After a long climb, Myla arrived at the summit of the ancient stone ziggurat. Here she paused to catch her breath.

Unbelievable! It took her at least fifteen minutes to do what Karawn had done in a matter of seconds. She leaned over onto her thighs. Her heart thumped and her throat burned. The sweat that was just beads before, dripped off her and splattered onto the rosestone floor around her boots. She glanced down behind her at the steep climb. A wave of dizziness hit her. She returned her gaze to the summit floor before her and frowned. Never seemed like the climb was that hard before. Although that was when she was a Daejic pupil, at least eight years ago. Mhm, this was some wake up call. It seemed her Mystik consular job had slowed her down some. Too many days of mental effort put into the written and verbal word, and not enough physical hard work to balance it out.

A minute or two passed. Her heart no longer raced and her breath slowed down to normal.

Myla lifted her head and gazed at the goldstone temple before her. It housed the shrine of Sonarum. A nostalgia passed over her. This place, located at the top center of the ziggurat, was a place of comfort, associated with many fond memories.The corners of her lips turned up a little bit.

A gentle breeze swept by. Carried along within it was the spicy smell of burning incense and oils. She breathed it in and sighed. It seemed as if she was twelve again. Oh, what a wondrous and mysterious view before her!

Upon pink marble pillars, which supported the goldstone portico around the Daejic Temple, were beautiful scenic carvings of a mysterious four-armed people. In between the pillars were gold-veined, white marble statues. As always, her eyes zoomed in on one in particular. There stood her revered aquan warrior of the forgotten past. So strong and confident in his stance. His handsome facial features chiseled and masculine. She blushed. He was her secret teenage crush and imaginary guardian warrior. That was until another came along to replace him.

Her eyes drifted to the athletic aquan in the shadow of her teenage hero statue. Karawn was very much like that warrior statue in appearance. It was uncanny. Hmm, almost as if they were related. She bit her lip. Oh, but that’s ridiculous! It was a mere coincidence. And come to think of it, the coincidence wasn’t that surprising. Of course she’d fall for the same aquan warrior type. She smiled as her eyes admired Karawn. He was her confident and strong aquan Ghost Warrior. Calm, cool, and collected. Always. That climb didn’t even phase him. Not one bit. A strenuous climb that drained her…

Wait… So, why had she made the trip up here? She rolled her eyes. Oh silly aquana, wake up! No time for daydreaming, there’s a Daejic rescue mission to be done. Her teenage naivety faded into the past, where it belonged. This dangerous mission required all of her focus. The lives of innocent Daejic pupils, like she’d been once upon a time, were at stake.

She wiped the sweat from her brow and plodded over to the marble pillar next to Karawn, then leaned her back up against it. The cool stone felt good against her sweat-soaked back. She closed her eyes. Oh Coraalon, if Karawn would only let her be for another minute or two. He had to know this wasn’t easy for her. But then again, he was a GW in tip-top condition. How would he know, unless he read minds?

“Hey, I knew you could do it.” Karawn strolled over to her with a cocky grin on his face. “Sorry, there’s no prize for second place though.”

Myla furrowed her brow, then looked away and groaned. Guess Karawn wasn’t going to give her that much of a break after all.

“No sweat, huh?” he asked.

“Uh huh, no sweat at all,” she replied with a hint of sarcasm, then pushed herself off the cool marble pillar.

“So, ya must be ready for the climb back down to the basement chamber. Where the entrance to the catacombs are.”

Her eyes darted off to the horizon. It was a long way down from here. Uh huh, and then there was the return trip back up. She faked a small smile and shrugged. “Oh yeah. No problem.”

“Right.” Karawn’s smug expression turned serious. “We should keep moving.”

Myla nodded and followed him to the Daejic Temple entrance. They entered through the double stained-glass doors into the antechamber of the temple. She gazed at the white marble walls and pink granite floor that were dotted with splashes of color. The colored-glass skylights in the ceiling along with the Padaeyan sun worked together like a kaleidoscope upon the antechamber floor and walls. Her lips flickered upward. The memory of her immediate irritations and anxieties melted away. Something about this temple always seemed to do that for her.

