Time Torn

by Ilse V Rensburg

  “So, what exactly are we doing here? Solange knew of the prophecy and forewarned the Captain and so now she...wants to explain what’s next?”

  He squeezes my shoulders. “Yep.”

  I grab his hands and pull them down. They are thick with calluses from working on the ship for so long, but still strong and comforting. My stomach feels tight. The crew seems at home as they disappear in and out of the archway.

  I, on the other hand, just feel awkward and from Auristella’s pacing, I'm not the only one.

  She sees me looking and grimaces, which I suspect is meant to be a smile.

  “I am wary. She is the first female other than you to meet with me in a very long time. Will she be as accommodating?”

  I pull my shoulders up and let them drop. “I’m trying to figure out the same thing.”

  With a shaky breath, she continues, “If you are nervous you may do what I do. Stand as if you are confident.”

  “Stand as if I am confident?”

  She smirks. “If you look confident others will respond as if you are.”

  “Okay...” I don’t exactly get it but if it works for her. Auristella is one of the most intimidating women I have ever met and it isn’t just because she can change into a monstrous bird.

  “Ah, there ya are lass!” The Captain calls out as he steps from the ramp. His eyes flick down to my hand which is clasped in Riley’s. His lips thin. “We need ta get moving.” His tone is immediately less cheerful.

  “I’m ready,” I reply squeezing my fingers around Riley’s in case he is thinking of letting go under the scrutiny.

  The Captain turns his back to us, stomping towards the archway.

  The air around us cools as soon as we are in its shadow. On either side of us are open massive wooden doors made from panels. There is a crushing sound from beyond and the fresh smell you get just after it rains. My stomach does a backflip. This is it... I step over the threshold.

  If I thought the beach was the paradise I’d been mistaken. The archway enters a hollow in the mountain which contains a lagoon. A small fishing boat laps against the edge. It's joined to a pole in the sand via a thick bark coloured rope. The beach is a chunky belt around the lagoon with bulky rock steps cut into the mountain itself.

  Running alongside the makeshift steps are homemade tiki torches with that fire burns purple and blue. The crushing noise thunders around us as we cross into the lagoon. I glance to my right, squinting as a stream of sunlight cuts directly into my eyes. A waterfall takes up most of the far wall seeming to come from a river on top of the mountain beside the villa.

  The Captain leads us towards the stairs. None of us speak as we climb. I know I am out of shape after reaching the fifth step. My glutes and hamstrings are burning. The more we climb the louder the waterfall gets. Auristella turns towards me and smiles. She pulls her shirt up and over her head revealing a toned stomach and a plain bandana that she’s tied into a shirt. I’ve never seen it before. I suspect she found it in a pile of stolen treasure somewhere. Her wings tear from her back and she takes off. Times like this I want to hit her...

  It is a relief when we reach the summit. I crumple down and wipe my forehead. Auristella is waiting for us. She has her shirt back on and her wings are safely stowed beneath her skin. Solange’s villa looks like a cross between a shipwreck and a domed palace. The villa is surrounded by a tropical forest so the only part that can be seen clearly is the highest dome.

  A petite figure exits the wreck. I narrow my eyes trying to get a good look, but the Captain jumps in front of us, speed walking towards her.

  “Mah beauty!” He cries embracing her in his trunk like arms.

  Riley and I share a surprising look as a husky Caribbean accent follows. “Captain! I be eager for your affections but you’re late and we have much to discuss.”

  The Captain retreats and I can just make out a caramel arm covered in dark knotted bracelets. “Don’t explain. The ink told your tale.” She peeks out from behind the Captain’s torso and exclaims, “You did well with the gorgons.”

  She is looking at me but still, I turn to look at Riley and Auristella before turning back to her. She looks nothing like I imagined when the crew called her a hag. Her hair is a mix of black and white dreadlocks coiled into a top knot. She wears a low-cut linen shirt with the sleeves torn off displaying the black ink on her chest and arms.

