by elda lore
“Iris, I don’t want to forget. Not anymore. Not you.” Charlie could say all the right things, but this was too much. I didn’t know why he was here, but I had a message to deliver. He wouldn’t understand.
“Charlie, you need to move on. You’re an amazing person. You’ve come a long way from who you thought you were, and the future is waiting for you. Let me go, and live happily.” The encouraging smile I added to my plea was weak. All I really wanted was to leap into his arms if he was so willing to keep me. But I wasn’t a stationary being, although my time in Maui had been rather extensive compared to other places I lived.
I slipped out of his grasp and into the pulsing bodies, pushing my way through the sea of heat before finding Violet.
“I need to leave,” I shouted over the racing rhythm while Violet continued to dance with some blond, surfer boy.
“We just got here,” she replied, raising her hands in the air to the beat of the drums.
“Why would you invite Riordan?” I demanded, and Violet’s arms dropped as she stared at me.
“I didn’t invite him.” My body went cold despite the heat of the cave.
“What do you mean?”
“Just what I said. I didn’t invite him.” I looked across the waving ocean of people, rolling with the sounds echoing from the party. I no longer saw Charlie. Turning back to Violet, I waved out at the crowd.
“But he said…and then he looked…and you…” A coherent thought couldn’t form. A new thought filled me.
“Harper?”
“Who’s Harper?” Violet shouted, not knowing the whole of my history. My inner circle knew enough, but they didn’t need to know everything. It had been too long since I’d seen Harper among humans, which only meant one thing.
“I need to go.” Twisting away from Violet, I raced for the beach. Set below a cliff, I searched the climb to the lot above. There, I saw Harper leading a man up the natural stone path. He could only be one man.
“Riordan!” I yelled, but he didn’t turn to me. My voice carried off in the ocean breeze like the sound of a seagull squawking. “Damn it,” I swore aloud before I ran for the path. Taking the steps two at a time, I eventually kicked off my flip-flops for bare feet traction instead. I made it to the parking area just as Riordan entered a truck with Harper.
Jumping into my VW bug, I followed at a steady distance, puzzled as my sister spiraled the mountain, wondering where she was taking Charlie. Following the curving crawl up Haleakala was like chasing the moon. As my car rose in elevation, the moon lowered. To the top was nearly ten-thousand feet above sea level—an excellent viewing point for a sunrise, above the clouds. It was also a dangerous place, as one could fall from the sky to their death on the earth.
“She wouldn’t,” I wondered, thinking Harper took Riordan to the highest point on the mountain in hopes to take him with her to the otherworld. She’d do this to spite me, but I wondered how she even knew of Riordan’s existence.
“Unless,” I muttered aloud, unless she wanted Charlie for herself. She’d never been one to steal from me, despite her jealousy. It wasn’t my desire to be the chosen messenger to the gods from earth to heaven and back again.
“Still,” I whispered to myself, I hadn’t seen her in a long time. Not since…Ben. Thoughts raced back to the first time I fell for a human being. The grief of his rejection ached so deep I felt I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t think I could carry on my duties from the depression and rain poured from my pitcher with no relief for days. It was Harper who came to me.
Find the one whose heart dances with the rain. Let love be his forgiveness.
She’d brought this message to me, and I thought it was to spite me. I thought I needed to forgive Ben, in order for him to pass to the underworld, so I tried. Wrapping my heart in its protective goddess wreath, I went to the underworld and gave my forgiveness to bring him peace. Then I guarded myself against falling for another human. I returned to my duty. I moved to Maui. I opened Indigo Ink. It was the longest settlement I’d had in years. But I suddenly felt as if I’d misunderstood the forgotten message.
“How strange that Harper had been the one to comfort me,” I mumbled. “And how strange I’m talking to myself,” I whispered out loud as I drew near the entrance to the state park of Haleakala. I paid the fee necessary for sunrise viewing from the mountain top. There was only one way up, and one way down, unless Harper decided to be unconventional.
“Gods above, let’s pray she has some ulterior scheme.”
