by Sophia Sharp
“I know it’s a lot to take, but do try to follow along, Nora,” Selaine said, in a tone that was suited for lecturing a small child. Nora ground her teeth in frustration. Selaine was not answering any of her question! “The Vassiz are an ancient race,” the old woman continued, “and the elders’ power goes back a long time. There are many things you don’t know about them, of course. But I have lived through the histories, have been there at their very creation. I have seen too much of this world, and of its inhabitants, to not be jaded about the future. Perhaps that is why I have let things spiral to their current state.”
“What are you talking about?” Nora demanded. “You’re speaking in riddles! How old are you? Why is Hunter here? What does he have to do with anything?”
“He should be the one to tell you that, not I,” Selaine said, waving the matter aside. “I will, however, tell you of the path that led you here. Nothing that has happened to you has been coincidence, Nora. It all began a very long time ago.”
“What are you talking about? Who are you?”
“Just listen! I will start at the beginning. There are not many alive today who still remember who I am. None but the elders, in fact. I believe some of them may even think me dead.” She barked a laugh. “Of course, that is not the case. Ancient Vassiz lore speaks of a single ruler of the race. A succubus, as it were. She is the one responsible for the delicate balance that exists between humans and Vassiz. That is who I was, who I am.
“I was not the first, nor will I be the last. I inherited the position from one before me. I do not know how many others there have been. What I do know, and what I can tell you, in answer to your question, is that I am the oldest being that walks in our worlds. In both the dream realm and the human realm.”
“Are you saying you’re older than the angels?” Nora asked. She had gotten used to long lifespans since Hunter revealed his real age to her, but it seemed Selaine was suggesting…that she had lived not hundreds of years, but thousands!
“Much older than the surviving ones, yes,” Selaine said. “The ones you know – Gabrielle, and the others – are not the first generation.”
“Just who are you?” Nora asked again. She thought she should have felt fear, but all she knew was wonder. Wonder that Selaine was telling her this. And wonder at herself for not feeling scared. “Were you there when the angels were imprisoned? When the elders locked them up?”
“I was, yes,” Selaine said softly, and Nora thought she could hear a touch of bitterness in her voice. “I had become sufficiently distanced by then. The trials of our worlds did not matter to me, much less the worries of the inhabitants.”
“But that was your responsibility,” Nora said. “You said as much! To rule over the Vassiz, to preserve the balance of the race?”
“With humans, child, not with angels. Apathy had taken hold of me by then. The elders did what they wanted, and I did not interfere.”
“Why? You could have prevented it from happening! You could have seen justice done. Why didn’t you do anything?”
“I was always watching, but the desire for action escaped me. As long as the balance between humans and Vassiz was maintained, I was untroubled. But recently, I noticed an alarming trend to the elders’ actions. They have become not only irreverent of their positions, but entirely out of control. When they first went after you, that was when I knew I could not stand by any longer.”
“You know about what they did to me?”
“I know everything about you, Nora. As I do about all Vassiz, and all Vassiz-to-be. I know how Hunter first showed you the dream realm. I know how you were forced out of your home by the zealous elders. I know how you were chased, and I know the entire journey that led you to meet me in Nakusp. I know your fears, your hopes, your dreams.”
Nora frowned. “How?” she asked softly. “You’re not…some type of god?”
“No, no,” Selaine said, waving the suggestion away. “You have more smarts than to believe something like that. What I am, is someone who has very many connections to the outside world. I may have refrained from acting, but not once did I cease watching. There are people who tell me things they see, and others who see things they tell me.” She winked. “I can enter anyone’s dreams undetected and glean from there the entire workings of their mind. Or so I like to say.”
“You invade people’s dreams?” Nora asked, abashed. “You’ve been in mine?” She felt violated. “Why? How?”
“To better understand what the elders were attempting,” Selaine said. “That is why I brought you here, just now.” She motioned to the torrial on the table again. “With that, of course.”
