“We have unfinished business. We could not go without saying goodbye to our daughter.”
“But how did you know I would come here?” Rachel asked in confusion. I was wondering the same thing.
“We didn’t,” her father said. “But that didn’t stop us hoping. We love you so much Rachel and wish we could watch you grow up to be the strong, independent woman we know you are going to be. You make us very proud.”
“Look after her for us Robert,” her mother said. I did not hear Rob reply so I assume he nodded his head.
“We have to go now,” Rachel’s father said.
“No,” she cried out.
“We have done all we wanted to,” he said. “There is nothing holding us here now. Goodbye and know that we will always love you.”
“I love you too,” she said. I turned around and watched as the ghosts of Rachel’s parents slowly became transparent and eventually disappeared. Tears started to flow faster down her face and she began to sob. Rob took her into his arms and held her tight until they subsided. Jealousy reared its ugly head again, but I remained where I was, giving them the alone time they needed.
“Are you alright?” he asked when she had finally stopped crying.
“No,” she replied. “But I will be.”
Seeing that Rachel had recovered as much as she was going to I moved closer. “We should keep moving. Most of the ghosts hang around the lake, but not all. I suggest we get out of their domain as quickly as we can.”
They didn’t argue and we headed off. A short while later I announced that we would shortly be leaving the ghost fields. I was half way through an explanation as to where the border was when I caught sight of the one person I wanted to avoid.
“Damn. I was hoping she wouldn’t be here.” Aunt Mort was sitting under a tree, reading a book.
“Ghost?” Rachel asked.
I nodded my head. “Stay here. I have to go and see her.”
“No way,” she protested. “You’re not leaving us alone and unprotected. What if more ghosts appear? We’re coming with you.”
I really did not want them with me, but she looked so scared I couldn’t leave her behind. I nodded and led them toward my aunt.
“Kris,” she said warmly and stood up.
“Why are you still here Mort?” I tried to keep the hurt out of my voice, but I know I failed.
“You know why. Not that he comes to visit me anymore.” Her voice was filled with sorrow.
“It’s too painful for him. For all of us. He still mourns your death.”
“I know,” she said. “Now come and give your aunt a cuddle.”
I moved closer to her and she put her arms around me. I heard Rob whisper to Rachel, “Son of a demi-god,” and it took me a moment to work out that she must have been wondering why my aunt’s arms didn’t pass straight through me. At least Rob had saved me having to explain.
I hugged Mort tightly, burying my face into her shoulder. I miss her so much. Coming here is always painful. My eyes were brimming with tears when I pulled away. I inhaled deeply, getting my emotions under control, then introduced her to my travelling companions.
“Rachel, Rob, meet my aunt Mortina. We all call her Mort.”
“You’re Ankou’s mother, Death’s wife,” Rachel blurted out.
“I am,” she said, smiling. “And you are not dead.”
“No. They are on their way to visit your husband.”
“So you’re the one,” Mort said and moved her hand toward Rob as though she was going to caress his cheek. She paused when she saw him flinch. “Problems by the lake?” she asked. I nodded. “Then I won’t disturb you any further. You must be anxious to put all this behind you.”
“Goodbye Mort.” I hugged her once more as I bade her farewell. “Please give some thought to passing on. Staying here is hurting everyone.”
“I will leave when I am ready,” she said, though not harshly. She knew how much it hurt me to see her like this. “Soon maybe, but not yet. Please ask your uncle to come and see me. I miss him greatly.”
“I will, but we both know that he won’t come.”
Mort nodded her head sadly then sat down once more and reopened her book.
I couldn’t bring myself to speak again until we reached a river. As soon as we crossed we would be out of the ghost fields and I thought I ought to let them know. I remained quiet for the rest of the day and neither Rob nor Rachel tried to get me to talk. Maybe they were feeling as low as I was. We made camp by a stream and all went to our separate beds early. I think we were all tired, emotionally as well as physically.
Instead of going to sleep, however, as soon as I was sure that the others had dropped off I went to visit Death.
“How did it go?” he asked when I arrived. The look on my face told him that we had been through the ghost fields and that I had seen his wife.
“Not good. The ghosts attacked them. Rob did his best to protect Rachel so he is pretty shaken up. I don’t think it is an experience either of them will easily forget.”
“It was necessary. You may not believe me, but it was actually good for Rachel to see her parents. Eventually she will see that.” I did believe him, but remained silent. “How is she?’ he continued, his voice breaking as he spoke. There was no need for me to ask whether he meant Rachel or not.
“She wants to see you.”
He nodded, but only to indicate that he had been expecting this, not that he agreed to do so. “I can’t. Why can’t she understand that?”
“I think she does.” I placed one hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently. “She just keeps hoping you will change your mind.” I looked at him with concern. No matter how much pain I felt being sent through those fields, it was nothing compared to the agony my uncle goes through every time he thinks about his dead wife.
“I should go.” He showed no reaction to my words; I’m not sure if he even heard me, so I left him alone with his misery.
