Prologue
Prologue-- Purgatory
Sam’s view;
“I said no!” Becca stood in the center of the room, glaring at the Angel who had transported us to this beautiful place suddenly with no explanation. Honestly, I didn’t blame her.
We had been pulled out of what I would only call a scary situation, and thrown into one that was just as spooky and intense. There was no way we were staying here! Seriously? I mean, people didn’t belong in the spiritual realm. Not when they were still alive. Did they? And where were our bodies? How long could a body survive without a soul connected to it?
So, anyway, now, here I was, standing in this room that looked as if it was part of a palace, with these long flowing robes that looked like what a person wears when they sing in a church choir, watching Becca spit and hiss like a cat at the Angel who had just informed her that we would be staying here until they had a course of action against the Demons that were trying to kill us.
Shocking, right? But there was even more good news. Apparently, the demon who had taken over my body had been able to do so because of my Fae heritage. Who knew Faeries were more susceptible to demon possession when in the human realm if they were unprepared.
Then, the Angel had even looked down his nose at me and criticized my mother for keeping me in the dark about my true identity. I was outraged! I had been so shocked and surprised that I hadn’t even been able to come up with a good comeback. Until after he left us.
Then I had turned to Becca with my bewildered expression and done what any headstrong, angry teenaged Faerie would do. I puckered up like a baby and wailed for all I was good for. “How could she do this to me, Becca? My own mother hid my memories from me!” I sank to the floor, in shock and grief. “Who am I anyway?”
The thing that always made me believe Becca was a really good friend was the way she could just drop whatever worry or anger she may be feeling at the time to offer comfort to anyone who may need it. The girl seriously didn’t have a single mean bone in her body. I loved that about her. It made me proud to call her friend.
It was also her fierce sense of determination that I admired; like now. She was standing toe to toe with an Angel, no less. And she wasn’t afraid. No, that wasn’t even the right word! What she was at that moment? Well, the best word I can come up with was furious!
“You gave us no warning, Zeek! Not one!” she accused. “Not even a, ‘oh, by the way, we may need to take you into protective custody for a while,’ or anything!”
She threw her hands up in the air. “What are we supposed to do now? I mean, am I just taking a sabbatical from my life?” her voice rose as the frustration grew. “I am a junior in High School, for heaven’s sake! I cannot just put that on hold!” Then her voice wavered. “What about mom?”
There it was. For the last, oh I don’t know, half hour, she had comforted me and encouraged me not to panic or be upset. Now, it was her turn. Tears filled her eyes and I moved forward to try to comfort her. She held to me even as she continued to stare the beautiful Angel in the face. “What does she know? Does she know I’m here? Does she know I’m safe?”
I hugged her tighter as she finally let herself cry over the entire mess we just inevitably found ourselves thrust into.
Zeek, or whatever his name was finally had the good grace to seem somewhat apologetic for what we were going through. He took a step closer to us and reached out to pat her shoulder. “This will not interfere with your human life, Becca. I promise, when this is over, we will set everything back to as it should be.” He sighed. “But for now, I need you both to trust me.”
She held to me for a moment longer, returning my hug before she let go and stepped back a little. “Where’s Darethmar? Where did you take him?”
Zeek gave her a smile and I felt as if someone was getting ready to tell a huge lie. “He’s a prince, with obligations to his people, Becca. He was taken back to his home. You’ll be seeing him soon, I promise.
Now, maybe that wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the most upfront and honest response I’ve ever heard either.
Then as if his answer wasn’t enough to throw my hackles up, what he did next really irked the hell out of me. He offered us both a parting bow and promptly disappeared, leaving us alone in the middle of what seemed to be a deserted palace.
Becca groaned and moved to sit at the end of the bed on the far side of the room. She looked around with an exasperated expression before glancing at me. “If anyone had told me a year ago that I would be seeing ghosts, fighting demons and kidnapped by Angels , I would have told them they were nuts!”
I nodded, crossing my arms over my chest and looking around us at the room we were in. “I hear that!” I gestured at myself, shaking my head slowly, “I mean, look at me! I never in a million years would have believed I was a Faerie if it wasn’t for these wings.”
Even as I said it, I turned my head to glare at the appendages that were protruding out of my back. “I still don’t know if I really believe it. I’m still trying to figure out how in the world I’m supposed to sleep with them!”
Suddenly, I just felt exhausted. I felt like I had ran a marathon and then did a thousand jumping jacks. I don’t remember much after that. I only remembering feeling like if I didn’t find a way to lie down, I’d just fall over in a heap.
Just as well, I suppose. This isn’t my story tell anyway. Not really. I’m part of it, but Becca is the one you really need to listen to.
Watch for the next update! Coming Soon
Prologue-- Purgatory
Sam’s view;
“I said no!” Becca stood in the center of the room, glaring at the Angel who had transported us to this beautiful place suddenly with no explanation. Honestly, I didn’t blame her.
We had been pulled out of what I would only call a scary situation, and thrown into one that was just as spooky and intense. There was no way we were staying here! Seriously? I mean, people didn’t belong in the spiritual realm. Not when they were still alive. Did they? And where were our bodies? How long could a body survive without a soul connected to it?
So, anyway, now, here I was, standing in this room that looked as if it was part of a palace, with these long flowing robes that looked like what a person wears when they sing in a church choir, watching Becca spit and hiss like a cat at the Angel who had just informed her that we would be staying here until they had a course of action against the Demons that were trying to kill us.
Shocking, right? But there was even more good news. Apparently, the demon who had taken over my body had been able to do so because of my Fae heritage. Who knew Faeries were more susceptible to demon possession when in the human realm if they were unprepared.
Then, the Angel had even looked down his nose at me and criticized my mother for keeping me in the dark about my true identity. I was outraged! I had been so shocked and surprised that I hadn’t even been able to come up with a good comeback. Until after he left us.
Then I had turned to Becca with my bewildered expression and done what any headstrong, angry teenaged Faerie would do. I puckered up like a baby and wailed for all I was good for. “How could she do this to me, Becca? My own mother hid my memories from me!” I sank to the floor, in shock and grief. “Who am I anyway?”
The thing that always made me believe Becca was a really good friend was the way she could just drop whatever worry or anger she may be feeling at the time to offer comfort to anyone who may need it. The girl seriously didn’t have a single mean bone in her body. I loved that about her. It made me proud to call her friend.
It was also her fierce sense of determination that I admired; like now. She was standing toe to toe with an Angel, no less. And she wasn’t afraid. No, that wasn’t even the right word! What she was at that moment? Well, the best word I can come up with was furious!
“You gave us no warning, Zeek! Not one!” she accused. “Not even a, ‘oh, by the way, we may need to take you into protective custody for a while,’ or anything!”
She threw her hands up in the air. “What are we supposed to do now? I mean, am I just taking a sabbatical from my life?” her voice rose as the frustration grew. “I am a junior in High School, for heaven’s sake! I cannot just put that on hold!” Then her voice wavered. “What about mom?”
There it was. For the last, oh I don’t know, half hour, she had comforted me and encouraged me not to panic or be upset. Now, it was her turn. Tears filled her eyes and I moved forward to try to comfort her. She held to me even as she continued to stare the beautiful Angel in the face. “What does she know? Does she know I’m here? Does she know I’m safe?”
I hugged her tighter as she finally let herself cry over the entire mess we just inevitably found ourselves thrust into.
