The Sanctuary

CHAPTER THIRTY

My knife scraped along the wood, over and over. The arrow I was carving out was slowly forming shape, with each shaving that fell to the ground next to my legs. I paused my ministrations, looking above me at the open sky.

These days, I spent more time above the Sanctuary than I did within it. The Sanctuary felt closed in, suffocating in a way that it had never been before. It may have been more to do with the other Saiyaran children, who stared at me with complete awe. No one knew of my powers as many of those children were not even aware they had magical ability. However, the story of our escape from the Farsarian ambush had made its way well around our humble abode. 

Without the explanation of my Saiyaran powers, it sounded like I defeated an entire Farasarian army with my bare fists. The story behind it all was getting more incredulous and far-fetched as the days went by.

Not as far-fetched as the truth...

I was tired of the questions and the stares. Even more so from my own Rider team who seemed to keep several feet away from me at all times. Edward even regarded with me with stony cold indifference rather than his usual open disdain.

I wondered if it was because of the extent of my powers.

Or if it was because I was responsible for the death of one of their own. Samson...

I clenched my teeth, gripping my dagger even harder. I couldn't think about it or I would very well go insane. 

There was a sound behind me, and I started a bit. I saw a blonde head poke through the leaves in the ground.

“Can I join you?” A muffled voice said.

I sighed in response as Jonrick crawled out from the hole. I was sitting on a log not too far from the entrance to the Sanctuary, not willing to go against Madame Widow's ten foot rule just yet.  Jonrick walked over to me, brushing his clothing off as he settled down next to me on the log. Grabbing a knife from his boot, he picked up a piece of wood and began to whittle it away.

We were in a companionable silence for a while, my shoulders releasing some of the tension I had barely known was there until he broke it with, “So, you found your powers huh.”

I gripped the knife tighter, but did not respond. 

“Jonrick, I-“ I began to start but he gave me a warm smile and put his hand on my arm.

“Alaya, I was just as surprised as you are now when I turned eighteen,” He raised his eyebrows. “And I found out about my powers in a worse way, I’d say.”

I narrowed my eyes at him.What was worse than what I had been through? Shaking my head, I stared down at the whittled arrow. I felt as if my whole life had been some sort of a lie, and I was just waiting, every moment, for something new to be revealed. I didn’t want to be surprised anymore.

Jonrick placed a hand on my arm, and I looked up at him with raised eyebrows, not trusting myself to speak. He sighed in response.

"Alaya - I know you don't feel good about this all. But none of us knew about our powers until it manifested itself. On my last trial for the Riders, they took me above ground. You were exempted, since you were not eighteen as of yet and would not manifest your powers. Or so we all thought. But that last trial - it's meant to put you in a bad situation where you would have to show your powers. Mine was a mock attack session with Farsarians. But while we hid in the forest, one of my comrades shouted that he was lost. And then he began to yell, fearsomely. There was something happening to him but I could not see him.”

Jonrick had a faraway look in his eyes.

“His cries – he was in so much pain, it sounded like. I needed to find him and I was panicked, I for some reason, began to think this trail was real and I needed to help him. But then-“ Jonrick looked at me carefully. “It was like my body burned up and then calmed down, becoming apart of the forest. All the trees bent flat around me, as if pushed down by a fearsome tornado. And there was Marvine, just sitting at the trunk of a tree, grinning at me.”