VII

The dark figure held onto Taryn tightly as he ran through the woods. Using impressive speed, he had gotten as far as Saugus before he had to rest. He found a small clearing in the middle of the Breakheart Reservation and set Taryn down.

Upon touching the soft ground, Taryn began to rouse. There was a small crackling noise and an orange hue in front of her. Someone had built a fire.  Her eyes blinked a few times, “Ugh… Sentinel… where am I? What time is it.”

She got no response.

“Sentinel, respond.”

Still nothing.

She looked down at her wrist to see that her armband was gone. Then she remembered what had happened. Her eyes shot open and she quickly sat up. Sitting next to her, was the man with dark hair and yellow eyes that she’d seen earlier, “Oh good, you’re awake.”

Taryn pushed herself back, away from the flame, but was still to groggy to stand, “You… who are you? What do you want?”

The dark figure looked at her calmly, “I have what I want, though I didn’t think that the last descendant of the only enchanter in modern memory would have been so easy to take down. I have to admit, I’m disappointed.”

“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m part elf. I couldn’t use magic, even if it still existed!”

“Still existed?” The man asked.

Taryn nodded, “You have no clue what I’m talking about, do you? A terrorist group retrieved the shattered Lux Mundi and attempted to restore it. My great grandfather stopped them.”

“How?”

“He used his echantments to launch the thing into the sun, destroying it once and for all.”

The man sat back, “That explains so much…”

Taryn’s eyes narrowed as she looked at him, “Are you…?”

“Yes.”

“Pure blood?”

“Completely.”

A look of intrigue came over Taryn’s face, “Are their many of you?”

“Over a hundred thousand living in an old dwarven city.”

“Is that where you’re taking me?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

The man sighed, “We need your help. Whatever your ancestor did, is destroying our city.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, but what can I do?”

The man smiled, “You don’t know that value of the blood that courses through your veins do you?”

“No…” Taryn replied suspiciously.

The man stood up, “Just a few drops could save my people. Just a few drops could put a hex on the pillars of our world and keep it safe. “

Taryn turned over and got to her knees, “Why didn’t you just ask me for help?”

“Too great a risk that you would have said no.”

Taryn shook her head, “What’s your name?”

“Irian.”

“Irain… well I’m…”

“I know who you are.”

Taryn’s lips twisted into a scowl, “Well excuse me!”

As they sat by the fire, Taryn’s lips twisted into a satasfied smile. Irian looked at her oddly as though he’d never seen one before, “Why do you look so happy?”

“Elves are supposed to be extinct. The thought that some still exist… it’s nice to know that my people will live on.”

“They are not your people.” Irian said in an almost accusing tone. “You are less than half elf. Your people are the round-ears who live up here on the surface.”

“Humans.”

“Whatever…”

A cold expression came over Taryn’s face, “I really don’t care what you think, and I don’t care for your tone. At this point, there aren’t any elves left that are known about. Even half-elves are dwindling in number. Most people are a quarter or less. That I’m about 40% is about as close to a full elf as anyone.”

Irian remained completely still and didn’t say anything.

“Fine, well then I guess you don’t want my help. You obviously view me as some sub-standard creature, given your tone, so I don’t see why I should stick around.”

Taryn began to move her legs to get up. At that moment, Irian sprang to life, “Wait… okay, you’re right, I’m sorry. It’s bad enough I kidnapped you. Please forgive my attitude, it’s just hard to hear that my species has been almost completely wiped out.”

“Apology accepted.”

Taryn sat back down and stared at the flame as Irian moved around uncomfortably, “So you’ll help us?”

“I guess, but why do you want to continue living there? Why not come back to the surface?”

Irian shook his head, “We’ve seen how our bretheren were treated, we recieved reports of how they were abused by both human and dwarven people.”

“How?”

“We came to the surface now and then through ancient tunnels that were left to us by the dwarves. We had thought about coming back to the surface, but changed our minds pretty quickly.”

Irian looked up at the stars as the small fire died, “Come, we have a long way to go.”

**

The pungeant smell of the Aquarium Station on the Blue line subway hit Lisa in the face as the doors slip open. She didn’t like travelling via subway, it was beneath a person of her status, but at this moment, she had no other choice. She needed to get to Long Warf quickly if there was any hope for Taryn.

Merrin followed closely behind her as they disembarked. He beamed as he admired the handy work, “Incredible, isn’t it?”

“What’s that?”

Merrin pointed, “The humans built this whole system without dwarven help. It’s amazing how a species that largely prefers surface life would be prompted to build such structures.”

“Well when you run out of space on the surface…”

“Why not build a large monorail then, or something that elevates the city? Why burrow into the ground?”

Lisa shrugged, “I guess it was more cost-effective and safe?”

“Exactly.” Merrin replied. “This system would long outlast any surface transportation.”

Lisa’s eyes narrowed, “Wait, I thought dwarves did assist with building the Boston’s transit system.”