14
Riordan
Iris left the party. As I watched her go, I noticed her running for the steep path to the cliff above. Questioning her quickness, I took off after her. I didn’t give a thought for my brother, remembering that his invite resulted in our presence. My brother at a rave party? I silently laughed. It was completely uncharacteristic of my never-do-wrong brother, so I had to be a witness to his wilder side. Bumping into Iris had been purposeful. The moment I saw her, my mind raced with images of her desiring another man. But something didn’t sit right with her solitary presence amongst a sea of grinding people, especially after she intercepted my hand, and squeezed my fingers tightly instead of allowing me to meet her friend. I knew my intuition wasn’t off.
Iris’ face didn’t appear friendly toward the other woman, and I wondered what caused her hesitation. Curiosity combined with that concern, and I hopped in my truck to follow her. This bordered on stalkerish behavior, and yet I couldn’t rid the gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach that Iris was heading for danger. Following her yellow VW at a distance, I noticed another vehicle before her. Each of us spaced safely apart from one another; we seemed to have formed a constellation, of sorts, orbiting the curving roads, spiraling toward the top of the mountain in utter darkness. The blackness was something I’d noticed immediately upon arriving on Maui. No street lamps lit the roads like the orange glow of Chicago. The island could be dark, and in the moment, the weight of that darkness pressed on me. To my right, the drop-off was sharp and infinite. Death awaited for a wrong turn or a sharp speed. The moon lowered as I climbed, looking as ominous as I felt.
Ahead, signs for the Haleakala State Park marked my path. There was only one direction at this point—into the state park and the top of the mountain. The single lane of traffic slowed our drive, and the small parade of vehicles continued to climb. I kept my distance by parking a few spaces away from Iris. The pitch blackness became more present as headlights flicked off and cars shut down. The world was still asleep at 3:00 a.m., but this mountain was holding its breath, waiting for something.
Shifting in my seat, I tried to observe Iris. What was she doing up here? Who did she follow? After only a few minutes of wonder, I decided I’d brave any wrath she took on me and approach her. She kept pushing me away when all I wanted was to understand her—who she was? What she was? She didn’t seem to be rejecting me because of me, but because of her. And I wasn’t letting her go. Not after I’d given into her and accepted her willing body and seductive kisses. The connection to Iris was instantaneous, and I didn’t want to lose her without trying everything to keep her first.
As I opened my truck door, the wind assaulted me, as did the temperature. It was nearly thirty degrees cooler up in the clouds, and I wasn’t prepared for the arctic air. My body shivered, but I moved forward. A man stumbled from a truck opposite Iris’ VW and bent over to vomit in the low brush along the sidewalk. As I neared, I recognized him.
“Cash?” I rushed for my brother as he stood and swiped at his mouth.
“Charlie, what are you doing here?” His fingers shook over his lips.
“I’m wondering the same thing about you.”
Cash’s head shifted to the dark vehicle behind him.
“I came up here to see the sunrise,” he lied. Cash had this twitch where his right eye flinched if he wasn’t speaking the truth. Stepping toward him, he backed away.
“What’s going on, man?” I asked, reaching to steady my
brother.
“That ride was hell.” Shaky fingers reached for his temples. His eyes shifted away from mine again.
“I feel so foggy. I’m not sure how I got here, exactly.”
“Did you drink at the party?” I asked, suddenly concerned that my brother’s wild side wasn’t as practiced as it should be. “You don’t drink at those parties without knowing what’s served to you,” I warned.
“Yeah, I took a drink from…” His thumb hitched over his shoulder to indicate the SUV.
“From me.” A deep, distinctly feminine voice rolled behind Cash. As if drifting from the darkness, a woman appeared—the same woman who troubled Iris at the party.
“And who are you again?” This time I didn’t offer my hand, as I considered the condition of my brother. He’d definitely been slipped something.
