ROTU: Chapter Thirty-Three

The next morning, Lyons announced that he was returning home to visit his family while the Conduits prepared for the next steps in their training.

"Don't worry, Warrior Princesses," he said as he touched Shamira's cheek. "I'll be back."

"Get off." Shamira scowled and brushed his hand away as Lyons laughed.

After Lyons departed, Jalena sat with the Conduits in the training room and explained the shortened version of events transpiring on the planet and their position in such matters. The end of her story was met with disbelieving silence.

Several minutes passed before Drisana spoke. "You're kidding, right?"

"No."

Drisana stood and began to pace. "I can't be what you say I am, Master Jalena. We are supposed to activate a shield if someone attacks the planet? No way. I don't know anything—zilch about anything involving energy, magic, or other realms! There is no way that you have the right person."

Jalena stood and smiled as she met Shakou's eye, remembering Ryu's own voice when he spoke about her dissonance regarding being a warrior. "You don't believe in who you are because you have blocked it. The very reaction you are having—panic and denial—suggests that there is a cognitive battle going on inside of you regarding the idea that you are powerful. If it was not the truth of your core, you would reject the notion and simply shrug off what I told you."

Drisana took a deep breath. "How do you know who I am, when I do not?"

"Because I know what to look for—how to see what is real."

"How do I see what you see?"

"You train yourself to. If you follow the guidance of this team and your intuition, then your power—who you truly are—will unlock within you and then you will remember your purpose."

Sitara, looking as if she wasn't entirely convinced, stood up next to Drisana. "What do we do to get to where we need to be?"

"Continuing energy training with Shakou and Elder Master Nyhra is the most important. But, Master Shamira will lead you in physical conditioning to make your body stronger."

"What will the kid do?" asked Sitara.

Aeilah, who was dancing and spinning in circles of glowing bugs nearby stopped and smiled. "I must learn from the fairies."

Jalena nodded. "She will participate in energy training, but I also will teach her the basic magic of the species that she is connected to—the Glisayas."

The team worked with the Conduits for a short time and then took a break. During the break, Jalena gathered with the other team members in the office to establish a schedule.

"This is not going to be easy, Jalena," Shamira said. "They are participating without internal knowing and solely from hope. We had nothing to contradict our belief in our power when we began. Our physical transformation was evidence of who we were. Your halo formed at birth. It is as if the opposite is occurring here. They have little evidence of physical or mental power other than through their visions or dreams and through a biased rationalization of events. I feel like we are attempting to cram years of education and practice into a couple of months. How are they to be ready?"

"It has to start somewhere, Shamira. Besides, I think by just being the catalyst to their evolution there will be a point when their power will surface naturally. We are just setting the stage—igniting the process."

"You sound like an old star wizard I had as an instructor once."

Jalena chuckled and nodded. "I remember—always setting up tricks to trigger our power in a state of danger in order to bypass mental interference—" she met Shamira's eye.

"It's too soon," Nyhra interjected when Shamira smiled. "As Shamira said, they do not have the basics down. They would yield to fear. When they grasp the basics, then you can increase the challenge."

"We could still ponder ways to trigger them," Shamira smiled, "without the severity we were exposed to, of course. I will get to work on—"

Her last words went unheard as the facility's alarm buzzed loudly. The warriors jumped to their feet as Kana announced that an intruder was on the premises.

"Show me, Kana," said Jalena.

The team peered at the holographic image that appeared before them. There Kaelon stood outside the main steel door with his hands up in surrender.

Jalena gasped.

"I just want to talk to Jessica," Kaelon shouted to the camera. "I'm not an intruder—well, not a dangerous one anyway!"

Shamira chuckled and stared wide-eyed at Jalena. "Who…is…that?"

Shakou smiled. "It is her human lover." He laughed. "And now I have to drink sake because I am jealous."

"Shakou!" Jalena exclaimed as she blushed. "He is not my—!" she sighed and shook her head. "It is okay, Kana. He is not a threat."

"To me, he is," Shakou mumbled.

The alarm stopped ringing, and Kaelon dropped his hands.

Jalena pushed Shakou in the back of the head. She sighed and avoided Shamira's gaze as she moved passed the group. I will tell you later.

Jalena grabbed her bracelet to mask her appearance and opened the door to meet Kaelon outside. She turned back before addressing him. "Kana turn off the front security feed, please." She smiled as heard a unified groan from the rest of the group before the door sealed completely.

"Kaelon, how did you find me? I wasn't trying to avoid you, but I have important work to do that doesn't allow me time—"

"Well, I sort of have been stalking you. Just a little," he added quickly. "I tried calling you, but you never answer and er, well…I got to thinking maybe I dreamed it all. If it wasn't for the paintings and seeing you at the club one night—"

"The club?"

"Shark's."

