The story so far:
----Aija, Zuri, and Ze are three friends, who were working at the Pristine School at Innermost. Aija gets involved with the Ytai first, leading Zuri and Ze to them as well. Zuri falls in love with Nala (Lalana), who is Ytai, and works with Thieron. Aija and Ze are captured by Thieron, of H'eon, when they were at the Hospital - Aija was at the Hospital with Kuna of R'ies and Zuri to stop a Harvest; Ze was there to visit his sick student Xan. Thieron has bound Aija to himself, and Nala has bound Ze to herself. Luka works for Thieron(Ah'n), along with Lalana (Nala).
----Aija faints after Thieron saves her from the sea-savages, just as she remembers that a sea-savage bit her. Aija wakes as the antidote works. Nala tells Aija that she genuinely loves Zuri.
----Aija, Ze, Thieron, Luka, and Nala go to the South Land.
----Luka admits that they are there for a Harvest.
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****29.2 - Aija****
When Aija woke, Nala was already out of the room. She groaned, rousing herself from sleep. Her leg felt better.
She yawned, only to freeze mid-yawn. It was still dark. Surely, she hadn't slept from one night into the next?
By default, her hand went to her pant pocket only to remember her Scroll wasn't there. She let out a short sigh, annoyed. She squinted out into the dark, through the window; she couldn't make out much.
"What time is it?" she asked Ze going to the main room.
"They told me it is afternoon," he replied with a frown, clearly as confused as herself.
They walked across the grassy fields, Thieron in the lead. Aija was next to Luka and Ze next to Nala. She took in a deep breath of the cool air – it was fresh and pure in a way even the Innermost air wasn't. Aija remembered wanting to explore more of the Earth. She never knew this was how she would see a whole new continent, one hidden away purposely by the Leadership. She had been sequestered at Innermost all her life and craved to go out, explore. Never in her wildest dreams did she dream of her current situation.
Aija and Ze had found it hard to believe the long darkness. They hadn't heard of this continent before – the South Land. It hadn't been mentioned in any books; it hadn't been taught about in school. It was like the world had forgotten about it (thanks to the Leadership), a place of long sunshine and long darkness.
Aija kept herself alert, though all she wanted to do was stand in the middle of the grassy field and feel the cold air on her skin; relish the pureness in her lungs. She couldn't see the ocean or sea - whichever it was, but the sound of the crashing waves carried on the wind. It was a rather strange place. She wondered how much more of the beautiful Earth was hidden from them.
As they walked further inland, Aija spotted a few houses spread across the land. Only a few of them had lights on inside. They soon reached what felt like the beginning of a small Settlement, and here all the lights were on – inside and on the paths. Thieron stopped behind what looked like an unoccupied house. He went ahead and peeped in through the window.
Aija braced herself. 'One last Harvest.' Luka had told her. She couldn't let him kill the person in the first place; else she would have to release the soul. And she didn't want to doom it to an eternity of loneliness and possible conversion to evilness. She was disturbed when Thieron had told her of it. She wasn't sure if she could trust his words, but if it was true, it would be bad.
Thieron nodded to Luka and turned back around. Nala followed him. Aija stepped forward to do the same, but Luka placed his hand on her shoulder.
"You two stay here with me," he told them.
No way. She couldn't let that happen.
Thieron knew she would try to stop them. So, he was leaving her behind.
She ignored Luka and went ahead, but he lifted her and set her behind Ze as if she were a mere toy. Luka held her tightly as she made a move again to go with Thieron.
"Let me go!" she said.
"Shh..." he hushed her, and to Ze, he said, "Don't move."
Ze stood rooted to the ground as they watched the other two Ytai walk up to the house a few hundred meters from them.
"Stop struggling, Aija." Luka's voice was soft as he spoke in her ear.
"No," she said. "I can't let this happen."
"Some little things must go wrong for other important things to go right," he whispered in her ear and held her tighter.
She stopped wriggling in his strong grip. Something in his voice captured her attention; she couldn't place a finger on what it was. But it calmed her.
What did he mean by that? 'Some little things must go wrong for other important things to go right.'
Aija stayed still in Luka's arms watching as Thieron and Nala went to make a Harvest. Something about the whole thing felt weird. It was technically afternoon though it was dark, which meant people would be up and about their work, not sleeping. And Thieron didn't really Harvest when people were up and about their work. Did he?
There was something in the air, something palpable. Aija felt it.
