by Lizzy Ford
An extra car was parked in front of the school, a black sedan with darkened windows. “We’ve had a lot of visitors lately,” I said, unconcerned. “I imagine the employers of the nymphs are coming to interview them.”
“It’s not an employer.”
The car wasn’t there to take me away to the real world, and I doubted it was the first zombie from the apocalypse we were preparing for. Therefore, the vehicle’s appearance meant nothing to me. “Okay. I’m going to my room.”
Herakles paid me no heed and jogged towards the car.
I circled the house to the back entrance where the stairwell leading directly to our rooms were located. I took the stairs two at a time and strode down the landing of the girls’ wing towards my room.
“Lyssa!” someone called as I passed.
“What?” I paused and stepped back, peering into the room of one of the nymphs, a willowy blonde named Leandra. She was finishing her makeup and wore a sparkly party dress.
“Wanna go to town with us tonight?” Leandra asked innocently.
“I hate my life,” I muttered.
She laughed.
But I didn’t leave. Playing on her television were news clips of the footage I’d missed two weeks ago when I spent my eighteenth birthday in the middle of the forest, shivering and buried beneath leaves in the final cold snap of spring, during one of Herakles weekend tests. The priests censored everything that reached us from the outside world, including the news. They removed what they didn’t want us to see before letting us watch what was left.
“Hey, is that …” I asked and walked into her room.
“Yeah.” A wistful note was in Leandra’s voice.
It took a lot to make the perfect, beautiful nymphs envy someone else. For once, I understood where she was coming from.
“The Silent Queen,” I said in awe, gazing at the television. The Queen of Greece, known as the Silent Queen because she hadn’t been seen or heard from until this month, was plastered everywhere on the news. A girl my age, she was stunning with white-blonde hair, pale blue eyes and a jawline sharp enough to cut ice. “Wow.”
“She’s just a symbol of the unity of gods and mankind. No real power.” But even Leandra sounded enthralled by the woman on the television. “She can’t speak. She gave her first address in sign language.”
“Wow,” I murmured again. In a sparkling diamond tiara and radiant silk dress, the teen looked more godlike than human. She was flanked by the Supreme Magistrate – the powerful political representative of humanity – and the hooded and masked Supreme Priest – the gods’ advocate on Earth. The three most powerful figures in the world were known as the Sacred Triumvirate, and each had his or her own private security force, according to the priests, which was how they balanced their power.
I couldn’t look away from the Silent Queen. The priests had drilled the history and importance of the hereditary Bloodline into us since we arrived. The Silent Queen’s ancestors were touched by the gods, and it was said only she could appeal directly to them in a way that defied even the priesthood. Throughout history, once Greece fell as a global power, the most powerful nation on the planet was given the sacred duty of protecting the Bloodline and housing the royal leader, which was how she ended up here in the United States. “She’s amazing.”
“I’m sure she’s been Photo-shopped for television,” Leandra said somewhat defensively.
I rolled my eyes. The nymphs knew they were special. There was something strange about thirty orphaned women of extreme beauty and charm, all born within three months of me, all under the strict protection of an orphanage run by priests who didn’t hold weekly worship ceremonies but taught us instead the Old Ways, as they called them. They were positioning the nymphs in places of eventual power, where they could then share the Old Ways with others.
If our world was strange, we had no idea. As far as we knew, this place and its customs were normal.
“I’ve been assigned to her court,” Leandra said.
“Seriously?”
“Yep.”
It made sense. Leandra was a hair prettier than the others and quite a bit smarter, according to the priests. I was suddenly crushed that I might end up taking food orders from hung over college students the rest of my life while the others went off to positions I could only dream of.
“Where are you going?” she asked, green eyes finding me. “To live with the Mountain Man on some isolated peak?”
“He’s not a Mountain Man,” I said, bristling. “He’s the greatest Olympic athlete in history.”
