by K. F. Ridley
the moment. Apparently, she’s been trying to get our attention. “Oh. Hey,” I mutter as I come out of a trance.
“We’ve got to go, Ashe. I’ve got to go to work.” She waves her
arm urging me toward the door.
“Oh, s...sure,” I stutter.
“I’ll walk you to your car.” His touch moves down as he
presses the palm of his hand in the small of my back leading me
away from the table. I sink into his hand and I’m now in unfamiliar
territory.
“What are you studying, Rowen?” Taylie asks still bubbling
over as we walk.
“Mythology.”
“Cool. So where are you from?”
“Hmmm…Hamilton.” He doesn’t seem too sure of his answer. My mind races. I’m confused. The logical, reasonable Ashe
tries to convince me I shouldn’t trust him. But I do even though I
have no answers, no conclusions.
We arrive back at my car. I reach for the door handle, but
Rowen beats me to it. Smooth as silk and without arrogance, he
opens the door for me catching me off guard. His face brushes
against mine, shy of touching me as I get into the car.
He leans in. “Be careful,” he whispers.
Shutting the door, he steps back and watches us drive away.
Taylie is beside herself. “Details, details, details.”
“There’re no details,” I insist.
“Ashe, what happened? There’s something obviously going on
between the two of you.”
“I don’t know what to think about it all, Taylie. He knows
about the break-in. He says I have to be careful. For Dad to be
careful.”
“Okay, that’s kind of creepy.”
“You don’t think...” I pause for a moment doubting everything.
“He knows the Birches.” I remind myself.
“Well, that explains it.”
“Explains what?” I respond glancing away.
“How does he know about what happened the other night? The
Birches. They must have told him,” Taylie says.
Instead of an explanation, all of this raises more questions. My
mind drifts off, as Taylie babbles on and on about me and Rowen. It
all sounds like chatter in the background of a movie theater as my
mind is cluttered with thoughts of his identity. Thoughts of why I’m
so unbelievably attracted to him despite all of the unanswered
questions make my mind swim with waves of uncertainty. Nothing
about this whole situation makes sense. I should be terrified.
7
On my way home after dropping Taylie off, I become worried about Dad. Apparently, he and I both need to be careful. Something or someone out there wants to hurt us. I want to get home to check on Dad. Driving down Highway 93, puffy gray lines of smoke-like clouds stream over the trees in the distance. The longer I drive, the larger the billowing masses grow. The closer I am to home; the growing darkness of massive clouds fills the sky. This has to be a forest fire and it’s getting a little too close for comfort.
As I approach our house my stomach sinks to the floorboard. Smoke is pouring from our kitchen window. I bolt out of my car and run through the front door. The heat forces its way through me like a blade. The kitchen is engulfed in a sea of orange and red. Flames dance around laughing in my face.
“ Dad! Dad!” I run downstairs to the basement. I search the entire house while the flames are racing me, but I’m losing. Glowing vermillion takes over each room. Pulling the rim of my shirt over my mouth and nose, I cough through the walls of smoke. The heat swells up around me and the fingertips of smoke wrap around my lungs. I have to get out of here and find my father. As I call out, my breath shrinks. His car sits parked in the driveway, so I know he has to be here, somewhere. A gray haze fills my room.
“ Dad!” I scream out again and again. I’m not going to get out of my bedroom the way I came in. The house is falling in around me. I want to find Dad and get out of here alive. How can this be happening? Who would do such a thing? Is this how I’m going to die? In this brief moment, I give up. I know this is the end.
I can ’t get my lungs to work anymore as I grow weaker with each step. My legs fail me as I hit the floor. My body is numb so I don’t feel much when I meet the hardwood, slowly turning ash around me.
CRASH! My bedroom window burst open, glass peppering the floor. Standing on the other side is Rowen. The sight of him is blurry. I must be losing my mind while I lay dying. Why am I imagining him at a time like this? Crazy, the things you think about when you’re about to take your last breath. He crawls through the broken pane and picks me up. Impending death can produce some vivid hallucinations. I feel his arms lifting me up off the floor. I’m not dead. Rowen is saving me.