“We helped modernize the stations and add to them, but most were built before most humans even knew that we existed.”

He pointed to the curvature of the ceiling, “See? We helped reinforce the infrastructure so that it was even stronger than before. In theory, it should be able to survive a nuclear blast. Look at the…”

“As stimulating as I find this lesson in historical engineering, I really just want to get out of here. This station wreaks and is filthy.”

Merrin sighed, “All right, all right.”

Lisa moved through the turnstyle and ran up the stairs to the glass enclosure which exited onto the street. Merrin had to run in order to keep up. Wow… she can really move fast if she doesn’t like something!

The pair exited the station onto State Street and proceeded down the old brick road. To their left was the massive Marriott Long Warf Hotel. Merrin had wanted to stay there and wondered what it was like. Lisa had spent many a night there going to parties on the upper floors.

During the day, the area would have been crowded, especially during the summer. Boston pedal cabs would have been running through the streets, people would have been in line to either charter cruises or go to one of the many exhibits at the New England Aquarium.

Even in the dark, Lisa could see the blue and white emblem that represented the Aquarium to her right. She loved it out there, but this was no time for a trip down memory lane. One of their friends was in trouble and they had to hurry.

The sound of the water and large hydrofoils bumping against the dock became louder in their ears as Lisa and Merrin picked up their pace. They made their way past the old Chart House and out into the open. Brick turned to stone and benches appeared in front of them surrounding a small man-made park.

The park was completely surrounded by large black chains connected by bollards of the same color that would have been too heavy for any one person to move. The park was illuminated with street lamps and the lights of the city. The occasional evening cruise hydrofoil would pass by, but the place was otherwise deserted.

Merrin’s eyes darted around nervously, “Lisa, what the heck are we doing out here? This ain’t the time for a sight seeing tour. I’ll be happy to come back here with you another time, but right now our friend is missing!”

“Shh”

“Don’t shush me!”

“Fine, shut up.”

Merrin crossed his arms and closed his mouth. If anything happened to Taryn, he was going to tear Lisa a new one. It was an uncomfortable silence as Lisa leaned on one of the bollards. It was clear that she was waiting for something –or someone –and Merrin wasn’t certain he wanted to know who.

A few more moments passed and Merrin was getting irritate, “Lisa, what are you waiting for? We neeed to get back and help Bobby find Taryn, this is ridiculous!”

“You sent for me?”

Merrrin was spooked. He whirled around to see a man dressed in a dark black cloak behind him. The cloak looked as though it were a part of some sort of ceremonial robe from long ago. The man had dark brown hair and looked as though he were in his mid to late 50s. He seemed very familiar, but Merrin could quite pinpoint who it was.

Lisa nodded, “Yes, forgive abruptness, but I needed to talk to you.”

“I thought you told your parents that you didn’t want anything to do with us. You said our organization had a bad history.”

“You do.” Lisa replied. “I don’t know how you managed to survive or why you would want to rebuild an order that was founded by evil people, but that’s not my problem.”

“Then what is?” The man asked intently.

“My friend Taryn… she’s been abducted.”

Merrin watched as the man’s facial features turned to a look of interest, “Taryn… as in Taryn Arrigan, the only descendant of the last enchanter?”

Lisa nodded as Merrin’s eyes narrowed. He’d listened to Taryn tell stories of her ancestors, but never believed them, “The last enchanter? That’s just a fairy tale that Taryn’s parents told her. It’s not true…”

The man looked at him oddly, “Who is this?”

Lisa smiled, “A mutual friend of mine and Taryn’s. He’s blunt, but his heart is in the right place, and he’s here to help.”

Lisa then turned to the dwarf, “Merrin, meet Michael O’Neil, Senator Michael O’Neil.”

Merrin’s eyes widened as he looked at the senator, “Oh wow… Lisa has some pretty high friends.”

Senator O’Neil nodded, “A pleasure, Merrin.”

“Likewise, Senator…”

With the pleasantries out of the way, the senator turned back to Lisa, “So she was kidnapped, any idea by whom?”

“That’s why I called you… I thought you’d be interested.”

“Oh?”

Lisa sighed as she spoke, “Taryn’s said that she’s been having nightmares about a man… an elf with glowing eyes and long flowing hair. Now she mysteriously disappears from her room and the last person to see her claims that she was alone and the door was locked. Sound odd?”

“Very odd indeed.” Senator O’Neil replied thoughtfully. “So you think I know who this… elf is?”

“Elves are supposed to be extinct. Their reservations have been long-since deserted, memorials to what the world lost.”

The senator thought quietly for a moment before speaking, “And you’re certain that this isn’t some half-elf punk?”

“Taryn was sure.”

“How do you know.”

Merrin frowned, “She told us that she was certain. She may be less than half an elf, but she somehow always seems to know things. If she said that he was a full elf, you can believe that he was.”

The senator nodded, “No doubt… and you believe that this person is her stalker?”

