by Amy Sumida
“And then centuries more designing the land,” I added.
“And we were content for a time,” he said.
“But it wasn't enough,” I whispered.
“No.”
“We made another planet,” I continued. “Another universe.”
“And we filled it with more creatures,” Darc said. “But that wasn't enough either.”
“The other gods were making beings who were capable of higher reason,” I said with wide eyes. “They were birthing races who resembled gods but didn't have our power.”
“And you wanted more children.” He nodded. “So, I shaped the dark matter again, but this time, I added more magic to the form; Water and Earth.”
“And I breathed Air and Fire into it,” I said as I took his hand.
“But we soon discovered why the other gods didn't give their children as much magic as we did; physical bodies aren't strong enough to survive the stress it creates,” Darcraxis said.
“I suggested that we place the magic within a stone—one with the resilience to contain it,” I whispered. “A stone as beautiful as your eyes.”
“But I thought your eyes were far more lovely.” Darc leaned in to kiss me. “You have them once again; ocean-blue eyes that shift to royal purple depending on the light—the Light within you and outside of you.”
“Like alexandrite,” I said. “Was that the first jewel chosen?”
“It was the jewel I chose for our first son,” he corrected me. “For our first daughter, you chose Kyanite.”
“Kyanite,” I whispered. “Why does that make me feel sad?”
“Perhaps because Kyanite was the first to rebel,” he said softly.
The sound of shouting and the clang of swords filled my head suddenly. I could feel fire on my skin and the slice of magic on my soul. I stared down into the eyes of my children as they severed my essence from my physical form, and they wept as they sent me to the Human Realm; into the body of an unborn babe. I screamed as I was flung across space and my memories were ripped away from me.
“Elaria!” Darcraxis shouted as he shook me. “Faenestra, it's just a memory.”
I fell forward into Darc's embrace and sobbed. He held me tightly and stroked my hair as he sung a soft, sweet song. I breathed deeply as his singing calmed me, and I began to hum along. It sounded so familiar, and I realized that it was the song I had used to free him.
“What is that song?” I whispered as I leaned back.
Darcraxis brushed the remnants of my tears away as he spoke, “It's the first song; the one you sang to me when we discovered each other. After we shaped this planet, you gave it words, and you sang it to the sea as we filled it with life. It has always been my favorite, and has held both power and romance for us.”
“Power enough to break through the bonds our children placed upon you.”
“Just so,” he agreed. “You've always loved to sing. I wasn't surprised when your soul chose this body; its magic is perfect for you.”
“A goddess.” I shook my head. “It seems so impossible to me, and yet it's very real; as if I have finally woken up from a long dream.”
“You have, Elaria,” Darc said. “And now it's time to get back to living.”
Chapter Four
Darcraxis escorted me around our planet using his magic; as he had done to bring me to our palace originally. He didn't have a name for this mode of travel, but in my head, I was calling it shadowing. Darc would take my hand, we would be surrounded in shadows, and when they cleared, we'd be somewhere new. I was learning that being a god—a real god—went beyond any kind of power I'd ever known. There was no calling upon elements, crafting spells, or connecting with stones; Darc simply was magic. He could take physical shape or be incorporeal; be as massive as a tree or as small as a mouse. And I had been the same.
Together, we had made incredible things. Darc showed me the breathtaking view from Ildathach's tallest mountain and held my hand as we walked a path that instantly formed for us through the forests. The animals came to his call, and I delighted in meeting all of the furred, feathered, and scaled inhabitants of our world. But my favorite part—and Darc's—was when he took me to the ocean near our palace.
“This is the Lisari Ocean,” Darcraxis said as we wandered down to the shore. “It was our favorite of the three oceans on Ildathach.”
A wave came rolling in. Darc looked down at our feet, and our shoes disappeared just in time. Warm water flowed over my bare feet, and I sighed as I closed my eyes. The salty breeze caressed my face and lifted my hair gently as I dug my toes into the sand. The wave drew back and—with the magic of the seashore—my feet were left submerged in the wet sand. I pulled them free with a smile and ventured further out.
“Wait,” Darc whispered as his hands slid over my shoulders.
My clothing vanished, and I looked back to see that Darc was naked as well. He grinned at me and took my hand.
“There's no one here to see us,” he said. “It's our world. So, there's no sense in letting clothing hamper us.”
“Is this where I found you?” I frowned as I again tried to remember how I'd arrived on Ildathach.
“In the jungle on the other side of the planet.” Darcraxis nodded. “They imprisoned me in our world and then warded the entire planet so that no one would find it. They were brilliantly devious; our children.”
“Why did they do this to us?” I asked as I turned to him. “I can't remember.”
Darcraxis sighed deeply and looked out to sea. “They felt that our rule was too restrictive.”
“Too restrictive?” I gaped at him. “They separated us, imprisoned you, and made me mortal because they didn't like our laws?”
“All of the Jewel Kingdoms and Primeval worshiped us,” Darcraxis said. “We were their gods, and we required obedience. Any who disobeyed us were punished swiftly. We only wanted to protect them from themselves; to prevent war between our children. But they saw it as cruelty.”
