by Chelsea Fine
“Open it!” Heather demanded, sinking her nails into Scarlet’s shoulder.
Scarlet slapped Heather’s fingers away as she took the scroll in her hand and slowly unrolled it.
For a moment, they both stared at the aged piece of paper, cocking their heads to the side and squinting their eyes. It was quite small, only about four square inches, yellowed with time and ripped on one side. Stained on the edges, it had faded markings in the center that looked like a picture of….
“Is that…an apple tree?” Heather leaned in closer.
Scarlet tilted her head. “I think so.”
A tree took up most of the scroll space. Drawn in brown, the trunk was thick and had lines running down the center, giving it dimension. The branches extended out across the majority of the scroll, each branch dotted with leaves and more lines. An apple hung from a branch at the top right, and water surrounded the trunk.
“Why would your mother shove an old drawing of an apple tree in her shiny ring thingy?”
Scarlet continued staring at the picture. “I have no idea.”
24
It had been nearly a month since Scarlet and Tristan’s encounter with the earl’s men in the woods, and they had spent nearly every day together.
Tristan was quickly becoming a permanent part of Scarlet’s heart. Which completely terrified her. She knew, one day soon, he would leave her. He would grow to have responsibilities. He would marry a proper woman and start a family, a life, without her. It would happen.
But until it did, he was her hunter.
“Up here, Hunter.” Scarlet called from a tree limb above him. Tristan looked up and smiled at her in puzzlement. “What are you doing in the trees?”
Scarlet lifted the corner of her mouth. “Beating you.”
“It is not a competition, Scar.”
She loved it when he called her Scar. Like her name belonged to his lips.
Lips she wanted to kiss.
“Oh, but it is,” Scarlet said. “Today I shall make a kill before you and it will be heavenly.”
He laughed. “You are mad, woman.”
“That I am.” Scarlet moved from one limb to another, Tristan walking beneath her. “Tell me about your family,” she said absently, finding a new perch for herself.
He pulled at a leaf hanging on a low branch above him. “My family?”
“Yes. You know all about mine, but I know nothing of yours. Aside from your father being the earl.”
Tristan nodded. “My father is the earl and he cares more about his estates than he does his children.”
“Children?” Scarlet looked down at him. “Do you have brothers and sisters?”
“I have one brother named Gabriel.”
“And what is this Gabriel like?”
Tristan smiled. “He is impulsive, but good-humored. He is smart with politics and cares about current affairs. He is a skilled archer and competes in all the games.” Tristan wagged his eyebrows up at Scarlet. “And he is in love with a witch.”
Scarlet grinned. “A real witch?”
Tristan breathed out a laugh. “He is in love with the daughter of Eli Fletcher, have you heard the name?”
“Fletcher?” Scarlet’s ears perked up in recognition. “The house of dark magic?”
“The very same.”
“Oooh,” Scarlet smiled. “I’m sure your father loves that.”
Tristan laughed again. “My father hates it. But not just because the house of dark magic is feared by many. My father hates Eli Fletcher, personally.”
“Why?”
Scarlet watched Tristan look around at the trees. “My father blames Eli for my mother’s death. Eli gave my father a potion that was supposed to cure her of an illness she contracted when she was pregnant with me. And while the potion did cure her, there were other…side effects, I guess. I’m not exactly sure.” Tristan paused. “But my mother died shortly after giving birth and my father has blamed Eli ever since.”
Scarlet’s heart went heavy. “How awful for your father.”
Tristan nodded. “He has held a grudge for many years and now,” Tristan said, looking back up at her with a small smile. “And now, my brother is courting Eli’s daughter, Raven.”
Scarlet shook her head with a smile. “Is your father furious?”
“I’m not sure.” Tristan wrinkled a brow. “My father does not believe the two will ever marry. He does not believe Eli will let Raven marry Gabriel any more than he would let Gabriel marry Raven. So it is a happy circle of hatred.” Tristan grinned.