“It seems quite the coincidence that she starts having these dreams, senses someone following her, and then ends up being abducted.” Lisa replied.

“Very true… I don’t believe in coincidences…”

The senator looked at Lisa and then at Merrin. It looked like he was deep in thought about something. He was hiding something, Lisa was certain of it. If he even tried to deny it, she would let him have an earful.

After another long silence, the senator spoke again, “There may be a possibility…”

“Oh?” Lisa asked.

“Some of our old contacts in the elven clans of old told us of rumors about elves hiding in underground cities in the New World. If the rumors are true, then they’ve been kept hidden for hundreds of years.”

Merrin rolled his eyes, “I’ve heard these stories before. Underground cities here in America have never been located. They don’t exist.”

“Don’t exist,” Lisa repeated, “or perhaps hidden from human eyes… I seem to recall from history that the elves were very particular as to where their reservations were. The one up in New Hampshire was of particular interest as the elves fought tooth and nail for that specific site and wouldn’t settle for anything else.”

She looked at Senator O’Neil inquisitively, “Could that be why they wanted that particular piece of land so badly?”

“I don’t know. I suppose it would explain a lot. The elves never provided the U.S. Government a reason as to why they wanted that land so badly.”

“Too bad that won’t help us.” Merrin replied. “The reservation has been all but deserted since the elves died out. A few half breeds still hang out there when they need a place to stay, but last I heard the land has been all but abandoned.”

“So it looks like we’re off to the reservation in Milan, New Hampshire.”

The senator nodded, “That would be a good place to start.”

Lisa turned to Merrin, “Come on, let’s get back to the station and get my car out of the garage. We’ve got a long ride head of us.”

Merrin rolled his eyes as he turned back toward the city. As the two began walking, Senator O’Neil called after Lisa, “You know…”

Lisa closed her eyes and turned back, “What?”

“We did you a favor.”

“Yes, so?”

“So… remember that. As a rule, we don’t do people favors. We may need you to return it at some point.”

“Fine.”

Lisa turned away without saying another word and walked away. Merring followed closely behind her, “What was that about?”

“Don’t worry about it,” was all Lisa would say.

**

Glide carried Bobby up Route 16 to the Mount Washington Auto Road. Bobby held on for dear life as the wheels began to glow and the bike shot into the air, “What the hell?”

“Nexus, are you seeing this?”

The band lit up and Nexus’ face appeared in front of him, “Yes, but if you’re looking for an explanation, I have none to give you. There is an energy source at work here like nothing I have ever seen before.”

“Can you record it?”

“Query; what for?”

“I get the feeling that this won’t be the last time we come across it.”

“Acknowledged, scanning energy source and recording the readings.”

Bobby nodded, “Alert me if you detect them in the future.”

“Understood.”

Bobby watched Glide carry him over the trees until they reached a small clearing that appeared to never have been touched by man. The bike set down on the smoothest area it could. The landing was rocky, but niether Bobby nor Glide took any damage.

Bobby hopped off and back away a few feet. He looked at the bike oddly as it revved its engine. It flicked on its headlight, which illuminated a cave directly in its path.

Vroom!

Bobby looked carefully at the cave, “Is that where Taryn was taken?”

Vroom!

“How could this old bike possibly know that?”

Bobby’s armband came alive in response and Nexus appeared in front of him once again, “Theory; perhaps this bike was enchanted by Taryn’s ancestor. Perhaps now that bike can sense where its family members are.”

“That’s a tad far fetched, don’t you think?”

“Query; after riding on a bike that has the ability to drive on its own, communicate with people, and fly, the idea that it could have the ability to track its owner is too much for you to believe?”

Bobby sighed, “All right… good point…”

The bike revved its engine again, causing Bobby to turn his attention back to it, “Is that where they are?”

The bike reared up on its back wheel and then lowered itself back down. Nexus’s Avatar smiled, “I believe that was a yes.”

“I agree.”

Bobby turned and looked at the cave. It was a narrow opening, not big enough for the bike, but Bobby thought he could squeeze through. He sighed and turned back to the bike, “All right, I’ll take it from here. Come get us if you sense that she’s on the move above the ground…”

Vroom!

As the bike turned and disappeared into the trees, Bobby shook his head, “I hope it understood.”

Nexus also watched the bike leave, “It seems likely that it did.”

Bobby squeezed into the hole, feet first. He didn’t know what to expect. Would he have to crawl through this cave or would it open up. To his releif, after getting through the entrance, not only did it open up, the inside appeared to have been man-made. The walls were smoothed out and the floor resembled cobblestones. Odd symbols and murals had been carved into the walls.

In front of Bobby was a pitch black maw. The moment he stepped away from the narrow entrance into the hallway, he was engulfed in almost total darkness, “Nexus, light.”

A light as bright as the one on Glide shot out of the armband undernieth Nexus’s Avatar. Bobby studied the odd carvings on the wall, “What are these? Nexus, do you recognize this language?”

