Page 19

nineteen

Morai

“ T his is going to sound morbid, but…” Fida started, they’d been walking for what felt like hours. The early morning sun was now high up in the sky signaling noon, and they were yet to encounter any other creatures, not even dragons had flown across the sky.

“...don’t you think we should be seeing some bones or things left behind by others?” Fida asked.

“Yes, that does sound morbid.” Neoni said with a shudder. Morai scowled. She did get Fida’s point, with all the people that hadn’t returned, the lack of bones or other things like torn and worn clothes and such should be popping up.

“Maybe the creatures that live here took care of them. Or the dragons burned them to a crisp.” Tanen offered.

“There would still be bones, though,” Luka said, readjusting his bag where Noa, exhausted, was fast asleep.

“Then…” Fida continued as though she was dreading what she was going to say next. “Could it be that we're going in the wrong direction?” Morai, who was leading the group, stopped and turned to Fida who had Kirnon’s map in her hand.

“Are you serious?” she asked, trying not to let her agitation show. It didn’t seem to work because Fida winced.

“I could be wrong,” she said, holding up the map, everyone huddled around her to look at it.

“I was trying to figure out where we are by redrawing the map,” she explained, pointing to a spot where she’d drawn a tiny Chepi, and a little up the map was the creature they’d fought.

“If we’d used the normal entrance, we would have come across this waterfall, after we met the spiky creature, but there’s been nothing.”

“So, you think we got rerouted after fighting the creature?” Morai asked.

“It’s possible, we met the creature sooner than expected on the map, but we haven’t come across the waterfall.”

“Maybe we just haven’t come across it yet,” Neoni said. “Like you said, we met the creature earlier than expected and according to the map there was no mention of the Chepi territory either. So it’s possible that the others made it to the creature the long way,”

“Yes, but it shouldn’t be taking this long to get to the waterfall. If that's the case, we should have been there by noon, then to the dragons by nightfall.” Morai frowned when she heard a twig snap. She spun around but saw nothing.

“Did you guys hear that?” she asked, turning back to the group when no one responded to find she was the only one on the path. The forest was still, except for that sensation she couldn’t put a finger on.

“Guys?” she called; they were just here a minute ago. Something rubbed against her leg and she looked down, smiling in relief when she saw Noa. She scooped him up and rubbed her cheek against him.

“Let’s go find your master, shall we?” She started heading down a path when a shout caught her attention. Noa scrambled out of her arms and headed in the direction of the shout.

“Noa, wait.” Morai ran after him, the shout sounded like Luka, was he in trouble? She came to a stop when Noa ran into a cave. Frowning, she looked around at the surrounding area—nothing but weeds and rocks everywhere.

“Morai, look out!” Luka shouted coming out of the cave with Noa in his arms. Morai turned behind her and ducked in time just when an enormous claw swiped where her head would have been.

“Run,” Luka shouted, but he didn’t need to tell her that she already was. She ran towards him with the pounding feet of the creature behind her. But the footsteps disappeared when she reached Luka.

“What was that?” she asked. The creature, which looked like a black blob of ink, was trudging back the way it had come.

“I don’t know, but it can’t come into the cave,” Luka said, grabbing her arm and pulling her into the cave.

“Where are the…oh my goodness, is that blood? Why are you bleeding?” she asked when she finally got a full view of Luka; his shirt was soaked through with blood.

“Bleeding happens when someone gets injured,” Luka said with a smirk. Morai folded her arms across her chest.

“Seeing as you can joke about this, I’m assuming you’re fine.” Luka didn’t respond as he sat before the fire, leaning his back against the wall. His face looked pale, and his forehead sweaty.

“I’m partly fine.”

“Partly?” Morai said, going over to sit next to him. “Hang on. I have some potions left.” “No, it’s fine,” Luka said, waving her away. Morai frowned at him then at the blood-stained shirt.

“At least take off your shirt,” she said, continuing to rummage through her bag for a healing potion; she was positive she had at least one left.

“Why? You want to see my abs that bad?” Morai scoffed.

“You don’t have any,” she said. That was a lie, of course; she’d seen him shirtless plenty of times to know he kept himself in shape. Grinning when she found a bottle, Morai grabbed it and turned back to him.

“How would you know. You’ve never seen me shirtless?”

“What are you talking about, of course I have.” Numerous times, actually, since he loved to take it off when he was doing repairs on his family’s house.

“Huh,” Luka said, leaning his head back against the wall, his eyes closed.

“You should drink this,” she said, shoving the potion into his hands that closed around it, but he didn’t bother to drink it.

“Luka, you’re scaring me. Just drink it.” Luka opened his eyes and looked at her. His jaw throbbed. But instead of doing as she said, he closed his eyes and lifted a hand to pat Noa who was sitting on his lap.

