by Marnie Cate
“Come this way,” a Curuxatyni woman said. “You will find you have a variety of more festive clothing to choose from in your room.”
Leading me deeper into the house, I could see a beach through the large windowpanes. “Essie, you have been here before with our family, right?” I asked, recalling the images I had been shown of them while I was in Snowstrum.
“Why yes,” Essie said, sounding genuinely surprised. “How would you know?”
“Danu showed me that you were all safe when I first entered Snowstrum,” I said. Staring out the window, I remembered Meg and Miles splashing in the ocean waves. “Seeing you here comforted me. I could focus on trying to bring Cole home. How interesting that he would end up here in the end?”
“Meg and Miles were devastated when you did not return. Meg cried nonstop for weeks. Nothing we could say or do could lessen the pain she felt. She was so young and she had lost your grandmother, your mother and then you in such a short amount of time,” Essie said, her voice cracking. “Coming here restored her. The confident girl you see today was formed in this very home.”
“Do you think they will be able to remove the darkness from Cole?” I asked. “What about my darkness. I attacked him? I was so aggressive. I am no better.”
Cole had been so hateful when he realized I had betrayed him and devised the plan to free the Vetur. His cold image flashed before my eyes and the words he screamed at me on our last day in Snowstrum rang in my ears.
You will not win. She will have your head for this. You mean nothing to me now, Marina. You are dead to me.
“Essie, I need to see Brighid,” I said. “I cannot sit here waiting to see if he will heal.”
“I can't take you to the Goddess now. You need to rest and I will request she sees us when you are much calmer,” Essie said.
“If you won't help me, I will find her myself. I've seen Cole. Now I need to see Brighid,” I glared.
“Fine. I'll make the request. Please calm yourself while I am gone.”
I took a seat in a white lounge chair throwing the accent pillows onto the ground. I inhaled slowly. I wanted to feel calmer but the dark look in Cole's eyes haunted me… my response troubled me. I paced while I waited for Essie to return. Finally, the red woman who had escorted Cole away from me appeared. The short red feathers on top of her head sparkled as though each strand had been coated with fine glitter.
“Mara, we have not been formally introduced,” she said, extending her hand to me. She had human hands except for the talons she had painted silver. “I am Ruby. Essie has informed me you have requested to see the Goddess. If you will follow me, I will take you to her.”
As my hand touched hers, I felt a cold wind blow around me. The room around me changed and I found myself standing on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean. Brighid stood next to me. Her long coppery hair of flames blew wildly in the wind. She stared into the distance, deeply focused. Of the three sister goddesses, Brighid was the one I understood the least. While Danu was warm and motherly and Snowystra was vindictive and manipulative, I could not define Brighid. When the golden-skinned Goddess turned to me, her green eyes locked with mine.
“I need to know if the child inside me is carrying Snowystra's darkness. I sense she is still here,” I whispered.
“She is gone, Mara. It was never the magic my sister held that was corrupt,” she answered.
“Then what is causing Cole to revert to the dark king? I cannot stay here and fight for a lost man. I will not be my mother and choose him over my child. Please tell me now if I need to give up on him.”
A flurry of snowflakes filled the air and soon I was in a blinding snowstorm. When it slowed, my heart dropped as I saw where I was.
“No! Please take me back to Galinevo. I can't be here,” I cried. “You can't take me here. I can't lose five more years in this world.”
“Calm yourself, Mara,” Brighid said. She waved her hand out in front of us. The space before us smeared as if it had been a freshly painted watercolor.
“This is the past. The part of your time in Snowstrum that you need to face. The time you had there was very different to Cole's. You need to understand what created this dark man. You need to understand this part of the man you love,” Brighid said.