Nexus appeared to be deep in thought, “Processing… comparing these symbols to the linguistics database. Identifying…”

Bobby waited patiently for Nexus to respond. He thankfully didn’t have to wait long, “These writings are similar to the ancient texts believed to be from the language of the Alliance. These symbols have yet to be translated. No further information is available.”

“Nexus, do you think that this cave was built by dwarves?”

“The rock carving patterns are consistent with other ancient dwarven designs.”

“How old are these?”

“The exact date is difficult to identify without a more sophisticated analysis, however the carvings appear to predate known history. They are several thousand years old.”

“Could these dwarves have come to the New World with the American Natives that came over the Siberian-Alaskan landbridge?”

“There is sufficient evidence to corroborate that hypothesis. However, there is no historical data.”

“Which just means that they were good at covering their tracks.”

“Affirmative.”

Bobby began walking as he talked to Nexus, “Scan the cave, how far does it go.”

“Scanning… it is difficult to get an exact reading, however it does appear to go on for at least ten miles.”

Bobby sighed, “Great… better get walking.”

**

Hours went by as Bobby walked through the dark cave. Nexus’s light was barely giving him any direction, but he had to make do. He had gone too far to try to turn back now. His legs ached and felt like they had been overstretched. They wouldn’t let him go on much further without rest.

Bobby sighed as his legs collapsed out from under him and he sat against one of the cave’s walls. Nexus appeared in front of him, “Are you injured, Robert?”

“No, just tired out… and haven’t I asked you to call me Bob or Bobby?”

“Affirmative, you have.”

“Oh okay, just checking.”

Bobby looked further down the corridor, but darkness was all he saw, “Nexus, how much further?”

Nexus processed the request and attempted to scan the corridor again, “Judging by your pace, the length of your stride, and the time it normally takes you to walk a mile, you should have covered almost nine miles by now.”

Bobby rolled his eyes, “You told me that this was ten miles! Shouldn’t the end be in sight?”

“Correction: I said at least ten miles and that was an educated guess based on what information we have on dwarves tunnels and the composition of the areas ahead.”

“Great… so this could be another ten miles.”

“Unlikely, but possible.”

“How long is the longest recorded tunnel in one of these underground cities?”

Nexus shook her head, “I’m sorry, but I have lost my connection to my datalink. We must be fairly deep beneath the ground now. I can’t access that information.”

At that moment, a dark figure appeared out of the wall next to Bobby. It appeared that the figure was wearing a dark gray cloak that blended into the wall making him hard to see in the dark, “What are you doing here?”

Nexus went wild, “Proximity alert!”

Bobby shot to his feet, “No shit – I’m here looking for my friend. One of your people took her!”

The figure looked him over from under its hood. All Bobby could see was a pair of burning orange eyes. The hood completely blocked out all other features, “You will come with me, or you will die.”

“Where is she?”

The figure drew a blade and held it to his throat, “Now!”

“Suggestion: I think it would be best to do as he says, Bobby.”

“Thank you Nexus, I would agree with that…”

Bobby nodded to the figure, signaling that he would come along quietly, “Okay, let’s go…”

Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!
Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

IV

Taryn arrived back at her dorm at 1pm and went to lie down for a little while. She hadn’t slept well in a few nights and needed to relax. She got off of Glide, who proceeded to park itself in the shed.

Taryn walked up the stairs and headed inside, back to her room. She curled up on her bed and went to sleep. Her breathing slowed as her eyes closed.

At first, she slept fine, but then the images entered her mind again. A pale figure with long, dark, hair entered her dreams and caused her to shake violently. She saw his burning red eyes in her mind and fought to wake up.

Sentinel picked up on her abnormal heart rate and her tremors and immediately came to life, “Taryn, you need to wake up!”

No response.

“Taryn, I repeat… wake up!”

Still nothing. Whatever was going on, she wasn’t going to come out of it with someone just talking to her. Sentnel entered its settings and reprogrammed its notification system. It began to buzz and it’s volume increased by 110%.

This time, in a voice that was loud enough to alert the whole dorm, Sentinel called out, “Taryn, wake up, now!”

The thundering voice pierced through Taryn’s ears, causing her to sit straight up in with record speed. She was breathing heavily as she looked at Sentinel. Her face was red and it looked as though she had just over done it during a work out, “Sentinel… report… what happened?”

Sentinel nodded, “Report, you were experiencing siezure-like symptions, I simply took the necessary steps to bring you out of it.”

Taryn took a moment to calm down. When her breathing returned to normal, she nodded at Sentinel, “Thank you…”

“Happy to be of service.” Sentinel replied. “Although their may be a silver lining this time.”

“And what would that be?”

Sentinel knew that what he was about to say would cheer her up, “This may be proof enough that Bobby has nothing to do with you night terrors. My readings indicate that he is still in class and thus nowhere near you.”

Taryn rubbed the tip of her left ear, “You’re right… that is good news.”

