by Lisa Rector
Catrin wanted to dissolve into the stream. His darkness. Her light. Killers and healers. Both of them bore scars. Meuric was the only one to bear his for the world.
“If you don’t move, you’ll get cold,” Meuric reached over and grabbed her hand, feeding her body light.
“Oh… yes.” Tears sat on the edge of her emotional wall. His light evaporated them away.
Meuric resumed his bath, politely turning away.
Catrin rubbed the cloth over her body—as well as her tired arms could manage. She reached under the chemise, grimacing as her hands pushed the cloth over her subtle swell of breasts. After all her necessary parts were cleansed, Catrin even scrubbed her chemise while she wore it. Well, she might say scrubbed, but she barely worked the fabric, creating a sorry excuse for lather.
She peeked over her shoulder a few times and noticed Meuric with his arm up or Meuric reaching around his back. His toes were out of the water at one point as he worked the cloth between each one. He caught her ogling him and smiled. “I wouldn’t want you to have any excuse to say I smelled.”
Catrin’s face burned. She was ready to get out. She had no more strength to clean any more of her body. Her shoulders wilted as she sat on the pebbly bottom of the stream and shivered. Before she said anything, Meuric’s arms found her, and she drank his heat from him, eager to have another taste of his light.
Meuric reached for her leg under the water, sliding his palm along her calf as he lifted her foot to inspect it. “You passed the test. Your toes are clean. I was worrying about the green fungus growing between them.”
“Meuric!” Catrin rapped him weakly on the chest.
Meuric grabbed her hand and planted a slow, hungry kiss upon it.
“You missed a spot.” He growled, low and impatient. Meuric took the cloth from her and twisted her hair to the side. His desire and ache and restraint swirled through her.
Catrin gasped and whimpered as his hand slid under her garment to wash her back. She held her breath and chewed her bottom lip, suppressing her emotions while pushing Meuric’s overwhelming ones away. He was careful, despite his want for her, and didn’t say anything, or act on his clear impulses, for which Catrin was grateful.
Clearing her throat, Betrys was waiting on the bank with a blanket held open.
Meuric abruptly pulled his hand away and lifted Catrin out of the water. As water poured off them, he set Catrin down and wrapped the blanket around her. Betrys patted Catrin’s rump dry, and Meuric brushed her hair from her face. He reached up to the base of her neck, and intense heat rushed into her.
Breathless and dry, Catrin parted her lips as she noticed how moist and red and how close Meuric’s mouth was.
His tantalizing lips moved. “There. How do you feel?”
“Better. Refreshed. Thank you.” She never wanted to look away from his mystically blue eyes. She felt safe with Meuric. And right. And clearheaded.
“How do I smell?” His eyes crinkled at the edges.
Catrin leaned, touching her nose to his skin, and sniffed Meuric’s neck. He smelled like stream water and floral-scented oils. He also had a musky, rich aroma. She closed her eyes and lingered, touching him. Finally, she pulled away and said, “Like a man.”
Betrys cleared her throat, huffed loudly, and started back to the house with the bucket banging against her leg.
“Time to go,” Meuric said.
Catrin wobbled on her legs and reluctantly agreed. She was ready to sleep for another week.
***
Catrin leaned her head against Meuric’s shoulder as they sat on a cut log in Glynis’s garden. Red, orange, and yellow flowers grew on long stems around them, making Catrin think of how she used to hide in the fields of wild flowers back home. Glynis gathered herbs in the corner near the house. As she bent and snipped, a small bump protruded below her fur-covered navel.
“She’s carrying,” Meuric said. “Due the following spring.”
“How wonderful.” Catrin studied the scruff on his jaw. “What else have I missed?”
“Dewydd told me about the cataclysm. He explained that the ‘whole world’ shook violently for hours. The trees quaked, and the animals and birds hid. A few Eilian returned to their village afterward. It’s completely underwater.”
