Vaalbara; Visions & Shadows (15 page)

“It’s a waterfall.” I breathed, and clapped my hands like a child.

Raighne laughed. “It is the best I can do under the circumstances. It is not your waterfall, but she can hold her own. This is where we will be…um, taking our baths.”

“Are you embarrassed?”

“Of course not…just uncomfortable.” Raighne went and stood by the water’s edge, kneeling down so he could rinse the thin layer of sand that’d stuck to his sweaty arms. It looked so refreshing I couldn’t help but join him.

“I know what Alandra said was right, but there is just no way I am going to think of that vision again.” I sat down beside him, took a deep breath, and then looked him square in the eyes. “It was too horrible.”

He nodded. “We need to practice our telepathy. It might be uncomfortable in the beginning but, with that gift, I will always have contact with you…no matter where you are.”

~*~

Our first telepathy session was a lot like a kid‘s game. I had to look at something and Raighne would guess what it was.

             
Okay, I’m looking at a rock.

You do not have to project to me. Just look around and I will tell you what you see.

It was weird hearing him in my mind. Ugh! Bye, bye privacy.
I took a deep breath. Can you just do this already?’
             

Rocks, grass patch, sky and eagle.

“I so did not see an eagle!” I turned to face him. “You could easily have seen those things yourself.”

“Do you have to do everything the hard way? Can you not just trust me?” He kept on walking past me, and I could have sworn I heard him cursing under his breath.

When we got back to the campsite, I felt like a three-legged, one-eyed, two dollar hooker strolling into their invitation-only party.

“Aaw, come on everybody. I ain’t dead yet.” I couldn’t help the sarcasm. They were looking at me the same way every living soul had looked at me every day of my life back in that town I’d grown up in. They looked at me like, A) I was a freak, and, B) like I was a chalk outline.

“They are not looking at you in that way.” Raighne corrected my thoughts. “What you are seeing is concern - a group of people merely concerned for your welfare.”

“Uh, huh.”

“Is she
rested
now?” Alandra’s bite was back.

“Enough Alandra, she is your sister. How can you vow to protect her when you cannot even show her any courtesy?” Aurian’s voice - the voice that held the power of a King - shut her up immediately.

Alandra bowed. “Yes, Aurian.”

“
Do
you feel better now, Alchera? We do not want to strain you too much so soon after your vision.” Oh man, I would never be able to speak like that.

Alchera, concentrate!
Raighne’s voice resounded in my mind
.

“Yes, Aurian…I’m feeling better now.”

My guardian surprised me by talking on my behalf. “Alchera will not be able to talk about the vision. I felt her pain and I can understand why.”

Alandra stepped up to us, her eyes shooting sparks. “It is not for you to decide what she shares and what she does not share. The Chosen Ones—”

“Quiet, Alandra!” Raighne’s voice was cold. “I am her guardian and it is for
me
to decide what is best for
her
.”

“Leave it Raighne.” I walked to where River was standing.

“Feeling better?” He smiled. “What happened?”

I shrugged. “I wish I could tell you, but then I’d be in trouble again and, since I’m already swimming in sh—”

River held up his hand and grinned. “I understand what you are trying to say. Come, we need to continue our trek around that bend.”

“You mean this isn’t the campsite?”

“Would you have stayed here?”

“Would I have had any say in the matter?” I mumbled.

River gave me a bigger smile, as if he believed that I would have had plenty to say in the matter. He was right.

I walked toward the horse, as Raighne appeared beside me. “You and River seem to be getting along.”

I shrugged. “He’s okay.”

“You are very friendly with him. I’m curious. What does he do differently than me?” Hold your horses.

“What’s with the twenty questions? I barely know River. Are you… jealous?” I wasn’t teasing him. I promise I wasn’t.

“No, I am not jealous. He seems to make you more comfortable, and if it is because he is doing something right, then I would like to know so I could do it as well.”

“You are way better than him. I am just befriending him so I can plant some seeds of love for Fleur. I think they would make a perfect couple and she likes him a lot. I want to nudge him in her direction.”

“River and Fleur? You think they could be a couple?”

“You’ve known them longer than me! How could you not have seen the signs?”

“I have spent the last five years preparing for your return. I did not have time to notice things like that.” Now
that
piece of news rendered me speechless. …for five seconds.

“You trained five years for me?”

“What? Do you think King Eryon called me one day, gave me the order, and the next day I was on my way?”

Hey, Sid, looks like my sarcasm was rubbing off on him.

“Who trained you?”

“My father and Alder. I was trained by the best.” I heard the nostalgia in his voice.

“You respect your father a lot?”

“He is the greatest guardian there is. No one will go against him.” Raighne got lost in his thoughts. “He is the only one who has faced Adeth and lived to tell the tale.”

“When did this happen?”

His voice lowered. “On your thirteenth birthday. She tried to get close to you and your parents. She had already wanted to kill you back then. Adeth underestimated my father, who attacked her immediately. I grabbed you while Alder and Aster guarded your parents. When they came face to face, the ground moved beneath our feet. It was that day I had my first lesson.”

“I knew you back then?”

“Yes, but only by sight. That was the first day we met face-to-face. I could feel the connection when I held you, and knew I had to keep you safe.”

“That was the day I was sent to Earth.”

“They had no choice. Adeth would keep coming back for you until she eventually had you.”

“I understand now.” I really did. I also understood that constant longing for that certain someone or something that was missing in my life. It had turned out to be Raighne.

