Redemption (Night Marchers #2) Written by: Rebecca Gober and Courtney Nuckels (20 page)

I flinch as he says this. It makes me ill
thinking he can talk about something like that so nonchalantly. In
the back of my mind I am hoping that the Menehunes and the Night
Marcher chief hear his confession, but I know at this point it will
do them no good. He’s immortal now; he can’t die.

I look down to the ground not able to look at
Kao any longer. If I am about to die, his face isn’t the last thing
I want to see. Kao is close enough to me now that I see his feet in
front of me. Something strange catches my eyes as he stands there.
The bleeding in his leg hasn’t stopped. If he is truly immortal
like he says he is, then there shouldn’t be any blood dripping from
his leg. It most likely would be dried up blood having already
clotted and healed. Then it dawns on me. Kao isn’t immortal, he
just thinks he is!

Forcing myself to look up at Kao, I find
strength inside me I didn’t know I had until now. I smile brightly
at Kao and say, “Here, can you hold this?” I must take him off
guard because I shove the torch in his hands extra hard. “Thanks!”
I reply. Then I do what I do best, run!

I try to put as much distance between the
cliffs and me as possible. I make it into a wooded area and can
hear Kao from behind, gaining on me. I will myself to run faster
and harder than I ever have. My heart is pounding wildly out of my
chest from exertion.
Where are you Eve?
I got Kao to confess
so why didn't they come out? My heart sinks knowing they must not
have heard him. They may not even be around.

I scream when my hair is jerked and I fall
backwards. My back hits the ground so hard that the air is knocked
right out of me. As I force myself to breathe I watch the tree
canopy move above me. Panic racks my brain when I realize that the
trees aren't moving, I am! Like a cavewoman, I'm being dragged by
my hair back to where I had just been. "No!" I yell. "Let go!" I
scream as I thrash about trying to free myself from him. I dig my
nails into the dirt trying to slow our momentum but nothing helps.
Kao is on some evil caveman mission to get rid of me. My head feels
like it's on fire. I can feel each individual hair as it
desperately tries to cling to my scalp. Thoughts of plummeting off
the cliff fill my mind. I know I can heal easily but can I heal
from a fall like that?

"Hello." I hear Kao say from behind me. He
stops abruptly and lets go of my hair. I can't see the person he's
talking to. I watch Kao pull a knife out from his back pocket. He
turns around and points it at me yelling, "Get up now!"

My heart leaps to my chest with hope. Maybe
it's Eve or the Night Marcher chief. I slowly drag myself up. I
don't even get a chance to turn around before Kao pulls me in front
of him like a shield holding the knife to my neck. I look ahead to
see what he's so scared of and find Kai.

Tears of joy spring to my eyes and in this
moment I don't care that Kao has a stupid knife to my neck.
My
Kai is standing in front of us. He doesn't have a shirt
on so the greenish glow emanates all that much more across his
skin. He's the hottest spirit warrior I could ever imagine, a
stupid thing to think right now, I know! Most importantly, he's
here in front of me! "Kai!" I say through eyes blurred with
tears.

"Oh shut up!" Kao says from behind me. The
knife digging deeper into my throat as it threatens to break the
skin. "What do
you
want?" He spits at Kai.

"I've come for her." He says pointing at me.
I realize then that Kai is glowing fiercely. He looks so
sickeningly like Kao did when he was trying to kill me.

Kao lets out a boisterous laugh. "Oh right,
there's still something you need to do."

Kai's body tenses up as he raises his spear
up. He nods his head. "Yes. Let her go." He says through clenched
teeth.

Kao whispers in my ear, "I don't have to kill
you darling, your boyfriend will do the job for me." He laughs
again. Then surprisingly he lets me go and backs away from me.

"Kai," I whisper unsure. My stomach feels so
sick over this whole situation and I feel as though my head is
spinning in shock. I have no idea what to do. Kai takes a forced
step towards me. He's trying to fight it again, I can tell. Relief
surges through me knowing that he doesn't want to do this. I don't
want to run from him. I don't want to make it any harder than it
already is.

