Drea rested for a few hours after Mike left. She didn’t sleep, but meditated, talking to Korena and Shawn about her decision. They didn’t like it, but they understood her reasoning and knew it was the best decision for her. They agreed to help rebuild her strength.
She stretched herself out, groaning every time she moved. Her body was still incredibly sore from her time as a prisoner.
When she walked up the stairs, she saw that she was in a small wooden cabin. She entered from a door near a kitchen. There were a few chairs and a table in what would be the living/dining room, and a couple of stools at the kitchen bar. She didn’t see any rooms that lead to bedrooms, but there were a few sleeping bags and pillows spread around the floor. Drea squinted as soon as she came up; the light was blinding compared to the darkness she’d been living in.
It took a few moments, but her eyes were able to adjust. Mike was standing in the kitchen on the other side on the wooden peninsula and Tom was sitting at one of the barstools. They were talking about something, but when they saw her, they got quiet. Mike came over to her with his infamous smile. “You ready for some training?”
Drea thought about asking what they were talking about, but she knew they wouldn’t tell her, so she decided against it, “Sure. Where?”
He grabbed her by the elbow. “C’mon I’ll show you.” Mike dragged her out the door, leaving Tom in the kitchen.
They were plunged into the bright light of the afternoon sun, and once again she was blind. She walked on blindly with Mike leading her.
“We’re here,” she heard him say. She blinked a few times and saw the place he spoke of. They were in a grassy clearing with trees surrounding them on either side. A nice breeze was blowing through the clearing, ruffling their hair. Mike was standing across from her, looking at her expectantly. She couldn’t say anything though; it was as if her body was frozen while the world around her still moved.
“Come on,” Mike’s voice forced her to look him in the eyes. “We have to get your strength back.”
Drea smiled. It’d been a while since she had a good fight.
The two of them fought for hours, with Drea always the victor. When they were done, it was dark. A question came to Drea’s mind as they rested for a moment. “You’re such a good fighter Mike. Did you get so good to get away?”
He looked at her with a quizzical, guarded look in his eyes. She could sense his walls coming up.
“I uh mean how long ago did you leave the Lori?” Drea stood up, hoping he would answer, but he didn’t. Mike only walked inside, not waiting for her to follow, his face completely expressionless.
Drea sighed, regretting she even asked that question. She followed him in the dark back to the cabin, using the fire in her hand to light the way. It rested in her palm, tracing shadows on the trees as she tried to remember which way she was going. The forest was beautiful, even at night, with all the sounds of the animals and the sight of the smoke swirling up into the dark night sky. It was so much different than what she was used to.
She spent some extra time in the forest, looking around in the cool night. It was quiet, and that was something she hadn’t known could be missed so much.
Drea re-entered the house twenty minutes later, putting out her flame when she was close. She stepped in and heard Tom’s voice almost immediately, “There’s a little waterfall in the back if you want to get clean. Take the lantern on the counter.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. “Um where are you?”
“On the floor. Don’t worry, I’m not anywhere you’d step.”
Drea smiled and grabbed the little lantern, stepping silently out the back door. Within ten minutes, she could hear the soft roar of the waterfall Tom spoke of. She lit her hands and set the lantern on low, placing it near the edge of the waterfall. She stripped her clothing and set it near the lantern. It had been so long since she’d changed out of her clothes without doing it with her aura.
She ventured into the cold water, shivering briefly before letting Zen’s fire flow through her body. She smiled. She could never really be cold as long as she had his fire.
As soon as she got her head under the water, she stood and let it flow down her back. The steam rolled off her shoulders as she heated up the cold water and scrubbed herself clean. Then she soaked her clothing in the water, overcome by the sudden desire to get them clean as well.
When she was finished, she stood on the shore and spread the heat through her clothing, drying them off the best she could without setting it on fire. They were still damp when she got dressed, but it wasn’t too bad. On her way back to the cabin, she thought of Danny and the way the two of them used to hang out together in town by the waterfall. She sighed as she thought about dying, and losing him in the process. She could accept her own death, but she couldn’t accept losing those she cared most about.
Drea entered the house and placed the unlit lantern on the counter. She could hear some soft breathing. Tom and Mike must’ve been asleep. She felt another pang of sadness in her heart when she thought of Mike. She hoped she hadn’t offended him, but he shut her down after that. She didn’t want to lose someone else.
She felt her way down to the basement and turned her lantern on low like it’d been when she was resting. She shivered a little and lied down on her side, pulling the sheets up to her chin.
