by Kristen Day
Deciding I couldn’t lay there and stare at the ground all night, I lifted my mid-section up and peered around at my limited options. If I could swing my leg over, maybe I could scoot towards the trunk of the tree and crawl back over the stair railing. Unfortunately the way the stairs were spiraling around it, I’d have to either slide down the trunk several feet, jump, or shimmy around the tree to get to them. I didn’t foresee any of those options working out in my favor, though.
I took a quick inventory of my night gown and realized I had torn yet another piece of clothing. They were going to stop giving me clothes if I kept ruining them all! I felt a burning on my left leg, along with something warm, and assumed I’d scraped it on the way down. I was gathering up the nerve to swing my leg over the limb, when a deep voice broke through the night.
“What are you doing?”
I folded back over the limb in an effort to glimpse back down at the ground. An amused Sebastian stood directly beneath me, wearing a crooked smile and a smug attitude.
“I couldn’t sleep,” I groaned. Of course he’d be the one to notice me hanging in a tree like a damned monkey.
“And this was your other option?” He laughed at me and I felt my blood start to boil. It was bad enough I was stuck out on a limb in a ripped see-through nightgown fifteen feet off the ground. I didn’t need him to point and laugh.
“Just get me down,” I moaned at him.
“And how do you propose I do that?” He was enjoying this far too much. I decided then and there to punch him in the throat when I got down.
“Get a rope, hire a team of tree-climbers, rent a trampoline! I don’t care! Just get me down!”
“Well considering the tree was the one to catch you, I’m gonna go out on a limb,” he giggled at his own horrible pun, “and suggest you ask it to help you down.”
“I don’t speak tree like you Atlanteans,” I spit at him. Unfortunately for me, the tree appeared to speak my language. The fickle, double-crossing tree limb shook violently and I felt myself slip. Before I slid completely off, I tried reaching under with one arm and was able to wrap both arms around the scratchy bark; leaving the rest of my body hanging there uselessly.
“You don’t make friends very well, do you?” Sebastian joked. I instantly changed my mind - he didn’t need a punch in the throat, he needed an ass whipping.
“Stop joking around! I’m slipping!” I yelled at him and gripped the limb with all of my strength.
“Just drop,” he instructed, as if it was the obvious fix. “You know I can catch you!”
How did I get myself into these kinds of situations? I peered down at him, now standing beneath me with outstretched hands. My arms were beginning to shake, my skin was raw, and I was about to be completely out of options.
“Let go!” he ordered me again. I closed my eyes and sent up a short prayer to the gravity gods. I didn’t know if they existed, but if they did, I figured that moment would be an ideal opportunity for them to get in my good graces. But being that those odds weren’t in my favor, I took a deep breath and let go of the tree.
The air rushed past me and time stood still as I dropped like a sack of potatoes. Something resembling boulders more than arms caught me, and I collapsed into Sebastian’s body as the air was knocked out of me...again.
“It’s okay,” he comforted me, and held me tightly against him. I concentrated on taking a full breath. “I’ve got you, I’ve got you.”
He carried me across the grass and towards the horses near the edge of the lake. As he gently set me down on the bank, I glared up at him.
“As soon as I catch my breath, I’m going to kick your ass.”
“Your romantic acumen is astonishing.” He grinned down at me and repeated my own words back to me. I looked away and felt my wall breaking. I felt too vulnerable and I didn’t like it. He sat down beside me and cut his eyes at me playfully. “And you’re welcome.”
“Thanks,” I muttered, and stared at the ground for fear of losing control of the myriad of emotions knocking at the stone walls of my heart. I tried to take a deep breath, but winced at the pain in my chest. Between the traitorous limb and his arms of steel, it was a miracle I didn’t have a punctured lung. I flinched automatically when I felt his fingers on my face. He gingerly turned my chin upwards so he could inspect my cheeks and neck for cuts. I watched him cynically from the corner of my eye.