"Ah," she raised an eyebrow. "What exactly did you see?"

"Well, I remember only some…watching you talk to two girls and a couple of flashes of light but it isn't surprising that's all I recall because I was pretty lit."

She smiled and shook her head. "We were looking for someone, but I apologize. I haven't even checked my phone in probably a month."

"Well, ever since I saw you, I have been driving by your house—the old witch at the apothecary told me where you lived. Then, one day I saw you arrive at your house with the same friend that I saw you with at the club and a little girl. I followed you to this place out of curiosity. I tried to call and when you didn't answer, I came back today to see if you had returned. I'm not trying to—I don't know why other than I just want to talk to you—If it is creepy, I'll—" his face fell "—Oh God, it is creepy. Jeez…" He dropped his gaze and shook his head.

"Easy, Kaelon," Jalena said. "It is my fault too—for not explaining more when I saw you at my shop. The timing of tasks I have to do, especially then, was critical so I felt rushed."

"I don't know what's wrong with me. This isn't really like me. In fact, Sean teases me about never asking anyone on a date—I don't usually care—I feel everyone is in a different space than I am…I don't know.

Jalena chuckled lightly as she watched him shift uncomfortably.

"He thinks you put a spell on me."

Jalena laughed aloud in surprise and shook her head.

"I probably seem really crazy to you." He gave a short laugh and ran a hand through his hair. "All that just sort of gushed out—well anyway, I didn't even think to ask if you were seeing anyone or if it was the reason I didn't hear from you…I mean—are you?" He took a deep breath as his blush deepened. He exhaled slowly. "I'm just gonna shut up now."

"To answer your question, no, there is no one else. It's just work. I have a…this deadline that I must meet and can't change."

"It has to be serious stuff," he said as he looked behind her to the steel door. "Do you work for the government or something?"

"You could say it goes beyond that. Perhaps I can tell you about it one day."

"Okay, I guess I will have to make do with that answer." He took his keys out of his jeans pocket and started flipping them around in his hand. He turned to go then turned back. "Jessica, all I think about is…I just want—" He sighed and dropped his gaze.

Jalena's stomach jumped when he looked back up, the light in his green eyes matching his smile. "I hope we can talk—spend more time together—soon."

She smiled and nodded, feeling torn between wanting to reassure him that she would love to see him and not wanting to lead him on in hopes that something would ever happen between them. If she did not die while fulfilling their current mission, she knew she would return to Elsaria. She doubted that a human would be able to travel across and survive the dimensional difference or that the Federation would even allow it.

Kaelon moved to return to his SUV as Jalena pondered what to say.

"Kaelon!" she called.

Kaelon paused and glanced back.

"I'm glad you stopped by, and I'm disappointed I don't have more time right now to talk."

He grinned and nodded. "Answer your phone, okay?"

"I will," Jalena replied with a small wave.

"Tell me everything," Shamira demanded as the two sat together on her bed later that night. "Who is he—What does he do—How did you meet? … I have to know."

Jalena sighed as she picked up her phone. Forty-five missed calls. "There really isn't much to tell because I don't know anything about him other than he bought some paintings from me a while back."

Shamira raised an eyebrow. "Obviously your paintings made an impression."

Jalena laughed. "You know I can't start something, especially with a human. Besides, he's not…"

"Gyan? You can say his name, Jalena. Speaking of, I am recalling a conversation you had once with a friend that occurred a long time ago just before we started practicing the Damsé with the san warriors."

Jalena smiled.

"I told you then that the interaction could still be significant regardless of the ending. You shouldn't cheat yourself out of the experience for fear of getting hurt or causing pain." She smiled slyly. "Just tell him who you are right before we return to Elsaria, and then he will know why you can't be together. Besides, I'm sure if you start talking about your mothership or something, then he will be relieved that the crazy lady is gone. Of course, it is you, so that might backfire…"

Jalena chuckled. "I don't know." She sighed and fell back to look at the ceiling as she laid her phone on the bed.

"I'll tell you what I do know," Shamira said. "I haven't seen you with that look on your face in quite a while." She pushed the phone closer to Jalena. "Call him. The Conduits will be in basic training for a couple more weeks. You deserve a night off, don't you think?"

"My last decision regarding intimate connections didn't lead to anything more than pain in the end."

"It was much more than that, especially considering the journey. Wasn't it worth it? It may work and it may not, but created memories steeped deeply in connection is what makes it worth it in a universe where everything is always changing."

"How did you get so wise?"

"Blame the star wizard."

Jalena smiled as she grabbed her phone and stood. "Here goes. If disaster occurs, I hold you responsible."

Shamira's smile matched Jalena's. "I will gladly claim the fault as my own."

"Kaelon," Jalena said as she exited Shamira's room and headed toward her own. "Are you free tomorrow night?"

***