I did it! I finished Destiny's Refuge. There will be an epilogue and then I'm going to finish my zombie story, Tech: Zombie Effect.
Title: Destiny’s Refuge Chapter 9
Characters: Elden/Misham
Series: Another Life
The vision shimmered into Elden’s slumber as quietly as starlight. He watched as the rain fell to the dying planet. Few plants grew on the hills; the nutrients had long ago been depleted. Dirt quickly became thick mud. The people tiredly slugged through the muck trying to get to shelter in their homes.
Suddenly the earth shuddered. A large slab of ground shifted and slid. A tsunami of mud, plants, and buildings tumbled down the mountain. Screams of those caught in the giant earth wave and those that were buried beneath it echoed across the universe.
The screams echoed in Elden’s heart. He knew the tragedy was yet to come, but still, his heart ached at the death of so many. Wanting to hug and cradle the grieving, he tightened his arms. They felt so full. He inhaled deeply. The scent of clean air right after a rain, the fresh wind on a summer day, the earthy scent of pine needles littering the forest floor-enveloped his body. A sharp contrast to the mud and horror he’d just seen. The essence reminded him of something. Of hope. It was hope he was smelling.
As he savored the aroma of hope, his arms tightened more. For within his arms he carried the future of two worlds. He was careful as he pulled the worlds closer to his heart. There was strength in the two worlds, but also a fragility he wanted to care for.
The need to protect, to shelter, to shield filled Elden’s soul. The last remnants of the vision faded away and Elden opened his eyes. He let out a sigh of relief knowing he was on Gliese. The cave they had taken shelter in was lit with the pale gray of dawn.
Looking down, and seeing Misham wide eyes, he realized the vision and reality had blended together. Elden frowned as a lone tear slid down Misham’s cheek. “Agape. Are you harmed?” He whispered.
“Do you feel it? I thought I would never have it.”
The wonder in Misham’s eyes took Elden’s breath away. “Never have what?”
The empath shifted closer to him. “The link. It’s from my mother’s lineage. Like Historians have visions, warriors have the link. It’s a special bond that binds warriors together. So that they can feel what each other is feeling. The link keeps them safe in wartime. I don’t think it’s fully formed in me...in us. But I could feel you. Inside me. In a place, I didn’t know existed.”
Elden remembered a long-ago lesson about the warriors. And their links. It was many years ago, toward the end of his formal learning. Most of his mates had been restless during the lecture, but Elden had been curious. He had suspected that the dark-eyed boy he’d had visions of was a warrior. He didn’t know why he thought that the boy was weak and thin, not like a warrior at all. But he had paid close attention to the scholars. The combination of vision and reality now made sense. He’d been feeling Misham inside him....and Misham had been experiencing what Elden had been feeling.
“Does it make you angry?” Misham’s voice interrupted Elden’s thoughts.
“Does what make me angry?”
Misham swallowed. “The link. Between us?”
“Why would that make me angry? I love feeling you inside me. It felt....it felt like I was finally complete.”
Misham’s eyes held a plea in them. “That you don’t have a choice. That the stars, or the universe, or destiny decided for you.”
“No, I think I’ve known since my first vision of a dark-eyed boy. I knew then that we were to be together. I just didn’t realize the magnitude of it all.”
“But you don’t really know me. I’m not sure I know me.”
Cuddling him closer, Elden reassured him. “We have time. Time to get to know each other. For you to know the man you are....and the man you want to be. The men we’ll be together.”
“It’s not that easy!” The frustration in Misham’s voice echoed through the cave.
“Shhhh. We are not alone. My fathers are right over there by the fire. This is between us. I will not tolerate any interference. Even from them.”
Misham’s eyes lowered in deference. “I’m sorry, Anke.”
Elden felt the dominance rise inside him at the dominant title Misham had subconsciously used. He shifted and kissed the top of the empath’s head. “Just talk to me. Calmly. We can work it out together.”
“I’m...not easy. The emotions of all around me fill me to confusion. I don’t know what I’m feeling, what others are feeling, what feelings have been spilled on the ground.”
“Do you feel that way around me? Do my emotions confuse you?”
Misham looked back up at him. “No! I don’t. Not like I do with other people. That’s why my parents created a home in the mountain. The mountain was full of MXene. We don’t know why, but the compound shields me. It stops the emotions from entering.”
Elden started to laugh, he composed himself when he saw the hurt look on Misham’s face. “At the end of summer, I started building my home. My fathers kept reassuring me that I could live with them as long as I wanted, but I just knew I had to build my cottage. And I had an overwhelming urge, one that I couldn’t resist, to insulate it with the clay. The MXene clay. I didn’t know why no one had ever done that before. I’ve not finished it yet. It’s past the edge of our village. Isolated. Not far from a cave with a large deposit of the clay. I think the universe decided for us long ago. And I’m happy with that. I’m happy with you.”
“I’m happy with you too,” Misham whispered. Then surprising Elden, Misham lifted his head and kissed him.
Need and desire flared through him. Wanting to feel Misham’s body along his, Elden pulled him closer. They may still have a lot to learn about each other, but their bodies seemed to already be in sync.
“Ahem. I hate to interrupt....well, actually, I think it’s good that I interrupt now before you two go any further.” Rastus’s voice broke through the haze of arousal. “The storm has abated. We should eat and see if the trail is clear enough to head back home. Maybe you two can put off what you started until later....much later.”
Sander’s voice rang out. “Later as in when your cottage is finished and you’ve moved in.”
Elden laughed as Misham blushed. “Yes, pateras. I think we can wait as long as can finish our home fast.” Letting go of Misham, Elden’s arms felt empty. But his heart was as full as it ever had before.
“Come, agape. Our life together awaits us.”
End
Read more about Gliese and the people who live there on the Another Life blog.
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