Thieron and Nala reached the house, and he looked in as he took out a blade. His movements felt exaggerated like he was making what he was doing - obvious.
Aija found it difficult to just stand and watch a human soul being Harvested. But Luka's grip on her was firm, and she couldn't budge.
Just as Thieron was about to open the door, a group of people emerged from seemingly nowhere. There were at least fifty men and women, she couldn't see clearly in the dark; they ran to Thieron and Nala. They held long spears in their hands. They were shouting at them, the sound filling the quiet night, and it wasn't CommLang or Ytèan. It was a whole new language.
"Tih!" Luka yelled letting her go. "Stay here!" he yelled at her and Ze and took off towards Thieron and Nala.
Aija regained her balance, being left by Luka. He had been bearing all her weight; she hadn't noticed it. She didn't understand what was happening. Where had all those people come from? Had they been there this whole time? Where had they been hiding? She looked at Ze, who was staring at the ambush. Weren't there humans somewhere here? She remembered Thieron telling her the previous day. Perhaps she could get Ze to them. But the bond wouldn't let him go too far. But, then again, Nala was pre-occupied with being attacked, wasn't she? Aija was in a dilemma. She didn't know whether to go with Ze or not, either.
"Ze," she said. He looked at her. "Run! There's a Human Settlement here. Go find them. Run."
"I can't move, Ai," he told her, frowning.
Ah, damn that compulsion! She thought.
She looked around, thinking of a way out. She couldn't think of anything. The three Ytai were wholly surrounded, and a few of the people had turned around to her and Ze.
"Ze, just move," she said intending to remove the compulsion; they needed to move soon. She wasn't sure it would work – she wasn't Ytai, and she certainly didn't have any powers. But, she wanted to try it; channel into Thieron's power through the bond and do it if it allowed her. She closed her eyes and reached for the bond. She felt its strong presence; she felt Thieron a little distance away from her.
"Ze, run!" she commanded with all her force.
Ze's eyes rounded in surprise as he staggered forward with a jolt. He looked at her in awe. Aija didn't waste time in revelling in her work or to understand why the Ytai never compelled her to do anything. She pulled him and they ran away from the group. She didn't know where the humans lived; the South Land looked massive in area. But, she had to try to get Ze out of there. If it worked, it would be a miracle.
Aija and Ze didn't get far. They were chased down by four of the people that had attacked the Ytai she was with. They caught them easily.
"Let go!" Ze yelled. "We mean no harm. We're being held captive by those Ytai."
Two men held Ze down, and one caught her by her arms. She didn't pretend to struggle. They had been captured, and she would have gone back to the Ytai anyway after she was sure Ze had reached a safe distance.
They were dragged towards the Ytai. She walked calmly, and the man holding her kept looking at her like he couldn't believe her calmness and willingness to walk with him. The people seemed so human, so she wasn't sure if they could be the Zayr.
Thieron, Nala, and Luka were inside the circle created by the people; the men dragged her and Ze and pushed them next to the Ytai. Thieron came to her, pulled her close to him, and held her there. Thieron was strong, so were the other two; but could they take on these many people at once? She felt Thieron reach for her through the bond. It was strange, feeling the tug of the bond which she couldn't even see. He was calm; perhaps she felt relaxed for the same reason? How was he so composed, considering they were totally outnumbered?
The group parted to let someone pass through. A young girl walked up to them and stopped right in front of them. She was gorgeously beautiful. Her long hair was silver, and it reached her waist. She wore strange clothes, seemingly made out of leather; she looked regal. There was an air of greatness around her.
"You shall Harvest no human here," she spoke in CommLang, her words thick with a strange accent as her eyes rested on each of them in turn. They rested on Ze, and she sucked in a breath of air.
There were a surprise and wonder in her eyes.
Aija looked at Ze beside her. He seemed just as captivated by her as she was by him. There was an instant connection between them, something unexplainable. The air seemed to crackle between them. Aija felt like an intruder in their moment.
All eyes were on the two of them, and yet it seemed like the world around them had disappeared. The world only held Ze and the girl at that moment. One didn't have to put that feeling explicitly into words. Ze and the girl had an instant connection, enough to drown the world around them into a blur.
Aija astonishingly didn't feel jealous of the girl. She was fine.
It didn't look like the scene of an ambush. Ze was captivated by the girl, and everyone looked on at the undeniable attraction between them.
The crowd parted again. Aija expected another person – not an animal.
