Chapter 8 Part 2: A Saint and A Wanderer

Jun wandered through the woods, allowing nature to soothe his mind and heart. The exercise with Amalie had helped, she hadn’t held back. However her parting words had made his heart sting ever so slightly and he didn’t want to return immediately.

As he wandered, he found another grove, open to the air. Inside sat the woman from the opening ceremony. Her silvery wheelchair throne was intricate and inspiring—instilling a sense of reverence. He slunk in the shadows, wondering why she was here, alone.

She raised one arm and remained motionless. Jun ran through the rumors he had heard. She was the Red Silver Saintess. Someone as powerful as most Alinta, but somehow completely different, earning her the moniker ‘red silver’.

Her head snapped towards his direction and ice spikes rose from the ground. Jun jerked away, barely avoiding the attack.

“Who goes there!” she shouted. Ice began to chill the ground around her and her white hair floated on the drafts. Jun avoided her attention while staying in the underbrush. Her eyes searched, passing over him. Those eyes were a mix of ice blue and red, a type of violet that just wouldn’t mix. It was enchanting, and haunting. Jun observed the ice. That was contrary to everything he had learned of prayer in the past few months. You could create heat, but cold and enough to force the water to ice over? She definitely held up to her other nickname. ‘Ice queen.’ He smirked. Even her attitude was cold.

Her brows came together and she lowered her hand. Then she jerked her head the other way as a branch snapped.

“It’s just me…” a male voice rose, calm and soft. Her tense shoulders softened.

“Hello, Zain.” A smile graced her features. Jun blinked a few times. He rescinded the idea of ‘ice queen’. “Catch anything?” He smiled as he held up a few fish that wiggled on the string.

“Of course. How would you like them tonight? Grilled? Fried? Baked?”

“How about chilled. I’m in the mood for something else. My specialty.”

Her genuine smile and friendly attitude made his heart lurch. Too much like Ellen.

Zain moved behind her and began to push the heavy wheelchair. As Jun sat back against the trunk a spike of ice grew and he jerked away, eyes darting to see her looking towards him. He refrained from making any noise or movements and she sighed, returning to look forward—Zain steadily and obliviously pushing her.

When she was out of sight, Jun let out a sigh and then moved to inspect the ice. It behaved just like normal ice, melting at his touch, however there were unnatural edges, razor sharp which drew a bit of blood as he traced it. One word came to mind. ‘Dangerous’.

*********

Mei looked out at the changing landscape. With so many practicing their faith, it was hard to keep track of the natural world. The changing colors and radiating heat washed over objects till they too blended into the nothingness. She harrumphed before finding her way to the forest. Inside, it was much easier to see things. She could avoid people by seeing the radiating heat signatures, and, the trees didn’t allow the temperatures to skyrocket like the arena.

She climbed up a cluster a trees—eyes scanning the class. This sort of teaching was so informal compared to what the master did, however, that wasn’t the case for everyone. Several classmates were with instructors, choosing whom they thought could propel them forwards. Others engaged in self study, and a few had private tutelage like her father. She couldn’t see him from here, but she kept her eyes peeled. She could sense his growing impatience. Suddenly, a strange heat signature garnered her gaze. She recognized the low level heated bodies. Their clothes were distinct compared to the uniforms.

“Jinshari.” Her growl vibrated in the air. Even now they seemed to believe they were out of sight for her. She sat comfortably, not giving away that she was aware of them. It irked her that even here, they couldn’t be away from that foul woman.

Back on earth, the one place she had hated was her grandmother’s home. Yet somehow, that lady seemed mild compared to the matriarch. If not for her dad protecting her, she would have tried to kill the woman. After all, that was the role of her new family. The Kasai were skilled assassins, almost ninja. And she was happy to be a part of it. Except for her eyes. She was mostly blind and they didn’t think she would be of any help. Unlike her father, she had memories of the place, her new family and the skills they had trained her in. Even a few disturbing memories of accompanying them on hunts and killing people. However, with her being blind, she didn’t have to fight anymore, and she wasn’t taken care of. In some ways, life was rough till she prayed to the Silver Flame that had brought her to this world and her eyes functioned differently. However, she still hadn’t wanted to fight people, and pretended to be blind, watching and observing her family train and go through her the motions, copying them. That came to a stop two years later when they told her she was being married to the head family of the Jinshari clan.

Watching the Jinshari move she shifted off the tree. She didn’t have to hide her blindness here, but she still liked to confuse them. She rolled to the ground and hid in the underbrush. She could see their movements through the leaves, their confused head shakes as they scanned for her. Smiling in amusement, she didn’t notice the heat wave coming from behind.

The Jinshari fled as someone ran through the area. Mei squeezed her eyes tight against the brightness of the heat. When one eye had adjusted, she looked to see a young man in strange clothes wandering the woods. The shape of his clothes was foreign, and she wondered if he was a student or someone who had also infiltrated. As she observed, she noted the ground sear with heat wherever he walked. He wore no shoes, and cold beads were seen around his neck and tied to his outfit.

Curious, she followed him. A sudden shift and he was dashing away again. Mei followed, feeling excited by the challenge. Then he stopped and looked directly at her. She froze. His eyes swirled with different colors of heat. The silence stretched till the heat from the ground burst and he grumbled, stamping out the fires. Then he jumped away, faster than her eyes could track. However, the ground where he had tread left warm spots. Mei hesitated—seeing the ground growing cold, she followed.

Finally, she saw him sprawled with his feet up in the air— one of the instructor’s traps for those who wandered too far. He was trying to untangle it and then flinched as she broke a branch under her foot.

“Need some help?” Mei chuckled.

“Nope. I can handle this… myself.” He groaned and grumbled through the words as his hand reached towards the rope around his ankle. Mei looked through the layers of heat at the contraption.

“Maybe, you should wait,” Mei hummed, looking at the intricate trap. If released in the improper way, it looked like a second would trigger. Too late, he escaped only to be snared by another trap. This one closed around him and he groaned.

“By the sands and glass…” he muttered. His words drew her curiosity. Mei let her prayer drop and focused on the colors. He wore a white uniform, but his skin was darker, tanned. A desert dweller. Was he from Ungi?

“Not used to forests?” she teased, moving to a release mechanism.

“Hardly. Hey, if you are going to do something, make it quick.”

“What, worried about catching on fire or something?”

“Something like that…” his words and movements made her even more curious. A thrill raced through her heart as she pulled and the bindings released.

“I’m Mei,” she said as she approached, helping him out of the ropes.

“Arvad of the Ungi deserts. And… thanks.” She could see some heat in his cheeks as he looked at her. Mei felt her brow raise, amused.