Ekubar. Quite an interesting name. It was quite a long one and it felt completely unfamiliar when she pronounced it with her tongue. Was this what it felt like to know another person besides Jui?
After a while of conversing, mostly on Ekubar's part, Rehenna had been told that the two men driving the wagon had found her not far within the forest, and that the both of them were captured. They were going to be sold into slavery.
Rehenna frowned as she tried to hold on to Ekubar's hand, "Thank you for telling me." one unfortunate event after another. "Please sir, would you describe your appearance to me? On my way here I fell down a cliff and somehow survived, but my eyes have not been spared." in Ekubar's vision her eyes were covered in blood.
"It's quite a shame; I would've loved to see your eyes... I am sure that they were quite beautiful. My hair is short and as dark as my eyes, this all you need to know." The Liya of Phir tilted her head when she felt his hand holding a strand of her hair, "You never told me your name, beautiful one."
Her voice choked halfway through her throat, it hurt to even speak, "Rehenna... I belong to the Kingdom Phir."
“Phir is far too small to deserve a princess like you. I come from the Kingdom Resama, rich for its gold and silk.” he said proudly.
The container that held them started to rumble, a sign that they were moving somewhere else, “This is the first time that I’ve met another Liya…” Rehenna said.
A chuckle could be heard from the other end of the small space, “You must be treasured, I have seen other Liya such as myself and all of them were quite the same.”
Rehenna furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, “Every Liya should be treasured, we are every kingdom’s ultimate weapon and their only chance of survival… now that I’m gone I don’t know how long Phir would last before an invasion.”
“The Kingdom Phir has nothing to worry about; they have nothing special for someone to even think about trying to invade their territory.” Ekubar said with a laugh, "Not to offend you."
The carriage passed over a big bump causing Rehenna to roll into an uncomfortable position but luckily, or perhaps not, Ekubar had stopped her body from hitting the side of the cage, “Are you alright?” he asked.
As of now, Rehenna was not worried about a small bump on the head. All she wanted was her vision back, because without it she was half-useless. How would she ever be able to enjoy Jui's smile and serene green eyes again?
Everything was black, she couldn’t see a thing, “I…” her raspy voice shook, “I don't know what's going to happen to me...” was she going to be stuck seeing nothing but pitch darkness for the rest of her life? That was something she did not want, not in a million years.
Rehenna weakly latched onto Ekubar's welcoming arms. Slowly, he started to rub her back, "Don't worry, the Liya are not only known for their ability to see through the future and their long lifespan. They also have a miraculous strength in healing themselves."
"I did not know of that..." not knowing any other Liya other than herself had countless drawbacks. For one, she grew up having no one else to teach her about her origin or what she was. There was no one to guide her.
Ekubar laughed and continued to caress her shoulder, "You said you just fell off a cliff, wasn't that supposed to kill you?"
She appreciated his kindness, "Thank you, Ekubar... I just miss Jui very much..."
Ekubar raised an eyebrow not knowing that name, “Who is Jui?” he asked.
Smiling, she stared up at where she knew the wooden ceiling would be, "Jui was my personal Knight, the best knight I could ever ask for." with her hands placed upon her cheeks, the smile left her lips.
“He sounds quite admirable, but why the sudden frown?”
"Now that I am gone, I have no idea what has happened before my absence. Ever since I was born, I have never been able to look further into the future from a few days ago... I guess now I know the reason why. I've become blind."
Ekubar was silent, but Rehenna knew he was feeling pity for her, "A Liya unable to use her power is like someone unable to become what she is. You've lost what makes you yourself." he had told her something she had already knew, "Would like me to share my power with you? We can share one vision."
It was hard to breathe as if her lungs were badly damaged, which was probably the case, nonetheless, Rehenna was still able to reply, "Yes... please."
She heard Ekubar kneel beside her, and then his forehead was placed upon her own. Once again, he felt her hand take a hold of hers. Although she wasn't able to see it, a faint purple glow had started to shimmer around them.
