Orenda

by Silver, Ruth

  “You should be prepared for what happens next.” Hudson glanced at Lil, giving her hand a tentative squeeze. “The Mystics will decide if you're fated to reach the springs.”

  “What?” Lil's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. “And if I'm not?” Was this all for nothing?

  “Just be honest, with yourself and with the Mystics. You want to go home, right?”

  “Of course I want to go home.” There was a slight hint of uncertainty in her voice. What if she wasn't worthy?

  “Good.”

  They reached the clearing in the forest, finding the others waiting for them. Before continuing, Hudson worked to remove the sword from Lil's back. “What are you doing?” she asked. Arianna unstrapped the sheath, and Hudson and Rawlie removed it from around Lil's shoulders.

  “You can't go in armed.” Hudson found her hand and squeezed it one last time before he dropped the gentlest of kisses to her lips. “In case I don't see you again,” he whispered and pulled away.

  Lil felt conflicting emotions pulling her in every direction. She wanted to go home, but there was something about Hudson too; she wasn't ready to say goodbye to him yet. When he'd kissed her, she felt her heart quicken and her insides melt. He was her first kiss and she was going home to another universe and would never see him again. Her heart ached. She wanted to reach back to kiss him again, but she was devoid of courage. Lil gave him the faintest smile she could muster and reached for Jamie's hand. Together they walked through the tall grasses and across the land to the giant stones just outside the reach of the springs. They both stopped, afraid to edge any closer. Hudson had told Lil she'd face the Mystics before reaching the spring, but there was no sight of them.

  “I'm scared,” Jamie said. He dropped her hand and glanced around, waiting for the Mystics to come.

  Lil glanced back, but it was impossible to see her friends in the dark. “Don't be. This is what we came for, right?” She took a step forward between the two giant pillars of stone. They were taller than Lil, reaching much higher than any human could ever stand. When she was centered between both stones, she froze in place.

  “Lil, watch out!” Jamie shouted.

  A purple and blue glow surrounded her. She didn't move and couldn't seem to breathe. Was it because she didn't belong in this world, or was this the ritual? Jamie’s voice seemed distant to Lil. A shadow crossed in the darkness. Her eyes blinked and the world changed.

  “You want to go home.”

  “You're the Mystics,” Lil said, though her mouth never moved. Her body was trapped between the pillars. She imagined running through blossoming fields. Laughing, she smiled and fell to the ground, the bed of flowers soft and plush, as she stared up at the blue sky. This was her home, her world, exactly how she envisioned it.

  “I am what you say I am,” the voice answered. “You've come for one reason—to go home.”

  Lil sat up, realizing she was wearing a white chiffon dress. She didn't wear gowns or dresses. Whose reality was this anyhow? She stood. “I do. I want to go home,” Lil said, “to my world.”

  “You are home,” the voice answered with a hint of satisfaction. “Yet, you wish to leave.” She could hear the Mystics’ thoughts. She nodded. “All right, but know that what one desires is what the springs provide. The first desire, not the second.”

  “I don't understand.” Lil frowned. “I want to go home.”

  “You desire many things, Willow.” The Mystics used her given name. “You want to go home. That can be your destiny. Your power to travel from Orenda to your world. You may pass through to the springs, but be careful, for if you desire something more than home—that may be in your reach.”

  “There's nothing I want more,” Lil said, walking through the colored fog. It vanished behind her. She walked to the edge of the spring and bent down, reaching her fingers toward the water, but she didn't disturb the surface just yet. She hesitated. The water sparkled and glowed. The power illuminated the surface, urging her to choose her desire and it to become real. She stared down at her reflection, the Mystics’ words echoing in her head. What could she want more than to go home?

  “Willow!” Jamie's scream startled her. Lil pulled her hand back, and the light from the spring vanished in an instant.

  Turning around, she caught sight of Jamie lying motionless on the ground. “Jamie!” she screamed in horror. A pool of red seeped through his shirt. She rushed to his side, bending down to his level. “Who did this to you?” The words caught in her throat. He blinked once, twice, and when she pulled back from him, she found his hand soaked and crimson.

  “Eilith.” He choked on his own blood.