She looked out the window at the trees. The newly grown leaves blew in the wind as she sat in a pile of her crumpled sheet. Her mind was a void. She didn’t want to think about what these dreams meant at all and so she trid not to think, period.

Finally, she turned back to Sentinel, “Time?”

“The current time is 1:45pm.”

Taryn nodded, “I should probably get up if I want to go meet up with Bobby.”

Sentinel nodded, “That would be advisable.”

“Thanks Sentinel.” Taryn said in an appreciative tone. “Maybe I won’t be tweaking your program after all.”

Sentinel disappeared into her wristband without another word. Taryn got up and straightened herself out. Her blouse had become wrinkled, so she traded it for a V-neck tshirt. Her hair wasn’t too bad, so she let it stay as it was.

Confident that she didn’t look like a hot mess, she left her room and headed for the main hall. It was nearing 2pm so she didn’t have much time if she wanted to catch him. Bobby had a way of disappearing. For a guy over six feet, he was pretty stealthy.

It appeared that luck was with her when she arrived at the main hall. Bobby was standing right outside the glass doors talking to Merrin and another girl. It seemed as though they were locked in a debate about something, but with all the other noise around them, even Taryn’s sophicsticated ears couldn’t make them out.

Merrin saw her coming and waved to her, “Taryn, I didn’t think ye had any more classes today.”

“I don’t.” Taryn replied. “I just got bored and came to see what everyone was doing.”

Merrin nodded, “Gotcha… well we just talking about a party that’s going to be happenin’ tomorrow o’er at Morrow Hall.”

“That hall is nothing but a ton of under classmen and underage drinking.” The other girl said. “I will not be attending. That’s trouble we don’t need.”

Taryn smiled, “Weren’t you dating an under classmen, Lisa?”

“Was,” Lisa replied as she brushed a few loose strands of her short black hair back, “and if I never see his ugly face again it’ll be too soon.”

Lisa McConnell was the founding member of one of the Christian groups on campus. She was considered an unnofficial spiritual leader by many students throughout the campus. Taryn could never understand why as she seemed like a very stoic, Old Testament style preacher.

Lisa didn’t suffer fools easily and often spent her time outside of campus ministry alone. She kept up a wall between herself and most people and, while friendly, kept everyone at arm’s length. The only person she ever really let in was Tom, her boyfriend, but that eventually fizzled and though no one knew specifically why, most assumed she was the cause.

Taryn looked over at Bobby and smiled, “Can I borrow you for a moment?”

Bobby nodded, “Uh, sure.”

He turned back to Merrin and Lisa, “I’ll be right back.”

Merrin smiled, “Take ya time, ye kids have fun.”

Taryn rolled her eyes, “Yeah, thanks Merrin, thanls a lot, buddy…”

“No problem.”

She pulled Bobby around the corner until the two of them were out of sight. Bobby noticed that Taryn’s eyes were darting around nervously, as though she didn’t want anyone to see them, “So… what’s going on?”

Taryn returned her attention to the boy waiting patiently in front of her, “I don’t usually do this… but…”

Without another word, she grabbed him by the back of his neck and chin, and planted her lips on his. Her eyes closed as she sucked in a deep breath through her nose and elevated her body on to her toes. Your move…

Bobby’s eyes went wide for a few seconds, but he eventually closed them and put his arms around her. What was this about? She’d kept a safe distance from him for weeks, why was she now letting down that barrier?

Taryn released her grip on Bobby and pulled back. She’d made her feelings aparent and was now vulnerable. She felt exposed as though she were standing in naked in front of him. It was a feeling that she hated, but would have to endure until Bobby made the next move.

Bobby looked at her in shock, “What was that about?”

Taryn bit her lower lip, “Like you don’t know. You’ve been really sweet to me and we have a good repor. I think you know how I feel.”

“Well yeah, but I thought you weren’t looking for a relationship.”

“I wasn’t, not at first.” Taryn responded.

“So what changed?”

“My attitude.”

“I don’t get it.”

Taryn shrugged, “Bobby, I don’t have a whole ton of time to myself, so what time I do have, I’m very choosy about whom to spend it on. That’s just how I am. I guess I wasn’t sure about you at first. I wanted to take some time and get to know you better before making a move.”

“So now you’re ready?”

“I think so. You’ve already proved that I can trust you. I just wasn’t sure I was ready to tell you about… well my family legacy for one.”

“Your family legacy?”

Taryn’s eyes narrowed, “You mean, you don’t know? How could you not have heard the stories going around?”

“Know what, what stories?”

“What’s my last name.”

“Arrigan… so?”

Taryn chuckled, “You really are oblivious, aren’t you?”

Bobby frowned, hinting that he had been insulted. Taryn touched his cheek, “Oh stop, it’s cute.”

“So what does this have to do with anything?”

Taryn sighed, “Tobias Arrigan is my great grandfather.”

“The Last Enchanter?” Bobby asked. “You’re related to the guy that saved Boston?”