“Were we cruel?” I whispered.
“No,” he said as he pulled me closer. “Not needlessly.”
The water lapped at our legs—urging me deeper—but I couldn't move away from Darc.
“What do you mean; not needlessly?” I asked.
“There must be a balance, my love,” he said gently. “We made our children strong and immortal, and then we realized what immortality would do to their race and their planet.”
“It would eventually become overpopulated,” I concluded.
“Precisely,” he said. “We had to find a way to prevent this, and yet, we didn't want our children tearing apart the Jewel Kingdoms with war.”
“So, what did we do?” I asked as a horrible trepidation filled my belly.
“We demanded sacrifice,” Darc said grimly. “Every year, we would choose as many as we deemed necessary to preserve the balance.”
“And then?”
“And then they would kill the ones we marked,” he said sadly. “But neither of us could bear to watch our children die.”
“So, we put an end to the sacrifices?” I asked hopefully.
“We did,” he confirmed; to my great relief. “But we were left with the same problem. The only solution we could come up with was to reduce the number of children born.”
My eyes went wide as I stared at Darc in horror.
“Don't look at me like that, Elaria,” Darc said sharply. “We didn't murder children; merely stopped them from being conceived so often.”
“Oh,” I said in relief.
“But by that time, the Shining Ones had become distant and angry,” Darc went on. “They banded together and found a way to defeat us.”
A memory rose with his words; I could hear Darcraxis shouting as I was torn away from him. Something had trapped us in our physical bodies; a spell. They had shackled us to our flesh and then separated us. My children—who I had given life and magic too—took away my greatest love. Fury filled me, and I clenched my fists.
; “Elaria,” Darc said softly as he lifted my hands by the wrists. “Calm yourself; you're boiling the water.”
I stared at my fiery hands in shock. How was I manifesting fire without a song? Without intention even.
“Every day that you're with me, you become stronger,” Darc said as if he could hear my thoughts. “You cannot regain all of the magic you lost—not in this body—but you will recover some of it with my help.”
“Will we ever be what we were?” I asked as I banked my fury and my flames.
“I don't know,” he said gently. “But this is enough for me; I'm happy just to have you in my arms again. Is it enough for you?”
I blinked as uncertainty fluttered inside me. There was something I was forgetting. Someone.
“If you are the least bit unhappy, I will do whatever it takes to make things right,” Darc swore. “Just tell me what you need, Faene.”
“Elaria,” I whispered distractedly.
“Elaria,” he amended. “Can you be happy here, or do I need to change something?”
I looked across the glistening water and then down the immaculate beach. There was no reason for me to be unhappy, and yet, I was. I felt... incomplete.
“Why don't we take that swim now?” Darcraxis offered as he slid a hand down my cheek. “You can think things over, and we'll talk again later.”
His touch sent a tingle through me and my apprehension vanished. I blinked in confusion and then looked up at him with a smile.
“Yes; I'd like that,” I said.
“Excellent.” Darc took my hand.
We waded into the water, and then Darcraxis pulled me close and kissed me. As we kissed, we dropped beneath the surface. Something tickled in my throat, and then the tickling rose to my skin. Suddenly, I could breathe. I jerked away from Darc in shock and touched the sides of my throat hesitantly. A pair of gills moved beneath my fingers. I widened my eyes as I saw a matching pair of gills adorning Darc's neck.
Do you like them? Darc's voice sounded inside my mind. I wanted to surprise you.
Is this permanent? I thought back at him.
No. Darcraxis grinned. I will remove them when we wish to return to shore. But for now—he waved toward deeper water—we have the ability to roam the ocean freely.
I smiled broadly at him before heading out to sea.
Chapter Five
We swam past coral reefs of pink, turquoise and bright yellow. Anemones grew over them; their frilly feelers looking like feathers and flowers in the clear water. Eels poked their tapered heads out of their caves and then undulated out as we swam by. All of the sea creatures were drawn to us, and Darc explained that it was our energy that attracted them; they were instinctively called back to the magic that had created them. And speaking of their magical creation; the sea life was both recognizable and alien.
Fishes danced between Darc and me in rainbow clouds that glittered in the rays of light that filtered through the water. Massive manta rays hovered nearby; their long tails frilled instead of barbed, and their bodies glowing with luminescence. Emerald green sea turtles had articulated shells and narrow bodies that allowed them to swim more fluidly than their boxy brothers on Earth. And the darker depths of the ocean were lit by neon pink and blue jellyfish in the shape of butterflies. Then the fish scattered as a pod of dolphins burst through them to approach us. These mammals were quite similar to those I was used to, but I was surprised when two of the dolphins came closer than the rest and floated before us.
Grab hold, Darcraxis said as he waved at the dolphin in front of me.
I slid across the dolphin's back and took hold of its dorsal fin. My mount sped off, but Darc's caught up to us quickly, and we smiled at each other as we angled back toward land. The water lightened as we neared shore; revealing the gleaming amethyst color of the dolphins' skin. The powerful motions of their tails propelled us along the coast and to the base of some cliffs where the water ran deep, and then we went down to an opening in the rock. The dolphins sped through a network of tunnels and then swung around and stopped. I slid off my dolphin's back to tread water. It was utterly black; I couldn't even see Darcraxis. But he did well in darkness and had no problem finding me.