She inhaled deeply, then let it out. Oh to be able to breath cool air again. No more bustling crowd. No more humidity and heat, or skin-burning sun. “Sweet, sweet space,” she whispered, then glanced over at Karawn as they entered into the main temple chamber. “Oh, isn’t it just beautiful in here, Karawn?”

He shrugged. “Mmhm, I suppose the architecture is nice. But ya know the worship stuff…just isn’t my thing.”

“Yes, I know.” She pursed her lips. It was a little sad that Karawn had no faith. Did his mum and dah not raise him to believe in Coraalon? She sighed. Hopefully someday he’ll believe…

Myla glanced about the magnificent main chamber of worship. This place was such a marvel. From the clear skylights high above, rays of sunlight streamed down and bounced off the golden crystals within the pink granite floor. Coraalon must exist somewhere here. Maybe it was her imagination, but it always felt like a presence resided within the temple. But then again, it was a place of worship. So of course it’d feel like that.

As they made their way to the center of the temple and approached the shrine of Sonarum, another youthful vibe swept over her. Her spirits lifted with it. Felt like once again she were a young aquana, comforted by the shrine that had comforted her so many times before as a Daejic pupil. A lost and lonely Daejic pupil. One who had no close female friends and at times no one to confide in, not even her close childhood friend Malik. Yet, there was always this shrine. An old friend, and a very good listener.

With wide eyes she admired the featureless black granite statue that was the shrine of the Sonarum—the Daejic’s grand secret. There seemed to be some mysterious force that enveloped this shrine. An intangible force that beckoned to her. It spoke to her in an inaudible dialect. Oh yes, this shrine had a way about it which made her feel accepted, a part of something beyond the material world. Her troubles were almost always washed away. Even to this day.

Myla gazed up. Held high above the statue, supported within its four black granite arms, was a blue glass bowl. Water trickled down from the edges of the bowl as a fine mist. She breathed it in. So refreshing. She held her hand out under the spray of water. Cool clear droplets pooled together in the palm of her partially webbed blue-green hand. It was all so beautiful. So calming. It tempted her to stay.

She tilted her hand. Like fresh dew kissed by dawn’s first light, the water droplets sprinkled away into the fountain. “Oh Karawn, this shrine is so beautiful. It’s the one thing I love within this ancient temple. I almost don’t want to leave it.”

“Mmhm.” Karawn looked at the shrine and nodded. “It does kinda add an element of life, I suppose.”

“You just don’t have an appreciation for beauty, do you?”

His eyes roamed over her. Then Karawn flashed her a dashing smile. “Sure I do.”

She blushed and looked away. That innuendo wasn’t missed. It just didn’t feel fitting. Not in her current disheveled appearance. All sweaty, dressed in clingy, drab combat fatigues.

Again in silence, they continued on from the shrine of Sonarum. At the opposite end of the main temple chamber, they stopped before a fancy miros-plated barred gate. This was the locked entry point to the stairwell that led to their mission destination—the Forbidden Catacombs.

A cold chill hit her. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed one scanning her. She shivered. Oh those creepy, lifeless Custodians! They were the automated guardians of the temple gates that gave access to the Forbidden Catacombs. These frightening mechanical sentinels were programmed to come to life in the presence of someone bearing an invalid access code. Once activated, they wouldn’t stop until they detained the unidentified intruder. Usually by stunnet. She hugged her arms around herself. It seemed like the Custodians’ lifeless visors followed her every move.

Next to her, Karawn had his datadev in hand. He glared at the device’s screen. “Damn this thing! Why is it so infuriatingly slow?”

She relaxed her arms to her side and raised an eyebrow. “Ahem…the Arch Advizar did send you the codes?”

“Yeah. Just gotta wait for this piece of gumpf tek to reboot to retrieve them. It’ll be a minute or two.”

“Uh huh.” She stepped away from Karawn and glanced back at the shrine of Sonarum. It still beckoned to her. Or maybe it was all in her mind. The need to be by the benevolent object that comforted her as a young aquana. She wrung her hands and looked at the ornamental gate to the stairwell. That place didn’t comfort her at all. There seemed to be a foul essence that loomed behind it. Terrible things had happened down there beyond that gate.

