Legends of Amacia The Caverias Rebellion
Chapter 50: The Race

The Race

Ten minutes after Josephine’s swim lesson started, Hanna and Selina lay reclining in the lounge chairs beside the pool, watching Josephine’s lesson. Selina rested her arms on the chair’s armrests, lying back at a thirty-degree angle. She watched intently as Elle, Andrew, and Arabella taught Josephine the finer points of swimming. Hanna also laid back at thirty degrees in her lounge chair with her hands behind her head and her legs crossed at the ankles in a sensual pose. A deep sigh escaped her lips while she closed her eyes. “Oh, man, I feel so good right now; tired but good,” she murmured. “I feel so at peace with myself.” Hanna yawned and stretched, arching her back while pushing her chest forward in a seductive display. “Oh, my,” she said softly after the stretch. “I’m bushed. Mind if I take a nap, princess?”

“Go ahead, sis,” Selina replied. “It’s not like I can stop you. I wake you if something comes up.”

“Thanks,” Hanna chimed, laying her arms across her belly. “You’re so good.”

“I know,” Selina answered with a giggle. She watched Hanna fall dead asleep in less than two minutes. “You really were tired, weren’t you, sis?” she purred. “Andrew must have worn you out.” Five minutes later, Selina dozed off too, unable to fight the fatigue brought on by her impromptu physical therapy session in the pool.

An hour later, Hanna stirred as someone shook her gently. “Wake up, sweetheart,” Harry’s voice whispered sarcastically in her ear. “Wake up.”

Hanna yawned and stretched as she opened her eyes, seeing Harry leaning over her wearing knee-length swim trunks and nothing else. He had a wry grin on his face as he looked at her. “Harry,” Hanna murmured. “What’re you doing here?”

“What do you think, sweetheart,” Harry replied sarcastically. “I’m going swimming. Care to join us in the pool?”

Hanna abruptly looked around and saw Selina not in her chair, but in the pool with Arabella, Elle, Andrew, and Josephine. Seconds later, she saw Hunter in the pool swimming laps. “What’s the hold-up?” Enoch called out emerging from the bathroom in thigh-length swim trunks. His hairy bare chest showed a number of scars eerily reminiscent of Hannibal’s scars. He stopped beside Hanna’s chair and looked down at her with a warm smile. “My, oh, my,” he chimed. “Look at you, so sleek and sensual there in that black swimsuit. It looks like Electra really found your essence with that swimsuit. It’s so you, and it’s so hot too. Come on; let’s get you in the water before you catch fire.”

Hanna blushed at Enoch compliment as Harry broke out laughing. “He’s got you there, sweetheart,” Harry cackled. “You’re so hot you’re volcanic! Hard to believe you used to be an ugly ape.” He offered his hand to Hanna, saying, “Come on. Join us ugly apes in a little swim.”

Harry’s sarcastic humor struck Hanna’s funny bone and she cackled loudly, laughing herself to tears. Enoch and Harry laugh along with her. When Hanna finally settled down, she said, “Sure, I’ve never swam with ugly apes before. This should be fun.” She grabbed Harry’s hand and he heaved her out of the chair.

Enoch put his hand on Hanna’s shoulder, looking her in the eye. “All joking aside, Hanna,” he stated sincerely, “You’re stunningly beautiful and what you’re wearing right now shows your beauty very well. I had no idea you were this pretty. Am I right, Harry?”

“Absolutely,” Harry agreed. “You’re every bit as pretty as Selina, and I’m not just saying that. You’re like a breath of fresh air. Now come on, let’s go swimming. I want to see how fast you are in the water.”

“Thanks guys,” Hanna replied gratefully. “I appreciate the compliments. It’s humbling. Thank you. Now let’s get wet. Is Kida coming? I know Selina would love to swim with Kida again.”