Zeek, or whatever his name was finally had the good grace to seem somewhat apologetic for what we were going through. He took a step closer to us and reached out to pat her shoulder. “This will not interfere with your human life, Becca. I promise, when this is over, we will set everything back to as it should be.” He sighed. “But for now, I need you both to trust me.”
She held to me for a moment longer, returning my hug before she let go and stepped back a little. “Where’s Darethmar? Where did you take him?”
Zeek gave her a smile and I felt as if someone was getting ready to tell a huge lie. “He’s a prince, with obligations to his people, Becca. He was taken back to his home. You’ll be seeing him soon, I promise.
Now, maybe that wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the most upfront and honest response I’ve ever heard either.
Then as if his answer wasn’t enough to throw my hackles up, what he did next really irked the hell out of me. He offered us both a parting bow and promptly disappeared, leaving us alone in the middle of what seemed to be a deserted palace.
Becca groaned and moved to sit at the end of the bed on the far side of the room. She looked around with an exasperated expression before glancing at me. “If anyone had told me a year ago that I would be seeing ghosts, fighting demons and kidnapped by Angels , I would have told them they were nuts!”
I nodded, crossing my arms over my chest and looking around us at the room we were in. “I hear that!” I gestured at myself, shaking my head slowly, “I mean, look at me! I never in a million years would have believed I was a Faerie if it wasn’t for these wings.”
Even as I said it, I turned my head to glare at the appendages that were protruding out of my back. “I still don’t know if I really believe it. I’m still trying to figure out how in the world I’m supposed to sleep with them!”
Suddenly, I just felt exhausted. I felt like I had ran a marathon and then did a thousand jumping jacks. I don’t remember much after that. I only remembering feeling like if I didn’t find a way to lie down, I’d just fall over in a heap.
Just as well, I suppose. This isn’t my story tell anyway. Not really. I’m part of it, but Becca is the one you really need to listen to.
Watch for the next update! Coming Soon
When I opened Sam’s door, it was to find everything in her room just as it had
been last time we’d been there. Her clothes were in the closet. Her computer was
on her desk. Her bed wasn’t even made. It felt seriously creepy to be in a house
where every other possession was gone, but her room still had everything in
it.
I stood in the center of the room and turned in a slow circle,
taking everything into account. This was just too crazy! Why would she leave her
things? She wouldn’t. I knew she wouldn’t willingly turn away from the things
she deemed the most important. Like her paintings. She loved them. I had heard
it in her voice when she’d talked to us about creating them.
A strange
twinge started deep in my stomach. I moved to stand in front of the first
picture. It was the painting of a Unicorn; a suddenly very familiar Unicorn.
Actually, it was more than just familiar to me. It was something I could feel
was so very important I couldn’t ignore it. I stared at it, waiting, hoping for
something; but what?
It was then, I heard him. His voice was
deep and patient as he offered advice. ‘Relax, Rebecca. To remember what
you’ve forgotten, you must first let go of your worry. Stressing over it will
not bring the memory back. Instead, it will push it further away. I felt
the breath on my neck, his voice in my ear, speaking in a soft tone that sent
goose bumps down my spine.
When I looked toward the voice, there was no
one there. Well, he was there. He just wasn’t showing himself to me yet. I felt
a slight touch of unease because I had no clue who, or more to the point,
what he was. He could be a ghost. Or maybe he was Demon. Even as I
considered the possibility, I dismissed it. No, he wasn’t a demon. He didn’t
have the smell.
Taking a deep breath I turned and moved slowly to the
next picture. There was something to these pictures. I just knew it. As I stared
at the next picture, a nagging pain started in the back of my head. Groaning I
rubbed it but kept staring at the painting. It was another image of the
silvery-white unicorn. But this time, there was a rider on his back.
I
stared hard at the person. Long dark brown, almost black hair and a stern
expression seemed to gaze back at me. Eyes the color of the greenest forest held
me immobile. The pain in my head grew worse and I gasped as I brought my hands
to my temples. I knew this person! I just had to know him. But who was he? And
why would trying to remember him bring me such pain?
Suddenly, I felt
gentle hands on my upper arms. And the voice became even more real as the
mystery man supported me. Breathe, Rebecca. Just breathe through it and let
the pain wash over you. It will fade if you don’t let yourself tense
up.
I trusted this voice. His hands were warm on my shoulders and
his presence was comforting, like Zeke’s had been when I first met him.
Following his direction, I took a deep steadying breath and closed my eyes. I
don’t know how long I stood there, eyes closed and breathing deeply but the pain
passed and when I opened my eyes to focus on the face in the painting, tears
filled them; Darethmar, the prince of the Elfin realm.
For
several seconds I just stood there, staring. He was the one who had told me he
cared for me. He wanted to court me. I know it sounds silly in this day and age,
but those were the words he’d used. What was worse was I had believed him. But
then, he disappeared; my memory was wiped of him. No! Not just the memory of him
had been taken from me, but the memory of the entire realm.
Gasping, I
clutched my hand, looking down at the finger where the ring my father had given
me when mom had told me he was alive and I had been able to go see him. The ring
was supposed to have been a way for me to let him know I was coming to visit so
he could meet me. I brought my hand to my mouth in an attempt to stifle the sob
that wanted to escape me.
A gentle tightening of the hands on my
shoulders reminded me that I was being helped by a stranger. I took a deep
breath and turned slowly, wondering if it was perhaps another ghost who stood
behind me.
Eyes the color of turquoise met mine when I turned to look
up at him. His face was beautiful with a smile that was sympathetic and filled
with kindness. Wavy black hair as shiny as a polished onyx stone fell past his
shoulders. His face was smooth and perfect, his smile gentle and sympathetic.
Just his face made him beautiful.
The wings . . . Now that made him
intimidating. Huge black wings sprung from his back and rose almost to the
ceiling. Is intimidating even the right word? I’m not sure. Maybe a better
description would be terrifying! He was an Angel. That much was obvious. But he
was bigger than Zeke and I had to admit, where Zeke looked harmless in white,
this guy seemed almost threatening with all the black with streaks of white and
gold laced through lower feathers.
Were his wings different for a
reason? Was it a status marker? He was taller and bigger with fancier wings, so
he was – what? An Archangel? Maybe… A Herald? I doubted it. How many different
kinds of Angels were there, anyway? I couldn’t suppress my smirk as I considered
inwardly, he certainly wasn’t a cherub.
Almost instantly, he laughed
aloud and I stared at him in shocked silence. I didn’t know how to react. “I
most definitely am not a cherub. Let us vanquish that notion from your
mind right now.”
I had forgotten I had been standing so close to the wall
until I moved to step back from him and came up flush against it. I swallowed
nervously while I struggled to find something to say. Why did he make me so much
more nervous than Zeke did? He wasn’t evil. If he had been, wouldn’t I have
smelled the sulfur smell I always encountered when there were Demons
around?
He nodded and stepped back a little to give me some space. “If
I were evil, you would most certainly know. However, I am not. I am an Angel,
and I came to help you.” His expression was patient and kind. And his smile was
almost enough to make me forget the ordeal I was in the middle of.
His
gaze went to the picture above my head and his jaw clenched. “Certain parties
decided what was best for you was to forget some parts of your recent history.”
He rolled his eyes before glancing back at me. “I don’t agree. Wiping your
memory was neither sanctioned or approved by those in charge and I have been
given leave to help you recover what you’ve lost.”
I knew I was staring
at him in a way that must have made him wonder if he had grown two heads, but
the truth was I had to think carefully through what he was saying because it was
disconcerting to be so close to him. Plus I was still reeling from the
realization that someone had played with my mind.
