“Are you alright?” he asked, his voice calmer than before. He sounded scared and worried.
“I’m o-okay,” I stuttered, glancing back over my shoulder to the door.
“Are you sure? Does anything hurt?” he asked.
“No, just my throat,” I said reaching up to my neck. “Mikel, who was that man?”
“Burdock,” he said.
That name meant nothing to me, and I didn’t know why he had tried to kill me or kidnap me. “Who’s Lars? He said he was supposed to deliver me to Lars.”
“Don’t worry about him. He is not going to hurt you. I won’t let him,” Mikel said not answering my question.
Stella had returned, combing her hair with her fingers as she entered the house. I realized there wasn’t a day I’d ever seen one strand of her hair out of place. “Analey, are you alright?” she asked.
“I’m fine. Who’s Lars?” I repeated my question.
Stella and Mikel looked at each other, then glanced at me. They ignored my question again as they moved off to the side and started talking in a hushed voice. I waited for them to finish their little discussion before interrupting them.
“What is going on?” I demanded. “Why did that man attack me and who is Lars?” I felt as though I was shouting but my voice was raspy and hoarse.
“That’s not important right now. All that matters is that you’re okay.” Mikel said walking over to where I was standing with my arms crossed over my chest.
“We were just trying to protect you,” Stella added. “We thought we had more time to explain.”
“Well now is a good time,” I said glaring at them both. I could feel the sting of hot tears in my eyes.
“Analey, please don’t cry,” Mikel said leaning his head against mine. “I’m so sorry. I should never have left you alone. It was my job to protect you.” His voice cracked as he spoke. “I’m your Sentinel and I failed you.”
“Sentinel?” Mikel, please just tell me what you’re talking about,” I pleaded with him. I had a million questions than before to ask but I had the feeling I wasn’t going to get any answers from him. Something terrible was happening to and all around me and I had not one explanation, either irrational or logical.
Nothing.
We sat in silence as I tried to make sense for myself of what had happened. A man had entered my home and attacked me. He was supposed to take me to someone named Lars but then Mikel had appeared, and Stella disappeared with the man. I couldn’t make sense of it and my frustration was growing.
“Analey, please just trust me. I will tell you everything, but for now just take a moment to rest. You have been through too much already.” Mikel pulled me down to the couch and sat beside me. He looked into my eyes and pleaded with me.
I couldn’t resist his almost begging, so I agreed. I was tired and I could use a minute to clear my mind. I leaned my head back on the couch and closed my eyes, obeying Mikel’s commands.
twenty~two
Iawoke to the sound of someone tapping on my door.
“Good morning, Analey,” Stella said pushing the door open.
“Good morning,” I called back to her.
“How did you sleep?” she asked.
“Not too bad,” I said realizing it had been a quiet and restful night. “Is today Saturday?”
“Yes, all day long.” Stella smiled.
She seemed to be in a good mood which was putting me in a good mood. I walked to my dresser and picked up the brush. I tied my hair back in a ponytail and changed out of my pajamas. I went into the bathroom, washed my face and brushed my teeth. I went downstairs for breakfast and was surprised to see Mikel sitting at my kitchen table having coffee with Stella.
“Hi,” I said.
“Hello,” Mikel said as he stood to greet me.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, pulling out a chair and sat down.
Mikel looked down at his coffee cup. “We need to talk.”
“Okay,” I said swallowing the lump in my throat. I knew where this conversation was headed, and I didn’t like it.
“Your aunt and I were talking, and we agree that maybe you and I should take a break.” His eyes glinted with remorse.
“A break?” I scoffed. I couldn’t believe Stella was interfering with my relationship with Mikel or lack thereof.
“I think she just wants you to get to know me a little more before we go any further,” Mikel said. “She just wants what’s best for you. We both do.”
“And she thinks she knows what’s best for me?” I spluttered.
“Yes, and I think so too.” Mikel put his hand on mine and smiled. “I’m not going anywhere. I will be here if you need me.”
“What about what I want or what I think?” I asked. “Or does my opinion not matter?”
“Of course it does, but Analey, please just trust me,” Mikel said.
I stared at him. Something about that particular phrase sounded oddly familiar. I stood up as memories crashed into me knocking me off balance. I knew exactly when and where I’d heard those words.
“Analey, what’s wrong?” Mikel asked, his voice low and a bit unsteady.
I looked at him and remembered the dream and the man who had attacked me. I remembered everything. It had happened, and Mikel had done something to make me forget.
“Burdock,” I whispered. Mikel tried to pretend he didn’t know what I was saying but the look on his face said he knew exactly who I was talking about. Candice tried to warn me that he was coming, and he did. I trembled as I remembered all the details of the memories that had been erased from my mind.
“Analey, don’t get upset,” Mikel said. He tried to sound reassuring, but his voice betrayed him.
“It’s too late for that, Mikel.” I wanted answers and this time I was going to get them.
Mikel closed then opened his eyes. “Please just calm down.”
