Quintessence (Statera Saga Book 2)

by Amy Marie

Then I see him – my dark knight. His muscular torso grows in a V-shape from the belted fabric of his flax skirt. Long black hair and a square jawline covered in a thick black beard. Impossible hazel eyes shine through the darkness of his features.

  Darcy!

  My mind calls out to him.

  It’s him, but it’s not.

  Certain things about him are different, but I can recognize the essence of him – the dark soul.

  My body automatically moves to him. It’s natural, and my mind easily follows, soaking up the feelings that haven’t come often enough in my waking hours. His arms envelop me, lifting me into him.

  We kiss, at first passionate, yet ending gently – the perfect balance.

  He speaks into my hair with loving words. My mind somehow interprets his ancient language.

  “My goddess of dawn,” his words caress me, as his fingers run through my hair.

  “My balance,” I whisper back.

  “Until the end,” his forehead touches mine, and he seals his promise with a kiss.

  “Kamenwati, a serpent crossed my path. Have you met the water spirit? I feel we may be in danger this night,” the words flow from my mouth, and I know them to be true. I can almost sense the feeling – the disquiet before destruction.

  “I have found him, Khepri. He will meet us at dawn, and we will run. The man truly is of the water spirit. He pulled a child from the river and dispelled the water from his lungs. The boy was saved. It was a sign. He is called–”

  A splash in the water interrupts us. We both turn and see nothing but outstretched ripples dancing along the surface.

  Kamenwati’s grip on my arm tightens. We both stand still and I feel the weight of the amulet nearly burning through my linen gown.

  Something evil is near.

  “Run!” he commands, and we both take flight. The grainy sand slows our escape, but we find the solid path and move faster away, down the river.

  “Hide! Into the temple! I will come back for you!” He pushes me toward the stone structure, and I’m shoved into a dark entry, alone.

  Kamenwati cannot outrun the destructor. In splitting up, he’s sacrificed himself for me. My outstretched arms reach for any guidance in the pitch black, but find no aid.

  I am alone.

  A scream cuts the air and pierces my heart. Tears fill my eyes at the thought of my dark knight’s sacrifice. My hand grips the warm amulet hanging between my breasts. I stumble through some sort of doorway into the black abyss and crouch down hoping for the darkness to overtake me, so I can reunite with the soul that represents it.

  Gentle shakes lull me from sleep. Tears run down my cheeks from my dreaming agony.

  “Nora, please. You are safe,” Darcy’s soft voice is impossibly close. I open my eyes to find his just inches from mine. We’re alone in Darcy’s room. “Nora–” he starts to say, but my quick embrace muffles his words.

  Every feeling of deep-gutted loss empties itself into my arms as I grasp him tighter.

  “I lost you!” I say into his neck, tears spilling from my eyes.

  “You will never lose me, Nora. I am with you, always,” he says softly into my hair.

  Feelings of deja-vu overwhelm me. “Till the end?” I ask, and I know it was those words that spurred my dreaming memory.

  “Till the end,” he confirms, and I see the memory in his eyes.

  Suddenly, I lift my head and kiss him with all the passion carried over from the dream, and our lost lives. This is something deeper than our first kiss by the projection of the river; this kiss spans the ages.

  His lips return my passion with his own ardor. Our bodies can’t be close enough. I’ve never felt this in my life, but I know now that I’ve been craving it. Nothing short of this man could ever compare with what I’ve already felt in other lives.

  There’s a power in our connection, and it’s boiling below the surface. This is how we balance. In this moment, I want that power more than anything...

  I pull away.

  No, I don’t want any power. I don’t want to be like him.

  “I’m sorry,” I say. “I just...”

  He shushes me with a kiss on the tip of my nose and holds me closer, somehow understanding my struggle.

  “Tell me about your dream,” he says, to try and calm us both down.

  Pleased that I haven’t invoked an angry reaction for once, I snuggle into the crook of his arm and recount the details of my desert dream.