  I don’t know what to say so instead I stare back at her transfixed by the orange henna that twists around her eyes. The shapes almost blurred replicas of playing card symbols. She doesn’t seem to take offence by my lack of reply or my staring, instead, she steps from behind the Captain and edges towards me. I shrink back tightening my fist around Riley’s without thinking.

  The witch notices. “Don’t you be fretting. I know you. You will soon know me.”

  I gulp. What?

  “The crew be calling me a hag. I’m no hag. I have a talent for deciphering the unknown.”

  So, she knows the crew calls her a hag and she doesn’t mind... Maybe I have been overreacting and it won’t do. If I want the crew to accept me, I have to mould to their ways. I need to be comfortable with words that sound harsh like hag and wench. I shrug holding out my hand for hers. “Well, ah, yeah. Nice to meet you?”

  The Captain sucks in a breath of alarm. Solange grabs hold of my palm hungrily. I look towards the Captain in a panic as her long spindly henna-stained fingers trace the grooves indented into my palm. Her nails are brittle and chewed right down to the skin of her fingers where the burnt umber henna has seeped.

  Riley presses his chest into my back as he whispers, “If you offer her your hand you give her permission to read your lines.”

  My anxiety whooshes out from between my lips. The Captain’s reaction had me thinking she was about to curse me. Of course, the idea of being told my future, again, has me tensing up.

  “You could have warned me!” I reply through gritted teeth. “Knowing my future has already killed me once before.”

  Solange throws her head back and laughs. It isn’t a cackle and it isn’t menacing but oddly comforting. In a way, her laugh makes her more human and less intimidating.

  “Your right-hand tells me what is and not what will be.”

  I relax my arm and straighten my elbow. “Oh.” I untwine my right hand from Riley’s, curling my fingers inwards as I press into the small of my spine.

  “You’ve exceeded the Erthe mother's expectations. You’ve conquered and held fast to hope. That determination is your gift and you must never lose it. The goddesses fear for your future. You are intertwined in a devious web of fate and any forewarning might turn you from your path. Be careful Cris Scarlet.”

  I pull my hand back. “How do you know my full name?”

  “I have access to the internet, I’m not a hermit.”

  I'm surprised. “How?”

  “I seen it and I make it be, child.” She flicks her fingers behind her indicating the island. “As soon as the white light comes I sent my men to make it so.”

  I nod. So, she’d had a vision of her island, modernized in a new world. What else does she know? I don’t ask.

  “For interest’s sake can I see your left hand?”

  Why not? Maybe I need to know what comes next if it will help me get home to put an end to the pain my family and friends are undeniably going through.

  She pulls my palm closer to her face sucking on her lips. “Ah. Yes.”

  Dropping my hand, she moves her attention to Auristella who is wiping at her fingers with the hem of her shirt in an attempt to remove the nail polish from her skin.

  “The siren. I have been waiting for you.”

  Auristella looks alarmed. “You have?”

  “Your name?”

  “Auristella,” she coughs.

  I have never seen my friend so uneasy, and unfortunately, I am experiencing the same unease myself. I have a feeling Solange already knows everything and she is just putting on a show for the
rest of us, and now I am curious to know what she has seen in the lines of my left hand.

  “You are lost. My island will offer you the freedom and time you need to find yourself again.”

  “You desire me to reside with you?”

  “Yes, but you best earn your keep.”

  “I’d be your slave?” Her veins begin to darken. I edge forward worried she might start to change in her panic at being a captive again.

  “Nah. I’ll pay you a wage. You can come and go as you like.”

  Her veins return to normal as she looks around her. “You won’t force me to sing, will you?”

  Solange frowns. “Not at all.”

  Auristella looks back at me with a question in her eyes.

  “If you feel it’s right for you to stay. You don’t need to stay with me.” I say just in case I am the reason she is hesitating. I want the best for her. She’s been through enough.

  She turns her face away and smiles. “I shall think it over.”

