by C. J. Abedi
“The answer lies in perspective.”
What was she trying to say to me? Her message had been so puzzling. I wasn’t sure if I understood what she was saying or if she was somehow offering me a cryptic message.
Dana stood abruptly and smiled down at me.
“Remember this moment, my dear. Remember everything I’ve said. And above all, follow your heart. It beats for a reason.”
Chapter Ten
“I chose you. I wanted you. I appointed you.
I set you where you are.”
—John 15:16
The Hill of Tara, Boyne Valley, Ireland
Like a siren from the ancient times, she stood on the misty glen overlooking the lush Irish valley. A thick fog covered the hill and made it almost impossible to see, but she wasn’t afraid to walk the land at night. It was almost comforting to her, like a thick blanket covering her from the past she so desperately wanted to hide. Shielding her from the outside world.
“Hero,” she called out to her beloved German shepherd as he ran ahead of her.
He answered her call by barking once. She made her way to find him.
“Hero,” she said with a smile as she caught sight of his wagging tail. “There you are.”
A tall figure took shape against the fog and moved toward her.
She was surprised to see him.
He hadn’t come for her in what seemed like an eternity.
“It has been a long while, my friend,” Odin said as he leaned down to pat Hero’s head. “And have you guarded your mother well?”
“He has,” she answered for her faithful pet.
Odin looked at Tara. After all this time her attractiveness still amazed him. She had long black hair that curled in waves to her waist, and eyes so green they put emeralds to shame. It was no wonder Alderon fell in love with her the moment he set eyes on her, and no surprise that his rage couldn’t be contained for centuries when she finally left him.
“All-Father,” she said as she bowed her head. “You come with news of my son?”
“I do, Tara,” Odin said as he rose and offered his arm to her.
“Tell me,” Tara said anxiously as they began to walk. “I fear the personal delivery doesn’t bode well.”
“I wish I had come with happier tidings.”
“I had hoped my light would guide him down the right path.”
“Your light helped him, Tara. It lit his way,” Odin said solemnly. “With it, he confronted his father and was able to contain him. But it wasn’t enough. There are many who are still fiercely loyal to Alderon. They plotted against Devilyn. He had not been in their court for so long that it was inevitable that members of the Dark Court would turn against him.”
“He is their King? How could they conceivably challenge him? I don’t understand.”
Odin took Tara’s hand and walked her through the painful details of all that had transpired in the months past. When he was done he saw the sorrow and anguish in her face and was sorry to have been the bringer of such sad tidings.
Their walk had taken them to the Stone of Destiny.
The shadowed human faces of the Kings of Past moved about in the stone and watched them curiously.
“My son has chosen his father’s path,” Tara said sadly.
“There is still hope for him. Fate will guide him in the right direction.”
“You were always optimistic.”
“Caroline could save him,” Odin said softly, “as it is written in the prophecy.”
Tara smiled bitterly. “But we know what he is destined to lose if he chooses that course, and if my son is anything like me or even his father, he will do whatever he can, whatever is in his power, to fight against it.”
“When he is around her, his desire for her clouds all reason. He vacillates between what he thinks is the right course of action and his love for her. I can feel his emotions raging inside him,” Odin explained. “His flame burns bright for her. I believe that the Light will persevere.”
“And Alderon?”
“There can be only one end for Alderon. You have known this for centuries.”
Tara was quiet.
“You still love him.”
“True love can never die, All-Father. You know this truth as well as I.” Tara stepped forward and placed her hands on the Stone of Destiny.
“From the moment I turned my back on Alderon and my former life, I decided to live in the moment, not looking behind or ahead. But now, with all that is at stake, I must do what I have never done. I need answers now more than ever.”
Odin watched as the stone answered her call.
D
I felt a rumbling within my soul. A sadness that I could not place. It didn’t have to do with Caroline—that grief I knew well—but was something else. Something in my blood that cried out. I put my hand over my heart in hopes of alleviating the pain. I felt a jolt of electricity and practically doubled over. I lifted my hand and saw white light swirling in circles. I closed my palm against it and was grateful that I was home and could hide in my old bedroom.
I walked upstairs and into my room and collapsed on the bed. I was completely exhausted within seconds. No energy inside and felt like something deep within my soul was being drawn out. I put my hand over my heart again and tried to steady its pace.
“What is happening to me?” I asked out loud, not expecting anyone to answer my call. Odin had been gone all morning, and I hadn’t seen Tatiana since last night. I was completely alone.
And I felt it. Especially now.
The door to my room slowly creaked opened, and I heard soft footsteps make their way to my bed. I could barely open my eyes from the pain, but I managed to turn my head. I was desperate to know what or who was coming. As I slowly opened my eyes, I saw Brighid leaning over me with an inquisitive look. She raised her wrinkled hand and moved it over my face, offering me a few seconds of solace.
“Why are you here?” I barely managed to say. She always had the propensity to show up when least expected, but usually she chose my dreams. Never my reality.