Oh come now! She laughed to herself. This dark imagining is only a manifestation of the nightmarish tales the Dekas shared during her Daejic pupil days at the academy. Nothing more. It was time to grow up. Put the scary bedtime stories in the past to rest, where they belonged.

She glanced over at Karawn. He was still preoccupied with the datadev. A frustrated look was plastered on his face. She smirked. Karawn and tek. The two didn’t go together. She shrugged and stepped toward the gate, then stumbled. An alarming dizziness swept over her.

“Oh my!” She gazed down at her knees. For some reason they felt wobbly, her legs weak.

A sudden mysterious fog clouded her vision. Out of habit, her hand flew to her amulet. Her eyes widened. And she gasped. This couldn’t be! Her lucky charm necklace wasn’t there!

“Myla!” Karawn was next to her in a flash. He put his hand out to steady her. “Are you okay?”

“Oh no! Where is it?” She searched about her neck in a frazzle. Her beloved amulet…had she even worn it today?

Karawn stared at her with a mix of concern and bewilderment. “Where is what?”

“My lucky amulet!”

Tears pooled in her eyes. “Oh no! If I lost it—” Myla choked back a sob. “It’s a family heirloom...and I can’t stand being without it!”

Karawn ran his hand over one of his long head-tails. Then laid his hand on her shoulder. “Myla. Calm down, take a deep breath. When did you last have it?”

“I…I can’t remember if I even wore—wait a minute! Oh, that teenage serp who ran into me…I think he stole it!”

“Are ya sure?”

“Yes. Now I remember putting it on this morning.”

“Can ya remember what the serp looked like?”

“He—”

She lost it. Couldn’t hold back anymore. It was embarrassing. A grown aquana, crying. She turned her back to Karawn and wept into her hands. It was as if a good friend had died. In some ways, that’s what her amulet meant to her. Although most would say it was just some pretty crystallized amber with a pearl embedded within it. But to her…somehow it felt like a good friend. “Oh Karawn, if only I’d let you walk ahead of me from the start, then this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Now Myla…”

Again she jumped. Karawn’s touch was sudden. Unexpected. He wrapped his strong arm around her shoulders, and guided her away from the locked gate flanked with the Custodians. Through tear-filled eyes, she glanced up from her hands. In the near distance, there was a dark and quiet corner near several thick black-granite columns. It looked to be a private place, somewhat hidden. Karawn guided her toward it.

Behind a large black granite column they stopped. Feeling more ashamed and embarrassed, she again covered her eyes and wept. One strong arm pulled her forward, followed by another arm from the opposite side. It was Karawn. And he was doing the unspeakable. A display of romantic intimacy between two Daejic. They were in very public area. This was too risky.

“No…we can’t.” She gazed up and pushed against his chest. “What if someone sees us?”

“Shh…no one will see us back here. Or hear us. Just let me hold you.”

She nodded. His strong arms made her feel so safe and secure. How could she object?

Myla relaxed further into his embrace, closed her eyes, and laid the side of her head against his chest. Then listened to the solid thump of his heart. Constant and steady. Like him.

“I wish I was strong like you.”

“What do ya mean?”

“You don’t cry over stupid stuff.” She swallowed her shame and whispered, “Not like I do.”

“Oh Myla. Don’t be so hard on yourself. You just had something stolen that’s been in your family for many generations. I don’t think that’s stupid.”

She again nodded. Then buried her face in his broad chest. A calmness fell over her. Karawn was here, he understood her grief. She wasn’t alone anymore. But then she noticed his amulet against his chest and started to weep again. His amber amulet was almost identical to hers. Never seen another like it. Nor had Karawn, from what he told her long ago. It was the first thing he asked her about. In some ways, it was the icebreaker that had first brought them together. Now hers was gone, stolen.

In the distance, something clicked. She jumped. Could someone be watching them? Once again she tried to pull away, but Karawn held onto her.

His warm breath tickled her earflap. “Shhh…relax. It was nothing, love. We’re safe here for the moment.”

She looked up into his steel-gray eyes. “You sure?”

