by Emma Hamm
The room was beautiful. Wren admired the soft green color of the carpet and the neutral yellow of the walls. It was the perfect color to soothe her aching head and ground her feet.
She couldn’t trust the voice that she had always considered to be her own. There was a distinct difference between her own thoughts and E’s. But now she could tell there was a difference between E and the rest of the things inside of her head as well.
It was confusing and frankly terrifying to consider that there were massive amounts of voices that were guiding her. She didn’t know which one was her own. There were too many opinions and thoughts and still silences for her brain to weed through.
Her breathing had sped up. When she had started to breathe so quickly? But she couldn’t be certain that it was herself asking that question. The voice she had always considered her own might not be. It could be a creature from long ago, one of the thousands that made up the creature that was E.
“Wren?” Jiminy’s voice cut through the panic that was rising in her chest. “Wren, look at me.”
His strong hands closed around her arms. She focused on that touch, on the feeling of warmth and the callouses on his palms.
She shook her head to clear her mind. “Sorry. I got lost for a second.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” he murmured.
Jiminy guided her towards the bed and settled her down onto the soft yellow comforter. He stooped in front of her, much in the same way that he had in the room they had left. His hands held hers, and she was struck by how strong they felt. There was a scar on one of his knuckles that resembled that of a star, she noticed.
“There are too many things inside your head for you to converse with them, Wren.”
“I know that.” Her voice was merely a whisper.
“You can’t focus on all of them. If you start feeling confused you need to ground yourself.”
“I know.” But she didn’t. She didn’t know how to deal with this at all. Suddenly she had been tossed into a completely different way of living. She wanted E back.
But then she couldn’t have E back, now could she? E wasn’t E anymore. E was thousands of beings all wrapped into one. Some of which liked her, others that did not.
“Wren, you’re going cross eyed.”
The warm laugh that huffed out of Jiminy made the side of her mouth quirk. “I am not.”
He touched the tip of her nose with his finger. “Yes, you are. Now follow my finger back out.”
She watched the guide of his finger and realized that she had actually been cross eyed after all.
“Oh.”
“Mhm,” he muttered before the angry expression on his face cleared once more. “Get some sleep, I’m going to talk to the Five.”
As he turned to leave, she linked her fingers together in her lap. “How do you do it?”
He paused at the door. “What?”
“Reconcile yourself with your creature.”
“I don’t have to. Both my creature and I decided it was best to merge our souls. When I die so does it.”
The fingers in her lap twisted. She didn’t know if she would ever have asked E to merge with her soul. First of all, because she didn’t want to be the reason that E died. Second of all, she wasn’t certain if it was possible now that she had all the information.
“Isn’t that a lot to ask?” She looked up to meet Jiminy’s gaze. “We house immortal creatures inside of us. To ask them to give up immortality and live a mortal life combined with our soul… It seems cruel.”
“Immortals are a fickle bunch,” he said. Wren watched as his eyes glowed bright blue. “Even they are curious about death.”
“I don’t think E is the same as that.” She could feel the separate minds chattering in her head. Muffled, but there. “E seems to want to cheat death.”
Jiminy crossed his arms and leaned against the door as he watched her. “Yours is a lot different from mine. Did you know you bleed silver?”
“Yes. Just another part of being a Curiosity I suppose.” She blinked. “How do you know that?”
“Your dreams are incredibly vivid. Even without E with you.”
Instantly her cheeks flamed bright red. “So you remember that.”
“So you do.”
They both remained silent for a few minutes. She was staring down at her hands as she twisted the fabric of her shirt. Her cheeks were bright red with embarrassment even though she had no reason to be embarrassed. He was staring directly at her with an unwavering intensity.
“Why’d you do it?” she asked him.
“You don’t know the answer to that?”
“I want to hear it.”
“Because I find you fascinating. And because I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you ever since I left.”
“Oh.” She hadn’t considered that he might be interested in her. Honestly, Wren avoided relationships like that. They were complicated and difficult. Not to mention that she wasn’t prepared to handle anyone else in her life.
But him? Jiminy had wiggled his way underneath her armor.
“It doesn’t have to change anything,” he said quietly from his corner.
The words made her look up. He was carefully relaxed against the sturdy door, but she could see that his fists were clenched. A muscle on his jaw jumped as he watched her look him up and down.
“But it has changed,” she finally said.
“For the better?”
“I don’t know. Do you?”
He swallowed hard. “I don’t know.”
“I don’t want it to be awkward,” she whispered. “I don’t know why, but I need you.”
His body jerked at her words. He was holding himself back from her now. His muscles were tense, and the cords of his neck stood out in stark relief against his flesh. “You’ve got me here by your side. Whenever you need it.”
“Good.” She tried to stifle a yawn with her hand. “Once I’m back to normal we’ll talk more.”
“Sleep for a while.”
“If I don’t have nightmares.”
