Hidden Light

by Nikki Bolvair

  “Not all the time,” I sassed back, then wrapped my arms around his stocky frame while he wrapped his around my shoulders and hugged me to his chest. I relished the moment as I rested my head on his shoulder before Hale tugged me away and into his warm embrace.

  Hale’s cheek rested against my hair as he sighed into it. “Missed you, Car. It's been too long since your last visit home.” The sound of his deep baritone, unlike his younger brother’s smooth one, caressed my skin like a lover’s touch. I’d been away too long. I’d missed that sound.

  My hands rubbed against his muscled back, his t-shirt lifting slightly at the movement. “It’s only been six months. But, I missed you, too, Hale.”

  I stayed for a second longer in his embrace, then pulled back to find Zander lounging on my bed. His straight black hair, cut into coif-style, gave him a trendy appearance. “My room looks lovely decked out in girl shit. But...” He waved his finger in the air in a circle, and my bedding changed to blue-striped sheets and pillows followed by a denim comforter. “I like my bedding better.”

  I chuckled and then let out a screech when Hale pushed me onto the bed and into Zander’s body.

  “We need to try it out,” he reasoned playfully.

  Zander scooted over, placed me in the middle, and agreed. “Always love company.”

  Hale took up residence on the other side and settled in. He flicked his hand, and the ceiling I currently stared at became an endless sky of stars. “There, that's better.”

  Zander grunted and pulled his arm out from under his head to reach down beside me and searched for my hand. His fingers slid across mine and gripped it in a comforting squeeze. “See, now you know my sheets are better.”

  I smirked. “No, you just didn't like the idea of lying on purple.”

  “She nailed it.” Hale laughed.

  It got quiet, and noises from the house below filtered up to us. I gazed up at my ceiling at the glittery stars. “Did you do this a lot? The stars?”

  “Yeah,” Zander answered.

  Hale shifted to his side so he faced Zander and me. He pushed back a piece of loose hair and tucked it behind my ear. “Not to beat around the bush, but you doin’ okay with all this, Car?”

  My lips tilted downward. I kept my gaze up and couldn’t answer. Was I doing okay? No. Not really.

  “So, what’s a mind-sweep, and why did you do that to my dad?” My eyes bulged with a sudden thought, and I tossed him an accusing glare. “And have you ever done that to me?”

  Zander’s fingers tightened on mine as Hale’s expression darkened. He gave a hollow laugh and turned to lie back down. “First question outta your mouth, you’re worried about your piss-ant dad.”

  That ruffled my feathers. My dad may have made a few too many mistakes, but at least I didn’t have to step on eggshells around him. I answered simply, “He’s the only dad I have. Now, what’s a mind-sweep, and how do you do it?”

  “Not every Lydent has the gift,” Zander answered. “You have to be born with that power.”

  I rolled my head his way. “And you have it?” He nodded. “How does it work? Is there a chance people will remember after time has passed?”

  He smirked and squeezed my hand. “You haven’t yet.”

  I sat up on my elbow and pulled my hand from his to smack his chest. “You did not!”

  He laughed, and Hale chuckled from behind me. “More than once. You’d think after the third time of catching us using magic we’d learn, but no. And poor Zander was forced to take our secrets from you once again.”

  Dropping back to the bed with a grunt, I asked, “Can it fry a brain?”

  “If you’re not careful.”

  “What about the magic school—”

  “Hydrent,” Hale supplied.

  “Yeah, how long do I have to go for, and what do they teach?”

  “You’ll learn the basics of our history, your light skills and talents, fighting skills, as well as how our society works. As far as pacing goes… for you, since you’re older, as fast as you catch on,” Hale explained.

  “Do you guys get regular jobs? Are any Lydents in prominent positions around the world?”

  The two of them chuckled, but Zander answered, “Yes. And yes, but we never disclose who we are to any human unless we marry one. And then, it’s strictly to your spouse only.”

  My brows furrowed as I remembered what my mom said earlier. “My mom called them mates. Is there a difference?”

