by Beth Hodgson
“Geeta?” a hesitant voice called out from behind, interrupting them.
Emerald and Geeta turned and saw a green-gifted man with dark-green hair and eyes.
“Geeta! It is you! I didn’t recognize you with your… new garb? You look completely different!”
“Suresh? What are you doing here?” Geeta answered, completely surprised. The man ran over to Geeta, hugging her.
“To help you, of course! Well, actually, to help your Ghost Man. It turned out that I was not needed. I arrived late,” Suresh said. “But at least I was able to help someone out.”
“I can’t believe you came… after all that I did at the temple…” Geeta looked down, not meeting his eyes.
Suresh looked at her intently. “Geeta, I knew your heart. Vihaan was a terrible, wicked human being, drunk with power and arrogance. I believed in you, and so I had to help. And I can tell you with certainty that the other priests believed in you too.”
“Suresh, what happened to them?”
“After you disappeared, I drank Raghu’s blood, knowing I had to come after you. You remember how bad I was with my analogous colors, right?”
Geeta slightly chuckled. “Yes, you were always disastrous when it came to blue-green magic.”
“We both were when it came to using blue.”
Geeta half smiled at him. “True. I just never liked to admit it.”
Suresh gave her a bright smile in return, nodding. “Anyway, after my blood mixed with Raghu’s, I healed them, then began searching for you through time. You didn’t kill them, but they would have died without my aid.”
Geeta let out a sigh of relief, like a weight had been lifted from her. “That truly is good news. I have felt… like a monster these past years. I can’t tell you how dark my soul has been.” Her voice lowered, turning serious. “Suresh, the more I thought about what happened years ago, the more I mediated and prayed about it. I am convinced that Vihaan was deceived with false prophecies. It is only speculation, nothing I can prove, but I feel the gods telling me so.”
Suresh returned her gaze, then lowered his eyes in thought to what Geeta had said. He was about to respond, but his gaze met Kyle’s body.
His eyes went wide, and he took a step backward, staring at the lifeless corpse.
“What is it, Suresh?” Geeta asked.
Emerald saw Suresh’s face go pale, his eyes locked on Kyle’s dead body. After a brief second, he turned away, summoning a greenish-blue time portal.
“Suresh, what is going on?” Geeta stood up, blocking his way in front of the rippling magical gateway.
Suresh’s eyes met Emerald’s, then he turned away.
“There is something… something that I need to make sure of.”
“Well, can you be more specific? Or can I help?”
“I heard you tell her you want to be cleansed, Geeta. You cannot come with me if you are to be cleansed. In fact, you cannot stay here. You must return to our time. Do you want me to summon a portal for you in case you choose the cleansing?”
Geeta paused, unsure. “I do want to be cleansed, but… I don’t want to go home.” Geeta looked over at Emerald. It was as if her plan had been lit up in flames.
Turning to Suresh, Geeta paused, hesitating. After a moment, she broke the silence. “Don’t worry about summoning a portal for me, Suresh. I’ll find my way home… eventually. This is where I belong, not some ancient time. The technology and lifestyle here in Arcadia has grown on me.” Geeta turned to Emerald. “My queen, could you hold off just for a little bit? I meant what I said, but I would like to stay here in Arcadia for the time being.”
“Are you sure?” Emerald asked.
“Yes,” Geeta assured her. She turned to Suresh, then gave him a hug. “Goodbye, Suresh. I will see you sometime in the past.”
“Hopefully.” Suresh gave her a hug back, then bowed to Emerald. “Queen Emerald, I am truly sorry for your loss. I have no words that can bring you solace and comfort. Know that love comes again, in many different forms.”
More tears flowed down Emerald’s face as she watched Suresh disappear into the swirling portal. Emerald heard other footsteps behind her. Many of them, in fact.
Turning around, she saw the future gifted, all standing behind a yellow-gifted man.
Geeta looked to the other gifted, then stepped aside. “It looks like there are others that are in need of your magic.”
