LIGHTS IN THE SHADOW

by Rana Demiriz

  I closed the door and slowly came forward. Because there wasn’t any other place to sit, I sat at the bedside. I was looking at Rio like an obedient servant, waiting for his orders.

  “We’re leaving now,” he said with a harsh tone.

  “Can I change first?” I asked hesitantly.

  “No need.” He got up and opened the door. This meant we were leaving. Even though he was mad at me, he was still polite. He held the door for me.

  “Thanks,” I said.

  He had a humble car prepared for us. He didn’t even tell me where we were going when we got in the car. He greeted the driver with a slight nod. The trip didn’t take so long. Toledo was not that big anyway.

  When we stopped, it didn’t take me long to understand where we were. El Cristo De La Luz: Christ of the Light. We got off the car, and he took us to the backyard of the mosque, which was now used as a museum. Few people in white robes saw us, but they didn’t say anything. Curiously enough, they gave us a nod.

  When we reached the backyard, Rio pushed one of the rocks, which looked well blended with the environment. The rock must have been really heavy. It was also quite large, but I didn’t see a trace of effort on Rio’s face. While he pushed the rock, the muscles hidden beneath the sky-blue shirt showed up, and it was enough to distract me. I tried to focus on the building and what was about to happen next.

  When he finally pushed the rock away, a stone staircase, which was obviously very old, was revealed. I couldn’t see further inside. Only the stairs were visible, and it was just too dark. Rio held my hand and moved forward. When he felt my hesitation, he stopped and stepped back into the light.

  “Don’t be afraid. This is one of the Light’s sanctuaries, kind of like headquarters. But don’t forget we’ve got to play our parts well. Everybody inside is smart enough to spot a lie. We need to be very careful not to reveal our plan. They shouldn’t doubt us.”

  His voice was softer this time. It gave me confidence. He must have seen the trust in my eyes because he used the opportunity to pull me further. This time I went ahead without hesitating. I was getting down to a sanctuary underground; I was dedicated to Light. What was the worst thing that could happen?

  CHAPTER 16

  As soon as we passed through the dark stairs, we ended up in a wide corridor. I couldn’t see anything but the darkness. I couldn’t even see Rio, so I held on tighter to his hand. He paused for a moment. My fear made him hesitate to proceed. After that, he bravely took a step forward. The torches flared up by themselves. I was so surprised that I didn’t realize I was gaping in an empty corridor. He started to walk to let me process what just happened.

  Judging by the uneven walls, I could tell that this place was even older than El Cristo De La Luz: An ancient historical artifact. There was nobody in the wide corridor except for us. The only noise to be heard was our breathing and the crisp noise of the torch flames. I felt like an archeologist, lost in the pyramid of Keops. I was actually familiar with this kind of scene as an art history student.

  I pulled myself together as Rio started to walk. We slowly passed the corridor. He seemed to weigh my reactions. That’s why he was so cautious. He was glancing at me from time to time, thinking that I didn’t notice -which of course I did- I think he thought it was just a matter of time before I started to run away, screaming. Actually, I could. I wanted to run away more than anything. The screams in my head were getting louder and louder by the minute, and I was afraid of not being able to quite them down one day.

  We reached the end of the corridor. There was a door which I overlooked before. Actually, it wasn’t even a door. It was a rectangle frame, made by a centimeter deep hollow stones. The moment Rio touched the heavy door, it opened by itself. I found myself inside the door before realizing what was happening, but I couldn’t see what was ahead because I was still looking at the stone door. How did it open by itself?

  When I turned my back, the view took my breath away. The room was made out of white marble. There were vast marble pillars reaching up to the ceiling, supporting the balconies facing towards the yard. The ceiling was very high. There were two stories, including ours. Did we really go underground this far? I looked over the furniture. The room was decorated modernly. The white wicker seats were filled with matching cushions. There were all kinds of white flowers in every corner, on every table. Calla lilies were caught my eyes most. It was my favorite flower. I wondered how Rio could know that. Maybe he didn’t, and I was just being paranoid again.