He closed his eyes and became quiet, as if listening. Then he opened them and gazed down at her. “Yes.”

Her face flushed. Didn’t he want her to check the sound out as well? Didn’t her ability to sense danger count as much as his? The tips of her head-tails quivered. After all, as a Daejic Mystik, her ability to detect certain dangers was just as sharp if not better.

Karawn ran his hand down her head-tails. She bit her lip. No! His calm demeanor and soothing hand wasn’t gonna work its magic on her this time. It just wasn’t fair! Her abilities counted just as much as his. Didn’t they?

Seeming unaware of her silent irritation, Karawn continued to stroke her head-tails. She groaned and relaxed into him. Ugh, this little aquana driven chip on her shoulder was stupid. Karawn was a GW officer, his surveillance abilities were top notch. A more than capable aquan, Karawn didn’t need her second-guessing him. She sighed. Besides, it felt good to relax and quiet her mind. Trust that Karawn had everything under control. Let him protect her. It felt so natural, there’s no need to fight him on it.

Karawn shifted his weight.

His movement jolted her back into the present. She frowned. Typical. Never allowed a spare moment together alone, it seemed. And now it seems the call of duty nagged at him. Commanded his attention. Honor and duty. GWs ate, slept, and breathed it. She wiped away her tears. It would be wrong to complain though. This overt display of affection in a public location was an unusual gift from him. Unusual, because the Daejic code forebode intimate relationships between Daejic.

She lifted her head off his chest and gazed up at him. Karawn was her loyal and dutiful Ghost Warrior. Torn between Daejic duty and comforting her. She reached up and ran her fingertips under his angular jaw. Karawn always tried to do what was right for everyone else. Rarely if ever took time out for his own selfish desires. She gazed at his amulet upon his chest. Then his tear-soaked combat shirt. It was tear-soaked because of her. With that, she grasped the end of her sash and dabbed at the wet spot. A pitiful attempt at best to erase the evidence of her shameful emotional breakdown.

Karawn grabbed her hand and stopped her, then smiled down at her. “Don’t worry about it, Myla. It won’t be noticeable after we go back into the humid heat and hunt that slimy serp down. He will be very sorry when I find him.”

“Oh Karawn—” She buried her face back in his chest. Then swallowed down her last sob. So this must be what it feels like to be Karawn. To be torn between duty and personal wants. She closed her eyes and again listened to the steady thump of his heart. It just figures! Caught between a rock and a hard place. Her personal want was for Karawn to be her champion and recover her stolen amulet. But then there was her Daejic duty. What about those poor lost Daejic pupils and the nightmarish creatures in the catacombs with them?

Well, the right thing was to first find those five lost Daejic pupils. This was their Daejic duty. She opened her eyes and groaned. It was her responsibility to follow her Daejic duty, just as it was Karawn’s. She covered his amulet with her hand and sighed. Her amulet would have to wait until they got back. She swallowed hard. Yes, she’d be fine without it for now.

Myla lifted her head from his chest. Her eyes darted about them. Good, they were still well hidden and alone. Because there was just one last thing. A substitute for her stolen amulet. And for luck.

Her smile faded and her lips relaxed. She stood upon her tiptoes and guided his head down to her. His warm breath tickled her lips and her heart quickened. But of course an undesirable premonition prickled her. What if someone were to see them?

She hesitated. Then moved her head to the side of his face and brushed her lips against his warm cheek. Not against his firm lips. Which was her true wish. Yet, it was better to be safe, than sorry. They had already risked too much at this point. And then to kiss, that was a seal upon their guilt. If caught. They must always appear platonic friends while they were Daejic.

“I wanted to…,” she whispered, “but it’s too risky in this public place.”

“I wanted ya to…but I agree. It is too risky,” Karawn whispered back.

She cleared her throat. “I think it’s time we get back to the mission. Save those poor Daejic pupils lost in the catacombs below.”

“Huh, now you’re the levelheaded one? What’s the universe coming to?” Karawn arched one eyebrow.

“I uh…don’t know.” She shrugged. Her throat felt so dry all of the sudden. “But we should…go.”

“I agree.” He nodded and released her from his embrace. “And I’m glad you’re okay with postponing the search for your amulet. Just until we rescue those missing pupils. Then we’ll find it. I promise Myla.”

