Lightning Lost

by Miranda Hardy

As I near the shore, a young couple with a baby clinging to the mother waits for an incoming rowboat. Their bags lay next to them. The soldier who patrols the shore talks with them.

  “Excuse me.” The breeze swishes in causing the woman to shiver. They all watch me approach and bow. I direct my attention to the soldier. “Are there any boats missing that have disappeared in the night?”

  His eyes jut away from me as he looks to the path I came down. Sweat forms on his brow and he wipes it down. “Yes, princess. Four boats are missing.”

  “Four?” The bay does seem a bit bare. I hadn’t noticed this morning when I peered off my balcony. “Does the king know this?”

  “A messenger has been sent and the commander is on his way to discuss this with him.” He stands straight, avoids making eye contact with me, and marches away from the shore. Thunder booms in the distance.

  The woman standing with her husband and baby has no problem meeting my gaze.

  Her eyes soften and a deep sorrow appears on her face. I recognize her from the village. She’s the only seer we have. Father often calls her to the palace for advice. Last week he sent for her, but she refused the invitation because of her sickly child. “Where are you going?”

  “We purchased passage on the merchant ship sailing east,” her husband replies.

  “Why?” I ask.

  “Our daughter’s not improving and my wife says we need a change of landscape for her to get well.” He glances at his wife. His eyes widen as she opens her mouth. She quickly shuts it.

  I may not have Bastin’s gift of telling when another lies, but the nervousness in his voice makes me doubt the excuse he provides me.

  “I hope your child does better. Does the king know of your departure?” I ask.

  “We sent word to him this morning. It was a last-minute decision.” He picks their bags up and places them into the rowboat that will lead them to the larger ship. The husband climbs into the boat and takes the baby from the wife.

  She rushes away from them, grabbing my hands. “I’m sorry for your loss.” Her eyes water. “Life is often cruel when we least expect it.”

  Releasing my hands, she darts back to the boat and steps in next to her husband.

  I want to yell and ask her what she may have seen of my future, but instead I watch them row away as the rain gradually falls. I don’t understand how I know that she was talking about Kai, but he’s the only loss I’d mourn. He must have left sometime after I departed his room in the early hours prior to sunrise. Bastin was right after all.

  My breath catches in my chest. The tears will come, but I need to be away from the public eye first. If only the clouds could swoop down and carry me away with them.

  Faster than the wind itself, I sprint up the path and through the town. Without readying Star, I climb on her bareback and grab her mane as we race through the rain to my meadow. Even in the downpour she flies over the hills and through the woods more rapidly than ever. After I dismount, Star hides under the cover of the forest while I lay in the wet grass.

  Kai II, the carcass with the arrow protruding through its chest, lies three feet away. The rain has washed away the feasting bugs but I see the tiny maggots left behind. The earthworms surface.

  Connecting with the soil, I combine my melancholy with the nature surrounding me. The mountain rumbles. “Heal me!” The rain rolls down my face mixing with my tears. Warmth creeps up through my limbs and energy flows through me from the earth. The lava river rises closer to the surface than it’s ever ventured before.

  A few moons ago, Kai had brought me to the meadow in the cover of darkness. We laid under the stars, interlacing our hands together. He talked of the heavens. We named the brightest stars and wondered what they represented. He speculated they were good souls shining brightly for those living in obscurity to find their way home. He made me smile every time we were together.

  “Thera!” Bastin rides into the meadow. “Do you intend for us all to drown today? Father knows you’re upset. The entire village knows it.”

  “I don’t care who knows.” Thunder roars above us.

  “I can tell.” He crosses his arms over his horse’s mane. “Father wants you to make an appearance at the dressmaker’s today. He’s hoping you’ll bond with Nicola, too, as you’ll be sisters soon.”

  My heart breaks, but life carries on.

  “Why does it need to be today?”

  “I have a feeling he’s hoping it’ll improve your mood. He doesn’t understand what’s bothering you.”

  I breathe deeply and connect with nature’s positive energy. The rain slows. “I’m coming.”