“Saved the world.” Taryn said, correcting him. “I don’t care what the government says. I know what really happened during the undead incident. My family is responsible for driving them out.”

“I believe you.”

“I’m glad.”

“So can you… uh…”

“No.”

Bobby looked at her oddly, “No?”

“I can’t cast spells, I can’t perform tricks, or anything of that nature. No one in my family can. It’s an ability that has long since been lost.”

“Oh okay.” Bobby replied. “So where do we go from here?”

“I’ll leave that up to you. Consider that kiss an offer. It  can stay here and remain a secret… or we can start hanging out more and see where things go. I’m not going to hold you to anything.”

“I see.” Bobby said thoughtfully. “Well, I think I’d like that. Since it seems you made the first move, it’s only fair that I make the second. The new remake of Star Wars, A New Hope is out in theaters. It got great reviews… you want to go?”

“Merrin has been complaining about them destroying a classic for months now. I can just imagine how pissed he’ll be if he finds out our first date was to see it.”

A wide smile appeared on Taryn’s face, “It’s not really my type of movie, but I’d love to go.”

“Great, pick you up at 7?”

“I’ll be ready.”

Bobby nodded, “Awesome.”

“All right. We should probably get back to Merrin and Lisa, God only knows what they’re going on about now.”

“Not a bad idea.” Bobby agreed.

Bobby led Taryn back to the front of the building where Lisa and Merrin were still talking. Merrin turned when he saw them coming, “You two good?”

Taryn nodded, “Yes, I’d say we’re very good.”

The group continued chatting for a while, but Taryn barely participated. She was more concerned with how things were going to go tonight with Bobby. What if she’d let him in for nothing?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a shadow that caught the corner of her eye. Behind the next building over, just for a moment, it looked like a dark figure had been watching her, though she couldn’t be certain. It disappeared the moment that she turned to look.

Though not as powerful as they could be, her hearing was still far better than any human. If someone had been there, she should have been able to detect them. She watched for a few more moments, but it appeared that whoever it was, wasn’t there anymore.

Merrin looked at Taryn oddly, “Hey, ye wit us o’er there?”

“Huh?”

“Lisa n’ I were just talkin’ bout grabbin’ some food. Bobby got another class, but ye want to come?”

“I…”

At that moment, her ear caught the sound of light breathing. She turned back and saw the figure for a moment before it disappeared again. Her eyes narrowed, but once again, it was gone. Chills ran down her spine as she scanned the area.

She quickly turned back to the group, having decided that it was probably best to stay around people for a while, “Yeah I’m in.”

Bobby looked worried, “Are you all right?”

“Yeah, I think I’m just seeing things. Don’t worry about me.”

Lisa looked over at the cafeteria building, “We should probably get going then, before the crowd moves in.”

Taryn looked like she was only partially there as she turned back to the group, “Yeah, not a bad idea.”

Bobby turned and headed back into the main building, “I’ll catch up with you later.”

Taryn smiled, “Bye Bobby.”

Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!
Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

III

“Today is going by so slowly… too slowly…”

Tired of conversing with Sentinel, Taryn shut him down and lay back on her bed for a few hours. Finally, she decided that she needed to get off campus and try to sort out these feelings. She needed to piece everything together, and staring at four walls wasn’t going to do it.

She stood and grabbed her thin leather jacket off of the hanger behind the door. She was going to take a ride and clear her head. Cruising through the city always worked in the past, she’d hoped it would be the same way now.

Taryn was about to leave when she saw the old framed photo on the table next to her bed. The glass was cracked, but the picture inside was still in nearly perfect shape. She picked it up and studied the familiar faces.

It was a beautiful picture of a human boy with an elf girl on his back at Revere Beach. They appeared to be her age. The blond elf looked extremely happy. The boy had a smile on his face, but he also gave off a feeling of worry.

Taryn was familiar with her family history and could have thought of any number of reasons why he would be worried. She smiled, “I know what you two went through to be together. No government cover-up will ever convince me otherwise. You two were heroes.”

As she slipped her jacket on, she thought back to her childhood. She had met Lia’na a few times when she was young. Elves lived much longer than humans, so she had the opportunity to meet her ancestor, albeit briefly.

Even in her advanced age, Lia’na was very beautiful, but she seemed lonely. Even at her happiest moments, there was always a hit of longing on her face, as though a piece of her was missing that could not be recovered. Her face hid a deep void that had been missing for many years before Taryn was born.

After so many years, Taryn understood why. She missed Toby more than anything. Her heart had been severed from her chest for the rest of her days when he died. For reasons that were still a mystery, her death came well before its time, but it held no fear over her. Death was simply her final passage to be with the one she loved again and she welcomed it. Taryn remembered seeing her in the hospital. She had a smile on her face as the light faded from her eyes.

Taryn put the picture back on the table, “Toby must have absolutely worshipped you… we should all be so lucky.”

She closed the door behind her and exhaled deeply. She lowered looked down at her armband and wiped a warm tear from her eye. What am I doing?