I raised an eyebrow. Calm down? I thought. Was he really telling me to calm down? It was having the opposite effect on me; I was becoming increasingly irate by the second. I stormed out of the kitchen and to the living room. I was pacing back and forth, muttering to myself when Stella came in. She pulled me to the sofa and sat down beside me. I stood back up, feeling foolish for my tantrum, but I wasn’t backing down. Standing next to me, Stella put her arm around my shoulders and looked at Mikel. They exchanged nervous glances and muttered something about the compulsion not affecting me.
“I’m sorry, but we didn’t want to say anything until we had heard from Alexander,” Stella said.
“We were going to explain everything,” Mikel said, hooking his thumbs into his belt loops.
“Explain what? Who is Alexander?” I interrupted him. I was surprised by the anger in my voice. I bid them no patience, looking at them expectantly. They seemed lost, like they didn’t know where to start. Mikel reached for my hand, but I stepped back and pulled away from him.
“You know what, you’re right. Maybe we do need a break. I’m going to call Kian to come pick me up.” I thought maybe I could evoke some jealousy in Mikel and make him give in.
He looked at Stella then nodded. “That’s probably a good idea.” I looked at him, my brow furrowed, and my lips pressed in a tight line. “Or better yet, I’ll go find Lars myself and see what he wants.”
Mikel’s eyes widened a bit as he judged the sincerity of my threats. “You wouldn’t be that careless.”
“I need answers Mikel and I will get them,” I said.
Mikel couldn’t look me in the eyes. He kept averting his gaze around the room. He moved his eyes to the ground, to the door, to Stella, but never into my eyes. I leaned forward and put my hand on his chin, forcing him to look at me. “Tell me,” I said.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I thought I knew what was best. I thought I was protecting you,” he said.
“By lying to me?” I sneered.
Stella interceded. “We were all just trying to protect you.”
“Fine, you were
trying to protect me, but now that you can see it didn’t work, tell me the truth. Who was that man and why was he trying to kill me?” I demanded.
“That was Burdock, one of Larson’s men,” Mikel said. “But I don’t think he was trying to kill you. He was sent to take you back to Larson.”
“Who is Larson and what does he want with me?” I asked.
Mikel looked down at the floor again. “I think you need to know the truth about who I am.”
I sat down on the chair and crossed my arms. I knew this revelation wasn’t going to be easy. Mikel sat down on the couch across from me with Stella next to him.
He looked up at me and took a deep breath. “I think I should start at the beginning.”
“I became insane with long intervals of horrible sanity.”
~Edgar Allan Poe
twenty~three
MIKEL
Ishifted my weight, dread washing over me like rolling waves on stormy waters. I didn’t want to speak of my past and what I had become. I was afraid to tell Analey the truth about myself. Other women could, and had easily looked past the monstrosity, but Analey wasn’t like other women.
She was as beautiful as the morning sky kissed by the first rays of sunlight. Her light shined brighter than the Lucinda, the brightest star, of any constellation. Analey was the definition of an angel. But it was her strong perseverance, her will to draw from within her deep reservoir of faith and humanity, her determination to protect her joy and peace, that had captivated my soul. Her pure, altruistic nature was the flame that burned hot and wild. Like a moth, I was powerless to resist her.
There wasn’t much in the mortal or immortal world that frightened me but, having to gaze into those lustrous silver eyes that glittered with twinges of blue and admit my true, yet evil nature, shook me to the core. It was difficult for me to make eye contact with Analey. I could see the fear and distrust already pushing through her once warm and soft expression, but I could no longer avoid it. The moment of truth was dreadfully upon me. The time had sprung up like a predator advancing on its prey.
I dropped my gaze to my feet as I let my mind drift off to another time, another place as the words eloquently began flowing off my tongue.
“I was born in 1592, in the late 16th century. My father, Alexander Aragon, was the great-great grandson of Catherine of Aragon and Prince Author of Whales. I was the youngest of the three Aragon children, the fourth child stillborn. My ancestry or my human birth is of no importance now. It is imperative that I tell you the account of my awakening and the tales of my kind. That is what matters most.” I repositioned myself again on the leather couch, rubbing my hands together as if to expel the nervous shiver radiating through my body.
“1592?” Analey asked, raising her eyebrows. “But that would make you…..”
“423 years old,” I said. A soft gasp escaped her lips as she tried and failed to understand the meaning of what I had just told her. “Should I continue?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“It was in the early 1600’s, amid a wave of persecution that had been sweeping through all of Europe that my family rose to power and evil. There was a great deal of belief in black magic and by the late 18th century, tens of thousands of people had been executed for witchcraft. Although my family was not seated on the royal throne, we had many privileges granted to us, along with a hefty inheritance that grew as it was passed down through the generations. My father owned large stretches of land and he wouldn’t permit any witchcraft to enter his territory. Recognizing the need for extra manpower, he called upon a close friend to ensure that those who practiced dark magic or opposed his position, would not cross the borders of our land. Sir Aloes Cardamone was one of the country’s most notable knights, always displaying perfect power and courage. My father believed if anyone could defend his land it would be Aloes.” I grimaced as I spoke of him. He had been my father’s right-hand man and best friend, but I felt only deep hatred for him. I spared Analey my feelings about Aloes and instead I stayed on the chronological track of the story.