Scarlet started making her way back down the tree. She liked talking with Tristan, hearing about his life away from her. “Well, personally, I am hoping your brother marries this Raven. They sound like a beautiful mess.” Scarlet smiled as she began lowering herself from the bottom branch, her feet dangling several feet from the ground.
“Here, let me help.” Tristan brought his hands to her hips to help her down and Scarlet felt lightning zip up her body at his touch. She did not need his help getting back to the ground, but she also didn’t want him to stop touching her.
Trying not to visibly shiver in delight, Scarlet carefully let go of the branch above her and slowly sank into Tristan’s arms.
“You like messy love, do you?” Tristan smiled at her as her body slid down his body until her face was square with his and her toes hovered above the ground.
Scarlet inhaled as she looked into his soft eyes and deep dimples. He smelled like leather and water. “I think,” she said quietly, now that their mouths were close to each other, “that easy and clean love is not true. It is simply convenient. Messy love, though…that is something to revel in.”
Tristan smiled broadly at her words, his eyes stroking the lines of her face with softness.
She looked back at him shamelessly, grateful he had not yet set her free of his arms. She liked him holding her against his body. She liked how he smelled of leather and how he made her feel small when they were so near one another.
The hunter had strong arms and careful hands, gentle eyes and full lips. Lips Scarlet’s eyes couldn’t help but fall to.
What would it be like to kiss this hunter? What would it be like to feel him kiss her back?
Before she knew what was happening, Scarlet had her answer.
Tristan’s mouth pressed against hers softly, full lips meeting her mouth with ease and gentleness.
But no trepidation.
He wanted to kiss her and, so, he had.
Scarlet smiled to herself as she kissed him back, moving her hands from his upper shoulders to the back of his neck where his hair curled. His skin felt warm against her fingers as she softly pulled at his neck to bring him closer to her mouth.
Without resistance, he leaned even further into her and kissed her more deeply, Scarlet parting her lips to taste more of him. He still held her, just above the ground, in his arms as his mouth fell into hers. They kissed and kissed until Scarlet was dizzy and blind and all things wonderful. And then they kissed some more.
Slowly pulling back, Tristan murmured, “Is it okay if I love you?”
Scarlet tried to catch her breath as she looked into his beautiful eyes. “Only if it is okay that I love you back.”
“Deal,” he said, pressing his lips back against hers, resuming their kiss. Wet, soft and hot, Scarlet had never felt anything so blissful.
25
As the sun disappeared from the sky, Scarlet headed back to the cabin.
With Heather.
Not because Scarlet had invited her to come along, but because Heather had refused to be left out of Scarlet’s supernatural affairs.
“Do you think the tree picture is a clue to where the fountain is?”
“I don’t know what I think.” Scarlet bit her lip.
Heather rubbed her hands together. “A mystery. Dun-dun-dunn.”
Scarlet slanted her eyes at Heather before pulling down the cabin’s driveway. “This isn’t a game, Heather.”
/> “I know.” Heather grinned. “That’s why it’s extra awesome. What the—?” Heather stared out the window. “This is Gabriel’s ‘cabin’?”
Scarlet nodded.
Heather’s mouth hung open. “When you said ‘cabin’, I pictured a small house made of Lincoln Logs and a campfire out front with a raccoon rummaging through garbage cans. I did not picture a mansion with a hundred windows and a four-car garage.”
“Yeah. It’s big.” Scarlet parked and the girls made their way to the porch. Nate opened the door and looked at Scarlet, then at Heather, then back to Scarlet. “Who’s this?” He pointed to Heather as she let herself inside.
“I’m Scarlet’s B-F-F,” Heather said. “Who are you?”
Scarlet followed Heather in. “Heather this Nate. Nate, Heather.”
Nate gave Scarlet a questioning look.
“I told Heather everything,” Scarlet explained.
“Everything?” Nate asked.
Gabriel appeared behind Nate, walked up to Scarlet and kissed her on the cheek. Tristan was standing in the back of the living room with a dark look.