“Luka…”

“You know,” Luka said, opening his eyes to look at her again. “I’m not sure why I didn’t tell you this, or maybe I just thought I couldn’t. But…” He paused. Then shifted his weight so he was half facing her.

“Maybe I should just show you instead of telling you.” Morai raised a brow.

“What are you talking about…Luka!?” Morai squeaked when Luka grabbed the back of her neck caressing it with his thumb. This was the closest she’d ever been with him, well, not really, but she wasn’t counting the couple of times they had to get close to one up each other. Was he doing what she thought he was going to do? Morai closed her eyes, her heart racing, as someone grabbed her arm and pulled her away from Luka. She muttered a curse under her breath at the unwelcome interruption.

“What do you think you’re…Luka?” Morai stared at Luka who’d pulled her away from the Luka who was still sitting on the floor looking like he was about to die.

“Seriously? This is the best you can do?” The Luka holding her arm asked.

“What…who are you?” Morai asked. The Luka holding her arm stopped glaring at the Luka on the floor and turned his glare on her instead.

“Snap out of it. I really don’t want to hit you,” he said. Morai riled back.

“I beg your pardon?!”

“Morai, please.” Morai was about to retort, but the desperate look in his eyes had her studying him even more. Then at the Luka who was sitting on the floor, he hadn’t moved but he seemed…foggy?

“Is this what I think it is?” she asked, turning back to Luka who was still holding her arm. He exhaled.

“Yes. It’s a hallucination. We think the creature that attacked us was responsible, it just took a longer time to take effect because we're humans and the potions helped a bit.”

“We?”

“Neoni and I. We’re the only ones that didn’t get sprayed.” Morai scrunched up her nose, turning back to the Luka on the floor but he’d vanished, along with the fire and Noa.

“How are you here?” Luka hesitated.

“I’m trying to wake you up.”

“That doesn’t answer the how?” Morai said.

“Morai?” Luka said through gritted teeth.

“I will if you tell me how you’re here, and can you let go of my arm?” Morai rubbed where Luka had been holding her, his grip had been tight.

“You know, I never thought I'd be this jealous of myself,” Luka said. Morai felt her cheeks grow hot, was she really about to kiss Luka? He hadn’t been real but still.

“Do not change the subject.” She didn’t want to dwell on that, she was already embarrassed as it was. Luka grinned at her.

“Really, I thought you’d be a bit curious,” Luka said, leaning towards her, Morai leaned back. Luka’s smile dimmed a little.

“I’ll tell you how I’m here when you wake up.” Morai eyed him suspiciously.

“I promise, it’s not something I can hide anymore,” he said.

“Fine, how do I wake up?” Luka rubbed the back of his neck.

“That’s the tricky part. I thought hitting you might help. But you look like you’d murder me if I do.” Morai lifted her chin at him.

“Or I could try shocking you into waking up?” Luka asked.

“Okay, how do we do that?” Luka raised a brow.

“I can’t really tell you if it’s supposed to be a shock.”

“Fine, just get on with it then.” Luka looked up at the cave’s ceiling deep in thought.

“I could kiss you.”

“What?” Morai said, stepping back when Luka moved towards her.

“I told you I was jealous, wasn’t I?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“You were fine letting fake me do it, what's the difference now?” Morai felt her cheeks heat again at the not-so-distant memory. She scrambled back when Luka made a grab for her arm, she tripped, her arms shot out to prevent her fall only for her to meet darkness. Morai sat up with a shout breathing hard, Luka was kneeling in front of her beads of sweat on his forehead, a look of focused concentration on his face, his hands, which clasped hers, were glowing.

“Oh, good, you’re awake,” he said with a grin, though he looked strained.

“What…where…”

“Luka, hurry,” Neoni said. Morai turned her head to find Neoni kneeling with Tanen sleeping in her lap.

“Are you alright?” Luka asked, as Noa licked her hand.

“Wha…yes, I think I am.” Luka gave a nod and moved silently to Neoni’s side. He clasped Tanen’s hand just like he’d done with her, and slowly, his hands began to glow. Morai stared at his hands, her brain trying to catch up with everything that had happened. She’d fallen into a hallucinated sleep caused by the spiky creature, and Luka had somehow entered her hallucinations to bring her out of it. Morai swallowed. She knew he didn’t have to tell her anything but the fact that Luka hid that he could use healing magic stung but she didn’t want to examine that now. She’d ask him later. Right now, her friends needed her help. Morai stood, closing her eyes when a wave of dizziness overtook her. When it passed, she walked over to Fida who was sleeping next to Neoni and just like Neoni, she pulled Fida’s head into her lap and watched Luka heal.