Skyler's POV
We were flying.
Not literally, but you know, the closest thing to it. Which was...running really fast. To the point of colors bleeding into one another. Sound garbled into a mass that almost touched my eardrum, but not quite. I was in Jace's arms, the air continually being whisked from my lungs as we fought against the laws of physics. Rayne was a blur that streaked nearby, dodging trees and cars and people. The white spot where her teeth were was the only indication of her elation, pulled into the grinning mask of freedom.
I looked back up at Jace's face. His brows were drawn down in concentration, which in turn made his eyes gleam like an animals caught in the dark. The light that sucked in around us fell on his high cheek bones in an ethereal shadow effect. I saw more of his natural form popping through the shield the necklace left. His marbled skin shone in a translucent blue hue, while his eyes swirled erratically, shooting light to and fro like the soft beams of a lighthouse. But underneath the focus was joy, a small smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. He would periodically jump onto a bridge or moving train, sending me into the world of fret and adrenaline, but after the first few times, I came to the conclusion that it was his form of fun, the game of movement and chance. Until water was under us, stretching in an endless horizon of blue and sun. My terror was fleeting, because I soon saw that the speeds we went prevented time or gravity to take effect properly. Their feet didn't sink below the ripples and waves, instead running as easily as on a track.
"What are you thinking?" I asked, my voice hushed and breathless.
He glanced at my face for only a millisecond. "That I am trying not to kill you. I am forced to hold back the full extent of speed."
And it really did seem like he was trying. As if this wasn't fast enough. "How can you possibly go faster than this?"
"Simple. One of the abilities I've gained is enhanced movement. Hence, faster speed than most Morfilians are capable. I am matching my speed to Rayne's, because she has not Morphed yet and your safety demands it."
I was amazed at his lack of breathlessness from exercise; I shouldn't, having seen him in the past act as if no effort was taken, but this was a new level of exertion. His voice carried normally, almost resounding on an invisible barrier that encased our forms. All I could do was nod as if I understood. My neck ached from the struggle of holding my head up at these breakneck speeds. At the rate we were going, we'd end up on the other side of the world in half an hour.
"Where exactly is this place we're going?" I asked for the hundredth time. He chuckled.
"Be still, young grasshopper. All will come in time," he replied. I rolled my eyes and couldn't help but grin back at the way his formal speech delivered the joke. I sat quietly after that, content to feel the warmth of his body touching mine. Looking around us was nearly impossible, because my eyes couldn't seem to focus on any one thing and it brought on a beating, vengeful headache. I gave up the battle of supporting my head and just laid it on his rocky shoulder while closing my eyes against the blazing sun that hung over us.
I guessed an hour passed, periodically peeking my eyes open to gaze around us. Half of the time, it seemed we ran on water, small ripples and waves radiating out around us. No land. The endless horizon stretched, empty and watery. I caught my breath, and then let it go when I finally saw that we were totally safe. The speed we went prevented the time it took for feet to sink into liquid. I had to close my eyes again.
"We are almost there," he said, a small hint of worry invading his voice. I mumbled an okay and remained nestled comfortably in the cocoon of his embrace. The smell of wood smoke and dead leaves that had been soaking up the winter cold was so powerful that I could focus on nothing else. It brought up memories of the past couple of Thanksgivings at various vacation houses, the rolling hills of Missouri when we would visit my other grandma on her blackberry farm. The ice and freeze would kill everything for four months, creating the effect of a dystopian paradise, with curls of smoke billowing from chimneys on the various hill sides.
At last, we jolted to a stop. Jace's feet seemed to temporarily leave the ground, a force unseen catching the momentum that wanted to barrel us forward at the same intense speeds. I caught my breath as my eyes flew open, blinded by sunlight that fell through the shifting canopy of ancient trees that towered over us. Some trunks were as wide around as a small house, making me feel small and insignificant, while others were leaning and willowy like old women needing support.
"Where are we?"
Rayne threw her head back and her arms wide. Her face resembled a joyful fallen angel, body a perfect image of time trickling through an hourglass. "God, that was much needed. We should do that more often, brother."