When I was certain I
understood what he was saying, I asked, “Who would do this to me? Why?” I hated
myself at that moment, because I heard the emotion in my voice even as I felt
the tears slip past my eyes to slide down my cheeks. I felt like a weak fool. It
wasn’t fair. Hadn’t I done everything I was supposed to?
I had accepted
my fate to become a person cursed with this awareness mojo. I had
agreed to try to help ghosts find their way to the light. I had even been brave
and dealt with the whole, Demons will come after you now, thing. What
more was I supposed to do? Was losing my memory of someone I had a fairly
serious crush on who just happened to be Fae enough? Or was I going to be
expected to give up everyone I cared about?
I opened my mouth to ask
that question but then I saw the answer out of the corner of my eye. My vision
blurred as the tears started falling faster. In the doorway, with almost blank
expressions on their faces was my best friend, Rachel and my newer friend,
Corey. I had known Rachel for as long as Mom and I had lived here. Corey, I had
met a couple of weeks ago when I had helped her ignore a pesky little demon that
could easily have passed for Dobby’s evil twin, complete with bat wings. She was
a recovering drug addict and had told me she had been clean for over a year, but
the voice in her head was just sometimes really hard to fight.
Little
had she known, the little voice in her head had actually been about two foot six
and just as evil as the invisible stars from Amityville. Honest to goodness, I
have no clue if that movie was real or just something thrown together from the
imaginations of people spooked by murders committed by a troubled young man who
wanted to blame the devil.
But I did know, beyond a shadow of a doubt,
the voice inside Corey’s head was nowhere near her brain, but operating
completely free of her body with a consciousness all his own. He had attacked my
favorite teacher, Miss Elliot. I still have a bone to pick with that little
jackal. But that was a different subject for a different time.
At the
moment, I was struck dumb once again by the sight of my two friends, standing
immobile in the doorway. I couldn’t stop myself from walking over to them and
looking closer. It was as if they were frozen. They didn’t breathe, their eyes
didn’t blink. It was as if time was standing still for them.
“It is.” The
beautiful Angel answered as if I had asked him a question. “When we are done,
they will be returned to their homes with no memory of ever setting foot inside
this house.
Turning back to look at him, I asked the question that if I
was honest with myself, I already knew the answer to. “They can’t know about
you, can they?” My heart sank as I realized, once again, that there were things
about my life that I could never share with the ones closest to me.”
His
eyes filled with compassion. “Do you really want them to? Even if it might
endanger them to know the truth of it all?” he sighed. “Knowing the reality of
me also opens them up to the Demons you have begun to have to deal with. Those
doors, once open are nearly impossible to close.”
Fear for my friends
made my anger fade and my shoulders slumped. “Send them away now, then. I don’t
want to have to keep seeing them like this.” I answered softly, turning away
from them completely. “It hurts to see them like that.”
With a silent nod
and a wave of his hand, my two friends who had come inside Sam’s house with me,
disappeared. I stared at the empty doorway for a few moments before looking back
to him. “Will they be okay? I mean, you didn’t do anything crazy with them like
drop them on their heads outside their houses?”
The beautiful winged man
in front of me shook his head and offered me a smile. “Rachel dropped you off at
your house first, because you live the furthest away. Corey went with her to her
house and Rachel is at this moment helping her study for an exam she’s unsure
of.” His wings stretched a little, drawing my attention, even as he continued to
speak. “That is what they will remember.”
I pulled my gaze from the
black, white and gold feathers to look back at his face. It was an honest
expression he gave me and I felt myself relax. “Thank you.” I was grateful he
sent them away safely. Then I realized I had no idea what his name was. “Who are
you?”
Bowing a little he introduced himself. “I am Narvozivar. I am one
of your Guardians and had I known what was about to be done to you, I would have
made myself known sooner.” To those who are like me; bad with pronouncing crazy
words, that name is spoken as Nar-Vo-ZEE-Var. Whoever translated Angels names
has got to be foreign.
I watched him, feeling more relaxed
than I had just seconds ago. I attributed it to the fact that my friends were
gone and I didn’t have to see them frozen stiff and know they would remember
nothing later. Actually, the feeling I was having now was pretty amazing.
Suddenly I didn’t seem so upset about my new knowledge of what was happening to
my memory. I pondered that even as I stood there listening to his words.
Actually, when I thought about him, I found myself wondering why he had not
introduced himself to me in the beginning when Zeke did. I considered asking him
that very question but found I didn’t need to voice it.
“Zeke is a
trainer, if you will.” His voice flowed over me like warm caramel, wrapping me
in a sense of security and comfort. It felt odd to be surrounded in such
emotions when I was almost certain anyone else in my place would be feeling
panic and fear. “When a person feels the awakening, as you did, he is the first
of us to greet them. The others must wait until they have had time to get used
to their new abilities.”
Well that made sense. I guess. I could easily
remember how overwhelming it had been to me. It was just weeks ago I had
discovered my gift and I can well imagine that it would have been just
a tad too much to have to come to terms with not one, but two Angels. I
found myself smiling happily up at Narvozivar even though part of me was a
little confused at how suddenly I had gone from being upset to thinking
everything was peachy.
“What are you doing to me?” I asked in a happy
voice. Ick! I did not just say that in a sing-song manner. Did I?
Narvozivar watched me closely as he answered. “I am one of your Guardians. It is
my duty to help sooth you when I can. Many times, I cannot do such things
because of the dangers you will face as one who has the Awareness.” He
shrugged. “But for now, you are in no immediate danger and you seemed to need
it.”
The sensible side of me felt shocked and repulsed while my physical
self smiled at him like a moron and giggled. Seriously, I very nearly snorted
before I answered,“Oh-kee-Doe-kee!” Oh my stars! I was horrified! Absolutely
horrified at myself, but I just couldn’t seem to stop the behavior. “Your little
Angel touch mumbo-jumbo has made me a little woozie kookie, cutie!” Would
someone just shoot me now, please?
Taking a deep breath, I tried to
rectify the situation before I made a complete ass of myself. “I think maybe I
need to go bed and get in home.” My eyes widened as I registered the smile that
was growing on my Guardian Angel’s face. I could feel my cheeks burning and I
just wanted to be invisible. Clearing my throat I pointed at him. “You’re why is
this happening? You’re my guardian?” he nodded. “Well, you’re not doing a very
good job, now are you? I mean, look at me!” His eyebrows rose as if in question
and I gestured clumsily to myself. “I’m intoxicatedbid, I mean intoxicabeded! I
mean intobeaxeded!” I threw my hands up in the air and tried an easier word.
“I’m drunk!”
That’s what it felt like, anyway. I was getting drunker by
the minute and I swear that was how I sounded! I had to be drunk! Either that or
I had become a complete imbecile! What made it even worse was the fact that this
drop dead gorgeous Angel dude was almost laughing at my attempts to communicate
with him. Angrily, I shook the finger that was still pointed in his direction.
“Hey! I’m not like normally this! You’re doing purpose this on! Just admit now
it!”
He held up his hands as if in surrender. “I do not make a habit of
intoxicating my charges, no! But, you were severely distressed and in my need to
ease your discomfort, I may have relaxed you a little too much.” He gave me
another, almost apologetic smile. “I’m truly sorry.”