  “I suggest you clean up before trying on dresses.” He grins.

  I stick my tongue out and leap onto Star. I’m over the hill and lose sight of Bastin as I head home to clean. He’s right. I’m as dirty as the earthworm.

  Clouds continue to block the sun’s rays, but I manage to keep the rain away. The dressmaker’s studio is below his house in the middle of town. Walking down the stone street, I take no pleasure in smelling the flowers or browsing the fresh fruit. The door’s propped open when I arrive.

  Nicola stands still as the dressmaker drapes her in a lovely blue silk. “Princess, I’m so glad to see you,” she says. “What do you think?”

  “It compliments the blue in your eyes.” I smile.

  “I hope you’ll arrange for a sunny day, as we want to marry in the courtyard.” Her eyes sparkle and a hint of jealousy forms in my gut. “What color will you choose?”

  An idea festers inside my head. “Nicola, you’re gifted with finding things, aren’t you?”

  “Yes. I can find anything you want,” she says.

  “That’s perfect.” I grab her hand and pull her away from the dressmaker. “Get dressed. I need you to find something that’s very important to me.”

  My heart races in my chest. If Kai truly left the island, she’ll know. She’ll tell me exactly where he is.

  “You want me to find the stable slave?” She blinks, one of her brows rising higher than the other does. “He ran away in the night?”

  We stand in the chamber Kai slept in the past year.

  “Yes. At least, that’s what we think.” I close my eyes. “This was his room.”

  “It’s going to take me a while. I’m not used to finding people.” She sits on the cot and spreads her hands over the thin fabric. “What was his name?”

  “Kai. The soldiers said four boats went missing last night, but there’s no way he could have stolen those himself, even if he stole one at all.” I sit on the stool in front of her.

  “Shh.” Her head pops back and her eyes open. A cloudy white mist comes over her blue pupils. I’ve never seen her do this.

  Several minutes pass. Her head jerks at regular intervals. I remain silent, watching her swing her head around. An hour passes and a dismalness overcomes me. Perhaps he’s so far away she’s not able to locate him. Perhaps he did steal away in the middle of the night, leaving me behind on purpose.

  A light rain taps on the wooden roof. Her head snaps forward and the blue irises emerge. “Princess?”

  “Are you all right?” I ask. “You were gone for so long.”

  “How long?” she asks.

  “We missed the lunch hour. Did you find him?” I take her hands into mine.

  Her eyes tear up. “He didn’t run away.”

  My chest tightens. “What do you mean?”

  “He’s here in the village.”

  Excitement bubbles inside me. “Where?”

  “My feet will lead us there. It’s not always clear until I’m walking.” She stands and pulls me out the door.

  The rain stops as we head into the courtyard. Perhaps he searched for supplies and got lost, but will return soon. A million questions form inside my head.

  She leads me through the first hall and stops at the kitchen entrance. She shakes her head and whispers. “I think he was here not long ago.”

  I want to express my h
appiness, but I wonder if it’ll make her feel uncomfortable. No one knows about Kai and myself other than Bastin, and maybe Father.

  She leads me back down another hall into the empty dining chamber where the banquet was held last night. She heads down a back corridor that leads to the cells below the palace. She stops at the entrance and shakes her head.

  Dread swamps me as she points to the door that leads to the chamber Father uses to torture those who commit crimes in our village. She releases my hand and I burst into the room to see Kai tied to a post with bloody slashes down his back.

  Chapter 14

  Thera

  Two soldiers stand on each side of Kai. Blood pools around his bare body. Sweat covers his head and red blotches surround his closed eyes. The dead body of the wolf lies in front of him, the arrow protruding from the stiff body.

  The guard who oversees the few prisoners we keep locked up in the cells below backs away, swinging the three-pronged whip spraying Kai’s blood onto the darkened stone.

  Bastin sits next to Father atop the judging station. He grins when our eyes meet. There’s no longer a need for him to pretend to be the good, honorable brother.

  My face reddens as I fight back tears. My eyes dart from Kai to Bastin and Father.

