-on.
Lara found herself standing in front of a very surprised paka. Both his ears flattened against his head and he loosed a snarl before recognition hit.
In a pleased voice, he exclaimed, My Lady! You have returned.
“Oh, thank God.” An epiphany hit her. Perhaps if she thought of Chion in the last moment before she fell asleep, she’d find him. She gave Chion a genuine smile. “I think I understand how it works.”
He cocked his head in bemusement. What works?
Instead of answering, she glanced around the tunnel. “Where are you going?”
It is impolite to answer a question with another question.
And just like that, she lost the last of her shakiness. She was still exhausted from the attack, but her thoughts were no longer disjointed, no longer enmeshed in a shock-induced fog. Her surroundings came into focus with a sharp pop. Looking back at him, she said, “I know. I know. I’m sorry. But, um, I can’t walk very far since I’m not wearing any shoes this time around.” Disgust emphasized her next words. “I just put clean bandages on my feet not even ten minutes ago.”
She received a measure of his amusement before he gave a slight bow. Then I will leave off for now. We are an intersection away from one of my resting places when I patrol. I had planned to rest there while awaiting your return. Malkese is not expecting me for another month. Looking down at her feet, he asked dubiously, Will you be able to walk a short distance?
Her shoulders slumped before she shrugged, unable to hide her exhaustion. “I really don’t have a choice, do I?”
True to his word, the room was only a short distance away, though it was slow going. She was thankful Chion kept pace with her, patiently pausing in their journey when she could no longer stand the fire burning its way through her feet. Walking into the room, she heaved a sigh of relief and reached up to wipe the sweat from her face. The room looked similar to the room where they had first met. To her, it was heaven. Included within its arsenal were a couple chairs and a pile of blankets and rags. She hummed in delight as she shuffled to one of the chairs and sank down. “I was right. Heaven. Absolute heaven.”
Chion joined her on the pile of blankets. Are you comfortable? She nodded. I believe now that we have nothing chasing us, we have time to learn about each other.
“Yes. After all, I told you I would.” Leaning her head back on the chair, she searched for a way to explain. “Where to begin… You must first understand that I am not from this place, this country, or this world for that matter. I’m from a country called the United States of America. I grew up in a mid-size city in the state of Texas, which is a part of the United States. I know I’m not from this planet because you have creatures that simply don’t exist where I am from.” Looking at him in amusement, she told him, “We certainly don’t have animals that can speak. Humans are the only ones that can talk. Of course, we can teach the chimps to sign but that isn’t the same.” She absently waved away that line of thought. “I honestly don’t know how I…appear here. But I do know that anytime I fall asleep in my bed in my dorm room, I find myself here.”
Dorm?
“Yeah, a dorm or residence hall. I’m in school—a student, so I live in a dorm room.” Seeing his blank, uncomprehending look, she tried again, “A student is kind of like someone being trained to do certain things. I learn about things like language, numbers, and culture. Where I’m from, it is almost endless the kinds of education you can receive if you have the money to pay for it. Anyway, a dorm is a place we stay while we study and learn. It is like a home away from home, except I share the building with hundreds of other students.” She knew her words were a poor explanation, but she was having trouble finding the right words.
Ah, I think I understand. A student is much like a trainee. Please continue.
Yawning, she tried to put together her thoughts; her mind swam with possibilities on the things she could share. “I fall asleep in my dorm room, and I wake up somewhere here in the tunnels. Except for the second time I came here, it seems that I am randomly dropped. The first time I came across a couple of young girls. The third or fourth time—I can’t remember—I landed smack dab in the middle of a battle.”
At that, Chion jerked back and looked at her. “Yeah, I know. Crazy. I had no idea what was going on.” She frowned and muttered, “Still don’t for that matter.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “At the end of the battle, a cat, or what I now know as a paka, and a tall, thin guy tried to put me in a holding pen with the prisoners of war.”
Lifting one shoulder in another shrug, she said, “Thankfully, the powers that be popped me out at the same time as I was shoved into the pen with a bunch of men I’d never seen before. I don’t remember if it was the next time or the time after that when I met you. It’s starting to all blur together.”
