Born Enemies

Chapter six: Amara

Two weeks, five days later, Amara and Neil had traveled through two cities, four towns, and one village. Their storage rings were now filled with food, equipment, clothes, and medical supplies they might need for their upcoming training. Neil was chatting non-stop, as usual. This time he was sharing a graphic detail of his decade. Amara ignored him. He did not need nor did he want to know about his friend's s*x life. They were close, but not that close. Instead, he was thinking about his own ever-growing s*x life. Ever since he lost his virginity with a bang, he now takes two to three whores to bed with him, so he hardly goes to bed alone. Each group of whores usually involved a guy or two, and yet he was never truly satisfied with any one of them. Try as he might, he couldn't forget about him. Speaking of which, his eyes twinkled with amusement at the vivid memory of him watching them from his window and how he'd hid from him when he noticed that he'd noticed him. His reaction was simply too cute.

"Stop" Neil's voice shattered his memory, his words confusing him. "What do you mean?" He asked, genuinely confused. "You're thinking about him again, aren't you?" Neil asked seriously.

"I don't know..." He began to deny it.

"Stop, stop. I'm your best friend. I know everything about you that your father doesn't know, so please do me the courtesy of not lying to me. " He pulled his horse to a stop, forcing him to follow suit. They were traveling on a well-worn road through a forest, heading to another town.

This was the last town before they made their way back home. It had been over a month since they left their clan house, and by the time they returned home, it would be time for their birthday and the official initiation on their road towards becoming the next clan leader. Amara drew his horse to a stop alongside him, his eyes meeting his. Neil held his gaze, daring him to continue his lie. He didn't. "I can't help it," he sighed finally, admitting defeat. Neil studied him for several long heartbeats in silence. "Do you like him?" He finally asked, sounding as if he feared the answer. Amara turned his words around in his mind, thinking about them from every angle. "I'm infatuated with him." He finally decided, at last, the word perfect for describing his current feelings.

"Maybe you just need to f**k him out of your system."

His words shocked him.

"But he's our enemy." He recalled Scandalized.

"I know, but you know what they say, keep your enemies closer."

"I don't think the saying means one to sleep with them," he pointed out.

"I don't know how close you can get without f*****g them," Neil countered.

Amara thought about it, then shook his head, "As I've said, it's just an infatuation. Give it time and I'll get over it. "

"Alright man, just looking out for you." Neil turned away and kicked his horse into movement.

"We're not going to make it to the next town before nightfall and the horses need rest."

"I agree. Let's find a water source and set up camp. " About two and a half miles later, they picked up the distant sound of running water and immediately urged their horses in that direction. The sudden breeze brought the sounds of voices to their ears. They looked at each other, their unspoken message received loud and clear. Together, they dismounted their mounts and tied the reins to a nearby tree, far enough so that the unknown people couldn't hear their horses. They began to creep closer to the voices, which became clearer the closer they got. They hunkered down behind a large bush and gently, quietly pushed some branches aside to get a clear view. "You have got to be f*****g kidding me." Neil hissed, surprised and annoyed. Standing in the middle of the clearing, was the very person who'd been hunting him. He was with the same group of people, but on this team, there were ten more new people he'd never seen. Though judging by the same golden sashes the newcomers wore around their waists, they were from the same clan. However, they were harassing the boy, Cel, and his group. "Why the hell are you doing this?" A girl cried as she tried to stop a strange guy who was much bigger than her from upturning a pile of food. The guy easily shook her off, shoving her onto the ground. She cried out in pain as she hit the ground hard. The two guys were fighting to stop four other guys from destroying the three simple tents that once stood erect. Another girl stood between Cel and another guy who was mocking him. "Do you think that you have what it takes to be a clan leader?" He was saying his loud taunting voice carried clearly through the clearing despite the other gracious sounds surrounding him.

"What the hell is going on?" Neil muttered, shocked by the fight that was happening before them. "How the hell am I supposed to know?" Amara snapped, then pushed him to be quiet. His eyes locked on the guy harassing Cel. It took everything in his power to remain hidden. The unknown man shoved the girl who stood between him and Cel to the side and grabbed Cel by his chin. Just like he'd done to him, he stood up unaffected before the guy, his eyes cold and his face filled with fury. "What the f**k is wrong with you Adam?" He snarled, slapping his hand away from his face.

"Your my f*****g problem, Celestine. The position as clan leader belongs to me. "

"Then just like everyone who'd fought for that position, including your mother. Compete for it far and square. Just because you are the son of the current leader doesn't mean you're for the position. That's why the trail is in place. " Celestine snorted. "You fucking..." He finished his sentence with a powerful slap across his face, the blow sending him to the ground.

Amara didn't realize he'd moved when Neil grabbed his arm, his grip tight. Amara looked at him, unaware of the murderous gleam in his eyes or the hard-line his mouth was set. "Wait just a little longer," Neil said, breaking the tense silence between them. Amara hesitated, but when he made no move to rise, Neil released him and they both returned their gaze to the scene before them. Celestine hadn't picked herself up off the ground. Instead, he sat up, his hand rising to look gently at the rapidly forming bruise on his once flawless skin. "You should know your place." The guy, who now had a death sign hanging unknown to him over his head, went on as he towered over his seated form. Celestine slowly picked himself up, rising onto his feet as his hand dropped from his face. Amara watched him, curious because he couldn't get a reading on him to guess what he was thinking.

"My place. Do you want me to stay at your place? Is that it? " He whispered, void of any emotions. "Does your girly appearance also make you dumb? Why are you repeating what I've said? " He began to laugh, but his laughter changed into a deep, unrecognizable groan when Cel swiftly kicked him between his legs, the blow making him fold forward into himself as he clutched at his groin. He reached out with his hand, his fingers threading through his hair to jerk his head up, forcing him to look up at him.

Amara felt warmth creep down his spine as he felt himself swelling in his pants at the fearless display of violence he showed with little effort. "Hum, so he wasn't afraid or ashamed to get violent." The thought made him remember the punch he threw into his solar plexus. If he hadn't had years of training under his belt and a body made of steel muscles, that punch would have dropped him. Something akin to pride swelled up in his chest and he clutched the hilt of his sword. "This is my place and that is yours." He yanked at his hair, making him cry out. "Call off your minions and get the f**k out of my camp." He shoved him aside and went over to help his friend up.

While Cel was hard to read, Adam on there other hand, he could read like a scroll. He was already moving the second he saw him pick up a stone from the ground. He was halfway across the campsite by the time he took his first step towards Cel, who, unaware of his intention, had his back to him. He sent him flying several yards before he could take his fourth step towards him. Everyone stopped what they were doing at the sound of Adam's painful cries, which came after the distinctive sound of bones breaking. He didn't mean to use that much force, but he wasn't sorry. "What are you doing here?" His voice was soft with surprise. He asked from behind him. Amara turned to him. His eyes, after over a month, finally met his honey-colored eyes once more. He didn't know what to say. Was it an accident that he impulsively defended him? He was saved from giving him a reply, one he wasn't going to give regardless of the sudden interruption of a deafening rumble over his head. Everyone present lifted their heads to look up at the skies to see deep purple clouds had gathered. s**t. This was bad. Clouds like that only gather when a rift is about to open between one or more realms. Such nominally were strictly watched and predicted by the council to avoid disappearance and control whatever from the side came into their realm. "Everyone..." Cel began to say as he hastily turned away to locate his firends, but it was too late. Strong winds suddenly gathered, taking up the destroyed camping equipment in the air and unearthing huge trees from the ground. Amara turned abruptly and reached for him, his hand grabbing onto his arm when a powerful gust of wind hit them, sending everyone flying. He felt Adam grab onto his free arm. Their hold on each other kept them together as they were knocked off their feet. Screams and shouts were disoriented, the powerful winds ripping the sounds from their throats where they quickly became lost among the howling winds and the groans of trees being uprooted. Amara held tight onto Cel's arm as Neil held tight onto him as they were tossed violently about by the powerful gale. Comforted with the knowledge that Cel wasn't going anywhere with the grip he had on him, he twisted his head around to take stock of the damage. The sudden Rift Storm wasn't even supposed to happen for another three more weeks. Did the council make a mistake in their calculation? He didn't have the time to think further about it as a tearing sound suddenly drowned out the painful whistling of the wind. The screech sounded as if a hundred banshees had gathered together. A wide gaping hole opened up in the air, hovering several yards above the ground and flexing like a starving mouth. Amara gritted his teeth as he felt a sudden yank from the flexing hole, the pull drawing them helplessly close to the large, hungry hole. "Amara, it's pulling us in!" Neil yelled over the noise.

"I know, can't you find something to hold on to?" He yelled back. Neil shook his head, his mouth set into a hopeless line. He couldn't dare lift his head to see what Cel was doing for fear that the uncontrollable wind would take his head off. He only hoped that at the end of the arm he held, his body would still be attached to it. There was nothing they could do but brace themselves as one powerful yank pulled all three of them violently into the rift. With a loud groan, the hole sealed shut, leaving them falling in endless darkness. Cel never made a sound, and yet, his arm was warm and solid in his grip.