by Wendy Knight
“My dad took me. My mom doesn’t know.” He grinned a bit at her raised eyebrow.
“What the—” Kylin screeched as she burst throw the doorway, launching herself at Scout with her fingers curled like claws. Scout danced lightly out of the way and Trey intercepted her, grabbing Kylin’s hands. “Get away from him! He’s not yours anymore!” She screamed like a banshee.
“Kylin, calm down—” Trey said but she jerked her hand away and slapped him, hard, across the face.
“You said you were going to bed. You — you lied to me so you could—” she started to sob, sobbing so hard she couldn’t get the words out. And then she threw herself against his chest. He cradled her, stroking her hair, and let her cry. He didn’t know what else to do.
“I’ll give you two some space,” Scout said quietly, inching around them toward the door. She grabbed her belt that held her scepter and tied it around her waist as she walked away without looking back.
“What is going on over there?” He heard Iros bellow. Trey stifled a groan. Awesome. Not only had he driven Scout away but he’d driven her right to Iros. Iros, who he wanted so badly to hate but couldn’t. The guy was incredible and way too kind given the life he’d lived. Lives. Whatever immortals called it.
****
“Iros, will they still try to kill me if I go wandering around by myself?” Scout asked as Iros strode across the valley after her.
Iros frowned and rubbed his square jaw, staring up at the moon like it held his answers. “No, probably not. I think you earned their grudging respect.”
“Okay. Yay.” She waved her fingers in the air with half-hearted enthusiasm.
“Walk with me, Scout.” He looped her arm through his crooked elbow and they wandered away from the huts. Scout tried hard not to think about Trey comforting Kylin behind them. What had she been thinking? Was she insane, letting him in like that? She shook her head, mentally shoving him away like she had a thousand-and-one times before.
In the moonlight, the entire valley seemed to glow. Scout paused, pulling Iros closer to the big silver flowers to get a better look. They were glowing, like they had fireflies trapped in their petals, the trees, too. “It’s like… like a painting. Or a dream,” Scout whispered, releasing his arm and turning around in a circle. Iros stood back and watched her.
“You should have seen it in our golden age.” Scout could hear the sadness in his voice, and it made her already crumbling heart hurt a little more.
“I’ll bet it was incredible,” she said softly.
Iros took her arm again and led her toward the forest. “Do we have anywhere in particular we’re heading?” Scout raised an eyebrow at him and he chuckled.
“Not tonight. Tonight I want to relish in our victory for a bit longer before I have to face tomorrow.” He glanced over at her. “And you? Why aren’t you sleeping? I thought Ashra sent you to bed hours ago.”
Scout smirked. “She tried.”
He didn’t say anything else and they wound their way through the forest. Scout heard the barest whisper of unicorns in the distance. Every so often she would see a horn glowing with their fiery magic. But it was all as if she were seeing it through the mist of a dream. She felt safe with Iros. He was beautiful in the way a chiseled statue might be beautiful, and he was kind. She loved to hear him speak, but that was as far as it went, even if she would give her right arm to feel even a sliver as much for him as she did for Trey. But no. Iros liked her company. They were friends, comrades.
Scout let her fingers trail across the silken petals of the glowing silver flowers, tilting her head back to watch the moon. From here, it was as silver as the flowers. It wasn’t pale yellow like at home. “Where is Aptavaras?” she asked Iros, only half paying attention. Was that a waterfall she heard in the distance?
“Aptavaras is… everywhere and nowhere. Like Paradesos.” He swept his free hand around like that explained everything.
Scout squinted in the distance. That was a waterfall. She sucked in a breath as they got closer. It was magnificent, like everything else in this place. The water was pale blue and sparkled in the moonlight. She wandered over and stuck her toes in the pond, shivering at its chill. Without thinking, she rolled her pant legs up to her knees and waded in, spreading her arms wide and spinning in a circle. She felt her hair brushing the small of her back, just barely, and she giggled like a little girl.