It was a huge predator; it resembled an earthen panther. But it clearly wasn't. It reached the girl's shoulders easily in height, each of its paws was huge, it's ears long and sharp at the edges. The fur was dark, melting into the dark of the afternoon. What set it apart, more so, from an earthen panther were its eyes - they were shining an eerie violet in the darkness, and its huge feathered wings tucked in tightly at its sides.
It was meant to scare them, but Aija didn't find the animal fearful. Gracefully, the creature sat by the girl, eyes on her. She looked back at it, and it continued to look at her until the girl put her hand on it and stroked its dark fur; it closed its eyes and leaned into her touch.
"The South is off-limits to Ytai." the girl spoke, regaining her composure. "You had the courage coming here hoping to make a Harvest."
Her voice was soft but firm.
"How did you know?" Nala asked.
"Because I told them." a man's voice came from somewhere behind the group of people.
The group let him forward. The man didn't walk too close to them, standing at the edge of the group. Thieron tightened his grip on Aija and pulled her back, out of sight of the man.
"Ah'n," the man said.
Aija couldn't see the man, Thieron was holding her tightly, and she couldn't bend over to see him. The man's voice held fondness.
"Irih' va," Thieron acknowledged the man.
****
The house was cozy. The backdoor opened out to the ocean, and it was where Aija and Ze stood outside, looking at the waves.
The man – Irih' va – had sent the group of people away. He had taken the three Ytai with him and the girl had led Aija and Ze away from them. Aija was slightly relieved to be away from them, though it still put her in the company of another stranger. The girl had led them to a big guarded house and left them in the backyard. Ze had stared after her as she'd gone back in.
Aija stayed silent, waiting. They weren't too far from the three Ytai for her bond didn't hurt. Neither did Ze's judging from his rapt attention on the girl.
The girl came back out, and Ze straightened, his eyes on her like a cat's as she made her way to them. She had left behind the huge panther-like creature. For all the ways it looked like a panther, it wasn't even from Earth. No such winged creature existed on Earth; unless, the Leadership hid its existence just like it had hidden the presence of the South Land from the public.
She stopped a little ahead of them, closer to Ze, Aija noticed.
"I'm Ruyanir, Princess of the Zayr." she introduced herself. A princess? Do Princesses still exist?
The Princess looked patiently at them, waiting for them to introduce themselves.
"I'm Ze Roan," Ze said his eyes unwaveringly on the Princess'.
Princess Ruyanir smiled at him then looked to Aija.
"Aija Niyarah," she said, as always omitting her surname.
Princess Ruyanir smiled at her like she knew her secret. "I'm sorry," she said.
"Why?" Ze asked quickly.
Too quick, Aija noted to herself.
"We thought you were working with the Ytai. Then I saw the bonds." Princess Ruyanir said, pointing to her wrist.
"It's alright," Ze said. "But what will happen to them?"
Them – Thieron, Nala, and Luka.
The Princess huffed, "I want nothing more than to kill those vile people." she wrinkled her nose, turning to the ocean. "But nothing will happen. Prince Irih' va is rather fond of Ah'n. They have history."
Two things registered in Aija's mind. One – the Princess had called the man a Prince. Two – she had used Thieron's Ytèan name.
"Is the Prince your brother?" Aija asked.
"No," Princess Ruyanir denied.
"He's the Emperor of the largest empire on Ierne. I belong to the Zayr – one of the smaller kingdoms on Ierne."
"Why are you here?" Aija asked. "You don't seem to like the Ytai."
The Princess smiled. "You're an observer."
Aija felt slightly embarrassed.
"We are taking refuge." Princess Ruyanir told her. "And, we aren't like the Zayr back on Ierne. Please don't make the blunder of assuming we are the same ruthless people. The Zayr on Earth have escaped Ierne."
"Why?"
The Princess smiled. Under the light from the house, her silver hair glistened with a pink and purple sheen. Aija had seen photos of seashells like that on the LINC.
"A long story," Princess Ruyanir said. "It's for a different day."
A man in a robe-like dress came out of the house holding a tray; on it were two glasses. He approached them and bowed to the Princess.
"Please, have this." the Princess said, referring to what the two glasses held. She motioned the glass with her fingers; they hovered in the air, floating – one to Aija and one to Ze. Aija and Ze looked at the Princess, open-mouthed. Those powers...
Aija looked at Ze. He was staring at the Princess in total shock. And Aija could almost read his thoughts – to tell the Princess or not of his own powers.
