Alina's Crossing: Guardians of Terrin (9 page)

He took me on a quick tour of
the small village, explaining where everything was and what purpose each
station served. Everyone had dedicated jobs, all of them working together for
the good of the community.

One particular thing stood out
to me. There was an abundance of children in this village.

“Yes, we have around ninety
children here. There are about fifty adults.” Said Jeb when I mentioned the
large quantity of little ones.

“That's quite a lot”, I
commented with a snort.

“Yes.” said Jeb with a laugh.
“The children keep us on our toes.”

 
Riff had climbed up my jacket and stuck his
little head out. The sounds of the laughing and playing children had caught his
attention just as it did mine. He was watching the scene intensely, moving his
head back and forth, following the quick movements of the children.

“Alina, most of these children
have no parent’s here.” said Jeb soberly.

“What? Why?” I asked, shocked.
“They are all orphans?”

I looked around and felt
suddenly saddened for all the children that I saw running around and playing.

“No, not technically. They have
parents, they just aren't here.”

I gave Jeb a confused look,
indicating I wasn't following what he was telling me.

Jeb sighed. “We are all to meet
in the Great Hall. Come with me and I will tell you everything you need to
know, everything you didn't know you needed to know and finally answer all your
questions.”

‘It was about time.’
I
thought.

He grabbed my hand, leading me
to the Great Hall, which upon arrival, was great in name only. It was a small one-room
building that served as their community meeting room. Once inside, I saw a
large handmade table in the center of the room with maps and papers littering
its top. There were several chairs around the table and few lanterns that
provided adequate light. The walls were made of unfinished wood from the island.
Everything here seemed to be well made, but built in a hurry. My rescue team
was filing inside, except for the twins.

It was then that I noticed the
tablet, still wrapped in linen, sitting on the end of the table. My eyes were
drawn to it, but I stayed put, trying to ignore it.

“Alina, do you remember when I
said this island was a sanctuary?” said Jeb, once everyone who was supposed to
be there was present and accounted for. “Well, it wasn't intentionally meant to
house children specifically. Shael started attacking the kingdom with full
force several years ago.”

“How exactly does Shael
attack?” I asked.

“I worked at the palace as one
of Shael's personal guard. I was always with him, seeing firsthand the things
he would do, or hear the plans that he would make. I saw what was happening to
the kingdom from the inside. If someone couldn't pay their taxes, Shael sent
out the Shadow to have that person killed by someone else who couldn't pay
their taxes. The infected innocent person would get tried for murder and be put
to death, having no memory of the crime he was accused of. Shael gives the Shadow
orders and then unleashes it to do what it was told to do. Once the person is
infected, they have no control over their actions. The Shadow completely takes
over the person's body, movements and actions. The infected person has no idea
that they are infected and no memory of any acts they committed while they were
infected.” Jeb explained.

“So, if you had killed me when
you were infected with it, you wouldn't have remembered doing it?” I asked,
stunned.

Jeb shook his head.

“It became frequent and brutal.
Families were torn apart and life-long friends were killing each other. The
people of this land have become so tortured and frightened. People are starving
because they are too scared to go to work or go tend their fields, for fear the
Shadow will find them. When I started the resistance, I was quite by myself,
simply looking for a safe place for my family and a few friends who had
expressed interest in leaving and hiding. We needed a place where we could hide
from Shael and his cruel magic, and maybe have the ability to carve out a
peaceful life. Tawni and Yedwin had approached me about my plans to leave and
at first I was scared that they were going to turn me into Shael. If he had
found out my plans to leave his guard and to leave Terrin, I would have been
considered treasonous and the Shadow would have been looking for me next. It
turned out they too just wanted to get out from under Shael's cruelty. We
banded together and discovered this island had magical properties quite by
accident.” Said Jeb.

“How?” I asked, curious.

“Shael had discovered our plan
through his network of spies. We were on a home-made sailing vessel we threw
together specifically for our escape and somehow, Shael found our location in
the water and he sent the Shadow after us. You can't see the island on the
other side of the invisible border it projects. We were just about to be
overtaken by the Shadow when by pure chance, we crossed into the magical border.
The Shadow was unable to penetrate its invisible barrier. This wonderful island
was on the other side of that barrier. We still don't know why this island has
never been discovered by anyone else and why we were able to find it. To our
knowledge, Shael has no idea of its location. This island is our advantage. One
of the few we have.” Jeb explained.