  “I have had dreams with those names,” Darcy says in response. “I remember that time period. Ancient Egypt, though I do not know which dynasty. Back then, we never knew what the destructor looked like. He always wore a black cloak. We called him Apep, the god of destruction. We thought he had the head of a snake,” he laughs.

  “There was a snake in my dream!” I say. “It was almost like I knew something bad would happen when I saw it. What happened to them, or us I suppose, in your dream?”

  “I can barely recall. I had those dreams back in Eleanor’s time, before the curse,” he says as his eyes go out of focus in reminiscence. “I did not know of the elemental souls, so my dream must have taken place before yours, if they found the water soul. I do recall several private meetings by the river. Those dreams were quite pleasant.”

  I pinch him in response to his boyish teasing, though it makes me happy to see him smile. Everything feels right when I’m here with him like this.

  “Darcy,” I start to say, “I’m sorry things between us have been so...” I can’t even find the right words.

  “I know, Nora. It is difficult trying to find our balance. We are fundamentally different. One would think we would be used to it after all these years, but every life brings a new challenge. We must always relearn each other, along with relearning who we are.”

  His fingers play with a golden lock of my hair and I get pleasant tingles down my spine.

  Has he always affected me like this? My instincts say yes.

  “I was just thinking,” he says, “you mentioned an amulet. Do you remember anything about it?”

  “Just that it would protect me. It was almost like I felt it when she was in trouble. I can’t remember much about it though. I just felt it.”

  “Hmmm,” is all he says in response.

  “What are you thinking?” I ask, finding it much easier to talk openly when we’re close together like this.

  “Just wondering if it had something to do with the Statera. Perhaps it is a clue. It might be worth looking into.”

  Agreeing, I concentrate on the details of my dream, trying to recall specifics of the necklace. I go back in my memory and feel Khepri’s hand squeezing around the shape of the pendant. It had a few sharp angles, and there was something round in the middle…

  My thoughts are interrupted as Darcy suddenly asks, “You said they found the water spirit?”

  “It sounded like it, yes,” I say, opening my eyes.

  “The description he gave, when he said the child was saved from the river, does it mean anything to you?” he asks, sitting up on his elbow.

  “Just that maybe he could manipulate water? He was the water soul, after all,” I say with a shrug.

  “But the manner in which it was described, did it strike you as odd?” he probes.

  It hadn’t originally. But now I close my eyes and try to conjure an image of a man pulling a child from the river and “breathing” life back into them. Strangely, my Egyptian vision keeps lapsing into an ordinary flashback of an old TV rerun of Baywatch.

  “Did it not sound like the water soul was performing CPR to save the child?” Darcy’s suggestion is so in line with my vision, I almost wonder if he can hear my thoughts.

  “There’s no way for someone to have known CPR back then,” I say, quickly disregarding the notion.

  “Well, not specifically. But the technique could have been performed. Especially from someone who had a special power with water,” Darcy tries to reason.

  “It could be some sort of
elemental magic we don’t understand,” I argue.

  “True. But it could be a sign, Nora. You had this dream for a reason.”

  I blush thinking of the intimacy shared between us. That was reason enough for me.

  “What if this dream is a sign telling you how you can find the current water elemental soul? What if the souls share similar qualities throughout time? What kind of person pulls people from the water and “breathes” life back into them?” I can feel Darcy’s pulse speed up in his excitement.

  “People do it every day,” I say, thinking back to my own CPR course in high school.

  “But there is only one type of person that does it for a living, and is surrounded by water every day,” Darcy says smugly, and I suddenly think he’s onto something.

  “You think the water soul...?” I trail off in question.

  “It is possible, Nora. I think our water soul, he or she, could be a lifeguard!”

  A lifeguard? What are the chances? I have to admit, what Darcy’s saying might make sense. And he’s right. I must have had this dream for a reason. With the tragedy surrounding the search for the fire soul, maybe we’re meant to switch gears for now. Maybe this is a sign?