His worried blue eyes slid down my arms and down to my thigh where I’d grated it on the shingles. He furrowed his brow and straightened out my leg with delicate slowness. I was hyper aware of his hand beneath my knee and the closeness of his body. The moonlight highlighted the muscles of his shoulders and chest, and I found myself inspecting him just as meticulously. Just for different reasons. He bent forward once more and lightly grazed his fingers over the unharmed skin surrounding the long scrape now decorating my leg. I shivered at his touch.
“Did I hurt you?” he asked quietly as he glanced up at me with concern and pulled his hand away. I felt my pulse quicken as my heart unlocked, poured out, and fell right into his waiting hands. My thoughts stuttered under the compassion of his gaze and I felt myself fall.
“Not yet,” I breathed.
Chapter 38
Stasia
“…it will only make matters worse…”
I fought my way through a dense cloud of sleep towards the voice that kept swimming around in my head. It was a sweet voice; caring and wise. But I couldn’t quite get to it. It was too far away.
“…if you can hear me, listen closely,” it instructed me. Wait! I screamed in my mind. I hadn’t gotten there yet! An idea clicked in my head and I decided it was worth a try. I tuned into my senses and tried to concentrate on the feel of the silky sheets beneath my body and the weight of the plush blanket on top of me. I breathed in the warm smell of linen and verbena swirling around the room. I listened to the light chirping of insects just outside my window. I felt my heartbeat slow, and just like that…I was awake.
“…imperative that you understand what you are up against,” she emphasized quietly. I felt her settle onto the bed beside me, but for some reason I couldn’t move again. It was maddening! It was like a never ending nightmare I couldn’t escape from! As if I was going into surgery and the anesthesia forgot to shut off my mind. Or…was I paralyzed? That thought sent shivers of doom down my spine and I fought to move my hand. When it moved slightly across the sheets, she stopped talking and I was able to relax somewhat.
“Are you awake?” she whispered and leaned over me. I tried to force my eyes open, but they didn’t want to do anything except lay there limp and useless. Then they fluttered. It was quick, but she took notice.
“I’ll take that as a yes. Excellent!” she exclaimed, and I heard the smile in her voice. “Although you can’t see me, you know who I am. You had a dream about me - or a reverie, I think is what you called it. Anyway, I saw you last night, too. My name is Fallon.”
Flashes of a striking, beautiful pale face and shining violet eyes dashed across my mind and anxiety crept along my emotions as I began to feel vulnerable. She could do anything she wanted to me and I’d be helpless to stop her. That was a very disconcerting realization.
“I have a feeling you are wondering why you can’t seem to move,” she read my thoughts. “This may come as a shock, but you are being controlled - or influenced - by someone. She is using the moon’s energy against your own essence; draining you of life and energy. Until she needs you.”
What was she talking about? Who was influencing me? And why? Anger and frustration rippled through my body and I heard myself groan.
“Selene has found the crystal, and possibly the moonstone Luna hid from her long ago,” she explained. “Luna is my mother, the other moon Goddess. She fought to hide both from Selene, for fear that she would extort their power for her own selfish plans. And I’m afraid that is exactly what’s happening.” The moonstone. A memory tickled my mind, but I couldn’t quite reach it.
My Aura essence. The very essence Selene was using against me. How was I supposed to know when she was influencing me if I had memory lapses and couldn’t even move?! My frustration began to build and I was able to move my hand again.
“She only has control over half of your essence,” she clarified. “You must pull from everything you possess to gain the strength to fight her and block her out. She’s beating you from the inside out, and she’s winning. If you concentrate, you can feel when she pushes her own essence on you to control you. She’s been using you – as a weapon. As a spy. As a criminal. You have to fight her! The Book of Souls and the Key to Tribeca were stolen by Selene. She needed them to free souls. But she used you to do it. You stole them, Anastasia!”