I had not been back long when I heard Rob screaming. I knew he was having a nightmare. It was one of the reasons I had not stayed with Death. I was sitting by the fire and saw Rachel race out of her tent and into Rob’s.
She was not in there long and came to join me when she emerged.
“Don’t you ever sleep?” she asked as she settled by the fire.
I shrugged. “Sometimes.” I turned to look at her and smiled. “I don’t need as much sleep as you puny humans do.”
I expected her to take offence and was pleased when she didn’t. Maybe she knew I was just teasing her. My mood soon turned serious once more. “I’m sorry for what you and Rob went through today, but it was necessary.”
“Necessary? Why? Because Death said so?”
I returned my gaze to the fire. “No. Because your parents wanted to see you. That is the reason Death insisted I take you through those fields.”
She pondered my words, thinking them through before speaking. “Thank you,” she eventually said. “It was a truly horrible day, but it was worth it.” A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “I’m not sure Robert would agree though.”
“It’s going to be a long night for him. And for you probably.”
“How are you?” she asked, taking me completely by surprise. “You have been very quiet all afternoon.”
“Sorry. Seeing my aunt always upsets me. We were very close before she died. Ankou has come to terms with it and goes to see her often, but Death will never set foot in that field again, not while he knows that she is there. He blames himself for letting her die and seeing her is too painful a reminder of his failure.”
“Could he have saved her?”
I shook my head. “No, but that doesn’t stop him believing there should have been something he could have done.”
“So why does she torture him by remaining in this realm?” Rachel asked. Didn’t she realise how much I did not want to talk about this?
“Because she loves him and cannot bear to be parted from him, even though sh
e never sees him anymore. She keeps hoping that he will visit again and, who knows, one day he might.”
Then she reached out and squeezed my hand comfortingly. I reacted without thinking, pulling her toward me and wrapping my arms around her. She did not struggle or try to pull away. It felt good to hold her. Right. Natural. She rested her head on my chest and tears began to flow once more. My shirt was getting damp, but I didn’t care.
We stayed like that for a while, finding comfort in a shared sense of loss. Then Rob screamed again and we reluctantly pulled apart.
Despite my need to keep her close to me I knew what was the right thing to do. “You may want to stay with him. I would be surprised if this is the last time he screams.” I desperately wanted her to argue against my suggestion, but she didn’t.
“Good idea,” she said. “You should try and get some sleep as well.”
“I will.” I headed toward my own tent and watched her enter Rob’s. We were all in for a sleepless night.
Lift
I felt more tired when I got up in the morning than I had when I went to my tent. I lost count of how many times I heard Rob screaming. When he and Rachel finally surfaced they looked terrible.
During breakfast I made a snap decision. “We are going to take a detour.”
“Why?” Rob asked, his voice full of hostility.
“Because you two look as bad as I feel.” Neither of them could argue with that comment. “There’s an orchard that’s not too far out of our way that has a variety of different fruits, some of which have natural restorative powers. I think it will do us all a lot of good.”
Soon it was time to go and Rob and Rachel both trudged along as though they were the living dead. Nobody spoke; none of us had the energy. I set a slow pace, but they still had trouble keeping up.
Eventually I took pity on them. “This is ridiculous. At this rate we won’t get there till next week. Come on. Take my hands.”
It was breaking the rules, but I no longer cared. When they did as instructed I gripped their hands and within the blink of an eye we went from the open expanse of a meadow to being surrounded by fruit trees.
The first thing everyone notices when they come to this orchard is the smell. Powerful aromas were assaulting our nostrils. I watched Rachel breathe in deep and slowly release. I knew her mouth was beginning to water. The fruit smelled delicious. Smells, however, can be deceiving.
I reached up and picked one of the white blossoms from a branch above me and handed it to her. “This orchard is split into distinct sections. Each has its own variety of fruit tree. I thought it best to start here. This part may be the most appealing as far as smell is concerned, but don’t let that fool you. The flowers are designed to attract insects to help with pollination; the fruit itself is another matter. I suggest you hold your breath when eating it and swallow quickly. It tastes vile.”
“So why are we here?” Rob asked.
“If you can stop yourself throwing it back up it will quickly restore your energy levels and make you more awake.” I reached up again and plucked a bunch of small bright red berries. I pulled some into my hand, placed them in my mouth and swallowed without chewing, wincing as I did so. Vile is an understatement.
“That bad?” Rachel asked.
I nodded. “Good for you though.” As I spoke the familiar warm feeling spread through my body and my energy levels began to rise.
I handed some of the berries to Rachel, whose face told me she was reluctant to try them.
“Water,” she said as soon as she had swallowed some. I could have warned her that it would not help, but I would be wasting my breath. I handed her a bottle and she gulped it down.
I have no idea why, but Rob decided to chew his. “These aren’t too bad,” he said and took another mouthful. Maybe he killed his taste buds when he was younger. Either that or he is actually insane.
“What’s next?” Rachel asked, unenthusiastically.
“Apples, I think.” I neglected to mention that they were blue. She did not look impressed when I handed her one and I could not help laughing at the look on her face. “This one is better.”