  “No. No!” she shouted, shaking her head in denial. She’d heard his scream, but hadn’t been able to save him. “Hang on. Just, hang on, please, Jamie.” Tears fell as she rushed back through the stone oracle. It seemed as if an eternity passed before she reached the springs. She dove in, the warmth of the water bubbled and sizzled around her until the springs lit up.

  “Jamie!” She could hear Willow's scream.

  Lil pushed herself out of the springs, dripping from head to toe. “Healing,” she said loud and clear. “You wanted to know my most desired power, what I want above all else—healing. I need to save Jamie.” It wasn't a question; it was what she needed to do.

  Lil jogged back toward him with her gown dripping wet. The weight slowed her down, but she ignored it. She didn't know when the Mystics changed her clothes, or when the new power consumed her. She felt it though, spreading through her like fire under her skin. There would be no smoke and no sizzle, just intense flames. “Let me help him!” Lil shouted as she approached. Willow was bent down, cradling him, rocking his lifeless body in her arms. Tears stained her cheeks and soaked her shirt. Lil gently pushed Willow away. “I can save him!” It went against every reason for why they'd come, but she had no other choice.

  “Let her try.” Rawlie pulled Willow back.

  The ground vibrated and the steam of the springs inched toward them. “Eilith,” Hudson said, turning. With his back to Lil and Jamie, he tried to protect them. He drew the dagger from his side, holding it steady in his hands.

  A dark, sinister laugh filled the air along with thick black smoke. Willow coughed. Rawlie stood beside her, raising his weapon. “I know you're there,” he called out to Eilith. “Don't be a coward. Show yourself!”

  Eilith’s laughter stopped. The smoke coalesced in one area before it turned into a vortex and she appeared. The haze she'd brought dissipated. “Seems I ruined your plans.” She grinned, proud of her accomplishments. “Can’t let anyone else have the ability to travel between worlds. Didn't the Mystics warn you I was coming?” she taunted. “Guess they're not as high and mighty as they pretend to be.”

  Lil didn't answer. Her hands rested over the blood on Jamie's body. Her mind was in a meditative state, doing everything possible to heal him. It was slow and exhausting, but it was working. She didn’t have room for distractions. Though Eilith was there, her voice seemed distant, like a memory from another time, another life.

  Hudson lunged forward, dagger in hand, trying his best to cut Eilith. With every step he took forward, he found himself shrouded in mist, her body nowhere in sight. She appeared behind him on the third swing. “I could have killed you, boy,” she hissed. Her magic was a reminder that she held the cards and almost all the power.

  “You won't kill me.” Willow took the sword that Lil had sported and wielded it in one hand. Though it was heavy, she showed no signs of struggle.

  “Why wouldn't I? I just killed your brother to keep Lil from using the Mystics to get home!” Eilith bellowed, flashing her double set of razor-sharp teeth. “I have everything I need from you and Bray. Your blood, mixed with Mystic water, and dirt from Bray’s world, on his shoes, compiled into a potion has given me access to the other world.” She charged at Hudson, snapping her teeth at him like a wild beast in the night, attacking her prey.

  Hudson jumped back to avoid he
r bite, his arm striking out to stab her with the dagger. He couldn’t pierce her without feeling her teeth against his flesh.

  “Do you really think you have a fighting chance?” Eilith’s right hand shot up, her nails sparking bolts of lightning, shooting electricity at Willow.

  The first bolt missed Willow, but the second bounced off the sword and into Arianna’s necklace, turning it to ash and burning her flesh with heat. Arianna’s eyes widened in shock.

  Willow jumped to her feet and dodged two more bolts of lightning, somersaulting out of the way. She kept away from her brother, letting Lil try to save him. Eilith didn't let up. With the sword in hand, Willow pushed back at Eilith, causing her to duck and disappear as she went in for the kill. “I will make you pay for this!” Willow shouted at the mist in front of her.

  Eilith rematerialized behind Willow. “Is that so?” She gripped Willow by the neck and lifted her off the ground. Willow dropped the sword, her feet kicking at air, as she clawed at Eilith’s grip, her lungs gasping for breath. Both hands came up to Eilith's, trying to pry them away.

