Page 5 of Lion Brothers

“Oh, so you think people only want to be with me because of what I can offer them?”

“Precisely,” she said. “I would remain cautious before I make any promises to the wrong people.”

I laughed it off. Tania knew a great deal about many things, but romance was not one of them. She was probably the last person I would ever take advice from around here. I finished my slices of meat and slapped my hands together before licking the grease off my fingers and beckoning for her to lead me away. She walked briskly while I sauntered behind as we made our way to the great library.

*

The library was filled with people who were studying various skills. Even hunters came here to hone their talents, reading up about the various habits of the creatures of Orestes, or techniques that would improve their aim. Tania always took me to a small room where I studied in solitude.

“How was your trip today?” she asked.

“It was fine. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. I opened the portal fine both times.”

“So, you did not experience the headaches again?” she asked.

I scowled and wished that I had never told her about them. “No,” I muttered. Tania pursed her lips and placed her hands in her lap.

“Divad, I’m worried that if you don’t get control of these headaches then one day something is going to go wrong. You don’t want to get lost in another world, do you?”

“No, I don’t, and I’m not going to. I probably just lacked sleep or something. It’s not a big deal.”

“That’s not for you to decide. Your mother never suffered from these headaches.”

“Yes, well, that’s Mom,” I said, folding my arms across my chest and wearing a sullen expression. “I really think by now that I’ve learned all I can from this place. Can’t I just be free to live my life?”

“No, you can’t.”

“But why? It’s not as though everyone else has to go through this.”

“That’s because nobody else is you,” she said. I sighed again and looked to the ceiling. There was a large tome sitting on a desk before me. Its pages were faded, and the parchment was heavy. Tania stared at it and then closed it, taking the book away. “Okay,” she said, “perhaps today is not the right day to study. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t speak about what is happening here. I know you never asked for this talent, but you have been blessed with it and you must learn how to hone it.”

“But I don’t see it as a blessing. Sure, it’s great to travel between worlds, but sometimes it feels like I’m more separated from the pride than I am a part of it. I just want to be normal for a change.”

A smile twitched on Tania’s face. “Unfortunately, you don’t get the luxury of being normal. Perhaps this is something you should speak to your mother about. She knows what it was like to be treated like an outsider here.”

“I know, she had to prove herself in the great hunt. I’ve heard the story a hundred times.”

“You’ve heard the story, but have you thought about how Kara must have felt? You two have a lot in common Divad. You should make use of her more often. What you can do is… it’s something that was foretold for generations. It’s a skill that was lost to time, and has been rediscovered again. It is something that can guide the very destiny of lions and Orestes itself. You can open paths to other worlds, which means more knowledge, more experiences.”

“I know what it can do,” I replied, bowing my head because I was getting tired of everyone telling me how special I was.

Tania must have noticed this because she leaned back and stopped speaking. “Go and speak with your mother. I think we’re done for today. Just try and think about what it must have been like for us to wait for someone who could walk between worlds. It’s so easy for you, but for the rest of us its akin to sorcery.”

I rose and turned away from her. I suppose perhaps there were times when I took this skill for granted, but the truth was that it was special, and I had always heard about the responsibilities I had. Maybe I was just tired of having all of them. Maybe I just wanted to get rid of it. I would never tell Mom this because it would break her heart to know that I felt this way, but sometimes I just wanted to reach inside myself and rip this part of me out so that I could be normal.

Chapter Four

Naaro

“I can sense you are conflicted about today,” Dad said. We had left the throne room and headed downstairs to one of the training arenas. In these arenas we could adjust the environment to be anything we wanted, which helped hone our skills in a variety of different settings. Today we were in a lush jungle. The air was humid and sweat prickled upon my skin. I wielded a spear and darted around my father, who stood motionless, parrying my blows with his expert reflexes.

“Divad thinks I am too cautious. Today a girl was hurt because I chased her. I wonder if I should have allowed her to leave us without chasing her,” I said.

“You have been raised and trained to protect the tribe, and your instincts serve you well. However, just because something is unknown does not mean that it is a threat to the tribe. In this instance she probably is not a threat.”

“And by bringing her here I’ve made the situation more complicated,” I finished his thought, pursing my lips as a glum feeling entered my heart.

“Do not fret too much. We all make misjudgments sometimes, and this one shall not have any great repercussions. We will see that she is healed and then send her back to her home.”

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