Their powers have combined.
Rehenna gasped when she felt the sudden flow of such unimaginable power. She had never felt this much before, she may have underestimated the other Liya's ability.
When she opened her eyes, she was met with the familiar river that flowed forcefully through time. Each little droplet of liquid holding a meaning to every single timeline.
The both of them were standing upon the river of the future, the water beneath them aggressively moving forward, unstoppable.
Rehenna held her breath, everything was so clear. It was nothing like her dizzy visions that were always so blurry. What amazed Rehenna even more was that she was able to see it.
"Amazing, isn't it?" she had forgotten about Ekubar's presence.
It was then that Rehenna noticed that she would be able to see Ekubar's face, and what she saw was not at all, like she had expected. This man in front of her was the every image of what a prince should be.
Just as he said, he had dark wavy hair and midnight eyes. They looked quite alike, but perhaps all Liya shared the same attributes. He had a nice build, showing that he did in fact exercise daily. Now his very flirty and confident attitude finally made sense to Rehenna.
Ekubar noticed her stare, and gave her a killer smile, "If you are looking for the past, we must go upstream. We'll find what we need there. Don't worry, I'm experienced when it comes to teaming up with another Liya." he turned around and started walking.
Rehenna beamed when she took one-step forward, happiness swelling inside of her when she was able to walk again without feeling any pain.
"You have teamed up with someone else before?" she couldn't help her curiosity.
"My partner has always been my sister, Erash." he said with a grin, "Whenever there was an upcoming attack against another kingdom we would team up and fight against their Liya. You can block a Liya’s ability from seeing the future of your kingdom if you were strong enough. With my sister, we were unstoppable."
There was still a lot that Rehenna needed to learn about her race, because it was the first time that she heard of a Liya or two blocking another Liya’s ability, "Your sister sounds very amazing."
Ekubar did not reply her, but instead stared forward, "Is that the memory that you are looking for?"
Rehenna looked up, expecting to see darkness but was met with the sight of the kidnapper holding a knife against her throat, "W-what?" she was unconscious during that time.
He noticed that none of them had decided to stand down, making him feel anxious. "I-I'm serious!" he brought the dagger closer to her throat and prepared to bring her to death's door.
Rehenna released a shaky breath, her eyes widening at Jui's face. He looked so different from his usual bubbly self, so different... so close to how she had envisioned him to be. Jui... Jui had already grown up.
The memory skipped to when Jui was alone in his room and reciting the poem that she had taught him, and after the end of the poem the tears fell slowly down his face.
"Rehenna, I understand now that you're forever gone... I-I will miss you so much." Jui covered his eyes with his sleeve, catching the droplets of salty water as his voice started to crack, he stared up at the ceiling with the most mournful of expressions.
"I have failed as a Knight."
Then the bright leafy eyes that Rehenna loved so much, turned into dark murky waters.
The vision had ended and they were back in the wooden cage. The memory was short, but it was just enough for her to know that her Knight was in great pain. Rehenna dropped onto her knees, her breathing starting to grow erratic. This was the longest day she had in her whole life.
It looked like a normal day to her when had woken up, but it changed so fast in one second. One moment she was smiling in bliss right next to Jui, next she was surrounded by darkness and covered in blood.
Rehenna stifled a pathetic sob, her weak hands dragging themselves across the wooden floor. Just when she had been kidnapped, she had been abducted once again.
Ekubar watched the crying girl in pity. He had skimmed through her past whilst they were walking on the river, and seeing what she had gone through in a span of little time was a lot for an inexperienced girl such as herself.
He knew that if he were to comfort her while she was in this state; she would start to scream in pain. For a Liya to be powerful, they must have a calm mental state. If they were going through an emotional crisis, everything would be in chaos.
While Ekubar was stuck in his own world, Rehenna was focusing on something else.
Rehenna could feel nothing but guilt, grief, and longing. She was in a total emotional state, a type that needed to be fixed. However, the only one who could fix her was Jui, but she knew that he was already too far away from her grasps to reach.