Imagine a bright light, Darc said as he took my hand.
I felt his magic seeping through my skin; urging mine to come forth. I started to sing—projecting my voice into the water—but Darc squeezed my hand to stop me.
Just remember your magic, my love, he said. You are the Goddess of Light; envision the Light within you and let it come forth.
I focused on sunlight—what it looked like coming through the water—and then I felt it. Darc's magic was the direct opposite of mine, and as he pushed his darkness inside me, my light responded and emerged. First, my skin began to glow, and then the energy condensed within my hands. I pushed it out of me, and it shot upward; illuminating a vast cavern. The light hovered around the cavern's ceiling, and the dolphins made excited clicking sounds as they swam around us.
I knew you could do it, Darcraxis said proudly.
With your help, I pointed out. It probably would have been easier for you to do it.
I am the Dark; you are the Light, he said gently as he took my hand and pulled me closer. I'm not capable of this; all I could do was remind you of who you are.
I think I may need another reminder. I lifted my face to his.
Darc slid his body along mine as he covered my mouth with his. The taste of him did indeed remind me of who I was and what we had been together. I relived a memory of stars bursting into life around us as our souls surged together. Our magic had blended to birth new magic, and the energy expelled with that creation had shot through us with rippling intensity that was similar to physical satisfaction but far more profound and powerful. True rapture begins in the soul—with emotions strong enough to live there—and then carries physical delight higher. Soul-merging starts on that higher plane and expands outward; those same emotions compounding with the magical energy of gods until they explode in ecstasy. When the souls reform into their separate entities, they take traces of each other with them.
Come back to me, Darc whispered in my mind. You're far away again.
Just remembering.
I'm glad you remember our life together, but I'd like to make some new memories.
Darc's hands slid down my body and over my hips. As he spread my legs with his, the dolphins departed, but I was too focused on him to bid them farewell. Darc was lifting me in the water, and I arched back naturally; floating before him. He pulled me forward—settling his face between my thighs—and then cast me a savage look before he set his mouth on me.
I cried out but no sound emerged; the water muffled it. My arms spread out to either side as Darc's tongue started working a different type of magic. It felt so natural to lie there; supported by the water and Darcraxis. I gloried in the pleasure and the feeling of being completely exposed to him. There was no shame between us. We had designed physical bodies together; for me to try and hide mine from Darc would be like Michelangelo wrapping a scarf around the waist of his sculpture of David. David had been made to be admired, and my body was the same for Darc.
One of my hands drifted down to grasp Darc's undulating hair, and he growled against my flesh. I shivered—my legs parting even wider—and then broke into thousands of pieces with the ecstasy of it all.
As I shivered through aftershocks, Darc swam up my body and started to slide inside me. But I jerked away; my thighs closing tightly.
I'm sorry, I said as automatically as I'd rejected him.
You're my wife, Elaria, Darc said gently. Why won't you let me make love to you?
I don't know.
He stared at me a moment and then nodded. We'll keep trying. Come here, my love.
I moved back into Darc's arms and held him tightly. He groaned against my neck and ground himself against me. I moved with him; our bodies shifting in perfect harmony. Passion rose between us like a tidal wave; enormous and unst
oppable. I was certain that we would move past my panic this time. Darc kissed his way down my neck and then to the crest of my breast. As he sucked my flesh into his mouth, we tumbled backward slowly in the water; everything becoming hazy around us. I looked down at Darcraxis and the image of another man flashed over him; a man with blood-red hair. I had floated in the sea with him once too, but it had all been an illusion that he created; my consort—Declan.
My fingers dug into Darc's back as I remembered who I was in this life—and the men I loved. Darc moaned and jerked; emptying himself into the water between us as my body went cold and pain flared over my heart. Darc's arms were an iron band around my waist as he came, but then he released me, and as soon as he did, I pushed away from him.
Elaria? Darcraxis stared at me in shock.
What have you been doing to my mind?!
His expression settled into guilty lines. I just wanted a chance for us; some time for you to remember me before you made a decision. I didn't do anything permanent; just a short-term distraction.
A distraction? I raged. We did things together that I wouldn't have done if you hadn't distracted me. You made me betray my consorts!
There was no betrayal. I could have taken your mind completely and then took your body, but I didn't. I gave you the time you asked for and allowed you to remain true to men who shouldn't matter to you anymore.
I let you touch me; kiss me, I snarled. That's betrayal enough.
I am your husband! Darcraxis shouted into my mind as he snatched my hand.
I fought him, but Darc was far too strong for me and only pulled me closer. As soon as he held me in his arms, he took us back to the palace. I instantly started to choke; my gills not working with the air. Darc narrowed his eyes at me, and the gills disappeared. Air filled my lungs, and I took a deep, gasping breath as I glared at him.
“You and I are gods!” Darc started shouting again, but at least this time it wasn't in my head. “Those men you were with are insignificant; any vows made to them were made in ignorance of who you truly are. Your commitment to them is void as of this moment, and your bonds have been broken.”