The Silence Between

by Lara P. Ambrose

  "…we are eternal," Adagium muttered. "And eternity apart is how we shall remain."

  The copy seemed to hear the unspoken words lingering just beyond. He smiled widely, a purplish glow in his dark eyes.

  "No. We were made to need each other," he cooed. "As rain meets the river and trees touch the sky."

  Adagium's eyes hardened. Yet at his silence, the copy waved his arm. The shadowbeast moved as though to break its captive's slender neck. With the sudden movement, Charlie awoke. Immediately, she cried and reached out her small hands, grabbing up fistfuls of the man's cloak and tugging with all her might. The man's own cry mingled with hers, genuine in its shock as he didn't expect her to have so much energy left. He struggled to free himself, but the light pouring from the girl's hands ensnared him like so many vines. The shadow beast dissolved into glowing dust and the copy threw the girl from him. Charlie landed on her backside in the water, screaming as the chill waters instantly rushed to swallow her up and drag her deeper beyond the gate. But Adagium lunged for her, snatching her away from the hungry river as the shadow beast newly reformed.

  He drew the crystal once more and held it out, squeezing it tightly so the dark surface cracked, revealing a pulsating purple inner core. With each throb, the waters and stars pulsated in time. The copy flinched at the sensation, gripping his head tightly. Writhing bands of purest black shot from the crystal's core, wrapping his frame alongside the light. His cry was curiously muffled, but still clear and cutting, as the crystal was pulled towards and then into his chest. He fell to his knees, the waters washing him over and dragging him back towards the gate.

  "You can't keep me hidden forever!" he screamed. "You'll say my name one day!"

  His words sputtered out as the waters took him under. They swirled and gurgled and then resumed their smooth and steady flow.

  Adagium stared at the gate for a moment, then sighed, looking to the girl in his arms. She was awake and stared back at him, the color steadily returning to her eyes, returning them to their brilliant green. Weakly, Adagium laid a hand upon her forehead and felt the pulse of the earth contained within.

  Loire, strangely, had accepted his plea.

  The girl smiled at him, hugging his neck, and Adagium felt a small smile tugging at the corner of his own mouth. Even after she pulled away, Adagium felt her warmth lingering…almost like a burning. He turned, and began the long wade back through the river, to the gate that would bring them back to the living world.

  V

  The little girl gulped down a breath with a frightened shriek a mere moment before Adagium opened his eyes. Lori was already in a fresh flow of tears, holding her tight against her chest and smoothing her hair as she muttered soothing words to her. A delicate lace of frost stretched across the floor, crawling up Adagium's body. He shuddered only briefly before rising to his feet.

  "…it's done," he whispered.

  Adagium then felt a dull pain slowly forming in his chest. He gripped his chest firmly and tightened his eyes in an attempt to soothe the agony. The pain, however, steadily became sharper, but Adagium continued to clutch his chest, trying to master the attack. Suddenly, he bent over sharply and, with one hand over his mouth, began coughing violently. Although he tried to control the fit, he could feel his chest throbbing with intense pain as the seizure grew unbearable. He sensed some warm liquid sprinkle on his hand that covered his mouth, but the seizure felt as though it were squeezing the very life out of him.

  Ignis and the soldier in black gawked at him—on in a mix of horror and disgust, the other in sheer relief. After a minute of agonizing struggle, the coughing fit eased, and the pain quickly disappeared. Adagium, gasping for breath, rubbed his forehead and wiped away some beads of sweat from his pale face. He then noticed that the palm of his hand which had covered his mouth during the fit had tiny splashes of blood on it. He examined his hand curiously, then wiped his mouth with the back of it. As he suspected, there was some blood on his mouth. The liquid he had felt was his blood.

  "Lori," he whispered, "I must rest."

  The woman trembled, nodding her head rapidly as she rocked and soothed Charlie. "I'll take her home," she replied. "I'll let Marianne know."

  Adagium nodded once in understanding. Master would hear everything… He immediately stepped into the foyer but stopped, looking back to the soldier in black.