With her hands curled up into a fist beside her, Rehenna whispered to herself, "C-calm down..."
She needed to clear her mind. There was no use in crying over spilled milk, because right now she needed room for her thoughts to run through and the nerves to think things thoroughly.
Even if you expect the unexpected, sometimes something impossible to expect would happen. Imagine your surprise if that happens to you... has it?
Rehenna trembled as she focused on keeping a straight mind, but it felt impossible. She tried to control her breaths, keeping them steady, but her body would not obey her command.
Her emotions were in turmoil. She hated herself for being so weak she couldn't do anything for herself, and she hated the greed of the world that lusted for the Liya's power.
Jui thought that she was dead, and she couldn't do anything about it. She had no means to contact him, to tell him that she was alive. He didn't know where she was, and neither did she. Frustration boiled up in Rehenna's system of not being able to do anything to help her situation.
Rehenna bit her tongue, her cracked voice staying silent although her breathing started to become erratic. She tried to close her eyes shut.
Nevertheless, the tears still fell.
Right next to her, Ekubar jumped at the sudden spike in her power. Considering that he was right next to her, it was hard not to notice.
It was not going to be safe if the female Liya continued on this way, "Rehenna, you have to calm down. Everything will be alright in the end, you will see!" Ekubar's experience with cheering people up was not one to be called admirable, since he has never been one to sympathize with others. "Rehenn---"
"Shut up!" it was one of the men who had caged them. "I've had it with the two of you always making so much noise!" He made the carriage stop and opened the wooden cage to drag Rehenna out, closing the cage door after, "Especially you! Don't think I can't hear you crying like a little witch!"
Harshly, he threw her onto the sharp rocky ground by her hair. Blood started to bleed from the flesh that had been torn. Pain covered Rehenna's body once again, a feeling that she perhaps needed to familiarize herself.
Ekubar latched onto the bars and screamed, "Get away from her you savage!"
The man ignored his words and started to beat her with his shoes, "If I am to sell you as a slave, you should learn some discipline while you are with me!"
Pain stuck on her head when he pulled on her hair, forcing her to stand up. Rehenna wasn't able to say anything, and instead whimpered in pain.
He took a rusty dagger from behind his belt and pointed it at her neck, "What do you say when you've angered you've master?" how was Rehenna supposed to speak when one movement meant injury, "You're supposed to apologize, witch!" slowly he dragged the weapon across her throat, deep enough to create a scar but not enough to kill her.
Ekubar pushed himself away from the bars and glowered on the other side of the cage. He crouched and never looked away, glaring at the scene through the eyelashes that hooded his eyes. Did they even know what magical creatures they were dealing with? Brawn over brains. Fools.
Rehenna was only able to release a silent scream from her mouth, "Have you learned your lesson?" with her hand on her throat she nodded in pain, tears still continuing to fall from her eyes, "Good, now get back inside."
When Rehenna was thrown back, Ekubar took her into his arms as quickly as he could, "Rehenna..." she emitted a whine, unable to talk, "Don't speak... just rest. I'll help you." Just as Ekubar had said a while ago, Liya's can transfer their power through affection.
Ekubar held her close, burying his face in her silky hair, and whispered into her ear reassuring words to calm her down. Rehenna immediately relaxed into his arms the moment she felt his energy. He brought a hand to her face, his finger brushing against her cheek, and wrapped his free arm around her waist.
Then a kiss was placed on her forehead.
Rehenna gasped at the small surge of power that flowed through her. It was satisfying. Ekubar’s energy felt so soothing. For her, it resembled freshly brewed coffee during spring’s early dawn, fresh after the rain.
Her hands weakly latched onto Eku’s clothing, wanting more of the strange feeling. Her raspy voice breathed in slowly, each time between breaths savoring the power. Upon her skin, small wounds began to disappear.