I tried my best to
glare at him, but the fact that I couldn’t even stand up straight anymore was a
big problem. “Well, you home me take! Seen I can’t be this like!” Oh great! Now
I sounded like Yoda from Star Wars! If I hadn’t been as drunk as a skunk I would
have stomped my foot to prove how mad I was. But instead, I did the next best
thing. I promptly passed out.
Sneak Peak for Sensations,
I saw her falling. I watched, helplessly as she tumbled down toward the river. MY breath caught as I saw her leg strike a tree trunk and I heard a terrible cracking sound as it hit
Then she was lying at the bottom of the hill, unconscious and bloody. My heart hurt for her. I could barely wrap my mind around the pain she must be in with her leg broken in such a way. For all intents and purposes, she looked very much dead. I could almost believe she was. As I felt myself losing hold on the dream, it occurred to me; If I didn’t tell the cops where to find her soon, she would be.
I woke up feeling extreme panic. My heart was pounding and I felt absolutely sick. That dream. Poor Hailey was in bad shape; and with my dream, I knew just what had happened. What was more, I knew where she was. I once had a friend who once lived out by that creek. I was familiar with the sometimes steep incline.
Unfortunately, knowing where she was didn’t solve my dilemma. Now I had to figure out how to talk to someone at the Austin Police station about where she was and how to find her. That was a sobering thought. How do I do that? Or actually, the right question was; how do I tell the cops how to find her without giving away my secret?
Sitting up, I threw back the covers and walked soundlessly to my closet. This had to be one of the craziest ideas I had ever had, but it was the only thing I could think to do. After getting dressed, I pulled my hair into a ponytail and left my room quietly.
Grabbing Mom’s keys off the counter I wrote her a quick note explaining I knew where the girl was and that she was still alive. If she woke up, I had my cell phone. She could call and grumble at me. But I silently hoped she’d sleep through and I’d be back in my bed as soon as humanly possible. I still had school tomorrow, after all.
When I got behind the wheel of my mothers wonderful car, I sat there for a minute just contemplating what I was going to do. When I called the cops, exactly what was I going to say? How was I going to play this off as something oh-so-NOT- mystical.
With a quick shake of my head, I started the car. I just needed to shut up and do this. When it came down to it, I knew Hailey’s mother would care less how I found her and more that she was safe. At least I hoped she was.
I drove from Buda to Austin in silence. I didn’t want or need any distractions. My mother may have been an understanding woman, but if I had done any damage to her car in my late night escapade, I might be in danger of becoming a ghost myself.
Although it was night, the traffic on I-35 was busy and I had to let my attention stay on the traffic around me. When I finally reached the exit onto William Cannon, I was relieved to be getting off the busy interstate. Of course, that relief was foreshadowed by my feelings of impending doom I was dealing with.
It didn’t get any better. Actually, as every mile took me closer to the turn-off leading to the creek my already raw nerves had my entire body shaking worse than I would have if I had been stuck in the middle of a blizzard.
William Cannon was a fairly busy road too. I was pretty sure the first turn I needed to take to get me close to where Hailey had fallen was Onion Creek Drive. As I turned down that street, I took the drive that would lead me closer to the creek.
There was a dirt road; it went in closer to the creek. I was certain, that was the road Hailey had been on, so I took it. My friend had used that same road on her way to and from school all the time. She always told me it wasn’t necessarily the safest place to be, but it beat taking the long way around. If you were walking to school, it saved you a good twenty minutes when it came to getting to classes in time.
I clicked my tongue when I thought of Tara, wishing I had done a better job keeping in touch with her. We had met in church when we had moved out here. We had become pretty good friends. I had gotten familiar with the area because I used to spend almost every other weekend with her for a few years. Honestly, that was a while back now. I hadn’t seen her in so long, I found myself wondering how she was now. Her parents had taken her and moved to Seattle about a year ago and I had lost touch with her.
My eyes narrowed on a certain spot on the dirt road. Slowing down, I pulled up close enough to keep my headlights on the area. This seemed familiar. I recognized it from both my dream and my past. I sighed as I reached into the glove compartment. I’d never tell her, but Hailey was lucky I was familiar with this place. I may seem like a wayward teenager sometimes, but there was no way I would be out here, trudging around in the forest surrounding the creek in the dark if I didn’t have at least a vague memory of where the hell I was!
I made sure my cell phone was in my pocket. I checked the flashlight to make sure it worked, grabbed the bag of water and food I had brought with me. It was nothing fancy; saltine crackers, some grapes, and four twenty ounce bottles of water. Worst case scenario; she’d be unconscious and I wouldn’t need it. Best possibility; she would wake up when I reached her and be extremely thirsty.
Turning off my headlights, I put the car keys in the other pocket of my jeans as I got out of the car and locked the door. “Here goes nothin’.” I whispered as I began to make my way cautiously down toward the area where I thought she might be. I used the flashlight to watch where I was going and before I knew it, I was standing at the edge of what could have been a steep incline.
It was actually the edge of where the river would normally meet the bank. But because all of Texas has gone without a decent amount of rain lately and we are in the middle of a drought, the water level of the creek was down extremely low. Lately, there had been some rain, but so far, all it had accomplished is to make a muddy mess of places like this. Riverbed mud is not like regular mud. In some cases, it’s really quite like quicksand.
“Okay, Hailey,” I whispered. “If you’re down here, I need you to show me where.” I moved my hand slowly, watching where the beam of light touched to see if I saw anything that resembled a ten year old girl.
When my light found that very girl, standing at the bottom of the riverbed, I had to catch myself to keep from screaming. She was staring up at me with a troubled expression.
She waved at me then pointed to her right. My gaze followed suit and what I saw brought tears to my eyes. Hailey was lying unconscious . Her head rested near a rather large rock. There was a substantial amount of blood on it.
Looking back toward her, I saw that her entire leg was at a seriously odd angle from the rest of her body. I grimaced at the sight and looked down to try to decide the safest route for me to take to get down to her. This was bad; really bad. The ground below me was solid mud. Or, that’s not accurate, is it? Mud is not a solid. But this mud was thick; the kind of thick that if you weren’t careful, you could easily step out of your shoes.
Watching the girl’s unmoving form, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. Dialing 911, I waited for the operator to pick up. When she did, I explained as thoroughly as I could where I was at and what I believe I may have found.
She asked me if I could tell if the girl was still alive. I answered honestly. “I really don’t know. I haven’t gone down to her yet. I wanted to call for help first. This embankment is wet, muddy and slippery and if anything happened before I reached her, I just wanted to know you already have someone on the way.”
The operator suggested I just stay where I was so I could direct the ambulance and police when they got there. I smiled tightly and told my first real lie. “Okay, I will.” Yes, it was a lie! I knew that Hailey’s life was really hanging in the balance tonight. If I didn’t get the water I had in my bag to her now, she may not be alive when they got here. I didn’t know how I knew. But I was certain.
Once I hung up and put the phone back in my pocket, I slowly started down the muddy incline. Where were the Angels now? Did they really need an invitation? “What the hell?” I asked out loud, throwing caution to the wind. “For all the paramedics know, I slipped.”
Of course, that wasn’t going to be a lie either. My right foot slid right out from underneath me and I screeched and squeezed my eyes shut as I braced to tumble down the incline. I swear, my hands touched the ground but my rump never did.
With my hands caked in the mud, I felt my t-shirt yanked from the shoulder. Gasping, I swung my head around and looked up into Trehvar’s eyes. I opened my mouth to ask him what took him so long, but the look on his face gave me pause. “Do you never consider the fact that you should not be doing this all by yourself? Or do you simply not realize you are mortal?"