Without another thought, she headed down to the main level and out the front door. She was determined to get off campus. The air around her had become so heavily that it was barely breathable.

Leslie House had a small shed next to the building. Taryn had befriended the groundskeeper, so he let her park her bike in there for protection against the elements. She opened the door and quickly looked around to make sure that no one was nearby.

Confident that the coast was clear, she stepped inside the shed where she was greated with a low rumbling noise. She smiled, “Hello Glide, ready for some fun?”

The 1960 Harley Davidson duo Glide that waited for her, revved its engine in response. Taryn chuckled, “Good, glad to hear it.”

Vroom…

“I know… I’m sorry, exams have me on edge, but hey we’ll have the summer to have fun.”

Rooroom!

“Yup, let’s hit downtown.”

At that moment, Sentinel appeared out of her armband, “Do you actually understand this antiquated contraption?”

The bike roared, indicating that it didn’t appreciate being called a contraption. Taryn ran her hand over the seat, like she would a dog’s back. She had spent years upgrading her family’s old bike.

Fossil fuel reserves were slowly drying up and becoming too expensive, so she upgraded the engine to be able to process a synthetic fuel that was used to power older cars and bikes. The internal combustion engine was now almost completely a thing of the past and all modern cars were built with a new hydromolecular engine. Though more efficient, Taryn knew the secret of her bike and wasn’t going to risk destroying its life force, so she only updated what she needed to.

Taryn chuckled, “Ignore him, I’m thinking of tweaking his personality engrams anyway.”

“Fine.” Sentinel replied. “Excuse me for asking a question.”

Taryn sat down on the bike and looked at Sentinel, “Well to answer your question, I don’t really know. I hear the engine and am able to determine emotions from the bike. I can’t really explain how I understand it.”

“Perhaps it’s something to do with you lineage?”

Taryn shrugged, “Maybe…”

Vroom!

“I agree,” Taryn replied, “thoughts for another day, let’s go!”

She threw on a pair of goggles and a helment and rode out of the shed. She turned the bike behind the building and then turned onto Main Street. The bike roared as she hit the accelerator.

“You want to take over?” She yelled.

Vroom!

Taryn released the accelerator and lightened her grip on the handlebars, “All right, show me the sights!”

The bike, Glide, picked up speed as it hit the I-93 South ramp and headed for Boston. Taryn sat back slightly as she viewed everything going on around her. There was thankfully no traffic on the way into Boston. Everyone who needed to be in the city was mostly already there.

Taryn’s eyes lit up as she reached the Zakim Bridge. She looked over the side to see the Paul Revere Park Memorial to the soldiers who had lost their lives defending the city. Now even the government wouldn’t acknowledge what truly happened.

Glide neared the guard rail as it passed under the old suspension cables. To her left, an old ’08 Ford Hovercharge passed her by. The car was white with a silver trim and wheels folded up underneith for emergencies. The driver eyed the old bike suspiciously as it passed through his window.

Taryn didn’t care for hovercars. Too much could go wrong with the magnetic system. Tires were more expensive, harder to get, and not enviornmentally friendly, but they were tried and true.

The moment that the car was out of sight, Taryn noticed that the weight of the bike was being distributed to the back and the front tire was no longer touching the pavement, “Glide, what are you doing?”

Glide didn’t respond.

“Glide? Glide!”

Still nothing.

Taryn was about to panic when suddenly the tires began to glow white and the bike lifted off the road completely. She watched in awe as Glide continued to climb higher and higher, “Okay, next time give me some warning. I don’t like surprises!”

Vroom!

The chill of thin air passed over her skin as she flew high enough into the air to see the tops of most of the buildings. As Glide circled the Hancock tower a few times, Taryn could see the work being done on the building. Its old glass windows were being replaced with transparent foil solar-energy conducting ones.

Taryn flew even higher until she could see the atmospheric purifier that was installed atop several Boston skyscrapers to cut down on emissions and repair past damage. Though cold, when Taryn breathed in, she felt as though the cool air was cleaning out her lungs.

She hugged Glide’s chasis with her hips and spread her arms, “Keep me steady, Glide.”

She closed her eyes as the wind passed over her face and began mouthing the lyrics of one of her favorite songs as the tune passed through her mind,

“And so they danced with their hands clasped,

Around the room of Ancients past,

And so the tales of old repeat again.

When all the time has come and gone,

Another way will we bring you,

On great wings of hope,

A seed soon to sprout,

Will conquer all darkness.”

Taryn released the air from her lungs and looked down on the city. It was at that moment that she realized how much she wanted to share all of this with Bobby. She had told him some of her family’s history when she had downed a few drinks, but she doubted that he believed her.

Despite her desires, Taryn knew that it was too soon. She decided to give Bobby a chance, and if she got close enough to him, she’d start letting him in on a few of these secrets. It was only fair.

A chill down her spine told Taryn that it was time to stop, “Glide, let’s head down, I’m getting cold.”