“I can’t leave without my father,” I mumble.
His deep voice is reassuring. “Your father is safe, Ashe. I’ve got to get you out of here.” With blazes overcoming us, he carries me through the broken window into fresh air.
As I catch my breath, we watch the blazing blue heat turn everything it touches deep red and orange. The aromas of soot, smoke and destruction pierce my nostrils with the memories of what used to be. We watch as the burning beams plunge to their deaths. With each charred ember, my home falls to the ground. I bury my face into Rowen’s chest sobbing out of control.
“Where’s my father? Where is he?”
His gentle touch of open palms cup my face as he lifts my gaze with soothing words. “Your father is safe with Marvin and Lucinda.”
“ Who would do this?” I ask falling to my knees stunned and utterly overwhelmed. Everything I’ve ever known is dust.
“We’ve got to get out of here,” he says.
I’m taken aback by his urgency to leave.“We’ve got to call 911,” I insist.
“That won’t do us any good now.”
“What do you mean? What are you doing here?”
He doesn’t answer and takes my arm pulling me toward an older model Camaro that looks new. Then it hits me like a ton of
Dirt
bricks. I jerk my arm from his grip. “It was you! Who the hell are you?”
“ There’s no time to explain. Not now. We’ve got to go.” The sounds of sirens howl in the distance. He takes hold of my arm again and forces me near his car.
“ Let me go!” I try to pull away, but I’m no match for him. “What do you want with me?”
“Get in,” he says with insistence forcing me into the passenger seat as lights flash in the distance.
“Take me to Marvin and Lucinda’s. I need to see my father.”
“We can’t go back.”
“We have to go back. I have to see my father!”
“We can’t, Ashe.” He looks at me sternly and his voice is loud, almost yelling.
“Stop the car!” He keeps driving, his speed accelerating. “Stop! I mean it! What’s going on?”
“You are about to find out who you really are and where you come from.”
“I know who I am. I’m Ashe Fair. Are you freakin’ crazy?” The car’s speed increases, while the engine roars over our voices. The speedometer reaches 110 mph.
I hold on to my door and look over my right shoulder. No seat belt. His speed is now 125 mph. Okay, I didn’t die in the fire. I’m going to die in this car with this crazy person. I close my eyes tight to keep from throwing up.
With my eyes slightly unsealed, I plead with him, “Please tell me what’s going on?” He looks at me and sees fear branded on my face. He has one hand on the steering wheel and one hand on my shoulder. This is the one time I wish he wasn’t touching me.
“What do you know about your mother?” he asks flying down the abandoned highway as if it’s no big deal. I can’t bear to look at the speedometer again.
�
��My mother? Only that she’s dead. She died when I was one, I think. That’s it. That’s all I know.” My eyes close again as I hold on, pressing my back into the cool black leather seats while holding my breath. He takes a turn down an old gravel road without hesitating on the bend, and the back tires spin in an effort to grip the loose gravel. He competes with the speed of light and at this point, I think he might win.
“What do you know about my mother? Let me rephrase that. Why do you know anything about my mother?” I ask waiting for that moment when we will crash. He doesn’t answer. His speed increases heading the car straight for the trunk of a gigantic tree.
My trust in him wavers. I scream. “You’re going to get us killed!”
I cover my eyes with my hands as we race toward the tree. Yards turn into feet, feet to inches. No crash. No sound. No eruption. There’s only light, bright light for a split second. I feel like I’m floating. Then, it happens.
8
There ’s a loud booming blow when the car slams onto the ground. No blood. No broken bones. Rowen throws on the brakes. As I peel my hands away from my face, I can feel my heart pounding in my chest. I’m moving and breathing. I’m not dead.