  “How will we find them?” I ask.

  He shrugs. “We will just have to start looking close to home. Do you know any lifeguards?”

  I groan internally.

  “Well, actually, Char does.”

  Chapter 8

  “No.” Char crosses her arms with a strict shake of her head.

  I was kind of expecting that.

  “Those guys were jerks!” she says in exasperation.

  After spending the morning talking with Darcy, I decided to approach Char in private for my request. I had a feeling it was going to be difficult to convince her to meet back up with her old lifeguard crush.

  “Trust me, I remember,” I agree, thinking back to our first night out in Boston. We’d met a group of lifeguards at a club downtown, but they were pretty drunk and insulting. It wasn’t a great start to our college life, but then again, nothing since that night has been normal.

  So much has changed since then. It was the first night I saw Talbot. Though I had no idea who he was, or what danger I was in at the time.

  I continue trying to reason with my sister. “But it’s still winter, and we can’t just go to the beach and find a random lifeguard. We need Alex’s help. One of his friends could be the water spirit.”

  “Well, we know it wasn’t TJ. The only spirit in that guy was tequila, not water,” Char makes a poor joke. We can both laugh looking back now, but it was an upsetting experience at the time.

  “I know it’s not ideal, but we’re looking for a lifeguard. And there’s a chance that Alex could lead us to the soul of water,” I say, pleading.

  “And if he does? How will you know? I thought you said your first dream included a woman as the water spirit,” Char says.

  “It could be a woman or a man. Uncle Mike says souls are genderless. I’ve seen them carried over into each form in my dreams. But there are prophecies. I think he, or she, is being led to us somehow. Plus, I’m pretty sure their name will have something to do with water. It seems to be the trend.”

  Char lets out a big sigh. “Ugh. I’m not looking forward to this. You’re going to owe me big time,” she says, giving in.

  “Thank you!” I gush, hugging her.

  “I don’t have Alex’s number anymore. I’ll have to try to track him down online,” Char says, swiping quickly through her phone.

  I peek over her shoulder as she types an out of the blue message to Alex, aka Lifeguard McAbs.

  “Wow, that was record timing,” she laughs. “He already says he’d love to meet up. Where should we go?”

  “Someplace pubic,” I say. “And during the day.”

  After a few exchanged messages over the course of the morning, Char arranges for us to meet Alex at the Boston Common Frog Pond. I assure Darcy of our safety and double check our back up supply of pepper spray and lighters, just in case.

  Rafe kisses Char good-bye, as if he’s not going to see her again for months. Maybe he wants to leave an impression that will last through her visit with Alex?

  I smile at the thought. Following that line of thinking, I turn and give Darcy a soft kiss goodbye.

  Uncle Mike has been pretending to be engrossed in his book, but the side of his mouth creeps up at the show of affection.

  Outside Andover Hall, we take Char’s SUV to the oldest established park in the country. We find a parking space along Tremont Street and follow Freedom Trail towards the frozen pond.

  Even in the dead landscape of winter, the Boston Common holds a classic beauty. Somehow, history is in the air here. It’s a strange confirmation to know that I’ve walked this area in more than one life.

  Walking past a fountain, I see a bundled-up woman’s gaze following us with the turn of her head behind large sunglasses. She looks familiar.

  “Lilly?” I call out in question, unsure if it’s the dark-haired beauty under all the layers and her stocking cap.

  The woman seems startled and moves away. As she goes, I notice gray streaking the back of her hair flowing from under her hat. I must’ve been mistaken.

  “Are you okay?” Char asks.

  “Yeah. I just thought I saw the element guide,” I say, still watching the retreating woman.

  We continue to the frozen pond where Alex is sitting on a park bench, waiting. He greets us awkwardly, and stands to offer us his bench to sit.

  After a few pleasantries, he wastes no time apologizing to Char.