  "You and your commander will remain in Miner's Cove and explain your presence and actions this day. You leave, I will hunt you down."

  Saying no more, he made his way out of the house, and cut across town to the southwest. There, he continued along a clear-cut path west. The lingering chill of Death mercilessly stabbed at him, but he felt slightly feverish because of that last coughing fit. After passing the dairy farm, Adagium sped through the endless trees. Many glowed in a thousand hues as he passed. Sprites weren't afraid to dart past him. Some whirled around him, their chiming voices and fluttering wings sounding like the songs of spring.

  Adagium, however, felt the fever growing worse as he staggered along the path. Glittering stars and colors flashed around his head; strange faces and figures danced in front of his eyes; unfamiliar sounds and voices only threw him into more confusion. He stumbled over a stone, but luckily gripped a low fence before falling to the ground. Feeling the same, familiar ache beginning to form again, he grit his teeth.

  Almost there, he told himself. I must get ahold of myself…

  He collapsed with a tired sigh into a swing hung on the sturdy branch of a nearby tree, and bending over, covered his face with one hand. Marla, the owner of the ranch, poked her head up from the nearby garden, then skittered off to her home in fear at the sight of the blood-covered man in black. Adagium was oblivious to anything save the dull pain that cruelly gnawed at his chest and the fever that plagued him. He felt another seizure coming up but struggled vigorously to repress it. Fortunately, the attack wasn't that acute, so the pain soon vanished, and Adagium breathed easily again.

  He thought it best to get up and get to the tower, but, much to his surprise, fatigue had paralyzed both his legs. No, not fatigue—Death. He had sacrificed half his life force to rescue Charlie from Death. He'd shattered his bonds with Marianne, his Master, and forged them anew with the girl. He didn't know how, or why he was still alive. Perhaps Loire had done more than save Miss Charlotte…

  After some deliberation, he decided to rest on the swing for a while before moving. He tilted his gaze upwards to stare at the late afternoon sky. The big, fiery ball that hung in the melting sky struck him as strangely soothing and relaxing. Adagium felt his eyelids grow heavy. He shut his eyes slowly, ready to fall asleep any moment.

  A sharp pain, however, pierced his chest, dispersing all sleep from his body. Adagium jumped from the swing and took off towards the stone tower in alarm. He saw it peeking over the trees. With what little strength he had left, he extended his right hand and weakly snapped his fingers.

  Before he knew what happened, he crashed to the floor in a dome of strange metal and glowing green lights. The ceiling and walls were covered with swirling patterns. Ripples and wrinkles in the walls that formed circular shapes and strangely maze-like designs. Small lights interspersed around the chamber on the walls emanated a soft, green light. They looked like stars in the night sky.

  Slowly, he approached the odd stone altar in the center of the room. A pool of softly glowing green liquid filled the depression and, as he approached, the strangely ethereal liquid glowed brighter.

  He moved slowly at first, removing his blood-soaked clothes and letting them fall to messy heaps at his feet. He removed everything until he stood naked before the altar, the heartbeat of a glow illuminating every scar, every sigil etched into his skin. He collapsed into those glowing waters with a hiss. Relief and shame washed over him as the waters glowed brighter and brighter, racing to cover his lithe form.

  As he lay in the stone basin, Adagium drifted into deep thought. He recalled the sensation of shattering his bonds
to Marianne. Two thousand years he'd been tethered to her bloodline, never knowing peace nor freedom. The unforgiving cold of Death had been a reprieve, the warmth of the girl's arms around his neck an unfamiliar warmth… So, too, had the burning sensation they left at the nape of his neck, long after she'd released him and they once more breathed in the world of the living.

  He closed his eyes against the glow, trying to stop all those thoughts from bombarding his brain. He needed sleep. For now, he would regain his strength, and awaken refreshed to face another span of servitude. With a final chill cutting him deep, he fell to the merciless emptiness of a dreamless slumber.

