by Cale Madison
“Now we’re one.” I said. She smiled and kissed me, harder than I’ve ever remembered. She smelled of raspberries and herbs from our garden back home. Her taste was like the sweetest nectar you could imagine. I placed my hands on her waist and pulled her close to me, as if I never wanted to let go again.
“You’re all I’ll ever need in this life and whatever life that awaits us beyond,” she said to me, “do not ever forget that. Whatever comes knocking at our door may come to pass, but this, what we have right now, we have forever.”
“Promise.” I said and embraced her once more.
As our ship sailed through the remainder of the day, we often stood by that railing, looking into eachothers’ eyes as if glimpsing into reflections of our weary souls. I had no desire nor intention to let this woman go. Aketa held me close, reminding me of all the happier details awaiting us in Mercia. She described, “The color changing of leaves and the shedding of oak trees in the forest...a soft breeze on our roof as the sun goes down..watching the stars on our backs on a clear night.”
“I miss it already.” I told her with absolute truth behind every word. Some manner of irregularities struck me as odd, something I had noticed from the moment we had left the Crescent Moon. A devious thought wormed its way into my brain, feeding on the radiance in my tired heart to remind me of our harsh reality. Skalige felt the torment, the same as I.
I looked at my wife as these thoughts broke the surface. If we had never left the Djinn’s realm and I had indeed not found him as he requested, this was far from the worst outcome imaginable. Taking in the glorious, everlasting glow of the sun as it began to set across the horizon, I stood there with my wife at my side, readying myself for the long voyage home. The brisk, salty air ran across my skin, reminding me of the freezing cold atop North Mountain and the water splashing against my feet helped me to recall traversing Rubia’s world of paint. The nightmares were all crumbling away in the past now, it seemed. Aketa’s touch felt like thousands upon thousands of burning needles to my heart. Compared to this woman, nothing else mattered.
It all seemed so far away now. The pressure that once plagued my brain, the waves of drowning anxiety and feelings of hopelessness were now completely gone, blown away by the sea breeze. The screeching of seagulls, the crashing of water as it broke against the ship’s hull drowned out the rest of the loud world, leaving me with only my love and a glorious, remarkable story to tell once we made it home.
* * * * * *
Aketa looks at me from beneath the flickering candle lights as the party unfolds around us; merrymaking company and jesting charlatans alike, all have arrived to our home to celebrate our return. Red wine flows from a multitude of barrels, flowing freely into port stained lips. I embrace every glorious second of our return to Port Mercia, greeting our estranged friends and breathing that familiar, salty air again. Her green eyes shine in the light of the moon, her glowing smile serves as the torch to the surrounding darkness.
We mingle among the common folk, we laugh and sing to the music being played on the street; my feet move to the rhythm as I stare into my wife’s eyes and I feel the searing, palpable tension between us. She kisses my cheek and proceeds to lead me through the partying guests. As we walk, my ears catch a familiar voice, whispering from behind me. I turn to lay my eyes upon the face of a demon, standing at the central point of the festivities. Nobody sees him or hears him...nobody except for me. A surge of panic oozes through my veins, rooting me to the spot as I lock eyes with the devil’s black, soulless eyes.
The Djinn’s silky whispers reach my ears, “Caine Mercer, you’re out of time.”
To be continued...