“Of course I am,” Kida called out as she approached from the bathroom. Hanna, Harry, and Enoch turned to see Kida sporting a skin-tight single-piece tan swimsuit made the same as Hanna’s black swimsuit. The swimsuit showed all her long athletic legs and accented her chest, showing the shape of her ample breasts while covering them modestly. Black tiger stripes lined the suit making it look as if the suit had been made from a tiger skin. She stopped beside Enoch with a broad smile, saying, “I wouldn’t miss this for anything. I haven’t been swimming with Selina since I was seven.”

A broad smile crossed Hanna’s lips upon seeing Kida in her tan tiger-striped swimsuit. Letting out a sensual growl, Hanna said, “You rock that suit, Kida. It’s so primal. I love it. Why didn’t you tell me Kida was really a tiger, Enoch?”

Enoch laughed and put his arm around Kida. “You didn’t ask, little sister,” he retorted. “But she really does look good in it, doesn’t she.”

“That’s an understatement,” Hanna stated. “She’s so hot she’s radioactive. Better get her in the pool before she sets us all on fire.”

“Come on, Hanna,” Kida purred, smiling ear to ear. “We’d better jump in before we melt everything down around us. I’ll race you.”

“You’re on,” Hanna replied enthusiastically, racing Kida to the pool. The pair dove in at the same time, coming up for air twenty-five feet from the side. They laughed and splashed one another playfully before moving over to Selina.

Harry merely stared at the pair, utterly taken by Kida in her swimsuit. Enoch saw his reaction and chuckled. Patting Harry on the shoulder, he said, “She’s something, isn’t she?”

“Yes,” Harry answered when he finally found his tongue. “You’re so blessed to have such a radiant wife, Enoch. I’ve never seen such a beautiful woman in my entire life. I knew she was a hottie, but damn. I burned myself just looking at her. I’m awed and humbled by it.”

“I know,” Enoch said with a soft chuckle seeing Harry’s blush. “Kida can be such a flirt when she wants to. Her beauty holds no equal as far as I’m concerned. Come on, let’s join them.” Harry nodded and followed Enoch to the pool, jumping in after Enoch. They moved over to Selina, Hanna, Kida, and Arabella as they stayed near the corner of the pool.

“So Selina, what do you think of our pool complex?” Enoch asked, relaxing in the water.

“These pools are amazing,” Selina stated. “And the water is so therapeutic too. It’s already helping my legs.”

“That’s great,” Enoch chimed. “We come down here often to recharge in the therapy pools like this. It’s especially important to do so when we’ve engaged in some strenuous activities.”

“Like the raid?” Hanna asked.

“Indeed,” Enoch replied. “Actually, that’s why I’m here. I’m still sore from our fight with the Emperor. The healer didn’t remedy the soreness in my muscles. It’s strange that it’s not doing it. I’m wondering if there may be something malfunctioning with it that’s preventing it from completing the healing cycle.”

“It may be,” Hanna stated. “You’re not the only one who noticed that. I immediately noticed it when I woke up after the raid. We’ll look into it later.”

“That would be a good idea,” Selina stated. “My legs not working properly are a dead giveaway that the machine isn’t working at one hundred percent. It should have restored my legs completely, but it only repaired the fractures as far as I know. The healer at Tiamat would have given me back the use of my legs. Something is definitely holding it back.”

“I wonder why?” Kida asked, sitting next to Selina as she supported herself on the edge of the pool deck. “It’s never really given us trouble before.”

“Who knows,” Hanna murmured. “Maybe there was a control circuit burnout like Josephine has. Or maybe one of the tremors damaged it. That’s why I need to check on it. But for now, it’s working well enough to help those we brought in from the Black Fortress. By the way, did Nemesis talk to you about Josephine’s short?”

“He did,” Enoch stated. “I don’t think it’ll be a problem. I told Elias to help Nemesis and Horace find what they need to do the repairs. That’s another reason I came down here. Nemesis told me Josephine restructured her tentacles into real legs. I wanted to see for myself.”

“Well go ahead,” Hanna chimed. “Jo’s right over there with Andrew and Elle. They’re teaching her to swim.”