“A disgraced one who ditched his wealthy benefactor to live in a forest with us. He’s absolutely mad, and he’s turned you wild and ruined any chance you had at a decent future.”
My anger bubbled. I knew better than to cause a fight. I had stopped that nonsense when I was fifteen, but sometimes I wanted to sock the pretty, perfect women around me.
My biggest issue with Leandra wasn’t that she was mean. It was that she was often right, and her words about Herakles stung. Something was wrong with him, and I sometimes thought maybe that meant there was something wrong with me, too. It was why I didn’t turn out like Leandra and the others and why I was definitely not going to the Silent Queen’s court.
I squinted to see the ticker at the bottom of the news. Civil unrest grows. Supreme Magistrate places five more states under martial rule over SISA’s objections. That made about forty states under martial rule by my count. The priests refused to tell us about the civil unrest when we asked, but sometimes, like today, tiny pieces of information slipped through their censoring and made it to us. I was dying to know what the world outside our boring forest was like.
“When I get to court, I’ll find you a job chopping wood or something,” Leandra said with a wide grin.
I stormed off to my room, followed by the sound of her laughter. I loved Herakles like the father I couldn’t remember, but sometimes I was really embarrassed to be me. I hated that feeling. I had trouble making friends, more so because Herakles often had some bizarre requirement for me to hang out with someone. Boys had to be able to outrun me, and girls had to solve a riddle. No one ever succeeded at his challenges, except for the perfect little nymphs who hung out with me only to laugh at me.
Basically, I was always alone, and he seemed determined to keep it that way. I felt even more isolated knowing the nymphs all had plans of where they were going after graduation and I didn’t.
I went to my room and closed the door, sitting on my bed. I had barely pushed off my shoes before a tap sounded at the door. “Come in,” I said and tossed myself onto my back.
“Lyssa, I have to leave for the weekend.”
Startled, I immediately sat back up. “Where? Why?” I demanded of Herakles, who had never left me for half a day let alone a weekend. “Is something wrong?”
“No.” His features were scarred beyond recognition, his smile lopsided and frightening. Everyone else winced when he looked their direction, but I loved every knotted scar and burnt piece of flesh on his face. He was my protector, my friend, the only father figure I knew. He had always been beautiful to me. “You are to travel to the eastern boundary and back this weekend. Here’s your surprise pack. Open it when you get there.” He tossed the satchel onto the bed beside me.
“Ugh.” I eyed it warily. He no doubt had planned another weekend of torture. I’d probably have a hat and spoon and nothing more to survive two days in the forest alone. Technically I should have had only three more weeks of this madness remaining, except I had a feeling his plans were always going to trump mine. “You’re sure there’s nothing wrong? You’ve never left me before.”
“I’m going to scout someplace where we might settle after you graduate,” he told me.
I looked up, thrilled. “I won’t be trapped here for the rest of my life!”
“No, but you might one day wish you had been.” He frowned. Every once in a while, my guardian had a mood I didn’t understand. Naturally open,
upbeat and focused, his features were now grave and unreadable.
I studied him, wishing I could read his thoughts or make him smile again. “Something is wrong,” I assessed.
“Not wrong. It’s always complicated to move from one place to another.” He shook his head. “Anyway, you have a treasure hunt to complete this weekend. Your tasks are in the bag. You will not wish to wait until morning. I put up several traps and obstacles.”
I muttered curses I’d learned from him under my breath. As long as we had been together, I never really knew what to expect on these adventures. “I’ll see you Sunday night,” I said reluctantly.
“Heed the boundaries and rules.”
“I know.” I pulled on my shoes obediently and a camouflage windbreaker. When I stood, he smiled at me again.
“Good girl. Don’t get lost out there.”
It wasn’t possible and we both knew it. I’d been over every inch of that forest multiple times. “Have fun in town.”
He turned and left.
I grabbed the bag and left my room for the forest once more.
No boys. No future. No town.