I catch a movement to the left of me behind
some bushes; Eve is sitting camouflaged. A small sliver of hope! I
have to make him say it; I have to get Kao to confess again. Eve is
here which means the Night Marcher chief is here too! I run away
from Kai and back towards Kao. When I get to him I push him as hard
as I can. "You evil bastard!" I barely move him.

He lets off his amused laugh.

"You took everything from him. You killed his
fiancé. You are trying to kill me and you murdered his best
friend!" I stab my finger in his chest with every word.

He looks at me with emotionless eyes. "Yes,
so what?"

Will that work?
I don't know, but I
hope so. "You killed Adam!"

"Shut up and die already!" Kao says
venomously. "Your man is ready to kill you now."

He's not going to say anymore. I'm so livid I
can't control myself. I pull my fist back and slam it right into
his mouth.
Ouch!
I've never punched anyone before and the
throbbing in my hand reverberates up my arm. While it hurt, it
still felt so good.

Kao raises his hand to his mouth and wipes
some blood off his lip. He holds his hand in front of his eyes
examining it in complete shock. He looks at me eyes wide with
horror. Then he looks behind me in fear. I turn around to find Kai
holding his spear only a few inches from my chest.

"Down." Is all he says. I don't hesitate, I
drop to the ground and roll out of the way. I lift my head just in
time to see Kai slide the spear into Kao's stomach. Blood gushes
from the wound as Kao tries to pull it out frantically. The whole
horrific scene makes me feel like I'm going to puke or jump for
joy, I'm not sure which.

"Enough!" I hear a voice reverberate from
somewhere behind the trees.

"No, no, no!" Kao whales.

"Head down Emma!" Kai yells. He pulls me into
his arms pushing my head into his chest to shield me from whatever
is happening. His body feels warm and firm against mine. Not cold
and damp like I had expected. I open my eyes to look closer at his
skin. It's back to the toasted coconut color that I love. My heart
leaps with happiness.

"I, I love you." I say quietly into his
chest. I want to look in his eyes, but his hand firmly holds my
head down in place.

His heart beats harder and at first I worry
that something horrible is happening and he's scared. Then he says,
"I love you so much Emma."

I want to soak it all in but I'm cut off from
this romantic moment when I hear Kao's shrill screams followed by a
deep, authoritative voice. "You are hereby sentenced to an eternity
of servitude. Kao, you are a slave who shall never be able to raise
his head as a warrior again. You are the lowest of the low and will
walk in chains forevermore."

"That was the Night Marcher Chief." Kai
whispers in my ear. "Eve is here. I need to leave you for a minute.
Will you keep your head down?"

I nod my head against his chest.

"Please Emma, don't look up. Everything is
going to be fine now, I promise." He says and I believe him
wholeheartedly.

He kisses the top of my head and then walks
away. I turn my back to where the action is, draw my knees into my
chest and rest my head in my hands. I listen intently trying to
imagine what's going on behind me.

"Thank you." Eve says.

"It was just and right. I wish I could offer
more of an atonement for your husbands death." The Chief says.

"Actually, you can." Eve says rather
strongly.

There is an uncomfortable silence for several
seconds until the Chief says, "You may ask for anything."

"I want you to release to me all of the
innocents that are amongst your tribe. Their families don't deserve
this grief that I feel for my lost husband." She pauses a moment to
clear the emotion from her voice. "I realize that some of them may
not have any family alive. Us Menehune's will take those
individuals into our homes."

The Chief stays silent for so long that I
have to force myself to keep my head down. I want to see what he's
doing or if he is even still there. To be honest, I kind of want to
see what the Chief looks like, although I know the implications for
doing so. Maybe he thought her request was that ridiculous. Just
when I think he's not going to say anything he says in a highly
annoyed tone, "Granted." The earth trembles ever so briefly under
my feet.

"Thank you." Eve says seemingly
unperturbed.

The chief doesn't respond. A long minute
passes before Kai puts his hand lovingly on my back. "It's safe to
look now, he's gone."

