CHAPTER 18

 

WE HEAD OUT through the trees again, in the same formation as before. Raj drifts back behind our small column to serve as a one man rear guard. As I watch Doc’s eyes follow him, I smile. She’s probably feeling the same way I always feel when Kai disappears on one of his scouting forays. I want to warn her it will probably grow even worse if she gets to know him like I’ve gotten to know Kai, but that’s not my place. Besides, we’ll be leaving tomorrow, and Raj will just become a fading memory.

We walk for maybe an hour before we’re forced to a halt by a thick wall of the poisonous vines that reaches almost down to the ground. I glance to the left and then to the right, but the tangled mass of vines stretches as far as I can see in both directions.

I look at Kai. He doesn’t seem surprised or upset, but I don’t understand why he’s not. Our way is most definitely blocked.

Raj joins us at the head of the column.

“I’ll tell everyone you’re here,” he says to Kai before leaping easily up into the branches far above our heads. In a moment, he’s gone, passing over the top of the wall of vines as if it’s not even there. Unless the rest of us sprout wings, though, I don’t see how we’re going to go any farther.

Kai smiles at me. I’m sure he can see the confusion on my face.

“I suppose you’re wondering how we’re going to get past these things?” he asks.

“The thought had crossed my mind,” I reply.

Kai’s smile widens. “Well, I suppose I could toss each of you up into the branches the way Raj went. But I’m not sure you all possess the balance you’d need to keep from tumbling right back down.”

“There’ll be no tossing anyone,” Radar says from behind me, just in case Kai isn’t kidding. “So unless you have another plan, I say we let Blaze burn a way through for us. She could fry those things in a snap.”

Radar’s suggestion catches me by surprise. I’m so unaccustomed to the idea I possess a Power the thought hadn’t even occurred to me. I still don’t really understand my Power—I’m not sure whether I have an endless supply of fire inside me to use at my beck and call, or if I only have a finite supply stored up from the blast of the balrog. Heck, I don’t even know if I can call upon it at will, or if I need something to trigger my Power.

“There’s no need for any burning,” Kai says. He reaches out and grabs a thick vine, pulling it upward and then toward his chest. A tangled rectangle of the other vines swings out with it, almost like a living door, creating an opening in the wall large enough for a person to walk through. That’s all well and good for us, but I don’t understand why Kai’s hand hasn’t been burned.

“What gives?” I ask. “I thought those vines were poisonous.”

“They are,” Kai affirms, still grasping the vine. “Be careful not to touch them as you pass through.”

“So why isn’t that thing burning you?” Radar asks.

“My people have lived in these woods for ages,” Kai replies. “Over the centuries, we’ve built up immunity to the poison. The vines make a handy protective barrier for our settlement. We tip our arrows with the stuff as well.”

I hadn’t known Kai’s arrows were poisoned. I thought it was his uncanny accuracy and the superhuman strength behind his arrows that brought down the cyclops and the wyvern so quickly, but I guess the poison played a part as well. Since Kai is our guide and protector, I’m glad to learn his arrows are even more deadly than I had thought.

He pulls the living door open wider and then edges to the side, holding the door open for us. We pass through in single file, taking care not to brush against any of the vines.

On the other side, it takes me a moment to make sense of what I’m seeing. Up ahead, the forest appears to have grown much thicker, filled with dozens of wide clumps of tightly packed trees. A more careful look tells me they aren’t clumps of tree trunks at all—they’re small huts fashioned out of sticks and branches. Each hut uses as least two closely growing trees as support; some use three. There are far fewer vines in this section of the woods as well. Most of them are pretty high up, too, which is nice to see.

Gathered in front of the huts are a number of men, women and even a few children. All are dressed similarly to Kai and Raj, and all of them are staring in our direction. More people are joining the small crowd every moment. I suspect strangers are a rare sight here, and thanks to Raj, who is standing at the head of the gathering, they know we’ve come from another world. No wonder they’re watching us so curiously.

Kai pulls the makeshift door closed and moves around to the front of our group.

“Let’s go,” he says. “You’ll be very welcome here, never fear. My people will want to get a good look at you, but once they have, they’ll leave you alone for the most part.”

He takes off toward the waiting crowd, and I fall into step beside him. The rest of our company follows close behind.

As we draw nearer, I can see that every one of the onlookers possesses the same muscular, athletic build as Kai. The women are slightly smaller in stature than the men, but all of them appear lithe and strong—and very beautiful.

My heart sinks as I look from one tall, gorgeous woman warrior to the next. What chance do I have with Kai when he lives among beauties such as these? He could probably have his choice of almost any of them—the unattached ones, anyhow.

Radar moves up alongside me and nudges me with her elbow.

“I know what you’re thinking,” she says softly. “And stop it. You’re as cute as any of them.” She grins. “Not as tall or as strong, admittedly, but just as cute.”

