The Star Chronicles, City Of Stars

Chapter 6

Nyla

We finished our bath and I shrugged on a T-shirt and shorts Leo left out for me.
I looked in the mirror and scowled. I looked like a child wearing their father's clothes.
I heard a smirk and saw Leo leaning on the door frame.
"Why does my humiliation bring you joy?" I said and he laughed. He walked over to me and put his arms around me
"You can go to your room and put your own clothes on. I just figured I'd leave your naked body for my eyes only," he said and kissed my cheek.
"You mean we cant share?" I said jokingly and his face straightened.
"What's wrong?" I said.
He looked uncomfortable and broke away from me, "I forgot to mention something," he said and rubbed the back of his neck. I felt my heart start hammering in my chest. Did I mess everything up?
"While we are in this courting phase, I may act very ummm.....possesive" he said, looking at the ground.
"What do you mean?" I said, confused? Was he going to start checking my phone?
"Like.....a guy talking to you will set me off. You mentioning another guy will make me jealous," he said, "Just thinking about you with another male.." his jaw set.
I grabbed his hands and kissed them, "I'll never want anyone other than you," I said. As I set it, I thought about Casey. Wow. That seemed like forever ago. But the words were true and I felt it in my heart.
His shoulders relaxed, "I'm just letting you know because it's not something I can control. Our bond is just forming  and my phermones are just going crazy and I dont want you to feel like I'm like marking my territory-" I cut him off. He was blabbering.
"I get it. It's okay. I'll keep it in mind. I'll be sure not to compliment hot guys," I said teasingly and he almost growled. " I have to admit, it's cute" and I got on my tiptoes to peck him on the lips.
Then I took his hand in mine, "Let's go see my family," and he followed me out of the room.
We entered the kitchen and Aris spun around at us, "CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!" She yelled and smothered me in a hug, I knew it as soon as s I saw you two together at the dance! I cant wait to throw your Bonding party after the Cermeony!" Aris kept blabbering on while Leo and I sat down to eat breakfast.
He took my plate and served me bacon, eggs, and toast. I gobbled it up, I hadn't realized I was starving.
I looked over at Aris, "So what now? I'm here and my fath- Gordor doesn't. What does this mean?"
Aris swallowed then ran a hand through her short hair, "Well, I'm assuming he's pretty ticked off. But we got you just in time. There hasn't been any word about his movements. He's been rather quiet which makes me anxious. But, with you here and the Key, he has no way of getting here. His people cant Light Speed," she gulped some orange juice and I took the break in her speech to ask a question, "What's Light Speed?"
Leo answered, "It's when we use our Starlight to jump through the constellation. It takes some practicing to master."
"So now we are spaceships too???" I shook my head. This place is insane which I guess means I called myself insane.
"Anyway, I guess for the time being, Leo will train you until we get word of Gordor's plans. We will need you at your top game," Aris said nibbling on a bagel.
"Well then I guess we should begin immediately because I know nothing," I said standing up to put my plate in the sink, Leo took it though.
"Meet me outside in the training room," he said, "and change into the armor I leave in your room," and with that he disappeared.
I headed to my room and slipped inside. Laying on my bed was a white one piece spandex jumpsuit. This is armor?
I shimmied my way into it. Despite being so tight, I still had full range of motion. It felt almost like another layer of skin. Just like everything else, it had Starlight crystal embedded in it.
Leo had also left what looked like knee high boots, also white.
I slipped them on and went to the bathroom. I decided my hair ought to be out of my face so I put it in a slick neat bun.
I looked at my reflection and marveled. I looked like a warrior princess. I walked out and found my way to the training room and spotted Leo.
He was messing with targets. His armor was different than mine. For one, it wasn't spandex. It looked almostile an archer's attire. Thick white leather pants, and a white leather vest. He was wearing ankle high leather combat boots and his hair was braided down his back.
He looked hot. He looked up at me as I came in and I saw his eyes take up and down my body. I was instantly aware of how tight the suit was.
"So what are we doing today?" I said.
"I'm going to show you what Starlight Blades are,  and he pulled out a blade from his weapons belt around his hip.