Jace was watching me with an energy that radiated from every pore of his skin. I knew my face must look like a mask of wonder. "Where are we?" I whispered again. I couldn't bring myself to speak louder than that. The environment felt sacred, as if things unseen were watching and holding their breath.
"Bialowieza Forest," Jace said. He set me on my feet. I marveled at the springy green carpet under my boots. There was little foliage or under brush, other than the occasional shrub that hugged the base of a periodic tree. A soft frigid breeze brushed my hair like fingers caressing my cheek and I shivered. I threw him a questioning look, not understanding where that was.
"Poland," he clarified.
"What?" I squeaked. "Jace, you kind of need a passport for that kind of stuff." But inside my head, I was a tornado of excitement and wonder. I'd never left the country before. The air felt pure, untouched. I felt my soul lift. My comment fell false to my own ears. In actuality, I wasn't the one to talk about rules. I didn't care. I slowly rotated, taking in every tree and sound like a dehydrated person getting a glass of cold water. It reminded me of enchanted forests mentioned in the fairy tales told to children. Jace watched me with a satisfied smile, coming closer and putting an arm around my waist.
"Do you like it?" he murmured, his mouth brushing my ear. I shivered.
"Yes."
"Come on, you two. We don't have all day. She only shows herself if it's daylight. And if she likes you." Rayne scratched her head considering. "And I've only been here once before, so Jace, I'll leave it to you. It's your visit anyway."
Jace nodded and took my hand. He began to lead us deeper into the trees, the awning of leaves becoming thicker and darker. Animal noises were everywhere, the forest alive and watching. "Who is this 'she'?"
He threw Rayne a sidelong look, then cleared his throat. "Ariss. She is Morfilian. She is the oldest here on Earth, as far as anyone knows. She hides away here, tired of humans and Morfilian alike. We are looking for a waterfall's mist."
I sighed. Interesting. "Where's all the snow? I thought it would be snowy in Poland in the middle of January."
Jace spread one of his hands out in an all encompassing gesture. "She can control weather within a certain radius of herself."
A cold finger ran its way up my spine. I didn't know how to respond to that. The underbrush grew denser, the old oak and spruce trees crowding closer and closer as our silent audience. High above, a bird squawked accusingly in a cacophony of echoes that mingled with other wildlife. It felt like deep, unmoving eyes were following every movement we took, the air only providing minimal cover. I caught myself holding my breath, and in turn Jace squeezed my hand.
"What do you need her for?" I asked him quietly. Ahead of us, Rayne frolicked among the bushes, examining leaves and berries with the eye of a scientist studying an experiment.
"If anyone would know the effects of generational Morfilian blood flowing down the ages, it would be her. The Council believes her to be dead, killed by Sharves back in 1651. During the Battle of Beresteczko. It was the perfect setup."
I stared at him. I knew nothing of Polish history, but it sounded reasonable. "But how do you know about her if she's so good at hiding? You're new here, and even Rayne has only been here once."
"I was told in secret by a family member who spent two decades here. He said 'Follow the trail of discolored leaves and she will reveal herself at the mist of a waterfall. But only when she wishes it.' Before I left, my kin threw a party, where many pulled me aside to share their experiences."
I looked around incredulously. "We're literally in a forest full of leaves. How in the world-"
Rayne laughed, the tinkle of chimes in a summer breeze. "You may not be able to see things as well, Sky, but we are much more adept. Have some faith."
I huffed. "I know, but seriously. I don't see any signs of water here, and all the leaves look the same."
"Not exactly," Jace said as he ducked under a low hanging bow and brushed it aside for me. "We can hear water running close under our feet. That means we will find where it meets the topside soon. That is what we are following."
I shook my head in disbelief. I wished silently for a hearing aid to enhance my ears like theirs. But I suspected even then, it would be lacking in their level of ability. "Whatever you guys say. But don't be surprised when I throw you in front of me when a ghost pops out and attacks."