“I believe I will,” Enoch said, swimming to the other side of the pool where Elle and Andrew helped Josephine learn to swim.

“How’s she been doing with the swim lesson, Arabella?” Hanna asked.

“Josephine’s doing very well actually,” Arabella stated. “One of the biggest problems she has is her physical weight. She’s top-heavy with those two extra machine arms, so she has trouble staying afloat in open water. Elle and Andrew found some floats to help give her extra buoyancy. Other than her weight, she’s picking up on the mechanics of swimming very quickly. If you look, you can see that she’s moving without Elle and Andrew’s help.”

Everyone looked, seeing Josephine slowly dogpaddling with Andrew and Elle right beside her as she moved down the pool. “I see that,” Kida chimed. “That’s great, and it’s even more wonderful to see that she has real legs instead of those creepy tentacles. That just wasn’t right.”

“I agree,” Arabella stated. “Those tentacles just didn’t look right.” As she spoke, Hunter swam up.

“Hi, mom,” Hunter called out. “How’d you get dad down here?” He stopped a few feet away, remaining neck deep in the water.

“He decided it was time for a swim,” Kida stated. “I had nothing to do with it. But I think he really came down here to see Hanna and Josephine. I think Hanna’s swimsuit blew his mind.”

Hunter laughed as he stroked the water with his hands. “I bet it did,” he chimed. “I saw you asleep in the chair when I got here, Hanna. I’m stunned at how good you look in a swimsuit. I must admit I liked what I saw. My little sister is a hottie, as I heard some of your friends from the surface say.” He blushed and apologized, “I’m sorry I said that, Hanna. It kind of slipped out.”

“Don’t be,” Hanna replied pleasantly. “I know I’m hot as an active volcano. I can’t help it. It’s the way Josephine restructured me in the mutation. But I’m just a volcano, whereas Selina’s a supernova. I can’t hold a candle to her, or your mom for that matter. Lynxian women are just drop-dead, to die for gorgeous. When your mom came out here sporting that primal swimsuit she’s wearing, I literally cringed at her beauty. You’re so lucky to have such wonderful, beautiful parents, Hunter.”

“I suppose I am,” Hunter stated with a chuckle. “I’m proud to be their son, and I’m also proud to have you and Selina as my aunts. You’re no Lynxian, Hanna, but you’re just as pretty as they are in your own way. Don’t put yourself down. You’re one hot tamale, as I heard Harry call you. And he’s right. You’re drop-dead gorgeous, Hanna. If you weren’t our kin and not a mutated man, I’d consider you in an instant. But that’s not the case. You’re my little sister, my hot little sister. Care to take a few laps with me, sis?”

Hanna shook her head chuckling, feeling so humbled by Hunter’s praise. “It amazes me that I get so much praise for my looks,” Hanna said softly. “Such admiration humbles me, which is a good thing. Thank you for the compliment, Hunter, and I’d be delighted to swim a few laps with you. Why don’t you join us, Kida?”

“I believe I will,” Kida purred, moving out into the open water. “Come on; let’s finish that race, Hanna. First one down to the end and back wins.”

“You’re on,” Hanna chimed. “You want to race too, Hunter?”

“You bet,” Hunter declared, taking up position beside Hanna.

“Selina, you judge the race,” Kida ordered.

“Right,” Selina replied. “Ready, set, go!”

Kida, Hanna, and Hunter pushed off from the pool’s edge, racing through the water. Hanna used a variety of styles to keep up with Kida and Hunter, who pulled ahead early. Arabella and Harry started cheering, getting the attention of Andrew, Enoch, Elle, and Josephine. They stopped what they were doing and began cheering too. Hanna focused her mind and body while swimming, drawing on her deep inner strength and stamina. She touched the far end ten seconds after Kida and Hunter made their turn, using her legs to launch back the other direction. Pushing to the limit of her endurance, Hanna slowly gained on Kida, who remained in the lead. Halfway to the finish line, Hanna passed Hunter and closed to within ten feet of Kida. Kida slowed, fatigued by the swim, allowing Hanna to pull up beside her as they came within thirty feet of the finish. Hanna tingled as she swam with all her might. Focusing her strength and will into one last burst of speed, Hanna submerged and shot ahead of Kida like a torpedo shot from a submarine. Everyone watched in amazement as Hanna surfaced at the edge of the pool with a gasp, touching the pool deck a full fifteen seconds before Kida.