Nora looked from Selaine to Hunter. He still hadn’t moved. In fact, it was almost eerie how still he was. “What do you want from me?”
“When I…disappeared,” Selaine explained, “my extended absence sparked a rebellious attitude within the elders. They started to believe they ruled the world, not me. But they were cunning enough to not count me out entirely. They knew of the prophecy that spoke of you and thought they could use you against me to solidify their powers. They thought if they held you in their grasp, they could be rid of me forever, and truly rule the world as they saw fit.
“They have intentions of enslaving and eradicating humanity. They see themselves as the superior race. Why hide from humans, goes their line of thought, when they could simply overtake the world? But they could not do that unless they were sure I was dead. None had such proof. And I, in truth, had simply retreated. But that did not stop them from planning the succession.”
“But…they could not do it without me?” Nora asked. “Why? Why was the prophecy so important?”
“Because it says you will bring a new order to the world,” Selaine explained. “With you in their grasp, they hoped it would be in their vision.”
“But…why me?” Nora asked. “Why is there a prophecy about me? What have I done to prompt anything?” She had accepted herself as being the one the prophecy spoke of when Gabrielle told her, but only because she had seen him as something akin to an omnipresent being. Now that she knew Selaine was even older, and was truly omnipresent, in a sense, Gabrielle’s proclamation seemed to deserve more scrutiny. She could not just blindly accept it anymore.
“The prophecy is about you, my dear,” Selaine said shrewdly, “because you are the next succubus.”
Chapter Twenty
~Revelations~
Nora’s jaw dropped open. Her mouth worked, but no words came out. She was speechless.
“Cat got your tongue?” Selaine joked, and barked a laugh. “Don’t pretend you didn’t know you were special.”
“Yes, but how… I mean, when…?” Nora trailed off, unable to even finish her sentence. The news was too much. Hunter looked up, and for only the second time, met her eyes. Nora had an uncanny déjà vu of what happened in the dream, when the elder’s representation of Hunter looked at her. But this was the real Hunter. She knew his eyes. She could see into them. They were the deep eyes she had lost herself in so many times before.
Hunter was in on it. He knew of who she was. Nora was sure of it. Otherwise, why would he be here? That simple fact threatened to drastically change everything she knew – or thought she knew – about him. Had he planned this the whole time, from the moment he first met her? Did he lead her all this way, secretly knowing what her fate really was?
The Vassiz are a corrupt and manipulative race. The words she had learned from Alexander kept swirling in her head. Had she been used by him the whole time? She couldn’t believe it – he was so different! – and yet, all these things were adding up…
Who could she trust? There were too many secrets in all of this. She felt like a pawn in a grand chess match. And Selaine just calmly stood there, watching her. The damn woman hadn’t reacted in the slightest after telling Nora the news! Why was Hunter acting like a tame kitten next to her? Nora had never seen him so meek!
“The prophecy,” Nora finally managed. “Did you orc
hestrate everything about it? Just to get me here?”
“Not at all,” Selaine said. “You had to do that yourself. But I can’t say you didn’t have any guidance.” She glanced at Hunter, then back at Nora, and winked.
Nora stared at Hunter. He was in on it! It felt like her entire world was ready to collapse around her. Everything she thought true was a lie.
“Hunter,” Nora said slowly. Deliberately. “Tell me the truth. What did you know?”
“He knew everything he had to and not one bit more,” Selaine put in smoothly. “And that’s the way I—
“No,” Nora interrupted vehemently. “I want him to tell me. No more games. Hunter, what did you know when you met me?”
“I knew you were special,” he answered stiffly. He kept glancing at Selaine out of the corner of one eye. She stared at him disapprovingly. “I knew – of the prophecy. I knew I had to show you the dream realm.”
