Read The Crystals of Tlalli: Awakened Affinities Page 38

shook his head. Moyo smiled at her and walked beside her.

  While they were walking Moyo stayed at her side. When the others were slightly ahead he bent toward her and whispered.

  “I feel a sadness around you. Is everything alright?”

  “Yeah I’m ok. Just homesick I guess.”

  “That is understandable. If you ever want to talk, I’ll listen.”

  They caught up with Zafira and Nab at the edge of the road. Nab was looking around to see if he saw lights or any kind of people about.

  “Moyo fly up and see if any one is on the flow way.” Nab commanded.

  Moyo frowned. He did that a lot when Nab ordered him around, but he complied, camouflaging himself and flying up to get a good view around. He flew back down to report it was all clear, and everyone stepped out onto the short growing greenery of the flow. Nab led the way toward what Moyo had said looked like someone’s farm around five miles or so away. When they got to the drive way it was full dark. Lights were on in the house. Moyo and Nab whispered back and forth for a bit and then Moyo stepped toward the house and knocked at the door while the rest hid behind the fence surrounding the yard. After a little bit the door opened and Moyo talked to the Opia man who had answered the knock. Then he stepped inside the house and the door closed behind him. They waited tensely for Moyo to return and then he stepped out smiling and waved to the two people at the door. Everything seemed to be ok. Moyo walked down to the gate and opened it and continued as though no one else was there. Everyone stayed still. Rica could see the drapes open a bit as though someone was looking out.

  He continued down the road to the bend and then sat down behind a tree waiting for the rest to get to him. It was after he disappeared from view that the drapes closed and Rica and the rest could join him. He had a plastic sack with vegetables and hard-boiled eggs in it. Well that was something at least. Then he told them that there was a Treb dealer in the next town and Nab and he argued the risks of buying one there. Moyo said they didn’t know he was with them and if he went alone to buy one it might be ok. Rica mentioned that Zos could have told people that Moyo was with them. Zafira looked at Rica as though she had hit her in the face when she said it and Rica felt bad. Moyo thought it was worth the risk to get transportation. They walked into the woods again to spend another cold night huddled together. At least they had something to eat this time, though cold vegetables were not what Rica wished for. Moyo tried to teach her to dream speak he called it. It was a little like telepathy, except in a trance like sleep, from the science fiction books and movies Rica would read or watch. Try as she did Rica was unable to accomplish what Moyo tried to teach her. She was just too tired.

  The next morning they split the eggs and finished the rest of the vegetables. Rica didn’t know what else to call them, but they sure didn’t look like the vegetables from home. The things that tasted like carrots were purple and round. Rica liked the purple carrots and would miss them when she got back to earth. The eggs were green with red speckles and much larger then the ones at home. They tasted a little different too though not bad just different. It was funny how you missed the little things you took for granted. Rica glanced at Zafira and saw her sad faraway look. Maybe she wasn’t the only one with problems here. Rica thought about what she could say to Zafira about Zos’s betrayal and everything she thought of sounded lame. Rica took a deep breath. Lame sounding aside she had to say something to let Zafira know that in her book Zafira was still like a sister to her.

  “Zafira - I- I just wanted to say I’m sorry about what happened. With Zos I mean.”

  “Stop. I don’t want to talk about it. Least of all to you Rica.”

  Rica felt like Zafira had slapped her. What she had said hurt deeply least of all, least of all what did that mean?

  “What do you mean least of all to me? Zafira? It wasn’t my fault Zos did what he did.”

  “Wasn’t it? All of this happened because you fell onto this world. We wouldn’t have been here, Zos wouldn’t have done what he did if you hadn’t come into our lives.”

  Nab watched intently while the two girls faced off against each other. Time to jump into the fray. “No that’s true Zafira you wouldn’t be here. You would probably be dead right now. My mother has been planning to take Kahsha Nation for some time now. If Rica hadn’t been there and you hadn’t tried to help her you would be dead or worse right now.”

  “No one asked you Prince!” Zafira yelled at Nab, her hands clinching and unclenching.

