08. Reckoning, page 16
part #8 of Second Skin Series
The relationship between a Sintári and their Tarí went well beyond symbiosis; the direct sharing of emotions was far more intimate than any physical liaison. But despite my ability to sense her through the link we shared, Elistá and I had yet to experience the depths of that more profound connection.
“Give me your hand.” I tried to make the request sound innocent, but Elistá’s furrowed brow said that she missed that minor detail. Still, she met me halfway, and as our fingers curled together, I tried to send her a tendril of emotion.
Although Elistá understood that I was attempting to do something, and I sensed her curiosity, nothing I did had any real effect. While she was able to experience a portion of the various emotions I sent her, there was no true sharing of those feelings. Our bond allowed us to know each other in a way that few—if any—ever would, yet I couldn’t help but be a little disappointed to discover that it lacked that additional element of intimacy. I exhaled a frustrated breath as I finally gave in, recognizing the futility of the pointless endeavor.
“So, are you going to tell me what that was all about?” Elistá’s question rang of her own annoyance.
“Sorry,” I replied awkwardly as I tried to come up with some way to explain. “I guess that probably seemed a bit weird.”
“No, no, it was great,” she teased me in return. “Now I know that you can make me feel happy, sad, angry, and utterly obsessed all within a matter of seconds.”
Hmm, some of that had potential…
“Don’t get any ideas,” Elistá smirked, reminding me just how clearly she could read me now. “Or at least if you do, make sure they’re interesting.”
“I’ll see what I can come up with,” I promised, returning her sneer with one of my own.
Despite our lighthearted banter, I knew that I still owed her an explanation. It wasn’t easy to admit my shortcomings, but eventually, I muddled my way through. Even though I was a Sintári, it was difficult for me to accept how different I was from the rest of my kind. As the literal prototype for my people, I possessed many strengths they did not, yet I still longed for the one thing that might have brought me closer to my Tarí.
“Wait.” Elistá stopped dead in her tracks. “You’re upset with yourself because you don’t share their greatest weakness?”
“Well, when you put it that way, it kinda sounds—”
“Stupid?” Her brow arched as she finished the sentence for me.
Oh. There’s the old Elistá!
“Don’t be a jerk.” She tugged at my hand, pulling me towards a nearby stand of trees that promised to offer us shelter for the night.
What the fuck? I don’t even get my inner monologues anymore?!?!?
24
The small copse proved to be far more inviting than it had seemed in the distance. Near the center, a large elm had fallen and lay hung up against several of its neighbors, creating a natural refuge beneath its broad arms. Cutting away a few of the limbs left us a cozy nook hidden amid the maze of branches, and Elistá set up our camp there while I took some time to train with my weapons before it grew too late. Not that I had any trouble seeing in the dark; night vision had been the first ability I’d uncovered.
I didn’t really need the practice, but I’d been disappointed to miss the opportunity to test my abilities in combat. Sure, I’d taken out a pair of our attackers with my bow, but I’d been looking forward to wielding my blades against something other than shadows and imaginary foes. Perhaps that might sound a bit morbid, but this world provided very little sanctuary for the timid. One might be able to hide behind high walls or stout soldiers, but ultimately, blood would need to be both spilled and lost to ensure the safety of innocents. While I intended to do a great deal of the former, I was hoping to avoid the latter as much as possible.
When the sun set, and darkness began to take hold, I retreated within the confines of our shelter. Although Kannika hadn’t returned to me, I wasn’t overly concerned by her absence. I could feel her presence off in the distance, and even though she was beyond the range of our communication, I could sense her well enough to know that she wasn’t in any danger. The feeling that I got from her was one of caution, not from any hazard she faced, but out of respect for the unknown. After taking the final step to reach her full potential, neither of us knew what… difficulties she might face during that process.
“Looks like it’s just the two of us tonight.” I cast a knowing smile at Elistá as I parted my way through the branches.
She’d arranged a lovely bed, and without Nika as our pillow, the comfortable space offered plenty of room for things other than sleeping. Elistá knew exactly what was on my mind, and I could sense that she shared my desires. But there was a hesitancy that mingled with her ardor, causing me to pause before I could wrap her up in my arms.
“What’s wrong?”
“You’re going to think I’m weird,” she muttered, and I caught the awkward look of embarrassment on her face before she glanced away.
I smiled, gently tilting her chin back towards me. “Too late.”
Elistá returned my grin half-heartedly, swallowing hard before letting out a deep breath.
“Not here,” her words came out strangely, more like a request than an explanation of her concerns. “I want the time we spend together to be special.”
“All we need is each other for that,” I replied, cupping her face with both hands.
While I understood Elistá’s desire for a more ‘refined’ location, I thought our secluded little hollow was somewhat romantic. I had no idea how much longer we’d be traipsing through the wilds, but I certainly didn’t foresee any towns or comfortable inns in our near future. Aside from that consideration, I wasn’t sure when we’d have another opportunity to spend the night alone. Complicating the issue even further was the fact that, beyond whatever we might desire, we actually needed to be with each other.