While she was talking, I pulled from deep within and fought to find any essence or energy left within me. My anger fueled my determination. I could not let Selene get away with this! I needed to pull from the world where I belonged…I needed the help of my sea; the endless chasm of energy that embraced my every cell, my every thought. I needed the sea’s help to restore me.
“She can plant images in your head, even dreams! She’s scrambled your memories and your thoughts so that you don’t know what’s happening. But now you do! Now you can fight her!”
I gathered up as much of my essence as I could, pushed it outward, and put all of my thoughts, energy, and anger into speaking.
“Take me…” I croaked. It was working! “…to the sea…”
“I’ll do you one better,” she promised with a renewed hope swelling within her voice. “I’ll bring the sea to you. I will return. I promise.”
With that, she opened the window and disappeared into the night.
Chapter 39
Olivia
“See that one?” Sebastian pointed up to one of the billions of stars staring back at us from the veiled night sky. “The tail starts near the bottom and then curves back toward its legs.”
“I think you’re seeing things.”
I hadn’t been able to convince myself to go back to my tree house; my body demanded rest but my heart stubbornly demanded his presence. At the moment he was doing his best to show me the constellations that the Atlanteans had depended on for centuries. Unlike Sebastian, when I looked at the sky, I saw something much more abstract. My gaze wandered farther than any single animal, Trojan chariot, or ancient fighter could ever reach. In the never-ending expanse of nothingness, I saw my past, present and future, all bundled up together. The stars were constant. They were always there - always had been, and always would be. But I felt as if my life was a perpetual wheel of rotation threatening to throw me off at any moment.
“Have you ever wished on a star?” I asked him wistfully.
“Nope.”
“Never?” I pressed further. His answer surprised me. Having memorized every constellation possible, I would have thought he’d sent a wish skyward at some point. I turned on my side and propped my head up so I could look at him. He met my eyes and smiled.
“According to Aristotle, when you wish on a star, you’re a million years too late,” he explained in all seriousness. “That same star is dead. Just like your dreams.”
“Well, you and Aristotle are clearly dead inside. Not to mention you’ve just single-handedly slaughtered my belief that wishes come true.” I couldn’t stop myself from bursting out laughing as I pushed him playfully. “Consider yourself to blame when they find me floating face-down in the river after I hurl myself off your butterfly bridge…” I lay back down on my back and tried to wipe off the idiotic smile plastered all over my face.
After I was finally able to connect the dots in an effort to visualize a constellation, Sebastian informed me the lopsided angel I had pointed out to him was anything but. I didn’t know who had deemed him the expert on pictures in the sky, but I was quite happy with my angel. The fact that she was missing a leg and half of her halo made no difference to me. After creating my own intricate back story for my flawed, half-halo angel; Sebastian abruptly sat up suddenly and gazed down at me with a wicked gleam in his eyes.
“I have an idea,” he clamored deviously. He climbed to his feet and extended an inviting arm to me.
“This should end well,” I mumbled sarcastically. The smirk I’d instructed to decorate my lips slowly morphed into a big goofy grin as I took his warm hand in mine and silenced my thoughts. When he helped me up, I literally felt a spark sizzle across my palm. He peered back at me with puzzled eyes.
“Watch that essence of yours.” He grinned devilishly. “I still haven’t healed from your last attack.” He turned to face me and pointed down at his chest, where soft pink lines could still be seen from my attack at the castle. They created a web of lines extending out from his heart; resembling a lightning strike wound.
The glow of the moon lit up his lustrous skin against the blushing pink scars created at the spark of my essence. They had dramatically healed already, and I had a feeling they’d be completely gone by tomorrow night. Even with that thought in my mind, I couldn’t help but dwell on the fact that I’d been responsible for scarring the perfect lines of his torso. Without thinking, I lightly ran my fingers along the scraggly lines with reverence. I followed one particularly long one downward and across the contours of his abdomen. Lingering dangerously low, my hungry, covetous eyes traveled along the waistband of his pants where they sat perfectly on his hips. My breath hitched as they followed the strong lines of his stomach muscles where they disappeared beneath the soft white linen. I forced my eyes back upward to his blemished chest and felt a pang of guilt.