“Your Majesty,” the yellow-gifted man said, bowing. He was the same man that she and Kyle first saw when he had created the bridge. “Before we return, we need to be cleansed of your blood. We must not return to the future with blood that doesn’t belong to us.”
“Why? Will it affect you?”
“No, my queen,” the man murmured, “but our future is too involved with magic, and it would cause many problems within our society with if we returned infused with your green magic. We don’t want another incident like Ikaria to happen ever again. Besides, it is a violation of the law of magic, and of the God of Light. We need our blood to be purified.”
“Understood,” Emerald said, getting to her feet. She felt tired. So very tired. “I’ll stand near the portal as everyone leaves, cleansing them one at a time.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty. And please, keep the staff as a token of gratitude for saving our Earth and our future.”
Emerald glanced between him and the staff. “Oh, I am so sorry! You should take it, Sir…?”
“Auron. And no, it has served me for many years. I know that somehow, through time, it will come back to me.” Auron smiled, his golden eyes flaring.
Emerald saw a portal appear near her, swirling gently as the blue-gifted from the future began to cast their magics into it. An image appeared on the other side of the portal—a woman who looked like Ikaria, but with long black long hair and dark eyes. She bowed to Emerald.
“You also have Empress Ayera’s sincerest gratitude,” Auron said.
“Give her my regards,” Emerald replied, gazing at the Empress in reverence, enthralled by her beauty.
“I will.”
Several gifted walked by Auron and Emerald. They pushed a transparent magical barrier in the shape of a box, Ikaria inside of it. The box gleamed with orange, yellow, and violet magic. This had to be the enchantment that Geeta called out for, to create a magical barrier to hold the sorceress.
Ikaria flashed her violet eyes at Emerald, remaining silent. It was a look of understanding. In that moment, despite everything, they bonded through their loneliness, and the sorceress finally felt that someone understood her.
Emerald watched as the gifted led Ikaria’s magical box to the portal. For a moment, Ikaria turned back to Emerald. “The dark magic… it takes what you love most and twists your desire into consumption, corrupting one’s soul. It was no different with Derek,” she said cryptically, not giving any more details. There was a hint of guilt in her voice, and she turned away, not giving Emerald the chance to see her expression.
To anyone else, it seemed sudden that the sorceress would tell her this. But Emerald knew exactly why she did so. Her words cut deep, making Emerald feel sick, sad, angry, and confused, all at once.
Pushing aside her feelings, Emerald angrily wiped fresh tears away, then cleansed the three gifted pushing the box. There was no need to cleanse Ikaria; her body and spirit had already been purified by Emerald’s power.
The three gifted disappeared, along with Ikaria, into the portal. The Empress on the other side disappeared as well, but the portal remained open for the others to return to the future.
“Don’t worry about Ikaria, Your Majesty. We will ensure that she is contained in our time. She won’t be going anywhere, believe me,” Auron promised, then bowed.
Emerald returned the favor, bowing back. “Thank you, Auron. I would say that I hope to see you again, but I am sure that our paths won’t cross.” Emerald felt saddened by the thought that she’d finally met others with the gift, but now she wouldn’t be able to live out he
r time with them. Then her thoughts turned to Kyle, and her heart sunk in her chest.
“I am sure they won’t. Good luck to you, Your Majesty,” Auron said. “And again, I am truly sorry for your loss.”
Emerald lowered her eyes, then nodded.
Auron stood before her, waiting to be cleansed. Holding out the staff, Emerald summoned her renewing power, cleansing Auron’s blood. Her green light covered him for a moment, then dissipated. After his blood purification was complete, he walked through the portal, fading away.
When the last of the gifted were cleansed and the portal closed, Emerald saw Geeta alone on one end of the platform. She hugged herself, looking down at the city below.
Walking over to Kyle’s lifeless body, Emerald clutched it, holding him in her arms once again, then began to cry. Sending one more burst of magic through herself to him, green magic flowed all around his corpse, encasing his body with an intense green light.
“Don’t leave me, Kyle…” she whispered, tears falling upon his face. The glow of the magic faded away, and his body remained lifeless.