Myla hid her disappointment. Karawn’s warm embrace was already missed. Oh, it would be so much nicer to stay wrapped in his strong, secure arms longer. Forever if possible. But they’d already delayed things for too long. Daejic duty called. She swiped away the last tear that spilled over her eyelids, and forced a smile. “Thank you Karawn. I believe you.”

Although it was unlikely Karawn would buy into her little act. This was the best thing to do, to appear okay with everything. “Okay. I’m ready to carry on with our mission. Let’s go.”

Without waiting for Karawn to respond, she turned and led the way back to the locked gate. Back to their dreadful destination.

Behind her, she sensed Karawn hesitate. But then he followed her lead.

She arrived again at the fancy locked gate, then turned to watch him catch up to her. This was the last time she wanted to lead. This time it was all for show. To appear confident about going down into the nightmarish catacombs without her lucky amulet. She wrung her hands. Well, maybe there was some merit to faking it. ‘Cause if she could fake being fine, then maybe she’d eventually feel it.

With datadev in hand, Karawn again checked for the code to enter into the keypad. He grinned. “Got it. Now just to enter it in.”

Myla held her breath. Stood stone cold still. A slip up on his part was the worst thing that could happen now—next to her already stolen amulet. All it took was one wrong entry and the now inanimate Custodians would spring to life. They’d bear down on them, stun them with their stunnets. She shuddered. Not a pleasant way to be detained at all. Just imagine having to wait for one of the Daejic Advizars to come and deactivate the Custodians and the stunnets. How awful!

Karawn tapped in a code. A green light flashed on the keypad, followed by a muted click. Her eyes darted to the Custodians. Myla watched them with sickening anticipation. A shrill screech sounded followed by squeaking. The fancy barred gate swung inward. It was a relief compared to those dreadful Custodians attacking them.

“Voila!” Karawn made a grandiose sweeping gesture with a bow. “You first, my dear.”

She gazed down into the endless black gullet beyond the open gate and frowned. “Really? Looks awful dark down there.”

Karawn touched her arm. “Hey Myla, I’m joking. I’ll go first.”

“Ha ha, real funny! Doesn’t this place have lights?”

Karawn removed two small cylinders from a compact karvorskin pouch on the side of his utility belt. These were collapsed lumesticks. With a flick of his wrist, he extended each cylinder out to its full one-ped length. They lit up. He handed one bluish glowing lumestick to her. “It should, but the place is so ancient. And no one really uses this access anymore. No one but reckless Daejic pupils lookin’ for thrills. Don’t know how they got by the Custodians, though.”

She stared at the motionless Custodians and shuddered. “Nor do I. The facial recognition program the Arch Advizar had installed should’ve been fail proof.”

“Fail proof until someone learned a way to deactivate it or something. But ya know how I am with tek. Wouldn’t be me.”

She giggled for the first time in what felt like forever. “Yes, I know Karawn. Nor me.”

Deep within the stairwell, a dim flicker of cool artificial light spread upward. The ancient lighting system apparently worked.

Karawn looked back at her and smirked. “Looks like we’ll have a little light after all. How nice.”

“Uh huh. I feel a whole lot better now.” She shot him a wry look.

Karawn chuckled low and stepped forward into the rosestone brick tunnel of the spiral staircase. He led the way down the dank ancient stairwell, which appeared wide enough to accommodate both of them, side by side. But that wasn’t going to happen. Her guardian GW was going to take the lead, protect her from whatever terrible thing could jump up at them from down below.

Myla hesitated at the mouth of the stairwell. Up from its ancient depths, a pungent musty smell like no other hit her full on. She covered her mouth and coughed. Ew, smelled like—she shook her head—nothing she could describe. Just smelled bad. Her eyes drifted back down to Karawn. He waited for her within the stairwell and seemed unaffected by the foul odor. She pursed her lips. Guess there was no other choice, but to get on with the rescue mission at hand. And deal with every unpleasant thing, one step at a time.

She entered into the stairwell, behind Karawn. Well, here goes that first step.

Next Chapter: Chapter 4