I saw her falling. I watched, helplessly as she tumbled down toward the river. MY breath caught as I saw her leg strike a tree trunk and I heard a terrible cracking sound as it hit
Then she was lying at the bottom of the hill, unconscious and bloody. My heart hurt for her. I could barely wrap my mind around the pain she must be in with her leg broken in such a way. For all intents and purposes, she looked very much dead. I could almost believe she was. As I felt myself losing hold on the dream, it occurred to me; If I didn’t tell the cops where to find her soon, she would be.
I woke up feeling extreme panic. My heart was pounding and I felt absolutely sick. That dream. Poor Hailey was in bad shape; and with my dream, I knew just what had happened. What was more, I knew where she was. I once had a friend who once lived out by that creek. I was familiar with the sometimes steep incline.
Unfortunately, knowing where she was didn’t solve my dilemma. Now I had to figure out how to talk to someone at the Austin Police station about where she was and how to find her. That was a sobering thought. How do I do that? Or actually, the right question was; how do I tell the cops how to find her without giving away my secret?
Sitting up, I threw back the covers and walked soundlessly to my closet. This had to be one of the craziest ideas I had ever had, but it was the only thing I could think to do. After getting dressed, I pulled my hair into a ponytail and left my room quietly.
Grabbing Mom’s keys off the counter I wrote her a quick note explaining I knew where the girl was and that she was still alive. If she woke up, I had my cell phone. She could call and grumble at me. But I silently hoped she’d sleep through and I’d be back in my bed as soon as humanly possible. I still had school tomorrow, after all.
When I got behind the wheel of my mothers wonderful car, I sat there for a minute just contemplating what I was going to do. When I called the cops, exactly what was I going to say? How was I going to play this off as something oh-so-NOT- mystical.
With a quick shake of my head, I started the car. I just needed to shut up and do this. When it came down to it, I knew Hailey’s mother would care less how I found her and more that she was safe. At least I hoped she was.
I drove from Buda to Austin in silence. I didn’t want or need any distractions. My mother may have been an understanding woman, but if I had done any damage to her car in my late night escapade, I might be in danger of becoming a ghost myself.
Although it was night, the traffic on I-35 was busy and I had to let my attention stay on the traffic around me. When I finally reached the exit onto William Cannon, I was relieved to be getting off the busy interstate. Of course, that relief was foreshadowed by my feelings of impending doom I was dealing with.
It didn’t get any better. Actually, as every mile took me closer to the turn-off leading to the creek my already raw nerves had my entire body shaking worse than I would have if I had been stuck in the middle of a blizzard.
William Cannon was a fairly busy road too. I was pretty sure the first turn I needed to take to get me close to where Hailey had fallen was Onion Creek Drive. As I turned down that street, I took the drive that would lead me closer to the creek.
There was a dirt road; it went in closer to the creek. I was certain, that was the road Hailey had been on, so I took it. My friend had used that same road on her way to and from school all the time. She always told me it wasn’t necessarily the safest place to be, but it beat taking the long way around. If you were walking to school, it saved you a good twenty minutes when it came to getting to classes in time.
I clicked my tongue when I thought of Tara, wishing I had done a better job keeping in touch with her. We had met in church when we had moved out here. We had become pretty good friends. I had gotten familiar with the area because I used to spend almost every other weekend with her for a few years. Honestly, that was a while back now. I hadn’t seen her in so long, I found myself wondering how she was now. Her parents had taken her and moved to Seattle about a year ago and I had lost touch with her.
My eyes narrowed on a certain spot on the dirt road. Slowing down, I pulled up close enough to keep my headlights on the area. This seemed familiar. I recognized it from both my dream and my past. I sighed as I reached into the glove compartment. I’d never tell her, but Hailey was lucky I was familiar with this place. I may seem like a wayward teenager sometimes, but there was no way I would be out here, trudging around in the forest surrounding the creek in the dark if I didn’t have at least a vague memory of where the hell I was!
I made sure my cell phone was in my pocket. I checked the flashlight to make sure it worked, grabbed the bag of water and food I had brought with me. It was nothing fancy; saltine crackers, some grapes, and four twenty ounce bottles of water. Worst case scenario; she’d be unconscious and I wouldn’t need it. Best possibility; she would wake up when I reached her and be extremely thirsty.
Turning off my headlights, I put the car keys in the other pocket of my jeans as I got out of the car and locked the door. “Here goes nothin’.” I whispered as I began to make my way cautiously down toward the area where I thought she might be. I used the flashlight to watch where I was going and before I knew it, I was standing at the edge of what could have been a steep incline.
It was actually the edge of where the river would normally meet the bank. But because all of Texas has gone without a decent amount of rain lately and we are in the middle of a drought, the water level of the creek was down extremely low. Lately, there had been some rain, but so far, all it had accomplished is to make a muddy mess of places like this. Riverbed mud is not like regular mud. In some cases, it’s really quite like quicksand.
“Okay, Hailey,” I whispered. “If you’re down here, I need you to show me where.” I moved my hand slowly, watching where the beam of light touched to see if I saw anything that resembled a ten year old girl.
When my light found that very girl, standing at the bottom of the riverbed, I had to catch myself to keep from screaming. She was staring up at me with a troubled expression.
She waved at me then pointed to her right. My gaze followed suit and what I saw brought tears to my eyes. Hailey was lying unconscious . Her head rested near a rather large rock. There was a substantial amount of blood on it.
Looking back toward her, I saw that her entire leg was at a seriously odd angle from the rest of her body. I grimaced at the sight and looked down to try to decide the safest route for me to take to get down to her. This was bad; really bad. The ground below me was solid mud. Or, that’s not accurate, is it? Mud is not a solid. But this mud was thick; the kind of thick that if you weren’t careful, you could easily step out of your shoes.
Watching the girl’s unmoving form, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. Dialing 911, I waited for the operator to pick up. When she did, I explained as thoroughly as I could where I was at and what I believe I may have found.
She asked me if I could tell if the girl was still alive. I answered honestly. “I really don’t know. I haven’t gone down to her yet. I wanted to call for help first. This embankment is wet, muddy and slippery and if anything happened before I reached her, I just wanted to know you already have someone on the way.”
The operator suggested I just stay where I was so I could direct the ambulance and police when they got there. I smiled tightly and told my first real lie. “Okay, I will.” Yes, it was a lie! I knew that Hailey’s life was really hanging in the balance tonight. If I didn’t get the water I had in my bag to her now, she may not be alive when they got here. I didn’t know how I knew. But I was certain.
Once I hung up and put the phone back in my pocket, I slowly started down the muddy incline. Where were the Angels now? Did they really need an invitation? “What the hell?” I asked out loud, throwing caution to the wind. “For all the paramedics know, I slipped.”
Of course, that wasn’t going to be a lie either. My right foot slid right out from underneath me and I screeched and squeezed my eyes shut as I braced to tumble down the incline. I swear, my hands touched the ground but my rump never did.
With my hands caked in the mud, I felt my t-shirt yanked from the shoulder. Gasping, I swung my head around and looked up into Trehvar’s eyes. I opened my mouth to ask him what took him so long, but the look on his face gave me pause. “Do you never consider the fact that you should not be doing this all by yourself? Or do you simply not realize you are mortal?"