She didn’t see him leave the room as she flopped down onto the mattress. Her life was taking a turn for the worse and the better at the same time. The world was ending and yet it felt as though her world was just beginning.
Her thoughts quieted as the thousands of voices in her head fell silent so that she could at least try to sleep.
While she slept, the Five met in their living room. The fire crackled and drinks were passed amongst them. The conversation was, of course, about their newest conquest.
“She will be very useful.”
Gaia’s voice was strong and clear as the rest of the people in the room stared into the fire. They weren’t at a table, as usual, but there was a stillness in the air that tasted of expectation. Everyone was waiting for what would happen next.
“Then she is confirmed to be part of the prophecy?”
“Absolutely.” Gaia hummed out a happy sound. “I believe the Legion, the creature she calls E, has always known this would happen. It must have an Oracle inside of it. From the little I could see in its smoke, the Legion has been gathering rare and powerful creatures for many years.”
“Intriguing,” Nurin murmured as he sipped from the glass of whiskey in his hand. “Do you believe it will help us?”
“Yes. It doesn’t want to, but I’m certain that it will help once it realizes that Malachi poses a significant risk to Wren.”
The Five fell silent as the door to their conference opened and closed quietly. Their three most trusted soldiers walked through the door to meet with them. Lyra perched on the edge of the sofa, her foot placed square upon Nurin’s knee. Jasper settled himself on the floor next to the fire. And Jiminy remained a silent shadow beyond the edge of the mantle.
“A risk?” Jiminy asked.
Gaia leveled a hard stare upon him. “You have an unusual amount of attention invested when it comes to Wren. I would remind you that she is a job.”
“Noted.�
� Everyone in the room could tell he had brushed aside her words.
Gaia stared at him a little longer before she finally broke eye contact. “I extend my congratulations to all of you. The first part of our prophecy has been found.”
Lyra and Jasper air fived each other from across the room which caused Jiminy to roll his eyes.
“And at what cost?” Jiminy asked. “We might have lost her already. She’ll go mad before we can find the others.”
“Your mind is limited, Burke. Perhaps you should look past your worries and consider the implications of finding her. She is a rare creature, likely the last of her kind. I believe it would be prudent to limit our search to creatures similar to her.”
“I’ve heard of a dragon down south,” Lyra chirped. “Not sure which one he’d fit, never met him. But that might be a good place to start?”
“Jasper?” Gaia looked towards the man sitting close to the warmth. “Have you ever been south?”
“Close enough to where the rumors of burnings are, ma’am.” He flashed a toothy grin.
“Not without me you aren’t!” Lyra shouted. She launched herself off of the couch and just barely managed to touch his foot before the two of them disappeared from the room.
There were a few moments of silence before Jiminy wrinkled his brow. “Why did you hire the two of them? Of all people that are capable of protecting others, they’re the last on the list.”
“You underestimate people too easily,” Gaia said quietly as she swirled in the wine in her glass. “Now we should consider how to protect Wren while she is within our walls.”
“This is the safest place in the city.”
“But not without its faults. I want you to be singularly in charge of protecting her.” She met his eyes with a meaningful stare. “Do not disappoint me again.”
The soft click of the door seemed loud in the room.
“He won’t,” Wren said as she walked into the room. Jiminy noted that her feet were bare and her hair tousled with sleep. His lips quirked into a half smile. At least she had managed to sleep a little bit.
“I see you’ve recovered,” Nurin called out to her.
“Hardly.” Her hand held onto the objects around her as though she had no balance, and her brow was still creased in concentration.
Jiminy moved forward to help. At the edge of his line of sight, he could see Gaia frowning at him. He would shoulder her disapproval if it meant that Wren was more comfortable. What had gotten the member of the Five all riled up, he didn’t know. Jiminy found he didn’t care.
Her hand reached out to hold onto his. She was thin, her hand took up half of the space his did. But Jiminy knew very well how strong she was. These hands were capable of creating emotions that could heal or harm. These hands had managed to impress him more than once.
He squeezed her fingers gently as he guided her over to a vacant chair. She pressed her weight into his hand, and he eased her into the cushions. Jiminy understood that she didn’t want anyone to see how weak she truly was in this moment.
Wren let out a small breath once she was finally settled. Everyone was watching her with calculating gazes. It was unnerving.
“I need to go home,” she spoke into the silence.
“Absolutely not.” Gaia’s voice was one that warned against arguing. “You are to remain here until the others are found.”
“I need my things.” Wren looked up from her hands to meet the powerful woman’s gaze head on. “I think you’ve done enough to give me good reason to wish this. I will remain here as you have asked. But I refuse to be here without living my life. I need a few days to go back to my shop. Gather my things. Piece together what little normalcy I can.”
“I do not think it wise to -”
Gaia was interrupted by her husband, who raised his hand in front of her face. “You may go home. You have twenty four hours before we come and collect you again.”
Wren blinked in stunned silence for a few moments. “I expected arguing.”