There were days when I wanted out of my life so badly I wanted to scream.
Chapter Two
Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.
– Demosthenes
Nothing bad had ever happened in five minutes, right?
Just as the sun sank below the horizon, I reached the red cord marking the boundaries of the priests’ forest refuge. This end of the woods stopped before a natural lake surrounded by hills. I perched on a tree stump inside the boundaries, gazing at the serene lake with a combination of longing and frustration.
A hundred meters. I ran twenty times that distance five times a week. It would take me under five minutes to run to the lake, strip off my shoes and socks to dip my toes in the water and run back.
I chafed sometimes at the restrictions Herakles put me under. I cared for him too much to want to disappoint him. But tonight, knowing he was gone, and I’d be leaving here soon, too, I just wanted to throw everything aside and be in control of my life for five minutes to see what it was like. With Leandra’s laughter still in my thoughts, and my frustration with this place at a pitch, I was tired of being excluded and ridiculed for being different.
No one would see me if I just stepped past the boundaries for a split second. Herakles had left, and the nymphs were in town by now, so they couldn’t report me.
I approached the red rope and nudged my toes up against it then looked around. I half expected there to be a siren or electrical shock or something after the constant reminders from Herakles and the priests never to leave the woods.
Nothing happened.
I stepped on the red cord.
Still nothing.
I stepped over the physical boundary of my world, and a thrill went through me. Not only was there no alarm but I didn’t feel guilty or bad for doing it, emotions that might derail me from continuing. I stayed where I was, my heels butting up against the cord, and lifted my gaze to the lake.
The possibilities were endless. My whole life started right here and now.
I laughed at my overdramatic thoughts, realizing nothing was about to change except I might upset Herakles. That alone made me hesitate. I loved my crazy mountain-man guardian, and it bothered me to think I was going to make him mad by doing this.
Assuming he finds out. The stubbornly independent side of me he spent hours trying to exhaust with physical activity knew there was only one way he could find out, and I wasn’t about to tell him. At least, not for three weeks. Maybe after graduation, when we were on our way to the Burger God I was going to spend my life working at, I’d tell him of the one time in twelve years when I defied him to dip my toes in the lake.
Crouching like it was a race, I breathed in deeply then bolted. I was completely alone, competing only with myself. I laughed as I sprinted, tickled beyond anything to be completely free, if only for mere minutes.
Sprinting to the lake, I vowed to keep to my internal promise of not spending more than a few minutes off the property and threw myself to the ground. Wrenching off my shoes and socks, I scooted to the edge of the lake and dangled my legs over the rock on which I sat.
The moment my feet dipped beneath the cool surface, my world seemed to slow to a stop. I leaned over, marveling at the sensations. It shouldn’t have been, but this was somehow different than a pool. This felt … alive.
“Holy Poseidon,” I murmured.
The sensation of being united with something living moved through my system, a wave that ran from my toes to the tip of my head, in rhythm with the water, then outward, rippling the grass around the lake. I shivered. Fascinated, I peered into the dark depths of the lake. My feet caused small waves that were pushed back by the natural tides of the lake. Deep within the depths, I caught a glimmer of something odd.
I squinted in the fading light. They weren’t fish or rocks or anything. The lake was too deep to see its bottom, but I swore I saw ribbons of soft colors twisting like smoke through the waters. Their movements were too precise to be dictated by the tides. I blinked – and they were gone.
Realizing my five minutes were up, I lifted my feet and dried them on my pants legs then replaced my shoes and socks. I didn’t feel nearly as urgent about returning to the forest where I’d spent most of my life and ambled back. It was strange, but I could almost feel the tide of the lake still moving through me, rocking from toes to head and back again before rustling the grass around me. It was gentle, soothing and peaceful. I was an extension of the water, and it felt natural, nice.