  “Let her go!” Arianna plunged the dagger into Eilith’s back.

  Willow’s body hit the ground with a thud, and she coughed and heaved until she could breathe normally again. “Where'd she go?” The mist evaporated, and when the air cleared, there was no sign of Eilith anywhere.

  Arianna stood over Willow, shaking her head. “Probably back to the castle. She's got my dagger,” she said, remembering how she shoved it into Eilith's back. It wouldn't have killed her, but it slowed her down.

  Rawlie smiled. “Remind me to get you a new one.” He bent down to Willow, brushing the hair out of her eyes. “Are you okay?”

  Willow stood and walked through the darkness toward the two figures on the ground. “Jamie?” Her voice caught in her throat.

  “Willow?” he asked, confused.

  “Oh, Jamie!” She bent down, grateful he was breathing. She squeezed Jamie tightly, and his arms encircled her. “Thank you,” she said to Lil.

  Lil nodded, pushing herself up off the ground. It was a welcome feeling to know he was alive, breathing with a beating heart. Lil’s white dress was covered in mud, dirt, and blood. It was disgusting. She glanced down before looking up at Hudson and found him staring at her.

  “When did you have time to change?” He gave her a weak smile. “What you did back there was brave.”

  “Or stupid.” She didn't regret saving Jamie's life, but she had no idea how she was ever going to get back home.

  “I might be able to help,” Jamie said. “I haven't jumped into the spring yet.”

  Willow laughed, ruffling the hair atop Jamie's head. “Usually you don't go swimming in the spring. You can put your hand in the water.” She kissed his cheek.

  Jamie walked through the pillars, and the Mystics did not stop him. He wondered why his entrance was different from Lil’s, but he didn’t ask. Jamie bent down and ran his hand through the water, smiling as the slight blue and purple ripple flowed from the water through his arm. He stared at the surface, his eyes widening when he saw a young girl with open eyes, holding her breath. A few bubbles slipped past her lips. She didn’t open her mouth, but he could hear her words.

  “Run!”

  The words startled him, not only their tone but the voice. It was Arianna’s, he was certain of it. He blinked, the vision fading quickly before his eyes. “I don’t understand.” He glanced at his sister and friends a few yards away. He walked through the pillars back to the others. “What do you think I can do?”

  “I've no idea,” Hudson said. “I still don’t know what my gift is.”

  Jamie reached out to touch Lil. “I want to send her home.” He ran his hand over and across Lil's arm, imitating his sister’s actions. Nothing happened. Lil hadn't moved between dimensions. He was slightly disappointed.

  Willow walked over, placing a hand on her brother's back. “I don't think that's your gift. It has to be something you want above all else.”

  “Oh,” Jamie said. A part of him didn’t want Lil to leave. He was growing to love her almost as much as Willow. “I miss Mom and Dad,” he confessed as he walked toward the spring.

  “I don’t even think the Mystics have that power,” Willow said, kissing her brother’s cheek. There was no moonlight and few stars bright enough to shine on them.

  A single tear trickled down Jamie’s cheek. “Not even for one day?”

  “I’m sorry.” Willow wrapped her arms around him.

  “We should go now, before Eilith returns,” Hudson said.

  Rawlie drove hard on the road, whipping around turns and doing his best to get them to the safety of their home before Eilith spotted their car. Dawn broke hours ago. Willow and Hudson managed a few hours of sleep on the drive back. Lil, however, was exhausted.

  The top of the convertible was up. They were crammed inside, but the car offered them minimal protection. The sky filled with low hanging scarlet clouds, so close it was as if the passengers could almost touch them. “It's going to rain,” Rawlie said, the vein bulging on his forehead from frustration.

  Lil glanced beside her in the backseat at Hudson. “Rain?” She didn't see the big deal in a little weather.

  “There's rain and then there's weather brought on by Eilith,” Hudson said. He gazed out the window. “If we're lucky, it's just a little drizzle. At least we're not in the forest anymore with the weather moving in so soon.”