Nora’s eyes widened. So it was all a lie! Everything he had done for her, with her, had been an act to get her here! She felt betrayed and angry at the same time. But most of all, she felt lost. Hunter was the guiding force in her life. Without him, none of what she was doing had any meaning. To find out it had just been an act, to find out what he really cared about was getting her here…it was a crushing blow. A devastating loss. Nora felt faint. She couldn’t help but sag against the rear wall.
Maybe it was the emotion on her face, or maybe it was the way she fell back, but in an instant, the expression on Hunter’s face changed. The act broke. She could see him struggling to contain himself. And then something got the better of him. Shooting a defiant look at Selaine, he rushed to Nora.
She tried to shy away from him, but he was too fast. He caught her hands in an iron grip and bent to one knee to look up at her. “Nora,” he said desperately, “you have to understand that nothing changes between us. Nothing changes! Not once did I lie to you except when I had to. Everything I said I wanted, I still want. Everything I said I feel, I still feel! You mean the world to me, Nora. That’s the truth. But you have to understand that I couldn’t tell you of things earlier. I couldn’t! Every night I spent with you, I fought my conscience. Every night, I came closer and closer to the breaking point. But I was afraid. I was afraid if you knew, you could turn your back on me.” He took a deep breath, and continued in a rush. “Yes, our meeting did not happen by chance. And yes, I had some part to play in guiding you here. But everything else that happened, everything in the interim, that was real, Nora! That was real to me. You must…you must believe me.”
He trailed off, but did not release her hands. He looked up at her through large, glistening eyes. Nora did not know what to think. It was true, everything that happened between him and her…everything that made him mean so much to her…had felt real. But was it? Could she bring herself to trust a person who had just admitted to lying to her, since the very moment they met?
She looked down at him. His eyes were pleading. For the first time since Nora met him, he looked to be at a breaking point. He could not possibly be lying to her. Not now. Not like this.
“You hurt me just now,” Nora said finally. “You broke my trust. That is not something I can take lightly.”
“I know,” Hunter begged, “but I had no choice. Nothing else is different. Nothing else changes! Everything I feel about you…everything you may have felt for me…all that is still there! Nora, I still love you. None of that was a lie!”
“But you deceived me. How do I know you won’t do it again?”
“Bah! Enough of this pitter-patter!” Selaine exclaimed. Nora hadn’t noticed her walking over. Selaine reached down to grab Hunter by the shoulder and jerked him upright. “He did what he had to do girl and nothing more. I can tell you right now he’s being sincere. My word should be enough to quell your doubt.”
Nora looked at Selaine and then back to Hunter. She had never seen him so upset. Did she really mean so much to him? She knew he still meant the world to her, despite what she just found out. She could not just turn her back on him. Nora fixed her gaze on Hunter.
“You betrayed me,” she began.
“I didn’t—”
“Just listen!” Nora insisted. “You betrayed me, betrayed my trust, but I can’t lie. I do have feelings for you. I love you, Hunter. No matter how stupid or how foolish that may be, I can’t erase the feeling. I know, that based on what you said, I should, but…” Nora trailed off, and a hint of a smile began to form on her lips. “But…it doesn’t. I accept your apology.”
Hunter’s face lit up like a lantern. In a single step, he came to her and embraced her in his arms. Nora breathed deeply to inhale his musky scent. She felt safe again. Sheltered. Protected. For a long moment, nothing else existed…
An obnoxious tap-tap-tap broke her out of the spell. Nora looked up, past Hunter’s shoulder and saw Selaine glaring at them, hands crossed, tapping one foot impatiently on the ground. “If you’re quite done,” she growled, “there’s more we still have to do.”
“Yes?” Nora asked. Hunter curled off to stand beside her. He took her hand in his.
“Despite what I’ve told you, what you have to do does not change. You still have to kill the elders, Nora. They have spiraled out of control. It is the way to announce your coming to the entire race. It is in the best interest of all Vassiz.”
“Why have me do it?” Nora asked. “Why can’t you do it yourself? Why set me up as a puppet for your own gain?”