  “If you continue yelling you could still be where you would have been. Dead. We aren’t that far from the flow and we are in The Opia Nation in case you forgot.”

  “Zafira -“ Rica started to reach out to touch her. Zafira pulled back as though she had been burned.

  “Don’t!” was all she said.

  “We need to move. Now!” Moyo said in a firm voice.

  Everyone started following Moyo and soon they were near the flow again and following it toward the town. No one looked at one another. No one spoke. Rica felt crushed that she had somehow caused all of this to the people she had started to love like family.

  The town was situated on both sides of the flow. There was a place to stay and eat. There were shops for cloths and supplies like food and such. It was maybe a town of 20,000 people Rica guessed. It was going to be hard to sneak past this one. There were a lot of trebs on the road and Opia troops all over the place. A group of the troops were at a fast food place. Maybe they were just stopping on the way to somewhere to get something to eat. Rica hoped that was it. They waited outside of town in the woods. From where they were they couldn’t see the town. Nab was not happy but this time Moyo won the argument. Moyo put his camouflage spell in his ruin in the bracelet on his wrist and headed into town. Nab paced back and forth until Rica thought she would scream from the tension she was feeling. Zafira sat away form them and seemed to want to be alone. When it was full night and no Moyo, Nab decided it was time to go find him. He wanted Zafira and Rica to wait for him but Rica decided no. They needed to stay together. That’s when Moyo flew into the mist of them.

  “Where have you been?” Nab demanded.

  “Buying a Treb.” Moyo snapped back.

  “Well where is it then?”

  “Parked on the side of the flow. Do you think I could drive it up here?”

  “Ok, Ok you guys stop. You are worse then the Campbell twins I used to babysit!” Rica was tired and cranky and didn’t want to hear them fight anymore.

  Moyo looked at Rica contritely. “Sorry, you are right we are acting like children. Lets get to the Treb and be on our way.”

  Nab looked rebellious. But followed them to the flow and climbed in the old Treb silently. There was a delicious smell coming from three bags on the seat. Moyo handed them each one with a smile and then told them there were blankets in the back to cover up with while they drove through town. They all ate first then they covered up and lay flat for the drive through town. They made it and soon Moyo told them it was clear and they could sit up. Zafira had fallen asleep. When the excitement wore off and every one was so tired they could not go on Moyo pulled off the road and parked behind some trees and brush. As soon as they stopped Rica curled up with her jacket balled up under her head and fell asleep.

  The next morning Rica woke up first. She had to use the bathroom and got out of the treb and walked into the forest with her staff to light her way. She didn’t want to use magic in case it could be tracked. It was still dark just before dawn. Rica was tired and wasn’t looking or paying much attention. She just wanted to relieve herself. She didn’t hear the men come up behind her. She heard a pop and then was choking on some kind of gas. It was only seconds after she inhaled the gas before she crumpled to the ground her staff lost in the leaves of the forest floor.

  25 - Captured

  Rica hurt all over. Muscles she didn’t even know she had hurt. Stretching was out of the question; the bindings the men had tied her with were
tight. There seemed to be about ten inches of rope tying her hands to her feet, she could not straighten out. The thin one with the robes must be a magi, he bossed the others around and seemed pleased with his catch. His aura riled like red and black snakes, the sensations made her stomach do flip-flops. The feelings she got from him were confusing, fear, anger, and pleasure and twisted around. Her head hurt badly. How she had gotten in this predicament was a blur. All she could remember was falling, and not being able to think straight. Then she woke up tied and bouncing in the back of some kind of utility treb. What had Zos called them? Oh yeah trevals. She had gone into the woods to go to the bathroom and she had heard a sound behind her. Next thing she knew she was falling.

  Where were Nab and Moyo? She hoped they could find her. Her magic didn’t seem to work right. This was not like at the academy where she had felt the band and broke it. This was a mix of cloying darkness and hard steel. Had they changed the spell? Was it a different one? She had tried to burn her bonds to no avail. Every time she tried to use magic it made her head hurt. Bad! She soon gave up trying. She also could not see where she was going lying in the back of this treval with a blanket over her head. This was the second day after her capture, and the air was getting colder. She couldn’t feel