Book One: Beginnings

by Nicole Ashley Brown Segda

  At the top of the hill, Jessica and Joel stand with their mouths gaping open in shock. Blinking, Jessica slowly manages to turn her head to look at Joel. He looks back at her and grins. “It seems that for once, you are speechless.”

  Jessica punches him in the shoulder but still doesn’t say a word. She stares at the scene before her, hardly able to comprehend what in the world is going on. Suddenly, a mystery man emerges from the woods and the stalwart Maria who had shunned such outward displays of emotion throws her cares to the wind to embrace this stranger from her past. Many times Jessica has seen her angry and seen her cry, but not once has she seen Maria truly smile. Maria had always been haunted by some lost dream, ever fading but never forgotten. Now standing here on this hill, Jessica realizes the sacrifice of this woman who had raised these children as her own. Maria and this woodland stranger had been in love; a love which after all this time had not eroded. As selfish as it sounds, Jessica had never considered what Maria’s life had been before she had become burdened with all these orphans. She had always focused on her own story and never questioned those told by others. Everything she knows about why they are all here was told by Maria, but she now knows that they were not told everything. What other secrets remain to be revealed? Her proceeding thoughts seem so preposterous to her that the entire situation seems to be illusory. She whispers quietly to Joel, “Either I am dreaming or the world has gone mad.” She desperately turns to Joel. “Quick, do something so I know that this is real.”

  Joel shrugs. “Okay.” Without a moment of hesitation, he leans forward and places a kiss on Jessica’s lips.

  The initial shock of his lips on hers leaves her paralyzed, but then she finds herself drawn into it. She kisses him back, for a moment forgetting where and who she is. As the realization of what she is doing dawns on her, she pulls away. Staring at Joel in disbelief, she tries to speak but her throat constricts with emotion.

  Joel smiles dazedly. “Was that real enough for you?”

  * * *

  “And so I am still here, on Smithee,” Chase says seemingly to thin air.

  A melodious voice answers him. “You couldn’t leave things the way you had with her.”

  Chase sighs, “Nikoi, like I said, my guide has to do some business before we can leave. Why do you think I came here instead of going on to the Sylvan cottage.”

  “I know what you said, but I also know that that is not the real reason. I also know why you showed her this place before you left.”

  He puts his hands out in challenge. “Enlighten me.” The water silently ripples as he feels the creature’s presence come nearer to him.

  “You knew that she would need a friend when you left. You thought I would be of much help. Did you not also think that she would come here often? Did you not know that if you waited here, she would come?”

  Running his hands through his hair, he laughs a defeated laugh. “That telepathy thing of yours can put others at a great disadvantage, you know that?”

  The soft voice laughs knowingly. “I can speak to your mind, but I cannot read your mind. You humans are just so predictable.”

  Chase rolls his eyes. “Thanks.”

  “She comes.”

  Taking a deep breath, Chase climbs up the side of the bank and makes his way towards the top of the ridge. He smiles anxiously when he sees her step from the recesses of the forest and start across the bridge.

  Caught up in her own thoughts as she clutches the chain around her neck, Kae does not notice the man standing on the other side of the river until she nearly stumbles unto him. Her heart races at seeing those familiar black boots with a splash of red spilling over the tops. She dare not raise her head to look at his face, holding onto the hope that will be dashed if it is not who she wants it to be. Her fears are immediately shattered by the painfully recognizable voice.

  The familiar warmth of the tone, a jest on the verge of something more, floats across the still air. “It seems that we keep on running into each other.”

  Slowly she turns up her head to be welcomed by those dazzling blue eyes and that radiant smile. Conflicting emotions course through her with the unsteady and erratic force of a torrential rainstorm. She turns away from him and whispers, “Am I dreaming?”

  Chase takes a step forward and gently places his hand on her arm, urging her to face him.

  With her free hand, she clutches her necklace. “If this is a dream, then I don’t ever want to wake up.” Quietly pulling away from him, she puts her fists to her sides and takes a deep breath. For an instant she closes her eyes, glistening with tears. “And if this is real, if you are really here, I do not know whether to kiss you … or slap you.”

  Chase smiles tenderly and leans forward to kiss her.

  The brush of his lips lasts only for a moment, but the effect is enough cause for reaction. Before he has a chance to say a word, she slaps him. Expecting him to storm off now, she turns away in regretful silence.

  His lighthearted tone startles her. “It seems that now you have done both.”

  Kae puts her fingers to her lips. “Now I know this is a dream.”

  “Why are you so sure?”

  Looking down at her hands, she whispers in dismayed conviction, “You are not the Chase I know. The Chase I know would never do what you just did, only in my dreams.”

  Chase probes teasingly. “So you’ve dreamt of me kissing you?”

  She turns to look at him, her expression serious. “I’ve dreamt of not being left behind.” She blushes. “And of kissing you.”

  Chase kisses her again.

  Kae slaps him again. “I will not let my fantasies control me. I will not let them make me feel this way, no matter how real it may seem.”

  He caresses her cheek and then pushes her hair away from her face. “You want to be in control of your own dreams. Then you should be able to stop me … if you can … if this is indeed a dream.” Once more, he kisses her, tenderly and with more passion.