Rowen is out of the car before I realize I can feel my skin. As he opens the door he reaches for my hand. I step out onto a plush, grassy field. The sweetness of the air opens my lungs. It’s like Rowen’s scent times a thousand. For a moment I’m speechless.
“Where are we? Is this heaven?” I ask with a strained voice.
“ No, but the next best thing,” he says with pride. “A place between heaven and earth.”
He grins a little. I guess I’m sort of amusing. This place feels comfortable, like home, until I look into the distant sky. That’s when I know I’m not in Darby anymore. Two perfectly round, full, lavender moons sit side-by-side beyond snow-capped mountains. The sky is blue and pink with highlights of yellow peeking out through the white rolling clouds. Peace fills me, my hand still in his. He guides me from the car bringing me to a large boulder. I’m dazed. If I’d ever been intoxicated, I guess this is how it would feel. I sit down knowing he’s in full control. He sits down next to me.
“Are you sure my Dad’s okay?” I ask.
“Yes, I’m sure. Rest a minute. The portal can make you a little shaky when you’re not accustomed to passing through.” He hesitates for a moment.“Are you sure there’s nothing else you know about your mother?”
“Only her name. Nuin.”
“Really? No one has told you anything?”
I shake my head.
“That’s unbelievable and so unfair,” he remarks.
“My father didn’t handle her death very well.”
“Your mother wasn’t human,” he blurts.
I turn to him in shock. “W...What? If she wasn’t human, what was she? What am I, an alien?” A vision of her photograph gushes through my mind. The one that sat on the mantle. Realizing my home has been burnt to the ground makes my chest feel heavy. Was that even her? I study Rowen’s face to see if a bit of unhumanly details reveal themselves. He appears human. Well, not really, he looks better than human.
“Your world refers to us as faery folk. This is our home, Durt, the homeland of your mother.”
“None of this is making sense.” I shake my head trying to absorb every word. He stands up with his broad back facing me.
He begins to explain. “Thousands of years ago, our kind lived on earth, but when humans started to destroy the earth with all their toxic ways we had to leave. Our bodies could not tolerate the harsh environment. We began to age faster. We began to change.” There’s more, but he’s careful. I know he speaks the truth, even though it’s hard to understand and hard to believe. If my mother was from this strangely beautiful place, then I’m definitely someone other than who I was raised to believe I am.
The ground begins to shake making my feet feel uneasy. The blades of grass quiver. “What’s happening?” I shudder with uncertainty.
“You’re not supposed to be here. Stay quiet. Don’t say a word.” He presses one finger softly against my lips. I look at him with obvious question. I stand up and am about to ask what he means. He situates his stance directly in front of me, pushing me behind him with a gentle, but protective gesture, He’s tries to hide me from whatever is about to happen.
Through the tree line, burst three men each riding giraffe-sized winged horses. They’re breathtaking with exaggerated necks and full flowing manes that meet their shoulders. As they race toward us, I can feel tremors travel through my legs, up through my fingertips. They slow to a trot, stopping directly in front of Rowen, lining up side-by-side. Air forces its way from their flaring nostrils. I keep my mouth shut as I was told. If I had any speck of doubt regarding Rowen’s explanation of things, it’s gone now.
The riders look to be about the same age as Rowen, in their twenties except for one riding the white horse. His innocence is transparent. All are some shade of blond with blazing eyes of blue or green.
The blond riding the palomino turns his head slightly acknowledging us.“Welcome home, my brother.” He pauses for a moment looking my way. “I see you have brought the secret to Durt.”
Rowen bows his head a little in return. “Yes, Alder, I have. Her safety was in jeopardy.”
The horses have a difficult time standing still, picking up their legs which are covered with long flowing hair, and pounding their hooves, rattling the ground beneath me. They wear no reins, bridles, nor saddles, but each horse seems to knowthe rider’s expectations.
“What have you done, Rowen?” the apparent leader of the group asks with a deep voice laced with disdain.
“I had no other choice.” Rowen answers.
