by Marnie Cate
Chapter 37
My hand slipped out of Kai's and I was falling off the surprise drop. Grasping to hold onto the side of the mountain, my hands were not catching anything that would stop my fall.
This is another test. You can stop this. I thought to myself trying to stop the panic I was feeling. You can stop the fall. Just breathe and think. Looking around, I did not see any way to escape. There were only the birds from earlier soaring high above in the sky and a deep blue void below me that I guessed was water. An idea came to mind and I focused on not stopping the fall but instead embracing it. If it was water below me, I was going to land in it and I might as well try to do it without hurting myself. As I remembered my grandfather's descriptions of being a boy, I recalled him telling me that his brothers would dare him to jump out of trees into the water. I thought of how he described amazing them with the tricks he could do. He always warned me that jumping into the water could be exciting but it was very dangerous if it was not taken seriously. With his advice on my mind, I began holding my body straight with my hands to the side and my toes pointed downward. Now all I could do is take a deep breath and brace myself to hit the water I was moments away from landing in.
When I finally hit the water, I landed hard with a big splash. The blue water surrounded me as I bulleted through the clear liquid. As my descent slowed, I was surrounded by hundreds of small bubbles. I suddenly felt panicked. It was not clear which direction was really up. Kicking, I began to swim to what I thought was the surface but soon realized that I was only going deeper. The tightness in my chest from holding my breath became unbearable. My lungs felt on fire and I was sure at any moment they were going to explode. Waves of black washed over me and I felt myself slipping into the darkness. Unable to fight anymore, I let it consume me. Suddenly, I was ripped out of the serene peace that the void had given me and I found myself face to face with Kai. He wrapped his arms around me tightly and was bringing me to towards a light. As we broke the surface, I gasped for breath and sucked in every ounce of oxygen that I could.
“I would give your dive only an eight for form but definitely a ten for style,” he drawled.
Throwing my arms around his neck tightly, I held on to him as if he was a life vest. In his arms, I trembled as he held me close. Comforting me, he said, “You are safe, Mara. You will always be safe with me.”
Once again, tears flowed down my face. I was safe with him and that scared me. I held on to him tighter as I pushed back thoughts of Cole.
Chapter 38
When we left the water, I realized that we were in Spartan Lake and we were not far from the area I had actually learned to swim. Arriving back in the forest, we stopped at the tree where my visit of the elemental's home began. When we finally entered the tree, we found the Water elementals playing and splashing in the water with Bay. Seeing me, Bay sprinted to us and squeezed me tightly.
“You returned!” she exclaimed, “I am so glad you are back. Thank you, Kai, for convincing her not to go yet.”
Kai leaned in towards Bay and whispered something into her ear. As he spoke, her eyes grew large and she blushed. Guessing that Kai was being his usual flirt self, I sighed as I found myself feeling a little bit jealous. You are going to marry Cole. Kai isn't interested in you. He is just a big flirt. Stop thinking about him.
Brushing off my irritation, I said, “Bay, I need help getting cleaned up if I am staying for the celebration. I am a mess.”
She clapped her hands together and called out, “Everyone, we need to prepare Mara for tonight's celebration. All hands on deck.” Coming close to me, she whispered, “I learned that command from a band of pirates.”
Before I knew it, I was surrounded by smiling faces and hands were tugging and pulling on me. I did not have time to feel embarrassed or shy as they removed my clothing because I was quickly covered with bubbles and water. As they washed and conditioned my hair, the citrus and berry smells filled my senses invigorating me. I was excited for the events to come. After I was dried off and covered with clothing, I was once again poked and prodded as brushes covered my face and arms. Soon, I felt my hair being tugged as it was piled on my head, then twisted and curled.
“Close your eyes,” Bay's soft voice said, as she began to rub a soft brush on and around my eyes. After a few minutes, she spoke again, “Okay, you can open them. What do you think?” she said, as she handed me a small silver hand mirror.
Opening my eyes, I stared into my deep brown eyes surrounded by purple eyelashes and silver eye shadow. The eyeliner was a combination of the two colors and ended on the outside of my eyes in the soft design of the infinity symbol.
“Wait,” she said enthusiastically, as she took the mirror from me. “I forgot the final touches. Pout out your lips for me like this.”
Contorting her lip in demonstration, she made a silly fish face that made me giggle at the absurdity. Doing as I was told, I put on my best fish impersonation. Once we were able to control our laughter, she began to delicately paint my lips. I sat still and waited for her to finish. Taking my hand, she led me to a mirror that looked just like the one in my grandmother's bedroom.
As I stared into my reflection in the center of the silver nest, I studied the face staring back at me. It looked like my face but I had never thought of myself as beautiful. I was dressed in a dark purple halter dress that fell just below my knees. When I moved, it shimmered with blue, green, red and silver sparkles. My feet were bare but my toenails had been painted an eggplant purple to match my fingernails. My nails looked longer and healthier than they had been when I exited the flooding water earlier. Returning to inspect my face again, I took in the way the glamorous makeup made me look and I smiled as I pouted my dark red lips.