  I turned to look at Rio. He was proudly looking at this ‘lobby’ kind of room, which also worked as an entrance or a yard; I couldn’t really think of another definition. When he realized I was looking at him; he turned to me.

  “What do you think?” he asked.

  Only one word was enough to express all my feelings. “Magnificent.”

  The moment he heard me say that he gave me one of those boyishly charming smiles. I couldn’t help but smile back. I suppose he was going to pretend as our little talk had never happened.

  I turned to the ‘gate of the heavens’ upon hearing rhythmical footsteps. A woman was walking towards us, but it wasn’t just an ordinary woman. Her wheat blonde hair was in a braid, reaching down to her calves. She was carrying a little crown made out of olive leaves on her head. There was a white cloth attached to her braid under her crown. Her skin was so perfect that it almost looked like porcelain. Her eyes were a heart-warming ocean blue. Usually, blue eyes are considered cold, but hers were warm and trustworthy. Her dress was pure white. The top part of the dress fit her body, but the bottom was floating around her amazing legs. She was wearing white high-heeled shoes, and as she was walking towards us, her steps were making a sound which resembled the sound of dripping waters.

  Suddenly, the woman got down on her knees in front of Rio. “Welcome Rio Luz, brother of the Master of Darkness, the new Master of the Light, our Savior, I salute you.”

  I was impressed by the number of titles. What a second, did she really say the Savior?

  “I accept your greeting with respect Goddess Egeria, The Fertility Goddess, the immortal wife of NumaPompilius. The Divine Consultant of the leader.”

  This was the biggest shock of my life. Everything blacked out. I almost fainted.

  “I am more than honored to be your consultant, my leader,” she said. Rio smiled and helped her back on her feet.

  Was I dreaming, or did I suddenly fall into a mythology book? The things Mr. Stanley was teaching about! Gods and goddesses! This was not possible! Those beings are only a part of the legends which students like me read in the textbooks. Not only was it impossible for those beings to survive over the years, but it was also doubtful if they ever existed at all! God, how did I get myself into this mess?

  Egeria turned, and she stared at me from head to toe. Right that moment, I wished I had changed back at the hotel. Stupid Rio, why didn’t he let me change anyway? Egeria narrowed her eyes and looked back at Rio.

  “Is that the one you’ve been talking about?” she said, pointing towards me with her chin.

  “Don’t call her ‘that,’ Egeria. She has a name, as you know. This is Mia. She is not aware of her own importance yet.”

  “Are you sure she is it? I mean, she is an Azurite,” she asked again after looking at me. I prayed to the skies and wished not to be the one they have been talking about. Maybe there was still hope after all. Maybe I was not the ‘one.’ God, please let me not be the one, please!

  “Don’t forget that I’m an Azurite, too. Besides, of course, I’m sure. Are you questioning my judgment Egeria?” he answered.

  Egeria got anxious. “No, sir, of course, I’m not.”

  Right that moment, I understood how supreme his position was. Even a goddess was throwing herself at his feet. Even a goddess was afraid of him and what he could do.

  “She is the ‘Divine Being,’” Rio said solemnly. Who? Me?

  Egeria’s blue eyes questioned me for a moment, but then s
he got down on her knees. I gazed at her in astonishment. I couldn’t get a grasp of what was happening. I looked at Rio. He was standing there with a pleasantly blank face like it was the most natural thing for a goddess to kneel before me. He seemed carefree.

  “What’s going on?” I asked. The panic in my voice set me off. “Rio, what’s going on here? Can you tell her to stand up? Why is everyone acting like crazy? But I’m the fool here… This isn’t real. This cannot be happening. These are all just myths. This can’t be real. Just myths, myths, myths…” I started to mumble

  “If this is just a myth, then so are you, Mia,” said Rio. It made me hesitate. I decided to keep quiet.

  Egeria was still on her knees. When Rio didn’t say anything, I decided to act myself because her beautiful blond hair was sweeping the floors, and that position must have hurt her knees. “You may stand Egeria… The goddess,” I added. I guess it wasn’t enough. “The Fertility Goddess, the immortal wife of NamaPompule, The Divine Consultant of the leader,” I went on. She slightly straightened up, and she looked at me with narrow eyes.

