KINGDOM OF THE STONE -- a Wattpad featured novel

Chapter Five

She looked up at him through falling strands of auburn hair.  “I don’t suppose you could just… stop having them?”

Karux almost laughed, before realizing she was serious.  He swallowed a flash of annoyance.  Did she think that the visions were just some sort of bad habit he could stop if he wanted to?   But, then, how could she understand what it was like?  He couldn’t even get the elders to understand and one would hope they had more wisdom.

He took a deep breath which turned into a sigh.  He smiled at her, brushed back her hair hooking it behind one perfect ear.  He traced the gentle curve of her cheekbone with his thumb as he cupped the back of head.  He watched her eyes dilate as he stared into their depths.  “When the terror of those visions first fell on me, I would have given anything to be rid of them.  Now they are too precious to me.”

Her perfect eyebrows rose upwards and her eyes widened slightly in surprise.  “Precious?  Why?”

Karux stared at her lips as she spoke.  They were so close he could almost taste them.  He couldn’t help but lean in as he replied.  “Because if we do nothing, those visions will come true.  But if I continue to receive these warnings, then maybe I can find a way to save us.”  He leaned in even closer.  “And I want to save you more than anything.”

“Oh,” she breathed.

He pulled her towards him and kissed her. 

She responded with cautious passion, her lips warm and soft.  He had never kissed anyone before.  The experience was both strange and wonderful, but he could imagine himself doing it a lot.  He wanted to kiss her forever and never stop.

-=====|==

 After Charissa left, Karux slept.  When he awoke, he waited until late in the afternoon hoping Charissa would come back with another meal and some more alone time.  When she failed to appear, he put on his sandals, forced his staff into his perpetually clenched hand and went outside.

Those who chose to eat outside on the tables were already well into the evening meal.  Most of the youth had already finished eating and were entertaining themselves as the adults sat and talked.

Somek and Pronos were, as usual, competing to be the center of attention.

“Hey!  Look at me.  Guess who I am,” Somek called out.  He screamed, fell to the ground and started flopping about like a fish pulled out of water.

Pronos and the others laughed.  “What is that?” he asked leaning over Somek’s writhing form.  “You have a vision of the future?  I hope it’s a good one.”

“Oh it’s terrible!  It’s terrible” Somek groaned in mock agony while his thrashed about on the ground.

Pronos leaned over closer.  “What is it?”

“It’s… it’s… your breath!  It stinks like Garick’s loin cloth!  What have you been doing with your mouth?”

Pronos kicked Somek “How do you know what Garick’s loin cloth smells like, oh mighty oracle?”

“Oh!” Somek laughed despite the pain and rolled away.  Pronos hopped after him on one foot, kicking him with the other.

The other younger children thought this was the funniest thing they had ever seen.  A number of them took up the game shouting “I see a vision!” and falling on the ground and writhing around while the rest screamed with laughter.

Karux watched with mounting fury, struggling to find the right words with which to blast them.  He happened to spot Charissa sitting at the end of one a table with her girlfriends and she made eye-contact with him.  She blushed and looked away and suddenly Karux understood why she had asked if he could stop having the visions.