  “I know there’s no excuse for that night. The only thing I can say is, I’m sorry. We met up with a few people earlier in the night and just had too much to drink,” he explains in his thick Boston accent. “Honestly, I don’t even know what came over me. That night is all kinds of hazy to me. I know it sounds like a cop out, but I just felt like I wasn’t in control of myself.”

  I bite the inside of my cheek and look to the ground in an effort to hold in my retort about the common side effects of binge drinking.

  He goes on to explain. “TJ met this guy, and they were making bets earlier in the night. Next thing we know, this guy is buying us drink after drink, and egging us on. I remember him getting in TJ’s face and exchanging a few words. I tried to step in and the guy turned on me. All of a sudden, it was like I lost my wits. Anyway, after all that, I sort of remember, but it’s like I didn’t have any control. I was watching everything unfold, kinda like a dream. I don’t remember ever being that wasted.”

  The last bit catches my attention. My curiosity has me stuck. His strange story intrigues me, but he could just be making excuses.

  “Well it definitely wasn’t okay, but thanks for apologizing,” says Char, unsure of how to accept the explanation. She looks to me with a one-shoulder shrug.

  I instantly have to know. “What did the guy look like?”

  He thinks for a moment. “Honestly, I can’t remember. But I do know when I first saw him, he gave me the chills. Something about his eyes, like they were glazed over, or something. I swear, the guy never blinked!”

  As cold as the temperature is, it’s Alex’s description of Marcus Talbot that makes my breath freeze in my throat.

  Char shoots me a sharp glance, and rests her hand on my arm.

  “Is she okay?” Alex asks.

  With my best effort, I force my lungs to keep cycling air in and out.

  Feeling suddenly vulnerable, I look around the pond at all the gathered strangers. Children laugh and fall on the frozen ice, and parents watch over them from the sidelines. There’s a group of men in hockey jerseys lacing up their skates close by.

  No empty stares.

  He can’t be out in the daytime.

  A voice in my head allays my fear. But my gloved hands grip the lighter and pepper spray in my pockets that combine into a four-element weapon, despite my mental reassurance.

  “Sounds like a
creepy guy,” Char says to Alex. “Although, TJ wasn’t much better.”

  “Yeah,” Alex says. “Sorry about that guy. I don’t normally hang out with him. He’s just one of those guys you can’t trust. Plus, he always manages to stick me with the bill. Actually, my friend from the beach was supposed to come out with me that night, but cancelled at the last minute. So, I asked my brother to come out, and he brought TJ.”

  “Your friend, is he another lifeguard?” Char perks up, nudging my side.

  “Yeah. As a matter of fact, he’s supposed to meet us here today.” He points to the group of guys in hockey jerseys. He explains that he and his friends usually play hockey in the winter. The rink they normally use is closed today, so they came here to skate for fun.

  “Are your friends all lifeguards?” I ask, turning towards the group for closer inspection.

  “Yeah. Most of us work together at the beach in the summer. Why, you see anybody over there you want introduced to?” he teases.

  I watch the group, hoping for some sort of sign or feeling, but get nothing. I turn to Char and shake my head.

  “Actually, we’re kind of looking for someone,” Char says suddenly.

  My eyes go wide. Is she really going to try to explain this?

  “There was this lifeguard Nora met, well a while ago, I guess,” she says, improvising. “She can’t remember his name. Anyway, she saw him save this kid, and she was really impressed. He never said he had another job, so we assumed he was like a lifeguard for life. Do you know anybody like that?”

  He gives a short laugh. “Um, that doesn’t really narrow it down. There are tons of people that work for Dylan. His company contracts with most of the public beaches in New England. Most guards are just contracted for the summer. Some even come from foreign countries on work visas.”

  “Dylan is your boss?” I ask.

  “Yeah. He’s doesn’t act like a boss though. He’s out on the water as much as any of us. Good guy. He’s only a few years older than me, so we hang out sometimes. He’s the guy I was talking about. The one who was supposed to come out that night. Looks like he’s not coming today either.” He looks down to check his phone.