by TS Thornton
female asked. She turned and Solin caught her face in his sights. His boss had made a surprise visit. The male had keys that belonged to her door. He locked the door behind them before answering. The man’s beard was long and grey, his hair was long and grey, in a braid. The man thought a moment before answering.
“No, she doesn’t really have visitors. You are the first person to come calling for her.” He told her as Solin held his breath. He wasn’t sure if they had been seen together. He didn’t know if it would matter or not but now that they had been inside he had to take her and tonight. No later than right now, he just had to wait for the humans to finish their babble.
“Well thank you again.” She said as she took the stairs going down while he took the stairs going up.
“You are welcome Miss. When I see her I will let her know you came a lookin’.” He nodded goodbye as he went up the stairwell.
Solin waited until they were completely out of view before he opened her door without a key. Once he was inside he headed straight to her room. He saw a bump like object on her the side of her nose. He was sure that was the pimple he so called it. He didn’t give it much more thought nor did he examine something he didn’t understand. It did worry him since it showed up while he was away.
Winter was tanner than when he had left. They hadn’t been in the sun enough for her skin to get darker plus she had been in this dark room. He didn’t understand but he added it to his list of questions. A whiff of the sea trailed the air. He had just been for a swim so it could have been him, he thought. A fresher scent wafted by him again as he was packing her bag. He turned to her and inhaled deeply. The scent of the sea now thick inside the room, and now the pimple thing worried him more. He finished with the bag he had and wrapped her cocoon like in her blankets. He lifted her up and glamoured them and the few things he was carrying and left the apartment. He would come back but he had to get her away from the human world before something happened, that neither he nor she could explain away without magic. Solin did not play into human affairs, so he would not be adding to his list of wrongs by changing memories or lives.
Solin was close to the sea he was walking with purpose and avoiding the humans walking the streets that eve. He spoke to her as he touched the strip of beach that would take him to the waiting sea.
“I hope you understand why I have to do this.” He looks down into her face to see an identical pimple on the opposite side of her face. Realization hit like a wave, they were tusks, evenly spaced pearly white and growing while he watched. Panic set in as so did the fact she was changing and it was his fault.
No, it is a gift.
The thunderous voice from his dream spoke in his mind. He ran past the children building sand castles and couples being sweet on one another. As he ran the day turned to night quickly, his heart hadn’t beat (or so he thought) since he had seen the tiny tucks peeking through her skin. He told himself that no matter what this would be alright.
The moons gift, to whom he thought. This was a nightmare.
He wrapped her in a bubble of power to keep her from the seas touch. She wouldn’t survive the trip to the Otherland without breathing on her own. This way she would be dry in her coma like state and protected from harm. Everything he needed. He called out to the sea as he lowered her inside the water. The water pushing away from her body as he did so, his power cocooned with his love. Solin called out to the sea again and still got no answer.
Solin knew where to go, he would have a chat with the sea later. Solin created a roped that he wrapped around them both. Winter was pulled to follow closely at his side as he swam. The swim was long and he was drained by the time the sea had shown up and she didn’t speak to him she just used her push and pull and got him to shore before he drowned from passing out from exhaustion.
He opened his eyes to see Winter in his clutches and her belongings near. Solin lifted his head to look at the island full of Redwood trees. He was in the part of the Otherland he needed. The beach was empty except for him and her. Solin lifted her up and righted his self to stand. He still had a small trip to make to the center of the island. The sounds of the island night life was starting, he had hoped he wasn’t seen by many. It sounded to him like there may be a party of some sort going on. There were more dark trees as he got deeper into the forest.
Once he was near the center the tree directly at the heart of the island was lit up with warm and joy. He knew she was aware of him. He opened the gate and walked to the door that was covered in red roses attached to their vines. Before he could reach for the knob the door opened for him. He placed the belonging on the floor near the door. He head to his room in this Redwood. He heard the door finally shut behind him as he walked the long hallway. He pushed aside his collection of items with his magic. He laid here in the small bed tucked away in the back of the room.
“Solin,” She called from the other room. He hadn’t heard her voice in over 200 years. He had no place else to go. Why hadn’t he settled down so he could take her some place more private, he thought just as the reason for his visit haunted him? “Child, what has brought you all this way? I am so glad you came for a vis-“As he turned to face her she saw the girl and the fear in Solin. “Solin, what has happen?” He released his magic hold on her cocooned body with a pop. Her black hair was no longer against her head, the twist having falling out. The old lady gasped while grabbing her necklace she caught a glimpse of what look to be a human with tusks. This shocked her to her core. She knew her vision the other night had meaning, just know this.
“I have a room that would be better suited, please follow me.” She was being too formal in her own home he thought. She must know something she might be able to help him after all.
He followed her to a more quaint room, more feminine. He places her on the bed removing her blankets to see there were more changes about her. He looked to the elder monster almost instantly.
“Grandson, tell me from the beginning.” So he did. As he made Winter more comfortable he told her of how he saved her.
As he followed her from the room he was explaining her reaction to him after she woke. His grandmother was making tea while he went over the few days of changes within her. When they were settled and enjoying the tea he was going over the swim the dream and finally the travel to the Otherland. She listened as he spoke waiting to ask her questions.
“The message is to you but the gift is to her.” She told him. “I was sent a vision from the moon the same night, but not with the clarity that you were given you message. You were on a black beach, no waves no stars in the sky. You had pulled her from the water but she was different to me then. Her hair the color red, eyes of olive green, and her pale skin. The vision ended with you saving her, changing her with your essence. Then I was ripped away. I hadn’t seen you in too long to be sure that it was you but the thought wouldn’t leave me. Solin, she has been given this life anew for a reason, you are intertwined forever more. She is a part of you.” He nodded not knowing how he truly felt. The moon had giving her something that had moved him to change his existence. He loved her and would love Winter until her human body died. He never would have thought that she would be a monster like he.
“I don’t know how to repay the moon for this.” Solin smiled his heart overjoyed but weary.
“Repair the bond betwixt me and my sea. She the cold of the earth has my essence within her. She refuses to acknowledge I who am her. You had granted her longevity, I granted her a gift.
“Huh,” He was watching closely as his grandmother changed to a beam of silver light before his eyes. He knew his grandmother was the connection to this world and the others but he didn’t know that the moon could alter a person so. “What am I to do to fix this, how do I change what she feels.”
“Make her see that she is me and I am her.” With that the silver light of the moon was gone. The Redwood was warmer without its glow. He watched his grandmother slowly return to herself. She blinked and turned to
him.
“Are you okay?” He asked.
“Yes, but I may have to lie down. You must do as the moon asks.”
“I have other things to do. He can wait. He and the sea haven’t talked in longer than I can think about. They can wait a little longer. I must be sure that my green eyes have a safe stable place. Where I can start?” He helped her to stand and walk down the hall leading to the back stairwell to her study.
“I need to do some research and relaxing. That will not be his last visit. He was upset and was taxing my energy with every word. He wants to be with her again, make it happen Solin. he is angry and won’t have it any other way.”
“You sound as if he would harm her.”
“No. I cannot say. I know the moons anger is strong. He is lost in his desperation that he has accepted his coldness as fact, not truth. He longs for her.” He helped her to her seat where she settled into.
“And she for him.” Solin knew the feeling. “My message came first so I will do things in order. I need to wake green eyes.” She nodded and closed her eyes as he covered her with a blanket.
Before he left to find shelter for the two of them he went to see the beauty with the olive green eyes and tucks. A smiled