by Hope Collier
“She looks exhausted, Kyle. Really, what did you guys do to her?” Her delicate eyebrows pulled down at her brother. His expression turned guilty.
Aurelia encouraged me to my feet and led me back upstairs. She sat me in a makeshift salon chair then fluffed, teased, and managed my wavy hair quickly. This was followed with a vigorous but refreshing scrub to my face before applying what I assumed was some kind of make-up, though it was no more than a mint-scented cream. After my simple makeover, she danced to the double doors of the armoire and rifled around. Seconds later, she pulled out something lavender and flowing to replace my dull brown ensemble.
“There now, much better.” She smiled. “But something is missing. Hmm. Ah, I see.” Aurelia reached over, touched my lips with her fingertip, and tugged the corner upward. I smiled unenthusiastically, but it seemed to placate her. “There we are. Perfect.”
“One more thing.” Aurelia floated across the room, towing me behind her. “Look.” She grabbed the tops of my shoulders and spun me around to face the mirror beside the armoire. “What do you think?”
I sighed and forced my eyes up. Gabe’s voiced whispered through my memory. “Look at yourself, Ashton. You’re stronger than you know. Remember that every time you see your reflection. You won’t be sad forever. I promise.”
I lifted my fingers to brush away the tear sliding down my cheek and caught sight of Gabe’s ring.
“Is something wrong?” she asked.
“No,” I muttered and looked away.
“Kyle,” Aurelia called for her brother in no more than a conversational tone.
Sharp footsteps raced up the stairs. Before it seemed possible, he burst through the door almost snapping it off the hinges. “What’s wrong? Is Ashton—” Kyle froze midsentence, his eyes locked on my silhouette. “Oh, wow. You look … incredible.” His face reddened.
“You’d better watch that.” Aurelia smiled and tapped his crimson cheek with her fingertip. She spun around and opened the closet doors to replace the unused outfit. “I don’t think Kevin would appreciate his little brother ogling his almost-wife,” she concluded from inside.
Her words hit me at the same time as the scent. The closet was lined with cedar.
Kyle winced at his sister’s untimely reminder. He wouldn’t have recognized the scent, but he could read my face. I dropped my head and squeezed between them with a gruff pardon.
“Is she all right?” Aurelia whispered.
“Sure, it’s just nerves, you know. This is a lot to deal with all at once,” Kyle replied. His echoing footsteps followed me down the stairs. “Thanks Aurelia, we’ll be there shortly.”
I paced the backyard, with my hands on my hips. I heard the door click shut and turned to see Kyle.
“Hey,” he whispered, his eyes full of concern. “I’m sorry about that.”
I shook my head. “They’re going to think I’m crazy here. Maybe I am. I don’t know anymore.”
Kyle led me to a bench overlooking a small Koi pond and encouraged me to sit. He took the spot next to me, waiting quietly with my hand in his till they stopped shaking. Sounds from the welcoming party carried through the trees, and the setting sun told me more about the time than Kyle. I stood, ready to finish the evening so I could be left alone to mourn in solitude.
“Let’s get this over with, please,” I mumbled.
Kyle offered his arm and a grim smile then we set off into the dimming forest.
Torches burned alongside the paths, the flickering warring with the shadows. I smoothed my fingers along my forehead, trying to rub away the stress — surely my eyes were puffy and swollen. There wasn’t much I could do about Kyle’s tension.
“Everything is fine.” His thumb rubbed over mine, my temperature falling with the stress.
After a mile of fireflies and ribbon-laced trees, the path opened to a perfectly-cut circle in the woods. Lanterns surrounded the perimeter, and a large fire blazed in the center. The scent of wood burning and roasted meat filled the air. Cheers and happy music erupted as we entered the clearing. Hundreds of kinsmen bowed to one knee, and my gripped tightened around Kyle’s arm.
“What are they doing?” I whispered. “Is this for you?”
