Trinity Awakening Page 6

  "No!" Cried Micah, but it was to late. Nina had thrown a ball of fire toward the wolves and it had broken the wall of wind that had formed. Sticks, stones, the curious Werewolf, even a park bench dropped to the ground as the tornado lost its power.

  "What's happening?" Trinny yelled.

  "The flame broke the protection before it was fully formed, I don't have time to form another one." Micah started to throw his arms out, one at a time, with each movement there was a gust of powerful wind that would knock down one of the wolves, but they were strong and would get right back up. Aarion had formed orbs of light the sizes of basketballs that he was throwing at the course haired creatures. With each hit, the wolves would be blinded for a few moments. A massive black and gray wolf charged at Aarion, Trinny watched in amazement as he took one of the bright orbs and stretched it out until it formed a shield. Trinny could see through the bright armor, it had the look of moving water across the surface like her pendant. The wolf bounced off the shield like a ball hitting a brick wall. Garus and Morthos were both attacking the beasts with swords and Nina was torturing one of them with fierce flames at the mere flick of her wrist.

  "You dirty, ugly dog, keep your filthy paws off me. See how you like this!" Nina singed off more of the wolves hair and seemed to be enjoying it. The circle had broken a little and Micah didn't see the wolf that came from behind, he was knocked off his feet and Trinny heard him hit his head hard, he was out cold.

  "I have to do something." She said to Emma. "But I don't know what to do."

  "Well your powers better kick in soon or we'll be dinner." Emma kicked out at a wolf as it neared her, it yelped in pain and crumpled over.” ‘Go for where it hurts most' my dad would always tell me, he'd be so proud right now." Emma was looking very pleased with herself. But her expression changed very quickly the moment her friend was pulled from her by a huge Lycanthrope with black eyes and the fiercest of growls. Trinny was kicking and punching out at the beast holding her tightly, she could feel its claws digging into her skin around her waist where it held her. Emma picked up a large stick and was hitting the wolf on the back, it lashed out at her and she flew back into a tree, landing crumpled on the ground.

  "Emma!" Trinny screamed out. She could see Emma moving slowing and relief flooded her mind, but the tension quickly grew again as she was reminded of her situation with a sharp dig of claws in her skin. Just as suddenly as she had been picked up and tossed around, Trinny found herself on the ground, her chest in pain from having the wind knocked out of her. She looked up to see Aarion clinging to the Werewolves back and shooting bolts of light at its head. The Wolf tried to get Aarion off by throwing himself from side to side, but with one last hit to the head the wolf fell hard on the concrete path, blood spilled from it's mouth and ears, Trinny knew it was dead and that Aarion had once again saved her life, but she could not help but feel pity for the creature, especially as she saw it's body change from a hideous beast to a man that could not have been more than 25 years old.

  "Trinny, are you alright?" Aarion pulled her up to his side and held her up to steady her.

  "All good, just a bit winded. Is Emma okay?"

  "She's fine, Morthos is with her." There was a loud howl, to which all the wolves instantly stopped attacking, they gathered up their wounded and dead and ran into the blackness of the park.

  "What happened?" Nina looked confused. "It's like they gave up."

  "Are you sure you are alright, you're not hurt?" Aarion asked again as he gently squeezed Trinny's arm.

  "I'm fine." She smiled.

  "Me too, thanks for asking." Emma smirked at Aarion then whispered into Trinny's ear. "He is soooo into you.” Trinny gave Emma a relieved hug and looked around to see if everyone else was okay.

  "Where's Micah?" Trinny asked with worry in her voice. She saw Garus suddenly come running from the direction the wolves left; Trinny hadn't even noticed he had gone.

  "They got Micah, I couldn't catch them." Aarion looked devastated at the news Garus brought.

  "They must be taking him to the Dark Empress, how can we save the Ora with only two elementals?"

  "We have to try." Trinny heard Emma’s voice take on it's 'fighting for a cause' mode, just like the time she had raised $3000 for Green Peace to help save the whales. Trinny turned to Emma with her head down.