He regarded her in silence as he waited for her to finish. Lara thought about the differences between the two places. “Maybe the best way to help you understand the differences is that we don’t fight with swords or armor plated to our bodies anymore. That was hundreds of years ago… Well, maybe not quite that long ago; I’m not a history buff. Technology on our world has far surpassed swords or bows and arrows. Our soldiers simply bomb the places we need to attack.”
Seeing his confusion, she explained, “I mean blow the place up. The military has weapons that are far more accurate than bows and arrows and are far more swift and deadly. You can be a continent halfway around the world and kill someone without ever seeing your enemy’s face.” She couldn’t tell whether he believed her or not. “Look. I’m just trying to prove to you that I don’t understand why I am here or how I got here anymore than you do.”
Lara watched him as he silently sifted through everything she said. As the silence extended into a lengthy wait, Lara fidgeted, almost feeling like she was under interrogation in a police station. She didn’t dare lose her one and only ally in this place.
My Lady, I believe you. It is a difficult story to digest; however, in view of how you speak, act, and dress, I am left with no choice. I believe you are from another world.
It was humiliating the amount of relief she felt at his acceptance. Then it dawned on her, something that she should have noticed before. “How in the world can I understand every person I’ve met? Language should be a problem, but it’s not. I mean, if I was from a different country—much less a different world, we wouldn’t be able to understand each other, right? We both would speak a different language. Although you word your sentences differently, I can still understand everything you say.”
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I do not have the answer. Perhaps we will understand once we learn more. But I have a question of my own. You did not speak of magic when explaining your United States of America. Why is this?
Her eyebrows almost hit her hairline. Perplexed, she fumbled the word, “Magic? You are asking me about magic?” Instead of answering the question, he awaited her response. She started laughing, thinking he was playing a joke on her. When continued Chion continued to look at her with expectancy, she choked, then coughed.
She hesitated before she answered, not quite sure whether she should take the question seriously. “Because magic doesn’t exist?” She rolled her eyes. “We have stories and sham artists, but science and religion are the rule of the day. No, we don’t have magic, but with science and technology, we can do some pretty amazing things. Our imagination is pretty much the limit of what we can do.” Looking at Chion, she asked with growing suspicion, “Why do you ask?”
You took my method of speaking very easily, almost too easily. You mentioned no animals communicate with humans on your world, so I was under the assumption you are used to seeing magical events take place on your world.
Comprehension hit her like a ton of bricks, and she finished for him, “And magic is the reason why you believe me.” Lara pressed her fingertips to her head. “You’re telling me that magic really exists in this world?”
Yes, My Lady.
“You know, I really do hate it when you call me that. It makes me feel like I somehow see myself as superior to everyone else.”
His voice held a whisper of amusement, though his face stayed blank. By Kurite standards, it is an honorable title. People by that title are voluntary servants of the kingdom because of what they can accomplish.
Wrinkling her nose at his explanation, she argued, “But I’m not a Kurite. I’m an American. We don’t use titles like that. And I definitely don’t have any skills that your country—uh, kingdom?—can use.”
Hearing his rumbling laugh in her head gave her goosebumps much like the first time she heard it. But even if you have no other skills, your bravery is inspiring. Although you have never learned to fight, you were able to kill two of the rakir. They are feared by all Kurites, including our warriors.
The compliment made her uncomfortable, so she tried to remove his attention from her. “But they did not stand a chance against you. You are not afraid of them, are you?”
He bowed his head at her insight. No, I no longer fear them, but only because I have fought them on numerous occasions. I had to learn how to kill the rakir without the aid of my people, and my skills have been learned and learned well. However, you had the courage to stand your ground in an unknown situation.
Blushing from the praise, she mumbled, “Thank you. But you and I both know I can’t go around looking for rakir to fight just so that I can be a ‘servant’ to your country. I have my own life.” She stopped, then chuckled without humor. “Well, I did before I started coming to this place.”
Latching onto something he said, she asked, “Why did you not have anyone to teach you? Didn’t you say you were from a place called Malkese?”
You said you met another paka. Do you remember the color of his coat?
When she said, “Black,” Chion’s tail twitched.
And you can see the color of my coat. In a place where shadows and dark coats are almost a necessity, I stand out as an anomaly among my people. I am accepted by my people, but it is easier for me to travel my own way.