Rayne laughed loud enough to send birds into flight. "You watch too many horror movies." I shrugged and swiped at a loose strand of hair that escaped my hastily made bun. Jace beat me to it, his hand flashing out and gently tucking it behind my ear. I blushed. We continued on in silence for what seemed like hours. The sunlight progressively dimmed, and I thought it may be close to dusk when Rayne perked up and clapped her hands.
"There they are," she sang. Her eyes were bright with fascination. At times, she reminded me of a young child, easily satisfied and excitable. Her gaze was fastened to a line of shrubbery that looked ordinary to me, but apparently Jace saw whatever she did, because his spine straightened and his head cocked in thought. He turned to me, going behind me and softly taking my shoulders in his hands. His mouth touched my hair.
"Focus, Skyler. Center your gaze on those bushes, the shape of the leaves." I squinted, doing as he said. "Then brush aside the mental fog that is obscuring the form. It will feel like ripping a Band-Aid off." My eyes felt strained, a mixture of the dim light and the trip here with distorted images was interfering in the sharpness of my vision. But the more I stared, the more color seemed to pop to the surface like a fish breaching the smooth face of water. I let out a little gasp as splotches of purples and oranges dotted the little diamond shapes of the leaves, the ragged edges seeming as sharp as pointed knives. It was as if droplets of dye had splattered them in a haphazard array of pattern.
"I see it," I whispered. He had been right; my mind felt like a slap or minor sting had grazed it with the sudden appearance of the colors. The air felt heavy, intelligent as ever as we began walking again. My boots were now caked in a fresh layer of mud, half of my bun falling around my shoulders. I followed the aliens as they more easily followed the splotchy trail that lay before us. A small creek began bubbling a slow, cold trickle of clear water by the long line of bushes. I stared at it, unable to look away from the swirling current. Small fish were swimming happily along, red and white like an Expo marker, but then were gone in the next instant. I squinted. Had I imagined them?
"It can play tricks on you," Rayne commented sympathetically. She hung back, staring where I did, just as mesmerized. "Even for us. This place is of ancient origin. It has had a lot of history."
"Why did she choose this place specifically? Of all the places to hide..." I trailed off.
"Because it reveals truth and enhances the abilities."
We all jumped, spinning to our right at the sudden voice that grumbled through the air, the sound waves seeming to wrap around us. A tall, desperately thin form stepped out from a tree. I blinked. The stark contrast of her opulent blue skin on the dim earthen hues of the forest was startling. I stepped back. She was close to eight feet tall, her lavender colored hair streaked with black. She wore a toga-type shift that was as light as the one Jace had worn when he'd Arrived. Her eyes gazed ominously through a hairless face, as old as the forest around us. She stood statue still, hands clasped in front of her as we took her in.
Jace dropped to a knee and bowed his head. "We appreciate your presence, quasar."
Rayne copied his movement, and I stupidly stared. Then dropped like a rock when my mind caught up with my thoughts in a syrupy rush.
"No need for formalities, children," she rumbled. Her voice seemed to come from everywhere at once, as deep and gravelly as the earth around us. "Come. I know what you've come for." Her elongated fingers gestured to her right as she began to glide away. Rayne and Jace gracefully rose and began to follow as I scrambled after. My knee knocked into a the ground in a scuffle of dirt and rock. Pain blistered through my leg and I quenched the urge to mumble the inappropriate curses that flew to the tip of my tongue. Jace's head snapped towards me, shaking it at himself, then came to my side.
"Are you okay?" he asked, taking my hand again. I blushed at my klutzilla inabilities and nodded sheepishly.
"Why did you call her quasar?" I whispered to distract myself more than him. I watched her tall frame move wrath-like through the nature, impossible to look away. Even with the chill in the air, nervous sweat beaded on my palms and neck.
"A quasar is brightly compacted energy. It is powerful, the same as our matured citizens. We are thought to become more honed and strong in our abilities as we age. It is a form of endearment and respect."
"How old is she? Or, you know, how long are your life spans I guess," I mumbled as an afterthought. I realized I'd never asked before.
He shrugged and gently tugged me along after him. "You would have to ask her. As for our life spans, they can stretch endlessly. But that does not mean our physical forms do not show signs of the passing time, as you can see."