  "I couldn't do anything Em, I'm meant to be this all powerful being and just couldn't help. Maybe they're wrong about me." Trinny was so discouraged, not only could she not help fight, but the man who could have told her about her father and helped her to understand who she was, was now missing, she couldn't even look anyone in the eye. Emma put her arm through Trinny's and turned to her friend, her voice fortified.

  "Ever since I met you Trinny, I knew you were special, and I knew I had to be part of your life. I could never understand why most people kept their distance from you, I always thought it was because the girls were jealous of your looks and the guys were just plain intimidated by you. Now I understand it was because you're not really of this world, you never really fit in because you were never meant to. Now is your chance to find out who you really are, to see where you come from, how your life should have been. Your powers will come. If I know anything about you Trinny, it's that you never fail at anything, you may have fallen a few times, but you always get up, and you always succeed." Trinny felt a cool hand under her chin lifting her head gently, she looked up expecting to see Emma’s face, but found herself looking into a pair of emerald green eyes.

  "Don't lose heart, the time will come very soon when you'll come face to face with your destiny, and you will know what to do." Aarion's voice was soft but strong all at the same time, she was mesmerized by it, and she felt her heart skip a beat. Emma’s mouth seemed to drop open a little as she watched the connection that was forming right in front of her eyes. Aarion broke his stare and went straight back to leader mode. "We have to leave, they may be reforming themselves and could be back to try and take another elemental. We need to get to the portal and get back to Taeith, my father will know what to do."

  CHAPTER SIX

  'There are times when I cannot believe I am separate from this earth, when I could swear the wind blows through me as it does the woven needles of the pine tree by the creek, when I feel my feet planted deep in the earth with the roots of trees and wildflowers, drawing essence.' - Cathy Johnson

  Trinny couldn't believe her eyes when she came out of the portal to find herself in the middle of a dense forest. It was warm here, there was sunlight streaming through the massive trees that towered above and Trinny could feel a soft breeze against her skin. It felt strange to have come from a dark cold night to a warm summers day. It must be late afternoon, she thought to herself. She could hear the twitter of birds in the branches around them and a distant sound of flowing water, maybe a stream, or waterfall. It was so lush here, the trees were so green they didn't quite seem real, there was just no way to describe the colors, they were so varied and vibrant. The ground even had such richness to the earthy browns, darker soil than Trinny had ever seen. There were beautiful purple and yellow flowers budding on the bushes that grew at the foot of the trees and leafy vines twisted around the trunks.

  "It's beautiful." She whispered not knowing that Aarion was right behind her.

  "Home." He smiled at her as she turned to see who spoke, it made her miss a breath and she found herself trying to catch it again.

  "It feels so calm here." Trinny said trying to cover for her breathlessness.

  "You'll feel peaceful here, it is Elven Wood, the Bolsua flowers here release a pollen that has a calming effect on all who breathe it in, it's safe, but it just means we need to be more alert as it can make you feel a little too relaxed. We are still two days walk from Taeith, this is the closest portal to the city." Aarion moved ahead towards where Morthos was checking the area, and Emma came up along side Trinny.

  "This place is unbelievable, and this is only the forest, I can't wait to see the re
st of it, but I'm feeling a little drained, do you think he'll let us take a rest? It's not like we come up against creepy banshees and ugly, hairy werewolves everyday. I bet he'll let us rest if you ask."

  "Em, I don't know where in your head you come up with the idea that guys like me, the Ben Mathers thing didn't go so well." Trinny didn't notice Nina come up behind them.

  "I have to agree with Emma, if you ask, he'll do."

  "Alright, alright, I'll do the asking."

  Trinny broke away from the girls and joined Aarion and Morthos. "Aarion, do you think we could have a break, as we're feeling a little tired?"

  “Break? Coffee? Great idea, I'll pour!" Garus had been leaning against a tree nearby and at the word 'break' could not contain his excitement over the fact he could finally have more of this new drink he had fallen in love with. Before anyone else could speak, he sat himself down on a large tree root and proceeded to pour several cups of coffee from the flask that Lucille had packed in the bag he had been carrying.