Noticing my hair for the first time, I stared in shock. My hair was pulled up into a high ponytail and my curls were thick and controlled. The smooth hair pulled back had been braided in small patterns that were then covered with small silver jewels that softly glimmered. I felt like a princess from the silly stories of my childhood.
“You look amazing,” a deep sultry voice behind me said. Chills ran through my body as he continued to speak, “I have a present for you.”
Turning to face the voice of my greatest temptation, I beamed as I saw him. Kai was dressed in a fitted charcoal gray suit with a white shirt and a deep purple tie. His hair was smoothed back, which made his handsome facial features even more prominent. In his hands, he held out a pair of silver strapped sandals for me.
“Take a seat,” he motioned to a nearby bench. “We can see if these will fit.”
Sitting in the chair, I felt silly as he knelt down in front of me. “I can try them on myself,” I insisted.
“Don't be silly. You are a princess tonight and will get the royal treatment,” he countered, with a sly smile on his face.
I wondered if he had read my mind. No, I thought, he probably figured it out by your ridiculous behavior in the mirror. Get some control.
Sticking my foot out for him to slip on the sandal, I felt the warm sensation of his touch as he fastened the strap on my shoe. Pulling my foot away, I held out my hand, “I think I will be able to put the other shoe on myself.”
Taking the shoe and slipping it on, I stood up and said," I think we are good here."
As if on cue, Bay and the other elementals came in to gush over how wonderful I looked. Smiling and laughing with them, they told me about the events of the evening that I would participate in tonight. Catching a glimpse of Kai watching us, I saw a sadness in his eyes. Before I could ask what was wrong, I was swept off by another group of Water elementals to begin the evening's festivities.
Chapter 39
Taking the same path that we had during my first tour of the caves, we were met by a crowd of elementals all walking in the same direction. Each was dressed formally in elegant dresses and stunning suits. The excitement in the air filled my heart with such joy that I was able to forget to be sad or worried about my family.
“You all look so amazing,” I said to them, as I hugged them each tightly.
The four of them always looked beautiful but tonight each of them was truly magnificent. They all wore their hair up in the same fashion as mine and the dresses they were wearing were different colored copies of the dress that I was wearing. Even though they were wearing dresses similar to mine, they must have made me look like a little girl playing dress-up. They glowed with their beauty and magic. I would have been envious if I was not so enraptured.
“Off to the celebration,” Blaze said, as she took my hand and stepped off the platform.
Anticipating the same drop that I had the first time I came here, I was surprised that instead we were walking on air. Well, it was not really air but more of an invisible walkway that shimmered with soft rays of colors. As we walked, I could see all of Starten below me. I found my home and could see the soft light from the living room and kitchen glowing. I imagined my grandmother fussing about cooking and cleaning in between checking on everyone. Dismissing the thought of my family that I knew were safe and together, I focused on the brightest lights in the town - Main Street. As we continued, I noticed a row of lights to the north in the mountains.
“Is that the Drygen's mansion,” I whispered, to Blaze. Her response was only a quick nod.
As we walked farther, I could see how large their property really extended. How am I going to save Meg? Is she crying and scared right now? Are they treating her well? Brushing off my thoughts, I concentrated on the energy around me. Tomorrow I could figure out how to get my sister back.
We continued walking as the ground below us became less opaque and turned cloud like. The air around us had the same kind of mist that I had experienced during Elliott's truth spell. The elementals ahead of us began to disappear and I felt my fear building. Pushing it back, I focused on my breathing.
Suddenly, I found myself being jerked away from Blaze and greeted by an animated Bay. “This is the best part…well almost the best part,” Bay gushed. “We are almost there,” she squealed. Her excitement was so contagious.
As we continued following the crowd, I became swept up in the feeling of anticipation and enthusiasm. The closer we got to the vanish spot, the clearer it became. The elementals were not disappearing instead they were going down a steep slide. But it was no ordinary slide, it was a colorful rainbow.
“We are next,” Bay excitedly said, squeezing my hand and pulling me onto the slide. Landing hard, I found myself gliding fast. Colors blurred around me and the sound of Bay's laughter was contagious. By the time we reached the end, my side ached from laughing.
Standing up and brushing herself off, she dramatically motioned around us, “And now the celebration begins.”
The rainbow slide had ended in a softly lit room filled with hundreds and hundreds of twinkling lights. Bay led me to the long tables that were set up with rows of colorful food. Handing me a plate, she began loading our plate with bright vegetables, crackers and cheeses.
“Bay, there is no way I can eat all this,” I laughed and tried to stop her from piling more food on my plate as we reached an area of pastas and bread. Meg would have been overwhelmed here with all of the choices and would have a difficult time not overflowing her plate. She would have exclaimed, “It all looks so delicious, Mar. I can't choose just one thing!”
“Don't be silly,” she said, interrupting my daydream and continued to pile my plate even higher. “You will need energy for all of the dancing.”
