Chapter 11
Brightly colored trees met my eyes when I woke up. Confused, I sat up and glanced around at the landscape trying to get a feel for where I was. My brother wasn't anywhere to be seen and I glanced around worriedly. He was always getting himself into trouble. Standing, I reached down to grab my bag when it disappeared before my eyes. Bewildered, I put my hand to where it had been and felt the rough material of my backpack, my brother was near.
"Cai! Where are you?" I shouted picking up my knapsack. He appeared next to me along with the bag.
"You don't have to get so worried! I just went to get food," he grinned handing me an apple with a loaf of bread. I made sure he never stole what he didn't have too. After an incident with a baker and her sweets, he never had.
"You're always all over the place! If I don't get worried you won't control yourself," I admonished him. His grin widened at the thought of his sister not being a worrywart and he shrugged.
"I'd have to worry for the both of us and we know how that turns out. We're better off with you complaining and nagging and making sure I don't go anywhere than with me staring off into space," he snorted. It was true. When I was still little, he had been the type to make sure I never got into trouble, which I never did considering that he was the one who did. He space out and stare at something for a long moment and since I was the kid I was I never considered interrupting him. Luckily for the both of us, I grew up and now I'm the one who has to worry. He's always going off and doing something stupid which is fine with me. He doesn't usually drag me into it.
"Earth to Julia! Are you alive in there?" he waved his hand in my face and I slapped it away.
"Shut up! I was thinking!" I retorted and he laughed. Making himself comfortable, he grinned over at me and winked.
"I've met someone nice in town," he started his smile getting bigger.
"Is she one of us?" I replied bursting his bubble. Someone had to be the bad guy. He would kill her if he ever consummated a marriage with someone who wasn't like us. He pouted for a moment before he grinned at me again.
"She didn't start screaming when I touched her," he offered. I rolled my eyes.
"A lot of humans can do that. It's called pain endurance," I retorted but he shook his head.
"She didn't feel like she was in pain. More like she was...absorbing it or something," he frowned trying to put what he felt into words. My face copied his as a contemplating silence fell over us.
"Cai? Do you think we should test her?" I questioned glancing up at him. His stare was one I hadn't seen since we were escaping from one of the outer land's kings. It was a dangerous one with the mysteries of our past filled in. He nodded.
"Yeah, let's see what she's got," he agreed and the world seemed to go black for a moment.
When it reappeared, Cai's wife was sitting next to him on the beach as I walked towards them. The woman we had tested ended up being one of us and she married Cai because she couldn't go back to being a normal barmaid. That and she loved him.
"Shelia, I told you, I can't just leave my sister here. We've looked out for each other our entire lives. I need to find her someone to make her happy," he shook his head at her stubborn scowl. I hid my appearance from them as they continued to argue back and forth over if I should stay or go.
"It's as if you love her more than you love me!" She shouted finally standing over him with a glare. He didn't blink.
"I do love her more than you. If I had to choose, I'd stay with my sister and be single than go with you," he replied nonchalantly but I started at the dark look in his face as he examined her. It was almost as if he regretted bringing her with him. Shelia didn't know his face like I did so she assumed that it was an apology. He wasn't very good at making bad expressions to begin with.
"Fine, but I'm still staying here so that neither of you two can take my idea," she sighed sitting back down and put her head onto his shoulder.
"What idea?" curiosity seeped into his voice as he glanced over at her.
"I want to create another world. One where there isn't any war or fighting. It's only me and you and our creations who'll serve under us faithfully," she smiled at him happily.
"And Julia," he reminded her and she shrugged. He considered the thought for a little longer than was necessary for the outrageous suggestion.
"Let's do it. We can start by looking for other people like us and then persuade all of them to follow us," he grinned, his hunter look appearing on his face. Shocked at the acceptance of the idea, she practically attacked him with happiness. Deciding that they needed their privacy I walked away.