  "I guess we are having a break. We need to move on soon though, so don't get to comfortable." Aarion directed his reply to everyone. Morthos had come around the back of Garus and gave him a light hit on the back of the head, which caused Garus to spit out his mouthful of coffee.

  "Hey, hey, that's good coffee, make me waste anymore Morthos and you will pay in pain." Morthos grunted and positioned himself as a lookout about twenty feet away from everyone.

  "So what's his story, he's so serious all the time?" Emma asked Garus as she took a hot cup of coffee from him and sat on the ground.

  "He is an elite Guard of the Ora, no one has ever matched his strength, and he’s Aarion’s protector as well. He's alright, but if it's a real man you're looking for, you don't have to look any further." Garus lifted his eyebrows a couple of times at Emma and gave her a wink.

  "Does that actually work for you?" Nina said as she sat beside Emma, who was looking at Garus with a 'what the heck' kind of look.

  "No." Garus replied in a disappointed tone. Emma suddenly felt sorry for him.

  "So is there a girl you like in Taeith, Garus?"

  "Parisa, she's perfect." He now had a little glazed over look in his eye; Emma thought this was very cute.

  "Does she know you exist?"

  "Of course, she's Aarion’s sister, and I'm his best friend, of course she knows I exist...but she would prefer if I didn't." He was now sounding very deflated.

  Nina smiled at him.

  "Garus, I bet you are always trying to get her attention aren't you?" He nodded. "Well, that's not how to get her to notice you. You need to ignore her, don't pay her any attention at all, get on with your life and let her think you are not interested, after a while, she'll look your way."

  "But she is always given whatever she wants, Fae men fall at her feet, how can I compete if I ignore her?" Garus was looking confused.

  "She's right Garus, it's the ones who have everything laid at their feet that enjoy a challenge, if you become the challenge, she will be the one coming after you." Emma was in full agreement with Nina. "And one more thing Garus, no more of that terrible flirting, you really are no good at it." Emma was smiling at Garus as she spoke, he laughed back at her.

  "Sure, I can handle that, but I do have a reputation to uphold, so please play along with the odd wink or nudge." Emma nodded and Nina laughed with Garus.

  Trinny had not even noticed the conversation her friend Emma was having with their new acquaintances, she was to busy exploring the beauty of the forest, the moss on the trees, the bright red and blue colors of tiny beetles that were crawling under and over large leaves on nearby native plants. She was captivated by the smells that surrounded her. She picked up a tiny flower head that had fallen to the ground and took in its fragrance; it smelt like the steam on hot concrete when rain had just fallen, she smiled to herself.

  "A Cillith flower, they smell different to everyone, they bring a scent that makes the bearer think of a happy memory." Trinny hadn't noticed Aarion was even near her, she jumped slightly at the sound of his voice. "Sorry if I startled you."

  "That's fine, it's just so lovely here, and I got a bit lost in the beauty of everything. This flower is amazing." She looked up at him. "Is it time for us to go?" He looked tired, but there was just such gentleness to his eyes, she always found it so hard to pull herself away from them, stop staring Trinny, she told herself firmly. Aarion looked at her for a long moment without saying a word. Trinny felt very awkward, she looked down at the flower, not knowing if she should say something to break the silence, or maybe even walk away, maybe he had finished his conversation. Finally he spoke.

  "You're not who I was expecting, you're so young." Trinny was taken aback, and felt a little defensive.

  "Well who were you expecting, some all powerful gorgeous goddess type warrior who can take on anything or anyone with her amazing powers? I may not be who you were wanting, but I am here, and I'll do what's asked of me, or at least I'll try." She turned away, she was so mad at herself for reacting like that that she didn't hear Aarion try to speak to her.

  "I didn't mean...that."