“Hanna wins!” Selina crowed with delight as Hanna coughed, leaning on the edge of the pool heavily.

“Holy shit,” Harry breathed. “How’d she do that? I didn’t even see her pass Kida.”

Hanna continued to wheeze and cough, laying her head on her arms as they laid crossed on the pool deck. Both Kida and Enoch saw her distress and quickly came to her assistance. “Are you all right, Hanna?” Enoch asked with a concerned tone.

Kida rubbed Hanna’s back between the shoulder blades and said, “Breathe, Hanna. You must breathe. Relax and breathe.”

Slowly, Hanna got her breath back and sighed deeply in exhaustion. When she lifted her head from her arms, Enoch and Kida helped turn Hanna around, letting her lean back against the pool’s edge. “Remind me never to do that again,” Hanna said, coughing some more. “I almost drowned trying to win that race.”

“But you did win the race,” Harry stated, “You and Kida were neck in neck and you went under, looking like a torpedo in the water. You moved like a fucking fish. How’d you do that?”

“I did what?” Hanna asked as her strength stabilized.

“We all saw it,” Andrew stated. “Just as you passed mom, you went under and swam like a fish running from a predator. We didn’t even see you until you surfaced at the edge of the pool. It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. For a moment, you swam faster than I can.”

“It’s true,” Hunter agreed, panting as he swam up. “I’ve never seen anything like it. I figured you were fast, but that’s ridiculous. I’ve only seen the Sea Rex move with that kind of speed in the water.”

“I think you may have inadvertently triggered your elemental power in the race, Hanna,” Josephine suggested. “Your elemental powers are growing exponentially. This much I can see. When you pushed yourself past your limit, you triggered an elemental reaction much like I saw when you moved like the wind in your fight with the Emperor. You must be careful when doing it. Using hyper-speed underwater can have deadly consequences.”

“You’re right,” Hanna agreed wearily. “That has to be what happened. I almost drowned from it. But this is something new. I’ve only been able to do that sort of thing in battle when the rage is on me. Why did it happen this time? I wasn’t angry.”

“But you were excited and highly stimulated from the race,” Kida stated. “Your adrenaline levels may have triggered it. As I understand it, when the battle rage gets on you, your adrenaline levels go off the scale, which adds to your speed, and skills. Maybe you tripped the level necessary for what Josephine calls hyper-speed.”

“You may be right about that,” Hanna agreed. “I guess I need to experiment a bit with that to make sure.”

“That would be a wise thing to do,” Enoch replied. “But now that the excitement has passed, I suggest you just relax for a bit and swim a few laps without making a race out of it.”

“Maybe in a little bit,” Hanna stated. “For now, I’m just going to sit here for a few minutes. I’m wiped out.”

“Maybe you should get out of the pool and lie down,” Selina suggested. “I can see you’re so tired you’re about to fall asleep right there.”

“Good idea,” Hanna murmured, heaving herself out of the water. “I think I’ll just sit down for a bit.” She walked over to the lounge chair and plopped down in it with a groan. Stretching out, Hanna sighed deeply while watching the others return to their activities. Her head throbbed a bit as she dropped dead asleep within a minute of lying down. A soft snore rumbled out of her.

Enoch, Kida, Harry, Arabella, and Selina kept an eye on Hanna, watching her fall asleep before their eyes. “She’s got to be more careful,” Selina stated.