And then the ground was suddenly gone from beneath her and she plunged into the icy depths. Instinctively she screamed, but water filled her mouth and her lungs. She kicked hard, trying to get her bearings. Iros’ strong arms wrapped tight around her and pulled her up out of the water. She gasped and sputtered, trying to suck in much needed air. Iros carried her over to the edge of the pond and they both collapsed into the grass. He rolled over and pounded her hard on the back while she spit up water.
“Are you okay?” He searched her eyes, after the threat of having water coughed into his face had passed.
She nodded and groaned, still coughing. “I feel like an idiot.”
“How could you know? It was beautiful watching you… until you fell.” He grinned at her and she felt her cheeks redden.
“It was just so sudden. There was ground and then, nothing.”
“Yes. Wounded ground.” Iros’ face darkened and he looked away.
Scout frowned, searching the grass around them. She didn’t see wounds of any kind. “Excuse me?”
Iros nodded toward the waterfall and the little pond. “The waterfall is created by the tears of heartbroken unicorns. When Havik and I sent my brother out of Paradesos and into Aptavaras, it created a wound in the ground that never healed. Nothing could grow there. Eventually, the tears of the unicorns filled it.”
Scout studied the pond with renewed interest. “The way to Aptavaras is right through that hole?”
“Don’t get any ideas, Scout.” Iros frowned. “Those hordes of monsters we faced today? There are tens of thousands of them in Aptavaras, just waiting for their chance to seek revenge. They aren’t smart, mostly they follow orders, but they feel the pain of loss as surely as we do, and they have punished us and those who have helped us many times by their quest for revenge.”
Scout couldn’t tear her eyes from the pond. She’d been so close. “So what stops them from just marching through that hole and attacking Paradesos?” She leaned forward and dragged her fingers through the water, watching it ripple away from her, but her soaking wet clothes made her shiver.
Ever the gentleman, Iros noticed and pulled her to her feet. “Let’s get you back to your hut. And in answer to your question, they don’t have a soul. If they did come to Paradesos, they would die… like, the air itself would poison them.” They moved faster through the forest than they had coming in, but Scout still felt her teeth start to chatter before they came within sight of the valley.
“So they’re going to make the souls attack Paradesos? Like my sister and my parents?” Her teeth chattered loudly.
“No.” Iros’ voice was suddenly much colder and much darker than she’d ever heard it. “Ten thousand souls equal one soul stealer’s soul. They tear the good souls apart and piece them back together to create one evil soul. When my brother has an army, then they will march on Paradesos.”
Scout gasped, shoving her fist into her mouth to stifle the scream building in her throat. It took her several seconds before she trusted herself enough to lower her hand. “Why didn’t you tell me that days ago? We need to go now!”
Iros raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t tell you days ago because you didn’t even know I existed days ago. And this process takes decades — to build one soul. We have to build an army of our own, Scout, or we all lose.”
Scout scrubbed her eyes. “So much for getting any sleep tonight.” Or ever again. She glanced at her hut, praying Trey and Kylin weren’t still there.
“Here. This will give you good dreams.” Iros tapped lightly on his scepter, and little sparks leaped free. He caught them
in his left hand and pressed them against Scout’s forehead.
Instantly, she was dizzy and sleepy. “That’s some powerful sleep aid you’ve got there, Iros,” she mumbled. He walked her to her hut, where she stripped off the soaking clothes through an exhausted haze and found the soft cotton pajamas folded on the nightstand. Then she stumbled to her cot and collapsed, curling into a ball. She felt him pull the blanket over her and then nothing. Where she escaped to, even nightmares couldn’t follow.
Chapter Twelve
The sun was up when Scout opened her eyes. The valley was silent, and it took her several minutes to remember her conversation with Iros the night before. Swearing, she leaped to her feet, tripped over her blanket that was still tangled around her legs, and fought her way free. Then she hurried out the door. “Iros? Iros?” she whispered loudly as she approached his hut. It looked exactly like hers, which meant there was no door and no glass on the windows. She couldn’t hear snoring, and there was nowhere to knock. She stuck her head through the doorway, scratching uselessly against the wood. There was no answer, and she couldn’t quite drum up the courage to go inside without being invited, so she turned away.
