the
scratch, his eyes closing in pleasure.

“Ok little one. Go eat. And be
careful.” I said.

Riff made another squawking
noise and darted into the forest behind me. I heard a few swishes of movements
and then he was gone.

People that passed me waved or
said hello to me by name and I responded in kind, having gotten to know or at
least converse with many people since my time on the island.

My meal finished, I took my
plate and utensils back to the food shelter, washing them. Usually there was
someone at the washing station, but not today and I didn't want to leave them
there. It was nice to do such a mundane and normal task, such as washing
dishes. Once I was done, I went off in search of Jeb. I wanted to know what our
next move was going to be.

After walking around for
several moments I realized that I had absolutely no idea where Jeb lived. I was
completely lost in a sea of tents. I would need to ask someone. As luck would
have it, Gio had just started walking in my direction.

“Gio!” I yelled, running up to
him. “Can you tell me where Jeb is please?”

Gio looked hesitant for a
moment.

‘Had he been clued in on Joe's betrayal? Was he disappointed
in me?’
I wondered.

 
Maybe he thought Jeb should be left alone for
a while.

Unfortunately, none of those
options were going to work for me.

After a few moments of
hesitation, Gio pointed up to the sky.

‘Why was he pointing up?’
I
thought.

As my eyes adjusted, I saw what
he was pointing to.

It was well hidden in the dark,
but I could make out a fire in the trees. I smiled gratefully at Gio, squeezing
his arm in gratitude and started off in a run, towards the tree house.

Once there, I found a rope
ladder that led up to a wooden rope bridge. The living quarters were on the
other side of the bridge. I wasn’t invited to come up, but I went anyway.

I stopped several feet up and
did what you should never do, which was look down. I forced myself to remember
that I had previously and successfully climbed down a rather high mountain
cliff on one of these ladders.

At least going up was better
than going down.

I quickly got off the rope and
onto the more sturdy looking rope bridge, making my way to the dwelling.

It was a simple structure, a
large room illuminated with several lanterns and a small porch, nothing more.
There was no door on it but it looked cozy all the same.

I quietly walked over to the
opening, sliding my back up to the wall.

Peeking through, I saw Jeb
laying on sleeping pallets on the floor with his daughters. He had one on
either side of him, both of them snuggled up to him.

He was telling them a story and
they both were looking up at him with such concentration and love I instantly
felt like I was intruding.

I decided that I would come
back later and started to walk away when I heard Varina bring up a subject to
her father that I had wondered about myself.

“Tell us the story about Mommy
again.” said Varina with a giggle.

Narri joined her giggle,
obviously knowing it was going to be a funny story.

This peaked my interest and I
peeled myself back against the wall, unable to not listen in.

I felt guilty for spying, but
not enough to actually leave.

I heard Jeb sigh, which I
couldn't tell was meant to be jokingly or from irritation.

“Ok you little imps. One story
about Mommy and then its bedtime. Agreed?” bargained Jeb.

“Agreed.” said the
older-than-her-years sounding Varina.

“Agweed.” said the adorable
Narri, which brought a smile to my lips.

“Long ago, in a kingdom far
away lived a fair maiden. She was so beautiful with her long golden hair and
big blue eyes, that it hurt your eyes to look at her for too long. She had a
smile that was so warm, even if you were mad, one look from her and your mood
shifted beyond your control.” started Jeb.

“Was she a pwincess?” asked
Narri, excitedly.

“Yes, she was. A beautiful
princess, whom was so loved by her kingdom” answered Jeb, and I heard Narri
sigh in contentment.

“One day, the beautiful
princess was walking through a meadow and stumbled across a MEAN LARGE
MONSTER!” Jeb joked, and started a tickle war that sent the girls into a large
fit of giggles.

“Daddy, that was you!” said
Varina through her laughter.

“Yah Daddy, you not a monstuh!”
giggled Narri.

“Ok, ok, I wasn't a monster,
but why this beautiful princess fell in love with the monster, I will never
understand, but fall in love she did and then came two OTHER beautiful
princesses from their love.”

I heard Narri whisper to her
sister. “That's us Vawina.”

“Shhhhhh Narri!” said Varina.
“Let him finish!”

“And they were so happy, the
three beautiful princesses and their LARGE MEAN MONSTER DADDY!' He started
another tickle war and the squeals of laughter and giggles that came out from
the three of them made me laugh out loud. I quickly went quiet, putting my hand
over my mouth, hoping that I wasn't heard.

I heard Jeb say it was time for
bed and then came the groans and the “Please, daddy, one more story”, but Jeb
did not relent. He kissed them one at a time and said goodnight.

I realized I was about five
seconds away from getting caught and started to look around for another exit
but had no quick escape.

I decided to stay and face the
music.

Jeb did not show surprise at
seeing me outside his door. He must have heard me laugh.

He didn't look mad at me, but
he didn’t look happy either.

Jeb was always optimistic,
always ready to do what needed to be done to save his home. Now, it seemed like
he was almost giving up, the defeat on his face was so defined.

 Jeb gestured for me to go
down the ladder, and I assumed it was so we could talk without disturbing the
girls.

Once off the ladder, I grabbed
his hand roughly, like he had done mine in the past, and dragged him off. We
were going to talk and we were going to talk alone. I didn't really know where
I was going but he followed me without protest.

I had grabbed a torch once we
got off Jeb's ladder from his tree house, grateful that I had thought to do so.
It was dark in this lush paradise at night but not creepy like some forests can
seem when night settles in.

After a few minutes of walking
in silence Jeb automatically took the lead. A few minutes later and after a
little bit of a climb, I was rewarded with a view of absolute brilliance. This
was a view I had never seen before, with millions of stars, each one trying to
outshine the other.

You could see Terrin from where
we sat and from a distance it looked rather peaceful. Flickering fire light
from torches was the only indication that there was a settlement, but I knew
better. I felt terrible again, knowing I had failed all those people. I could
tell that Jeb was feeling the same as I was, lost with nowhere to turn and no
idea what to do next.

We were both staring at the
kingdom when he finally spoke.

“If you want to crossover
again, no one would blame you.” He said sullenly.

“What do you mean Jeb? Just
leave?” I asked.

 “Yes. We are losing this
war and we are just going to keep losing people if we continue. It's obvious
that we are not going to win. Shael and the Shadow are just too powerful for
us. I should just be content with the fact that I have been able to rescue as
many people as I have and be grateful that we have our little sanctuary. That
will have to be enough.” he said, defeated.

He pulled something out of his
back pocket, twisted a cap and raised the container to his lips, swigging from
it deeply. He extended it to me, but I passed.

This wasn't the time to get
drunk.

I wasn't going to stand for
this. He was not going to quit on me, I wouldn't let him.

The children on this island
were going to be reunited with their parents and the people of that kingdom
were going to stop living in fear. I didn't know how, but it was going to
happen and I needed Jeb to help me figure it out, soberly, being the best
option.