Chapter 11
The room shifted and we were in Snowystra's bedroom. The elegant ice furniture and accents were a contrast to the cruel Goddess who slept in this room. Cole was standing against the wall. Upon closer look, I realized he was trapped in a large web, which extended across one side of the room. The web was covered with thousands of small, metallic green dorcha spiders. Snowystra appeared. A wave of red filled my vision. I clenched my hands, digging my nails in to my skin. The anger I felt inside me seeing her alive almost brought me to my knees.
“Why must we do this over and over?” Snowystra trailed her long silver nails along Cole's bare chest.
Clenching and unclenching his jaw, he hissed. “You will have to kill me if you want me to stop fighting you.”
She smiled as if he had told a silly joke. “I am in no hurry to kill you, sweet boy. The pleasure you give me is worth your little outbursts. Sadly, you will bore me soon enough though. They all do. But, let's not dwell on when I will get rid of you. Right now, let's focus on what I need from you.”
“I will not let you hurt her. Nothing you do will change how I feel about Mara.” Cole yelled and struggled against the sticky web.
As she placed her palms flat on his chest, I could see steam rising from his sizzling skin. Cole closed his eyes as if he was fighting off the pain. His bravado broke and he began to scream.
When his screams died out and he fell limp, she kissed him hard on the lips.
“Has my king returned?” she asked, as she smoothed his hair from his brow.
Lifting his head, Cole opened his eyes. They were milky white. Tendrils of black surrounded him and I knew Cole was gone. She had broken him.
“Yes, my Goddess,” he said. “Untie me and let me show you how sorry I am for my tantrum.”
She sliced the threads freeing him. He roughly grabbed her around the waist and began kissing her.
“You have pleased me,” she said. “I need you to focus on bringing the girl to me. I was told Marina is close by. Together we will convince her to give up the ridiculous promise she made to protect the magic. We will use my sister's own magic against her and then we will make them all pay for what they have done to me.”
“We don't need her,” he said. He brushed her hair out of her face and cupped her cheek. “Together, we will punish them for what they did.”
“We need the girl. Her magic is stronger than yours. First, we break her and then we will rule together. But, only if you do as I request.” She jerked away from him.
He grabbed her wrist and wrapped his arms around her. I shut my eyes to block out the sight of them together but I could not block out his words.
“Forgive me. I was being greedy. I didn't want to share you with her. I will do as you ask. As always, your will is my command,” the Shah said.
I foolishly opened my eyes to see her kiss him again. He picked her up and carried her towards the bed.
“Stop, I don't want to see this,” I cried, closing my eyes tightly. “I know about the beatings. I saw the man she turned him into. I saw the drawings he made of her. I knew when the Shah said she was like a mother to him it was a lie. Please stop this… I can't bear to see anymore.”
* * *
The room flashed and we were in the office Cole had used as the Shah. Many days he spent hidden away in this room while I was busy trying to plan to free the Miezitari from Snowystra's tyranny.
Cole sat at his desk, his eyes dark and menacing. There was no part of my sweet husband there. Sipping a crystal goblet of tavi, he wrote frantically in a notebook. When Snowystra appeared in the doorway, he quickly closed the notebook and went to her.
Glaring at him, she let him lead her into the room. “I haven't had
a heart in weeks. Why are you not getting me what I need?” she scowled. “It is like you're trying to hurt me.”
“I sent three men out together this morning,” he said, guiding her to a velvet chair. “I promise you will have what you need soon.”
“You have not met any of my needs since I allowed you to marry her. You have stopped coming to my bedchambers and you have not broken her. You spend too much time with her and I know you have not even approached her about our plans. She is not fully committed to following me. You vowed that you would not forget what mattered. You are making me reconsider choosing you to be the Shah.”
“I have not forgotten my promise. We will make them pay for everything they did. If there is no dorcha heart by tonight, I will go to the Sephorian Desert myself,” Cole promised.
“And what about my other needs?” she purred. Standing up, she went to him and began to trace her pointed nail along his lips.
As he leaned in to kiss her, a loud knock sounded. Sighing, he moved away from the Goddess. Her eyes blazed with anger.