“Come back to me…”
CHAPTER EIGHTY
Two months later
Telly stepped out of her trailer, zipping up her jacket. The icy morning desert winds were chilly, much more than those in the high levels of Arcadia. Even after two months of living out in the desert, she still was not used to the extreme cold.
“Hey, Telly!” Garrett called out from across the camp. He waved at her, moving quickly toward her trailer.
“What is it?” Telly asked curiously, shoving her hands in her jacket pockets. Any bit of warmth she could get was welcome. Her hands were freezing.
“Reila found another cyborg! She sent communication that she’s on her way back now.”
Telly smiled. “Looks like there’s more work to do.”
“Every day, it keeps piling up on us.” Garrett chuckled, then ran off.
Telly heard the door behind her creak open, then heavy footsteps. She had been working on it with Drew, his walking and his speech. One day, he would be close to what he was, almost fully human. Him and the other cyborgs. But Telly knew their rehabilitation process would take years.
“They found another one,” Telly said out loud, filling Drew in.
Drew moved next to her silently, watching the pink sun slowly rise in the distance. Telly looked over at him, curious at his strange expression.
“What are you thinking about?” Telly asked, seeing the foreign emotion on his face.
“That… that I am happy.”
Surprised, Telly raised an eyebrow at his response. “Happy? Out here in this freezing cold?”
He turned to her, his cybernetic eye flashing, his orange human eye watching her. He looked so human in that moment, like his old self. “Happy living with… with you and Gwen.” Breaking the moment, he robotically turned back to stare at the sunset.
Stepping into him, Telly put her arms around his waist. “I love you, Drew,” she whispered.
Drew never answered her back when she told him she loved him, but he always jolted right after. He was still trying to process his emotions, figuring out what it meant to be human. He would get there one day. Telly was sure of it.
Like Telly predicted, Drew jolted. Telly gave a soft laugh, elbowing him playfully.
Just then, the door behind them opened again, and Gwen popped out of the trailer.
“Hey, Mom. Hey, Dad,” the teen said, skipping quickly down the steps and starting to run into the camp.
“Where are you going?” Telly demanded. “You can’t just run off without telling anyone.”
“But I did. I just told Dad inside before I left,” Gwen argued. “I’m going to hang out with Garrett for a while. They found another cyborg, and we’re going to run a diagnostic on it!” The teen waited for her, giving Telly big, expectant eyes.
Telly gave Drew the stink eye, and he stared in response, giving her a slightly innocent smile.
“Just because you are only half human doesn’t mean you get out of this!” Telly scolded him, trying not to smirk. She turned to Gwen, calling out, “Go, have fun. Tell me what you find.”
“Thanks, Mom!” Gwen called out, running off in the direction of Garrett’s trailer.
When Gwen was out of sight, Drew put his arm around Telly’s waist, holding her close. Surprised, Telly blushed.
The two of them stood staring into the morning sun, watching it rise to a new day.
***
Light flurries of snow filled Arcadia’s daytime skies.
Emerald would have never guessed it was day seeing how the dark clouds covered the city. Snow hadn’t fallen on Arcadia in over two hundred years, according to the records, and she personally had never seen it before.
As she watched the soft, white magic fill the sky, Emerald realized it was the first time she had felt her spirit uplifted since Kyle’s death. The snow tickled her nose and dusted her eyelashes, giving her a sense of peace.
It had been two months since the battle, and she missed him terribly. Since then, her heart had sunk deep within her soul, never to experience joy. The days were dull, and the nights were painted in shades of gray. Nothing brought her happiness. Without him, Emerald felt an emptiness within her spirit, never to be replaced.
Emerald reached out a hand, feeling the light snowflakes as they fell onto the palm of her hand, then melted away. Looking at the city below, she saw Arcadia covered in white, the neon signs trying to light their way through the thick atmosphere. Even most of the public transports had ceased operations, as the city was not prepared for this type of weather.