  “I’m NumaPompilius’ immortal wife,” she corrected me. Damn it! I wish I listened to Mr. Stanley’s class more carefully.

  “Excuse my ignorance. I’m new around here. I couldn’t get used to it yet.” She smiled as an answer. She was polite yet snippy. She didn’t say anything, but then she didn’t have to. I could tell what she was thinking by her eyes and the way she smiles. She obviously wasn’t fond of me. Well, I wasn’t exactly a fan of her either. The feelings were mutual. I turned my eyes to the pillars.

  There was another beautiful woman walking towards us. Her hair was the color of fire with brown highlights here and there. She had unusual eyes. They were a grayish-green. Her steps were gracious. She was also wearing a floaty white dress like Egeria. There were embroidered red beads on her waist. The tip of her skirt was also red, and she had a scarlet flower on her head. She was entirely in white and red.

  Egeria slightly bowed but didn’t get down on her knees like before. The scarlet woman threw herself at Rio’s feet just like Egeria did when she first saw us.

  “Freyja, Frey’s sister, the daughter of Niord, The Goddess of Love. What a pleasant surprise! So you decided to choose your side then?” Rio greeted her.

  “Rio Luz, brother of the Master of Darkness, the new Master of the Light, our Savior, I salute you.”

  “Look who learned the words!” Rio said sarcastically. When Freyja kept her silence, Rio told her she could get up. She slowly straightened up.

  She was looking at me weirdly. Great, and now a Norse goddess joined to our odd adventure like things weren’t bad enough on their own. “I choose Light.” She said.

  This explanation was not good enough for Rio. “I thought you were going to be the Darkness’ Goddess of Love.”

  She didn’t even flinch. Her face was blank. “No, I’m here, Rio.” Rio shrugged. “Is this her?” she asked.

  “Please don’t start again,” I said to Rio. He looked at me apologetically and nodded at Freyja as a yes. She nearly kissed the floor.

  “Please, please just get up,” I tried to get her up by holding her hands. I was basically begging her. Freyja got up with a shocked expression on her face. There was a pause for a few seconds. They exchanged uncomfortable looks; an awkward silence was hanging around in the air. They looked at me as if they were all a part of the same puzzle and I was just a foreign object. Rio spoke first.

  “Freyja, can you please help Mia? Her room must be ready by now. Egeria, please accompany them.”

  Freyja seemed pleased, but I couldn’t say the same for Egeria. She wasn’t going to let it go. “I thought you were going to stay in the same room. I mean, aren’t you already…”

  Rio nodded. I got the drift immediately. We weren’t supposed to raise any suspicions, so I wrapped my arms around his waist. We were ‘faking’ it. He hugged me back, not to bat an eyelid.

  “I want Mia to have her own room. She may need privacy. Besides, haven’t I already told you to get the room prepared?”

  She nodded anxiously. “Yes, you did sir.”

  “There is no problem then. I suppose you don’t have any further questions, right?” They exchanged glances for a moment. Egeria slowly shook her head.

  “All right then. You may take Mia to her room,” said Rio.

  Egeria and Feyja turned back and started to walk. I gazed anxiously at Rio and turned to follow those two amazing women. But he grabbed me by the arm and pulled me closer in a few seconds. I gave him a puzzled look. He waited enough for me to get the message from his eyes. “Act natural, act natural,” I said to myself. He got even closer. When I felt the touch of his lips, I had to remind myself not to hesitate, or they would find out. It was a very brief kiss, but even that was enough to spin my head.

  “See you later. Love.”

  I nodded briefly as I was still too dumb to talk, and I walked towards the goddesses who were waiting for me. Even if they had any doubts, they must have contended after this little show we put on. We went upstairs by the grand stairs, surrounded by big, marble pillars. Few guys in white shirts were bowing before us as we were walking through. Egeria and Freyja were acting like they didn’t even exist, and I was motioning them to get up. It must have been really hard to stand in that position.

