Exodus - The Khiara Banning Series Book Two

Seven

Cael

It takes much convincing from Khiara's parents, Cara, and her grandmother, to finally get the hospital to let us take her out and only because Cara's grandmother has a degree in nursing and because amazingly, the head doctor at the hospital is one of us. Transportation is arranged by the hospital, and luckily it isn't long before we're leaving the town of Serene Falls behind us.

Driving feels like a herculean chore, the road to Cara's grandmother's house twisting and turning through forests, and small one gas station towns. Verchiel and Cara sit in the back, and Tristan sits in the front with me. For most of the ride, everybody is quiet. We're all thinking about the same thing; Khiara's already at our destination. We're the last to arrive, after Leliel, Sam, Lisa, and my sister.

But then, suddenly, the silence is broken.

"Get your feet off of my leg, icky Vicky" says Cara. A glance in the rear-view mirror tells me that Verchiel has propped her feet right on Cara's lap, winter boots and all.

"Nope."

"Get off or I'll set your feet on fire!"

"No," replies Verchiel. "I'm comfy. And if you set my feet on fire, I'll rip your heart out and I mean I will literally rip it out. Mine would grow back. Yours on the other hand...well."

Tristan grumbles from beside me, "You guys, shut up. I'm trying to nap here."

A chuckle escapes me, surprising me. Laughing feels entirely foreign to me these days.

"Well tell her to get her gross boots off of my legs!" Cara whines. "They're all nasty from the snow."

Two consecutive thumps fill my ears, and another glance to the back reveals the sight of Verchiel's socked feet. She apparently has kicked off her boots. Cara looks furious.

"Oh my God, your feet smell!" She yells. "How do you have awful smelling feet? You're supposed to be this magical holy being."

"This is a technically a human body. We burp, fart, and smell as gross as the rest of you."

I hear some shuffling in the back, and when I turn around, I see that Verchiel is sitting properly again.

"Thank you," says Cara, clearly still exasperated.

"Ditto," mumbles Tristan.

"Truce?" Verchiel says.

Cara's silent for a moment, but then she heaves a sigh. "Okay."

A glance shows me that Verchiel has her hand out for a handshake. Good, I think, I can focus on driving again.

But a second later, commotion breaks out in the back in the form of soft repeated thumping. I stifle a sigh and look into my mirror, and Verchiel has Cara's arm by the wrist, and is repeatedly smacking her thigh.

"Stop hitting yourself!" Verchiel chirps happily.

"I am going to punch you in the throat," Cara says, deadpan.

Tristan groans in annoyance.

"'Stop hitting yourself' the angel declared! But lo the woman could not, for the angel would not let go of her hand! Despite the woman's protests, it said 'Behold,' and hung the woman off of a cliff, 'the land in which I grow my fucks, and see that it is barren!'"

The laughter that abruptly escapes me is so hearty that it surprises everybody in the car. I can feel their eyes on me, and I suddenly feel very self-conscious. It's not like they've never heard me laugh before.

"It's been ages since you've laughed like that though," says Verchiel, responding to my thoughts.

"No mind-mojo when I'm sitting right here!" Cara protests. "Leave thoughts well enough alone," she says, "but she's right. It was nice to hear."

The rest of the trip is silent.

When we finally reach our destination, night has fallen. We stopped too many times for Cara to use the washroom; apparently she has a small bladder. As we walk into the house, it's eerily calm. I feel as if everybody can hear my pounding heartbeat.

"Khiara's staying in here," says Cara, gesturing around us. My heart hurtles into my throat.

"The outbuildings are about a ten-minute walk away," says a voice from another room. "You'll all stay there, save Khiara – she's got Cara's room. They're heated and the beds are comfortable. We'll eat in here."

She walks into view, an elderly woman with dark hair and kind eyes. Cara's paternal grandmother. "I wish this powwow was happening for a different reason," she says solemnly. "But I suppose it is what it is."

Her eyes move over our group, and land on Verchiel. "Nice to see you again, Vicky."

Verchiel curtsies, and then does a strange little salute, causing crinkles to appear at the corner of the elderly woman's eyes as she smiles. "Likewise, ma'am."

She turns to me, then, and says, "Thank you for your sacrifices. I know this might be the hardest for you. Please know I'll take good care of our girl."

Our girl; I'm just a selfish creature who fell in love with somebody he should not have. So many people care for Khiara. I can only hope that all of this love is enough to get her soul back where it belongs.