“This is Harper.” Iris’ voice startled me, and the anger in it clawed down my back. I didn’t want to displease her, but I was growing irritated. Feeling set up, with Cash as collateral, someone was about to be hurt, and I feared it was me. I turned slowly to find Iris just off my shoulder. She’d moved as quietly as this Harper woman, and the two glared at one another. I’d never seen Iris look so dark, and then it happened. A thin strip of light peeked out the collar of her jacket.
“Sister,” Harper chirped.
“What do you want from me?” Iris pleaded, wrapping her arms around her middle, tugging at the edge of her clothing.
“Your sister?” I queried, wondering how many more secrets Iris held.
“He needs to know who you are,” Harper sneered, and I spun to defend Iris.
“I know who she is,” I lied, but found an answer. “She’s bright and beautiful and unique.” I turned back to Iris as I spoke, trying to reassure her in the dark hours of dawn that I saw who she was—inside—and I didn’t care about the rest. As long as she’d let me in, she could be whoever she was.
“Unique,” Harper chirped. “That’s one way of seeing it.”
Cash had slumped back on the hood of Harper’s truck, holding his head in his hands as if that could relieve the pressure.
“What did you give him?” I snapped, stepping toward my little brother. Whatever game this girl played, Cash didn’t deserve to be a pawn.
“It will wear off in twenty-four hours. I only needed him to follow me.”
“It wasn’t Charlie,” Iris breathed, an inquiry coming out with her exhale.
“You thought…” I trailed off, glancing back at her relief-filled eyes. The violet color I knew so well lowered, presenting a hint of shame in questioning me. “I’d never do that to you.” Stepping forward, my hands covered her shoulders, gently jostling her.
“Never,” I exhaled. Without thought, my lips pressed to her forehead and lingered.
“How sweet,” Harper cooed, sarcasm lining her voice. “But it’s almost time. We need to be going.”
“Where?” I questioned at the same time Iris asked, “Why?”
Instead of climbing the stairs to the lookout point, Harper turned and made her own path around the naturally sloped steeple. Iris followed instantly. Sensing me behind her, she spun and held up a hand.
“Charlie, you can’t follow me. Please, go up to the lookout and watch from there.”
“What am I looking for, and why am I sensing you’re in danger?”
“Harper won’t hurt me. Her pecking is only meant to sting. It wasn’t her fault she is who she is.”
“And what is she? Is she like you?” Longing to hold Iris, I hesitated, believing she didn’t want me to touch her, but I needed the connection to reassure me that she wouldn’t disappear. “Don’t go after her,” I added.
“I have to. I need to know what she’s up to.” Iris sighed. “You think it’s all rainbows and butterflies for me, but there is another side—another side that’s more black and white, and not a place I wish to be.”
“Rainbows and butterflies,” I muttered, and then recalled the glowing image on her skin. A butterfly, outlined in ink, was a marker for her ability. “Can you fly?” My eyes squinted with intrigue.
“Not exactly,” she smiled weakly. “I’ve enjoyed you, Charlie. You’ve been as refreshing as spring rain.” Her words sent a message to me: we were over. Not allowing her to escape, I reached for her and dragged her to me. My mouth sought hers in a kiss that could produce mythical creatures and make fairy tales true. Just as eagerly, her lips followed my lead, drinking in the flavor of promises I wanted to give her.
“Don’t go,” I whispered over kissing lips. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry it was Ben and not me.”
“Don’t say that, Charlie. Don’t ever think that,” she replied, and pulled away too quickly. Cold fingers cupped my face as she took a final look and purple pupils pinned me to my place. In an instant, she’d rounded the slope and disappeared. The wind seemed to speak: Watch for me.
Taking the stairs to the look-out, I raced two at a time as best I could. The air became a force, and a cloud rolled in, pushing at me as if it wanted to rip me from the rocky stairs. Once inside the circular viewing enclosure, I huddled between people, wiggling my legs to circulate some warmth. I hadn’t been this cold since I’d left Chicago. As I waited in anticipation with the strangers around me, a thin line of light seeped over the cloud. Dawn was breaking.