Excerpt from Awareness 2: Sensation
If I had known what was going to happen on the way to school, I would have found a reason not to go. With Mom sick, she told me I could take her car. I had been a little happy to be able to call Rachel and tell her I’d just meet her there. It was even a bit of a rush to get behind the wheel again. The wreck I had been in over a month ago hadn’t been my fault. Some idiot ran a stop sign and threw me into a tailspin; literally. I had ended up in the hospital with a serious head injury and that’s how I had gotten in this whole mess of seeing ghosts and Angels and all those other things to start with.
To say I was a little nervous about getting back in the driver seat after the whole ordeal was maybe an exaggeration. I was extremely nervous. Not to mention, I wasn’t even driving my own car; a little Volkswagen Beetle. It had been totaled when the truck hit it and luckily, Rachel had been fine. I was the only one who’d been hurt.
No, for my first trip back on the road, because mom was sick, I was getting to take her car. It was a beautiful thing, too; a classic ‘sixty-eight Mustang Convertible, Midnight blue with whitewash tires and a matching white hood. She had bought it when it was nothing but a shell and my Uncle, who I only talked to every once in a while had restored it for her back when I was about five. Let’s just say she treated this car like it was made of gold. It never missed an oil change. It got detailed every other month, and it was kept in showmanship quality.
To say this car was Mom’s baby was ridiculous. I was Mom’s baby. But her car . . . Well, it was pretty special too. So for me to be given the right to drive it was, in a nutshell; an amazing moment and quite frankly, made me nervous as hell.
As I drove to school that morning, I paid perfect attention to everything. I refused to get into another accident. That was just not an option. While I had been putting that out into the cosmos, I should have broadened my energy to include everyone I knew. Right before I was supposed to take the exit off the highway that led to the school, I saw the flashing lights.
Of course, that’s a tell-tale sign that someone’s been in an accident. The sign that it was a bad wreck were all the cars parked along the sides of the highway. All the teenagers standing around hugging each other and crying was what told me a fellow student was either hurt or dead.
There was nothing for me to do except pull off to the side of the road. I shut the car off and sat there for a moment in stunned silence trying to decide if I really wanted to know. I was afraid to go see. I was afraid of what I would find. Finally my morbid curiosity won out and I had to know what had happened.
I locked the doors, leaving my book bag and its contents in the car. Tucking my cell phone into my pocket, I moved closer but tried to still stay out of the police and EMT’s way. Sure enough, my suspicion was right. There was a body bag and it most definitely had something in it. I looked around trying to see someone who might know.
One girl who was a cheerleader with Rachel was hugging another friend and crying. I couldn’t remember her name but I knew she knew me. Moving closer to her, I reached out and rubbed her shoulder. “What happened?” I asked softly.
She turned to me and I remembered; Tracy was her name, Tracy Daniels. She reached a free hand out to me and I instinctively took it. “Oh, Becca!” Man, I need to pay better attention to other people’s names. It made me feel terrible she knew mine and I had almost forgotten hers. “Isn’t it awful? Matt got sideswiped and his tire blew. He lost control and he hit the pole.”
Her voice broke on a sob and the friend, Malory, who was supporting her finished the story. “You know Matt would never wear his seatbelt. He got thrown out of the car and broke his neck.”
Instantly her words gave me a chill and I bit my lip as I turned to look past her. Of course, to them it would look like I was looking at the wreck. They couldn’t see what I did.
Matt Galvin was standing there, shaking his head and repeating the same word over and over again. “No,, no, no, no.” He denied. “I’m not dead! I can’t be dead! Graduation is in three weeks! I’m right here! He yelled. “Why won’t you look at me? Why can’t any of you see me?”
Quickly, before he could realize that I did see him, I looked back to Tracy with tears filling my eyes. I knew I had to help him. I knew that was why I could see him, but I just am not good at this whole thing yet. I was also too scared of everyone in the school coming up with some crazy name that would follow me around for the rest of my life, like Becca the Ghost girl. It made me a horrible person, I know. But, please, no!
Tracy just took my emotion for what it appeared to be, grief over losing the Quarterback of the football team; the same boy who had asked me out just a week earlier at Rachel’s request. Tracy reached out and threw her free arm around my neck and hugged until I thought I would choke, “I know! It must be doubly awful for you, Becca. You had just found out about Matt’s secret crush. He liked you so much but he was always afraid you would think he was just a square jock.”
Oh, damn! Was there a hole I could just get in now? I had thought Rachel had put him up to asking me out. Turns out he really liked me? Well, just color me, bitch. How the hell was I supposed to have known? He was a Jock! I was just a bookworm! What Jock in his right mind likes a bookworm? Where was my hole! Couldn’t I just climb in a pre-dug one? Did I seriously have to dig it too?
Matt was still there, standing next to her with a look of mortification on his face. “Thanks a lot, Tracy. I guess it’s a good thing I am dead, because I sure wouldn’t be able to show my face around her now if I was alive.”
I answered him without thinking. “Don’t say that!” I looked straight at him and his eyes met mine. Too late, I looked away, wishing I could learn to keep my big mouth shut. But I imagine that’s something I’ll learn when people in Hell get ice water.
When I looked back to Tracy, she was looking at me strangely. “Don’t say what?” she asked.
I tried to smile but I don’t think I did a very good job. “It’s hard to hear about him liking me now he’s gone, you know?” Holding my breath I waited to hear her call my bluff, but she didn’t.
Instead she gave me another death-lock hug. “Oh, I know honey and I am so sorry. It’ll be okay. You know I’m always here for you if you need to talk.” My eyes widened at her words. Tracy had always struck me as one of the biggest gossips out there and I just couldn’t imagine telling her anything I didn’t want Alaska to hear about by the next day.
I stood there awkwardly while they finished clearing off the road, listening with only half an ear while Tracy and Malory yammered back and forth. Thankfully, my cell phone rang and I was able to extract myself from them and head back to mom’s car.
I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw it was Rachel. “Hey,” I answered in a hushed tone as I reached the car.
“Is it true?” her voice was emotional. “Tell me it isn’t true, Becca. Matt can’t be dead.” Of course, this wasn’t going to be easy. Lately, nothing in my life was ever easy anymore.
“I wish that I could, Rachel.” I looked up and across the car to see Matt standing there staring at me with a confused and lost look on his face. There was no one around but me, him, and Rachel on the phone so I figured now was a good time to answer both his and her questions. “But his Ghost is standing right here so I guess I’m gonna offer him a ride.”
Without waiting for her to say anything else, I hung up the phone, unlocked the doors and told him simply, “get in.”
If I had known what was going to happen on the way to school, I would have found a reason not to go. With Mom sick, she told me I could take her car. I had been a little happy to be able to call Rachel and tell her I’d just meet her there. It was even a bit of a rush to get behind the wheel again. The wreck I had been in over a month ago hadn’t been my fault. Some idiot ran a stop sign and threw me into a tailspin; literally. I had ended up in the hospital with a serious head injury and that’s how I had gotten in this whole mess of seeing ghosts and Angels and all those other things to start with.
To say I was a little nervous about getting back in the driver seat after the whole ordeal was maybe an exaggeration. I was extremely nervous. Not to mention, I wasn’t even driving my own car; a little Volkswagen Beetle. It had been totaled when the truck hit it and luckily, Rachel had been fine. I was the only one who’d been hurt.
No, for my first trip back on the road, because mom was sick, I was getting to take her car. It was a beautiful thing, too; a classic ‘sixty-eight Mustang Convertible, Midnight blue with whitewash tires and a matching white hood. She had bought it when it was nothing but a shell and my Uncle, who I only talked to every once in a while had restored it for her back when I was about five. Let’s just say she treated this car like it was made of gold. It never missed an oil change. It got detailed every other month, and it was kept in showmanship quality.
