Beating (Book 1: Acts of the Hearth)

Chapter 29

Above the skies in the land of Adacost, plagued by the shadow threat. Travis and Vivian zip through the air to travel to the edges of the dried area. The young man’s wings flap and create strong whips of wind that strikes against the natural air currents.

     Vivian who is now properly gripped to Travis’s hip, squints her eyes as the wind blows by her; hair flowing around by the currents and dress rippling in the air. “You seem pretty determined to help him. How are you planning to do it though?” Vivian questions, shouting through the loud whooshing of wind.

     Travis dips down through the wind without warning, causing the young woman to gasps loudly. The young man reaches the ground within the second and tilts back, stretching his wings to slow the landing. He lets go of Vivian’s waist as she stumbles around for a moment.

     “Ugh…I feel light-headed. Warn me next time before you do that.” she says to him while holding her head. “Sorry, I’ll keep that in mind. I just wanted to hurry to this spot.” he responds while looking around the landing spot. For a while he stares off into the distance and notices someone approaching. “Is that Damen? He could have stayed behind if he was going to move this slow.”

     Damen casually walks to Travis and Vivian without much speed, taking him well over thirty minutes. “I hope I didn’t take too long. You know—being injured and all. I couldn’t possibly have needed the aerial transportation you offered her…” he exclaims out of breath with spite.

     “As strange as it sounds, my plan is to let them go to battle against the shadows.” Travis explains to the two. “You’re not going to save them?! You are their only hope, you know?” Vivian expresses sarcastically. “Finally, a strategy I can get behind.” she continues flipping her hair back. “It seems you realize that you can’t convince this boy with just consulting.” Damen remarks.

     Travis talks under his breath and nods. “It’s a horrible thing to do. But, I know that we can’t get him to see the situation for what it is until he faces it. He has to acknowledge the limits of his pride rallied by inheritance; even if its through fear.”

     “We’ll still save him. But, Walles just has to become desperate enough to want saving. I know he isn’t going to come to me for advice in the next two days. So, I’ll hang back, practice and figure out the best way to dodge the grip of this threat.” Travis concludes.

     Vivian and Damen watch him as he ends his speech. The young man takes flight, launching himself into the dried lands; triggering the gray shadows to appear from among the cracks in the ground.

To influence one another…

 

     The two watch as the shadows sprout from the cracks in the ground and ripple up into the air. The land beneath their feet that was previously moist and muddy, begins to dry up fast. “I could never have imagined this. It’s possible the land is suffering this life draining plague faster because these fools won’t walk away from it.” Damen complains upon noticing the changes. “As soon as he approached, the shadows rose and the land was sapped.”

     Vivian watches closely as Travis flies through the air and the shadows give chase. “Sometimes, the only way to get your prey to where you need them is with bait. Chasing them will easily lead them out of your hands.” she remarks to Damen.

     The young Seer looks her over and the sudden clothing style changes. He then chuckles out loud. “I wonder what you’re referring to.” Vivian glares at him. “Hey! Don’t make me punch you. I’m talking about the situation with the kid!”

     “I’m sure you are… Thank you, you’re a real positive influence on Travis. I’ve heard so many stories about how self-less and self-sacrificing he can be from Logan and the visions he’s had.” Damen expresses to her while he watches Travis disengage his wings to drop down and dodge the shadowy vines.

     “If he wants to be king, he needs to learn to harden that bleeding heart at times and just let things happen naturally to others. He’d make a poor king if he jumped in every matter.” Vivian looks down at the dress and lifts the skirt up a little above her knees, grabs a stone from a small satchel strapped to her thigh and lets go of it and watches the fabric drop back in place.

     “People will come to—hold that thought for just a second.” she says as she loads the sling with a stone. Twirling it at her side and eventually whipping the stone through the air. Vivian hits the shadowy vine during the time it wrapped its grip around Travis’s ankle.

     “Thank you!” he shout down to her as the shadows vanish from around him. Damen stares at her in amazement. “How did you know that would work?” he exclaims while looking at the sling hanging from her hand.

     “Angela let me know what her husband knew about the shadows. Apparently, items that have existed on the surface for some years scares the shadows away when it touches them.” she discusses while loading another stone into the sling.

     “What was I saying before…?” Right, I remember.” she continues twirling the sling once more. “People will come to rely on him. If he’s to be their King, he’ll have to choose when to help and when to stay his hand. That’s why I don’t believe in this The Only business.”

     The young woman releases the stone from the sling with a grunt. “Despair will always find a way to eat away at your morale if you just sit around waiting for guidance and blessings to fall in your lap.” Vivian breathes in and then out before continuing. “If you want something to happen, then you have to start it up yourself.”

     Damen watches Travis maneuver through the shadowy vines and flies down their way. “You have a lot more faith in him than I would have thought possible.” the young Seer states curiously. “Didn’t you hear me? I said IF. From the look of things—Travis doesn’t want to be King.” Vivian remarks to Damen.