“So the children?” I asked,
eager for him to continue.

“Yes, well, once word had
gotten back to Shael that we had escaped the Shadow, and him by extension,
Shael went harder, sometimes killing whole families in a single vicious attack.
He wanted to draw us out. He knew we had compassion for the people he was
murdering, a quality he lacks in abundance. Plus he needed to restore his
pride. We had betrayed him. Our first rescue was Jasser and Helix.” said Jeb
quietly. “They are my nephews.”

“Your nephews?” I asked stunned.
Jeb nodded.

“One day, we received gifts
that changed our lives. Five magical cloaks appeared outside of my tent. We
don't know where they came from or how they came to be on our island, but they
are the most precious gifts we could have ever received aside from the island. We
discovered that they produced invisibility to the person who wore it. Once we
had them on, we could walk around the kingdom safely. When we discovered what
we had, we decided the best way to use the cloaks was to rescue as many people
as we could fit under them. We have only three complete families here. It has
been difficult to smuggle adults, but easier to smuggle away the children. Once
word had spread that someone was rescuing children, Shael knew it was me, so he
went for my heart. My brother and his family were the next target of the Shadow.”
He said.

I gasped in horror.

Jeb continued. “Up until that
point, Shael had spared my family. My brother had no interest in leaving. I had
tried several times to convince him, if only for the safety of his wife and
children. He was much older than me, seventeen when I was born and he never
would listen to me. He was adamant that he wasn't going to be forced from his
home and scared off by some petulant child king. He would stay in his home and
fight for it.”

Jeb was quiet for several
seconds before continuing, his voice breaking from the sadness he still felt.

 “Shael had infected both
my brother and his wife with the Shadow, one at a time, and made sure his boys
watched first, their infected father kill their mother and then kill himself.
He didn't kill the boys, but instead, kept them alive as a message to us. No
one was safe. That is why the boys don't talk. It's not that they don't talk,
it's that they
won't
talk. They
haven't since they witnessed their parents' murders several years before.” He
explained.

A tear ran down my face as I
was starting to grasp the terror that the people in this place experienced. How
could one person cause so much grief and strife? I put a hand over Riff,
absentmindedly scratching his ear. He started to purr at my touch, which was
comforting.

“How do you rescue the people
Jeb? Doesn't Shael have people watching everywhere? I mean, you can't swim to
the mainland can you?” I asked.

“No, it's too far. We sail part
of the way at night. We learned that Shael has a method to his attacks. Once he
sends out the Shadow, it tires Shael, drains him of his magic and he must rest
to restore his powers. The Shadow feeds off of Shael's innate magic. He then
will rest for twelve to fifteen hours before he sends it out again. We have one
member of our resistance permanently cloaked in the kingdom. We have other
members perched high on the top of this island watching for a signal that an
attack has occurred. Once it has, the cloaked man in the kingdom runs to a
point that is never guarded and can be seen from our island, lighting a small
fire on a torch. He waves it three times, extinguishing it quickly thereafter.
We then know that we only have twelve to fifteen hours to mount another rescue.
We sail in a small boat and anchor in shallow water off of the mainland. Once
we get on shore we quickly dress don our cloaks and silently make our way
inside the kingdom walls. Our man on the inside already has a list of the next
people to go and the people know that it will happen without any notice. They
have been told to have items packed and ready to go in case it is their turn
next. It's torturous for the parents to have to let their children go, but in
the end they want them safe. Sometimes we can take a mother if she is small. We
always keep an extra cloak with us if an adult is going to make the journey,
but a lot of the times the adults don't want to separate. Sometimes the parents
just can't let their children go, so they turn us away, leaving us to move on
to the next people on the list.” He said.

“Amazing. I am....just...in
awe. I am completely overwhelmed. That is just....what you do...what you have
done here...” I said, rambling. I couldn't convey my feelings properly.

Jeb shrugged. “Yes well. It's
the least I could do. There are too many innocent people and not enough people
willing to risk their lives to help them. People are simply too scared to stand
up to Shael.” said Jeb.