"Please drink this, it'll warm you." The Princess said oblivious to Ze's dilemma. "It's a Zayr specialty made from the roots of the Quinzra plant."
Ze must have decided to not say a word about his powers, for he remained quiet and took the glass hovering in front of him into his hands. Aija kept quiet too. It was his decision to talk or not talk of his powers. She took the glass hovering in front of her. It was warm.
The man who had brought the drinks bowed again to the Princess and left.
The liquid was blood like in color and consistency. Aija hesitated and looked at Ze; he too was considering it with caution.
"It is edible." the Princess told them.
Ze took a chance and sipped it. Aija knew he did it for the Princess. She nearly growled at him in anger.
Ze's eyes widened. "It's good."
The Princess smiled as a blush graced her pale skin. Aija noted that all Zayr were pale-skinned. They weren't as tall as the Ytai, either.
"Try it." Princess Ruyanir coaxed her.
Aija warily took a sip of the blood-red liquid. It burst into warmth on her tongue. It was earthy, sweet, and spicy. It was good; very good.
The Princess looked at her expectantly.
"It's delicious." Aija acknowledged.
"You remind me of someone." The Princess told her, smiling. Her expression was soft. Whoever it was, she was fond of that person.
"Could you send us back home?" Ze asked half done with his drink.
"I can't," she said, echoing Aija's thoughts. "You are both bound to the Ytai."
Aija watched as Ze's expression turned sour.
"Can we stay here with you?"
The Princess smiled sadly at him. "I wish you could. But, I believe the Ytai will leave, and so must you."
Aija gave the two of them their space. She wandered off and sat on a rock; the waves splashed its water on her.
She looked out at the ocean; the Princess had told her it was the ocean. There was water all the way to the horizon. It was close to black in the night's darkness. She wondered how the place would look in the months of sunlight.
The drink warmed her. She looked back once at the young human and the Zayr Princess. They were deep in conversation and were now standing closer to each other. They were drawn to each other inexplicably.
Aija let out a sigh and put her back to them. She kept her distance from the water; she was terrified after the Sea-Savage attack. She was glad she had slathered a lot of the salve Luka had given her; her leg felt well, and her limp was reduced.
None could help them because of the bond. Guess Ze was stuck with them, too, after all.
Thieron had been extremely smart in using the bond. He had thought ahead and known there might be chances of them being rescued or of them managing to escape. She had to acknowledge his thinking.
"Aija,"
The Princess was standing behind her. Ze was still near the backyard of the house. There was a Zayr man standing next to him. Aija stood and faced the Princess.
"Here," she said, handing something to her. "Hold out your left hand."
Aija held out her palm. The Princess didn't place anything in it, but she tied a string around her left wrist. The string had a tiny black bead through it. The string was thin, silver, and glistened pink and purple in the lights from the house.
"Is this....?" Aija started.
"My hair; yes." the Princess finished. "It is a strand of my hair. Don't remove it – no one can but you. Please give this to Goldstar when you meet him. It's for him from me. Make sure he ties it around his wrist."
"Who?" Aija frowned.
"Goldstar,"
"Who's that?" Aija had never heard of the man.
"You will meet him one day. You will know who it is. He will know who this is from once he sees it. He will know it's from me."
Aija looked at Princess Ruyanir. She looked about sixteen years old.
"What are you thinking?"
"I was thinking about how old you are?" Aija answered.
She smiled. "I am not as young as you think I am. The Zayr live long lives like the Ytai. I'm hundreds of years older than you are."
'...like the Ytai.' How old were Thieron, Nala, and Luka then, really?
"I'm about sixteen in human years." Princess Ruyanir added. "So it's an easy mistake to make; for if I was indeed human, I'd just be sixteen."
The three Ytai definitely looked like they were in their early twenties. So how many hundreds of years old were they?
"Prince Irih' va has asked for your presence." Princess Ruyanir informed Aija. "My guard will take you both to his place."
Aija nodded and asked, "How do you know if I'll meet Goldstar?"
"You will. One day. He will recognize my hair and that black bead on your wrist on his own, for I've been offering it to him for ages now. It's finally time he accepts it."
Aija wasn't sure she would meet this man, but the Princess seemed confident enough. Also, Aija was stuck with the Ytai, with Thieron. Unless...
"Is he Ytai?"
"No, he's human."
Oh.... Her chances were even slimmer now.
"Take care, Aija Niyarah."
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