  We reached a corridor with a floral smell, surrounded by palatial pillars and magnificent marble. There were seven doors in the corridor; but, the one at the end of the corridor was the biggest. Even though the giant door was actually quite plain, it was still very elegant. There were men in white shirts and robes on both sides of the door. There were three doors on each side, and a man guarded each of them.

  Egeria and Freyja walked towards the third door on the right, which was closest to the giant door. I followed them. The crystal doorknob was turned, and I was amazed by what was behind it. The sanctuary was decorated plainly, but this room was nothing like the other parts of the building. It was as far from modesty as you could imagine.

  Egeria closed the door behind us. Freyja was looking for something in the big white closet while I was looking at the carved ceiling. There were angels carved on the ceiling. Serene looking beautiful men and women were portrayed as half-clothed just like in the myths. Rich scenes resembling the Roman murals… A grand carved mirror with a golden frame was another glamorous, eye-catching piece of furniture. A huge dressing table and a cloudy bed with satin sheets… There were white tulles tangled with each other, hanging down on the four posts surrounding the bed. It seemed so soft. It was gleaming under the light of the crystal chandelier. I felt like I was in a French palace room.

  “There are clean towels and all kinds of dresses in the closet. Your dresses are tailored to match your description from the legends. The bathroom is that way. The dinner is at seven, in the grand hall. Rio will take you there after dinner.”

  During this bombardment of information, I felt the need to express what bothered me most. “Wait a minute! What does my body have anything to do with the legends?”

  “The legends told every detail about you. You should have known that.”

  “No, I didn’t.”

  She interrupted me with an icy look. “Excuse me but they are expecting me. Sorry, I’ve got to go.”

  She turned the crystal doorknob and got out of the room, quickly closing the door behind her. I could still hear the rattling of her high-heeled shoes. I was alone with Freyja, a goddess. This couldn’t be happening. It was just wrong. Completely wrong.

  I sat beside the bed as I had nothing better to do. Freyja turned towards the door. “Stop, please don’t leave,” I said. I pointed at the big white velvet armchair across the bed. Obviously, all furniture was luminous white. She sat obediently. However, it wasn’t obedience I needed; it was her company. Her crimson hair seemed like flames under the play of lights.

  She gave me an uncomfortable look. “Do you need anything else?”

  I cut to the point. �
�Are you really a goddess?”

  I managed to surprise her. “What do you mean? Of course, I’m a goddess.” She got up. “You may be The Divine Being, but that doesn’t give you the right to insult me. I am Freyja, the goddess of love.”

  “Forgive me. I’m sorry. Please sit.” She sat back. “Of course you are. I’m so sorry. I’m just so tired and filthy. I’m both sad and angry. But I’m alone and afraid above all.”

  Now she seemed even more puzzled. “I’m…”

  “I had to leave my sisters behind, and I don’t even know why. The Darkness and The Light are all after me, but I’m just…” I couldn’t hold it anymore. My voice was trembling as I felt the wetness on my cheeks. Why was this happening every time I found someone to listen to me?

  Freyja got up and sat beside me. She wrapped her hands around my shoulders. I felt relaxed and felt warm inside. I knew it was something extraordinary, but it felt good. “Don’t worry… You’re not alone anymore. I’m here for you.” I trusted a goddess I met a few minutes ago, and now I was crying on her shoulders.

  Another thing that distracted me was her skin. I had never touched the skin of a goddess before. It was a very interesting sensation. It was like normal skin but silkier and nobler. I didn’t know how to explain, but it felt different. When I stopped crying, she got up but didn’t pull her hands away from my shoulders.

  “Come on, go take a bath and then get some sleep. Don’t forget; the dinner is at seven. However, look after yourself a little bit before you go down for dinner. It’s going to be big.”

  I sniffed. “What do you mean big?” I asked.

  “A feast…”

  I wiped my tears. “A feast? What are we celebrating?”

  She looked at me, unbelievably. “Your arrival and our salvation.”