But a glimmer of hope…
Something beautiful, magical, was battling its way through the darkness, desperate to find him and refusing to give in. It would search for him until the end of time. It was vibrant, warm, loving, spiritual. His mind flooded with the mystical beauty of turquoise, shining in the darkness, its luminous splendour exposing his fear and confusion as the illusions they were. The darkness disintegrated as turquoise waters flooded over it, washing it away, restoring peace and tranquillity to his world. Healing turquoise waves washed over his soul, submerged his battered mind, bathing him in the scent of the ocean. Bathing him in love. His pain and fear were washed away as he was baptised by his little goddess of the sea.
Wanwisa.
Turquoise eyes.
Talia.
His wife. Talia’s husband, that’s who he was. Tears merged with the scarlet veil in front of his eyes as he regained his place in the mortal world. He needed sleep so badly, to rest his battered mind, but he would fight. He would battle to retain every sweet memory of Talia.
Her angel hawk was near, up above the boat, its cries frantic and urgent. He concentrated on the sound, his only connection with his precious wife. The hawk was the centre of his universe, the meaning of his life on earth. It was the only thing his shattered mind understood. His eyes rolled as he stared up at the agitated bird, following the direction of its piercing golden eyes. He fought against the dizziness and the sickness in his stomach, fought with all his might. If he succumbed to the demons dancing inside his head and belly, he would lose Isaac forevermore. Isaac. That was his name. His dazed eyes focused on a tiny figure, far, far away on the riverbank. She was too far away to be seen, but he saw. He saw what could not logically be seen, Talia’s face, the huge, haunted turquoise eyes of his new wife. Wanwisa, his little goddess of the sea. He was in the clutches of men who despised him and wished him dead, defenceless, injured, at their mercy. Every stroke of their oars took him further from his destiny, and he was losing control of his mind. But he did not despair. Despair had no place in Isaac. He was King of Cornicunia, but more importantly he was one half of Talia and Isaac – he belonged to her.
Bonded for all time, until eternity and beyond.
A lifetime of love stretched before them – Talia would not let that end. Talia would save him. He stared and stared and stared and Talia stared into his eyes too. They both saw the impossible. And in her haunted turquoise eyes, he saw salvation. Steely determination.
To get him back, get her husband back.
Talia’s Awakening
Too much love for her soul to contain, just like Isaac last night… She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, snuggling into the soft blankets as the glorious memories of their wedding day washed over her. The mystical story of her wedding dress, as profound and magical as any ancient fable, proof of destiny and fate… The ecstatic union of their wedding night, two souls bonded for all time, united in body and in spirit, in passion and in peace, in pleasure… Yesterday had been the day her entire life had been waiting for. Today she had awoken to gaze into Isaac’s love-struck eyes mirroring her own, and been overwhelmed by the joy they had been blessed with. After yet another glorious orgasm, her selfish eyes had closed, leaving her poor, neglected husband alone…
And now she was waking again but something was different. Wrong. So wrong. No Isaac, no reassuring new-husband-warmth. No sweet-smelling breath, no strong, muscular body pressed against hers. Her eyes sprang open and fell on a neatly folded piece of paper on her pillow. She opened it, her heart swelling with love as she read,
I’m having a secret moment, Talia, but it won’t stay secret for long. I’ll be back soon to share a surprise with my beautiful new wife.
I love you as no other has ever loved before.
Bonded for all time.
Your husband Isaac.
A promise of a secret to be shared with Isaac was a precious thing. So why was there such cold dread in the pit of her stomach? Why did she have an instinctive feeling a terrible transformation was about to take place? A wrecking of their world. Something was changing, her worst fears about to spring to life…
A chilling scream pierced through the silence, a distress call and a harbinger of doom in one devastating sound. She lay, frozen with fear, as Epiphany cried out, but he was not inviting her to fly with him. This was not his familiar high-pitched cry but something far more sinister. There would be no joyful journey to the spirit realms today. This was a sound she had never heard before and prayed she never would again, an agonised screech consumed with pain that vibrated through her body, sending violent shivers of horror through her soul. It was the sound of her worst fears come to life, a wrecking of their world…
She had to act. Fast.