The scenery was breathtaking, as dark night lightened to a dusty gray-brown. The clouds rolled with this color as yellow and gold streams seeped through the airy gathering. The slightest hump hinted at a new day as the sun rose, infinitesimally slow, peeking one torturous inch at a time above the lingering cloud line. Finally, a larger portion of the anticipated sphere cracked above the horizon, and as it did, the brownish light rolled like thunder might, galloping under the brightness of day. In the thin light, water crystals glistened, and a streak of rainbow appeared.
In that instant, I knew that Iris had followed Harper. The dark brown racing toward the sun represented Harper’s brunette features, and Iris slipped behind her. Whether they chased one another, whether Iris was meant to be a follower, I would not know. My heart had become as cold as the air temperature. Without full understanding, I’d lost her.
“That is beautiful.” Cash’s voice startled me, and I flinched in the cool morning light.
“Yes, she is,” I whispered, continuing to stare out at the streak of vibrant color, so similar to the ink on Iris’ body, caressing the cloud, and highlighting it.
“A rainbow,” Cash stated the obvious. “Never seen one at the same time as a sunrise. Must be a sign of something promising.”
I glanced over my shoulder at my brother, surprised at his imagination.
“Really?” I wanted to believe. I wanted to believe anything if it meant a promise that Iris would return to me.
“I have faith,” Cash said, his voice lowering as he stared out at the brilliant display of a new day. “Each day is a gift, right? That’s why they call today a present.”
I was about to laugh and tease my brother for his silly philosophizing, but I choked on my chuckle when I saw the seriousness of his expression. Confident in his meaning, Cash trusted that a new day was precious. Staring at the glowing sphere of sun, more prominent above the horizon, I inhaled a deep breath, as if the sight were oxygen. I needed to trust that life was taking me in a new direction, a more promising one, and I was lucky to be alive, although I hadn’t appreciated that gift until this moment. With Iris slowly disappearing into the cloud, and the brilliance of a new sun overshadowing her, I had to have faith I would find her again.
15
Iris
Harper and I barreled through the clouds, racing one another as we had as children. Still child-like despite her centuries of age, Harper took her true form of half-eagle, half-female. In her element, she soared, glorious and majestic, ruling the clouds as she flew. Nothing followed in her wake but the freedom she released as she flapped before me. I, on the other hand, left behind the only promise I could give to Riordan. Rainbow
streams followed me, and I hoped he had stayed long enough to see them. I’d pushed him away, and yet I sensed he lingered, questioning.
I’d explain it all if I survived Harper’s trial.
“You were almost too close to see, Iris. Refreshing as a spring rain.” Screeching laughter followed her mocking words.
Find the one whose heart dances with the rain. Let love be his forgiveness. The message flitted through my mind.
“That message was for you, Iris,” Harper squawked before plunging down the mountain, only to swoop upward and blend with the clouds. Had she read my mind? She couldn’t do that.
Spring rain. Dances with rain. Charlie.
“Is Charlie the one who dances with the rain?” He’d spoken of storms and how he was more like a cloudy day. Was he the one I was meant to find? But what love would be his forgiveness?
As I caught up to Harper, her small mouth seemed to curve as her head tilted toward me.
“You almost had it figured out. Thank goodness I could intervene,” she chirped, the sound floating out to me through the heaviness of the cloud disguising our presence from the visible eye of the viewers awaiting the sun. By the time the day broke, we’d be long gone from sight.
“Why would you do that? Why give me the message and then try to take it away from me?” I snapped, attempting to keep speed with her.
“Love.” She flapped her extended wings and stretched forth faster than me. I slowed my pace to glide behind her, allowing my thoughts to wander in the breeze of her tailwind.
“Love?” I questioned. “Love for who?”
“For you, dear sister,” Harper chirped, the sound growing distant as she flew ahead of me. Could Charlie love me? I knew how I felt about him, yet I hadn’t admitted it to him. Love would only complicate things. But… he didn’t need me to be a secret, like Ben’s rebellious streak. Charlie had already lived his rebellion. It nearly cost him his life, and he had a second chance. Did this second chance bring love for him, or for me?