Nurin smiled at her. The silver at his temples glinted for a moment before she focused upon his eyes once more. “You are not the only one to know what it feels like to be a captive, Wren. Go home and prepare for your life to change.”
She nodded while trying to hide how nervous this situation made her. She had a feeling that she might be allowed back to her home, but she would never be completely alone again. Her only hope was that she could gather her things in privacy. The last thing she needed was someone watching her pack her underthings.
“When shall I leave?”
“Right now,” he said as he nodded towards Jiminy. “You’ll be returned to your home in one piece. Jiminy will provide you with the privacy you desire.”
She arched a brow in silent question.
“Yes. Most of us are capable of reading minds in this room.” Nurin winked at her.
“Good to know.”
She slowly stood, this time without the help of Jiminy. As she left the room, she heard a deep baritone chuckle.
“Insulting us in your mind is just as bad as insulting us out loud.”
“No it’s not,” she said as she followed Jiminy out of the room. “If you don’t want to hear insults then you should stay out of my head.”
She closed the door behind her with a soft sound. Nurin shook his head as the others stared at him. “Stay out of her head if you can. That creature inside of her is a rats’ nest to fight through.”
CHAPTER 8
T he door to her shop jangled as she stepped inside. Everything had remained the same, so it seemed. The sweet smell of herbs was still in the air although some of her plants needed watering. The door had remained locked, and no one had stolen from her. At least there was some respite from the insanity her life had become.
She was wearing borrowed clothing to return to her home. They had all agreed that she had started to smell a little rank and that it would be best for the clothing she had been kidnapped in to be washed.
The only person that had been similar to her in size had been Aether, but Wren refused to wear any of the clothing that the Five had worn before. This meant she had ended up borrowing sweatpants and a shirt from Jasper who had looked none too pleased that she would be wearing his clothing.
He had held up the Hawaiian shirt with a severe look and told her several times that this was his favorite shirt and if she got it dirty he would hunt her down. Wren had simply slipped it over her head and made a face at him. If she dripped food onto it then he would have to deal.
The sweatpants hung low on her hips, and she was constantly having to hitch them up. But they would only be on her body until she could walk up the stairs and put her own clothing on. Wren just hoped they stayed where they were, and she didn’t give Jiminy an eyeful on the way up.
Her shoes thumped against the floor as she hurried behind the counter. She knelt to grab the bag that held her money and jangled it over her head at Jiminy’s questioning look.
“Can’t forget the goods.”
However, the “goods” were no longer part of her life. She tried not to look at the glass vials and jars behind her. They had been so important for so long that it felt wrong to not take them with her.
Logically, she knew that it was impossible for her to carry all these items with her. The Juice had no meaningful use when it came to the Five. But the smoke started to swirl when she was near it as though it knew she was the one who had created it.
Leaving her life behind was going to be difficult. This shop had always been her home and would remain so. At least she hoped. Her fingers drifted over the worn wood of the counter as she gathered the courage to ask.
“I’m not going to have to sell the shop am I?”
Jiminy arched a brow. “I wouldn’t think so. Why would you have to?”
“I just… I didn’t know if I would ever be allowed to return here.”
“When it’s all done, I don’t see why they would make you stay.”
A cold shive
r danced down her spine. “What if we don’t stop him?”
They started up the staircase. Every creak of the worn wood made her want to flinch. As she muttered the question, it appeared to Wren that the shadows had been listening to her. Waiting for those very words to be whispered. They reached towards her with long fingers that wanted to bury themselves inside of her soul.
“That’s not an option,” Jiminy replied.
“But it is,” she murmured. “You didn’t see him. I did. There was something not right with him, Jiminy. Something horrible.”
“Considering that he’s trying to end the world as we know it, I’m not surprised,” he said with a chuckle.
“How can you laugh in a time like this?” The question burst from her lips with vehemence. “We don’t even know what his plan is, other than he wanted to hurt people. Or so the Five say. You’re all very lucky that I happened to see him and feel how wrong he was. Otherwise I would have thought you were all insane.”
The shiver was in her spine again as she opened the door to her apartment. The last time she had been here someone had kidnapped her.
She couldn’t help but feel as though something awful was going to happen again.
Had they ruined her home for her? Every memory she had in this place had been good. She had rented the shambles of the building when she was eighteen and had raised enough money to buy it by the time she was twenty.
Every board that had been replaced was by her hand. Every crack in the wall had been fixed by her dedication and spirit. All the green plants that were growing had been planted as seeds and lovingly coaxed into growth by her attention.
“My plants,” she said with a moan.
They were all wilted and reaching for the window as though they knew it was out there where salvation lay.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered as she rushed towards the sink. Pots and pans were filled to the brim with water as she dashed from the sink to each plant. Instantly, they appeared happier as she turned the dry soil dark with water.
Wren pet the large leaves and murmured to each stem as she rushed to provide them with the attention they needed. All the while, Jiminy watched with an amused expression on his face as he leaned against her doorjam.