Something was about to change…
She leapt from the bed, her heart hammering against her chest, and descended upon the nearest practical piece of clothing, the shirt and trousers worn by Isaac before their wedding, slung across the chair by their bed. Her stomach churned as her fingers tightened around her precious treasure, the little love note, her last contact with him. She shook her head, trying to stay focused as she buckled the belt tightly around the sagging waistband of Isaac’s trousers. Her beautiful husband was a giant compared to her. She ran out onto the corridor, her mind racing with fear and confusion as her body moved instinctively, driven by only one thought. Isaac. Save Isaac. But how could he not be safe? This was his palace, overflowing with brave courtiers and soldiers; how could he not be safe here? She trusted her Lokian intuition and ignored her rationale. She was right. She knew it. She must save Isaac. And she knew instinctively where she had to go.
The riverbank.
She clattered down the stairs and out onto the main corridor, sprinting towards the doors.
“Talia? What’s wrong with your hawk?”
Abraham’s shocked eyes widened at the sight of her, alone, the morning after her wedding, running madly along the corridor dressed in Isaac’s clothes. And she couldn’t reassure him for she couldn’t reassure herself, something terrible was happening in their world. There was not a second to spare…
“Something wrong! Isaac!” she gasped as she ran past him and heard his feet pounding on the stone floor as he raced after her.
“Talia! Talia!”
She ignored his calls, only one thought in her spinning mind. Isaac. Save Isaac. A long melodic whistle sounded from the riverbank, a message of impending doom. A message from Isaac wrecking their world. Both she and Abraham moved even faster, and as they clattered down the stone steps, he overtook her.
And her world imploded…
Her heart stopped beating.
…
Her soul shattered into tiny pieces as it absorbed the mindless wrecking of their world…
Epiphany screeched, again and again and again, the agony in the sound echoing the agony in her heart as she watched six Lokian men bundle Isaac into a rowing boat, scarlet ribbons of blood streaming from his head. But there was worse still to come. She saw Rowan swing the club before he did it, her stomach lurching as she felt the smash against Isaac’s skull, heard the sickening crunch of solid wood breaking her husband’s head. Rowan was destroying Isaac’s mind, shattering it into tiny pieces like her soul. Fury ignited inside her throbbing head and surged through her body as she shared Isaac’s suffering. He couldn’t speak or think clearly, couldn’t control his damaged mind. Talia’s people had destroyed it with their club… Her head spun, just like Isaac’s, his pain and confusion piercing her mind, branding it with searing shards of agony. Six of her people were destroying him, demons intent on dragging her husband to hell. She was sharing his thoughts, and they were devastating. She would share no more journeys to the spirit realms with her husband – her husband was in hell…
Isaac was wrong. So wrong. They would share many more journeys to the spirit realms, she would make sure of that.
