Ah, so the next one or two chapters will probably be about Tharsis' world (which I still haven't named yet) unless I can figure out which world Kali will be sent to ^^;; so basically I'm stalling hehe.....gomen .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*~Chapter 3~*
*~Land of Angels~*
Seeing her mother, she gave her a hug and said, "Mom, I need to go back to school in about an hour for some archery stuff, ok?"
Kali's mom frowned slightly, but nodded, "Fine, but don't stay out for too long. Now, set the table; we're about to eat."
After they had finished cleaning up Kali hugged both of her parents and left. She picked up her things outside and ran to school. Kali walked across the field towards the shed and prayed she was making the right choice.
***
"Bring her to me, but leave the messenger. We've no need for him."
"But isn't that considered tampering?"
"Bring her."
***
Adrenaline was coursing through Kali by the time she had reached the shed. She could feel her infamously spontaneous personality flare to life where it had been kept dormant and in wait. Pushing open the door to the shed, Kali saw Tharsis standing with his back turned to her, humming a nameless song to himself. Kali closed the door behind her as quietly as possible and tried not to disturb the unwontedly peaceful moment, but despite her efforts, Tharsis turned to face her as soon as the door clicked shut.
"Have you said your good byes?"
"..." Kali swallowed, "Yes, but what about Lakin?"
Tharsis raised his eyebrows, "Do you not already know the answer? He will not come. He has no desire to."
"Oh, I see... It's not like I really care if he comes or not, but it would've been good if I'd talked to him before we left…"
Tharsis placed his hand on Kali's head gently and bent so that they were eye to eye. He smiled softly, "Should you believe in the well-being of something enough, it is bound to become better in one way or another. Do not worry for him. All will be well." Tharsis gestured to Kali's belongings, "Now, place your things on the floor there." Kali dropped her things onto the floor and watched Tharsis curiously. He blinked, eyelids hiding the milky white pupils for a few seconds before uncovering them again, and a warm breeze rushed through the room. Slowly, majestic wings began to grow from his shoulder blades until they were nearly twice as long as himself. Tharsis picked up a feather that had fallen to the floor and placed it on Kali's bag. He whistled a single note and an orb encircled Kali's things, then another note, and they disappeared.
"Well then," Tharsis shifted his wings slightly and held out his hand, "Come." Kali hesitated, but eventually took it. Using his free hand, Tharsis plucked a feather from his wing and proffered it to Kali. "In case you should need help. A gift from one of the Last always has merit. Call for me, and I shall come."
Tharsis looked away from Kali abruptly and stared into the distance. A warm sensation of ethereal power pulsed from Tharsis' palm into Kali, traveling through her arm and spreading throughout her body. She looked around as the shed shimmered, fading away into white. And for once in her life, Kali felt completely at peace. Power flowed through her limbs, making her feel languorous and insolent, ready to take on any challenge with ease.
Suddenly, without warning, the white turned to black, and Kali could no longer feel Tharsis' warm and calming presence beside her. All the energy and power that had previously run through her veins dissipated, leaving a void within her heart of hearts. She tried to breathe, but found she could not. Her throat tightened and contracted, as if invisible hands grasped at her neck. Kali put one hand to her throat and another in front of herself to brace her fall as her knees buckled. A bead of sweat trickled down the side of her face and Kali shook her head furiously in a futile attempt to drive away the black that threatened to fill her vision. Before her head hit the ground, she was vaguely aware of the cold flagstones that she now felt beneath her and a white feather being swallowed by the darkness.
***
Kali awoke to an irritating throb that pounded insistently on her skull. After a few moments she became vaguely aware that the source of the thudding came from someone tapping sharply at her cheek repeatedly. Kali thought that it would be in her best health if the person were to stop and tried to tell him so, but instead, a pitiful groan was all she could manage. Her throat burned and her limbs were stiff and cold.
The tapping stopped, and the person opened Kali's eyes gently, peering in at her momentarily and letting her eyelids fall again before Kali could focus properly on the person's face. "You'll be fine. Get up." A feminine voice somewhere next to Kali said.
Kali attempted to sit up, "Ugh..." The sudden movement made her head spin and she still couldn't open her eyes properly. She put her head back down on the ground and mumbled, "I can't..."
"I said get up!" The voice repeated curtly, emphasizing the order with a sharp kick to Kali's ribs.