“No, it’s for you. You’re practically their princess. Smile and nod.” He glanced at me while we made our way to the receiving line. I stopped in front of him, ignoring the countless eyes on me … all except two.
Kevin glanced up to see Kyle and I enter the clearing. His cold indifference stopped me in place. Flashes of lies and betrayal blurred my vision, and he simply stared at me with as much consideration as he might give an old shoe. An angry knot settled in my stomach like a hot brick. How could this happen? How could he repeatedly destroy so many lives and not even blink? Resentment rolled off me in waves.
Kyle’s hand slid over mine once more as he gently shushed me. I drew a deep breath. He was right. I couldn’t let Kevin get to me. Not here.
“Nice to see you finally made it, brother. Cutting the time a bit short, aren’t you?” Kevin chided then took my hand from Kyle’s arm. His steely eyes locked on Kyle before rebounding to mine. “Ashton, I trust you had an uneventful trip?”
“It was fine,” I answered, my voice strained.
Kevin lifted a brow and looked to his brother. Kyle shrugged and took a step back to stand behind me.
Music continued in the background as I shook hands with countless people — all of whom genuinely seemed pleased to meet me. Until that moment, I hadn’t understood the gravity of the situation. Their kingdom, their way of life, depended on this treaty. It didn’t matter if I loved Kevin or even if I were happy. Their future was on my shoulders.
“What did you think of the house?” Kevin’s voice interrupted my thoughts when the last in line kissed my hand and moved on.
“I will,” I said my thoughts a thousand miles away. Kevin narrowed his eyes in question. “I mean … what did you say?”
“We need some time together. Would you like to get out of here?” Kevin’s voice grew husky, and my stomach flipped.
“Could you get me a drink first?” I nodded toward the table across the clearing.
“Sure, then we’ll head home.” Kevin dropped his arm and hurried to the table across the way.
Kyle stood at my heels, his eyes darting around the clearing.
“What’s wrong?” I sensed he was searching for something — or someone.
He frowned. “Nothing yet, but I didn’t get a chance to talk to you before we came here.”
“Talk about what?”
Kyle cleared his throat and smiled across the way to Aurelia who was chatting with Kevin. They both looked in my direction before Kevin began to make his way back.
“Talk about what, Kyle?” I asked.
Kyle turned his face away from Kevin. “About Harry,” he whispered, his mouth hidden beneath his hand.
My temperature dropped, and I looked to Kevin. He was close, maybe thirty yards away. I didn’t know if he could hear us over the roar of people and music, but I was about to risk it.
“I thought he left. I thought Oren let him go.” I panicked.
“There’s more to it than that,” Kyle said quickly. “It’s not what you think.”
“Is he hurt?” I spoke louder, not caring that Kevin and several others could hear.
Kyle plastered on a smile and shushed me but shook his head.
I couldn’t think straight. The day in the cave, Oren said everything was set. My presence meant Harry’s freedom. What if they hadn’t let him go? What if he lied? What if Harry was hurt or worse?
“Ashton?” Kevin nudged me when I didn’t respond. He offered a silver cup filled with a dark liquid. “Are you ready to go home?”
“I guess.” I took a sip of the sweet drink then set it aside. There wasn’t anywhere else in this place I wanted to be more than alone.
“See you in the morning, little brother,” Kevin murmured with a smile, not turning his eyes away from me
. “Kyle?”
“What?” Kyle responded blankly.
“Ash and I are going home now,” Kevin said. “Take care of closing the party.”
“Right.” Kyle bid us a sullen good night before loping off into the darkness.
Kevin held my hand as we walked, allowing me to set a casual pace. I was anxious to get back, but I had no idea if being there meant being alone.
“You should’ve told me about Charlie.” Kevin broke the silence.
“Why would I?” I asked, trying to keep my tone in check. “Nothing you could do about it.”
“That doesn’t give you the right to run around as you see fit. You should’ve had an escort,” he said coldly, as if I’d simply left on an unannounced vacation.