I nodded. Even though the quasar was obviously old, ancient even, she had a flawless beauty that still clung to the smoothness of her blue skin, her eyes sharp as tacks with years of life they had seen. For better or worse, I didn't know. It hit me that she was truly a walking and talking fossil. Rayne shot us a look with raised eyebrows, saying to hurry with her eyes. And we did need to, because the tall form of our guide was rapidly disappearing with distance, the shadowy forest floor engulfing any sight as the sunlight darkened to twilight. It was eerily silent now as we drew closer to a rocky cliff that rose above us, weathered and aged with lichen and moss.
A steady rush of water ran down half way, billowing mist in the soft breeze that danced around us as we drew closer. The creek had widened to accommodate the heavier inflow of water. Ripples rushed to the muddy banks, and we watched in fascination as the quasar reached a hand to the rock face by the waterfall. The water seemed to draw back, a mind of its own as it receded and went to the side like a curtain being opened. I saw that the water had acted as a door, her opening it to reveal a lightly glowing crevice that cracked the earth into a cavelike hole.
"What's her actual name?" I asked Jace in a low voice.
"Arissellana," he replied as we moved forward to follow. As soon as my foot passed the threshold, a jolt of electricity shot down my spine and the water fall dropped to resume its interrupted flow. I took in the new surroundings with a spoonful of awe; a cavern carved from the cave sat just inside the blooming afterglow of a fire. Its' ceiling was so high that it disappeared in the darkness of distance. A large set of shelves sat against one wall, every inch covered in knick knacks, enough to do grandmothers everywhere proud.
They weren't the usual trinkets. There were ivory bones that rested in a bowl, along with a jade carved panda that glinted in the soft light. A gold dipped rose rested in a corner, protected by the glass of a dome. Books scattered at the edges of the room, flung among the baubles as if thrown. An overstuffed couch was on top of an oriental rug, along with a coffee table made from black stone and an ancient rocking chair that looked ready to snap to pieces at any pressure. Which is exactly what Ariss did, resuming a practiced hand at twirling thread on the wooden spinning wheel at her feet. She didn't look up or say anything else, so we shuffled around and glanced at the couch.
"Take a sit," she grumbled. "As I said, no formalities."
We sat, looking around some more. Various doorways were worn into the walls, leading to what I assumed were more rooms. A shimmer caught my eye, and I squinted. In the far reaches of the roof, I could just make out a chandelier woven of spider webs and hanging jewelry. I blinked. A tall suit of hammered armor stood, primitive and beaten with age, in a cut out of the wall to our right. The empty eyeholes seemed to stare from another dimension.
"Are you going to sit there and gawk? Speak up. I am in no mood for dallying." She tutted and gazed at the fire that roared in the wall to her right. A log fell, raining embers and spitting flame like a dragons mouth. "Is it drink you need? To wet the vocal cords." It fell like a sort of command, not a question.
She stood once more, drifting to the fire. A kettle appeared on the jutting mantel above her head, and she grabbed it. It was about nine feet over the ground, and I noticed that just about everything was above-average height. My head whirled with her eccentric manners. I didn't know whether to speak or not, if either would provoke a barbed comment. As if reading my mind, she pointed a look at me over her shoulder as her hands continued to create a pot of tea.
"You, girl, have the insides of a battlefield. It is no wonder you ache."
Jace looked at me, a crease indenting his brow. His hand inched towards mine, but he seemed to catch himself at the last minute. Ariss cackled, actually cackled, and returned to her seat.
"I may be an elder, but I am no blind fool. I know of your attraction. You make it no secret, First General."
Jace scowled. "I would never imply such an insult to you, quasar. I am merely...wary."
She nodded with a wicked glint in her eye. "As you should be. Smart boy. Not many are anymore. But you would do well to mind your self preservation."
He just shrugged and kept his hands to himself. But my curiosity was peaked and I forgot the blush that crept up my cheeks; I leaned forward and watched her closely.
"What do you mean?" And she was right, my joints and bones felt achy, as if I'd taken a tumble down a flight of stairs. I hadn't realized until now. These sporadic bouts of pain and headache were getting really old. I was half tempted to go see a doctor if it didn't quit.