  Hale rested his head in his palm. “Mates are who we are destined to be with. Because so few Lydent women are born, some of us join with a human instead.”

  “What about the magic? Will mating with—”

  “It’s not mating,” Hale shot off.

  “Oh. Well, with marrying a human, will the magic be passed on?”

  “Some,” Hale answered again. “But their magic is weak, and a Lydent and a human only produce boys.”

  “What about your mom? She was a Lydent, right?”

  “Yes, but she and our dads, they weren’t really mates. My mom’s mates were Warriors—”

  “What’s that?”

  “Like police for our kind,” Zander answered.

  “Yes, like I was saying,” Hale continued. “Our mom’s mates were Warriors, and they died in the Royal Bombing.”

  “All of them?”

  “Yes.”

  “Oh.” My heart hurt at the thought of the boy who died, Philip, having a mate and never being with her. “Then your mom met your dads? And she died?”

  “Yes,” Hale’s voice grew soft. “Typically, mates get sick easily after the bond-mate is severed. It’s even worse when all of them are gone. She died giving birth to Zander.”

  I sniffed as I closed my hands over each of their own and squeezed, thinking about Philip again. “I’m sorry.”

  Hale sighed, and Zander untangled our fingers as his brother slid an arm around my waist and turned me to him.

  I curled into his chest and let out the silent tears I’d held in since Philip died beside the pool this morning. “What if Philip had a mate? I should have been quicker, blew my whistle sooner, and maybe he would have lived.”

  I felt Zander at my back, soothing me as well. “Oh, Car, it’s not your fault. Accidents happen, no matter if you have the light or not. He wouldn’t want you to cry. Hell, if he were here now, he’d probably be tryin’ all sorts of ways to impress you.”

  I chuckled into Hale’s chest.

  “He was a good kid,” Hale added. “He’d want you to go tonight and look over his achievements. And Baxter and Colten will be there,” Hale tried to bait me. “You know they’ll want to see you. You always got along with them.”

  I did want to see them. My crush didn’t just extend to my stepbrothers; it extended to their two friends as well. And if my suspicions were correct, Colten might feel the same about me.

  I rubbed my face into Hale's shirt to wipe away my tears, and then moved away. If Kenneth saw us like this he’d blow a gasket, but we were always like this...at least when we were alone.

  “Did you just wipe your snot on me?” Hale demanded.

  I gazed into his laughing green eyes and leaned forward to kiss his cheek. “You’re the best.”

  “Hey!” Zander griped from behind me. “What about me?”

  I rolled over to find him pouting. He pointed to his cheek and turned. I leaned in and let my lips lightly graze across his stubbly cheek then pulled away.

  He grinned. “Thanks!”

  “Carly!” Mom called out. “It’s time to go.”

  My stepbrothers rolled off the bed, and Zander walked around to join his brother. The two of them each held out a hand, and I gripped them as they pulled me up and off the bed.

  Zander's lips curled up as his eyes twinkled. He tugged me away, out of his brother's hand, and shimmed us out of there, leaving Hale and everyone else behind.

  ***

  We reappeared in the middle of the woods among a crowd of people heading
toward a substantial white building, which reminded me of an airplane hangar with its curved roof. As the sun faded, large lamp posts turned on, brightening the dirt pathway up to the building. People shimmed in around the sides in flickers of light, and it surprised me none of them toppled over anyone. How did they gauge that?

  Zander held onto my hand as we made our way inside the building. The scent of freshly mowed greens filled the gigantic space and tickled my nose. When I glanced down, grass carpeted the floor, and vines covered the walls. Potted apple trees, staggered throughout the space, made it feel more like an orchard than the inside of a building. Stars mimicked the night sky, giving the feeling of a never-ending ceiling. The crowds of people didn’t even seem to notice.

  Zander stopped at a tree and picked the fruit. “Eat the apple, sweetheart,” he urged, holding it out to me. “It holds his memories. This is the way we remember his life. Just for tonight.”