As my Tarí, I couldn’t be without Elistá for any prolonged amount of time. Our dependency was mutual, of course, so I knew that Elistá was experiencing the same strong feelings for me in return. It wasn’t as if we had to be intimate on every possible occasion; close physical contact alone provided a tremendous reinforcement for our bonds. But we also shared a yearning for each other that ran much deeper, a thirst that could be satisfied in only one way. Although those cravings were far from urgent, I knew they’d come calling sooner or later.
“I know,” Elistá whispered, resting her head on my shoulder as she folded her body against me. “I feel it too.”
It was still a bit strange, but I was beginning to get used to the way she could read my thoughts so clearly.
“We’re almost there. Just two more days. I promise it will be worth the wait.” I finally understood the reason for her plaintive tone when it returned. Her own resolve was weakening, and if I pushed her even just a little, Elistá would give in to my desires.
The way Elistá emphasized ‘promise’ was more than enough to persuade me to hold out for a little while longer. She used more than just her tone to accentuate the subtle implications of the word; the enticing hints Elistá sent through our bond left me powerless to resist her.
“It’s not a bribe.” She pushed me away with a playful shove. “I’m going to make you earn your reward.”
Okay. This mind-reading shit was really weird.
“Can you stay out of my head?” Elistá’s brow arched in amusement at my request. “At least sometimes?”
“Sweetie, I don’t need to look inside your mind to read your thoughts,” her words fairly dripped with pleasant-sounding sarcasm, and the slight rolling of her eyes skyward added the perfect finishing touch. “Not when they’re so… basic.”
Ouch.
“Fair enough.” I raised my hands in surrender, deciding that it was better to quit while I still had at least a shred of my dignity intact.
After spending the last few nights together, it was odd to try and fall asleep without Kannika acting as our pillow. But bundling up beneath the covers with Elistá more than made up for the warmth we lacked, and I closed my eyes and focused on the rhythm of her heartbeat as I rested my head on her chest.
Nika returned in the morning, or perhaps it was sometime during the night, I’m not sure. All I know is that I woke up when she dragged her coarse tongue across my face. My entire face. Kannika was no tiny little house cat, and with a single lick, the rough surface brushed over the whole left side of my head.
I’m glad you’re back, I replied, grasping Nika’s cheeks and holding her at arm’s length as I fended off her attempt to repeat the gesture. But could you not do that?
“Don’t be too grumpy,” Elistá chimed in as I wiped a sleeve across my face. “She’s been waiting quite a while for you to wake up.”
I paused my clean up efforts to offer Nika a welcoming hug. “C’mere, furball.”
But as I sat there, she didn’t shove her way into my arms like she typically would. Instead, Nika stood still, and I sensed an unusual note of… expectation from her as if she were waiting for me to say or do something. Gazing back at her for what that could possibly be led me straight to the answer.
“Your eyes!” Nika blinked slowly in affirmation once I’d noticed the change.
As a cub, Nika had the baby blue irises that were common among juvenile felines. Once she’d matured, those had developed into the bright golden-yellow of an adult forest cat. Now her eyes had turned blue again, but not the light color they’d been before. Staring back at me was a pair of deep, cobalt orbs unlike any I’d seen before. Although the change was abrupt, the color seemed to suit her, perfectly complimenting the soft silver and black of Nika’s patterned coat. Not that it mattered; I wouldn’t have cared what color her eyes had taken on.
As long as they weren’t green.
“What else?” I asked aloud, forgetting for a moment that she might not want to discuss the subject in front of Elistá.
‘That’s it, unfortunately,’ Nika replied as her new eyes clouded over with disappointment. ‘I know there’s more to it; I just haven’t been able to discover what that might be.’
Seems like we’ll both have some training to do. I ruffled her fur as I grabbed Nika’s shoulder and hauled myself up.
The day passed almost exactly as the previous one had—save for the lack of any attempted ambush. Although the terrain continued to feature the same rolling hills, they were low enough to make crossing over them not too difficult. As we ventured farther from the inhabited lands, the sparse patches of forest popped up with greater frequency until we found ourselves once again traveling beneath the unbroken cover of their dense branches.
Our search for shelter at the end of the day yielded nothing, so we set up camp atop a low rise that provided a decent view of our surroundings. With the boost to Elistá’s magic, her spell was far more effective at discovering potential enemies, enhancing our protection tremendously. Despite how exposed our location was, the reassurance that provided was more than enough to allow us a decent night’s rest.
I looked forward to our travels the next morning more than any other. If Elistá’s estimation was correct, we’d finally reach our destination sometime during that day. While the idea of making good on our little bargain was definitely running through my mind, it was the beginning of my magical training that consumed most of my thoughts.
Elistá had been maddeningly vague about exactly what that would involve, but as we drew closer, those details meant nothing to me. The key to my survival lay in my untapped abilities—I was willing to do anything to unleash them. Gaining access to those powers was the only way I could possibly claim victory over Dreya in our inevitable battle, but losing to her would mean more than having to endure an endless cycle of deaths at the Goddess’ hand. Her blind hatred for me was so strong that I feared not only for Mailyn but both Elistá and Kannika as well. Whatever happened, I would not allow any of them to come to harm. Glancing at the two of them walking close by, I vowed to pay any price to keep them safe… No matter what that might cost me.