“I’m pleased they moved their village when they did. I have a feeling other coastal villages didn’t have the same opportunity.” Catrin frowned, thinking about the lives that might have been lost.
“Dewydd told me that from the treetops he can see that the shape of the coast has been changed. The waters have risen and haven’t receded yet.”
“Can they see the desert?” Catrin asked. “Has the ground been cast up?”
“Yes. Beyond the great river of water, the desert dries out more every day. The waters that have overflowed their banks will soon be sucked into the depths.”
Catrin nodded. “Tell me more about the progress of the villages. I know you haven’t seen them, because you’ve been with me, but surely Betrys and Glynis have told you details.”
“Aye. Glynis is somewhat of an engineer. She showed me her plans for the system of lifts and pulleys. The Eilian have built several dozen houses just below the canopy. The whole ordeal has been ‘quite an undertaking,’ she said. First they cut wood and lifted it into the sky. The tegyd forged long metal spikes to attach the houses to the trees and build the platforms. The Eilian and tegyd have worked day and night, which is why Beli’s not around.”
Catrin touched Meuric’s hand. “I’m delighted the work’s coming along. It’s remarkable to see the beginning. When we return to our time, I’ll take you to their completed village in the treetops.”
“I’d like that, Catrin.” Meuric pulled her to her feet. “Time for more exercise.” They ambled with ever-increasing frequency as her strength grew.
Catrin held on to Meuric’s arm, and they walked out of the garden and onto the village path. Several Eilian children played with tegyds. The Eilian, some only two feet in height, kicked a leather ball. Their short legs were no match for the twice-as-tall tegyd and their strong hooves. Laughter followed Catrin down the street. Girls romped in gardens with their cloth and stick dollies. The doll heads had been carved from a branch, with strips of braided cloth for hair or sticks for antlers. Occasionally a mother called for a child or broke up a senseless argument.
Catrin paused. Seeing all the joy pulled at her heart. She wanted to go home.
“Are you feeling well?” Meuric asked.
“You can’t sense my feelings?” Catrin replied.
“I wanted to ask—to be polite.”
“I appreciate that, Meuric, but I don’t mind anymore.”
“Oh? Why’s that?” He grinned at her. She liked his teasing and his smiles.
“After everything we’ve been through, there’s nothing left for me to hide from you.” Catrin ruffled Meuric’s hair. “Besides, I have a feeling you’ve been meaning to say something to me.”
“Catrin, whatever do you mean?”
“Back in Gorlassar you said something that you haven’t repeated since. I know it’s still true.” Her fingers ran over the stubble on Meuric’s cheek. How she wanted to touch him all the time!
“You know me, Catrin. I’m always waiting for the right moment.”
She laughed. “Let’s head back to the house.” They turned, but Catrin kept talking. “We should say our goodbyes tonight. I want to go to the desert. I want you to take me there, and I want you to move us through time.”
Meuric smoothed his hair. “I don’t want to disappoint you, but I haven’t figured out how we’re ether jumping through time.”
“We have to try. We’ve done what we’ve set out to do on this plane of existence. It’s time to go home.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
AT LAST
A huge farewell gathering was held in the center of the village. Tables were laden with food and flowers. Music and laughter filled the air. Humble little Eilian and pro
ud tegyd danced together.
Dylis knitted Meuric a new cap—even though it was summer. She wanted to make sure he had plenty to remember her. In Meuric’s absence, she had caught the heart of Iefan the cobbler, and they danced together at the edge of the crowd.
Meuric conceded to Beli when he asked Catrin to dance, as long as he didn’t tire her. So Meuric stared as they swayed. Catrin had finally told him everything that happened while she traveled to Gorlassar without him. Meuric couldn’t help being overprotective of her, especially after what she’d endured. He’d like to punch the Dark Master in the face, but he was locked away in a place where Meuric would thankfully never tread.
Glynis sat beside Meuric, and she too watched her husband with Catrin. She smiled and rubbed the bump of their first child, not jealous one lick.