“Come in,” he roared.
A Miezitari man clutching a leather satchel to his chest was led in by two guards.
“Forgive our interruption,” one of the guards said.
“Did you get what I sent you for?” Cole wore a look of pure evil.
“Yes, mi Shah, I did as you told me,” he said. Trembling, he offered the bag to Cole.
Cole snatched it from him and looked inside. The corner of his mouth lifted into a cruel smile.
“Take him to a healer and then bring him back to the tunnels,” Cole said to the guard.
“Am I forgiven for my slight now, mi Shah? Will I be absolved of my crime against you?” the man pleaded.
Towering over the man, he said, “You will be released from your punishment for now. When you return to the tunnels, you will tell no one of this. Remember you're not to share the secret of the desert with anyone. No one must know why you were sent. You will tell them I had a change of heart and, out of kindness, I reconsidered the punishment. I will know if you speak of the dorcha.”
“No, I will not tell anyone,” the man said, as he was dragged away. “I promise.”
When the door closed and they were alone, Snowystra looked at him eagerly. Cole reached in the bag and lifted out the bloody green dorcha heart. “My Goddess, would you like this prepared?”
Wrapping her hands around his, she drew the heart to her mouth. Like a wild animal, she took a large bite. Then another and another. Her eyes began to glow dark red. She moaned in pleasure and then offered it to Cole. He too chomped into the heart. As they ate they laughed, as if they were drunk on the magic.
“Soon, very soon, the world will be at my mercy,” she said, wiping the blood from his mouth.
* * *
Cole and Snowystra faded and I was returned to my room. I felt numb, like I was sinking into an abyss. I had known that she had controlled him and I had suspicions about the intimate nature of their relationships. I could differentiate between Cole and the Shah… until now. Seeing him… my Cole in her arms. Seeing her control over him, I felt an uncontrollable anger. I didn't care if he healed. He betrayed me.
Chapter 12
I sat by one of the glass windows and stared out at the ocean waves. The methodic splash of the water brought back memories I had long forgotten.
“What is wrong, Mara?” Gram said, sitting on the side of her bed. Rubbing my back, she hummed a song while she waited for me to talk.
When I had drained every last tear from my body, I turned on my side away from her. “He… he kissed the most disgusting person. He kissed Jessica,” I whispered. The thought of his arms around her made me cry again.
“Cole?” Gram asked. “That boy is head over heels for you. I am sure there is a very good explanation.”
Sitting up, I said, “Yes, there is. He likes her and he is now going to be her boyfriend. She's been throwing herself at him forever and she finally caught him.”
A knock on the door sounded and Gram left me to answer it. When I heard Cole's voice, I crept into the kitchen and hid behind the wall to listen.
“Sorry to bother you, Gram,” Cole said. “Is Mara here? I really need to speak to her.”
“She is resting, Cole,” Gram said. “She is very upset. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?”
“I need to explain what happened,” he said. “This is just a horrible misunderstanding.”
“I don't want to see him. Go away and explain everything to your girlfriend,” I yelled to him from behind the kitchen wall. “I never want to see you again, Cole Oliver Sands.”
“You have to believe me, Gram,” Cole said. “I was waiting for Mara and Jessica came up to me and asked me about a homework assignment we were given. She was going on and on about it. When Mara entered the shop, Jessica practically jumped into my arms and began kissing me. It was like Jessica wanted to cause trouble.”
“It looked like you were enjoying her attack,” I called out to him. “No need to make up any stories. You're free. Go on enjoy your new life with Jessica. You know, she isn't even pretty. She has bug eyes and frizzy hair.”
“If you wouldn't have over-reacted and ran away, you would have seen me tell Jessica off. I told her she was out of line and that I have a girlfriend.”
“Mara, come out here now,” Gram said. Her voice told me that she would not take no for an answer. “You're not going to shout across the house and wake up your little sister. I know I raised you better than this.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I entered the living room. “Fine, explain yourself. You can't change what I saw.”