  I took it and ran my hand over its red peel. The light within me pulsed as I held it. The enchanted apple recognized me somehow. I wasn’t ready to see the memories, but part of me—the part that was his—wanted me to. I gripped the apple and glanced up into Zander’s thoughtful gaze.

  “I think I’ll save it for later,” I told him, and his expression sobered.

  “Of course.”

  We walked around, and Zander introduced me to some gentlemen. They knew about me and were awed to have such a gift bestowed upon their race. Some asked if I had my mark yet.

  That ruffled Zander’s feathers, and he promptly answered, “No.”

  Unsure what they meant, I asked him after we walked away.

  He sat us down on a bench beneath a tree. “It’s something you'll learn about at Hydrent tomorrow, but I can explain now.” He turned his back to me and pulled down his collar to show me the tattoo I’d drawn earlier. “You’ve seen it before.”

  I traced the curves of the design before tugging my hand away, and he turned around. “What does it represent? Why do you have it?”

  A blush stole up his cheeks as he sat back against the bench and held my hand. “We get the mark when we're thirteen. It's like going into puberty except we get sick, like the flu for a whole day while the mark burns into our skin. Its symbol is different, unlike anything a tattoo artist can do because it’s given to us by the Spirit Whisperer. It’s like a birthmark.”

  My brow scrunched. “But a birthmark is unique to that person. You and Hale have the same mark.”

  He nodded. “As do Baxter and Colten.”

  “Why? Does it have something to do with the group marriage, like the one my mom's in?”

  “Yes and no. It’s been this way for generations, but a long time ago it hadn’t been.”

  I bumped his shoulder. “You didn't answer my question.”

  He smiled. “I guess I didn’t.”

  He stood and pulled me along. “Hale is trying to find us. We’d better get moving.”

  Zander guided me along, stopping to talk to a few people, until Hale finally found us. And he wasn’t alone. Baxter and Colten were with him, too.

  Baxter embraced me first, his tall, athletic build towering over my frame as I practically stood on tiptoes to reach around his neck. The memory apple was hard to hold onto, but I didn’t drop it.

  He held me close and whispered, “Stirring up trouble again, aren't ya.”

  I smiled into his shoulder. “No, trouble just seems to follow me.”

  He let me go, his blue eyes twinkling. “Well, lose him.”

  I turned away, my cheeks bunched up from my goofy grin, and let Colten gather me into his muscular arms. “You’re not going away again, are you?”

  “That sounds an awful lot like you want me around.”

  “I do. How else am I going to convince you to run away with me and tell everyone to fuck off?”

  I pulled back abruptly, shocked by what he said. The others stood off to the side, talking amongst themselves, oblivious to the fierce possessiveness in his voice. “What? What do you mean by that?”

  His golden eyes burned deep amber as his gaze narrowed. His mouth pressed together. “It means what I said. You’ve known I’ve always liked you, but the curse and the mark held me back. Now it doesn’t. You’re one of us.”

  I put my hands on my hips. With the apple in the one hand, it made it hard to do with my elbow sticking out further, but I did it and glared at him. “Well ain't that a shit way of telling me you like me.”

  His face softened before he turned away, and he dragged a hand through his short, sandy locks. “Shit. Sorry.”

  Noticing his irritation with himself, I shifted near him, grabbed his hand, and gave it a squeeze. “I guess it's okay.”

  “Hey,” Hale turned toward us as a delicate chime sounded. His gaze briefly rested on our hands before glancing up. His mouth tightened. “It’s time for the ceremony.”

  Nerves twisted in my stomach, unsure of what was coming.

  With one hand holding Colton’s and the other holding the memory apple, we followed everyone to the center of the orchard where we circled around a Celtic symbol on the ground. Sadly, the only thing I could compare it to was the old fashioned electric stove tops with the metal burners. Not like the glass ones we have today. Imagine three of those burner’s circles put together to form a triangle that had been burned into the dirt with fresh grass surrounding it. That was what I looked at, but Philip wasn’t there.