  “Women are not permitted in here,” the torturer says. “Not even a princess.”

  Father frowns on seeing me. The corner of his eyes crinkle. “Get them out of here.” He snaps his fingers motioning to the guards.

  “What have you done?” My words sound weak, and I’m afraid my voice will disappear. Thunder booms above.

  One of the guards grabs my arm, while the other goes after Nicola, who followed me in. I shove him away with all the strength I can muster.

  “No!” He recovers quickly and reaches for me once more. Ducking under his outstretched arm, I race to Kai, kneeling to his level.

  His eyes flutter open and recognition dawns on his face. “Theee.” Blood spills out the side of his mouth. He exhales a long breathe and doesn’t take another in.

  “No.” Tears cloud my vision. “No. No. No.”

  The guard grabs my shoulders. The ground rumbles and starts to vibrate. The soldier lets go of me and backs away.

  “Thera!” Father stands, taking a step forward. “You shouldn’t be in here. How…?” Although he doesn’t finish his question, but I know exactly what he intended to ask…How did I find them?

  Nicola’s cheeks flush when my gaze finds her.

  Rage builds within me. “You made me believe he’d run off, stolen a ship and left me.” I glare at Bastin. “You shouldn’t have sent me to the one person on this island who was able to find for me what I sought most.”

  “You couldn’t leave it alone, could you?” Bastin’s smile fades when a stone shakes loose from the wall next to him. “You needed to pursue this dirty creature. I tried to make it easy for you.”

  “Thera, stop this at once!” Father holds onto a stone column. The guards back against the wall, not realizing that’s a dangerous place to be at this very moment.

  “Why did you do this to me?” I yell at the top of my lungs. The sound echoes in the hall, but it’s no match for the roaring thunder outside.

  Nicola screams as another stone crashes to the ground splitting into several large pieces.

  “Thera, that boy wasn’t one of us,” Father says. “His blood wasn’t pure. Had you had his bastard children, they wouldn’t have any of our gifts. You’re too good for him. He’s a slave, sent here to serve us. Our race is by far the most superior in existence. You have no idea what these barbarians are capable of doing. They worship trinkets, enslave people to build temples for them. Many of them are merely hunters and gatherers, roaming the earth barely surviving their short-lived years.”

  The ground cracks all around us. I glimpse Kai’s lifeless body and that of the wolf he befriended and leer at Father. “It appears we are more barbaric than they.”

  A whirling tornado tears off the stone roof, sending rocks flying all around us. A large slab lands on top of the overseer, crushing his body beneath the heavy mass. The remaining guards and Nicola flee, but I know the rest of the palace faces the same fate.

  “Thera! Stop this at once!” Terror overtakes Father’s face when the lightning streaks across the sky. “You’re being unreasonable.”

  “Life outside this island is cruel and vicious, sister.” Bastin tries to inch over the cracks to get to me. “Had you run away, you’d have seen the brutal way they treat their women. You’d have been used for your gifts.”

  “How different is that from what you both do? You tried to appease me by lying to get your way… to get me to conform and agree to a loveless marriage by promising I could be with the one I truly loved.” A lightning bolt strikes the stone floor in the corner of the room causing Bastin and Father to fall forward with the flying debris. “Every day I check the fields and make sure the plentiful abundance grows. When it needs water, I provide. When it needs sun, it’s there by my hand. This is how you used me.”

  “Thera, you need to stop or you’ll kill us all.” Sweat forms on Father’s head. His pleading eyes bore into mine.

  “All I wanted in return was Kai. He made me feel special and happy. One person. That’s all I asked for, but you wouldn’t even give me him?” I ask.

  “You’d kill your family all for the sake of the slave who’s no better than the mutt beside him?” Bastin’s contemptuous words provoke a rage I’ve never felt before.