Not knowing what else to do with herself, she wandered the valley, finally thunking herself down on a thick tree root. It had been a long time since she’d had nothing to do. No homework, no physical therapy, no college applications or obligatory social crap. So long since she’d been free to do… what? What did she want to do? She tipped her head back, letting her hair fall and the sun warm her face.
Dance, big sister. Remember when you used to dance for me? Scout wondered if she would ever get used to hearing Lil Bit’s voice in her head, but she wanted to grab it and cling to it and never let it go. She froze, willing her to speak again, but there was nothing. Scout brushed away tears that escaped, clinging to her lashes and soaking her cheeks. Dancing had always been her escape, but Lil Bit had never liked to dance. She spent her time trying to hide from the spotlight, but she had always loved watching Scout.
Scout hadn’t realized how much Lil Bit needed it until she couldn’t do it anymore — after the accident.
“Hey little sister. What’s wrong?”
Lil Bit scrubbed at her cheeks, trying to hide tears. “They laughed at me today. When I drew a picture of my unicorn and said she was my friend. They pu-pushed me down. Mom made me come home.”
Scout knelt next to her, pulling her close and stroking the silky black hair. “I’ll—I’ll stuff them all in a trash can. Or no! I’ll make them clean up dog poop for a month. With their hands!” Lil Bit didn’t even giggle, which told Scout how much she was hurting. “Lil Bit,” she pushed her tiny sister back just enough so she could peer into those big brown eyes. “What can I do that will make you feel better? Tell me, and I’ll do it.”
Lil Bit sniffled and bit her lip, looking shyly at the ground. “Can you dance?” Scout sat back, startled. She hadn’t danced in months. The doctors were amazed that she could even walk. Dancing wasn’t an option. But the hope on Lil Bit’s face nearly broke her heart. “Of course I can, sweetheart. Let me grab my music.”
It had hurt, dancing for Lil Bit that first time. Oh, it had hurt. But Lil Bit had smiled. The light came back to her eyes. Lil Bit was the reason Scout hadn’t quit drill team altogether. And when Lil Bit had her really hard days, when Scout couldn’t get the light to come back with teasing and hugs, she would dance for her sister.
She pushed herself to her feet. There was no music here, and she didn’t have dance shoes, but it didn’t matter. The ground was soft and the breeze brushing through the trees was melody enough. She glanced around self-consciously, but there wasn’t anyone to see her. She pulled off the soft cotton long-sleeved shirt and dropped it at her feet, feeling the moist air trace across her bare stomach as she stood in her sports bra and the soft leggings. “Lil Bit, I’m dancing. Just for you,” she whispered. She slid easily into the ballet routine she’d been practicing before the accident. It had been choreographed just for her, but she hadn’t dared try it since she got hurt. The wind whispered in her ear, humming gentle notes, and she swayed and leaped with it. There was pain, but there was also healing, a little, for her aching heart. She felt her muscles stretch, protesting at first, and then embracing the movement. The entire valley floor became her stage as she danced across it, praying the music in her head was her sister humming along, and that she could feel Scout’s love wherever she was.
****
Trey eased away from Kylin, who had sobbed herself to sleep in his arms. He hadn’t slept at all — that tiny cot wasn’t big enough for both of them. His entire body ached, and he welcomed the pain, hoping it gave him some semblance of penance. He covered Kylin with the warm blanket he’d just abandoned and stood back, watching her sleep. He couldn’t do it anymore. He couldn’t pretend to love her. Even if Scout never wanted him, never even spoke to him again; he couldn’t pretend to be in love with someone else. When Kylin woke, he would tell her. But for now, he would let her sleep.
He stretched, facing the window, and movement outside caught his eye. He leaned on the ledge, rubbing sleep from his eyes.
Scout.
