Chosen

by Kristen Day

  I managed to open my eyes again, only to see the first of the souls being sucked dry of its magical essence. A stream of glistening fog separated from the floating soul, flowed toward Keto and disappeared into her soul with a brilliant flash of light. Two, three, four more souls were shed of their essence, strengthening Keto’s soul to epic proportions. Each second that passed ensured her victory over me. Each soul that was lost ensured that she would remain the leader of the Tydes. Each flash of light was a reminder that I had failed my Order and everyone I loved. As the last flash of light lit up the night sky, I knew I had lost. And my entire Order would pay the price.

  Chapter 24

  In the midst of my self-loathing, I registered the return of Finn’s warm darkness only seconds before the world exploded around me. A deafening thunder rolled in from the ocean, blowing anyone standing off of their feet and causing my hearing to falter. In a haze of silence and pain, I noticed that I had fallen to the sand; released from my glowing prison of affliction. Nadia and Selene were already beginning to stir several yards away, and the vial that contained my essence had been dispatched in the opposite direction. It was nestled into a secure pocket of sand that I prayed they wouldn’t find. Keto’s emerald eyes snapped open with surprise, as her soul reconnected with her body lying below.

  Commanding my body to take action I awkwardly leaned onto my shoulder, while the excruciating pain I had become accustomed to radiated from my shoulder. It was so profound, it muted the agonizing fire that emanated from every bare piece of my skin. I gasped in horror when I saw why. My ravaged skin was torn and swollen, burned from the evil smoke and scorched several layers deep. I would have fared better if I’d been dipped in a river of lava.

  Out of the corner of my eye, three figures emerged from the waves; stealing the attention of Nadia, Keto, and Selene. Unfortunately my body would not listen to my commands to move, so I lay there helpless once again, watching the events unfold before me. Taking a hint from the sea earlier, I began to pull from the sand in order to recharge my energy - and hopefully begin to heal myself.

  One of the new arrivals ran up the beach in my direction and I tried to call out a warning to her, but my voice betrayed me - coming out as a useless whisper. She was only a few yards away when a glowing red ball of light struck her from the side and she slumped to the ground. The dark spray of blood across the untainted white sand was an image I would never forget. Somehow I was able to drag myself across the blood-splattered sand with one arm to reach her.

  “Stasia…” she tried weakly. I knew by the severity of the wound in her side that she only had moments to live, so I swallowed my despair and forced a weak smile.

  “Tina!” I managed to pull myself up so I could see her eyes. “It’s okay, you’ll be okay…”

  “I know you’re lying, but - ” She attempted a grin, but it morphed into a grimace as bloody coughs racked her dying body. “I believe in you….” she managed. “We all do…” Her eyes widened in pain before settling on my gaze once more.

  “No!” I pleaded with her, “You’re going to be okay! Stay with me!” As I spoke, her green eyes focused on something behind me before losing their light altogether. Her body went limp beside me, and I felt an intense loneliness as I felt her soul disappear.

  “Tina!” I yelled, but my voice was barely audible as I was overcome with grief.

  “Murderers!” A deep voice boomed with accusation. Finn’s eyes never left them as he flicked a finger toward the three women and a net of blackness fell over them, muting their voices and incapacitating them. “Get Stasia!” he instructed Natasha.

  She closed her eyes in preparation and her lips moved ever so slightly as my body lifted from Tina’s side on the sand. I memorized the tranquility of her still expression and grieved the loss of such a wise, talented Tyde and friend. Her body faded into gray as I was drawn farther and farther away into the safe arms of Natasha. Another form lying on the beach demanded my attention, and I struggled against Natasha’s magic to go to him. The old man’s body lay limp and motionless on the sand; discarded to the side. I didn’t know if he was still alive, but I did know that I wouldn’t leave him.

  “Natasha, wait!” I cried. “You have to get him too! I can’t leave him! And Tina’s body…!”

  Now in her arms, Natasha carried me toward the waves, “We don’t have time dear-“

  “I can’t hold them much longer! She’s too strong!” Finn yelled back to us, visibly struggling to contain the two goddesses and one evil princess.