  She allows herself to indulge in this kiss, before once again breaking away and slapping him, hard.

  Chase rubs his sore cheek. “Why do you insist on slapping me after I kiss you?”

  Kae glares at him. “Why do you insist on kissing me?”

  “Why do you kiss me back?” he counters.

  Realizing her defeat on the matter, Kae breaks down in tears. “Please, do not taunt me so. It is hard enough trying to get through the day without you. I miss you. I miss everything, especially the fighting.” She smiles, abashed at her indiscretion, but tears once again fill her eyes. “You made me feel alive. And now you stalk my dreams, a constant reminder of what I did not know I had until I lost it.”

  Chase wraps his arms protectively around her, caressing her hair and whispering into her ear, “I am here. I am not lost to you.”

  She hugs him tightly, as if at any moment he is going to drift away. “My senses tell me that you are really here. The warmth and the definitive form of your body … your eyes that seem to speak to my soul … your heartbeat resounding through my head … the bittersweet smell of the forest and your sweat … and the taste of your lips … all seem so real. My heart wishes for this to be true, but my mind tells me that you are long gone….”

  Chase kisses the top of her head. “I am here now, but I cannot stay….” He holds her closer to him. “I just had to see you again.”

  She looks up at him. “Where have you been these past two weeks?”

  Chase scratches the back of his head. “I never left Smithee.”

  Kae recalls something. “What did you mean earlier when you said ‘It seems that we keep on running into each other’?”

  “Do you recall colliding with someone three days ago when you were entering the Green Tavern?” Chase says probingly as he raises a knowing brow.

  Kae covers her face and laughs in astonishment. “That was you? Why didn’t you say anything?”

  Running his hand through his hair, Chase flushes. “Believe me I considered it,
but at the time I was still doubtful as to the decision I had made to leave. I realized that until I could accept what I had to do, I wouldn’t be able to talk to you with a clear conscience.”

  “And now?”

  His eyes glaze over with purpose. “Just as something keeps you here, something calls me forth.” He looks back at her with a sad smile on his face. “I assume it is too much to hope that you will come with me.”

  Kae smiles. “Assumptions are dangerous. But yes I cannot go with you, at least not yet.”

  Chase takes her hands in his and looks meaningfully into her lavender eyes. “I can wait for you.”

  She touches his cheek. “You don’t know how much that means to me. But the knowledge that I had a part in denying you this chance to find your parents would destroy us both.” She entwines her delicate fingers in his.

  He kisses their joined hands. “We will find each other. We will be together.”

  Kae smiles coyly. “Is that a promise?”

  At the mention of the word, Chase lets go of Kae’s hands and reaches into his pocket. He pulls out the box that Tom had given him and removes the ring. He slides the sapphire ring wrought in white gold onto the ring finger of Kae’s right hand. “A perfect fit.” He kisses the finger with the ring on it. “I promise you, Kaela, that we will be together again. Across the distance shall my love find you and keep you until this promise can be fulfilled.”

  With trembling hands, Kae unclasps the necklace and removes the ruby ring. She places the golden band upon Chase’s right hand. “And with this ring shall you remember this promise. Remember the love that this represents and serves to protect.”

  Kae wraps her arms around Chase’s neck and means to kiss him. Chase hesitates, keeping his lips just clear of hers. His eyes twinkle mischievously as he whispers, “You’re not going to slap me again, are you?”

  Kae laughs in spite of herself. She raises her chin in cheerful defiance. “I haven’t decided yet.”

  Enjoying her eager playfulness, Chase bends down to kiss her. He finds his kiss to be welcome, both reveling in the warmth of each other’s tender touch. Waves of absolute exhilaration course through them. The power of a raging sea and the intensity of a blazing fire swirl and dance to an endless cadence of emotion. Their lips part, but the energy still strums between them in an unbreakable bond. Kae takes Chase’s hand and places it over her heart. She smiles up at him in wonder, her eyes a brilliant blaze of lilac. “I feel your presence here.”

  Chase nods. “As do I.” He looks around them. “What do you say we get off this bridge and go for a swim?”

  Kae links her hand around his and lets him lead her down to the bank. “I’d say that that is an excellent idea.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Jessica closes her eyes, inviting the warmth of the sun upon her face. Her golden hair glistens in the radiant light, flowing on a breathless wind with each delicate step she takes. She smiles as she senses his hesitant presence behind her.

  “A voice whispers to me. I do not know from whence it comes but what it brings reveals to me truths of which I would have never guessed or admitted to.”

  Joel takes his place beside her. “What sort of truths?”

  Jessica opens her eyes, dazzling amethyst gems through which she sees the world. “In a way I guess I have always known, but after you kissed me, I was certain.”

  Joel blushes, with a hint of mischief playing across his features. “Certain of what?”

  She sighs contentedly. “When you kissed me, it felt so right. But it shouldn’t have. And the fact that you did kiss me tells me that you know this to be true as well.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  Jessica turns to him, but her gaze rests on some distant thought. “There is a destiny, surrounded by a secret that we all share but are unaware of. Part of that secret lies in our pasts; from where we come. We are all orphans. How can we be sure of who is our brother or sister, mother or father? The bonds that have been formed were meant to be, no matter how much we try to ignore them. Lara and Ashe will marry. Kae and Chase are soul mates. And you and I, well … that would not be a possibility if Ashe is my brother.”