“She’s truly blessed,” Glynis said. “She’ll make you a splendid wife, and you shall have handsome children. Your son will look like his mother. He’ll have her green eyes.”
Meuric shook his head, almost not believing what he heard. “Is this a fortune? Are you telling me something without a riddle?”
“We don’t always speak in riddles.” Glynis observed Meuric. “You don’t have to be jealous of my husband. Our people are flirtatious, but once we have our mate, our love is complete. Notice the way Beli looks at me. You’ll see it. You look at Catrin the same way. You love her completely.”
“Yes, I do.”
“You are waiting for her to return the love. She’ll say it. You know she loves you, and you don’t want to press her.”
“I have great patience.”
Glynis patted his hand. “We’ll miss you. The little people talked ceaselessly of the two travelers who brought them great adventure.”
Meuric laughed. “They do talk ceaselessly.”
Glynis laughed too.
***
After exchanging tearful goodbyes, Meuric hugged Catrin tightly as the faces around them looked on. Catrin wanted to see the underwater village for herself, so they planned to ether jump to the edge of the Eilian’s former village, to the same spot where they first saw the forest change before setting off on their journey. Once there, they would ether jump to the rift and figure out how to pass through time.
Dewydd assured Meuric their destination was above water. “Ya’ll not arrive submerged. Though the shock of the devastation might be enough to sink ya to your knees. ’Tis a shame. Such lovely homes we had.”
The end of their adventure would start at the journey’s beginning.
Pressure and darkness pushed on Meuric as he thought of the exact location. His eyes opened upon Catrin’s gasp.
The late sun had yet to set, but behind them the forest’s trees veiled any orange glow. Shadows covered the landscape, and a quarter moon hung in the sky. The fence around the village was gone. The wood had been harvested and moved in shipments to be used in the new village before the cataclysm struck. The tegyd and Eilian had been busy, trekking back and forth. Meuric was dismayed that he couldn’t have been of assistance.
A clear view of stagnant water spread out before them. Chimney tops poked from the surface, making the remnants of the village eerie.
Catrin squeezed his hand. “I’m grateful they found us in the ocean. Can you believe this? How strange this all is. The water will eventually recede because the capital of Rolant will be built.”
They stood for a few moments longer. “Meuric, I’ve been thinking; we were shoved through time from the top of a cliff, which, in this time, isn’t here. How will you find the exact spot?”
“I’ll ether jump to the spot we fell from, cliff or no cliff. I’ll feel the energy. I have a connection to it, because when we moved through time, a rift opened there. It should be tangible, like the entrance at Gorlassar.”
“So we’ll appear midair and fall?”
“Yes. How high was the cliff?”
“Forty feet from the desert floor, at most.” Catrin replied.
Meuric squared his shoulders. “I can handle the drop. It’s the same distance as the plunge to the water.”
Catrin wrung her hands together. “I can’t in my current condition.”
“Climb onto my back and hold on. You’ll be fine.”
Catrin inclined her head, but regarded Meuric as if she was deliberating. She sighed when he crouched for her to climb on. After wrapping her arms around Meuric’s neck, she pressed her cheek to his stubbly jaw. He shifted her higher on his back as he grunted to his feet. “All right, here we go.”
Meuric barely had time to get his bearings since he appeared with no footing. With less than a second to draw on his light, he prepared for impact and landed in a squat with his hands bracing him. The sand felt like a shifty sponge.
Catrin slid off his back. “That was thrilling. Not as exciting as falling into the ocean with a complete stranger, mind you.”
Meuric chuckled as he inspected the sky. Nothing compared with that day. “I felt the energy. It’s just as I suspected. We need to go up there.”
“Can you raise the ledge?”
“If you don’t mind me using my darkness.”
Catrin touched his hand. “I do mind. You can do the same with your light.”
Meuric shifted his weight. “I’m not sure I know how.”