~*~

Our campsite consisted of one tent the size of a hut sitting beside a cool, clean river. Very picturesque. They handed us our sleeping bags, a bottle to carry water in and, believe it or not, a first aid kit.

“Groovy.” It slipped out.

“Find yourselves a comfortable spot to sleep tonight. We rise before dawn. You will need all your strength and clarity of mind, so please sleep.” That was Aurian, short and sweet.

I walked to the side of the cliff. I was at least going to have the wall at my back. Sleeping in the open was bad enough. I smoothed the ground to the best of my abilities, making sure there was no rock, no cluster of sand, not even one creepy crawlie’ in sight, before rolling out my sleeping bag. I then took out my pillow. Apparently, around all these stealth, hardened warriors, I should’ve waited for the cover of darkness before I did that.

“
A pillow
? Alchera, a pillow? Really?” Raighne had been standing behind me, silently watching me do my thing. Déjà vu. Why did I keep on having these weird moments? Moments when my hamster totally peddled in the wrong direction, only to leave me confused. This was yet another vision I had at the party.

“Last time I checked.” Okay his turn, let’s hear it.

“Did I say to bring one?” His voice was like that of a father embarrassed that his child would do something stupid in front of his peers.

“Okay, we can stop this right here.” I shoved the pillow at him. “You’ll end up winning this argument anyway. This is the vision I had at the party, and don’t you even think about threatening me with physical training.”  He just stared at me, looking very confused. Grabbing my backpack, I practically jogged to my ‘bath.’

No thinking, no thinking. I kept reminding myself. Far more than Sid was listening now.

I got to the spot where we were sitting earlier on, looking around for some cover. I was not going to stand naked in the river for all to see. There was
no
cover.
Damn, Sid, they DO expect me to stand naked in the river for all to see. What am I? A water sprite?

“No bloody way I’m doing this.”

“This is one of the exercises.” Raighne walked toward me with a smile. “Figure out a way to bathe without showing any…um.”

“Any what? You can’t even say it! Skin? I can’t wait to see you do it. How about you go first.” I had such a big grin on my face I was sure every one of my teeth was gleaming in the twilight.

“We only bathe once all the trainees have bathed,” he responded.

“You say we have to figure it out.”

“Yes.”

“We’re going to be here a whole month?”

“Yes.”

“Well, in that case.” I got my soap and facecloth and walked into the nice cool water, clothes and all. Two could play this game. Raighne just stood there watching me like I was some reality television show.

“Do you mind?” I glared at him. “I might have clothes on but I’m still bathing.”

Tossing me a slightly awkward wave, Raighne wandered off. Still…he didn’t go too far.

I did my thing, trying not to use too much soap, as it would have to last me a whole month. I made sure I rinsed all the soap out of my clothes before getting out of the water, and then it struck me. No towels. I would have to stand in the sun and dry the old-fashion way.

“Bloody hell!” I hadn’t brought a brush, my make-up kit, a towel, shampoo…Damn my hair was going to be such a mess. No conditioner. Well, I would soon officially be a Vaalbara barbarian.

“You really do not have to make any fashion statements out here. Nobody will see you. Everyone is going to look the same.” That voice of annoying knowledge reappeared.

“Oh, that’s fresh, coming from a guy who wakes up, drags his fingers through his hair, and looks like a supermodel.” I sighed. “I’m dry enough. See you at camp.” I was gone before what I’d said had sunk in. Why did I have to go and say that to him? I practically told the guy that I thought he was hot. Crap, no thinking!

Please don’t listen in on me. I really need my privacy.

I only hear when you project loudly. We had this discussion.

How can I make sure I don’t think…loudly?

Think normal, do not get upset. Whisper if you have to.

I had to whisper to myself? As if!

Seriously!

“You need to project more softly. There is such a thing as mental screaming as well. I do not want a headache later on.” 

Man, this guy was
always
behind me! I glared at him before storming off to my sleeping bag.

“Here is toilet paper should you need to go. The toilet would be in that direction.” Aurian pointed in the opposite direction of the bathing spot. It looked like there was nothing down that path except for sand and rocks. “You dig a hole and then you cover it. Have a good night’s rest.”

Sometimes I couldn’t believe the conversations I was having with these people. Ten minutes later I was settled in my sleeping bag, all by my lonesome self, while everybody else had someone to talk to. It sucked. I had two options: One, I could get up and make a total ass of myself by going to sit by a group of people who didn’t want me there; or, Two, I could stay by myself doing my best not to think of the vision I had earlier, and thinking about Raighne while hoping he wouldn’t hear what I was thinking. Hmm, which one, which one? The
Jeopardy
chimes played in my mind. The decision wasn’t exactly hard, though. I’d rather eat sand than grovel for company.

Raighne appeared once again. Man, maybe I should carry him around in a papoose. It’d save time.

“Here is your dinner.”
Well, Sid…so much for eating sand.

“Thank you.” I got up and watched his eyebrows rise when he saw the clothes I had on.

“Is there a problem? Because then you will have to take them off yourself.” I couldn’t help but smile when his eyes scanned over me again. Was he remembering that night we shared in my room after he practically saved me from Robert?

“Did I say anything?”

“You did the eyebrow thingy.”

“I am not going to ask what eyebrow thing, because I am sure you have some long explanation in there somewhere. Why not just eat our food? That would be nice.” He handed me a plate with two hard boiled eggs and a dollop of peanut butter.

I frowned. He growled.

“Do not.”