  ‡ † ‡

  He was in the boiler room. He knew he would there, though how he knew it was unsure. Desperado knew, somehow, deep down, that Ghost would be waiting for him to find him. So, it was thus that he found himself walking through the silent building, his nose filled with the strong scent of coppery air. The air was deathly cold despite the heat radiating from the ancient machine, and Desperado knew Ghost was the cause.

  He filed down the stairs, his boots landing in loud, awkward clops upon each step, his mind elsewhere. And there, seated on the floor in the middle of the small room, staring at the far wall, was the man with pale blonde hair.

  Desperado recognized the black particles in the air as Ghost's power, emanating and uncontrolled, threatening to engulf the entire structure. But he seemed so lost, almost radiating an aura of sorrow, that Desperado hesitated to approach, fearful he, too, would fall into that dark abyss. Finally, he slowly approached, his steps scraping the stone floor.

  Ghost seemed to despair at the approach of someone and glanced up behind himself. Desperado looked into the vibrant blue eyes, and a flood of feelings and emotions rushed him—all jumbled and confused. He blinked and pushed them aside, instead focusing on the floor.

  "This is the next one," Ghost stated softly, weakly. "Our last chance."

  Desperado blinked, not wanting to accept the rush forcing his heart to beat out of control, the flush of emotion in his cheeks. But he nodded.

  "Yeah. I'm surprised you're so calm," he whispered.

  "The past," Ghost replied, looking away, as if turning aside the veil of time and space and looking into a distant future. His eyes flicked around as if analyzing all he saw. "You can't change it. No matter what you know or do…what has been done will continue on unto the end."

  "Then it was pointless," Desperado muttered, and Ghost nodded. "Charlie was gonna die no matter what we did." Ghost was silent for a long moment, and finally he stood. "Then why?"

  "Her death was always the catalyst," he whispered. "You can't change the past, but if you could somehow influence the events that followed, wouldn't it be worth a try?"

  "She only gave us this one chance," Desperado said in a shaky voice. "Loire was my idea, but… What are we gonna do? How can we even know if it'll change anything?"

  Ghost stood silent for a long time as Desperado stared over to the far wall where traces of black-green particles gathered and swarmed. He had so many other concerns on his mind, not the least among them being a possible failure in the one thing he was tasked to do…again and again. And again. He felt useless, dizzy.

  "This is our last chance. And I pray to all the gods that what we did today was right," Ghost whispered. He replaced the digitizer device and pulled his semi-automatic pistol from its holster. He came to a stop behind him, placing the cold barrel of the gun to the back of Desperado's head. "You'll find the mirror and let me know, right?"

  "Whatever it takes, dude."

  Ghost smiled weakly at that and pulled the trigger.

  PART TWO

  Homecoming

  I

  March 4, 2019

  Charlie,

  I'm so sorry to have to be the one to tell you, but your grandmother unexpectedly passed away two nights ago. I tried to call, but none of the numbers I had worked anymore. I found this address in some of Marianne's paperwork. This is the only way I can reach you, and I'm not even sure it'll work. But I have to try, right?

  We need you to come home, Charlie. Someone needs to carry on Marianne's work. I know it's a lot, and I know you haven't had any training…but I'll be here to support you any way I can. I'll pass on everything I know.

  If you don't want to come back, I completely understand. That day…hurt a lot of us. I don't know how things will go, but I'm sure we can get support from Arbre Delvie. At least, for a while.

  If and when you're ready, call me, okay? My number's below.

  I love you, kiddo.

  Lori

  ‡ † ‡

  Charlie stared out the window, trying to ignore the stiffness of the uncomfortable train seat. She fixated on the rolling hills and mountainside outside. Lush trees covered the landscape with a flourish of warm colors. Daisy yellow, sunset orange, and apple red swirled together as the wind ruffled the leaves. She looked up at the dense clouds glistening on the nearby hills, her green eyes seeming lost in the woods. The smell of rain and bark drifted in through the window.