“Aloes’ wife had died during childbirth, so he traveled with just his son. It was the spring of 1593, I was nearing my first birthday when Larson Cardamone and his father came to live in the Castile of Aragon, named after my family’s Spaniard heritage. Larson was only a couple of months older than me and we grew up playing and brawling side by side. As I had two sisters and no brother, it wasn’t long before Larson and I became as close as brothers, fighting to defend each other as our fathers defended the land,” I said, giving Analey time to ask the question I could see turning in her thoughts. She didn’t ask so I continued.
“Almost two decades after my father joined forces with Aloes, a woman who was believed to be a powerful witch by the name of Xamura, advanced undetected into Azulmar, the township where our castle was situated. The woman was stopped short of entering the castle gates by a host of armed men led by my father and Aloes. The witch was captured and sent off to Cardiff for execution.” I ran my hand through my hair as I was getting to the part that would no doubt turn Analey away from me. With a deep sigh, I continued. “Now the capture of the witch, whom had displayed no form of sorcery to this point, called for a celebration. A grand ball was to be had in honor of the win. The days were hot and long as Larson and I spent most of our time in the open fields, sparring as if preparing for battle. We ended our friendly combat and raced to the edge of the water to cool off. I was stronger, but Larson’s speed was something I could never match. Larson had just defeated me in the foot race, when we got word that we would be gathering for the celebratory ball that evening.” I recalled the dreadful day of the curse.
“Larson is…was your friend?” Analey asked one of the many questions that were piling up in her confused mind.
“Was my friend,” I said. I waited for her to inquire more but she said nothing. Her composed demeanor and limited inquiries unsettled me, and I took my time collecting my thoughts.
“Go on,” she said.
“The sun was low in the sky as we gathered at the Castile of Aragon, with Sir Aloes Cardamone seated next to Marquess Alexander at the head of the table. The room was filled with cheerful music and laughter. The flames from the candle chandeliers glowed brightly into the festive room. Alexander raised his glass, and as if he had given a verbal command, the guests fell silent.”
I set the scene of the evening for Analey. I told of the vividly dressed women that adorned the room and the grand speech my father delivered that night. “My father toasted his fellow warriors, and everyone tapped their wine goblets with those around them, filling the room with clinking sounds and the joyous chatter rose once more.” I paused to swallow the lump in my throat. “As we raised the glass of red wine to our lips, something ripped through the sky like lightning and loud thunder shook the stone walls of the castle. Suddenly, the remaining sunlight was extinguished by an opacus cloud and the sky turned black as coal. I ran to the window to see what was going on outside and that’s when I heard the voice booming in my head. The words reverberated through the darkened sky. I looked over to my family then to Larson. We all had the same stunned look on our faces. They had all heard the voice. Aloes didn’t seem too concerned but I knew how calm and collected he could be during the most trying of times. It was his steady and reposeful manner that had facilitated the peaceful capture of Xamura. I looked around to the other guests, but it didn’t appear as if they had heard anything. They were talking and sipping wine, going on as if nothing had happened. But something had happened. Something terribly evil in nature had just taken place among the Aragon and Cardamone families.” I stood and walked to the picture window looking out onto the quiet and dark Shadowmist night. Retelling the account of the awful curse brought dreadful memories.
“What was it? What was the terrible thing that happened?” Analey turned in her chair to ask me.
“Xamura had cursed us with her dying breath.” I kept staring out the window as I described the awful i
ncident. “My heart slammed in my chest as I contemplated what it meant. Why my family, why me? My legs felt weighted down as I made my way around the room, attempting and failing to distract my racing thoughts, with trivial conversations with men and women at the ball. No one else had heard the voice of the witch, so we waited for the evening to end and everyone to leave before mentioning it. The remainder of the ball was long and weary as the cursed families attempted to appear cheerful and make jovial conversation with the guests.”
Analey turned back around and faced Stella as she sat motionless and silent through the retelling of my past. “Were you there too?
Stella shook her head. “I met Mikel and his family some years later.”
“What did the curse do to you?” Analey’s voice trembled.
“Not one of us knew what kind of horror awaited us, but we were certain it would be horrific. We weren’t prepared for how terrible it would be.” I walked back to the couch and sat down. “We had all agreed to stay together, until we exhausted every theory we could think of, about what the witch intended to do to us. After several hours, I started to relax a little, considered maybe we were just being paranoid.” I wanted to keep going with all the incidental details, but I decided to skip to the macabre parts of the curse.
“When a week had passed and nothing happened, I believed the curse was just an empty threat made by a scornful old woman. But I was wrong. My sister Faye was the first to succumb to our ghastly condemnation. She was walking down the dirt path that led from our front door to the garden, when one of our servants attacked her with the bow he was carrying. He shot it through her heart.” My mouth was dry as I felt the sting of the curse even now some 400 years later. “My parents died two days later, as they rode in their carriage on their way to meet with the Reverend Jones, but they never made it to the village. They were a mile out when the driver lost control of the reins and fell off the seat. The driverless buggy raced down hill and crashed into a tree.”
Edge of Forever: The Death and Life of Analey Rose (The Immortal Souls Book 1) Page 17