He was entirely too modest.

“So, where do I fit into all
this?” I asked.

“Ah yes, well we aren't quite
sure where you fit in....yet. We just know that the person who activated the
stone tablet is the one who can stop Shael and can activate the weapon to use
against him.” Replied Jeb.

“And the weapon does what,
exactly?” I asked curiously.

“It can destroy the Shadow,
which is the bulk of Shael's power. He hides behind it. He does have his own
personal magic which is why he can house it inside his body. If we can destroy
the Shadow, we can kill Shael once and for all. Or at least mount a larger
resistance against him. The Shadow...you can't fight it. You can't hide from
it. We eradicate the Shadow, we have a fighting chance.” said Jeb.

“Are you serious? I can't stop
that thing! I am nobody special. You guys must have the wrong person!” I yelled.

I started to pace around the
tiny room. Riff cowered back inside my jacket at the sound of my screeching. I
didn't care that everyone was watching me have a freak out.

“No, we don't have the wrong
person. It's you Alina. Like I said, we don't know how you fit in yet. Once we
get settled, we can look at the kelter stone tablet and take it from there.”
explained Jeb, his voice calm and smooth.

I had forgotten about the stone
sitting innocently on the table. That blasted stone was the thing that started
this whole thing.

I nodded hesitantly.

It wasn't going to help the
situation by freaking out all the time. I had fear, but I would have to face up
to it and do so quickly. I don't know why I was chosen, but if there was a
chance I could do something to help these people, I would resolve myself try.

I stepped towards the entrance
of the building, looking at all of the innocent children who were given a
chance for a semi-normal life on the island. They weren’t complete though. If I
could do anything to reunite them with their parents, then I had no choice.

I've always wanted to do
something bigger than myself, to be part of something special. I guess the
words, be careful what you wish for, had a bigger meaning that I ever thought.

CHAPTER
6

CONFUSION

Jeb showed me to my new home
away from home after the meeting, a tent of my very own on the outskirts of the
vast tent village. It had a cot, a small table that held a wash bowl and water
pitcher, a solitary lantern for light, and a lovely chest made of dark wood
that was made by one of the craftsman on the island. It was meant to hold
clothes and personal things. I had nothing to put in there I realized, but I
wasn't going to mention that to Jeb. I wondered to myself if a trip back to the
1st Realm could be managed so I could get my toothbrush?

 
‘
Probably
not.’
I decided.

I was alone in my tent, looking
around my new home and pretending to tidy an already tidy space when someone
poked their head in. A little someone.

“Hi!” said the little girl
excitedly.

Her big, cheesy grin brought a
smile to my face, making me giggle. She looked to be no more than three or four
years old and had long light-blond hair that looked like it was at some point
in pigtails, but was now more of a mess than anything. Her dress looked as
though it suffered the same fate as her hair.

“Hello!” I walked over to her,
kneeling down to her level. “What is your name?”

“Nawwi.” she replied, fidgeting
her hair with her fingers.

“Narri?” I asked and she
nodded. “Hello Narri, I'm Alina. You have a very pretty name. Do you want to
come in?” I asked.

I stood up and set aside the
tent doors to welcome my first visitor into my new home.

She launched herself straight
in, ran towards my cot, hopping up on it. She settled there with a little
wiggle and then patted the cot to indicate I should join her, kicking her feet
back and forth with excitement.

I was immediately
uncomfortable.

I didn't know much about little
kids. I had never really had an opportunity to be around any, but if I was
going to be on the island for a while, I figured I might as well jump in feet
first.

“How old are you Narri?” I
asked.

She shrugged.

‘Ok, strike one.’
I
thought.

“Do you like to play games?” I
asked.

She shook her head yes
enthusiastically.

“What is your favorite game?”

She shrugged again.

‘Strike two.’
I thought
again.

“Do you like animals?” I asked.

I was losing steam. Games,
animals, songs...that was all the little kid ammunition I had.

Again, another enthusiastic
head nod to the positive.

“Do you have a favorite
animal?”

Another shrug.

I was starting to feel a rise
of helplessness, looking around for something that would keep the interest of a
talking toddler because the only song I knew was row, row, row, your boat and I
was a terrible singer.