Scarlet tried not to think about the smile on Tristan’s face when she’d shot the blue arrow earlier. Some smiles were dangerous to recall.
“Yep,” Scarlet said.
Nate looked at Heather. “And you’re okay with…everything?”
“Okay?” Heather took a step forward. “I just found out immortality and curses were real things.” She turned her palms up. “I’m awesome!”
Tristan crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Did you miss the part about all the dying and torment?”
Heather smiled at him. “Ah, Tristan. You’re such a ray of sunshine.” She pointed at the giant blue tarp taped over the broken window. “What happened there?”
“The Wonder Twins had a little spat the other night and the window didn’t make it out alive.” Nate glared at Tristan. “And who knew ordering a custom window replacement would take so long?”
“If you keep complaining about the broken window,” Tristan said, “I’ll break another one. On purpose.”
“The reason we’re here,” Scarlet said into the tension filling up the room, “is because I found something.”
Scarlet briefly explained how the ring had opened up and revealed an old parchment inside. She held the scroll up to the boys.
Gabriel, Tristan and Nate all came over and eyed the ancient drawing in her hand.
“A tree?” Gabriel asked.
“An apple tree, I think.” Scarlet examined the paper with a furrowed brow. “I don’t know what it means—or if it means anything at all. But it was in my mother’s brooch and she must have had it for a reason. Have you guys seen it before?”
They all shook their heads, squinting at the drawing.
“Does that…?” Nate carefully took the drawing from Scarlet’s hands and examined it closely. “Does that say Avalon at the top?”
Everyone looked over his shoulder at the tree.
Sure enough, at the top of the drawing in faded letters—so pale Scarlet hadn’t noticed before—was the word AVALON.
Goosebumps tickled Scarlet’s upper arms.
Nate blinked several times. “And look at the writing on the bottom.”
Scarlet squinted at the letters below the picture of the tree. Written in Spanish, it read Agua Eterna.
“Eternal Water,” Scarlet whispered.
Gabriel wrinkled his brow at Nate. “Do you think it’s a coincidence that the drawing says Avalon and Scarlet happened to wake up in a town named Avalon?”
“No,” Tristan said without hesitation.
Everyone looked at Tristan.
He explained. “Scarlet was in Avalon before she died last time.”
Nate scowled at him. “How do you know?”
Shrugging, Tristan said, “I felt her here.”
Scarlet tried not to warm at the thought of Tristan feeling her. Anywhere.
She furrowed her brow. “But…if the brooch belonged to my mother, what makes you think I knew about the drawing at all? Or the name AVALON? Maybe I had no idea—”
“No way,” Nate shook his head. “You practically asked me to guard the ring before you died in your last life. You must have known about the drawing.”
“But….” Scarlet began to panic. “But if I had a reason to believe that this drawing was important, why did I hide it in the ring? Why didn’t I just tell you guys about it?”
Nate hesitated. “I’m not sure.”
Scarlet looked at Nate. “What did I say to you when I handed you the ring? Did I say it had something to do with a tree? Did I tell you it opened up?”
Nate looked up from the picture. “Uh…no. You just said ‘keep this safe’ and then you left and I never got a chance to ask you about it.”
“Why not?”
“Because you didn’t come back.”
“What do you mean?” Scarlet asked, more goosebumps littering her skin. “Did I die?”
An uncomfortable moment passed as Gabriel, Tristan and Nate all exchanged looks.
“Uh, no…” Nate swallowed. “You…sorta…ran away. From us.”
“I what?” Scarlet’s eyes grew. “Why would I do that?”
“That’s a good question.” Nate scratched the back of his head. “You, uh…you were kinda secretive in your last life.”
“I was?” Scarlet was more confused than ever.
Nate said, “Yeah. You were just a little guarded. I mean, you handed me that brooch without any explanation—”
“And you hid the arrow that could kill an immortal.” Tristan looked at her.
“And you stole a bunch of weapons…” Gabriel thought for a moment. “And some blood from Nate’s medical stash.”