Ariss's luminous blue eyes scrutinized my face with unwavering intensity. The color reminded me of something, but at the moment, my brain couldn't even grasp the most obvious thoughts. I squirmed and tried to break the eye lock, but failed.
She chuckled. "You are an unfortunate creature, Miss Dayze. Very unfortunate indeed. I would not ask to be in your shoes. You will find out on your own, as you should. I am not the teller of fates, it is not my place."
I cringed at the creeping suspicion that she knew more than just my name. But refused to tell. She just called me unfortunate. I didn't know whether to be offended or dreadful.
"Can we cut to the topic at hand?" Jace growled and finally took my hand. I'm sure my aura was just as erratic as this conversation was spiraling into. The tea kettle began a scream as steam blew out of its whistling spout. The old alien grimaced and flashed to the fireplace. She grasped the boiling kettle barehanded, seeming not to notice the heat. And maybe she didn't. But I couldn't help but look at Jace's and Rayne's faces to see if their reactions were the same. Rayne's expression was thoughtful while Jace's was grumpy. "What are the bloodlines doing as they pass down with human genes?"
Ariss shook her head and poured tea into cups that magically sat atop the mantel as well. Her grace was unnatural. A line of energy seemed to trace its way through the room, like feelers, looking for something to curl onto. I shivered. It wound it's path down my neck, continuing to the bottom of my back. Ariss glanced up, smiling at me knowingly.
"It was great," Rayne spoke up suddenly in a gush. "His eyes are so, you know, flinty. And he's actually taller than me, which is no feat given my height as a girl. The humans are just so short." She clapped a hand over her mouth and glared at the elderly alien. "What did you do? I don't want to be rude, because you could just squash us all like bugs, but stop. It's not funny. They're looking at me like I'm crazy, and I can't stop." She clamped both hands over her mouth now, wincing as she obviously ground her teeth closed. I could feel my mouth pop open in astonishment. It was like she couldn't contain the smallest thought. I looked at Ariss and saw her smirk.
"It is nothing, dear. I only want clear answers for what you want. No deception allowed in my home, you see."
"You cannot do that, quasar. It is part of Forbidden Law to use mental power over another Morfilian on Earth. There are no protections from it like on Morfilinik." Jace squeezed his lips closed, then coughed. I'm sure at that point my eyes were going to fall out of my head.
Ariss came over with the tea cups on a tray and passed them around. "I may do as I please. It is my territory and you came to me. Do not speak to me of breaking the Laws, sir, because you are vulnerable to your own folly." She pinned me with a ruefully amused glare. "You, though, will not work well. I will have to discuss with you in private after our meeting."
"I still don't know what you mean," I mumbled, squeezing Jace's hand-hopefully soothing him- while sniffing the tea she handed over. It was delightfully warm, smelling like spice and freshly dug earth. It tickled the back of my brain, the way it had the aroma of Jace and the other aliens, the undertone of leaves and fire. "What is this? It smells...familiar."
Ariss let out a titter, sitting back on her creaking throne of wood. I peeked at my companions and could guess they're unease with opening their mouths to join in. I wondered why it didn't seem to work on me. The energy was there, I could feel it, trailing its presence over my skin, but it did not invade. I gave up and took a sip of the tea. My chest bloomed with heat, and I smiled. My cheeks felt suddenly hot.
"It is an herbal tea found on our planet, little one. Do not fear, it is safe to your kind."
That didn't comfort me. In fact, the underlying meaning to her reply made me itchy, because I didn't know how to decipher her little riddles. Yes, humans were delicate compared to them, but she didn't have to be so condescending.
"Now, I will answer your question, Jaceannel, but what will you pledge in return?"
Jace glared at the old woman. "You're protection, of course. No one will know of your hiding place here."
Ariss cocked her head to the side, considering. One of her long fingers wrapped around her coil of thread, while her remaining five fingers danced across the surface of her cup. She rocked and remained silent for over a minute before replying.
"You will pledge to bring her back to me after the event that looms in the near future." She tipped her cup towards me.