She didn’t answer right away but frowned instead. She took my hand in hers and stared at the white and black Light swirling about in a frenzy. Chasing each other around in mad circles.
“There is a raging battle within you. Such turmoil inside. The Dark and Light fight for power within your blood. It is taxing. And since you are the first, we can only observe.”
“There is a burning fire in my heart,” I whispered.
“You should trust your struggle, but instead you fight it. You try to choose one over the other when you should only be,” Brighid said as she rubbed her calloused hands on my forehead. “You destroy your own soul.”
I closed my eyes.
“I don’t even have the strength to get up and walk out of this room.”
“You are weak, my King.”
She took off the snakeskin pouch hanging from her neck and grabbed a pinch of herbs from inside.
“What are you doing?”
Brighid didn’t answer. Instead she put the herbs in my hands and began to rub them around and chant. I felt as though my hands were on fire.
“Brighid!” I whispered as I looked up at her.
In an instant her eyes changed from translucent pale blue to black as night. Her smile, sinister and dark.
“What is going on?!” I said as I tried to move away from her grip. “What are you doing to me?”
Her teeth turned sharp and feral as she leaned in to me.
“Feeling a little weak, my foolish boy?”
I was suddenly paralyzed.
“Did you think you’d be able to hide from me? Did you think that we wouldn’t come for you?” Her voice began to change. “You do not know the magnitude of what is coming for you. The impenetrable fog that I have placed will shield me, and trust me when I say that when it clears there will be nothing left. I will have my revenge.”
I watched as Brighid’s face morphed into one I knew well.
One that wasn’t at all like I remembered it.
Alderon.
He leaned down, this monstrous vision of thick smoke and flesh, nothing like the Fae he once was, and whispered into my ear.
“You smell like mortal scum,” he seethed. I tried to twist away from him but I could not.
“This is a nightmare,” I said out loud. “I am only dreaming.”
“Is it?” he asked with a maniacal laugh.
“I will wake up now.”
Alderon’s shape began to fade.
“I will wake up! This is only a dream,” I said again, willing it to be true. And then my eyes opened, and I shot up in my bed drenched in sweat.
I quickly got up and threw open the double doors to my balcony, sucking in the night air. The cold soothed my nerves. Giving me a moment of peace as I replayed the dream in my head. Without a doubt, it was a warning.
My father was coming.
C
All the members of the junior class participating in the annual camping trip to Nantahala National Forest, which basically meant everyone in our grade, were invited to skip sixth period and attend an hour-long review of camp activities in the gym. This was a trip that everyone looked forward to since middle school. The teachers had put together a detailed list of all of the rules of the trip and any items we were allowed to bring.
Lucky for me, my parents already had a ridiculous amount of camping gear from when we used to go. I quickly skimmed the long list as Teddy and I made our way together to the auditorium. I knew I had become very withdrawn and distant over the past few weeks, and I knew that Teddy sensed the change in me.
But always the true friend, he just let me be, not bringing anything up, not once. I’m sure he thought I would tell him what was going on when the time was right. But I didn’t see that happening in the near future.
“So this should be exciting?” Teddy asked, breaking the silence.
“You think?” I wrinkled my nose. “It’s unusually cold right now. Can you imagine what the mountains will be like?”
“Freezing,” Teddy said with a laugh. “But think of all the scary stories we’ll get to tell around the campfires.”
I shivered at the thought. I had enough scary in my real life right now to last a lifetime.
Students were busy taking seats in the bleachers when we walked into the gym. I had heard that around seventy-five juniors would be going, but it suddenly dawned on me that I didn’t know what Devilyn would be doing. I knew Rowan would be going because I was, and Tatiana had told Teddy that she didn’t “do camping,” which I knew majorly bummed him out. I was sure he had been looking forward to lots of no-commitment make-out sessions with her in the woods.
I felt an arm on my shoulder and looked up to see Rowan smiling down at me.
“How are you, beautiful?”
I blushed. I still wasn’t so good with all the compliments he gave me. I couldn’t help the embarrassment that washed over me whenever he referred to me as “beautiful” or “gorgeous.”
“I’m doing good,” I said.
“What’s up, Rowan?” Teddy nodded at him as we all took seats on the bleachers.
“Did you guys get a copy of the packet for the trip?” Rowan asked.
“I downloaded it last night,” I replied.
“You print out an extra one?” Teddy asked me.
“Yes,” I told him with a smile as I handed him the packet.
“Thanks.”
Ms. Henderson took to the mic and began tapping it to make sure it was on.
“Can I have everyone’s attention? We need everyone to take a seat and before you do, make sure to grab a packet as we are going to be going over it,” she instructed in her high-pitched voice.
I looked around the room. Still no sign of Devilyn. My mind wandered and I thought of Dana’s strange visit at the diner, my conversation with Devilyn, and the fact that there was this entire world that existed in the universe that had magik and strange creatures and Fae kingdoms, and that no one in this room except Rowan and me even knew about it. That life somehow went on around a fantasyland, and I was a queen.
A queen of that land.