I had nothing to compare the experience to and couldn’t help wondering if I’d spent my entire life cut off from such small pleasures. It made me despise the nymphs even more, since they probably spent every weekend feeling whatever this was out in the real world.
Stepping over the red rope, the internal rocking stopped, and I realized it hadn’t only been the lake I felt. The breeze that stirred the surface of the lake stopped at the barrier, too, and its gentle touch on my skin fell away.
I missed them almost as soon as I left them. Facing the lake once more, I smiled. If nothing else, I now knew one of the secrets of the world outside my boundaries, and it was beautiful.
Beyond happy with my secret adventure, I moved five meters from the cord to an area big enough for a fire and built a little campsite. My assigned kit contained a canteen of water and the ingredients for s’mores. Herakles’ thoughtfulness only added to my happiness. I went through my tasks of finding shelter, starting a fire and stretching out on the ground to watch the stars with a smile plastered on my face. After my treats, I let the fire die out and retreated to a small shelter I’d created from a poncho and tree branches. I had brought a sleeping bag and crawled into it.
My mind was on the lake, on my future and how incredible it was going to be to leave the compound once and for all and join the rest of the world. I slid into deep, contented sleep.
Something awoke me shortly before dawn. I opened my eyes, senses trained on the world outside my makeshift tent. Animals used their instincts and intuition better than humans, and Herakles had emphasized being more like the locals when camping out. So I listened in silence and stillness.
An animal was rustling quietly, but it wasn’t close, and it wasn’t in the forest, which meant it was large if I could hear it this far off. The sounds came from the direction of the lake. I crept out of my sleeping bag and covered the distance quickly between me and the boundary. Reaching the stump where I often perched to gaze at the lake, I squatted on top of it and stared.
It was an animal, but nothing like I’d seen before. Monster was probably a better description. The creature had a wingspan of ten meters and was the size of a linebacker with the long, lean musculature and grace of a feline. It stood on two legs and had two arms that looked pretty human. The sound I heard was of its long tail tapping the brush lining the bank of
the lake. Its skin was an unnatural shade of stone grey. One of its ears stuck out at an odd angle and its eyes glowed like blue jewels in the night. It had fangs, talons, and a barbed tail, and its eyes were positioned facing forward, all of which were characteristics of a predator of some sort and not something I cared to confront.
It stood where I had sat earlier, peering at the lake, at the surrounding area, at the sky. It crouched beside the lake, tail tapping against the dirt.
It was horrifying – and magnificent. I couldn’t have imagined a more incredible combination of man and beast. The raw power it exuded in each tiny, controlled movement exceeded anything a human or traditional predator possessed.
This is a dream. It had to be. No such creature existed, unless it was some sort of undiscovered animal or leftover dinosaur. And if that were the case, I didn’t think this would be the first time I’d seen it. I spent too many days and nights in the forest for it to belong here. Where it had originated, and why it chose to stop here, I couldn’t begin to guess.
Intelligence was in its thoughtful movement and visual exploration of the environment. The man-beast hybrid wasn’t something I was able to explain away. I pinched my arm to ensure I was awake. The light sting wasn’t much of a reassurance when faced with a monster from a nightmare.
It stood and unfurled its wings. They were charcoal in color, lined with black fur, beautiful and wide, shaped neither like a bat’s nor a bird’s but something in between. With ease that left me astonished, one flap of the mighty wings propelled the creature into the sky effortlessly. Within seconds, it had disappeared into the clouds above.
For once, I was grateful for the red cords marking the boundaries of the property. The priests claimed they would protect us from unwanted attention. The creature hadn’t glanced once in my direction, which made me think the ropes were working. Or maybe I was blessed by Tyche for once.
I stood on the tree stump, trying to get another glimpse of the beast in the clouds without success.
My gaze returned to the lake. What other surprises awaited me in the outside world? Was this creature the reason why the priests insisted I never cross the boundaries and if so, had I risked being eaten or killed when I left the forest earlier for the lake?