  Before I could ask where his body was, Hale leaned in to explain. “This is where we send our loved ones’ bodies back into nature and release their spirits. The symbol you're looking at is called a Triskele. It’s the Celtic symbol for the flow of nature. When ready, the council will shim Philip across the two bottom circles. All of us will let our light shine, opening the doorway for Mother Nature to take back what's hers. The third circle is where Philip’s spirit will go free.”

  I swallowed, a shiver racing up my spine. “Will we see it happen? See him?”

  Colten gave my hand a quick squeeze. “All you have to do is watch.”

  Patrick and Saul shimmed in along with Gaston and Myra. Together they took hold of each others’ hands and light glowed around them until Philip appeared right where Hale said he would.

  “Too young, too soon.” Myra’s voice echoed throughout the place. I shivered, agreeing.

  “Still full of life.” Saul followed. Philip definitely was spunky from what I saw.

  “Humble and true.” Patrick stated, following the other two.

  Gaston spoke last. “Strong and wise.”

  Then there were voices all around, softly calling out things. Friend, good student, ice cream lover, joker, great football player, kind. It went on until the words I waited for caught my heart strings.

  “Brother, son and twin.” My gaze slanted over to his family who stood there hugging as tears streamed down their faces.

  I didn’t know why or what prompted me to do it, but the words tumbled from my lips. “Loved. He was loved.”

  Mrs. Everly’s gaze caught mine, and she gave me a wobbly smile and nod. No one spoke after that. Colten let go of my hand and put his palm facing toward the center where Philip was resting. Everyone did the same. They started to chant a phrase over and over as light came out of their hands, reaching toward the symbol on the ground. Branches emerged from the ground to wrap and intertwine around Philip, covering him, and he started to sink.

  The branch cocoon slowly vanished until only the symbol remained. My breath caught when, moments later, a luminescent glow rose from the third circle, and Philip stood there. He nodded toward me before mouthing, “I love you,” to his family.

  Then he disappeared.

  I sucked in a breath, shaken by the events. “Where did he go?”

  “Into the ground,” Colten answered.

  The glowing hands dropped, and Hale took my hand this time.

  I shook my head. “No, his spirit. Where did he go?”

  “Wherever the Spirit Whisperer has need of
him. His time might be done here, but on the other side, there’s always work to be done,” Hale explained.

  I swallowed back the tears that prickled beneath my eyes. Hale gave me another comforting squeeze while Baxter and Zander, who stood behind me, gave comfort by just being there. Mom and Henry appeared beside me, along with Kenneth.

  Kenneth gruffed, “Time to go.”

  I glanced around as others shimmed out and saw the trees were now bare.

  Mom came over, and I moved away from the guys as she hugged me. “You okay?”

  I held her tight as I nodded. “Yeah.”

  We pulled apart, and she smiled. “We're all going to dinner. Not sure if the restaurant can accommodate all of us, but we're sure going to try.” Mom gave me another quick squeeze. “We’ll meet you there.”

  Colten took me aside once again as the others talked and sighed. “I’m sorry about earlier.”

  I hugged him. “I get it. It’s been a shit day.”

  He tightened his hold on me. “Yeah...sometimes I wish we could go back to when we were younger. When you hung around more.”

  “I’m here now,” I told him, pulling away.

  His hand lifted to brush a finger down my cheek. “Yeah, but would you have ever come back if this hadn’t happened?”

  My mouth pressed together.

  Golden eyes soft, he continued, “I'm kind of glad the way things turned out. I know it's terrible for me to say that, but if it hadn't happened the way it did, we wouldn’t be here like this.”

  I jerked back, not understanding how any of this could be a good thing. My gaze narrowed. “Like what? Mourning for a teen who lost his life too early? None of this is good, Colten. It’s sad. Utterly and despairingly sad. Not good.”

  He dragged his hand through his hair again, upset as he turned away. “You know what I mean.”

  I gripped the memory apple in my palm, unsure if we’ve just had our first fight.

  I took a deep breath, letting my stance relax once again as I give him the benefit of a doubt. “This whole day has been crazy. I wish...”

  He turned back, brows raised. “You wish what?”