“I am going to go fix you both a nice cup of tea. Now go sit and talk,” Gram said.
Kissing my cheek, Gram whispered, “When you love someone, there may be a time when you really do need to say goodbye. You're only sixteen. In your life, you will have more heartache and anger but you will also have so much joy. Be sure that you're really ready to say goodbye to him. Are you going to give up on the love I know you feel for him? Remember some things thrown away can never be returned.”
Gram always knew the words to say for every situation. I sat next to Cole on the overstuffed couch and let him retell the story that he had told moments ago.
“Mara, please let me explain,” Cole said.
As he retold the story, I felt lost in his voice. How did he do that? I should be yelling at him and all I want to do is run my fingers through his hair.
“Did you hear me, Mara? I mean it. I love you. There is no one else that I want to be with,” Cole said, taking my hand. “Please believe me.”
Cole had never said that he loved me before. Not really. He had said 'love you' or 'I love how you make cookies' but never so sincere.
“You love me?” I asked disbelieving. What did I know about love?
“Where have you been for the past four years?” Cole said. Picking up a loose curl of my hair, he twisted it. “I have loved you for so long that I can't remember what it felt like before you were my everything.”
“But, you never told me this,” I said. “Why tell me now?”
Silencing me, he kissed me softly. His touch was so gentle but the electricity I felt confirmed his words were true. In that moment, I allowed myself to admit what I already knew - I loved him too. Not holding back, I ran my fingers through his hair and returned his kiss with even more fervor. I wanted to lose myself in this moment forever. I loved him.
“Tell me what I should do, small one,” I whispered to the tiny being inside me. “The magic inside you has to be pure and good. You were conceived in love. How can we save your daddy from the past?
“The boy has been fighting to control the darkness inside him. I'm sorry to say this side of him has been quiet until your arrival.” Brighid handed me a glass of white liquid. “Drink this. It will calm you.”
“So, I am the trigger. I am what caused him to revert to the Shah? If I will only hurt him by stayi
ng, please send me home,” I said, accepting the drink.
“It is not that simple. Sending you away will do more harm. You're the reason he fights it,” Brighid said. “You saw how she broke him. I only showed you a small piece of the cruelty my sister inflicted. Cole's fear was you would one day find out who he had been while under her control. You would see what he did to survive. He feared you would never forgive him for his betrayal.”
“That man could not have been Cole,” I said. “I told him I forgave him for everything I knew and didn't know. How can I prove it to him? They took our memories before. Can't you do it again?”
“No, you saw how that worked out. You will need to be patient and accepting,” Brighid said. “Cole has to forgive himself for the harm he caused. We both know that he was not in control of his choices but he will need to believe it himself. And you will need to be honest with yourself. Did you really forgive him? Can you still after what you saw?”
“I can, Brighid. Just tell me how I can help him?” I asked, feeling angry at the riddles. “Why can there never be an answer?”
“You know what you need to do in your heart, Mara,” she said. “You will be there for him and when he has more pain than he will be able to bear, you will help him return to us.”
Taking my hand, she said, “I have been thinking. Do you remember how you contained your magic while you were in Snowstrum? You imagined creating a shell of protection around the Earth, Water, Fire and Air running through you.”
“I did that because her magic was invading me. I needed to protect the Light,” I said.
“Your child is of the Winter and will be a very strong elemental. I want you to go to Cole again. This time when he changes, I want you to encircle your child with your magic,” she said. A strong gust of air began to enclose us.
Calling to her over the wind, I shouted, “I can't do this. What if I hurt my child?”
The wind died and I found myself once again in front of the building I had first seen Cole. Brighid led me through the open door and we were immediately greeted by the colorful Curuxatyni. The Goddess greeted each with a gentle touch of her hand on their cheek. Leading me through the building, she stopped outside a silver door.