I look up at Kai's face. Love washes over me
so strong that I'm swimming in it. I open my mouth to say something
but no words come out. I don't even think there are words in my
vocabulary that could describe the overwhelming sense of elation
for having Kai back, safe and sound.

Kai stares back at me mirroring the same look
of adoration on his face. I notice for the first time that his eyes
are no longer a full stormy grey. They have these interesting black
flecks around the iris. I've never seen anything like them.

"Emma," Kai says. He wants to say something
but he too is speechless. He pushes a loose strand of hair behind
my ear then opens his mouth again to finish his sentence. He
hesitates for a second and then his lips crash down on mine. He
pulls me to him in an earth-shattering kiss. That electricity that
we shared hasn't died down a single bit, if anything it just feels
stronger. I close my eyes and relish in the intoxicating volts that
pulse through my veins. The world as I know it falls down around me
and it’s just him and me in this moment. I treasure it, not ever
wanting it to stop. He pulls away and looks into my eyes again.
"Words can't describe what I feel right now." He leans in and
kisses me again, this time the kiss is gentle and undemanding. He
kisses my lips then the bridge of my nose and finally my forehead.
He rests his forehead against mine and says, "I love you so much
Emma. That was the stupidest thing anyone has ever done for me. I
thought..." His voice gets tight.

I move back just enough to catch his eyes. "I
know it was reckless and stupid but I couldn't just leave you
there. I know I haven't known you long, but I feel like you took a
piece of me with you."

Kai looks at me a little confused but patient
to hear what's on my heart.

"I mean, I don't know much about love or it's
symptoms, but I realized when I saw you again that at some point I
must have given you a piece of my heart. Now, I'm not whole without
you. I love you Kai." I put my hand on his cheek and feel his
warmth. I lean in and place a gentle kiss on his lips.

Kai, with eyes full of emotion says, "Emma,
if I had to march an eternity in slavery it would be worth it
knowing that you are safe. They can bind my wrists and shackle my
feet, but they can't take away my memories, my heart. If I had to
see you grow old from a distance with someone else, it would have
been worth it. I have had more than one lifetime to learn that our
love can only come around once." He hugs me to his chest then pulls
me back and stares seriously into my eyes. "You must never try to
sacrifice yourself again for me. That night when you ran away, I
knew something was up. I could tell and because I doubted only the
slightest bit, I was almost too late. Then when I had to leave you
with Kao right there…" His face contorted to anger and pain. "I
couldn't help you. I tried, I fought it but I couldn't get away. If
you had not struck that curse with me by looking me in the eyes, I
may not have made it this time. You must promise me to never do
anything that dangerous again." His eyes plead with me.

I shake my head slowly a single tear dropping
down my cheek. "I can't promise that Kai. I may not know much about
it but I've learned that love is a sacrifice. Putting the one that
you love in front of yourself comes with the territory. I would
gladly lay down my life for you just as I know you would do for me
again and again. You can't expect me to make a promise that you
yourself wouldn't be able to keep."

If it's even possible the look of love that
is displayed on Kai's face grows even stronger. He nods and says,
"You're right. I feel like it's my duty to protect you, but I
realize that you are just as strong willed as I am." He grabs a
hold of my hand and says, "Emma, I would endure a thousand deaths
for you."

I laugh at the irony of his comment. He can't
really die; well at least he hasn't yet. I think about my rapid
healing and wonder if the same holds true for me. A shiver
overcomes me. I don't think I want to find out. Instead I just
respond with a flirtatious smile, "Ditto."

Chapter 12

After Kai and I are done with our gushy
romantic reunion I look around to realize that nobody else is
around. "Where did everyone go?" I ask.

"Eve and the others went to the beach. The
Night Marcher Chief and Eve both agreed that level ground would be
a more suitable place to release the other Night Marchers." Kai
responds.

My heart starts beating with hope and
elation, "You mean everyone is going to be released? Kai, that’s
amazing!" I bounce with excitement.

He smiles tenderly, "Yes it is, I've marched
with some tormented souls who have lost everything. This redemption
is long overdue." His face drops with sadness. "Some of them may
not be able to handle life like they could before the marching. I
don’t think any of them even held onto hope."