The patio glass slid open, and Emerald heard footsteps approaching from behind her. Two steps, then the person hesitated.
Derek.
Ever since that day, he’d looked at her with eyes wounded with shame and remorse. Silently, his ice-blue eyes asked for cleansing, to be free of all magic, but Emerald would give him nothing. There was no room in her heart for him. He needed to live with the consequences of what he had done—inviting the sorceress to their time, taking over Arcadia, and putting the world in jeopardy.
And that night. That night would be forever ingrained in the back of her mind, haunting her thoughts. It pained her to remain married to Derek. She had no desire to be anywhere near him, and the thought of him being her husband angered her. But if she were to insist on a divorce, Arcadia would be solely his, as by law, her father had left the kingdom to him, not her. And Arcadia’s citizens looked to her as their queen. She was only doing it for the good of the people. It was all she had left to live for—her kingdom and her people. Most of the time, Derek hid from her in council meetings or other busy work. But there were other times he did attempt to talk to her, and every time she was curt and short and spoke to him only if she had to.
“My queen,” Derek’s unsure voice called out from behind, “I was told you have been out here all day. I am would hate to see you fall into ill health.” There was a hint of sadness in his voice, but also concern.
Without looking at him, she continued to stare at Arcadia’s snowfall dusting the sky in white. “I am fine. You needn’t worry about me,” Emerald said matter-of-factly.
She heard him pause, then heard the rustling of his robe, and he bowed. “Yes, my queen.” He turned and opened the door.
“Derek,” Emerald called out, still staring into the white sky.
She heard him hold his breath. It was the first time she’d said his name in months.
“Yes?” he said quietly.
The snow continued to fall. It was almost like magic. Kyle’s magic. Emerald recalled what the sorceress had told her about the power of the dark magic’s stronghold. She paused, taking a deep breath, reflecting on the sorceress’s words as her thoughts turned again to that fateful night.
“I don’t know if I can ever forgive you,” Emerald said with a quiet bitterness. “But I do know this: I will never forget.” She turned to look at him, her eyes f
illed with snow and tears, her hot breath steaming through the cold air.
For a moment, Emerald thought he was going to say something, but instead he bowed and went inside quietly.
Emerald remained outside, letting the snow fall on her, imagining that Kyle’s magic was blessing her, restoring her heart.
EPILOGUE
Don’t leave me, Kyle, Emerald’s gentle voice whispered. Come back to me.
I’m trying, he thought. The tide is too strong.
The vibrant green lifestream was carrying him further down the flow of time as he fought against the roaring currents and high tides. It held him hostage, holding him under the raging green waters of time.
Two life-forms in the shape of embryos glowed with white light as they passed him by, flowing through the green world. Kyle felt a strong connection to one of them—it had his blood. But as quickly as he saw them, they were gone, disappearing into the rippling green waters that glimmered with glowing white-and-green sparkling orbs.
The bright-green current continued to push him further away from his destination. Emerald. The more he thought of Emerald, leaving her all alone in the world, the more he kept fighting the tide. And the more he fought, the more the stream pushed him. The flow was strong, and his soul couldn’t overcome the lifestream’s power.
I am lost, he told himself. Lost in the sea of time.
Come back to me. Her voice reverberated within his being, echoing in the lifestream. Don’t leave me, Kyle.
I’m trying, his consciousness cried out to her. Believe me, I am fucking trying!
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First off, I just wanted to give a big thank-you to the readers who took a chance on a first-time author with a massive story. I’m no Hemmingway, but I can tell a decent story, or at least that’s what I tell myself so I can sleep at night.
An everlasting thank-you to my husband, who stuck by my side while I wrote this behemoth. There were many Saturdays he devoted to watching the kids while I pored through my manuscript. Without that time that he gave me, I would probably still be in the early stages of this story, and most likely this endeavor would have taken another year. My husband was my biggest inspiration in this story, whether he knows it or not. From the storms of life that we endured together to his love of motorcycles, familiarity of the high desert, and off-the-wall comments, they all made this story what it is today. He is my Kyle and true hero.