  “I’m not leaving him!” I protested against Natasha. All of my emotions converged within my heart and I drew as much energy as I could from the waves that now crashed around us. I attempted the only thing I could think of, and prayed that it would work in time.

  “Hurry!” Finn yelled back to us, as Natasha carried me farther and farther out into the waves. The dark blanket he had cast around the women fizzled and disappeared completely; leaving us vulnerable to their power. A streaking motion to my left caught my attention and I sighed with relief, as a mass of seaweed shot out from the ocean, wrapped around the old man’s body and dragged him toward the waves.

  We dropped beneath the surface as I saw Finn hold out his arms and blow the three women backwards one last time. The shockwave flowed over us along the surface of the water, and I fought to free myself of Natasha’s arms as my energy returned to me. The pain in my shoulder and along my skin was now simply an annoying pressure, numbed by sheer will and strength of determination.

  “Stasia, stop!” Natasha called after me as I swam toward the length of seaweed as it retreated back into the ocean. As I caught site of the old man’s white hair floating in the current, someone seized me from behind.

  “You have to go!” Finn clutched my shoulders, sending a new shot of pain all the way up to my neck. “We don’t have time!”

  “I’m not leaving him,” I protested with indestructible determination. Finn searched my eyes and nodded his head respectfully.

  “I’ll promise you I won’t leave him. You must go back to your body,” he instructed; not leaving room for argument. He darted off toward the old man’s unconscious body, and I closed my eyes in order to concentrate on my body still asleep at the villa. I perceived something powerful and evil moving in my direction beneath the water, but I was faster. In a split second everything became a blur, and I felt my soul crash back into my body with lightning speed. I shot upright and gasped for air; adrenaline still coursing through my veins.

  “Stasia!” I heard Phoebe shout, right before she vaulted out of a chair and onto the bed I was lying in.

  “Phoebe, no!” Willow warned, but she was too late. Phoebe threw her arms around me, quickly reminding me of how wounded I was.

  “Hey…” I whimpered while Ricker wrenched her off of me. Willow quickly took her place, concern masking her features and her hands promptly working to heal me. They swept over my skin in a flutter of warmth and I looked up to see Elina’s calm eyes peering down at me. She lifted a steady finger and leaned in.

  “No…!” I tried. She quickly shushed me and tapped my forehead with a magical finger. Her voice was the last thing I heard before falling into a deep sleep.

  “Time to rest, dear.”

  ------

  In a mystical haze of safety and bliss an endearing melody drifted into my soul, blanketing my heart and numbing my grief. I held on to the soft blackness supporting my tired soul, as I listened to the sweet song echoing through my mind.

  “I make the sound, Nani nani nani and wherever it hurts will heal. Nani to my baby whom I love as the olive of its leaf. As the little birds of the water and the mountains of the sun…”

  Her voice was like a symphony of colors that beamed into my life and submerged me into a net of security, soft and true. The lyrics of the lullaby tickled a memory that I couldn’t quite reach, but as the angelic voice continued, I didn’t fight it as I drifted into a world of limitless enchantment and youthful wonder.
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br />   “The sun sleeps on the mountains and the partridge in the woods. Let also my baby sleep. So, whisper to her but don’t wake her up. The sun sleeps on the mountains and the partridge in the snow. Let also my daughter sleep on a bed of clean sheets. To nani nani, my baby to heal. To nani, nani, my baby to heal.”

  Chapter 25

  The intoxicating scent of lavender permeated my senses as I woke from my forced sleep. My body was immersed within a cloud of feathered pillows and blankets; doing their best to coax me back to sleep. Ignoring my body’s pleas to stay there forever, I opened my eyes to the dancing light of a candle in a foreign dark room. Panic seized my entire body, and I shot straight up in bed.