‘Can you have an awkward moment with a toddler?’
I wondered.

I'm sure it was only awkward on
my side as she looked incredibly comfortable and satisfied the whole time. She
was fiddling with her dress and kicking her legs back and forth off the side of
the cot, happy as can be and I was just sitting there at a loss for words.

But then I was rescued.

Riff peaked his head out of the
top of my jacket. I had gotten used to him sleeping in there that I had all but
forgotten about him.

“What's dat?” asked Narri,
pointing towards the lump in my jacket.

“This is Riff.” I responded
quickly, relieved we now had something to talk about.

I unbuttoned a few buttons on
my jacket, creating a wider opening for Narri to inspect Riff. He did not leave
the security of my jacket completely, but did move his head out a little to
sniff the new place and the small person who was now only two inches from him.

“Can I touch?” she asked
hopefully.

“Yes, but be gentle. Riff
doesn't know you yet, so you have to go slow.” I instructed gently.

Narri reached her hand out to
Riff, who started smelling her fingers once they had gotten close enough to
him. His nose touched her finger and Narri giggled.

“His nose is cold.” Narri said
with a laugh.

“Yes, it is.” I laughed.

“What's that sound he's makin?”
she asked.

“That is a purr. Riff is happy
and that is the sound he makes when he is happy.” I said.

Riff must have approved of
Narri because he was rubbing his hand eagerly over Narri's hand, much to her
delight and making his little purring noise. Narri was shrieking in delight and
Riff wasn't fazed by any of her noises.

I was satisfied that I had made
another little friend, through the help of my other little friend.

‘Who knew I had such a way with animals
and
children?’
I
thought, proudly.

“Alina?” It was Jeb calling
from outside my tent.

“Yes?” I called from inside the
tent. “Come in.”

“Have you seen...there you are
you little scamp!” He was talking to Narri.

The child's face became
extremely animated when she saw Jeb. She launched herself off the cot and into
Jeb's waiting and outstretched arms, Riff and I all but forgotten.

“Daddy!” she yelled, wrapping her
little arms around his neck, squeezing her eyes shut and grinning widely.
“Daddy, daddy, daddy! I missed you!”

Jeb's face was lit up with
pleasure and he spun the little girl around, embracing her after a few whirls.

‘DADDY??? Jeb was a father?’
I thought, shocked.

I starred at Jeb, my mouth wide
open.

“I missed you too scamp! Why
are you bothering Alina? You ran off from your sister and she has been looking
for you. Actually, several people are looking for you. I went to go see you and
Varina at home when I got back from my trip, but there was only one little
girl, not two, and Varina said she couldn't find you.” Jeb said.

Narri's eyes lowered and her
face fell when she realized she had been caught being naughty.

“What are the rules little
girl?” he said in a face that showed tender love and mock sternness. I could
tell from his posture that he wasn't angry, he was just being stern.

‘Wait....SISTER? Jeb had two children?’
I thought, shocked all over again.

I needed to sit. My head was
swimming.

“Don't wanda off, stay wiff a
buddy, and don't botha peepol.” said Narri, her face locked in concentration at
trying to remember the rules.

“Yes, that is very good. Now
off with you. It's time for dinner and then Sacha is going to stay with you.
Daddy has some work to do.” he said.

Narri's face fell again,
becoming filled with sadness that I actually believed. She, however, was
already a master manipulator and knew how to play her daddy like a fiddle. Her
adorable little lips started to pout and she gave the best display of puppy dog
eyes I have ever witnessed. I melted, and I know that Jeb did too. I covered my
mouth with my hands to hide the smile that I couldn't keep from my face and I
wondered how Jeb wasn't laughing. I guess that's the difference when you are a
parent.

“Don't give me that face. I
will be back in a few hours and then I will read you and your sister a story
before bed. Ok?” said Jeb, hopeful that that would satisfy the little one.

Her eyes lit up and her lips
un-pouted. “Ok daddy. I will be good, I puwamise. Can we have TWO stowies
though? One for yesterday and one for today?”

‘This girl was good.’
I
thought, impressed.