But Isaac’s mind was disintegrating. He was terrified of losing his me
mories of her, of losing himself… He didn’t know his own name anymore. Fear gripped her soul as she felt his fragile grasp on the mortal world grow weaker, his mind slipping away and being dragged into a netherworld it would never escape. He was clinging to their love but his hold was tenuous. She had been wrong before. Their wedding day had not been the day her life had been waiting for, today was the reason for her presence on earth. Everything she had ever learnt and everything she had yet to discover was needed right now on this riverbank. She had to quell her rising panic and focus on helping Isaac, on saving his traumatised mind. She reached for the colour blue, her transcendental tool, sky blue just like Isaac’s eyes… She had to escape the confines of her physical body, fly to Isaac and infiltrate his mind. She begged the spirit realms for assistance and they didn’t let her down, their essence flooding her body, flowing through her blood, inhabiting her veins. She was no longer Talia, she was pure spiritual energy. Sky blue flooded the secret pathways of her brain, the mystical hidden wonders humankind rarely used…
And she opened the inner door of her enlightened mind and went in search of Isaac…
The intertwining of minds was an advanced practice. Isaac had no experience of such things, but he had the soul of a Lokian guru and they shared the pure spiritual energy of the colour blue. She believed in him as she had never believed in anything or anyone. She loved him as no other had ever loved before. Together they could do this. The darkness enveloping him was heavy and oppressive, making him question his place in the mortal world, robbing him of everything even his name. Her husband was lost, a disconnected spirit wandering blindly and alone. He had no home, no name, no wife. She was livid! She would not lose her husband the day after their wedding! She opened her eyes and stared boldly into the darkness, striding into it without fear. Isaac. I am coming for you. The thickest fog she had ever encountered wrapped itself around her, but she welcomed it because Isaac was hidden in its midst. The darkness was suffocating and impenetrable, but there was nothing malevolent lurking in its depths, no evil spectres plotting to drag her husband into madness and despair. The darkness was simply a result of Isaac’s injury and was nothing to fear. Trusting her instincts, she strode blindly through the thick, oppressive fog towards the faintest glimmer of sky blue.
Isaac’s untapped spiritual potential, the secret pathways of his mind, their shared spiritual energy.
Sky blue wrapped itself around sky blue, united in passion and peace and pleasure as her pure spiritual energy connected with his. She felt his soul relax, and she heard one sacred word.
Wanwisa.
Isaac knew she was there, knew she would save him. He was injured and confused but no longer in despair, he was clinging to the turquoise in her eyes. Epiphany was there, crying out in distress, trying to protect her husband. Her spirit animal would never give up, would fight for Isaac even when the odds seemed impossible. He knew they were destined to make many journeys to the spirit realms together.
She stared into Isaac’s dazed eyes as his blood trickled into them. He was fighting too. She saw strength and determination shining in his eyes, but she was too far away; she saw what could not logically be seen. And Isaac saw her too. He had discovered the power of his spiritual gifts – too late. Destiny had made a terrible mistake culminating in this cataclysmic morning the day after their wedding, and the spirit realms could not help them now. They must fight alone. This battle must take place in the mortal world.
She stood on the riverbank, clutching her treasured note, and watched her destiny being rowed away from her. They stared into each other’s eyes, and she was lost. Isaac was drowning in his own blood, submerged in the fogginess of his battered mind. Her husband was in mortal danger, of mind, body and spirit, and he was relying on her. She watched as the Lokian men rowed him further and further away, but she still saw the impossible, stared deep into his eyes as he stared into hers. They saw the impossible as they had on that first night, when they had seen their life together unfolding in each other’s eyes. Everything about Talia and Isaac was impossible, but it was real. It was destiny. It was truth. True love.
Bonded for all time.
She clung desperately to the note in her clenched fist and to the love in Isaac’s dazed eyes, and then the boat disappeared around the bend in the river, and her husband was gone. Her head swam, eager for the refuge of the spirit realms, but she forced it to remain in the present. She couldn’t think of the future or dwell in the past, and she couldn’t escape to the spirit realms. She couldn’t help Isaac there. She had to stay in the mortal world and fight. Only one thing mattered now, only one reason for breathing…
Get him back. Get Isaac back.
***********
“Get Isaac back.”
“Yes, Talia, we will. Breathe, sweetheart, please.”
She glared at Abraham. Why was he treating her like an idiot? She was breathing! She was strong. She had to be. Get Isaac back. It was the only thing that mattered.
“Get Isaac back.”
Bernard stared at her, a curious mix of despair and admiration in his eyes. “They want Jenna, let’s just give her to them.”
Bernard had turned to Abraham, everyone was turning to Abraham, awaiting his next words. The man most valued and respected by their king was unofficial leader now that king had gone.
“Get Isaac back.”
“Talia, please.”