Ekubar brought his hand to caress her back, and mumbled low enough for her to hear it, “It’s going to be alright… you’re okay now, it’s going to be fine. I am going to help you, okay? Nothing bad is going to happen while I’m here… it’s okay.” His hand slipped into her frail fingers and locked them together, allowing another piece of him to enter her reservoir, immediately healing another patch of creamy skin.
It was not long after that when Rehenna’s blind eyes fluttered shut, her pink lips releasing a sigh, and her body falling limp in Eku’s embrace.
His black wool jacket slipped off his shoulders, and Ekubar placed it upon the beautiful Liya’s form. He observed her injuries, noticing that he was only able to heal the less life-threatening wounds that were only skin-deep. He frowned and massaged his temple; this girl needed more to heal.
A little worse for wear, the older Liya decided that he too should rest. During their exchange, he had given away half of his remaining energy, and although it wasn’t much considering his originally weakened state, Ekubar slid against the bars and allowed himself a relieved sigh.
He had only just met the girl but had gone to such a length to save her from near death, was he insane? Ekubar could have just left her to die, but he had a man’s code to always save the damsel in distress.
Also, he just really wanted to save her… there was this feeling in his gut that urged him to do so with more vigor than he had with anyone else other than his sister.
Ekubar noticed that Rehenna’s dress was torn badly, it was a mess. Although he was tired, he needed to make sure she was in a comfortable state in order for her wounds to heal. He adjusted her position on the floor and noticed that her breaths were even. She must be having quite a relaxing sleep.
For sure, that load of energy he had given to her was enough to dose her like a drug, but even though it felt extraordinary for her, it was not a nice feeling for Ekubar.
Bandages were needed for Ekubar to be able to stop any more infection or bleeding to escape, and so he ripped off the sleeves of her black gown. It was no longer needed wherever they were to go, what use was a fashion in the life of a slave?
Before he covered her wounds, he had spat onto the ripped flesh. The saliva would act like alcohol but in a less effective way, because the enzymes would destroy whatever bacteria they could.
When everything was done, Ekubar decided to take a small nap himself. The journey would perhaps take hours, and he needed his strength if ever he wanted to leave his soon to be prison.
“Ekubar?”
Jumping out from his slumber, Ekubar looked around the room frantically, “Erash!?”
There was nobody but Rehenna, staring blindly into the world, “Erash?” she asked with her broken voice.
Ekubar cleared his throat, scolding himself internally for his accidental slip, and forced himself to look into the girl’s eyes even though he knew that she wouldn’t be able to see him, “My younger sister… Erash.”
Rehenna blinked, her eyes still covered in dried blood, and not a smile was on her face, “Will you tell me about her? To pass… the time.”
Smirking, Ekubar tapped her nose and chuckled, “I ain’t telling you one single bit of my sister, my dear Rehenna. She’s a topic that’s off limits for strangers that I have just met.”
Rehenna closed her eyes, seeing the same thing; nothing. “Stranger? Am I still a stranger to you?”
Ekubar looked at her with unreadable eyes, his lips half parted but not in shock, “Hmm, well if you are referring to last night, then I guess I would be able to call ourselves acquainted.” He smirked and relaxed from where he was, “All of it was in order to heal you, princess. We wouldn’t want you dying now, would we? Knowing those men, they would probably leave your corpse inside of the cage along with me, and I would not be able to handle the stench.”
Rehenna nodded, breathing in. That’s right, if it had not been for Eku then she would’ve already died. She owed him her life. Her hands shook beside her, and she closed her eyes tightly. She needed to calm down.
Eku noticed the shift in her behavior and scooted closer to her. “Come here…” he whispered, as he wrapped his arms around her, “Don’t be afraid.”
“I’m not afraid.” She grumbled, her eyes slowly closing at the feeling of his power.
“I beg to differ.” Smirked Eku, using the new energy he had gained through rest to heal more of her wounds and to comfort her.
Rehenna fell once again into sleep’s deep abyss, her last thoughts I wish I’d be able to survive
ns 15.158.61.16da2