  What alternate universe had I fallen into this time? Between all of my dream state abilities, I was beginning to wonder not so much where I was, but when I was. From what I could tell, my body and soul had been reunited. And I felt like I was in the present, but that really didn’t mean much. I searched my surroundings for any clues. The king-size four poster bed I was currently perched in was not familiar, nor were the thick damask curtains, walnut dresser, or various whimsical paintings of various island landscapes dotting the walls. I reached out with my essence (which I was hoping was still intact) to find nothing but cool peacefulness and the calming hum of the ceiling fan spinning above. I felt him before he stepped into the room, and the combination of both was almost too much. I almost vaulted off the bed and into his arms when the bedroom door swung open, but the unforgiving stiffness of my muscles combined with the tenderness of my skin stopped me.

  “Good Morning, Pasha.” Finn greeted me with the most adoring crooked grin I’d ever seen. I was instantly overcome by a massive wave of relief, love, and adoration…right before the wall of irrational shyness smacked me in the face. What was wrong with me? His widening grin told me that my schizo emotions were written all over my face, but it still sent my heart into overdrive. With an easy, confident stride he walked over to the bed and sat down carefully.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “I’m…I’m not sure,” I answered with hesitation. I’d been in so much pain for so long, I couldn’t be sure if the pain was really gone or if it had just been numbed again. I pushed back the sheets and quickly took inventory of my body. The first thing I noticed, was that someone had replaced my previous attire of tank top and shorts with a cotton t-shirt and pajama bottoms. The next thing I noticed was the pink blotchy pigment of my skin, where it had literally been burned by Nadia’s evil smoke. I touched a spot on my arm lightly, and was surprised that although it was tender, it didn’t hurt at all.

  “Who knew smoke could do this much damage…” I muttered, cynically inspecting my equally splotchy legs and stomach.

  “Smoke?” Finn raised a dark eyebrow while his eyes sparkled with amusement.

  “Nadia’s evil smoke.”

  “Ah,” he chuckled. “You mean her vapor.”

  “Smoke, vapor, demonic torture device…whatever,” I shrugged. I shook my head in disgust and then gasped as I noticed my other arm. My handiwork had closed up, but pink lines that read the words “Isle of Slaves’ were still clearly visible. I really hoped that it wouldn’t scar, because I wasn’t looking forward to wearing long sleeve shirts for the rest of my life.

  “I see you decided to get a tattoo,” Finn joked with me lovingly. “Was your tattoo artist in elementary school, by chance?” He gently traced the pink lines that made up the harsh letters, and I shivered beneath his touch. A paralyzing shyness swept over me again and my eyes dropped back down to my skin. What was wrong with me? It was just Finn. The same Finn I had made love to the night before. Bingo. My face heated at my thoughts, and I tried to respond without tripping over my words.

  “I’ll have you know that I spent countless waking hours perfecting my new body art,” I retorted with pride. His heartfelt eyes gazed directly into my soul, right down to the raw emotions and fears that made me who I really am.

  “It was a genius idea,” he complimented me. The obvious adoration that shone from his blue eyes set free an entire flock of butterflies in my stomach. “Watching your body deteriorate, but not being able to find you or help you, was excruciating. It reminded me that our true strength comes out when our backs are against the wall.”

  “I just did what I had to do,” I said quietly.

  I broke his intense gaze and got busy inspecting my shoulder. I moved my arm in every direction, which resulted in no pain whatsoever. I would have to give Willow another big hug when I saw her again.

  “So where are we?” I asked. All shyness dissipated as the memory of the last twenty four hours came rushing back to me.

  “Mom brought us back to Lorelei,” he explained simply. “We’re at the new Maven’s house - Zara’s house.”

  “So she’s okay? What about the old man?”

  “They’re both fine. Willow worked on healing him at Eventide while Mom conveyed us back here. They’ll all be landing in Wilmington in a couple of hours.”

  “Tina….” At the mention of Eventide, Tina’s lifeless stare flashed before my eyes and despair coursed through my veins. “Why was she even there? Why did you bring her?”

  “We had no idea it would end that way. She insisted on helping. She was the only who knew where the Isle was. She led us there - off the coast of Cyprus.”

  “She swam that far?”

  “She had the ability to breathe underwater...like us.” He sighed and I knew that her death weighed heavily on his heart as well. “I told her to stay hidden in the waves. She didn’t listen.”