  The rest of the drive was silent. Rawlie concentrated on the road and the incoming storm. The wind was kicking up when he pulled into the sanctuary by the main doors. Everyone climbed out while Hudson unlocked the doors, granting access just as the first drops of red fell from the sky. It looked like blood.

  “What the hell was that?” Lil asked, wide-eyed. Hudson secured the door and led them through the protected hallway past another set of doors and into the main area of the sanctuary.

  “A storm brought on by Eilith,” Hudson said.

  “The one Rawlie worried about earlier?” Lil guessed.

  He nodded. He didn't have to say anything else; by now, Lil figured Eilith spent her waking moments tormenting them.

  Lil headed to the training arena to put the sword and sheath away before glancing at Hudson and the others standing around the sanctuary. “I think I'm going to head up to bed for a bit.” Lil pointed to the stairs.

  “You’re not the only one.” Rawlie struggled to keep his eyes open.

  Lil headed up the staircase for her room.

  “Wait up.” She heard Hudson's voice and spun around to see him climbing up after her. She gave him a curious look, wondering why he had stopped her from going upstairs.

  “Don't open your window. Okay?”

  Lil smiled. “Obviously. It's raining blood.” She rolled her eyes, mocking him. “I wasn't planning on it.”

  “I'm serious,” Hudson said. He gently gripped her arm. “Eilith has ways of getting to people. During these types of storms, she searches them out, hunts them. It's when she’s strongest.”

  Lil’s smile faltered. “Oh, okay. I won't. What do you mean she hunts them?” Her stomach somersaulted.

  Hudson gestured for them to finish the walk upstairs, and he followed her to her room. “The sanctuary has protections on it. Sometimes during a storm she has a little more power or we have a little less ability.” He tried to explain. “Just keep inside and leave the windows shut and you'll be fine.”

  “Right,” Lil said. “Thanks for the warning.” She reached for his hand, giving it a tentative squeeze before letting go. “I'll see you later.”

  “You kissed me earlier, out by the springs.” He smiled the boyish smile that made Lil uncomfortable. She'd never been good with boys, always awkward and pushing them away.

  “You kissed me,” Lil reminded him. She hadn't the courage to kiss him, even when she wanted to, though she wasn't about to admit it to him. That would be a disaster.

  “Oh, that's right. I did do that.” H
udson grinned, remembering the kiss. “Should we try that again?” He tilted his head to the side, watching her. He was close enough to reach out, wrap his arms around her waist, and draw her in for another kiss, but he didn't move.

  “Yes, I uh, yeah, you kissed me,” Lil stammered.

  “You said that already.” Hudson reached closer, brushing a stray hair behind her ear. “Are you nervous?”

  Lil's heart seemed to pound outside of her chest. “What do I have to be nervous about?” She swallowed the lump forming in her throat.

  Hudson stayed close and smiled. “You tell me. I don't bite.”

  Her cheeks flushed, and her eyes darkened. The room felt ten degrees hotter. “That's good to know.” Lil itched the back of her neck with her hand, though it wasn't bothering her. It was more of a nervous gesture, a habit she'd acquired when she didn't know what to do with her hands. Just like one would play with their hair when flirting, but her awkwardness made her flirting ridiculous and uninviting. “I'm uh, going to lie down,” she said. “I'll see you later.”

  “Sleep well.”

  She closed the door, leaving him out in the hallway and waited a moment, hearing his footsteps retreating down the stairs, before she walked toward the bed. Her heart was pounding like the rain outside. She glanced toward the window, seeing it stained red, and groaned in disgust. Rain should not be crimson. Only in stories about plagues did you hear about such unnatural things. Lil pushed back the covers and climbed into bed. She turned her back to the window, wishing she were home in her own bed, safe and sound.

  Willow glanced at the doorway of the study as Hudson walked into the room. “Admit it. You're glad she's still here” she said. Willow kept her arm around Jamie, not wanting to let him out of her sight. Now that he was alive again, she vowed not to let anything ever happen to him again. Even if it meant keeping him under lock and key.

  “Aren't you?” Hudson asked.

  “I am grateful. We'll find a way to get her home. Somehow.” Willow had no conceivable thought on how it was possible. She'd lost her own abilities, and the doorway that Bray had come through was a one-way ticket.