Glide turned around and headed back to the bridge. Within a matter of minutes, the bike touched down on the highway, heading north this time. As the wheels hit the pavement, the bike roared.

Taryn looked down at it with worry, “You overdid it again, didn’t you?”

Glide made a timid clicking noise in response. Taryn sighed, “Look, you can’t do that. This isn’t like how it was when you were with your previous owners. You know you don’t have unlimited power. Don’t push youself.”

Vroom!

“I know you were just having fun and I appreciate you showing me the city from up there, but I don’t want you overdoing it. You’ve survived 4 generations of my family. You’re not dying on my watch.”

Vroom!

“Yes, I love you too.” Taryn replied. “Why don’t you let me take the reigns again while you rest?”

Vroom…

Taryn placed her hands on the handlebars again and held on as Glide gave her control. The wind blowing in her face was heavier now. It also came with the odor of industry from the city around her.

Taryn was used to the city, she’d grown up there, but part of her always yearned for the trees of the forest. She chalked that up to her elven heritage. Her great great grandmother had always experienced difficulties in dealing with the city, but she managed to get by without any issues.

She turned off the nearest exit and got back on I-93 going south. Vroom vroom?

“I know this isn’t the way back. I just need to go… somewhere first.”

Vroom!

“Don’t worry, I know where I’m going.”

The bike roared onto Exit 20A/B and headed for the Pike. The sensors scanned her as she passed and charged her account for the fare as she pressed on by. She eventually arrived at Exit 17 and pulled off, heading south towards Chestnut Hill.

After a few minutes of passing by various shops, she arrived at the intersection of Hammond St. and Heath St. She turned right and within moments, a small cemetary came into view. The old iron gate way still open, granting her entry to the Holyhood Cemetary.

Taryn slowed down to quiet her bike in the hopes of not disturbing anyone else that might be there. The association had worked hard to keep the cemetary as welcoming as possible and she didn’t want to ruin that.

The grave she was looking for was unmistakable. It was a black marble stone with gold lettering. In large print, the name ‘Arrigan’ was easy to identify. The bike stopped in front of the grave and revved its engine in excitement.

Taryn hopped off and placed her hand on the seat, “Shh! Easy, I know you’re excited, but you have to keep it down.”

A softer sound came from the engine as the bike slowly powered down.

“Thanks.”

Taryn stepped away from the bike and looked at the grave. She didn’t usually visit, given that she’d never known Toby and Lia’na was considered a distant relative, but she still admired them. She smiled as she looked at the beautifully cared for grave, “Um… hi.”

She paused for a moment, feeling silly for talking to a stone tablet. Could they even hear her or were they off doing their own thing in some celestial realm? She had no way of knowing, so she continued, “Toby, I wish I’d gotten to know you too, but I’m actually here to talk to Lia’na.”

Taryn closed her eyes, “I know you’d probably tell me I’m being a prissy little princess, and you’re probably right. I’ve been very picky about the guys I date… very picky. I don’t know, Mom and Dad have always hammered it into my head that I deserve nothing but the best. That… and I look at my family history and I know… you guys saved the world. That’s a huge legacy. I guess that’s why I’ve been so picky. Dating can turn into something more, especially since I’m getting close to finishing college and… well…”

Taryn rubbed her brow, trying hard not to sound like a snob, “I don’t want to be with someone who won’t appreciate that. I guess I want what you guys had and I’ve been afraid to let anyone in who doesn’t look like they’re going to measure up.”

Her eyes open and she looked down at the stone, “Help me… give me some sign that he’s at least okay. Please.”

Silence.

This is crazy. Taryn told herself. You’re talking to a grave stone. What do you think is going to happen? Is it going to talk back? Is Lia’na going to jump dig her way out to offer you sage advice as a zombie?

At that moment, Taryn paused, remembering the story. Given what had happened so long ago, her suspension of disbelief shouldn’t be so forbidding. Still, she wasn’t recieving a response and there was a slight chill in the air. She turned and headed for the bike when a sudden breeze picked up.

Taryn suddenly felt like there were hands on her shoulders. She breathed in deeply and closed her eyes. The wind swirled gently around her. To a normal human, this would have been nothing more than a random gust of wind that had just suddenly picked up. However, Taryn was more attuned to the life force of nature, thanks to her elven heritage. She smiled and nodded as the wind whispered in her ears.

After a few moments, she opened her eyes and smiled, “Thank you.”

She walked over to the bike and tapped on the seat, “Ready to go?”

Vroom?

“Yeah, I got the answers I needed.”

Rrrrroooom…

“Yeah I miss her too.”

Vroom!

“Sorry, I should have said both, but I never met Toby. I know he was your owner first and all, but he died long before I was even born.”

Vroom, vroom?

“Yeah I’m ready to go. Let’s head back to Arcanus.”

It wasn’t long before she began to see trees ahead of her as the bike carried her back to college.

Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!
Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim