Born Enemies

Chapter Eight: Amara

He relaxed slightly when he heard soft, even breathing coming from the pile of blankets on the other side of the fireplace, signaling that the owner had finally fallen asleep. "Neil," he shifted closer to where his friend was nodding off beside him, wrapped like a scroll in his blankets .

"I'm awake" Neil jerked up, his lids flying open as he stared unfocused straight ahead. Amara knocked him on the side of the head, gently helping him focus. It worked. He was now wide awake and groaning in pain as he rubbed at the spot he'd smacked. "Shut up and listen. Look what I found. " He showed them the black stone ring he'd found inside his storage ring when he was taking out his bedding, the ring which had been inside a dark brown pouch had fallen into his lap. "Is that a...?" Neil gasped in excitement as he grabbed the ring from him.

"Yeah, it's my mom's rift control ring," Amara confirmed. "s**t, you know what that means!!"

"Shh, keep your voice down or you'll wake him." He hissed, pushing him as his eyes jerked towards the sleeping Cel. Neil rolled his eyes, but he lowered his voice anyway, "We can leave this place." He whispered, the excitement in his voice barley contained.

"Yeah," Amara agreed, his eyes involuntarily flickering over to the sleeping bundle across from them, his hand playing unconsciously with the hilt of his sword. The Rift ring was a device that allowed the user wearing it to not better control the rifts and their landings while going on missions but also to creat makeshift rifts if their own. It also allowed them to communicate with the outside world, which proved very helpful for their clan. However, it was only awarded to those who had successfully succeeded in completing their coming of age mission. That was why none of them had such a device. His mom left her ring for him before she disappeared from his life more than sixteen years ago. Also, the reason why he was hesitating was that the ring only allowed the user to take one other living thing with them. It was a makeshift rift, which meant that it did not have the same level of energy as a Rift Storm to pull in more than one life form. They would be leaving Cel behind in this unknown realm. "You can't leave him behind, can you?" It was more of a statement than a question as he followed his gaze. He did not reply as his hesitantion was enough of an obvious answer. Neil sighed. The weight of his friend's infixation on a member of their rival clan was stranger than they both wanted to admit. It would take more than a good f*****g to clean him out of his system, that is, if he could be cured.

"Then I'm not leaving. Someone must be here to make sure you don't do anything stupid. " He said firmly as he grabbed his arm, forcing him to look into his eyes. "I can control myself," Amara said, insulted that he would doubt him.

"Can you?" Neil shot back.

"You're already conflicted to the point that you're not going to leave with me. If you can control yourself, then let's leave him behind. We owe him nothing, especially when he's our enemy. "

Everything his friend was saying was true, they owed him nothing and yet, something that was stronger than him was holding him back, connecting him to this man.

"I can't." He sighed, shaking his head. Neil cursed softly, his fear confirmed. This was no longer a teasing matter. His friend was in line to succeed in becoming the next clan leader. If anyone within their clan found out about the feeling he had towards a member of their enemy, they would cut off his head and hang it in the trophy hall. His status as being the son of the current leader wouldn't save him. Neil worried deeply about Amara, who was more like a brother than a friend to him.

"You can't stay here. I need you to return to our clan. They need to know where I am and about the unscheduled Rift Clouds. This could be a problem if the council can no longer predict this anomaly. " Amara was stressed and Neil knew he was right.

"When do I leave?" He sighed, accepting what he had to do.

"Now." Again, Amara confirmed his suspicions.

"The quicker you return to tell them, the sooner we can get out of here and I can go my separate way from him."

"Alright," without letting himself hesitate any longer, he slipped on the ring over his middle finger. At first, the ring didn't go past the tip of his fingers, but after a minute it grew, allowing him to slide it all the way down to sit snugly around the base of his finger.

"Right, since I'll be going first, he twisted off his storage ring and handed it to him. "You'll need what we've gathered this past week more than me. Besides, I can always gather more. "

Amara knew better than to argue, so he took it. "Just don't touch my books or toys," Neil warned with a wink. Amara gave him a disgusted look. "Just leave before I do something I might regret." His fingers closed around the ring before he shoved him away. Neil laughed quietly as he rose to his feet. "Try not to bite off more than you can chew." He warned with one last meaningful glance towards the bundle of blankets on the other side of the fire. Amara gave a slight nod of his head in acknowledgment. "Alright, be a safe man." He twisted the ring once clockwise and twice counterclockwise. Around them, the air compressed, gathering in one spot. There was a soft tearing sound before a shimmering slit appeared suspended in the air before them. They gazed at the thin rift in awe, then Amara was startled when Neil suddenly swooped down and hugged him tightly, almost crushing him. Then he released him just as suddenly and without saying another word. He jogged the short distance to the rift. His body went through, disappearing from his sight. The rift flexed, pulsing once then twice before it closed with a soundless explosion of air. Amara wiped at his neck, his fingertips coming back wet. He prayed that he would arrive back to their clan safely and in one piece. Gathering his cape around his large frame, Amara returned to his night watch.