by Ellis Logan
Chapter 25
The first thing I noticed was that Vala held Alec’s hands in hers, and they were deep in conversation. He looked resigned, and she was smiling warmly at him.
The second thing I noticed was the naked bike next to them, the raw Ducati Monster painted an understated matte black and outfitted with mean-looking all-terrain tires.
Oh, this was going to be fun.
Miko ran past me and hopped up onto the bike.
Really, he looked at me, fun? Where am I supposed to sit?
He had a point. My backpack was totally full, there wasn’t room for him in there. Then I remembered the small messenger-style bag Rowan had stowed my toiletries in.
Don’t worry, I thought, I have the perfect thing. I opened the bags, repacked my toothbrush and things in the front pocket of the pack, and slung the bag over my head across my body, followed by the pack over both shoulders.
Hmm? What do you think? I modeled the bag for him.
It’ll do, he acquiesced. I leaned down and picked him up, gently placing him inside the bag.
“Okay, we’re ready.” I smiled bravely at everyone, hiding my nerves.
Vala rushed over to me and gave me long, comforting hug. I wondered if she had read that Facebook post about hugs longer than twenty seconds releasing endorphins in the body to lower stress. Whether she had or not, it was definitely working. I’d almost forgotten what it was like to hug someone and just feel simple comfort. No overwhelming fae feelings. No stomach flopping. Just a good, plain old hug. Wonderful.
Then she backed up and held my hands as she had with Alec, looking into my eyes. Searching.
“I’m going to be thinking of you Siri, all the time. You stay safe now, and let me know anything I can do to help you. Speak with the trees, the winds and the waters, and they will find a way to get your message to me.”
“I will, I-”
Suddenly I was back at school, the building was teeming with kids rushing the halls, slamming lockers, sneaking kisses, on their way to class.
Oh no. Not again.
I was in another vision. Vala must have sparked it somehow.
I stood by the entry doors, watching everyone. The lucky humans, and a few fae, too, walking around, just living their lives. Why couldn’t I be so lucky? All I’d ever wanted was to have a real home, fit in, be normal. Would I ever have that?
The lights in the hall way flickered. Students looked up, and the lights came back on.
I heard something hit the glass doors behind me and looked over my shoulder. A few leaves and small branches floated by on the wind. Nothing there.
I turned back to look at the students. Jealousy filled me. I wanted what they had. Schoolwork. Home. Normal days. Normal families. I saw Cooper and Holly laughing by her locker, and then froze in shock as Rowan joined them, followed by Emelie. This was the future. Where was I? Still in Aeden, still traveling, or worse, caught by the Dark?
As if in answer, the lights flickered again, and then went off, plunging the hall into gloomy shadows.
“Come to the Shades, Siri. Join us, or die.”
Again, with the eerie voice? Really?
“Seriously, Mikael, you need a new bag of tricks,” I called out, taking a stab in the dark.
In answer, a long hiss sounded around me.
“So, you know who I am. Good. And I know who you are. We will find you, and you will join us. It is your only option. Join us, or die.”
“Well, now, see that’s where you are wrong. You just gave me two options. And you know what? I think I’d rather die. But not before I find you, and take you with me. I’m coming for you, you bastard, and there’s nowhere you can hide.”
Okay, so I don’t know where exactly I pulled that from, but hey, it sounded good. I hoped it was true, too.
He didn’t answer me. He didn’t need to. A screaming roar ripped through the school, and everyone cowered, screaming as the glass shattered into the building, and wind tore through the rooms. A massive groan shook the building and the roof above our head was torn off. Students, one by one, followed the cement blocks into the sky, into the yawning chasm of what I could only guess what a cat 4 or 5 tornado.
Over the scream of the wind, I heard a woman’s voice, riding like a banshee on the storm, “You will save your mother, but you will lose another. There must be balance.”
I stumbled backwards, catching the steel door frame and wrapping my legs around it as the storm tried to suck me into its blackness. Down the hall, I saw Rowan reaching frantically for Holly, his screams muted by the dark abyss cycling above us, and then, she was gone, rising like a leaf the storm.
Tears filled my eyes,
and I blinked staring into Vala’s wide eyes before me. I was back.
“Did you see?”
She nodded.
“Yes, I saw. I will make sure that doesn’t happen. That was no natural disaster, and I can work with the elementals to ensure that it cannot come to pass. Don’t worry. I will protect the people you can’t.” She reached out and put an arm around Rowan. “We both will. Don’t waste a single moment worrying about us.”
Rowan looked at us both uncertainly, not knowing what we’d just seen.
“He knows you are coming now. He will strengthen his defenses.” Vala warned. She closed her eyes, and breathed deeply. “But he does not know everything. You have more power than he knows.”
“You can see that? What else do you see?”
“The winds of time blow and change at a whim. I cannot see everything, but I have faith, and I know that you will prevail. It can’t be any other way. You must trust, always. Fear is the one true enemy, it leads to all conflict in the world. It is the root of all evil, not greed. Look closely at what triggers you, personally, and what fear it stems from. True empathy, true light, comes from within by imagining yourself in another's shoes, feeling their pain as your own, their joy as your own. When we face our fears head on, then we can be truly empowered and follow our soul’s purpose here on earth. Our hearts open up, our minds become unclouded and we can see our way more clearly. Trust is the key. Hold onto that, and you will be fine.”
She hugged me again briefly and stepped back, bring Rowan with her.
Alec got on the bike, putting a black helmet on over his head and handed me its twin. I put it on and climbed behind him. There weren’t any grip bars that I could reach easily, so I arranged Miko’s pouch on my hip and leaned forward, wrapping a hand loosely around Alec’s waist. I tried really hard not to notice the fact that his muscles were rock hard and trim under his light tee shirt. He gunned the engine and roared down the driveway, while I turned and held up my hand in farewell. Rowan and Vala mirrored me, saluting me with one-armed waves, Vala, smiling, Rowan’s face a mask of loss and anguish.
We were off, and I didn’t even know where we were headed. I faced front again, and placed my other hand on Alex’s hip.
“You’re going to have to hold on,” he shouted over the noise of the engine. He reached down and grabbed my right hand, pulling me closer, wrapping my arm around his waist so that my chest was pressed up against his back. He grabbed my other hand and guided it to clasp my right arm, holding his hand over mine for a moment as if he doubted I would keep it there once he put his own hand back on the handlebar.
He was right. I didn’t. I started to pull my hands away, to move them back down to the safety of his hips, so that I could put some more distance between our bodies, when the bike hit some ruts in the dirt road and practically bounced me off the seat.
“I told you, hold on!” He yelled again, sounding annoyed with me again.
He had a point. I reached back around him quickly and sank into him, surrendering to the comfort his body offered, allowing the strange feelings of instant peace and light wash over me. Without meaning to, I sighed in relief, and then instantly felt grateful that he couldn’t hear me over the roar of the engine. But maybe somehow he had, because for the briefest moment I felt his gloved hand squeeze over mine, as if
in answer. As if he, too, was feeling the relief I felt.
Moments later we were turning off the dirt driveway, out into the even pavement, heading into the unknown. The ride smoothed out, but I kept my arms around Alec, closing my eyes and leaning my head against his back. If a tiny part of me felt guilty to be relieved we were on our way, if a part of me felt bad for feeling so good as I left Rowan behind, I didn’t want to know.