I strode into another section of my life. Fires erupted everywhere. People like me were battling all over the place trying to seize the opportunity to become the ruler of all of them. I merely watched as one by one all of them were slaughtered by my older brother and his wife. Each of them was sealed into a card or a plant nearby holding them captive for all eternity. As he finished off the last one, he glanced over at my position and started. Running towards me, he picked me up and whirled me around. Hugging me tightly he stayed like that for a moment before he let me go.
"Why are you here?" he breathed relieved he didn't have to look for me among the dead. I merely gazed around at the destruction our kind had caused the world. It was disgusting.
"You should have known better," I replied evenly as he winced at my cold tone. Shelia glared at me and shook her head.
"You'll never understand what it's like to want to control something. You prefer being the follower," she provoked only to get slapped by Cai.
"Do not talk to my sister that way," he hissed looking ready to strangle her. I turned my back on them.
"We need to find them," I sighed looking over at the plants and cards that had disappeared during the brief interlude. Our kind wasn't dead yet.
"What do you mean?" he asked confused.
"The seals only work if they aren't able to create a world inside of it. Apparently all of them were. I'll take the cards you brought along with you. You two...can take the plants," I snorted at the nearly impossible task. I wasn't going to do that. I needed some time away from both of them to think about what I needed to get done.
"Can't we search together?" he called after me. I faced him briefly showing my anger and his own responded just as easily.
"Fine. We'll cover more ground this way," he ground out unable to look back at me until I had gotten out of sight.
"My queen, are you alright?" a soft voice said in my ear as I blinked in the sunlight. It was a beautiful day and all the cards were accounted for as were the plants. I kept them firmly in my pocket as for what Cai did with the plants is beyond me. I didn't care. I was with the one man I cared for the most and I wasn't going to leave him so easily.
"Just thinking of the past Castor. What about you? I heard you sighing in my own world," I teased lightly and he kissed my palm as he did when he searched for the right thing to say.
"I was thinking about how many different ways there were to kill a bird but not nearly as many ways to save it," he replied gesturing towards a fallen avian near us. Reaching out to it, I laid a hand gently on its feathers and healed its wounds. With a flutter and a sharp cry of thanks, she flew off leaving the ground and her savior behind.
"If that way works then do there need to be many ways?" I questioned and he grinned at my consideration. I knew that he couldn't stand seeing animals hurt but it was something that happened and he knew it just as much as I did.
"I see you're still as kind as ever to those you believe deserve it," Cai smiled walking into the clearing.
"Don't start with me, Cai. What do you want?" I sighed falling back into Castor's arms staring up at him defiantly.
"I can't find Shelia or the Med five," he frowned and my lover started behind me. Glancing up at him, he paled at the thought of the Gardener, as he called him, wouldn't know where they are.
"Well, they are hers to do with as she pleases," I drawled tracing the lines on his hand. He smiled comfortable for a moment and planted a kiss lightly on my hair.
"She would be able to start a world war with them," he retorted crossing his arms at my obvious state of unrelenting calmness. I sighed and drew away from Castor to stand up and face him.
"I have fifty-four people at my command to her five. I believe I can win," I responded my hands on my hips. He snorted.
"They can melt your people by the time they reach them. I designed them to be smart and deadly. Shelia had nothing to do with it. It's a warning Julee lee," he used his pet name for me breaking my happy dream and forcing me into reality. He only used it to get my attention in the first place.
"I'll look for her," I agreed and walked away with Castor on my heels.
I was dying. Blood poured from a wound that would've torn me apart had it been to anyone else. Shelia was fighting Castor in the distance and Cai kneeled down next to me. His light blue eyes stared at me in silent anger at the one who had done this to me. Golden hair tinged with the blood he had split dripped lazily over his vengeful face. I touched his cheek lightly.
"Brother thank you for helping me find Castor," I smiled apologizing for the things I had said and done for the past few months. We were kids with dreams and nothing more or less than that.
"Always. I'll see you soon Julee lee," he smiled tears starting to run down his perfect face. I gasped at the sudden pain and I was back in my own reality as the queen.