She didn’t look like she believed me, but she bit into it anyway and juices spilled down her chin. She wiped them away with her sleeve, then went red with embarrassment when she realised I was watching her. She ended up eating the whole thing, core and all.
“Another?” I passed her one more when she vigorously nodded her head. Rob was helping himself and out of the corner of my eye I saw him placing some in his bag. Maybe he wasn’t as insane as I thought.
“Don’t eat too much,” I warned them both, “or you will not be able to sleep tonight.”
My words gave me an idea, so I led them to a section of the orchard where the trees all contain fruit that look similar to black pineapples. “These will guarantee a good night’s sleep.” I took a knife, cut a couple down and stored them in my bag. We would eat them later tonight. “That should do us. Ready to get out of here?”
Rob and Rachel both nodded and held out their hands, obviously expecting me to transport them to our next destination. I enjoyed disappointing them.
“Oh no. You should both now be revitalised enough to walk. If you’re not, let me know and I will take you back to the berries.”
Rachel kept her mouth firmly shut. Rob, on the other hand, rummaged in his bag and withdrew a handful of the vile tasting fruit. “No need. I have that covered,” he said and popped one into his mouth. I could not stop myself grimacing as I watched him chew.
I led them out of the orchard and into a field full of daisies. I set a fast pace, but it was obviously too slow for Rachel and she went running ahead. I watched in horror as she got to the top of a hill, tripped over her own feet and disappeared from sight. Rob and I looked at each other, then took off after her. By the time we arrived at the bottom of the hill she was curled up in a ball, clutching her stomach and trying, unsuccessfully, to stop laughing.
“One too many apples I think.” I could not help smiling at her.
Rob grabbed her arm and hauled her to her feet.
Suddenly they were both lying on the ground once more. It took all of my control to keep my feet as the ground shook beneath us.
“What the hell was that?” Rachel asked. “An earthquake?”
“I don’t think so.” I looked around. “It’s too localised.” The ground began to crack in front of us and I smiled, instantly knowing what was causing it. “I think we are going to have a visitor.”
The crack was moving away from them, so Rob and Rachel were able to pick themselves up off the ground. They stared at the widening chasm apprehensively and I could not keep the smile from my face. They were certainly in for a surprise.
Once the gap was large enough a reptilian head poked out, closely followed by two more. As the creature eased itself upward it became evident that all three heads were connected to the same body.
“Is that a hydra?” Rob asked, his face displaying the disbelief he was evidently feeling.
“It is. Want to come and meet him?”
“Hydra?” Rachel asked. “As in the beast that Hercules fought? Poisonous breath. Blood like acid. That sort of thing?” Where do humans get all of these legends and stories from?
“Not exactly. I’m sorry to disappoint you, but the labours of Hercules are all just myth and while some of the creatures, the hydra being one, do actually exist, Hercules never fought any of them and most are quite friendly.”
“But aren’t hydra’s aquatic animals,” Rob asked.
“Underground rivers. Come on. Let’s go see what he wants.”
Rob and Rachel remained rooted to the spot as they watched me walk up to the giant reptile. I hadn’t lied when I said that hydras were usually friendly and I knew this particular one well.
One of the heads moved downward to intercept me and I began to rub him between his eyes, making him croon softly. “It’s good to see you,” I whispered, knowing he could understand m
e.
“You too,” his voice sounded in my mind.
I glanced over my shoulder and saw Rob and Rachel looking at me in trepidation. “What’s keeping you?” I called out. “He has two more heads that like to be stroked you know.”
Rachel slowly walked forward and held her hand out tentatively, but did not make contact with the hydra’s skin. He rolled his eyes at me in exasperation and ducked one head under her hand, forcing her to stroke it. I watched Rachel’s eyes widen as she slowly moved her hand backward and forward across the scaly skin, a smile spreading across her face as she began to scratch under his chin.
Rob remained where he was, refusing to move any closer, so the hydra swung his remaining head toward Rachel and nudged her free hand. She took the hint and was soon giggling as she fussed the hydra, which kept tickling her face with his tongue. I guess I’m not the only one she can easily captivate.
“Enough,” she finally said. He instantly obeyed her, giving one last lick before withdrawing his two heads.
“What is it doing here?” she asked.
I had been wondering the same thing and was not surprised when he answered her question, though only I could hear what he had to say.
“He heard we were in the area and wants to know if we want a lift anywhere.”
“Er, it does know that we can’t breathe underwater, doesn’t it?” Rachel asked uncertainly.
I nodded. “He can run almost as fast overland as he can swim through the water.”
“You want us to ride on that thing?” Rob asked in disbelief.
I shrugged my shoulders. “It’s up to you, but it will make up for the time we have lost detouring to the orchard.” I neglected to mention that I would give instructions for the hydra to take us in the wrong direction. We were getting closer and closer to Death’s domain and I was in no hurry to arrive.
“We ride,” Rob said, but he didn’t look pleased with the idea.
“How?” Rachel asked.
I grinned. “Watch.”
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