Blood rose in my cheeks, and I ground my teeth together trying not to snap.
We passed through the oak tunnel and turned at the path leading to the house. It seemed so surreal to stand beside Kevin now. He once held a mystique, almost like a drug, but now he just irritated me. The real Kevin shone through like a shadowed beacon, leading me to an eternal punishment.
I sighed.
“You seem different,” he said, his tone put out. “Is it because of the whole change thing?”
I bit back what I really wanted to say and just shrugged.
“I’m at a loss for your behavior. You haven’t asked me the first question. Has Kyle already filled you in on how things work here?”
I made a non-committal sound and gritted my teeth.
Kevin’s hand ran possessively down my back, and I shuddered. He misread the signal, mistaking it for desire, and a smile spread across his lips. “Very soon, the ceremony will be over, and I’ll have all of you to myself.”
Kevin’s eyes took on a hungry glint as they raked over my frame. He pulled me to him, his thumbs under my chin, and lowered his head.
My lips went pliant, and he huffed.
“What’s with you? You used to whimper at my touch.” His eyes narrowed. “What have you been up to?”
“It’s all so much to take in, Kev. And I’m exhausted.” For once, I didn’t shield my feelings from him, allowing all the hopelessness to shine through my eyes, willing him to see how miserable I was. He didn’t seem to care.
“Go to bed then. Maybe you’ll be better tomorrow.” He pulled me close again, his touch demanding a response. I fell into rhythm, but it was empty.
Kevin growled in frustration and backed away. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
Not yet ready to face the rooms upstairs, I waited until Kevin’s scent faded into the night then headed toward the pond.
The light of the full moon glistened off the water, casting shimmering reflections against the trees. A gentle wind carried the fragrance of water lilies across the bank as cattails swayed along the shoreline. I skirted the fringe of the shore to the willow and inched my toes into the water.
The effect the water possessed was more powerful than ever before. Familiar scents comforted me as I waded out into the deep. The caress felt like satin against my skin, reaching into my very essence. It was part of me, something that would never change, that could never be taken away. My longing was more than simply a desire — it was a necessity, as required by me as eating or sleeping. Being here, it was almost like muting the chaos and heartbreak surrounding me. I couldn’t turn it off, but I could turn it down.
For that one moment, I forgot about the nightmare that continued across the forest and the splintered heart’s beat that persisted in my chest. I allowed the water to comfort me in a way nothing else could.
Wading into the shallows, I stared up at the stars till every emotion faded into the blackness.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Reflections
Soft pillows billowed round my head as the sun warmed my skin. I startled, bolting upright to find myself in my new bed, Gabe’s thermal clenched in my hand. Memories of stars and lapping water floated through my mind. How did I get here?
I tucked the sweet smelling shirt into the deepest drawer at the bottom of the armoire and sighed. As I undressed for a shower, I looked down and blushed, feeling the satin nightgown brush across my thigh; I didn’t remember changing. My stomach flipped at the thought of someone else undressing me as I was becoming more certain by the minute I hadn’t done it. Only one other person had been at the pond with me before. With that realization, my blush reached my hairline.
After my shower, I reached into the drawer in the bathroom for a brush. The steamy mirror began to clear, and my disheveled appearance shone back.
You’re stronger than you know… Gabe’s voice whispered.
I dropped my towel and threw it over the reflection.
“I hate you,” I muttered under my breath, not even sure who I meant. Slipping into a white sundress, I followed suit through the house, covering every reflective surface I could find. If someone else saw it and had me locked up, so be it.
I wandered into the library, waiting for someone to show up. My eyes flitted from title to title. “Brontë, Poe, Shakespeare, Hawthorne,” I murmured to myself, running my hands along the spines. “Dickens, Carroll, Twain, Austen … where did you come from?” Kevin didn’t know about my love of poetry and the classics — he would’ve filled the room with fashion magazines — but row after row revealed my favorites.