She danced across the valley floor — so beautiful, so free. She’d always been an amazing dancer, but he hadn’t seen her dance like this before. She danced with so much passion, he could almost see her tears from where he stood, and he ached to hold her, to soothe the pain, but he didn’t dare even move, afraid she would stop dancing. So he held his breath and watched her sway and spin, leap and slide. Her arms seemed to be graceful wings; her feet didn’t even look as if they touched the ground. Like she flew. An angel. His angel. She’d always been his angel.
She came closer and closer to his hut. He could see the sheen of sweat now, tracing her arms and the hard lines of her flat stomach, and the tears he’d sensed before were visible, soaking her cheeks. Without realizing it, he found himself outside, standing in the grass. She leaped, landed gracefully and sank to one knee, folded herself in half and then rose to her toes again and whirled into his arms. Catching her felt so right, that was where he was supposed to be. He held her tight against him and listened to her sob as her entire body shook. He pulled her sweat-dampened hair away from her neck, running his fingers through the tangles, pressing his cheek against the top of her head. And he prayed that this moment would never end, that he could hold her forever.
She slid out of his arms, her face turned away from him.
“Scout,” he whispered, reaching for her, but she shook her head and spun away with the same grace she’d danced with. Without a word she fled to her hut, and it took everything he had not to follow her.
****
“You’re losing it, girl. You can’t let him in. Remember what he did!” Scout muttered angrily as she paced around and around her little hut. Her shirt was out there, clear across the valley, but she didn’t dare leave to get it. She couldn’t face Trey. If he said her name, she didn’t have the strength to refuse him again. It took at least a half hour of wearing a trail in her roughly hewn wood floor before she finally risked looking out the window. Trey was nowhere in sight, so she darted through the door, about to sprint across the valley for her shirt. But it was folded neatly, sitting right outside her hut. She picked it up, cradling it to her chest. It smelled like him. Her eyes unwillingly searched for Trey through his hut window.
“No. No, Scout.” She tugged the shirt over her head and spun on her heel. Iros had given her information the night before. She wanted to know what to do with it, and this time she wouldn’t let him sleep through her knocking.
“Iros?” she called from the doorway, but again there was no answer. She straightened her spine and peered inside.
“Iros?” she asked, louder this time. His hut had two cots, and she could just make out the shape of him lying in one. She bit her lip and frowned. Would it be rude to wake him? Was it completely inappropriate? Ashra would just go in and probably kick him. Scout straightene
d her spine and marched over to the cot. “Iros.” She nudged the wooden leg and the blanket fell away.
It was not Iros in the bed.
It was a beautiful girl with long black hair. She glowed faintly, like Trey and Torz or Havik and Iros did when they were together. Scout stumbled back, beyond mortified.
And slammed into something big and solid. She squeaked and whirled around. “Iros! I’m so sorry! I didn’t know—”
His eyes didn’t leave the girl in the bed. “Please leave, Scout.”
“Of course.” She ducked her head and escaped around him, running for the door. Safely hidden in the darkness of her hut, she thunked onto her bed, her entire body trembling and her cheeks flaming. Scrunching up her eyebrows in concentration, she searched for Ashra. It was like a phone call, right? “Ashra.”
If it was like a phone call, Ashra wasn’t answering and she didn’t have voicemail. Sighing, Scout pushed herself to her feet and paced. “Who is that girl? What’s wrong with her?” She couldn’t go ask Iros. Clearly, he hadn’t been a fan of her knowing. Trey and Kylin wouldn’t be any help whatsoever. Scout crept to her window peering out and praying Iros wouldn’t see her.
There were no unicorns outside. She could go looking for them, but since the space was infinite, the chances of her finding one that didn’t want her to die wasn’t good. “Argh.” She shoved a hand through her hair and paced some more before giving up and going in search of a toothbrush. She was in the midst of trying to scrub all the ick off her teeth when she felt a presence in her hut. She whirled, brandishing the toothbrush like a weapon.
“You know, you’ve got a scepter that you seem pretty sufficient at using for protection.” Iros raised an eyebrow, wiping toothpaste off his broad cheekbone.