I smile. It’s nice to hear, even if I don’t really believe it.

Kai leads us to one of the nearer huts, one that’s fastened to three gnarled tree trunks. It’s roughly rectangular in shape, and appears as if it would hold half a dozen people or so. The dark brown skin of some large animal hangs across the doorway.

“This one belongs to Raj and me,” Kai tells us. “Half of you can sleep here. Raj and I will spend the night outside—we have lots to talk about.” He points to nearby hut, which is slightly larger than this one. “That one is empty,” he tells us. “The rest of you can stay there. Don’t expect much—we don’t use the huts for much besides sleeping, or other activities that require privacy.”

Radar nudges me again, and I turn to see a big grin on her face. I’m pretty sure I know exactly what she’s thinking.

“I wonder when Kai last used it for something ‘requiring privacy,’” she whispers in my ear.

“Oh, shush,” I whisper back, but it’s too late. Kai has already turned and is looking at the two of us. I don’t know how much of that he heard, but his hearing is pretty darn good. I’d like to dig a hole and crawl into it, but all I can do is stand there and hope I’m not blushing too much. Radar doesn’t seem fazed at all—she meets Kai’s gaze with an innocent expression on her face. She’s much better at that innocent thing than I am.

Thankfully, Kai doesn’t say anything. Maybe he didn’t hear, or maybe he’s just being polite. Either way, Radar’s comment now has me wondering exactly how long it might have been since Kai used the hut for romantic purposes—and with who.

I look around again. None of the women seem to be paying any special attention to him—there’s certainly not been any, “welcome home, honey…I’ve missed you so much,” response from any of them. I guess that’s a good sign.

Dad steps forward. “Leah, Radar, Plush, Lights, Jordy and I will take this one,” he says.

I stifle a sigh. This is just great. Two couples in love, and me with my dad. I know Dad probably wasn’t thinking anything along those lines, other than not separating our two couples, but the irony is not lost on me. Now if I can just figure out a way to get Kai to replace my dad, I’ll have an arrangement I’d be very happy with. I know that’s not going to happen, though.

Kai pulls back the skin covering the doorway so we can step into the hut. Dad ducks his head and enters first, and I follow. It’s quite dim inside. A narrow column of daylight streams in through a round hole in the center of the thatched roof. The only other light leaks in through countless tiny cracks in the stick walls.

Kai was partly right about not expecting much, but what he should have said was not to expect anything. There’s absolutely nothing in here except two large, furry animal hides that cover half the dirt floor. From their size and the thick brown fur with its distinctive black speckles, I realize they’re werebear hides. Having seen Kai in action, I’m only a little surprised to see that his people hunt the fearsome beasts.

Kai follows the rest of us inside.

“I told you it wasn’t much,” he says, smiling. “But it will keep you dry if it happens to rain, and the werebear skins are quite comfortable to lie on. If you unfold them, they’ll cover most of the floor.”

“Don’t worry,” Dad says. “It’s better than many of the places we’ve slept lately.”

“I don’t imagine you’ll want to stay in here until it’s time to sleep,” Kai says. “Feel free to leave your things, though. No one will touch them. You can even leave your weapons, if you wish. You’ll have no need of them here.”

He ducks back outside the hut.

My friends and I drop our packs onto the floor. I reach over my shoulder and unstrap my machete, then lay the weapon and sheath atop my pack. My fellow Miracles do the same with their blades, while Jordy looks to my dad, who nods.

“Go ahead,” Dad says. “Leave your rifle.”

Dad leans his own rifle up against the wall, and Jordy follows suit. Dad keeps his sidearm on, and Jordy leaves his combat knife strapped to his calf. Neither weapon is much of a burden, and it’s just as easy to keep them on as to take them off, I guess.

Unburdened for the first time in weeks by packs or weapons, we exit the hut.

I look across to the other dwelling and see Raj standing outside the entrance. When the rest of our company appears from inside without packs or weapons, I know that he’s given them the same message Kai gave us.

Only Sergeant Moss still bears his weapons. His rifle is slung over his shoulder, and his sword is still strapped to his waist. He’s been a weapons master for so long, I think for him the thought of going without them would be like going without clothes. I suddenly realize that I feel a bit naked without my machete. It’s been a long time since I ventured out without it. I’m determined to enjoy the feeling, though.

Kai smiles at the sight of the sergeant. Having known Sergeant Moss for a while now, I’m sure Kai is thinking along the same lines as me.

As Kai predicted, once his people got a look at us, they seemed to have gone back about their business, leaving us alone. The crowd that had watched our arrival has disappeared, their curiosity apparently satisfied.

“Come with me,” Kai tells us. “We’ll get you all something to eat.”

“More kookiya?” Plush asks hopefully.

Kai grins. “If that’s what you want, yes. We’ve got an almost limitless supply.”