  Joel looks down at his hands. “And if you and he are brother and sister, then my kissing you was a mistake bordering on incest.”

  Jessica sighs absently, “Yes. But the idea of Ashe being my brother was something that was instilled within me. There has never been a special bond, like that of you with your brothers. I consider him a confidante as best. I know that sounds heartless, but I can’t help but feel that if it had ever been any other way, considering that Ashe is not my brother, then this destiny that involves us all would be but a fading dream.” She now looks at Joel, into those piercing blue eyes full of life and an untapped wisdom. “I know that you see the truth in this, not because you want it to be so, but because it simply is.”

  “Jessy, you talk of destiny, but what of free will? Do we not also have a choice in how we live our lives? I do not understand these visions you see or voices you hear, and perhaps you do not either. All I know is that these conclusions you have made are based on something that may very well be imaginary. I would not put too much credence into these fleeting moments until you have learned their origin. It may be leading you down a path of destruction, cloaked in the illusion of the truth that your heart desires.”

  Jessica smiles sadly. “I understand your concern and your doubt, Joel. In regards to free will, was it your choice to kiss me, or was some mystical hand guiding you?”

  Joel scratches his head. “Frankly I am getting quite dizzy running around in circles and such. I suggest we enlist the knowledge of someone who can give us a definitive answer. We need to confront Maria.”

  Nodding in agreement, Jessica starts back towards the cottage. Joel follows for a few steps and then stops suddenly as if he had run into some invisible barrier. His brow furrows in concern. “Jessica, what of Cole?”

  She turns, fists clenched in anxiety. “What do you mean?”

  Joel studies her face for a moment. “Please, don’t hold back the truth from me.” Setting his jaw, he continues, “You never mentioned him … when you were talking about our destiny.”

  Jessica struggles to find the right words, eventually giving up the idea of euphemisms to just tell it as it is. “The future is obscure, but somehow I manage to get what I believe to be glimpses of it. But these glimpses are only possibilities because of the existence of free will. I have seen each of us, in one form or another, but when I look to Cole, I see absolutely nothing.”

  Joel thinks on this, sitting down and crossing his legs. “Well, that means that his future is not yet written, right? I mean, perhaps he has not made a choice yet that will determine the path he is to take and the others have, so their futures would be more definite. That is why you have seen theirs and not his, right? You said yourself that you were only certain after I kissed you. That was a choice that I had made. I don’t need some incarnation of fate to tell me how I feel or how to think.”

  “I hope that you are right, Joel.” She crosses her arms and smiles. “So, what were you thinking when you kissed me?”

  Joel rises to his feet and shrugs. “That if you punched me for whatever measure I took to show you that what you were seeing was real, at least it would be worth it.” He grins widely and then runs the distance back to the cottage before Jessica has a chance to react to his words.

  Jessica chases after Joel, admonishing herself for once again being completely caught off guard. In all her life, only Joel had managed to surprise her—or make her laugh. Only he truly understood her, could predict her next move, and be duly prepared for her wrath. She stops before the doorstep of which Joel had sought refuge only moments before. As she catches her breath, her train of thought sends her to a reality of which she had been trying to avoid. Despite all the things that only Joel can do, there is one more that illustrates the impact he has had on her. This particular “only” strengthens her conv
iction that the visions seen and voices heard are purveyors of truth. If Ashe is indeed her brother, and Joel and herself are not meant to be together, then why is Joel the only one to have ever deeply hurt her?

  * * *

  Maria smiles faintly. “As much as I am glad to see you, I am set with a heavy heart at what this meeting portends.”

  Tom returns a weak smile that does not reach his blue eyes. “Cara contacted me last night. On her way home she had been confronted by one of Mala’s minions, who told her that there is a traitor amongst us. She doesn’t know who it is, but she is on her way to Nesthra to inform Chris of the threat. She will impart this information to Old John as she passes through the Southern Woods, and he will in turn inform the rest.”

  Maria digests this with a complacent face and finally comments, “Can we trust the word of this malevolent messenger?”

  Tom nods. “It is true that they do often deal in prevarication but truth is always revealed in the light. The words were simple enough but that in itself can be a form of deception. We must take every precaution necessary and we must not forget our main objective.”

  “As the seven stars descend from the heavens the seven keepers of the sight must guard them with their holy light,” Maria recites with conviction and purpose.

  Tom smiles warmly. “It has been long since I have heard that, and I am glad that your lips were the ones to speak it.” His eyes twinkle with mischief. “Do you remember what we used to do under the cover of the stars?”

  Maria blushes. “You make it sound so scandalous.” She smiles. “We were married. There was a time when nothing else mattered. We were the only two people in the world.” Her features are once again downcast. “But that time has passed. We have responsibilities now. Our duties require different things of us. I to stay here and you to roam the world in search of answers.” She sighs, “It seems that Kae and Chase are doomed to the same fate.”