TCO: Chapter Forty-Two

Gyan's parents were out celebrating after the wedding, so the house was silent for the first time in days. He flew up the porch steps, through the kitchen, and up to his room two steps at a time.  He grabbed a blanket and backpack before returning to the kitchen to add a bottle of wine and two goblets.

He glanced at the setting stars and smiled as he hurriedly threw open the doors to the shed. He stuffed the small blanket and backpack into a compartment below the seat of the lumray, then pushed the bike out of the shed.

Okay, now to start this thing?

A slight volt of energy surged through him as he sat on the bike and grabbed the handles. He smiled as his eyes lit up and he released energy into the bike, willing it to start. The bike responded immediately. A beam of light traveled down the sides of the bike frame and across the rims of both wheels, causing a blue-white glow to shine along its sides.

Gyan laughed, excitement coursing through him. He willed the bike to go by sending more energy through his hands. The bike jolted forward in response, throwing him off balance. He withdrew some of his energy and the bike reduced in speed. He rode the bike across the front of his parent's lawn for several minutes until the rhythm of guiding it became familiar, then sped away from the house and onto the nearest street.

A feeling of exhilaration surged through him as he sped up. A soft hum was the only noise the bike made as the tires smoothly moved across the road. Although Gyan was excited about showing the other warriors the lumray, his thoughts were preoccupied with only one person at the moment.

Maybe they're right. I don't open up enough, I guess, he thought as he pondered how he behaved around Jalena.

As Gyan rode through the streets of Yevani, he realized that he didn't know which home Jalena lived in. He contacted Tarak telepathically, hoping he was still within range to hear him. Tarak answered willingly, not questioning Gyan's intentions. That was one of the things he liked about Tarak: he didn't pry.

A large home of gray stone sat along the ocean cliffs a couple of miles west of the temple, and Gyan recognized it as the house Tarak described. He steered the bike up the hill leading directing to the house.

He could see Jalena standing near the edge of the cliffs, looking out over the sea. Syam and Asia were sitting at a table in the backyard. Eclipse was stretched out lazily on a lounge chair. Her ears perked up cautiously as the bike approached. Syam stood and walked over to greet Gyan as he stopped the bike near a gate that led to the back of the house.

"Elder Master," Gyan greeted him with a nod.

Syam smiled. "This looks like one of Fane's creations."

"According to my dán. He calls it a lumray. First one made I believe. I am supposed to test the prototype before he makes more for the other warriors."

"How does it ride?" Syam said, clearly impressed.

"Excellent," Gyan breathed with a grin. He explained how the bike worked as Jalena joined the two.

"Master Jalena," Gyan greeted her. He clinched his hands into tight fists against his leg, suddenly feeling nervous.

"San Gyan," she said cautiously, looking at him and then the bike with a curious expression. "Is everything all right?"

"It will be," Gyan held her gaze "as long as you are ready to go."

Jalena cocked an eyebrow. "Where?"

"To celebrate, of course," replied Gyan.

"I don't know…" Jalena looked over her shoulder at the setting stars.

Gyan resisted a fleeting urge to give in. He grinned. "Time is irrelevant on days reserved for festive occasions."

Syam raised his eyebrows and looked at Jalena. "He has a point."

Gyan flashed Jalena another smile and gestured with his head for her to get on the bike behind him.

Jalena slightly raised an eyebrow as she studied Gyan's face.

"I'm not leaving until you come with me," Gyan said determinedly, never taking his eyes from her face.

Jalena's expression turned to surprise. She looked from Gyan to her father.

With an amused look, Syam shrugged and turned back to Asia.

"I'll let you drive," Gyan added quickly, thinking he may have gone too far.

Jalena gave him a small smile. "Well, in that case." She walked through the gate and slipped on the bike behind Gyan.

Gyan felt a jolt course through him that had nothing to do with the energetic connection to the bike.

What's gotten into you? she mentally whispered.

You, he replied as he eased the bike forward.

Jalena didn't respond to him but tightened her grip around his waist as he sped up down a trail that extended for miles down the beach cliffs.

After a short time, Gyan slowed the bike to a stop and gave control to Jalena. She laughed at the bike's response to her touch and accelerated even more than Gyan. He didn't complain at the speed, as it gave him an excuse to tighten his hold on her.

She parked the bike at the end of the trail near a flat stretch of sand and slipped off, examining the bike as she walked around it.

"It's brilliant." She turned to him, her eyes bright with excitement.

Gyan resisted the urge to blurt out that she could have his, remembering what Aderes said about showing edge. Instead, he smiled and nodded. "Fane is making more."

Jalena walked to the water's edge. Gyan grabbed the blanket and backpack from the bike and followed her, stopping a slight distance from where they had parked the bike along the abandoned beach. He gathered wood to start a fire while Jalena watched the last setting star of Elsaria reach the horizon's edge. After the fire was burning brightly, he walked up behind her.

"I love watching the setting of both stars over the ocean. It's one thing I miss the most about Yevani whenever I'm away," she said.

Gyan reached around and handed her a goblet.

Jalena looked down at the goblet, then back up at him. She turned and noticed the blanket and fire for the first time. "Gyan—" she began.

He shook his head. "Let's walk." He gestured down the shoreline and smiled.

Jalena watched him as he walked ahead. She took a gulp of the wine, sighed, and followed him.

"Gyan, your energy is—I'm not sure this is—" Jalena began again.

"Doesn't matter," he interrupted. He turned to walk backward in front of her. "For once, I'm going to be selfish and disregard any hesitation you have about you and me until you at least hear me out." He stopped walking. "I've wanted to say for some time now that I've regretted letting you avoid me for far too long, although I don't think all of you wanted to. But I'm not letting your doubts or this procrastination—or whatever we are doing—stop me from saying what I need to. Nor will I let your analysis about how things could go or what this may lead to stop me from caring about you in the way I want. I couldn't stop my feelings even if tried," he gushed. "Right now, I don't care about all the reasons why it's not a good idea to be together. Can't we let all that go? I mean…don't you ever wanna just forget about everything—all your responsibilities—your duties—even if it's only for a moment?" He took a deep breath. "Besides, I can't be feeling this way if you didn't at least feel something too—the…the feeling is too strong."

Jalena raised her eyebrows as he finished.

Gyan drained his wine. "I think you're trying to drive me insane," he mumbled to himself more than her.

She laughed.

"Well, I am glad this is entertaining you at least." He scowled lightly and shifted uncomfortably beneath her gaze.

Jalena studied him for a moment longer before speaking. "Okay then, Gyan, where do you want to start?" she asked quietly, her eyes still bright with amusement.

His eyes widened. "Here," he said with sudden fierceness as surprise and relief at her consent flooded through him. "We start here."

Wine splashed onto the sand as Gyan grabbed Jalena fervently to him and both goblets fell to the ground. He began to kiss her passionately, propelled by his affection for her and a burning determination to hold onto her for as long as he could. She stiffened only a moment before she relaxed into him.

Gyan's touch was laced with a hunger for Jalena that had been building in him since the Ceremony of Pyhron. She filled his thoughts as he drank in the scent of her, immune to the cold sea air and the wet sand that soaked through to his knees as they dropped next to the ocean waves.