To say this car was Mom’s baby was ridiculous. I was Mom’s baby. But her car . . . Well, it was pretty special too. So for me to be given the right to drive it was, in a nutshell; an amazing moment and quite frankly, made me nervous as hell.
As I drove to school that morning, I paid perfect attention to everything. I refused to get into another accident. That was just not an option. While I had been putting that out into the cosmos, I should have broadened my energy to include everyone I knew. Right before I was supposed to take the exit off the highway that led to the school, I saw the flashing lights.
Of course, that’s a tell-tale sign that someone’s been in an accident. The sign that it was a bad wreck were all the cars parked along the sides of the highway. All the teenagers standing around hugging each other and crying was what told me a fellow student was either hurt or dead.
There was nothing for me to do except pull off to the side of the road. I shut the car off and sat there for a moment in stunned silence trying to decide if I really wanted to know. I was afraid to go see. I was afraid of what I would find. Finally my morbid curiosity won out and I had to know what had happened.
I locked the doors, leaving my book bag and its contents in the car. Tucking my cell phone into my pocket, I moved closer but tried to still stay out of the police and EMT’s way. Sure enough, my suspicion was right. There was a body bag and it most definitely had something in it. I looked around trying to see someone who might know.
One girl who was a cheerleader with Rachel was hugging another friend and crying. I couldn’t remember her name but I knew she knew me. Moving closer to her, I reached out and rubbed her shoulder. “What happened?” I asked softly.
She turned to me and I remembered; Tracy was her name, Tracy Daniels. She reached a free hand out to me and I instinctively took it. “Oh, Becca!” Man, I need to pay better attention to other people’s names. It made me feel terrible she knew mine and I had almost forgotten hers. “Isn’t it awful? Matt got sideswiped and his tire blew. He lost control and he hit the pole.”
Her voice broke on a sob and the friend, Malory, who was supporting her finished the story. “You know Matt would never wear his seatbelt. He got thrown out of the car and broke his neck.”
Instantly her words gave me a chill and I bit my lip as I turned to look past her. Of course, to them it would look like I was looking at the wreck. They couldn’t see what I did.
Matt Galvin was standing there, shaking his head and repeating the same word over and over again. “No,, no, no, no.” He denied. “I’m not dead! I can’t be dead! Graduation is in three weeks! I’m right here! He yelled. “Why won’t you look at me? Why can’t any of you see me?”
Quickly, before he could realize that I did see him, I looked back to Tracy with tears filling my eyes. I knew I had to help him. I knew that was why I could see him, but I just am not good at this whole thing yet. I was also too scared of everyone in the school coming up with some crazy name that would follow me around for the rest of my life, like Becca the Ghost girl. It made me a horrible person, I know. But, please, no!
Tracy just took my emotion for what it appeared to be, grief over losing the Quarterback of the football team; the same boy who had asked me out just a week earlier at Rachel’s request. Tracy reached out and threw her free arm around my neck and hugged until I thought I would choke, “I know! It must be doubly awful for you, Becca. You had just found out about Matt’s secret crush. He liked you so much but he was always afraid you would think he was just a square jock.”
Oh, damn! Was there a hole I could just get in now? I had thought Rachel had put him up to asking me out. Turns out he really liked me? Well, just color me, bitch. How the hell was I supposed to have known? He was a Jock! I was just a bookworm! What Jock in his right mind likes a bookworm? Where was my hole! Couldn’t I just climb in a pre-dug one? Did I seriously have to dig it too?
Matt was still there, standing next to her with a look of mortification on his face. “Thanks a lot, Tracy. I guess it’s a good thing I am dead, because I sure wouldn’t be able to show my face around her now if I was alive.”
I answered him without thinking. “Don’t say that!” I looked straight at him and his eyes met mine. Too late, I looked away, wishing I could learn to keep my big mouth shut. But I imagine that’s something I’ll learn when people in Hell get ice water.
When I looked back to Tracy, she was looking at me strangely. “Don’t say what?” she asked.
I tried to smile but I don’t think I did a very good job. “It’s hard to hear about him liking me now he’s gone, you know?” Holding my breath I waited to hear her call my bluff, but she didn’t.
Instead she gave me another death-lock hug. “Oh, I know honey and I am so sorry. It’ll be okay. You know I’m always here for you if you need to talk.” My eyes widened at her words. Tracy had always struck me as one of the biggest gossips out there and I just couldn’t imagine telling her anything I didn’t want Alaska to hear about by the next day.
I stood there awkwardly while they finished clearing off the road, listening with only half an ear while Tracy and Malory yammered back and forth. Thankfully, my cell phone rang and I was able to extract myself from them and head back to mom’s car.
I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw it was Rachel. “Hey,” I answered in a hushed tone as I reached the car.
“Is it true?” her voice was emotional. “Tell me it isn’t true, Becca. Matt can’t be dead.” Of course, this wasn’t going to be easy. Lately, nothing in my life was ever easy anymore.
“I wish that I could, Rachel.” I looked up and across the car to see Matt standing there staring at me with a confused and lost look on his face. There was no one around but me, him, and Rachel on the phone so I figured now was a good time to answer both his and her questions. “But his Ghost is standing right here so I guess I’m gonna offer him a ride.”
Without waiting for her to say anything else, I hung up the phone, unlocked the doors and told him simply, “get in.”
Excerpt from Book Two:
Once I assured myself she was just asleep, I left the
house and walked straight to the Giant Willow tree that stood next to the pond
in our back yard. I knew the entrance to Darethmar’s realm was still there, even
if I could no longer see it.
As I approached the tree, I studied it for any sign of
the hidden doorway and staircase that led down into the world that mirrored
ours. It was there. I knew it had to be, and one way or another, I was going in.
This king wanted me to stay away from his son. So be it. I would give Darethmar
up. But my mom couldn’t be denied access to Dad. It was killing her. I could
feel it.
Suddenly, a crow cawed, alarming me. I looked up to see
the rather large bird looking down at me menacingly, almost as if he was daring
me to come any closer.
I found myself glaring back at the feathered beast. In
that moment, I felt an absurd surety that this bird was much more than just a
bird. He was guarding the entrance into the Elfin Realm and he had been sent
there to keep me from going in.
Whereas my fear of the unknown always turned me into a
coward, my worry and concern for my mother made me brave. “I see you, you
overgrown pest!” I grumbled at the bird. “I know exactly what you are too!” I
pointed toward the tree even as I frowned up at him. “But this whole mess is
making my mom sick! She can’t be kept from my dad. It’s killing
her.”
Dismissing the bird, I turned back to the tree and took a
step forward, only to find the monstrous black-feathered thing suddenly shifting
and landing to stand before me. A sword now in his hand and aimed exactly where
you would believe an enemy would aim a sword; my
heart.
The Elf before me was dark. He had eyes like obsidian and
hair that was just as black. His skin was a strange shade of dark slate gray.
He watched me intently as he warned me away. “I have my orders. You are not
allowed free passage into our realm. The King forbids it. He want’s nothing
more of your kind endangering his
people!”
Okay, now I know I needed to keep my mouth shut. I
probably should have turned around, walked away and given the entire thing up.
