Mira's Hope (15 page)

Late into the night, they decided to turn in.
Morgo was just starting up the stairs when Tark called out to him.
“How do the mirror waters work?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean?” The
monotone quality returning to Morgo’s voice.

“Can you see anyone, or does it have to be
someone you’ve met?” Tark asked, his gaze shifting to the
floor.

“I cannot look for what I’ve never seen.”

Tark looked up at him once more and found
Morgo was staring at him with a gaze that always unnerved him. It
was as if he could read his thoughts.

“I was just curious. Galena showed me my
Taura before she left and I just wanted another glimpse.” Tark gave
a halfhearted smirk before continuing. “Can you at least show me
Galena? I haven’t seen her since she left.”

* * * *

Tark rolled over onto his back, groaning as
he did so. He’d found it amusing that Morgo had to retrieve a bowl
to put water in before he could summon the image of Galena in the
water. She and Elenio were walking. Both seemed to be silent; he
had not seen either’s mouth moving. It appeared they were traveling
with some type of light as well, because they appeared extremely
well lit. Tark wondered if this was due to Morgo’s magic or
something Galena was doing.

Interesting
, he thought, but then
didn’t think much more of it. He could discern little else from the
image Morgo produced.

Tark felt a brief wave of sadness pass
through him, it was an emotion that was not his own. It was during
these brief glimpses into Taura’s mind that he missed her the most.
As they’d traveled further and further from her, their connection
had dwindled. In the underground world, he’d lost it all together.
That was the hardest time for him. Even when they emerged from the
tunnels, he still could not sense her. It hadn’t been until they
started back and toward the west that he started to feel his
connection with her once more. It was only when she was feeling a
particularly strong emotion, but it was there, and it gave him
reason to keep fighting.

Elenio told him when they were racing against
time to save Galena, that he’d lost all connection with her even
though she was always a few feet away. This surprised Tark, mainly
because he hadn’t realized Mira blessed them by giving them the
gift of the connection granted only to commitment partners. When
Elenio told him this connection had been severed, it was then that
Tark truly feared for Galena’s life. He didn’t believe they would
succeed, even when Elenio pushed them on. He wouldn’t be so quick
to put a limit on his little sister anymore.

He threw an arm over his eyes to block some
of the moonlight streaming in through the window and thought about
all he wanted to accomplish in the following days and weeks. While
making his plans, he drifted off to sleep, thinking of how
wonderful it would be if they could just make several more
homes.

Chapter
Nineteen

Rau sat unmoving on his throne, seething with
anger. She was whole. The marks completely removed. How had this
been accomplished? His mind reeled and searched, but he was unable
to come up with any answers. Not only was she whole, but she was on
the move again. She’d lost one of her traveling companions, but
that hardly mattered, because he’d seen what she could do, and for
the first time in his existence, true fear washed over him. He felt
he was drowning in it. What had this Mira done to bring about the
downfall of him?

He’d thought she would be easy to destroy,
like one of his torlics. He’d used the shadows that were always
available to him to caress her neck, to stop the airflow that
supported life, but she’d seen through this and stopped him. With
the distance between them, all she needed to do was burn him with
an intense light. This never happened before, even with Lamiria.
Rau had personally crushed the life from Lamiria with his shadows
and he’d tried to burn him as well with lights. It hadn’t even
fazed Rau. He’d felt an unpleasant twinge, but nothing more.

Now, panic blossomed in his chest. Was he
growing weaker? Had this elf girl already found Mira’s secret to
his demise? She couldn’t be stronger than he, could she? No elf was
that strong, of that he was sure. It had to be Mira’s doing. Where
was Haulua when he needed him? He should be dealing with his sister
in his own world. What was he doing to prevent the death of both of
them? The god had pestered him constantly at the beginning of the
chase, but now, it had been several days since he’d last seen the
god. Of all the times to disappear.

Rau no longer had a connection with Galena,
because of her lack of marks, but he did not intend to let her roam
free. He would keep watch of her with his shadows. As for his
forces, he knew exactly where to send them.

Chapter
Twenty

Galena was exhausted. After the attack from
Rau, she’d kept them bathed in a bright light. It was similar to
the orbs and air hut she used for protection all wrapped in one.
She remember Morgo telling her that the light trapped within the
orbs was similar to the light or force of nature that they saw in
the bolts of lightning that shot across the sky during summer
storms. Morgo had explained that by using air like a barrier, the
elves could trap this same force within it safely. Galena took this
concept and created a sort of dome made of the brightest light that
she could think of, and trapped it in the air barrier. The results
seemed to be too bright for Rau to penetrate with the shadows that
they could not escape. So far, there had been no more direct
attacks from him.

They’d been traveling for a couple of weeks
now, and had come across two more villages. Galena was infuriated
at how stubborn the elf race could be. They had to discuss and
debate with each of the elders from the villages until Galena
thought she would scream. How hard was it to understand that they
were finally making a stand and they needed all the help they could
get? But no, they all had to decide if they’d had enough of Rau's
reign or if they were more content to lie in the shadows and see
what became of it all. Elves! She would live alone after this,
never talking to another elder as long as she lived!

Elenio chuckled, sensing her thoughts and
mood. He was collecting firewood as Galena was sitting in the
middle of a clearing, thinking of all kinds of foul words she could
use to describe the elves from the village they’d just come from.
She’d been so angry with them; she refused to stay and dine with
them, instead choosing the forest and its inhabitants to eat
with.

“Are we having a temper tantrum?” Elenio
asked, clearly amused with her foul mood.

“Of all the stupid, selfish...” she didn’t
finish the thought, because of how tangled and ugly they’d become.
She didn’t remember her own village being that difficult to deal
with.