It would take me a long time to reconcile all of it in my head, I knew that. But thank God for Rowan. He had been amazing to me since I found out. Even coming over last night, talking me off my ledge and state of panic.
• • •
He had been waiting for me on my front porch when I got home from work. Just sitting there, waiting for me to arrive. It had made me smile to see him sitting there in the cold, resting against the stairs leading to our house.
I had taken the seat next to him, dropping my backpack to the ground, and smiled. Grateful to see him, and anxious to let it all out. One thing that was certain about Rowan—he was a great listener.
“Caroline,” he had said. “Can I offer you some advice?”
“Of course.”
“You need to shut off your brain. Just shut it off and stop thinking. A lot has been thrown in your direction, all of it confusing, unbelievable, irrational, even scary.”
“I am just trying to digest it—”
“No, you’re trying to analyze this from every angle. And you’re trying to come up with a solution when there really isn’t one right now, and it’s like all of this is on a loop in your mind. Enjoy this life right now. High school. Teddy. Your parents. Things will change soon enough in ways you can’t even begin to imagine. And all this? You’ll never be able to come back to any of it. So just take it day-by-day, Caroline. I promise you’ll wake up very soon and all of it will make perfect sense.”
Strangely enough, his words resonated with me, and that night, for the first time in a long while, I slept like a baby. If I just continued on like he said and let the changes and information come to me gradually, I could still somehow be normal. Live a normal life, a life I actually enjoyed, for the most part.
“Caroline?”
Teddy nudged my shoulder.
“OMG, Stacy Lawson is giving me the eye!”
“Who? Sorry, what did you say?” I asked apologetically.
Teddy rolled his eyes. “If I had a dollar for every time you said that. It’s a good thing I don’t get offended easily. Stacy, as in Stacy Lawson, is giving me googly eyes. Crap, maybe camping in a forest isn’t such a good idea for me.”
“Oh my gosh, she is!” I laughed as I snuck a glance in her direction. “She’s kinda cute.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. She’s got more of a Kathy Bates from Misery thing going on. I see a cabin and a very unpleasant experience in my near future.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
“All right, juniors,” our principal said as he joined Ms. Henderson at the microphone. “Let’s get settled down. We are starting in five minutes.”
I watched as some of the students scrambled in and rushed to find seats.
“So did you take what I said last night to heart?” Rowan leaned in and whispered in my ear.
I nodded and before I could answer in more detail, I felt a familiar hand touch my shoulder. One that made my heart skip a beat. One that made my entire body tingle. One that I still longed for even though I had asked for the exact opposite.
I turned to face Devilyn, who was leaning over his long legs, one bleacher above us, those black eyes of his looking annoyed.
“Sorry to interrupt.”
Rowan scowled at him, while Teddy pretended like he didn’t know what was going on.
“I need to talk to you.”
“We’re about to go through the trip rules,” Rowan answered for me. “She can’t leave.”
Devilyn’s eyes blazed furiously at Rowan.
“I actually need to talk to you both. It’s important.”
They held each other’s gaze for a minute, and then Rowan finally nodded before looking at me.
“You’ve selected a very inopportune time,” he said and turned to me. “We have five minutes. We’ll come back quickly.”
I didn’t want to go anywhere with Devilyn. And I had no desire to hear anything he had to say. But I nodded in agreement with Rowan as he stood up and held out his hand to help me up. I was acutely aware of Devilyn staring at us from behind, and I could actually feel the tension that overtook him when I took Rowan’s hand. But I didn’t care.
My mind raced for some lame excuse to tell Teddy, but luckily Devilyn saved me from saying anything.
“We’ll be back in a minute. I need to talk to Rowan about the upcoming game and wanted to see if Caroline could write a piece on the two of us.”
If Teddy didn’t believe him, he didn’t let on, especially considering that he knew I wasn’t writing for the school paper anymore.
“Be right back,” I said as we quickly left the gym and followed Devilyn to an empty classroom.
We entered the science lab and stood in a long, horrible silence as Devilyn walked back and forth, gathering his thoughts. Devilyn’s energy radiated throughout the entire room. Clearly, something was wrong. And then he finally spoke.
“Just what do you think you’re doing?” he said angrily to Rowan.
“Excuse me?”
“Camping!?”
“I actually enjoy it. Fresh air, surrounded by nature?” Rowan replied arrogantly.
“Not for Caroline!” Devilyn said, pointing at me. “Camping in the woods is imprudent, especially when Alderon could be anywhere.”
“You mean your father,” Rowan clarified.
Devilyn took a dangerous step toward him. “You test my patience. Trust me when I say it’s running thin.”
They were like two volcanoes ready to erupt, and I couldn’t handle another violent incident between them, so I stepped in quickly, hoping to defuse the situation.
“Whether I go camping or stay here is not a decision that can be made by either of you. This trip is something I want to do.”
“Then un-want it,” Devilyn replied.
“I’m not doing that.”
“Are you doing this deliberately?”
“Doing what, exactly?”
“Placing yourself in needless danger to retaliate against me?”
