The Guardians of the Forest: Book Two by Kelly Napoli
CHAPTER 38
GUARDED
Images flashed through her mind.
Some of them were colorful, others were bleak. She tried to focus on each one, but as she concentrated, the image swirled into something new. It was frustrating, yet she remained surprisingly patient, waiting for the images around her to make sense. She figured they were all just pieces to a puzzle that, eventually, would all decide to come together.
Kiethara focused harder, trying to find some rhyme or reason to their pattern. She noticed one image that kept repeating. All she could see of it was that it had a looming, foggy figure in the background. For some reason, the sight of it made her raise her arm—the scar running down it in a vivid pink—in a sense of longing that pierced her heart fiercely.
The images swirled into something else. Again and again they changed, and again she waited patiently. She was no longer concentrating on trying to see all of the images; no, now she only looked for that one image, hoping it would decide to repeat itself. That figure captivated her in a way like nothing else had. If she could—
The image came again, interrupting her thoughts, and with it came a force that shook her violently. All obscurity was gone; everything was suddenly in perfect detail.
No. It could not be.
Gandador stood before her, a sneer plastered on his face. In his hand was a sword, crimson liquid dripping off of its tip. Her own hand, which was reaching out in front of her, was bloody as well, tears of it rolling down her fingertips and into the pool at her feet.
Kiethara gasped, raising her head from her hammock slightly. Sweat rolled down her cheek like a tear. She felt her throat close around a scream, but she swallowed it back, resisting it.
She took control.
After a few more minutes her heart eventually slowed to its normal pace. Her breathing steadied, the chilly air cooling her skin. She pulled herself up and rubbed her eyes, letting the fear in her chest fade.
She was proud of herself for keeping everything in check. Goodness knows she did not want a repeat of what had happened in the past. Losing control was terrible. The thought of it made her shudder. There was no feeling compared to that.
Of course, one of those memories wasn’t completely stained black. The feeling of Aaron’s constricting arms around her torso had been completely alien, but it was still the closest thing she had ever gotten to a hug from him.
Kiethara closed her eyes, trying to recall what she had been dreaming about in the first place. She could only remember flashes, but none of them were clear or defined. Whatever it had been, it certainly didn’t matter now.
She swept her robe off the forest floor. It must have fallen off of her during the night, which would explain her frozen limbs.
She quickly hiked to her lake, eating an armful of food on the way. She felt her bruises, but rather than look at them, she kept her eyes on her food and her path. Seeing them would only make them hurt worse.
When she got to her lake, her mind had traveled elsewhere. Without realizing what she was doing, she stepped into the water to take a bath.
She yelped and yanked her foot out of the water, falling back onto the grass. Was it possible for water to be that cold but not be frozen? Her foot might have fallen off if it had been there any longer! But she did need to wash.
After a moment of deep thought, she took her hand and placed it over the water. Aaron had already explained the mechanics of combining two elements. So fire and water…sorrow and anger. What made her angry and sad at the same time? What sparked her tears while it clenched her fists?
Her mother’s death.
Focusing as hard as she could on the memory, she let her emotions get the best of her. Her crystals glowed, while the water beneath her rippled slightly, as though she had dipped her fingertip into it.
Holding her breath, she brought her hand down into the water.
A sigh escaped her lips, which lifted at the corners. Lukewarm was a lot better than freezing. She flexed her numb fingers and ran them through the water. A foot from where her hand had hovered, the water was still freezing. So a bath was out.
But that didn’t mean she couldn’t get clean. She took off her robe and soaked it in the warm water and then ran it down her leg, leaving a trail of goose bumps.
Hah! Aaron couldn’t complain about her not applying her knowledge to her actions now!
GUARDED
Images flashed through her mind.
Some of them were colorful, others were bleak. She tried to focus on each one, but as she concentrated, the image swirled into something new. It was frustrating, yet she remained surprisingly patient, waiting for the images around her to make sense. She figured they were all just pieces to a puzzle that, eventually, would all decide to come together.
Kiethara focused harder, trying to find some rhyme or reason to their pattern. She noticed one image that kept repeating. All she could see of it was that it had a looming, foggy figure in the background. For some reason, the sight of it made her raise her arm—the scar running down it in a vivid pink—in a sense of longing that pierced her heart fiercely.
The images swirled into something else. Again and again they changed, and again she waited patiently. She was no longer concentrating on trying to see all of the images; no, now she only looked for that one image, hoping it would decide to repeat itself. That figure captivated her in a way like nothing else had. If she could—
The image came again, interrupting her thoughts, and with it came a force that shook her violently. All obscurity was gone; everything was suddenly in perfect detail.
No. It could not be.
Gandador stood before her, a sneer plastered on his face. In his hand was a sword, crimson liquid dripping off of its tip. Her own hand, which was reaching out in front of her, was bloody as well, tears of it rolling down her fingertips and into the pool at her feet.
Kiethara gasped, raising her head from her hammock slightly. Sweat rolled down her cheek like a tear. She felt her throat close around a scream, but she swallowed it back, resisting it.
She took control.
After a few more minutes her heart eventually slowed to its normal pace. Her breathing steadied, the chilly air cooling her skin. She pulled herself up and rubbed her eyes, letting the fear in her chest fade.
She was proud of herself for keeping everything in check. Goodness knows she did not want a repeat of what had happened in the past. Losing control was terrible. The thought of it made her shudder. There was no feeling compared to that.
Of course, one of those memories wasn’t completely stained black. The feeling of Aaron’s constricting arms around her torso had been completely alien, but it was still the closest thing she had ever gotten to a hug from him.
Kiethara closed her eyes, trying to recall what she had been dreaming about in the first place. She could only remember flashes, but none of them were clear or defined. Whatever it had been, it certainly didn’t matter now.
She swept her robe off the forest floor. It must have fallen off of her during the night, which would explain her frozen limbs.
She quickly hiked to her lake, eating an armful of food on the way. She felt her bruises, but rather than look at them, she kept her eyes on her food and her path. Seeing them would only make them hurt worse.
When she got to her lake, her mind had traveled elsewhere. Without realizing what she was doing, she stepped into the water to take a bath.
She yelped and yanked her foot out of the water, falling back onto the grass. Was it possible for water to be that cold but not be frozen? Her foot might have fallen off if it had been there any longer! But she did need to wash.
After a moment of deep thought, she took her hand and placed it over the water. Aaron had already explained the mechanics of combining two elements. So fire and water…sorrow and anger. What made her angry and sad at the same time? What sparked her tears while it clenched her fists?
Her mother’s death.
Focusing as hard as she could on the memory, she let her emotions get the best of her. Her crystals glowed, while the water beneath her rippled slightly, as though she had dipped her fingertip into it.
Holding her breath, she brought her hand down into the water.
A sigh escaped her lips, which lifted at the corners. Lukewarm was a lot better than freezing. She flexed her numb fingers and ran them through the water. A foot from where her hand had hovered, the water was still freezing. So a bath was out.
But that didn’t mean she couldn’t get clean. She took off her robe and soaked it in the warm water and then ran it down her leg, leaving a trail of goose bumps.
Hah! Aaron couldn’t complain about her not applying her knowledge to her actions now!