Although she detected a simple acceptance and understanding of his self-imposed outcast standing, she was furious on his behalf. Even as tired as she was, she sputtered, “The idiots. That isn’t right. As a citizen, you have just as much right to be in the city as others.”
Gratitude flowed from him to her. Thank you. But you must understand. Most male and female pakas enter training to become warriors. Because I have a white coat, it is almost impossible for me to blend in with my surroundings. As a warrior, I am a catastrophe. As a lone runner, I am able to accomplish tasks in which many others cannot. I range for long periods of time away from Malkese, keeping the underground tunnels safe from invaders and creatures much like the rakir.
“But doesn’t your coat make it difficult for you to blend in when you spot intruders?”
Yes, but I do not set myself against an army. I merely keep note of where intruders have been located within the tunnel system and relay that information to the city. Creatures care not for the color of my coat as they hunt by smell and sound.
She nodded her head; his explanation made sense. She opened her eyes wide to keep them from sliding shut. Her body cried for sleep. Her mouth curled up as another thought came to her. “What kind of magic can you do?”
I am unable to use magic. None of the Paka can. We are conduits. My abilities as a conduit will merge with another at a later time.
Halfway through his explanation, her mouth widened in a cracking yawn. Lara shook her head in an effort to stay awake.
Seeing her growing predicament, he said, Come, lie down on these blankets. You are in more need of sleep than information.
He got up so she could take his place. “But that’s your bed.”
He chuckled without slowing his pace toward the door. I must first eat.
As Chion crossed to the door, panic clawed through her stomach. She hated herself for her weakness, but she watched him, silently begging him not to go. Lara wasn’t ready to be alone after their shared ordeal. Somehow, Chion felt her sudden tension. He looked over his muscled shoulder to peer at her in question.
With a sudden look of understanding, he said, I will stay until you are asleep, then I will hunt.
He lay back down by the door and began washing his left foreleg with his tongue. Watching him for a moment, she shuffled over to his bed and curled up on her side with her back against the wall. When she closed her eyes, Chion began quietly purring in her mind. It sent a soothing balm throughout her body, allowing her to relax for the first time since the fight. The sound was a deep rumbling that hit the deepest kernel of her soul. She fell asleep with a small smile on her face.
Chion lay there watching her sleep, keeping the mental link between them open so that she could hear his purring. When she had sunk deep into sleep, he left on silent feet to hunt for food for the both of them.
She woke up confused about where she was, but it came rushing back. She glanced over at Chion and found him sound asleep on his side. For the first time, she was able to examine him without interruption. He was huge. If she remembered correctly, he was even bigger than the other paka she’d met. His coat shined in the room. He was right. He would have been a living target.
She grinned. His life would have been different if he lived in the mountains where it snowed. His body was powerful with every muscle honed as a part of a fighting machine. Chion didn’t have an ounce of fat on him. He was a walking advertisement of pure, sleek power. But for all his muscles and fighting capabilities, he was gentle with her.
It was his gentleness that puzzled her. Lara didn’t understand his reaction to her. He should have been suspicious, leery of her presence in the tunnels. Instead, he came to her rescue knowing almost nothing about her. His odd mannerisms and personality—as much as she hated to admit such an old-fashioned word—delighted her, absolutely delighted her. Whenever he spoke, she felt a shiver of some indefinable feeling.
She fiddled with the hem of her shirt, running her fingertips along the threads. It scared her that she felt so normal with him. Lara typically kept her true thoughts and emotions under wraps with her friends. But since she’d met him, she’d been herself. The volatility of her temperament worried her. She was the calm one in comparison to her friends and family. She was always in control of her emotions, afraid that once she acted out in anger, her friends would not care for her as well. Stupid, but true, nonetheless.
Although she often wished to speak out and crack jokes like everyone else, she held back for some, unknown reason. Yet she knew instinctively Chion would see through her act. For once, she was truly herself. And she reveled in it. He wasn’t disdainful of her fear or her anger. He accepted them.
Reaching up with her left hand, she drew back her hair, flipping it away from her face. Slightly chilled from lying motionless for so long, she reached behind her for a loose blanket and brought it over her body to soak in the warmth. With her last thought being of the paka, she fell back asleep.