I agree with Plush—more of the delicious kookiya fruit would be just fine!

Kai and Raj lead us on a winding route through the village. Up ahead, I spy a group of eight or ten children gathered together. None appear to be more than ten years old. Their backs are to us, but I can see that they’re all holding bows.

As we draw closer, I can see that a long, narrow pathway has been hacked through the trees and vines. It’s only about six feet wide, but it’s at least one hundred yards long. In these tangled woods, it’s by far the longest and straightest clear area we’ve seen. At the far end, a couple of oblong targets hang from the branches. From here, I can’t tell what the targets are made of, but I can see that they’re pin-cushioned by more than a score of feathered arrows.

“Practice,” Kai explains. “From the time we are five, we practice for hours every day. As the children get older, they move farther back.”

That explains Kai’s uncanny skill with a bow—countless hours of practice coupled with his superhuman physical abilities.

Radar pushes forward. “Can you show Blaze how to shoot?” she asks Kai.

Kai looks perplexed for a second. I think it’s probably because Radar used my new name. Or maybe he’s just surprised by the request. I know I am.

“Why do I need to learn how to use a bow?” I ask her.

Radar flashes me that mischievous grin I know so well. “Trust me,” she says. “You never know when it might come in handy.”

Kai turns to me. “Would you like a quick lesson?” he asks.

I don’t see how I can say no. “Sure,” I say. “Why not?”

I expect Kai to take his bow from his back for me to use, but instead he borrows a bow from one of the youngest children.

“You wouldn’t be able to bend mine,” he explains. “This one should work okay, though.”

He hands me the bow. It’s small, but feels very sturdy. The boy gives me one of his arrows.

“Even if you’ve never used one,” Kai says, “you know how to shoot it. Let’s see what you can do.”

I’ve practiced with a pistol, a rifle, and my machete, of course, but never with a bow and arrow. Still, I have an idea of what I’m supposed to do. I hold the bow out in front of me, fit the arrow carefully to the string, and pull back. Aiming down the long clearing, I open my fingers and let the arrow loose.

I wasn’t expecting much, but I fail to meet even my meager expectations. The arrow flies off at an angle, covering no more than twenty yards before crashing into the trees on the right side of the alleyway. A few of the children giggle at my ineptitude.

“I think you’d better show her how to do it,” Radar says to Kai. “Blaze is much better with hands on training.”

Kai moves close in behind me while the boy gives me another of his arrows. Kai puts his left hand over mine where I’m holding the bow and extends our arms out in front of us. His other arm circles around my right side and grabs my free hand. Together, we fit the arrow to the bowstring.

I’m intensely aware of Kai’s muscular body pressing close against mine as he helps me slowly draw the string back until our hands are alongside my cheek. I’m pretty sure I know now why Radar wanted Kai to show me how to shoot. I just hope this feels as good to Kai as it does to me.

“Relax,” he says softly into my ear. His breath is warm and moist, and his body is pressing even more tightly against mine now. “Take a slow, deep breath.”

Take a slow deep breath? How in hell am I supposed to do that when my heart is racing and I can barely breathe at all? I try to ignore the sensations shooting through my body, but it’s impossible. Still, I do manage to draw in a bit of a breath.

Kai slides his fingers slowly back off mine. “Now let it go,” he says.

I open my fingers. With a sharp twang, the arrow streaks away. It flies maybe twice as far this time before veering into the trees.

“Not bad,” Radar says. “A definite improvement.” She turns her head toward Kai. “I think you’d better show her again, though,” she adds helpfully.

Kai seems happy to oblige.

We repeat the process a few more times. With each attempt, my aim improves a bit, maybe because I’m getting used to the feeling of Kai’s body against mine. I haven’t hit either of the targets yet, but I’m managing to get my arrows most of the way down the practice passage. Some even make it all the way. I’m tempted to stall my progress so Kai will keep holding me for the rest of the afternoon, but that’s a trick Radar would use, not me.

“You’re getting better,” Kai says after one of my arrows buries itself in the ground just below one of the targets. “I think you should rest for bit now.”

He’s right. Unused to firing a bow, my arms are beginning to grow tired. I don’t really want to stop, but I know I should.

“All right,” I say. I hand the bow back to the boy who gave it to me. “Thank you,” I tell him.

He nods and smiles, then checks the bow to make sure I haven’t harmed it, I guess. After a quick examination, he fits an arrow to the string and lets it loose. The arrow strikes the center of the target.

Doc has moved up to the front now.

“That looked like fun,” she says to me, then turns to Raj. “Would you teach me how to shoot, please?”

“I’d love to,” Raj replies, a wide smile on his handsome face.

The rest of the day passes in a blur, as I keep reliving the way it felt to have Kai’s body pressing against mine as he held me tight in his strong arms.