  The wind reaches me, swirling around, connecting with me on a new level. We merge as one…the earth, the wind, the rain, and the fire river roaring beneath the island. “May his soul and all others like him, who have been trapped in the servitude of our people, merge with the beast to become powerful overseers of the curse. They will be slaves no longer, but become the Hunters. That is their fate. I curse you and your people, who have allowed this inequity for all these years, who allowed their selfish needs to blind them of the cruelty they’ve inflicted. No longer will you have the safety of this island, or any place on this earth. I curse you to roam and forevermore be known as the Roma.”

  Kneeling on the floor, my hands find the cracked stone, connecting with its warmth. The earth feels my wrath, my anger, and my sadness. “So let it be done and carried out as I’ve commanded.” The binding words drift through the ground and the air, reaching through the land and the oceans stretching on endlessly. A new beginning arises for our people, one that will teach them hard lessons they’ll need to learn.

  Bastin rolls away from Father, grabs a bow, notching an arrow and aims at me. “I’m sorry sister, but you leave me no choice.”

  In less than a second, energy shoots through me from the floor and out my open palms, sending lightning into Bastin’s chest.

  “No!” Father yells.

  The bow and arrow fall to the ground. Bastin’s charred body slumps over it.

  “All these years, you used my gift for your gain and now it’s gone.”

  Father’s expression dulls. “I’m sorry, Thera. I’m sorry.” He closes his eyes as the stone wall falls forward and crushes him.

  “I’m sorry, too.”

  My mind clears as I allow the energy around me to take over my body. The wind lifts me high into the air, over the falling palace walls.

  Thunder booms all around me. The waves in the bay crash against the stone barrier, breaching its height. The villagers scream as the earthquake causes the buildings to crash all on top of them. The survivors have more to fear than the mild earth cracks.

  The mountain, my volcano, rages above us. Red lava breaches the peak, oozing out slowly down the steep incline. Gases flume higher than they’ve ever been.

  Reaching out with my mind, searching the lands through the sky and clouds, I sense many of our people have fled. The seer saved several as she knew what would happen. Four boats held hundreds of our people…the Roma. I’m sorry for your loss. Her words dance through my psyche, reaching my soul.
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br />   The stable breaks apart, allowing the horses to run free. Star heads for the meadow and the others follow her lead. Flowing fire ravages crops and forest. The horses won’t find what they search for.

  “I’m sorry sweet Star.” Sorrow etches its way inside me.

  A child cries next to the body of her mother in front of the fallen palace steps and my heart weeps.

  Lava shoots out of the volcano, high into the air. It’ll be over soon.

  “What have I done?” The wind sets me down next to the toddler girl.

  She runs into my arms, weeping. I hold her tightly, shielding her eyes from the destruction I caused.

  ‘ELYSIA’ The strange familiar name reaches my ear.

  The lava starts to fall in large drops, but a bigger wave barrels down, ready to devour us.

  In my last few seconds of life, I realize I can’t undo my curse, but someone else can. “The one born with the power gifted by the Earth is the key to breaking the Roaming Curse.” I shove my hand into the hard soil and send my last plea across the earth and sea. It’s up to you now, whoever you may be.

  My body disappears in the red muck oozing all over the island. As I move farther above the scene, I watch the volcano’s eruption overtake the island, as well as nearby islands. A tsunami mixes with the earthquake, affecting every nearby land mass and coastline in the Mediterranean.

  All the achievements created on Thera becomes lost to future generations, swallowed by lava and ash. Our people will be written about as fables and myths, an advanced civilization that may never have existed at all.

  The Roma will be rumored to have migrated from India, with their weird beliefs and superstitions. Roaming will bring them heartache and persecution.

  Melancholy breaches my soul as it retreats to the doorway.

  A static sound invades my head. Panic seizes me as I look down the hallway at the endless number of doorways.

  “Where am I?”

  Awareness smacks into me. The doorway in front of me is one of my lives. Thera. Her life ended so long ago. That’s not me anymore.

  The story Aunt Mirela told us about the woman who went crazy after experiencing her past life pops back into my head. I understand how confusing it can be after having experienced it myself. Knowing all the facets of one life interweaving into another can madden even the sanest of persons.