Scarlet whipped her head around and stared at Gabriel.
“Ew,” Heather wrinkled her nose at Nate. “You collect blood? That’s nasty.”
Nate rolled his eyes. “I don’t collect blood. I keep samples of our blood for experiments. Primarily, to try and figure out how to heal Scarlet.”
Heather muttered, “Still gross.”
Scarlet shook her head. “I…I ran away? I stole weapons? I stole blood?”
I sound like a psychopath.
Scarlet dropped her head into her hands. “Why?” she whispered. “Why would I do those things?”
Without warning, the world began to spin and Scarlet’s eyes began to burn.
It was a heat worse than ever before, singeing her irises from the inside out.
“Scarlet?” Gabriel’s voice, filled with alarm, floated into her ears, but she couldn’t see him through the fire in her eyes.
“What’s happening?” Heather’s voice, just as fearful as Gabriel’s, came up behind Scarlet. “Scarlet? Are you okay?”
In an instant, the heat dissolved and Scarlet’s vision returned. As if nothing had happened.
Except something had happened. Scarlet’s eyes had flashed.
Nate was in Scarlet’s face, examining her eyes. “Can you see me?”
“Yes.” Scarlet blinked. “Are my eyes…are they glowing?” She looked around the room at the concerned faces of her friends and her hands began to shake.
At the far end of the room, Tristan stood with a pale face, fear pulsing out of him.
Scarlet looked at Gabriel. “Are my eyes okay?”
Standing beside her, Gabriel placed a gentle hand on her arm. “Your eyes are…very blue.”
“No. It’s too soon. I just came back to life!” Scarlet turned to Nate. “I can’t be sick yet. It’s not possible. Right? I’m fine. Right?”
Ohmygoodness, ohmygoodness.
Nate pursed his lips. “Your eyes flashed, Scarlet.”
“Her eyes flashed?” Heather’s voice was shaky. “What does that mean?”
Nate pressed his lips together. “It means—”
“It means my heart is breaking,” Scarlet answered, frustrated, scared and angry. “I’m starting to die.”
Tristan threw items into his worn duffel bag at warp speed. He didn’t have a plan, but he knew he had to leave.
He had to remove himself from Scarlet’s presence immediately.
Gabriel was right.
Tristan hated that Gabriel was right.
Zipping up the contents of his bag, he threw the strap over his shoulder, grabbed a jacket, and headed upstairs.
Everyone was in the kitchen, panicking and plotting. Feeling for Scarlet, he sensed that she had calmed down a bit, which eased his fear slightly.
Not much, though.
In the next room, Gabriel sounded stressed out and Heather was completely hysterical.
Tristan had to leave before he made things worse.
He’d just stepped out the front door when Nate’s voice came from behind him. “Where are you going?’
Tristan paused. “Away.”
Nate raised an eyebrow.
Tristan swallowed. “Scarlet’s getting worse. I have to go.”
“So, what? You’re just going to ditch us?”
“Yep.”
Nate took a step forward. “Dude—“
Tristan didn’t look back as he shut the door behind him and disappeared into the night.
27
Ana Jacobs heard footsteps outside the door of her hut and assumed it was Scarlet and Tristan returning from the forest. But when she turned to the door, Ana stopped short and her heart skipped a beat.
Francis.
“Hello, little sister,” said her only sibling. Everything about him looked healthy and strong. Except his eyes. His eyes looked hungry. Violent. Dead.
“How did you find me?” Ana was careful not to sound afraid.
Wearing leather and cotton, Francis looked well-off. But the jug strung at his hip, no doubt filled with blue water, told Ana otherwise. He cocked his head at an abnormal angle. “Desperate men can do anything.”
Yes. She knew this.
“What do you want?” she asked.
“You know what I want.” Francis stepped forward, gripping Ana by the sleeve of her dress. “Where is the map?”
Even though Ana had returned the blue water to Francis and William, she refused to let them have complete access to the very thing that stole their souls. So she had stolen Francis’s map and hid it away.