Free The Journey Home: The Ingenairii Series: Beyond the Twenty Cities by Jeffrey Quyle Page A

joking with me,” she said.  
    “ I’m going to leave this village soon, and Kendra suggested that I take you with me.  I’ve agreed that i f you can tell me what color my eyes are, I’ll take you with me,” Alec replied.   He motioned to Kendra to remain silent as she began to rise to object to his comments.
    The girl placed her hands on her chair and the wall beside it to keep her balance as she stood.   “That’s mean!   You’re an awful man!” Aja said loudly.
    Alec walked over to her, and placed his hands on either temple, holding her head still.   “ Aja ,” he whispered, “I have a feeling we are going to spend a long time traveling together.”   He unleashed his Healing energy into her head, treating the flawed optical nerve he detected, preparing her brain to begin to receive and process visual signals for the first time, then ceased the release of his Healer energy, increased the brightness of the light he created, and waited for her reaction.
    “Aaaah,” her voice started out in a low moan that rose in pitch and in volume, until Alec brought his fingers down along her cheekbone and across to her lips, gently shushing the noise.
    “My eyes are green,” he told her, as her eyes stared in astonishment.
    “This is Kendra,” his hands turn ed her head gently to see the other woman in the room, who waved at her.
    “These are the colors,” he sa id and he ada pted his Light power to create a miniature rainbow across the ceiling of the hut.   “This is purple, and here is red, then comes orange,” his fingers took her hand and slowly led it across the spectrum.
    “And this,” he waved, reaching for his Air energies, and fashioning a silvery disk of air and light, a highly polished , mirrored surface that he brought to float directly in front of the two of them, “is one of the most beautiful girls I’ve ever seen.   This is what you look like,” he told her, and stepped away from her as she stood silent, her eyes darting all around, examining every detail of her reflection, her fingers rising up to touch her lips and her hair and her neck.
    Alec backed away from her to stand next to Kendra.   The woman looked at him with teary eyes that were wide with astonishment.   “Your powers are without limit, my lord.   With all that you can do, why are you even here among us?   Why did you let us live when you first confronted our village?”
    “Kendra, we are all seeking the same goal, a world of justice and peace,” Alec replied, not sure how to answer.   “Do you think she’ll be a good traveling companion?” he asked, looking at Aja , who was crying as she continued to wordlessly look at her reflection.
    “That girl will be wrapped around your finger for a long time,” Kendra answered.   “Not forever, mind you, but a long time.”
    “ Aja ,” Alec called gently.   “I need to get some sleep tonight.   Tomorrow I am going to heal some of the women in the village, and then we are going to leave.”
    “We are going someplace, my lord?   You will take me with you? ” her eyes looked intently at Alec in the reflective disk.
    “I am on a mission, and you are going on the same road with me, at least part of the way, it seems, ” he answered.
    “I will plan to leave during the day tomorrow, so make your farewells while you can,” he directed her.   “I understand that you do not sing or make jokes during the day time, and I look forward to traveling with you under such circumstances.”
    She turned away from the mirror and stepped over to Alec, then fell to her knees.   “My lord, I am yours to command.”
    “Good,” Alec said simply.   “You keep that in mind.   Now get up off your knees, and tell me how big are you in the day time?   How heavy will you be?”
    “I am but a sapling, young and tender.   I am no great burden,” the girl cried.
    “Take one last look for tonight at the mirror,” he gestured, and a few seconds later, as she looked again in