I circled the room then turned to the items positioned on the mahogany desk: a few magazines, a leather-bound notebook, and a container of writing utensils. My heart stuttered as a familiar blue cover with gold trim stared back at me, a ragged copy of Tennyson’s Poetical Works. I flipped the cover open. Pasted within the volume were clippings of poems from various works and Victorian-era pictures. I continued on to see Charlie’s messy handwriting spanning the first page. My palm rested over the script, and I longed for the time when my dad was still here, when I could still dream of a life of my own.
I wandered through the hall to the sitting room. Finding the plush armchair near the fireplace, I opened my favorite book and scanned the pages. Each poem brought back memories of a different time or place in my life. Joy and sadness mingled together till my eyes fell on The Lady of Shalott. A memory I didn’t want fought against my mental barrier. Seeing the words, my teeth ground together, and I slammed the cover shut.
A quick rap echoed through the foyer. I stood and cleared my throat before pulling the door back. Kyle stood at the threshold. His eyes rested on my face for a moment then shifted to the compilation in my hand.
“I see you found your book.” His expression warmed. “I couldn’t bear leaving it behind with it being your favorite and all.”
“You did this?” I held up the volume, biting back the resentment of him taking it from Charlie’s house in Cumberland to begin with.
“Yeah, I chose all the books.” Kyle shrugged, weighing his words against my expression. “I know you love to read, and your shelves in California were full of the classics.”
“Oh. Thanks.”
Kyle took a step closer and eyebrows pulled down. “You look tired. Are you all right?”
“I’m trying to be. It’s not exactly easy.”
“No, I’d say not.” Kyle looked away. His focus landed on the lavender towel hanging over the hall mirror. He glanced back at me with questions in his eyes but didn’t say anything.
“I guess I should thank you for bringing me home,” I said. Even if you overstepped a line.
His eyes met mine. “What are you talking about?”
“Last night when I went to the pond and fell asleep…” My voice drifted away when his eyes narrowed. “Never mind.”
He started to say something then let it drop. “I thought you might like to go sightseeing today. Or if you’re not up for that, I could take you to our museum. Show you some of our history.”
I decided that it would probably be most beneficial to gather a lay of the land. I would need some perspective on that when my chance for escape came. Their history might come in handy at some point
, but hopefully I wasn’t in a position to plan a future here.
“Where’s Kevin?” I asked as we hit the path.
Kyle’s smile melted. He stuck his hands in his pockets and watched a blue-jay in the distance. “He’s taking care of some business matters, but he expects you to join him for dinner.”
I shuddered. At least I had the day without him.
We followed the tree-covered path to the west, Kyle growing more animated as he explained how the Dryads maintained their living with minimal aid from the outside world. “We have a variety of fowl and livestock,” he said. “Everything from chickens and goats to peacocks and pigs.” Cows bellowed in the distance, and the pungent smell of manure and hay saddled the air.
A herd of sheep crossed the road, bleating as dogs nipped at their heels. Their curly-haired shepherd grinned at me — his two front teeth missing — as he opened a pen and carried a lamb out. I gave him a tentative wave, and he offered a clumsy bow.
Kyle led me into one of the oversized barns. Spinning wheels piped along in the back. The women tipped their heads in respect as we passed but never met my gaze. The acrid smell of smoke and fermentation burned my eyes. I traced the scent to the center of the barn. Several vats hung over smoldering fires, each covered with a rough cloth. Beside the vats were vials of crushed leaves, seeds, and roots.
My nose turned up. “Dye?”
“Yep. That’s weld, woad plant, and madder plant roots.” He pointed to the different vials. “The ancient Egyptians helped us out on that. There’s crushed shellfish, archil, and indigo as well.”
“Ancient Egyptians?” I lifted a brow.
“They were very advanced.” He grinned. “It still works well.”
“How old are you?” I teased.
Kyle laughed. The pleasant throaty sound brought out a smile in me. “Me, I’m not that old. My family on the other hand has been around for quite a while.” He tugged on my elbow. “Let’s keep going.”