Giving up the fight with her, I followed along. When we reached the drink table, I was faced with too many options. There were bubbly pink drinks and creamy looking orange liquids. The ice sculpture in the shape of the tree of life was running streams of liquid in the same colors of the rainbow we just came down.
Taking a large mug, she held it out and began to fill it up from the icy dispenser. Handing it to me, she said, “Try this.”
Doing as she instructed, I took a small sip. The flavors of the drink were almost indescribable. At first, I thought it was a cherry flavor but then I tasted an orangey citrus followed by a hint of banana, fresh cucumber, blueberry and ended with vanilla lavender. Taking another sip, I found the same experience of flavors. Before I could question her, she whisked me off to a table of Water elementals and we sat and began to eat. Just as I had finished one meal, I was taken to another table of elementals where I was given more to eat and drink. The conversations, the food and the drinks all made the evening exciting. I was surprised that I was able to eat so much without being full. When I was taken to the last table, I was given a tray of desserts including blackberry orange cookies like my grandmother made and a flute of what turned out to be zizzleberry wine. Before I had time to get sad, I heard the sultry voice of Kai calling for our attention.
“Tonight we are here to honor the Goddess and the coming new moon, Gealach Nua,” Kai said, loudly and pointed to the sky behind him that I had not noticed before. The dark sky was filled with twinkling stars against the black night sky.
Continuing, he announced, “Tonight's celebration is even more special as we have Mara with us. Our thanks should be given to her and her family's commitment to protecting the magic. Without her great grandmother and the original protectors, we may not be here today.” As he spoke, a sliver of the moon peeked out from behind him and the new moon made its appearance. The tone of the audience became somber.
Stepping in front of him, Blaze interrupted. “The new moon has arrived and with that new beginnings. We appreciate all that has been given to us and we dance in honor of Danu and these gifts.”
With her final words, the moment of reflection ended and the music began playing and the crowd cheered and began to dance. Bay dragged me to the middle of the dance floor and we joined the group dancing to the fast bubbly music. We danced and danced for what seemed like hours. I think I danced with almost everyone in the room as I was spun and pulled from elemental to elemental. As the music changed to a slow song, I found myself face to face with Kai.
He held out his hand, “May I have this dance…Friend,” he said, with a smirk.
“I would be honored,” I said, sarcastically as he pulled me into his arms.
Kai pulled me close and he twirled me around the room. I felt dizzy and closed my arms as I held on tighter to him. When the music finally stopped, I looked around and found we were alone.
“Where is everyone?” I asked, as I looked around for the other elementals. The tables of food and the chairs I had been sitting at were now gone. We were no longer in the celebration area but were in the spot where I had clawed myself out of the flooding water.
“Why are we back here?” I said, sharper than I had intended.
Taking my hand, he led me to a rock and said, “Mara, take a seat. I have something to tell you. It might be difficult for you to hear what I have to say but you need to know I will be here for you through this.”
Sitting down as he directed, I began, “What is it? Is Meg okay? Is it Gram?”
Tears glistened in his eyes as he sat beside me taking my hand. My heart fell as he slowly said, “Mara, I hate to be the one that has to tell you this. Your family is fine but it was decided that you cannot go back home.”
Fighting back my urge to rage, kick and fight my way home, I closed my eyes. Calmly, I released his hand and asked, “Why can I not go home?”
“It is not safe there for you anymore,” he informed
me. “You are home now with us.”
“Who do I need to talk to in order to change this decision? Who made this ridiculous decision?” I said, with more controlled emotion than I had ever had before.
“The decision was made. It is final. You will just have to deal with it,” he said sharply.
My thoughts began racing. “Can I at least talk to Blaze about this?” I said, trying to convince him to help me.
“Mara, you are here to stay. Your family is there. You are here. They do not need you. You will need to try to enjoy life here with us and forget them. Final,” he said, with a cold tone in his voice.
Defiantly, I stood up to face him. “I will not stay here against my will. I will go home to my family. They do need me and I absolutely need them,” I said, calmly and stormed away from him towards the tree entrance to the elementals.
Chapter 40
When I entered the tree, I found that the Water elementals were not there. The room was empty. I went to the circle of chairs and sat on the rock in the middle.
“Danu,” I appealed, “If you are listening, I need your help. My family needs me and I need to go home. How can I honor my commitment to protect the magic from here? Please, I beg you. If you are listening, I need to return home.”
The tears forming in my eyes dried as the air around me began to swirl and a lavender light surrounded me. The light was blindingly bright. As the light softened, I was stunned that I was faced with a shimmery image. The image before me was a stunning woman wearing a flowing gown. Her long silvery hair was wavy and the sides were braided exposing her delicate facial features. She was holding a small brown cat in her arms. The cat purred as she carefully stroked the long fur of her content pet.
“Mara, you are home with me,” the silky voice said, “but you are correct. You are needed in the human realm more. You were given a huge shock and you were able to handle your anger. Instead of lashing out, you chose to seek help.”