Undiscovered Origins

Undiscovered Origins - Chapter 30

Chapter 30:

            Sitting alone made Jade’s thoughts swirl through her mind like a twister that she couldn’t control. Her mind still ached for Drake beyond anything she could conceive but he was long gone now and she didn’t assume she would see him again or at least not for a while. Her legs were knee deep in the water which she thought was going to be cold in the autumn but actually the stream was quite warm. The sound of water rustling against her legs and rocks of the stream was soothing to her mind. It helped her concentration as well as the sound of the birds chirping and various bug sounds.  

            Even though she could not get Drake off of her mind there was something else she could do to relieve her tension as she closed her eyes and let her mind transform a picture of Caldwell. He was very attractive and funny and she seemed to be growing fond of him. She hadn’t spent a whole lot of time with him besides practicing battles but they did practice every day. One thing that had been nibbling at her mind was what kind of creature he could be. She had never heard of anything so cold before and she would even shiver only thinking about him.

            “Would you like some company?” A chill voice asked from behind her.

            Her eyes snapped open and her head turned to see Caldwell holding his hand out before her. She never realized thinking of the devil would make him appear, although that certain fact never seemed to work for Drake. His skin seemed to have a faint blue color to it almost like his hands were too cold and frost bitten. His blond hair had tips of blue that matched the color of his sapphire lips. She shivered at his approach but smiled nonetheless.

            “Yes, in fact company would be quite enjoyable right now.” Jade said.

            He sat down next to her and put his feet in the water and she stared in amazement as the water surrounding his feet turned to ice. It only took the form of ice several inches surrounding his feet and didn’t spread far but it was breathtaking. She smiled at him and realized that even though he was cold and the weather was freezing that being next to him didn’t offer her any shivers besides those that formed in her gut. In fact it only felt nice like a piece of ice on a warm day.  

            “I often wonder where it is that you go when you’re not losing to me.” Caldwell smirked.

            “Oh so are you assuming that you’re more skilled with weapons than I am?” Jade asked.

            “There’s nothing to assume. I am more skilled than you.” He said smile still displayed on his lips.

            “Well Sir Caldwell, you may be more skilled at weapons than I, but you couldn’t beat me at hand to hand.” Jade grinned.

            “Is that so?” He asked.

            “It is so.” Jade laughed.

            Without another word she elbowed his stomach and rolled across the ground with him. She pinned his arms down and sat on top of him smiling. He returned her smile but rolled himself over taking her along with him. The two of the laughed while wrestling each other and fighting hard to be the one victorious. Finally Jade caught the edge and pinned him down good.

            “I win.” She smiled.

            Caldwell twisted his arms out and brought his hands to her sides stroking hard with his fingers. She laughed uncontrollably and rolled to the ground trying to kick him away. He didn’t let up and continued to tickle her until she was completely out of breath.

            “I believe I have won.” Caldwell said smirking heavily now.

            “Not fair.” She said out of breath.

            He crawled over her until his face was inches from hers. Her lips quivered and her mouth shut as she stared intently into his deep blue eyes. They were almost touching before he backed away and she closed her eyes and tilted her head back.

            “There’s something I want to show you.” Caldwell said.

            “Okay.” She whispered.

            He stood up and grabbed her hand to follow him. They both ran through the forest towards the temple. It was late and nobody was outside. He held her hand tightly and together they snuck around a few buildings until finding the one he had wanted. Quietly they ran up the stairs until they reached the top. It was a flat surface on the top and he pushed her to the ground before toppling himself. She looked at him with wonder but his gaze wasn’t held on her.

            “They’re beautiful aren’t they?” He whispered.

            Confused she looked around until she finally saw what it was that he sought. In the sky the stars shone brightly that night and the moon was full. There was one sparkle that had a reddish glow and looked closer than the rest. Caldwell’s hand dropped to hers and she grabbed it smiling.

            He pulled something from his cloak and extended it putting it close to his eye. It was gold and seemed to have glass on both sides and he looked up to the stars with it smiling. He passed it to Jade and she uneasily inspected it before putting it to her eye. It seemed to be made of gold and thick glass and felt cold to the touch. Placing it to her eye she gasped as she could see each star individually now. Turning it so it hung over the moon she looked at the craters that were on the surface.

            “This is amazing.” She whispered.

            “No… it is marvelous. Amazing is something else entirely. You are what is amazing.” He said.

            She moved the scope away from her eye and turned to him and smiled. He smiled back and got up walking to the side of the platform. Wearily she rose and followed him.

            “This is where they come to watch the stars and learn about them. They know when everything is going to happen. Each full moon, each eclipse… everything.” He whispered.

            “How?” She asked.

            “They study… and they mark it down on this.” He stared in front of him.

            Jade gasped in wonder at the large stone circle with swirls of designs all across it. In the middle was a large circle with the face of a man inside of it and four boxes on its corners with intriguing designs on it. Each looked like an important species of the city. When she looked around she noticed that there were dozens of them on top of the building and each one looked different.

            “This is amazing.” She whispered.

            Caldwell turned around and grabbed her in his arms pulling her close. His eyes seemed to swirl into hers, creating a conflict of sapphire and emerald. His hands stroked her hair and pulled her head in close. She shivered, not from the cold that radiated from his body, but from the nervousness she felt within herself. Drake was pushed from her thoughts as Caldwell’s cold lips pressed against hers.

            They stayed there for several long minutes kissing each other until their lips parted. She stared into his sparkling blue eyes that seemed like stars themselves before taking a large gulp. His hand was deep in her hair where his fingers twirled causing a brilliant sensation to shoot through her from her head to her toes. She didn’t know if the time was right, but under the stars she could think of no other way to start her life as a woman. Her hand shook as it reached up to cradle around his neck and pull her closer to her.

            Caldwell smiled as he came back down to gently press his cold lips to hers.