Another round of puppy dog eyes
and a little batting of the eyelashes for good measure had sealed the deal. I
had never been able to wrap any man around my finger the way this little one
has. She was a genius and I would be her willing student.

“Alright you little scamp.
Deal. Now go find your sister. And don't stop on the way young lady!” he said
with a playful pat on her head.

“Bye Awina!” she called as she
ran out of the tent.

“Goodbye Narri. Nice meeting
you!”  I called after her.

I folded my arms and stood in
front of Jeb, my hip cocked, waiting for an explanation.

Jeb looked at me and smiled,
then, his look grew slowly to confusion, trying to decipher my body language.

“What?” he asked.

He seriously didn't know.

“You have children!” I yelled,
pointing in the direction that his daughter had just walked out of my tent.

“Yes, I do. Two daughters. That
was one of them.” he said simply, still confused.

“And you never thought to let
me know?” I yelled.

“Well I'm sorry! I didn't think
it was a relevant topic of conversation during the life-saving I was doing. Hey
Alina, watch out for the Shadow, and oh yah, I have two daughters!” Jeb countered.

“Their mother? Do I get to meet
her?” I demanded.

“No, you don't.” he said.

His face changed the moment I
asked about their mother, betraying pain I'm sure he didn't want me to see, but
it was so evident.

“She isn't...” I couldn't
continue. I already knew what he was going to say.

“No, she died when Narri was a
baby.” he said quietly.

“Shael?” I asked.

“No. Not really. Not directly,
anyway. She died of an infection. We are limited in our medical care here on
the island. She got a cut on her leg that became infected. We tried to treat it
here, but it wouldn't heal. I was about to smuggle her back into Terrin for
treatment, but she died before I could get her there. Varina, who is seven, has
few memories of her mother and Narri, well...” he didn't finish and he didn't
have to. Those girls lost their mother and have virtually no memory of her.

“I'm so sorry Jeb. Really.” I
said.

That didn't feel like enough to
say.

He has lost so many people and
he had taken such a great burden on his shoulders. He had chosen to be
responsible for the lives and safety of so many people, including his own
children and now he has added me into the mix.

‘Lucky him.’
I
thought.

Jeb changed the subject
quickly. “How about we go grab some food and then we will head back the Great Hall
for meeting number two.”

“Another meeting?” I asked.

“Yes, this one is about the
weapon. We are going to plan our search for it.” He replied.

“Sure yeah, let's eat and talk
about the weapon.” I said agreeably.

I tried to sound chipper and
confident, but I don't know who I was trying to convince more, Jeb or myself.
The weight of sadness I was experiencing for these people was fast becoming
heavy. Yet, at the same time, there was a show of resilience from them. No one
looked particularly sad or miserable. In fact, as I looked around, I saw smiles
and heard laughter. Even Jeb, who should have every reason to give up, pushed
on.

We went to the dining area of
the village, a big outdoor space that had several stations for grills and a
flat top cooking space. They were serving some delicious smelling meat that
looked like chicken and tasted like chicken. I didn't even know if they even
had chickens here. I had a chance to see a large pen on the other side of the
clearing that housed some animals I had never seen before. I silently wondered
if I was eating one of them. I simply ate the meat in blissful ignorance along
with some delicious grilled vegetables and a big piece of bread, sipping on
water from the well that was the freshest and cleanest water I have ever tasted
in my life. The meal I was served was the most I had eaten in two days and I
dived into it unapologetically.

Our meal over, we walked the
short distance back to the Great Hall and I was surprised to see that no one
else was there.

Paul and Joe strode in a few
minutes after us, nodding to Jeb and politely smiling to me.

“Ok, great let's get started.” Jeb
said.

‘Wait, that's it?’
I
thought to myself. ‘
It was going to be
just the four of us?’

“We don't know where the weapon
is.” explained Jeb. “Our reconnaissance missions have yielded very few details
on its whereabouts other than Shael almost certainly has it somewhere. But in
truth, we can't even verify that information.”

“How have you found out your
information so far?” I asked, curious.

Jeb looked to Paul and Joe
before he answered me with slight hesitation.

“I want to tell you Alina, but
the less you know on certain things, the better it is for you. Safer.” said
Jeb.

“Safer how?” I asked.