Abraham’s voice was gentle, but Bernard was more direct. He moved closer and stared straight into her eyes. “We will get him back, Your Majesty, please, try to be strong.”
Why were they all treating her like an idiot? She was strong. She knew what had to be done!
“Get Isaac back.”
“She’s in shock, Bernard, understandably so.”
Was she? Abraham seemed to think so. She had stayed in the mortal world for the spirit realms could not help her now, but she was not behaving normally. All she could see was Isaac being rowed away from her, blood pouring into his eyes… so much blood. She was not in the palace, not in the great hall, surrounded by Isaac’s ashen-faced advisors. She was in that terrible moment, living it again and again and again. She felt everything Isaac felt and it was terrible. It was distracting her from her mission. She heard the distraught wailing of the women as if it were a million miles away – but it wasn’t. The women were in the great hall and so was she, and she had to return to the present and get Isaac back.
“We need to rescue Isaac. Now.”
She stared at Abraham, and what she saw was devastating. His face was pale and haggard, his eyes dark and haunted, his pain a heart-wrenching reflection of her own.
“Talia, please help me understand what your people are thinking. Why did they not just come to the palace and beg for your return? They must know we will do anything to get Isaac back. Kidnapping him makes no sense. If we go to war against them, your people will…”
Abraham bit his lip and closed his eyes. Talia knew he could not bear to say the words that would cause her yet more pain. If we go to war against them, your people will die. The Lokians would be wiped out, every last one of them destroyed in retribution for the loss of King Isaac. As Abraham’s eyes reopened, she nodded and he blew out a long agonised breath. “I’m sorry, Talia, but there was no need for this, it could have been so simple.”
“My people didn’t know that. All they know is that I was abducted by soldiers from the palace, my guru saw me being dragged away! And then Jenna was snatched too. My people will think we have been abused and defiled, they will have no trust in Isaac or his court anymore. Taking him was an act of desperation, their only chance of seeing me and Jenna again.”
Abraham stared silently into her eyes for a moment. “Why didn’t they try to trade Isaac for you on the riverbank? That was the obvious thing to do.”
She shook her head. “No, Abraham, they have no trust left. They would have expected Isaac’s soldiers to kill us all after the trade was completed. Jenna and I were snatched from our home!
You are a sensitive, intelligent man, I am sure you can imagine how you would feel in their position.”
Abraham’s face became paler still, despair and fury burning in his eyes. “This should never have happened. When Isaac took you he didn’t mean to…” He shook his head violently. “No, there is no point revisiting past mistakes, what is done is done. Good God! How many men were there? Five or six? A handful sneaking up the narrow river bend! We didn’t anticipate such bravery and loyalty; we were foolish and complacent. We should have been on high alert.”
“It wasn’t your fault.” She stared blankly at him, the oppressive weight of doom crushing her spirit. She was defeated. The loss of Isaac was too great to bear and it was her fault, Isaac was in mortal danger because of her. “This happened because of me, because of our wedding. Everyone was celebrating, relaxed and happy – it was a day for joy, but I knew something was wrong and I ignored it. All day I felt a portent of doom coursing through my blood. It was part of me as surely as Isaac is part of me. I knew something terrible was going to happen but I ignored my intuition, I pushed it aside to selfishly enjoy my wedding day and now Isaac is paying the terrible price. And all because he wanted to surprise me.”
She handed Abraham the crumpled piece of paper she had clung to ever since she woke. His eyes fixed on hers as he unfolded it, and a solitary red rose petal floated to the ground. Bernard cleared his throat as Abraham read the note out loud.
I’m having a secret moment, Talia, but it won’t stay secret for long. I’ll be back soon to share a surprise with my beautiful new wife.
I love you as no other has ever loved before.
Bonded for all time.
Your husband Isaac.
“Talia, I’m sorry. This is private, between you and Isaac, I shouldn’t have read it aloud.”
Talia and Isaac Page 47