I step out from behind my towering protector. Each one of them looks at me like I’m from another planet. Rowen told me this was my mother’s home. These are her people. It’s obvious I’m that person, that human and I’m not supposed to be here. Their eyes glare, gawking at me. Yeah, okay I’m from another planet, another realm, another somewhere, but I haven’t done anything wrong. Not anything I know about anyway.
“I’m taking her to Ivy’s,” Rowen says.
“We’ll do what we can to keep the news from Arcos, but you do know, my brother, sooner or later he will discover the truth?” I remain silent. It seems to be the best thing to do considering the circumstances. I want answers, but this isn’t the time for questions.
The slightly darker blond on the black horse eyes me as if he’s trying to harm me with his intense stare. Intimidation soaks me to the bone. What have I done? What has Rowen done?
The innocent one, however, gives me a slight grin. He glances at me with a sense of understanding, but says nothing knowing his place.
“We’ll catch up with you later.” Alder raises his right arm and the others follow behind him causing a thunder as they gallop away. In the distance, the enormous winged creatures take flight, elegant and gracious, owning the radiant sky, rising above the treetops as if they’re weightless. The ground is still once again.
“Who are they?” I ask.
“Sentries…like me. Protectors. We are bound to one another. One blood. One brotherhood. One’s purpose is also the others. Coll rides the black stallion and Ruis the white mare. Alder, the palomino.”
“Who do they protect?”
“Depends on orders. They change from time to time.” We share a glance. I’m falling for him. I don’t know what to do with my feelings.
“Except for me,” Rowen continues as he turns away. “My assignment has never changed. I was chosen at a very young age to be your sentry, to protect only you. Coll has always had an issue with that. He thinks it should have been him.”
“I guess that explains why he was giving me such a dirty look. He gave me the creeps.”
“Don’t worry about him. He’s angry at me. He’s always angry at me.”
“Why were you chosen to protect me and why would I need protecting? I’m nothing. I’m nob
ody.”
He chuckles. “You really don’t know anything about who you are. Do you?” I guess my face is blank. “Unbelievable. You...”
“What?” I can tell he wants to relinquish more. “You never told me why you were chosen.”
“Well, Arcos believed I had the strongest powers of resistance.”
“Who is Arcos?”
“Our king…” He wavers again. I can feel the words building up in his mind. He revisits the whole truth, giving into his thoughts. “He’s your grandfather,” he spouts. “You might as well know that much. You have a right to know.”
“My grandfather,” I whisper the words with disbelief. I’ve never heard those words together. They make me feel my mother was real. I scoot to the boulder behind me, reaching back to feel for it as if I’m blind. I sit quiet for a few moments, taken aback and discombobulated.
He kneels down in front of me and takes my hand. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah…yeah.” My voice stumbles. I’m not sure if I’m okay or not. Actually, I feel more insecure than ever. I have no idea who I am or what I am. The secrets about my life are beyond my imagination. Apparently, I’m the secret.
Rowen places his hands on my trembling shoulders. “Do you trust me?”
“Yes,” I respond without dithering. “Tell me one thing.”
“What is it, Ashe?” His eyes sear me with cerulean heat.
“Is my father really all right?” He told me he was and I believed him. I just want to hear it once more.
“Your father is safe, for now. He’s with Marvin and Lucinda, but I don’t know exactly where they have taken him. His safety is something Arcos will make sure of.”
The beauty of this place is overwhelming and beyond anything human. Its name doesn’t do it justice.“Of all things, Durt?” I ask.
“Dirt is from where all things come. We came from dirt, our food comes from dirt, and our air comes from dirt. Everything starts there. Everything starts where we stand.” I guess he can see the perplexed expression on my face. “You’ll understand in time.”
I try to digest everything I’ve heard and seen. Taking my hand, he pulls me from the giant rock.
“Come with me.” I follow as we head back to the car. We get in and head for the forest. The engine purrs. “Why would you have a car like this here? Won’t it ruin the air or something?”