Niala 92

We arrived at the end of a country road, looking out at dwindling forest and chained caution signs warning of a chemical spill that had been there since the seventies. This was the last entrance I remembered, and Revik ran his hands through the air with a few waves of his hand. The barrier used elements of my aura as inspiration, and some magic I didn’t quite understand made it nearly impossible to invade. I’d walked in circles trying to get back in before.

“They’ve done some different stuff since last I remembered….” He mumbled to himself as he paced.

My cheeks went pink as I remembered how they used my aura. “I- I might be the reason for that.”

Revik looked at me and squinted. “Ah! Okay, that helps. He took a deep breath and focused his mana before repeating the exercise, and I could see a ripple in the air.

“Follow me!” Revik leaped into the rippling air and disappeared with this sucking blink. Hesitantly, Gaffriel ran next and then me. We hit the wall at the same time, grabbing hands at the last moment. It felt like pushing through wet cling film, and the other side blossomed before us at the edge of the property's woods. I saw wildlings milling about. My heart clenched in my throat.

“Kiromir!” I whimpered before letting my wings free and readied myself to bolt. Revik grabbed my wrist.

“Let’s wait here a moment. I’d like a minute of your aura if you don’t mind.” He looked stern and somehow scared. I’d waited days to see Kiromir and been through hell. What was one more minute?

I held my hands out to him and let my aura raise hard. Gaff shook his wings free and turned his back on us. Revik let the aura envelop him and tried to push away the rising pain that welled within him.

“Niala!?” I eventually heard someone shout from across the field. Someone squinted out at me, and I raised my wings to flag myself at a distance.

“NIALA!” Someone else cried out.

“Gafffrielllll.” Gaff said in a whispershout beneath his breath and sighed—dejected.

“Who is…” Letti bounded up, and Mesin wasn’t with her. She stopped dead in her tracks as she saw Revik’s surly face.

“Creator’s feathers….” Letti whispered. “You!”

“Yeah, me.” Revik bubbled with anxiety, and his aura of calm and peace spiked about.

“Someone get Kiromir!” Letti shouted as she bolted all the way to me and bowled me to the ground with a tight hug and laughter through tears.

“YOU TOO, CARROT, GET DOWN HERE!” Letti grabbed Gaff’s legs and pulled him down to us, and I had to struggle hard to get away from him as I felt my cheeks grow red hot. Revik noticed immediately and pulled me back, putting a hand in front of me to keep Letti from pulling me back down. Gaff wasn’t looking at me, and Letti seemed to notice.

“What did I miss here?” Letti raised a brow.

Kiromir came running, giving me an excuse not to explain our situation to Letti. I bolted as fast as I ever had as a kid, leaped, and drew my arms around Kiromir’s neck. He grabbed me and swung—full of laughter.

“Niala! Fuck I missed you. Creator’s fucking feathers. Chata ryel Nah, sutz min al,” He swore and cried as he held me tight. Then, he froze solid, looking over to Revik standing next to Letti, who aggressively hugged Gaff.

“Ni…” The color drained from his face, and his grip on me relaxed. He couldn’t decide between Revik or me, and I pulled myself away, making the decision for him.

“Look who we found.” My voice went quiet and soft, letting Kiromir take one step, then another. Revik didn’t move; he just sat there looking stone-faced. Over thirty years of decimating pain hid behind that flat gaze.

“Rev?” Kiromir took another step. At first, he was almost crying but then broke into full-on tears as he bolted for Revik and grabbed him hard. Revik didn’t know what to do. Finally, his hands just went stiff at his sides. “Revik where the… how… I don’t care. You’re here now. Rev, mom’s fucked up so much.”

“Yeah. I know.” Revik pulled away and kept his eyes averted.

Gaff and I caught a glimpse of one another, and I took a step back as Kiromir went back to fawning over Revik. Eventually, he’d give Revik a chance to talk. Gaffriel pushed on Letti’s shoulder, and she came jogging up to me, avoiding the family reunion as Gaffriel slinked off somewhere to presumably hide