  “Of course,” Solange replies nodding to the Captain who turns away from us with a quick nod in return. “We will call you in a moment Cris,” she says, placing her hand on the Captain’s back as they walk forward whispering to each other.

  As soon as they disappear into Solange's overgrown garden Riley is spluttering questions in my direction. “What do you think she saw in your future? Do you know what she means by powers?”

  My eyebrows lift. “I don’t know...”

  He seems to realize that he's coming off too strong and immediately changes his tone. “If you’re some kind of superhuman you should tell me.” His grip tightening his arms around my waist and pulling me close.

  I allow my head to rest on his chest. My own chest feel tight, my heart beating too fast. Am I a superhuman? Auristella has made it seem as if I only borrow my powers. They aren’t who I am. I am still mostly normal... Aren’t I?

  Riley frames my face with his hands and tilts my chin. “Is there something you’re not telling me?” His lime eyes taper but his voice is soothing.

  “No...” My throat constricts with the lie and I turn my face from his.

  “Cris, talk to me. You can trust me.”

  I feel terrible. Why am I lying to him when it's obvious that he truly cares for me? My lips find him and I close my eyes allowing myself to surrender to the kiss. I should tell him. Why am I holding back? Our kiss is short and anything but sweet as he backs away from me.

  “It’s okay if you can’t tell me... I guess I get it.”

  “Riley no! Of course, I want to tell you what’s on my mind it’s just...” I look down. The lip of one of my favourite black boots is starting to lift from its sole.

  He crosses his arms. The fabric of his shirt shifting and exposing the smooth tanned skin of his chest. “Just that you can’t trust me?”

  My heart feels as if it is being squeezed by a giant. “Please! You know I trust you.” I plead. “I lo-”

  He cuts me off his jaw clenching as he replies, “If you trusted me you wouldn’t hide things from me!”

  “I am not hiding things from you! How can I explain what I’m going through if I don’t even understand it myself?” I cry clasping my hands behind my head as I lift my chin to the sky. I will not cry. Not again.

  His jaw softens and he takes my hands in his, pulling me towards him so that the breath from his words tickle my neck. “Look I’m sorry for my outburst. I care for you. I want to protect you. Tell me what’s got you wound up and I’ll do my best to help you understand it.”

  I search the area around us. My face flushed. Auristella has moved away from us and is inspecting a large yellow and orange wild orchid with wide eyes.

  “Okay.” Facing him I take in a deep breath. “Sometimes it’s as if-”

  The Captain’s upper body stretches out from behind a trellis covered in dark green vines cutting me short. “Lass, Solange is asking for ye.”

  I try to give Riley an apology with my eyes. He looks down mumbling, “Go. You can tell me later.”

  Our quarrel has me feeling empty. I cross the threshold between the wild outside world of the island and into a formal lounge cluttered with odd objects. Were all lovers’ quarrels so taxing? If they are, I now know why I had held off being serious about anyone for so long.

  The Captain is seated next to Solange on a couch with cushions that look so fluffy and comfortable I am slightly envious when she directs me to sit across from them on a Zebra hide wingback. The black and white hide is wiry to the touch and definitely not faux.

  The Captain’s smile is tight as Solange gets right into it. “Your future is branched and could go one of two ways. You could destroy the world that has been created or keep it as it is. The choice is between you and your friend, Jesse Valentine. But until you choose your path the future remains murky and confused with constant changes. One thing is certain Miss Scarlet, your path will cross with a dark force, a familiar friend yet a force you should be wary of. Do you understand what I have told you?”

  I rub my eyes. First my fight with Riley and now this... Would this prophecy ever leave me alone?

  “I think so. Jesse and I have the ability to restore the world to what it was or keep it as it is.” I slouch forwards. “How do we know what the right decision is?”

  “I suppose you will know when you know. Don’t be worrying. You have time still. I’ve heard rumours of a device. The Captain and I have been discussing it. This device can restore time, mould or change it. It be a mere rumour but all tales stem from truth. It is said that the dark elves guard its power. This might be useful to your quest but the elves live in secrecy and only allow a select few to venture into their land. You will have to find the Elvin sorceress, Faelwen and ask for her assistance.”