Catrin moved behind Meuric and placed her hands on either side of his head. He grabbed her hands, keen on pulling her into his arms, but a strange thrill coursed through him as Catrin whispered, “I’ll show you how. You’ll see exactly how to call to the elements. First, tell me how you use your power.”
A part of Meuric didn’t want to share something so intimate, something so sinister. If Catrin didn’t know all of his dark deeds already, she’d see his final ugly fraud. But he trusted Catrin, and he loved her.
As he spoke his words, he opened his mind to her. “I’ll show you the power of the Dark Master and how he makes a mockery of Deian’s creations. I multiply the dark mass inside until it bursts from me, barely controlled. I seek the earth’s elements with my dark matter as I thrust the energy into the earth, expanding the elements beyond the boundaries of their existence. Not creating, but mutating until the elements bend enough for me to manipulate them.”
There. He had shown her. The dark power corrupted every organic form of life or element it touched. The reality was brutal, but the truth couldn’t be hidden. Regrettably, Meuric had used this truth his whole life.
And he would use it to return home, to cross the barrier of time.
“That’s how it’s done,” Meuric exclaimed. “The dark matter changed the ribbon of time and marred a path right through the void until we were dropped here.”
“Good, Meuric. You’re beginning to see.”
Before the end, your eyes will see. Did Beli mean that Meuric would have a greater understanding of how his powers worked? That accursed tegyd. Why didn’t he ever explain anything straightforwardly?
Her hands trembled against Meuric’s head.
“You shouldn’t be doing this. Looking inside me is draining you.”
“It’s all right. I’ll show you how to use the light now. Don’t let go of me.”
“Never.”
A flash of images, but mostly feelings, filled Meuric.
“With the power of light, feel for the vibrations of the light spectrum. Feel their waves. Let them build inside you. The undulations grow stronger and more powerful.”
Rainbows of light moved through his heart-center as Catrin spoke of their energy, along with exultation, fulfillment, and acceptance. Deep in his core, Meuric wanted the light—his purpose was to be with the light and with Catrin.
“The ground will shake and groan as you reach with the long arm of your light. It’s the same as looking into a body when you heal, except you’re looking into the earth, through the layers of rock. From the bottom of the bedrock, you’ll push up, moving particles to take the empty space and support the structure. Build your foundation simultaneously as you push heavenw
ard with the rock.”
The form of the cliff took shape in his mind. The ground shook as Meuric’s energy increased. He reached through the layers of earth as he saw them, diving with his mind, and began to push the structure up. Shame rolled away as light filled him, but fear held him back and prevented the light from consuming him. “I can’t be free from my dark past. I need the dark power to take you home, Catrin.”
Sand vibrated to the side, releasing the foundation into the sky. In a matter of minutes, Meuric finished.
He dropped to his knees and ground his fingers into the sand. “I couldn’t let my darkness go. I’m not like you, Catrin. I don’t know if I can ever be pure. The horrors I have yet to be forgiven for!” Meuric coiled in a ball over his knees.
Catrin wrapped her thin arms around his thick mid-section. “I don’t care if you carry darkness. Forgiveness will come. Look up, you scoundrel! Look at this wall you cast up. You did that with your light.”
As they rose, Meuric mopped at the tears he hadn’t realized had fallen. “You don’t care if I’m a half-emrys?”
“Do you care?”
Could he continue living with both light and darkness inside him after coming to terms with how the evil worked? Could he constantly rebalance his center after harnessing one or the other? Or would his light grow until his darkness was just a single blemish on an otherwise radiant sun?
“Come on. Take me up there before I keel over.”
Meuric whirled around and caught her. “I knew you were draining yourself. You’re the most infuriating…”
He disappeared.
They reappeared on the cliff, and Meuric gazed across the desert as the sun dipped below the curve of the horizon. “Now we try this.”
Meuric positioned Catrin in the rift. What had to be undone so they could pass through it? Meuric waved his hand in the right spot. If not for sensing the energy, he would’ve thought nothing was there. A bird could fly through the energy and still be in this time.