  “She shouldn’t have come at all.” I allowed the tears to flow down my cheeks at her loss.

  “She came willingly,” Finn soothed me, but I could see the glistening of tears in his eyes as well. “She wanted to help save you. Without her…we wouldn’t have found you in time.”

  “But she died for me, Finn! How could she be willing to die for me?” I demanded incredulously. “She barely knew me!”

  “She proved what everyone else already knows.” He gently lifted my chin to meet his stern gaze and his voice dropped to a whisper. “You’re worth it.”

  “She said that she believed in me,” I breathed, and then shook my head in defeat. “I watched her die, Finn. Just like that brave fish. Neither one of them thought twice about saving me…”

  “A fish?” He raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Now this, I have to hear.”

  I spent the next twenty minutes convincing Finn that I had, in fact, spent several hours surrounded by poisonous spiders, describing my wall-breaking ability, and detailing the fish who had sacrificed his own life for mine. It wasn’t as difficult to convince him of what Nadia and Keto’s true intentions had been. My thoughts drifted back to the old man.

  “Do you think he’s related to me?” I asked as another possibility dawned on me. “Could he be…my dad?”

  “I think there’s a very good chance he’s related to you,” he pondered. “But considering his age, I would guess a grandfather or great uncle? I’d also like to pick his brain about the Isle of Slaves, and the reason he was there.”

  “We should probably make sure he’s feeling better before we interrogate him.” I giggled, but inside I wanted nothing more than to find out who he was.

  “I have a feeling he’s stronger than you think; he lasted a long time on that island,” he informed me.

  “Speaking of stronger than I thought,” I raised an eyebrow at him. “You didn’t tell me that the ability of sonic boom was in your bag of tricks.”

  “My bag of tricks is an endless pit of awesomeness,” he winked at me. I rolled my eyes, but his gaze brought the butterflies back with a vengeance.

  “I think I’ve almost got you figured out,” I teased him.

  “I doubt that,” he countered.

  I crossed my arms. “Right now you’re contemplating whether or not I really do have you figured out, because the thought of that scares you to death. And you’re craving beef jerky.”
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  “Uncanny,” he smirked. “But I wasn’t craving beef jerky until you mentioned it. So now I’m craving beef jerky.”

  “See? You’re an open book,” I smiled.

  “My turn,” he considered me for a long moment and then leaned in close. “At this very moment you want me to kiss you.”

  “You’re way off,” I lied.

  “Am I?” he sneered, moving even closer with a confident grin.

  “Waaay off,” I lied again with the conviction of a slug.

  “So you don’t want me to do this?” he asked coyly, as he kissed his way down my jaw line.

  “Not one bit.”

  “Or this?” he muttered, as he brought my mouth to his with excruciating slowness. The softness of his lips was only a prelude to the taste of his tongue, as our kiss deepened and every cell in my body came alive with happiness. He leaned back with a smug smile on his face, leaving me wanting much, much more.

  “Told you so,” he bragged happily and thread his fingers through mine.

  “Tell me again,” I breathed as I grabbed his other hand and yanked him under the covers with me. A knock at the door made us both freeze, eyes wide and staring at the other. I was hoping that a random squirrel had just thrown some acorns at the window. Because that happens all the time.

  “Anastasia?” a very southern woman’s voice asked jovially. She swung open the door just as we were attempting to give off the impression of innocence. It didn’t work. She grinned knowingly, “It would appear that you are feeling better.”

  “We were just…” Finn and I fought to justify at the same time, which elicited a laugh from the stunning woman standing in the doorway. Adequately mortified, I silently hoped this was not our new Maven.

  “Your faces scream guilty, but I’ve never been one to get in the way of a future goddess and her paramour.” She winked at us and I groaned inwardly. Had someone posted my prophecy on Facebook or something? Finn slid out from the covers, but remained sitting on the bed as she glided into the room. “I’m Zara, fellow Tyde and Lorelei’s newest Maven. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Anastasia,” she drawled. So much for hope.