“We’re close.” Elistá sidled up beside me as she took hold of my hand. “Can you feel it?”
I’d been following along almost absently for several hours, lost in the quagmire of my own thoughts, but Elistá’s tone of eager anticipation roused me from my haze as I glanced at our surroundings. I didn’t notice anything at first; the trees we walked past and the easy rise and fall of the slopes seemed almost identical to those we’d been traveling through for the last few days.
I can’t say what it was that caused me to notice the change. The leaves were the same shade of green, and the birds were still singing their songs among the branches, but it was all suddenly different. There was a… lightness to this place, a complete absence of the foreboding malice that lingered elsewhere over the land.
“What is this?” I stopped, spinning around in a circle as I tried to take some measure of—whatever it was. Nika seemed to share in my sense of confusion, sniffing the air cautiously as she tiptoed around the base of a large oak.
“You’ll see.” The sunlight sparkled in Elistá’s eyes, mirroring her bright smile as she pulled me forward again.
We were soon running through the trees, heedless of any danger; the obvious enchantments hanging over this place were the only protection we needed. A sense of unbridled joy came with our reckless abandon, a feeling that I not only shared with Elistá but also radiated off of Nika as she bounded along beside us. When our wild dash brought us across a narrow path, Elistá altered our course to follow it, only slowing down when the broad, sandy shores of a placid lake came into view. Off in the distance, trees ringed the far side of the water, surrounding the clear, blue water in a living necklace of verdant green. The late afternoon sun reflected off its broad, flat surface, nearly blinding me with waves of shimmering light. Without asking, I knew that this was the source of the magic all around us. Elistá had brought me here to experience the incredible majesty of these waters, and I stood in silent awe of their powers.
“There’s much to do,” Elistá spoke in a soft, almost reverent tone as she guided me away from the shore, motioning at the silhouette of a small house standing in the woods nearby. I might’ve seen it sooner had I been paying closer attention, but between the distraction of the lake and the way the little structure blended into its surroundings, it managed to escape my notice.
“If you’ll chop some wood for the fire, I’ll see to the inside,” she suggested, giving me no chance to object as she walked away.
“Yeah, uh, sure.” As Elistá disappeared inside the structure, I stalked numbly towards a fallen tree. I was so completely overcome by the day’s events that she could have told me to do cartwheels, and I probably would have complied.
‘There’s great magic here.’ Nika was still gaping as I began cutting away at the wood with my small camp axe.
I see those new eyes of yours are working just fine, I huffed as I managed to break off a decent-sized log.
‘Even a blind idiot could feel the energy of this place,’ her reply was uncharacteristically sharp.
I stopped hacking away long enough to flash Nika a wink. Someone’s sounding a lot more like Elistá.
‘Maybe she had the right idea about you,’ Nika kept up the humorous tone of our banter. ‘Before.’
Don’t think I didn’t notice which bandits you chose to attack. I halted my work completely as I stared back at her.
I could feel her unease even as she tried to cover it by innocently licking at her paw. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
You had your pick of targets. I felt my brow rising along with my smirk. And you decided to take out the ones closest to Elistá.
‘She wears no armor,’ Nika ceased feigning her distraction, ears flattening against her head as she responded defensively.
Sure, if that’s your story. I flashed her a grin before resuming my task.
I knew that if I’d been in any real danger, Kannika would have come to my aid, but that ‘battle’ had offered no threat to my safety, and I liked the fact that Nika was beginning to feel protective of Elistá as well. That was probably only natural. Now that she was my Tarí, keeping Elistá safe was almost the same thing as shielding me from harm.
Once I’d chopped enough wood, I began ferrying it back to the cottage and placing the split logs in a neat pile on the front porch. I tried to bring some of it inside, but the door wouldn’t open—Elistá had locked me out. With nothing else to do, I took the opportunity to have a good look at our accommodations.
Viewing the cottage from a distance, I’d first thought its flat gray walls had been painted that color. A closer inspection revealed that the small house was actually constructed from solid slabs of stone, fitted together so expertly that their seams were barely discernable. Despite the thick layer of grime and cobwebs coating them, the wooden porch and shingled roof appeared to be in a decent state of repair. Even the few windows seemed to be in fine shape, although the filth smeared across the panes of glass thwarted my efforts to peer inside. I would have expected the obviously long period of disuse to have left the cottage almost uninhabitable, but it was clear that the same magic shielding this place from the everyday hazards of the world was also preventing the cabin from deteriorating—although its power obviously didn’t extend to cover anything as mundane as tidying up. Before I could look much further, the sound of the front door creaking open brought my inspection to an abrupt end. Rounding the corner, I found Elistá staring forlornly at the dirty windows and scattered mess littering the porch.
“Maybe tomorrow…” she barely sighed under her breath.