"Leave me alone... I'll get up when I feel better." Kali muttered. The girl stayed silent, and after a few moments of quiet, Kali heard a shuffling sound as the girl prepared to kick Kali again. Kali sighed resignedly and waited for the right moment. Kali grabbed the girl's foot scant moments before it hit Kali's body, then yanked hard, making the girl fall to the ground promptly. Despite the fact that Kali's muscles were still stiff and complained against the excess movement, she got up on her feet and moved quickly, turning the girl over on her stomach. Kali placed one knee on the girl's back and a hand on her neck, pressing her body to the floor. "Didn't I ask you to leave me alone?" Kali asked lazily. "Now, where am I?"
The girl laughed, "You'll know soon enough." A black feather, its edges razor sharp, flew from the shadows, barely missing Kali and dropping to the floor with a clatter after bouncing off the wall, distracting Kali briefly. In that moment, a strong hand grabbed the back of Kali's shirt and lifted her off of the girl, then deposited Kali on the floor a few feet away.
Honey colored eyes flashed through the darkness at Kali and she squirmed, turning to look up at the stranger. He was tall and looked to be in his early twenties. His black hair was curled into a simple knot at the back of his head, held in place with a plainly decorated stick. "Stay." Dumbstruck, Kali watched as he turned and helped the girl to her feet.
"What took you so long, Rave?" The girl snapped as she smoothed out her clothes. She was a little shorter than Rave and was probably about the same age as him. Her hair was cropped and a deep forest green which accented the sea foam color of her eyes.
A slight smile played across Rave's lips as he looked at the girl, "Disgraceful." Then he turned to look at Kali. He ruffled the girl's naturally messy hair and said, "Hela."
"Yes, yes, my name is Hela, and this is my brother Rave. If you hadn't noticed, he doesn't talk a lot, so don't expect too many words from him. We came here to pick you up because someone botched the spell that was supposed to get you here."
"You." Rave accused Hela, with an amused expression on his face.
Hela glared at Rave. "Well, if someone hadn't—"
Rave sighed and crossed his arms, "Time."
Hela groaned, "You're right, he'll be mad if we don't show up soon." She walked out the only door in the room without looking back and said, "Come on. Let's go."
Kali hesitated, not willing to get off the floor and follow Hela. Who was this person that Hela and Rave were talking about? What had happened to Tharsis? What was this place? Kali clenched her fists and bit her lip. She considered her options. Running was out of the question, and she wouldn't be able to dispatch both Rave and Hela. It was doubtful that Kali could even beat Rave barehanded if he were alone. As she sat thinking, Rave came up behind her and patted her gently on the back. Extending his hand to her, he smiled and said, "Come." Kali took his hand and, following like a child, allowed him to lead her into the dark depths of the hallway beyond the room door.
***
Kali, Hela, and Rave walked through the dark hall, the clicking of their footsteps the only sound that pierced the silence. After a time, they reached a large set of wooden double doors. Rave looked at Kali and placed a hand on the smooth wood. "Steel—inside." Then he backed up, allowing Hela to approach the doors. Seemingly from nowhere, Hela pulled out a black feather and traced a complex rune in the air, muttering softly as she did so. The large doors creaked open. "Safe," Rave reassured Kali, grasping her hand again and leading her across the threshold.
The room was dimly lit by torches that adorned the walls. In the center was a deep pool, surrounded by a forest of plants and exotic flowers. The stone tiles had been ripped from the ground, exposing moist, rich soil, and the roof opened to the vast expanse of sky above. Hela strolled towards the pool and shouted, "Steel! She's here!" They waited for a few moments, but no reply came. Hela frowned and looked at Rave, "Where did he go? Let's split up and look." Rave nodded, and they both set out into the copse, heading in different directions.
Left alone, Kali sighed and began to wander around aimlessly instead of staying in the area that Hela and Rave had left her in. As she walked, she took in her surroundings. There were a variety of flowers that Kali had never seen or heard of before; some of them had vibrant and bright colors and others were dark and morose in color. Kali recognized the shapes of a few, but they were differently colored or would not have survived in that particular climate had it been earth. She bent down and picked up a particularly dark colored rose, fascinated by its black color, then straightened back up, still holding the rose and absentmindedly stroking the stem. "Ah," Kali winced and looked down at the rose; one of its thorns embedded in her thumb. She pulled the rose part from her thumb gingerly, watching as a bead of blood swelled into existence and dropped down into the dirt. Making a movement to wipe the blood away, she cursed at the rose's irritating external defense. But before she could do anything, a hand caught her wrist and an arm wrapped around her from behind.
"Hello, Kali," a soft voice murmured in her ear.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MUHAHHA! so how did you all like the third chapter? it's not wonderful, but you'll just have to live with it for now... ah! and thanks for reviewing dee-chan ^^ it makes me happy that someone else it reviewing ^^ yataa! from one to two! yaaayyyy