First World(52)

I rolled my eyes at him. I still hadn’t found the perfect nickname.

“I feel much better knowing you have some moonstale now.” Josian lifted his right hand. Wiggling his pointing finger, he showcased a large flat ring. “This ring encases my crystal. Traditionally, Walkers are given a gift of moonstale from the elders.”

“Everyone is given one?” Brace asked, his brows furrowed, his head tilted slightly.

Josian threw his hands about, in his usual grand gesturing. “The crystal is our essence. It’s part of who we are. Without an actual world to be tied to, these energies are our anchors.”

As he spoke, the sun made its final descent and sank below the horizon. All of a sudden the room was awash in light from various sources. Lamps, candles, strange speckles of ascending lights imbedded in the walls. Of course, I hadn’t seen anyone touch a switch. They just automatically came alight at sunset.

Another arrival distracted me. A small cart entered the room under its own power, in a similar manner to the baby carriage in Lallielle’s memory. Four large black bags sat in its caged centre.

Lallielle moved forward. “Excellent. Our packs are done. The supplies will be evenly spread, so just grab one each.”

Moving forward, I lifted one free.

It was really light. I could strap it to the top of my other pack, no problem at all.

“Are you sure you packed enough? My bag is really light.” I bounced it in one hand.

Lallielle smiled. “They’re full; they only feel light because this design of bag is energy-touched. The carbon in the air helps to take the burden of the weight.”

I smiled. “That’s great here, but we’re going to Earth. I don’t think your energy thing is going to work there.”

Josian, moving faster than fast, expelled the bags from our hands. “You’re unmanning me. I must show brute strength and carry all packs,” he joked as he threw both into this crazy extra-large pack, custom-made for a nearly seven-foot man.

Lallielle blew him a kiss before turning to me. “I know you are going to say no immediately, Aribella, but I think you should consider freshening up before we leave.”

Looking left and right, I attempted to subtly sniff my armpits. Did I smell that bad?

“I just think it might be a while before you have the chance again, and you’ve already been on the road for a couple of days.”

Since I’d just gagged a little at the smell of my shirt, she made a good point.

“Great idea, Lalli love. Brace and I will discuss some tactics while you show Aribella to her room,” Josian arrogantly ended the argument.

They both dropped their bags and sank onto the couch.

Now that I’d noticed, the smell seemed extra bad. No way was I sneaking up on anyone right now. I faced Lallielle. She was waiting patiently for me.

“I have a room?”

“Of course you do. I change it from time to time. But essentially it’s the same as when you were born.”

She waved me through the arched doorway. At this point I realized that front living area was the only room I’d seen in this massive house. I was about get a first-hand view of what I had missed out on.





Chapter 10





Lallielle led me quickly through her sumptuous house. I wanted time to explore each and every amazing room, but that would have to wait for another occasion.

From the small glimpses I was getting, the house was stunning. Clean and uncluttered, it still had that homely feel to it. We moved along a hallway. The walls were lightly colored and covered in elaborate paintings. On top of that, every corner, crevice and spare indent held a bright sculpture. Colors I couldn’t even describe, but Lucy would be in her element – color chart in hand.

“I love the art work. It’s so bright.” Each piece further captured my attention. “The artist is amazingly talented. They have a real eye for color.”

Lallielle laughed in delight. “Why, thank you. Josian does love to display my work throughout the house. And I’ve been lucky enough for others to love my work as well. I had a thriving gallery; people would come from all over for my sculptures and paintings.” Her smile dimmed a little. “But lately I haven’t been able to reach my same levels of creativity. Everything feels substandard.”

Well, color me shocked again. Lallielle was the artist? I would never have expected such passionate, vibrant pieces from a woman who was so proper and contained. There was true passion and joy in this work and it opened up a side of Lallielle I hadn’t even realized was there.

I was jealous – as a child I had struggled with paint-by-numbers and color-in-the-lines. I couldn’t draw a straight line and my people were stick figures at best.