“I’m so sorry,” I murmured as I trailed another scar up and along his collarbone. The pink wounds were so soft and vulnerable, they stood in contrast to the strength and courage I knew lay dormant beneath.
“I heal quickly,” he mumbled back, and pressed his hand against mine; splaying my fingers out against his chest and capturing my eyes in his tender gaze. His honey colored hair accentuated the light blue of his eyes that danced almost silver amidst the night ambiance. I searched them in an effort to figure out what he was thinking, and noticed his jaw tighten when his attention dropped to my mouth.
I held my breath while he leaned forward and cupped my chin. I glanced down at his lips and felt a shiver run down my spine in anticipation of tasting them. Electricity hummed through my veins and sizzled in my heart. And then I felt a light nudge in the small of my back.
I turned slightly and jumped at the large animal standing only inches from me. His blonde mane fell into his eyes as he nudged me once more with his nose and huffed at me. I turned to give him my undivided attention, and he swished his tail as he stepped even closer. I nuzzled in his soft coat and ran a hand down his neck.
“I think he likes you,” Sebastian chuckled.
“I get that a lot,” I joked with a flip of my wrist.
“Probably more than you know,” Sebastian muttered, and then recited in Greek, “’If there is light in the soul, there is beauty in the woman.’”
“I speak Greek, remember?” I reminded him, just in case he thought he was getting away with something. Unfortunately, he knew all too well what he was doing.
“I know,” he stated simply with a sly grin. He stepped over to Xanthos and patted him on the back. “You up for a ride, ‘ole boy?”
The horse scuffed his hoof in the dirt and threw his head back with excitement; making Sebastian laugh and forcing me to back up in an effort to not get trampled. I stayed with Xanthos while he walked over to where Balios still grazed near the tree. He hugged his neck and whispered something in hi
s ear before returning to my side.
“Coming?” he asked with a self-assured smile no sane girl could say no to. Without a word he mounted the horse in one graceful movement, and then extended a steady arm for me to do the same. I cocked my head and stared up at him, expecting some kind of explanation as to where he was going. When my only answer was a challenging stare, I hooked my foot in the stirrup, jumped and swung my leg over while he pulled me up.
“You’re getting good at this,” he praised me.
“I feel like I’m in the middle of a twisted fairy tale.” I marveled at the bright night and the crispness of the air, and breathed in a deep breath.
“I’m Prince Charming, right?” he guessed with a sneer.
“More like Rumpelstiltskin,” I surmised cynically.
“That would make you the alluring Miller’s Daughter, who eventually becomes Queen,” he chuckled evilly. “And we all know that can’t be true.”
“Hey what-?!” But before I could get another word out or knock him senseless, he drove his heel into the horse’s side and we shot forward through the night. I threw myself forward and wrapped my arms securely around Sebastian’s waist.
Nothing could dampen the smile that stretched across my face from the sheer exhilaration of galloping on horseback through the forest. Except for maybe riding across fields full of midnight blooms of fragrant gladiolus and evening primrose. Xanthos slowed to a steady trot as we crossed one more field and drew closer to the vast trench. The butterfly bridge lay just up ahead, spotlighted by the pale light of the full moon.
Sebastian tilted forward and somehow dismounted the horse without kicking me in the face. Every action, every maneuver gave off the appearance of a highly skilled equestrian. It was glaringly obvious that he belonged here - racing across the land on horseback and living among the purest trees and plant life on Earth. Once on the ground, he led Xanthos with me in tow over to the large rubber tree providing roots for this side of the bridge. He secured the reins of the horse’s bridle around the wide trunk, and held up his arms to me with a bright smile.