“I agree,” Enoch murmured. “Hanna still doesn’t understand the full scope of what she’s capable of. Until that happens, incidents like this are going to continue to plague her. We must find a way to help her tame those elemental skills.”

“But how do we do that?” Kida asked. “Hanna’s skills are unprecedented in humans. These elemental powers haven’t been seen since before the Kragonar. I vaguely remember reading about such powers from the Teacher. Only the Elder Gods of legend, the drakenites and drakens of the lost kingdom of Drakonia ever exercised them on the level we’re seeing in Hanna. How can she know such lost arts, much less exercise them as if she were born to them?”

“I don’t know,” Enoch stated bluntly. “But we must find out, and we must find a way to help her gain more conscious control over them. Every time she uses them, it’s by pure instinct. Maybe reversing her mutation will make it help her take better control over these mysterious powers. What do you think, Josephine?”

“It’s possible,” Josephine replied. “We’ll just have to wait and see. When I mutated her, I never anticipated her telepathic and elemental prowess would grow so quickly. I feel a bit responsible for her dilemma.”

“You shouldn’t be,” Selina reassured. “All you did was to get the ball rolling. What happened afterwards you had no control over. This is the Almighty’s doing, not yours, so you shouldn’t feel responsible.”

“Well, I’m going to help her deal with this when I reverse her mutation,” Josephine declared. “That’s a promise, though I have no idea how I’m going to do it.”

“Don’t you worry about that,” Harry called out. “I’m sure the Lord will show Hanna how to deal with these strange abilities. After all, He gave them to her. All she has to do is focus and pay attention to what He tells her.”

“I hope so, Master Harry,” Josephine replied. “I don’t want her to be destroyed by these elemental powers. She’s my friend.”

“She won’t,” Selina reassured. “Hanna’s job isn’t finished yet. And besides, she’s too stubborn to let them get the best of her.”

“I agree,” Harry chimed. “Hanna’s stubborn as a mule. Sometimes you need to hit her with a hammer just to get her attention.”

Everyone chuckled. “I understand,” Enoch said, smiling. “Thanks be to the Almighty she’s not letting that stubbornness become a liability.”

“Amen,” Selina agreed. “We just need to give her time to figure this out.”

“Very well,” Enoch stated. “While she’s figuring that out, I’m going to take a few laps.” He pushed off and started swimming towards the far end of the pool. Hunter fell in beside him while Andrew and Elle returned to teaching Josephine the fine art of swimming. Kida settled down beside Selina as Arabella and Harry started to swim laps too.

“You’re so lucky to have Enoch, Kida,” Selina murmured. “He’s so handsome and kind with such a gentle and understanding disposition. He’s like a giant version of Hannibal.”

“That he is,” Kida purred, putting an arm around Selina as they sat reclining against the edge of the pool. “He means everything to me. I wish I could have seen Hannibal before he became Hanna. I’m sure he’s everything you dreamed of.”

“He is,” Selina replied. “If you want to know what Hannibal looks like, just shrink Enoch down to my size, put more black in his hair, and give him many more scars. I know you saw Hanna’s scars when you treated her. Those scars are the same ones she carried as Hannibal. They’re exactly the same, except for the recent ones of course. Hanna’s had a very hard life and it just seems to get harder for her every day. It’s the friendship and love she has for all of us that keeps her from slipping back into the darkness.”

“She has my everlasting friendship and love,” Kida chimed, giving Selina a gentle squeeze. “She brought you and dad back to me and mom. Hanna made us a family again. She’s like the little sister we never had.”

Selina chuckled. “That she is,” she agreed. “But Hanna’s more than my little sister and kindred spirit. She’s my soul mate. I can’t even begin to express the love I have for her. It’s beyond words. As fun as Hanna has become to be around, I can’t wait for Josephine to reverse her mutation. I ache to hold Hannibal in my arms again. He’s my prince for whom I would do anything.”