“They were. We were just a part of it so we
really never thought much of it.” Elenio stopped and bent down so
he was eye level with her. He reached out and brushed away a strand
of hair that escaped her long plait. “Peace Love, before you end up
with head pains you’ll have to cure. How about we spar for a bit?
You could work your anger out in a more constructive manner.”

Galena stood and walked over to where she’d
practically thrown her sword and pack, and returned to the center
with her blade in hand. Elenio stood waiting, having retrieved his
sword from the scabbard at his waist. Galena didn’t waste a moment,
but attacked immediately, her anger making her thoughts and actions
too hasty. Elenio easily blocked her blow and spun away.

Peace,
she thought to herself. She let
go of her anger as best as she could and let her muscles take over
where her thoughts refused to cooperate. She felt her moves become
fluid and her anger abated. They fought in a kind of dance, neither
gaining the advantage as Galena decided not to use magic. They
whirled and spun, flipped and ducked, their blades streaks of
shinning gray in the air that met on occasions only to kiss the
other before they were off again.

Galena felt the sweat roll off her temples
and cling to her back as their tempo increased. She ducked the
swing of his blade, coming up and in so she was a hair’s breath
away from him, her blade at his throat. He stood panting, his eyes
held her own. Her anger faded as she felt a crash of emotions blind
her own thoughts and feelings. She felt her breath catch in her
throat and her heart raced. They stepped away from each other,
their stares never letting go of the other until they stood on
either side of the clearing. Even then, Galena felt like she needed
more space to keep from attacking him in another sense of the
word.

“Some elves woo each other with sweet words
and flowers. Not us, we find romance in trying to behead each
other,” Elenio said dryly.

Galena had to laugh at this as she fought to
regain control of her emotions. She concentrated on her breathing,
focusing on slowing the rhythm that she took each breath. This
helped them both, for once one of them was able to get their
thoughts and emotions under control, they both were.

Feeling more like herself again, she walked
back to where he’d laid the dry sticks and pieces of wood for their
fire. She looked down and instantly, there was a fire blazing and
consuming the wood at the pace only fires can do. Her anger having
melted away; she felt beyond weary from traveling and arguing with
senseless elves. She sat down, bringing her legs up to her chest,
and wrapping her arms around them. Elenio sat down beside her,
pulling Twoit from Galena’s pack, and placing her beside him. He
laid the packs down on top of each other and then leaned back,
pulling Galena down with him.

“It’ll be our time soon,” he said simply.

She laid her head on his chest and placed a
hand over his heart. She could still feel it racing. He pulled the
hair tie from the end of her braid and combed out the long locks
with his fingers.

“How much longer do you think we have to go
until we reach the western woods?” She turned her head so she could
face him as she waited for his answer.

“According to one of the older elves in the
last village we were at said, it was a couple days journey from
their village.” He continued to stare at the fire and stroking
Galena’s hair.

She found the motion calming and began to
drift off. Her weariness now crashed over her in sleepy waves,
causing her vision to blur and her mind to drift. Twoit started
jumping up and down on Elenio’s stomach, frantically moving this
way and that. Galena just waved her off, shutting her eyes
sleepily.

“Did you put up the protective barrier?” she
heard Elenio ask somewhere in the distance.

She felt herself being shaken awake, gently
at first then more persistently when she didn’t respond.

“Galena, we can’t go to sleep until you put
those...” he broke off suddenly with a choking, gasping noise.

Galena sat up and found herself facing a long
torlic blade pointed directly at her face.

“Don’t move a muscle, or your little friend
will have the life squeezed out of him,” the greatly ugly beast
rasped.

Moving only her eyes, she saw a narook had
sneaked up upon them, wrapping his long, whip like fingers around
Elenio’s neck. Glancing around her, she saw more torlics, narooks
and to her horror, a giant earagos walking into their bright
clearing. She was pleased to see that all of Rau’s dark creatures
had trouble adjusting to the bright light. There were more than
twenty of them circling around her.

Elenio was trying to pull at the fingers
wrapped so tightly around his throat, his lips turning a blue color
and his breath was becoming more labored. The narook that held him,
smiled viciously as he continued to squeeze. Galena felt the panic
racing through Elenio as he struggled to get a breath. She fought
against the emotion, but it threatened to overwhelm her.

“Let him go,” she said in a deadly
whisper.

“Do you honestly think you can beat us? Your
blades are on the ground and we have one within inches of your
face. Your little friend here doesn’t stand a chance. You’re just a
silly little female who has gotten lucky one too many times,” the
narook said in an oily voice.

It sent chills running down her spine. The
group around her laughed cruelly as Elenio’s struggles started to
grow weak. His eyes bulged and Galena sent a wave of calmness to
him, as well as her plan. He looked at her and stopped.

“Let. Him. Go.” Galena looked directly into
the black eyes of the narook, enunciating every word with such
force the smile slipped from the narook’s ugly face.

The torlic that held the sword inches from
her face, shifted uncomfortably as he looked to the others for
their reactions.

“I don’t believe I will. Master wants you,
but we were told to kill the other two with you. I only see the
one, but I personally think it’s a great start.” The smile returned
to his face and he gave another great squeeze.

“Not today.”

Fire erupted from the creature’s head,
causing him to scream out in pain. Using a gust of wind, Galena’s
sword came rushing to her outstretched hand. She grabbed the hilt
and rolled away from the temporarily stunned torlic. She swung out
and cut the hand off the narook, freeing Elenio. She felt the spray
of blood across her face as she watched the narook flail around for
moments more before crashing to the ground, where he continued to
burn. Elenio slumped to the ground, fighting desperately to breathe
again. Galena could tell that something within his throat had been
crushed, which made his breathing labored, but not life threatening
at that moment.

It would have to wait,
Galena
thought.