“It was never my place to act,” Selaine said. “Only to watch, and observe. But my responsibilities are nearing their end. It’s time for somebody else to take over. It’s time for you, Nora.”
“To become the next succubus?”
“Yes.”
“I… I don’t want any of that! All I want is reprieve. Peace. That’s all I ever strove for.”
“Destiny is hard to run from, dear,” Selaine said. “Soon, you will ascend the simple desires of everyday life to take on a new role. A role that you have inherited by your birth.”
“A role I never asked for!”
“That may be true – but did you ask for any of this? You did not ask to meet Hunter, nor to be taken away from your family. You did not ask to be uprooted from your home. This is just the final step in a long list of things you did not ask for. Even more importantly, do you regret anything that has happened to you? Some things may not have been ideal, but you would not go back and change anything if you could. Would you?”
Nora thought hard. Changing things would mean never meeting Hunter. It would mean never finding Gray, and never making friends with Alexander and Madison. Her life would have been completely different if none of it had happened. It would have been…ordinary.
“No,” Nora said finally.
“Then it’s up to you to finish it. You must wipe out the old regime. You have to kill the elders. And you have to do it by destroying their stars. Only you have the ability to do so, Nora. I am too old – too weak – to even contemplate such a thing. But that does not mean I will not help you. Hunter and I will both be there.”
Suddenly Nora remembered something very important. Something that she did not understand at all.
“When I was in the torrial,” she began, “I saw the elders’ cluster of stars. They were all together, but then there was one more. Hunter’s star…?” she trailed off, unable to finish the question.
“Ah,” Selaine said. “Yes. Of course. That is not my place to explain. Hunter?”
Nora turned her head to look at Hunter. He seemed to be having another internal battle with himself. Finally, he met her eyes and spoke.
“I am…one of them,” he admitted.
Nora pushed away from him. “What?”
He looked ashamed and devastated all at once. “Not by choice,” he insisted. “Not anymore! Once, it was so, but that was a very long time ago. The elders betray each other as easily as they betray anyone else! I was one of them, but I have long since renounced their council. Nora,
I am not like any of them. Not at all. You remember the story about Maria, don’t you?”
“Yes,” Nora said cautiously. Maria was Hunter’s first love. She was the one he said the elders killed.
“Well, she wanted the Vassiz to reveal themselves and to live side-by-side with humans. In the open. I agreed with her. I championed her suggestion to the other elders. I tried to persuade them it was time to lead the Vassiz in a new direction. To a life outside of fear and without uncertainty. Some supported me, and some did not. I thought we would do it, though. In the end…” he trailed off, shutting his eyes. He shuddered in memory. “In the end, Maria took a knife in the back. A poison blade. One of the elders commissioned her death. But I did not know who – and none would speak of it after. They are cowards!”
“That was when he came to me,” Selaine said. “Or, rather, I came to him. I watched what happened and knew it was not right. We both knew of the prophecy—”
“And that was when you decided to use me!” Nora exploded. She shot a baleful look at Hunter. “I can’t believe any of this! Hunter, you are an elder?” She did not know whether to feel repulsed or disgusted. Or maybe both. He was everything that she despised. She had thought she had forgiven him for lying to her just minutes ago, but now there was this? “And you just pulled me along, as a way of getting revenge for Maria?” She knew he had lied to her, but never could have expected it to be this bad. She was furious. She was seething. But…despite all that, when she looked at him – no matter how hard it was to admit – nothing changed. He was still the Hunter she knew. He was still the man she loved. How could he, of all people, have such a poisonous past?
“Nora, that’s not true!” Hunter said. “Sure, at first, before I knew you, it may have been. I’m not perfect! But once I met you…once I fell for you…that was when everything changed. I would give my life for you, Nora. Whether you want it or not. I said it before, and I’ll say it again, nothing changes. I have my past, and you have yours. But that does not alter what we’ve gone through together. It doesn’t change how I feel for you.”