  A voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Miner's Cove in five minutes' time. Please make sure to have all your belongings before exiting the train. I repeat…"

  Her stomach lurched and she saw she looked pale in her reflection on the window. She crammed her cellphone into her pocket—she didn't know why she had it out in the first place. The service up in those mountains was terrible. Grabbing her messenger bag, she entered the corridor. There was no one else getting off the train, and quite frankly she was more than relieved.

  The train steadily slowed and then stopped. Charlie made her way to the door and stared out, waiting for them to open. At first, she didn't look up from the floor; something inside her just still wasn't ready. She knew it was the best thing she could do…in reality, the only thing. Everything was going to be different now.

  With a sharp intake of breath, she held her head high and stepped out onto the platform the second the doors parted.

  The train's brakes released in a sharp hiss and the big metal transport slowly squealed towards its next destination.

  "Oh, Lori, she's finally home!"

  "Hey, Charlie!"

  At hearing the excited voices, she looked around to see two people. Aside from being slightly older, Lori was as she remembered. But instead of the short hairstyle she had back then, she now rocked a long braid slung over her shoulder. Tal looked as tired and kind as ever, wearing his extremely curly hair wild and free.

  "Come here, you!"

  She found herself in a warm, fatherly hug the second the train was in the tunnel and already far away.

  "I'm so happy to see you! It's been too long…" Tal pulled away and looked Charlie over. "Gosh, look how big you are! I just…can't believe it's finally move-in day for you!"

  Lori laughed. "Don't smother her, Tal! She just got here." She turned that warm and welcoming smile Charlie's way. "We're all excited to have you home."

  Utterly exhausted from the past two weeks—receiving that letter, quitting her job, and packing what little she had to move—all she could give a weak smile and nod. She looked around the station. Aside from a building she didn't remember, it looked the same.

  They left the mountain station, passing by the large construct. The words 'BATH HOUSE' flickered in neon above the front door. That was definitely…new. Something piqued inside her but was quickly displaced by the rising panic and anxiety as they reached the lake that sat beside Lori's two-story home. They could see Miner's Cove proper down the path, and nothing looked to have changed.

  Where the mountain paths diverged, Tal bid them a farewell and hurried off down to town. He exclaimed he didn't trust his son with watching the shop for very long. Lori and Charlie both waved him off.

  With a sigh and a smile, Lori turned her attention up the western path. Now that was something Charlie remembered. As their feet took them down that literal memory way, it all started to come back. Finding forage along the
mountain pass, watching the woodpeckers and squirrels, picking flowers and berries…

  "So, Charlie…"

  While her smile was still there, Lori's brow crinkled a little, like she was keeping in something she really wanted to get out.

  "Yeah?"

  "I'm glad you're back, but…" She trailed off, taking a deep breath, and then releasing it. "Well, I really wish it was under other circumstances. I'm sorry, hun." She gave her a quick, one-armed squeeze as they went.

  "I am, too, Lori," she managed.

  ‡ † ‡

  The mountain path rounded above the road, passing over a tunnel that led west to the Kattun Desert. Along the top of the drop-off ran some old fencing, unseen underneath decades of ivy and sweet, flowering vines. The bottom of the trail narrowed before opening onto a gorgeous span of land that never failed to riddle Charlie with wonder.

  Under the sunlight, the apples glowed with a hue that no supermarket light could even hope to give. The branches of each tree spread out as if so proud of the sweet, round bounties they bore. It was a party of colors, of chaos and order, of a beauty that sprung from simple seeds blessed with mud and rain, and the enduring love of generations of kind hearts and hands.

  Sticking out from among the treetops was the roof of the old farmhouse. Seated atop a gentle sloping hill, it watched over the orchard, its great beams and stone keeping safe the memories of times both good and bad. The window glass shone brilliantly in the sunlight, and the porch—skirted in flowering ivy that crawled across the lattice—looked as sturdy as ever.

  The rolling fields beyond the groves were the purest green, and the sound of chirping birds filled the air. Staffs of slim light spilled from the sky, dappling the shaded ground beneath the apple trees. The sun hung high like a great golden disc, warming Charlie in both body and soul, and a pageant of smells floated in the spring air.