He laid it in his hand for me to see, it was short and the hilt was silver. I noticed how the blade shimmered with Starlight.
"Although Starlight is a crystal, it is actually very strong and very sharp," he said and as if to demonstrate he turned faster than I could imagine, he threw the blade at the target fifty yards away, the blade hitting it in the dead center." He turned back to me.
"Show off," I said and he grinned.
"Now you try," he said. Handing me a blade.
I took it in my hand, surprised at the coldness of the metal. I looked at the target and imagined the blade hitting it right in the center. I took a deep breath and threw the knife as hard as I could.
A second later the knife plunged into the target and went straight through.
My eyes widened and I turned to Leo who's eyes were just as wide.
"Wow," he said. "You're a lot stronger than I thought," and he went to retrieve the blade.
"Is this not normal?" I said, concerned. I had never in my life lifted weights. I was small and weak. Or so I thought.
"You're special, Nyla. You hold the Key within you. It powers you. I'm not surprised if that means you can do things we can not," he said looking at me with pride.
"Well apparently it gives me the natural ability to throw knives," I said and he laughed.
"So apart from blades, what else do we have to fight with," I inquired.
"Well, we have ourselves," Leo said and with a flourish of his hand a solid ball of light appeared in his hand.
I looked at it in wonder.
"This is Starlight. I can make it into any shape I want, I cant do anything I want with it. It is a strong blinding light and it sears through anything like a laser," he said and threw the ball at a mannequin by the targets," the mannequin instantly disintegrated into a puddle of plastic. Ouch, I thought.
I looked at my hands, "How do I do that?" I asked.
"You have to imagine it in your hand, like a tangible object that will bend to your will. It's best to think of a specific object for your first time. Calm your mind and concentrate," he said.
I closed my eyes and pictured the Starlight blades in my hand and when I opened my eyes, amazingly, an exact replica of the blade was in my palm, except this time it was pure Starlight.
Leo looked impressed.
I threw it at the mannequins heart and it burned a hole in its chest as it went clean through again.
Leo smiled back at me and we continued practicing.
We spent the remainder of the month training. Leo would wake me up early so I could go jogging with him, then we would practice hand to hand combat where more than once I ended up on the floor, then I'd practice using Starlight and I even began to learn how to heal people after I accidently cut myself and Leo rushed over to me, closing the wound with his bare hands; hands glowing over the cut.
In the evenings, he'd give me lessons on how to speak Gildorian, although I sucked at it. But I was getting some where.
In fact, I trained so hard I'd almsot crawl into bed with soreness.
Leo often gave me massages and I'd fall asleep in his arms. Often, though, we wouldn't sleep. We'd lay in bed and talk. I told him about my life back home. My friends, how I loved to read and how I had loved the ocean.
Meanwhile, he told me about his life before my father. His parents had only had him.
Leo spoke of his family with such love and pain I'm his voice, it broke my heart. And more than once, I held him as he cried over their memory and I realized this is what it meant to be bonded. Normally, to anyone else, Leo was a serious, strong person. But to me he was that but also kind, gentle, and sweet. I was the one person he could be close to.
When we weren't talking about our likes and dislikes or our memories, we were tangled in bed, making love. It was like I couldn't get enough. Like my body was trying to make up for all the lost time.
And each time we touched, I felt the same exact way I had the first time.
The more time that passed, however, the more anxious I became. Gordor hadn't advanced yet and i wondered what he was waiting for.
And would i be ready when he does make a move?
I was getting good. I wa skoving quicker. Dodging and parrying Leo's attacks whe we trained, I was controlling the Starlight a lot better now, but I also knew I was barely touching the surface of what I could do. I felt an untapped power inside me yearning to be let free and I wanted so badly to access it. I wanted to be the hero everyone expected me to be. But I was also afraid I'd lose control and it would consume me.
What if I wasn't enough to defeat Gordor?
What if I let everyone down?
I knew none of these fears compared to my biggest fear of all, losing Leo.