Drea didn’t know how long it had been, but after a while, she heard soft footsteps come down the stairs. She was too tired though, and didn’t want to get up to see who it was. Her dreams were pulling her into darkness, but a soft voice centered in front of her kept her mind awake. “You wanted to know how I left, right?”
She didn’t answer, but let the voice carry her away on its soft melody. “I left the Lori when I was only eight years old in human time. I had been taken on a mission with my father to the human world. He told me we had to enslave the humans if we wanted to be all powerful. Something about that didn’t seem right, but I didn’t question it. We were looking for one of the artifacts, but we encountered a Kaienshi. This Kaienshi was only about my age. He was young, but nevertheless he was unafraid. He took out his little dagger and tried to fight, but he didn’t stand a chance. My father slashed right through him. And he laughed as the child’s blood stained the ground.
“I couldn’t fathom killing the way my father did, so I decided to leave, fearing that I might turn into what I feared most. I knew I couldn’t go to the Kaienshi, they’d never accept me, so I simply left.
“I ran and I ran, going anywhere I could. I blacked out after days of unrest. Tom found me and took me here. He’s been taking care of me ever since, acting as the father I wished I had. He explained the resistance to me and trained me in how to fight. I learned. And I’m happy.”
She heard a slight chuckle and felt a warm hand on her shoulder. “I hope you’re happy too.” The hand lifted and the footsteps echoed back up the stairs. Drea drifted into a deep sleep, letting the darkness take her as she thought his last words.
Hours later, she opened her eyes and stretched. The lantern was still lit in the corner, displaying no change in the time of the day.
Drea bent down and gathered up the makeshift bed into a bundle. She folded it up and set it on the floor. Then she went and turned the lantern off, sending her into the darkness. I can’t waste any more time, she thought. I’ve got to go if I’m to go at all. A few more days will make no difference.
She walked up the stairs to meet Mike and Tom in the kitchen. They were bent down over a map or something.
“I need to leave today.” The two of them looked up immediately. Mike looked worried, but Tom looked as though he expected it.
“But shouldn’t you rest for a few more days?”
Drea smiled. “It won’t make any difference. I need to do this now if I’ll do it at all.”
Tom nodded and went into the kitchen. He bent down behind the counter and grabbed something. Then he came up to Drea and said, “Drink this. It’s what I gave you earlier. It will give you strength.”
It was the root and berries tea. As she drank it, she felt the warmth go through her body, filling her with strength.
She took a breath as she absorbed all the power. It was incredible. She looked Tom in the eyes, “Thank you for all you’ve done. I really appreciate it.”
He smiled and nodded. “I want you to know something though.” He was serious now. “If you happen to beat Alka, you will have a place here. Know that. If you go back to the Kaienshi, please try to keep our existence a secret. If everyone knew, it’d be much more difficult.”
“I understand. I won’t say much, but if I don’t make it-”
“Don’t talk like that,” interjected Mike. He was suddenly beside her. “You’ll be fine.” He was smiling, but she could feel his unease in his aura.
“Well if I don’t,” she said as she turned to face him, “talk to a guy named Danny. He can help you.”
Mike averted his eyes. Tom nodded and they hugged briefly. “You can do this,” he whispered into her hair. “Don’t lose hope, because we haven’t.” She nodded into his shoulder.
They pulled back and looked into each other’s eyes. Tom moved back to the kitchen, keeping his eyes on her.
“I guess this is it,” Mike said.
“I guess it is.” She paused. “But there’s something you need to do for me when you’re with me.”
“Sure, anything.”
Drea looked into his eyes. “There’ll probably be some other Kaienshi looking for me. They’re going to want to bring me back. I don’t want to use up my strength and I don’t want to go back, so I’m going to need your help to restrain them. You might need to fight them until I get to Alka. Be careful though, for once they know you’re a Lori, they’ll try to kill you right away. Stop them from bringing me back. Understand?”
“Of course Drea.” He was still smiling, and she smiled back. The use of her nickname actually startled her a little after so much formality.
“Then let’s go.”
Ever since all the artifacts were put together, Drea could feel trace amounts of Alka’s aura. It was as if the energy of the artifacts was leading her to where she needed to be. She knew where she would need to go.
Drea placed her hand out in front of her and released the aura necessary to form a portal. A shining green circle appeared in front of her and Mike, bathing the entire cabin in its green glow. She nodded to Tom, who nodded back. He looked almost sad as he looked Mike in the eye. Mike smiled and nodded, mouthing, “I’ll be back.”
The two of them stepped into the portal and disappeared into the green light. Drea could feel her body compress as she rushed towards her destination and her fate: Alka.