  “How do I find her? And do you know what the device looks like?” I ask leaning back and pushing my shoulders down until my back clicks.

  Solange tugs at her ear. “I have no idea, it is a myth, these things take many forms, sometimes it is a locket at other times a key or a map, we can’t be sure but the elves will know. Faelwen was last said to be in Constantinople helping the emperor’s daughter with an illness. I don’t know if she is still there but it’s worth a try to follow all the leads.” She tucks her hands between her knees and glances towards the Captain whose attention is drawn to whatever is beyond the dusty glass of the window beside him.

  “Right then, don’t you mean Istanbul and how do I know Faelwen is in this land? ”

  “No, Constantinople is where she be. It is your path. Each character you meet on your quest is here to push you toward your fate.”

  Ominous... I am feeling incredibly overwhelmed. Like nothing in my life is real and soon I’ll wake up after being in a coma for ten years or something. I clear my throat. “Is that all you have to tell me?”

  “That’s all.”

  “What about Jesse?”

  “Oh, I don’t know anything of him. I was keeping track of him in France. He’d taken on work in an inn in Paris but I lost him.” Her brow shadows her face and my stomach twists.

  “You lost track of him? But you’re a witch can’t you see the future of all living things?”

  “I ain’t a hag and yes, that is, every living thing...”

  My hands cover my mouth as I try not to gasp. “He’s not?”

  “No, the prophecy along with your future would have changed. Whatever has become of him is blocking me from seeing, but he still plays a very intricate part in your future.”

  I breathe out. “Thank god.”

  “What god?” Solange asks with a dazed expression as if her mind is elsewhere.

  “Hey?” I shoot back fuzzily.

  “What god are you thanking? There are many, there are goddesses and arc-angels too. Thanking a specific one is always helpful.”

  I shrug. “Uh, them all?”

  Solange raises one of her brows and purse her lips into a straight line. “Right, right. The Captain and I have much to discuss.�
��

  I glance over at the Captain who hasn’t said a word throughout the conversation. Instead, he's been gazing thoughtfully out one of the smoggy windows. He jumps when he hears Solange address him.

  “Aye, lass can ye leave us for a wee bit there then?”

  “Yeah,” I say, standing with shaky legs and straightening my skirt. I try to breathe in and out normally.

  When I step from the ramshackle garden Auristella is gone replaced by Jamie.

  Riley leans against a tree. His arms crossed. When he sees me he leaps forward asking, “What happened?”

  “I think I may need a drink,” I reply clutching my head.

  A bottle of amber liquid sloshes in front of my face.

  “Jamie...” I sigh. I hadn’t actually been serious...

  “What!” He exclaims. “Solange has a fully stocked bar. She’s never complained...”

  Glancing towards the house he presses the bottle to his chest as if it is something precious. “Uh, I’ll see you guys later okay. Go get some grub, Cris.”

  I turn back to Riley as Jamie shuffles into another part of the garden. “Where’s Auri?”

  “She went back to the ship. She said she needed to think...” He looks down.

  Mimicking him I bite my lip. Why does he suddenly seem so far away? I want him to bundle me up in his arms and kiss me, but Riley won’t do that. It isn’t his style.

  “You want to go back to the ship and get some clothes? The crew normally stays on the island when we come here and I’m sure Solange has reserved a room for you.”

  I nod. He grabs hold of my hand clutching it firmly in his. He smells sour, like sweat and anxiety. Walking in silence we manoeuvre down the stone slabs. The silence has my shoulders feeling tense. When we finally reach the gateway to the beach Riley pulls to a halt and pulls me back. Unhinging my hand from his I frown.

  “Yes?”

  “Yes? Aren’t you going to tell me what Solange said?”

  I shrug. “There’s not much to say really.”

  “So she didn’t mention your future or what she meant by powers.”

  Why is he so obsessed with the power thing?