Aenoxis and the Bridge Between Worlds

Chapter 10

Hunter grinned. Brown tousled hair blowing softly in the breeze, tanned skin shining under the morning sun and green eyes sparkling, he swept into an exaggerated bow. "Welcome to Aenoxis," he said brightly, introducing them to the planet he had grown up on; the world they had just fallen into.

Allowing the visitors chance to gather themselves from the grassy floor, he kept his head tilted towards the overgrown footpath until he saw in their heads that they were waiting for him. Lifting his hand, he took the hand of the Gatherer and gave the girl's olive skin a small kiss. After a moment, he let go, his smile everlasting and his gaze falling on each of them individually for longer than necessary.

Sweeping his arms out to his sides to encompass the great thickness of dark green trees, bushes and vines, even his voice smiled as he said, "Welcome, friends, to Stillhallow, capital city of Kaizagalla. The place the magic in your souls call home." His smile did wonders to relax the tallest two still looking at him with such distaste and distrust.

Mind-reading was a useful talent when getting to know people. "Sage, it is a pleasure. Tallie, Kailani, Kallai, Lexis. Your presence here has been long awaited. Come, please. The king-carer would like to meet with you."

At hearing her name, the olive-skinned girl jumped, her amber eyes alight in a way that Hunter had seen reflected in many females before her. He sent a smile over to paint a delicate blush across her cheeks.

The blue-eyed blonde - Tallie - was holding a hand out towards him. With a smile, he took a step forward and, instead of offering the handshake she'd been expecting, he lifted her hand, turned it, and span her in a gentle circle under his arm.

What he had not expected - but was ultimately grateful for - was that the Elements and Gatherer would be anything other than brutish men.

Before they had even reached the end of the twisting thorns, Kallai spoke, though Hunter almost wished he had not bothered. No one needed to be growled at. "Who are you and how do we know we can trust you?"

Hunter was still honoured to be the one chosen to welcome the Elements home after seventeen long years, but the excitement was wearing off. "I am Hunter Triggs, and I can assure you that you can trust no one better than I." They did not need to speak for him to know that was not strictly speaking true - they trusted each other more than anyone was saying.

"How old are you?" Kallai asked.

"Eighteen," he smiled, "But do not quote me on that, that may change with time." With a wink and a laugh of his own, he did not fail to bring a laugh from each of those three girls. Still, the boy and his- Oh, that was interesting. "I did not know, when I was sent to collect the Elements, that they would belong to such beautiful people. Now, if you will follow me." He turned to walk through the forest of unkempt shrubs and twisting trees, thorns and open flowers gathering every so often in distasteful bunches.

"How come it's so overgrown here?" Kailani asked, "Assuming you didn't design it this way?"

He was glad he'd turned around to answer her question because the girl was touching everything - every leaf, every tree, every branch - and he could hardly move fast enough to take ahold of her hand before she poisoned herself. "Me? No, I would have built at least one welcome sign or swimming pool," he said with a laugh as he guided her onward, ignoring the glare from the girl as white as snow from the Slefodian Mountains. "This area has been left to its own devices for a few years, seventeen and a bit, to be exact."

Sage gave him a look that called him stupid. "Saying 'a bit' isn't being exact."

Grinning at her, he made an exaggerated effort to guide them onward, inviting Sage to walk beside him. Tallie and Kailani moved to walk closer to them, hands held between them. The two more stubborn, moody Elements stayed at the back.