If the only thing at stake had been my pride, I could have. I would have walked
away. But the nagging feeling in my gut that my mom’s illness had to do with
this entire situation made me stand my ground. “Now, you listen to me, you too
tall, black feathered, shifting creep! I have done nothing to endanger your
realm. I’d never harm anyone. But your King and his ridiculous rules are killing
my Mother.” I shook my head and refused to back down. “I can’t sit by and do
nothing.”
I saw a moment of concern flash in the warrior’s eyes,
even though his sword never lowered. “I cannot allow you free entry into the
realm, Miss. I have my orders.” But even as he spoke, he seemed to lose his
stern expression. “However, I am sorry for your mother. She is a kind and good
person. I would never wish her
ill.”
I gave him a look of desperation. You won’t let me pass,
will you?”
He shook his head. “No Miss. You may not enter freely
into our realm. It is the King’s
orders.”
I pressed my mouth shut to keep myself from using
language my mother would never approve of as I crossed my arms and shifted
restlessly from foot to foot. Then the light went on and I looked at the Elf
blocking my way. “Okay. I get it. I can’t go freely into your realm.” Then I
held my hands out to him in surrender. “What if I go in as your
prisoner?”
He looked taken aback at my words and started to shake
his head but I wasn’t above begging at this point. Going down on my knees, I
cried.“Please! I’m desperate! Something is wrong with my mom. She’s all I have!
I don’t know who else to ask for help but the King. If I don’t try this and she
dies,” I shook my head, closing my eyes against the pain of the thought. “I
don’t know what I’ll do.”
I looked up just in time to see the elf shaking his head,
and glancing around before sheathing his sword. Then his hands gripped mine and
I felt some kind of invisible rope tightening across my wrists. I looked into
his eyes and started to thank him but he cut me off as he issued a warning. “No
matter what he offers, no matter how tantalizing it appears, do not eat the
food. It will keep you from ever being able to come back over here. Do you
understand?”
I nodded, but couldn’t stop myself from asking. “You eat
the food, but you’re here. How is that
possible?”
He stared at me for a moment, then busted out laughing
and I almost felt insulted. “Well, it’s because I’m Elfin. My food doesn’t
affect me as it does humans. But our food, while healthy and good for you in our
realm, turns toxic in a mortal’s stomach when it is introduced to your natural
environment. Our Metabolisms can handle it because we are raised eating the
food.”
He helped me gain my feet and turned to lead me down the
staircase that had appeared as soon as the ropes had tightened on my hands. I
let him lead me down even as I worried momentarily about leaving my
mother.
“If the King really hates me so badly, I doubt he’d offer
me any food to trap me into staying anyway.” I muttered, almost to
myself.
Obsidian eyes turned back to meet mine and what he said
made me feel truly scared. “No, I don’t think he’d invite you to stay either.
But he still might offer you the
food.”
I stared in stunned silence as I let those words digest.
By the time I had recovered myself enough to speak, he had resumed walking down
the stairs. “But if the food turns toxic when you re-enter my side, then that
would . . .”
I drifted off and he filled in the blanks for me. “It
would kill you, Lady Rebecca. You would die an excruciatingly slow and painful
death.”
I blinked several times to try to keep from letting
myself cry. It scared me to think the father of the prince I truly cared about
would dislike me bad enough to kill me. “Man, he must really hate me.” I
muttered, almost to myself.
My company shook his head, “No, he doesn’t hate you. But
he fears you have bewitched his son. For the first time in his life, Darethmar
is refusing to blindly obey his Father’s will, and it is all because of
you.”
I didn’t respond to that information. What could I say? A
small part of me was thrilled to learn how much Darethmar cared for me; enough
to refuse to take his words of caring back. But that caring might actually have
the king desperate enough to regain the obedience of his son that he’d use
desperate measures to make it happen. What was scary was the possibility that
he might actually believe killing me might be a way to do it. Wasn’t this just
fantastic?
Breathing evenly, I let my reluctant captor lead me down
the stairs. It would do me no good to focus on the fear I was feeling. Instead,
I tried to think through what I would say when I had audience with the king.
That was if he would even agree to see
me.
I didn’t get to worry over that possibility for long.
Within moments, we reached the bottom of the steps and entered into the world
very few humans even knew existed. I just happened to be one of the lucky few. I
couldn’t help the smile that rose to my lips when I looked out at the night
sky.
I remembered this beautiful sky. Of course, it had been
daylight when I remembered it. Seeing it at night time was so different. It was
very dark with only the stars sparkling brightly overhead to light our way. A
large black Unicorn waited for us and it nickered at the Elf in
greeting.
I stopped and looked at the beast with wide eyes. I
remembered seeing them the night I had seen my father, but I hadn’t considered
I’d be riding on one in order to get to the castle. It really wasn’t fear that
held me immobile. It was
respect.
The Drow beside me spoke softly, “This is Goliath. He
will take us to the Castle.”
“Goliath, huh?” I took in the appearance of the beast.
“Well, that’s fitting.” Well, it was! This Unicorn was huge! The Budweiser
horses were small by comparison; if they were any kind of appropriate
assessment. Somehow, I doubted it. Standing mere feet away from the beast, I
suddenly felt like a dwarf. How was I supposed to get on his back? It would take
a ladder . . . or an act of
Congress.
I was in the middle of a mental debate on how I could
possibly climb on board when the Unicorn turned and met my gaze with beautiful,
intelligent eyes. The elf said something to him in a language I didn’t
understand and the horse-like creature nickered again before approaching
me.
I started to back up, but made myself hold my ground. I
was the one who had asked to be brought here. Not the other way around. How
would it look if I turned and ran like a coward before I even made it to the
castle? I could just see that conversation; “Yes,
your Majesty, I did bring the girl. . . No, your Majesty, she’s not here
anymore. . . Well, you see, the
Unicorn freaked her out and she ran
away.”
Of course, to this, the snooty, stuck up, mortal hating
King would reply with, “Really? How very
human of her.”
I know entertaining silly little scenarios in my head of
what if’s is nothing but a waste of my time, but I couldn’t help it. And it
served a purpose. Thinking of being brave enough to actually show up despite
being afraid of Darethmar’s father was enough to make me stiffen my shoulders
and stand my ground as the Unicorn
approached.
When he reached my side he actually bowed to me, as if
greeting me formally. Then, this giant beast lowered himself down so his belly
actually touched the ground. I found myself smiling like an idiot and reaching
out to run my hand slowly over his dark
coat.
He was beautiful and so soft, and he actually smelled
like honeysuckle to me. Of course, even on his belly, he was still huge. His
back was as high as the middle of my chest. A shiver went through me when I felt
the Elf move to my side.
“Allow me to help you up so we may be on our way, Miss.”
He said softly even as he watched me warily. “Unless of course, you have changed
your mind and wish to go back?”
I turned from the Unicorn to the Elf. “I haven’t changed
my mind. This is my only choice. I cannot back down from this now.” I saw a sad
acceptance in his eyes, even as he moved to help me get
on.
When he climbed on behind me, I felt his arms go around
me and he said another foreign word to the Unicorn, spurring him into rising.
When we were turned in the direction of the castle, the Elf behind me spoke. “I
can understand why he loves you now. You are not a weak mortal as many of them
are. You are brave and deserving of a future
king.”
I was flattered by his kind words and started to tell him
so. I would have if he had not added in a harder tone, “It is too bad the
current king will not try and see
that.”
His words made my heart ache. He was basically telling me
that this entire trip I was insistent on taking was a waste of my time. I knew
the chances were he was right. But, for my mother’s sake, I had to take the
chance that he was wrong.