  Trinny moved away quickly, muttering to herself about her conversation with Aarion, frustration and regret were filling her thoughts. As she stormed back toward Emma she was too preoccupied to notice a large tree root protruding from the ground. She fell hard on her left side hearing the sound of a loud snap with the impact. Feeling a shooting pain in her left arm she bit her bottom lip to suppress her cry. Sitting up slowly, Trinny looked around to see how she fell, she put her hand on her elbow and felt moisture, when she looked at her hand there was blood. Oh great, she thought, now I have another reason to look like a useless idiot.

  "Are you alright?" Garus held out his hand to Trinny to help her up.

  "Just a scratch." Although she could feel it was a little more than a normal scratch as her arm was starting to get more painful. Garus pulled Trinny up with her good arm and looked at her bleeding elbow.

  "That is not good." He said with a scrunched up look on his face like a kid who just had his dinner plate filled with brussels sprouts.

  "Do you get faint at the sight of blood Garus?" Emma teased as she approached. "Eww...Trin, that is just plain gross. Can't believe I just used the word 'gross', that is so 80's."

  "Emma, it's only a bit of blood, it'll be fine". Trinny was feeling her arm get even more painful by the minute, but she thought it must just be a nasty scrape.

  "What's wrong?" Nina stood up to see what all the fuss was about. "Oh, that is revolting, I'm usually good with blood, but that's extra bad." Trinny had had about enough comments and painfully lifted her arm to see what everyone was going on about. When she saw the broken bone that was now poking out of her arm she felt very faint and started to sway a bit, the pain was growing and her head was now starting to spin. She suddenly felt strong arms around her back and then under her, did someone just pick me up? She thought, but everything was going a little blurry.

  Aarion placed Trinny at the foot of a huge tree in between two large roots so she would feel steady.

  "You've broken your arm Trinny." Emma started to rummage around in her bag. "I know I have a first aid kit in here, it has a bandage." Trinny was feeling very dazed, she felt her good arm fall to the ground, the earth was cool and moist, it felt so calming in her hand. She could hear the others talking, deciding how they could help her, but the pain was lessening. "What's happening?" Emma said as she came toward Trinny with a bandage.

  "Look at her arm." Garus said in amazement.

  The cool feeling of the forest floor was now spreading up Trinny's arm and across her chest. It felt so good. It travelled into her injured arm and relieved all the pain, her head was feeling clearer. She lifted her eyes to see everyone looking at her with faces of disbelief.

  "It can't be that bad, I don't even feel any pain. Why are you looking at me like that?" But no one spoke; Emma lifted her hand and pointed at Trinny's injured arm. Trinny look
ed down and saw that her whole lower half was covered in a dark brown dirt substance, it was moving over her body like it was alive. She wasn't scared, it felt natural, like she had jumped into the ocean and was taking a refreshing swim, she felt weightless and renewed. Trinny and the others watched as the dark brown substance moved down her injured arm and then proceeded to leave her skin and go back into the earth where it came from. She looked at her arm and it was no longer injured, it looked perfect, like the skin had never even been grazed.

  "Of course! Healing powers, my Gran told me the Earth Elementals had gifts of healing, impressive." Nina said with a hint of respect in her voice.

  "How are you feeling? That was totally weird and cool at the same time." Emma was down at Trinny's side now, examining her arm.

  "I feel great, like I could climb Mt Everest." Trinny got to her feet and felt a new strength welling up inside her. "I feel, alive." She looked toward Aarion and said with a slight cutting tone. "A little bit more like the person you were expecting?" His face looked sad, but he said nothing. Emma turned her friend away from everyone.

  "Trin? What’s up? That's not like you, is something wrong?" Trinny looked back at Aarion who was now in deep conversation with Morthos.

  "He pretty much told me I wasn't what he was expecting. I thought he was different, he seemed to have a faith in me, but I was wrong about him." Emma smiled sadly at her friend.

  "Maybe he wasn't the only one expecting a lot from someone."

  "You are so annoying when you go all Oprah on me."

  They both laughed together, then Emma took her friends hand.