“I hear you,” Kida said pleasantly. “Enoch is the same for me. Just as you and Hanna are soul mates, so are Enoch and I. The only difference between you and I is I don’t have the telepathic fusion with Enoch that you have with Hanna. In a way, it makes me a bit jealous.”

“Don’t be jealous, sis,” Selina replied soberly. “My telepathic fusion with Hanna is both a blessing and a curse. We literally get to feel each other’s pain on every level. That’s the one thing I hate about our fusion. When Hanna was recuperating in Acheron after escaping the Arena, I became deathly ill because of the pain we shared. It lasted for over two weeks. I thank God for my sisters in the Harem during that time. They took care of me, doing what they could to ease my pain. They became my lifeline through that trial and I became very fond of all of them. They’re my friends. I want to see them again.”

“It’s a little thing,” Kida purred. “Emma and Elias are going to bring them down here in a little bit, especially those who were found tied to those pillars. Both Dr. Drew and Arabella insisted that they use the therapy pools here.”

“They should,” Selina chimed. “The water is definitely affecting my legs. They’re now starting to tingle almost to the toes. It’s obvious to me now that the water you guys are using in this pool does have some healing properties.”

“That’s great,” Kida replied happily. “The water is finishing what the healer started. You’ll be walking before you know it. Come on, sis. Take a swim with me. I’ll help you stay afloat.”

“Okay, sis,” Selina replied as Kida moved in front of her.

Backing up to Selina, Kida ordered, “Climb on, sis. You can ride on my back while I swim.”

“This should be interesting,” Selina purred, clambering up on Kida’s back as she hunched over in the water. Wrapping her arms firmly around Kida’s neck, Selina settled into position. “Any time you’re ready,” she called out.

“Here we go, sis,” Kida declared. “I’ll go slow so you don’t slip off.” Selina grunted in response as Kida started swimming, keeping her head and Selina’s head just above the water.

“God, I wish my legs were working,” Selina whispered in Kida’s ear. “I want to swim beside you, not use you as a float.”

“It’s okay,” Kida answered pleasantly. “It’s no problem. Besides, this is how I taught Andrew and Hunter to swim when they were little. It started with rides just like this. Before I knew it, they wanted off just like you. Just relax and enjoy it. I can feel your legs are floating a bit as I swim here. You may try kicking them a bit as I swim along. The more you exercise those muscles, the quicker the water works.”

“Right,” Selina purred, relaxing and starting to enjoy the ride. Before long, she started to move her legs a little as Kida swam along. When Selina tired from moving her legs, she stopped and let Kida carry her. After five laps, Kida stopped, returning to the pool corner closest to Hanna and let Selina off. They reclined against the poolside and relaxed. “That was fun, sis,” Selina complimented. “I had no idea you were such a good swimmer.”

“I’ve been swimming nearly every day since Enoch’s dad rescued mom and me,” Kida reported. “They insisted on it since we live on an island. Back on Kaitia, we never really got the chance to do much swimming. I’m really bummed that the blue sun blew up and destroyed it.”

“So am I,” Selina admitted. “But I’m also very thankful Hannibal rescued us when he did. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be having this conversation and I wouldn’t have found my soul mate. Yet, I do miss it, especially our summer home in the mountains. I can still remember seeing the suns rising over the lake there.”

“I wish I could remember it,” Kida said softly. “All I remember of it is like a dream of the moons and the twin rings rising over the mountains. When I try to focus on it, the image vanishes like a mist in the wind. It’s aggravating.”

“I know,” Selina murmured. “At times, my memory of Kaitia becomes hazy too. But thankfully, we have a holographic record of Kaitia that I can pull up when I get too homesick.”

“I’d like to see it when you have a chance,” Kida stated.

“Sure thing, sis,” Selina replied. “It’s up in our room. We can look at it later.”

“That’ll be great,” Kida purred. “It’s good to have you back, sis.”

“Same here,” Selina agreed. She and Kida continued with some small talk while everyone else worked out in the pool and Hanna lay sound asleep in the lounge chair beside the pool.

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