Chosen dots-3

by Kristen Day

  Secured with a strip of white lace, I could tell that the crisp paper was very old. It crackled beneath my fingers and had been discolored by time and salt water. I tugged on the ribbon carefully, which gave way easier than I expected. Holding the end gently with one hand, I unrolled it with the other. My heart seized in my chest when the paper revealed handwritten stanzas, and it stopped beating altogether when I saw my triskellion trace displayed as a wax stamp at the top of the page.

  The penmanship was elaborate, but the words had been written in English.

  My breath hitched and continued to stutter, as the significance of the piece of paper in my shaking hands registered. A jolt of electricity surged through me with each line I read. My eyes forgot to blink while my jaw went slack and the sand beneath my legs quivered with energy. My heart began to seep out of my chest into a large puddle in the sand, while powerful tears seasoned with the taste of destiny splashed over onto my cheeks. After reading it three more times, I still couldn’t believe what I was looking at. My prophecy.

  Our salient leader she shall be From shore, wind, and bastion sea Thy calling of a new born child Laid to rest for now, resides Her tendered soul from whence will grow Aft brazen chains a heart of woe If province warns of hallowed screams Her gifts revealed amongst her dreams When scornful deeds of power lies Death shall burn in Thetis’s eyes Her Fortunate Isle in slumber deep Lest Anastasia wake her keep From sea and brine thy secrets flow Setting ablaze her eyes to glow Her journey awaits, precluded by need Thy destiny weaving our goddess to bleed Bred wholly to lead an army of men Thy warrior claims great destine within Her sacrifice, forevermore Binds her soul to thy paramour.

  Before I could read on, a clicking sound several feet away had me looking up. Blown away by the previously elusive prophecy that I now held in my hands, I was rendered utterly speechless by what happened next. Suddenly, hundreds of lanterns appeared on every piece of real estate on the beach. What started as a warm glow quickly brightened; burning away the silver light of the moon with its intensity. Next to catch fire was the ocean. Countless more lanterns came to life along the surface of the water, glowing as far as the eye could see. It was as if the top layer of water had caught fire, blazing with the warmth and power of a summer sunset. I stood slowly and soaked in the spectacle of so many lanterns flickering and dancing in every direction.

  In the midst of the glowing inferno around me, a single flame appeared; hovering only feet in front of me. Something about it, besides the fact that it wasn’t attached to anything, held my focus. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. As it burned hotter it changed from canary yellow to a deep red-orange until it burned a brilliant blue; licking at the night air for fuel.

  Entranced by the dancing flame my eyes burned with its energy, and without another thought, my legs brought me closer. My arm lifted slowly and I stretched my fingers out, wanting – needing -

  to touch it.

  “Don’t burn yourself,” a voice warned.

  Chapter 38

  So enamored with the flame, I hadn’t noticed the addition of the blue candle supporting it or the smoldering personification of darkness standing before me in all black. He blended in with the night; his presence a sweeping black hole that soaked up the brilliant gleam of the candles. The only part of him that reflected any light were his eyes; currently gazing into mine. They burned as blue as the flame; easily trapping me in their inferno.

  “Finn?” I yanked my hand back in surprise. A smile pulled at his lips as my eyes drank him in. Bare feet partially covered by black slacks hung perfectly around his waist. The black button down shirt he wore was made casual by rolled up sleeves. His skull and crossbones trace shimmered next to the glow of the candle he held with both hands. “What are you doing here?”

  “Just shedding a little light on the situation,” he smiled again. Always the comedian.

  “Where’s everyone else?”

  “I told them to go back to the cottage.” He grinned and gestured behind me, as his voice continued much louder, “…so of course they’re hiding behind one of the sand dunes spying on us.”

  I spun around and saw Phoebe stand up and wave, quickly yanked back down by Carmen and Willow. “This was all…planned?”

  “By yours truly.” He bowed with a proud smirk and set the candle down in the sand. My mind instantly rewound in an attempt to understand.

  “There wasn’t really an address?” I asked, thoroughly confused. “So whose house is that?

  You put those roses everywhere? You didn’t really have to go somewhere with your dad?” My immediate answer was a wider smile that gave me chills. He stepped toward me, cupped my face in his hands, and shushed me by kissing me softly. It worked.

  “It was all a conspiracy to get you here,” he explained. I surveyed the hundreds of flames lighting up the night, and then remembered what I was holding.

  “This is…” I held up the piece of paper.

  “Your prophecy,” he nodded. “It’s only one page, though. Mom is holding on to the rest.”

  “Have you had it all this time?”

  He shook his head, “I just returned from the Fortunate Isle. Your parents had hidden it there.

  Your father gave me instructions on where to find it.”

  “You talked to my father about it?”

  “I talked to him about a lot of things after we left the cottage.” He took my hands in his, “Which is why we’re here.”

  “And…why is that?” I whispered. The swirl of emotions within his eyes matched the ones fluttering around in my heart, as we stood facing each other in the middle of a burning beach.

  Something passed over his features as his eyes dropped to our feet, but then quickly flitted back up to mine. My heart skipped a beat as I realized what it was. Something I had only seen once before: Fear. My throat suddenly went dry as I put it all together.

  “When I was young, my mom used to tell me a story,” he began. “The story was about a girl named Susan and a boy named William. After meeting under the silver light of a full moon in a field of wildflowers, William asked Susan to marry him. Instead of a ring, he gave her a bouquet of those same wildflowers. Only a day before they were to be married, he was taken prisoner on a vessel bound for sea. Through torture, storms, and neglect he survived because of her memory. Because of her love. After being released a year later, he was told that she’d run away to escape an arranged marriage. After searching for months and months he decided to return to the field where they had met. There, he found his Susan. She was waiting for him, clutching a dried bouquet of wildflowers.”

  My voice dried up and I’m pretty sure I’d stopped breathing, as I listened to him tell a love story I’d heard once before. A long time ago. I forced myself to take a breath as he swallowed and continued.

  “Those wildflowers were named after her - Black Eyed Susans. And the flower that can always be found nearby are called Sweet Williams.” His voice dropped and took on an ominous tone, “They say that Sweet William will always find his Black Eyed Susan.” Seemingly from nowhere, he produced a bouquet of bright yellow flowers that I recognized from childhood. “I offer you these wildflowers with the promise that I will always find you. I will always protect you. And I will always love you.”

  “They’re amazing,” I whispered as he handed me the flowers; the dryness in my throat blocking any semblance of a voice. Unfortunately, I almost hyperventilated as he dropped down on one knee and pulled a small silver box out of his pocket. Oh. My. God. He lifted the lid of the box and held it up to me. I was unable to wrench my eyes away from his to see what it held within. His voice wavered ever so slightly as he spoke.

  “I offer you this ring with the commitment to love you and honor you; to not only share my heart and mind, but to bind my soul to yours…for eternity. Anastasia Nemertes Theophanides, will you marry me?”

  “Yes,” I whispered and his face lit up. A jolt of excitement shot through me and I cried out louder. “Yes!”

 
With eyes glistening with tears, he stood and embraced me tightly. The world became a blur of light, as tears of happiness ran down my cheeks and he kissed me with a fierceness that left me drunk with euphoria. I kissed him back as his warm darkness wrapped around us, shielding me from the cool breeze blowing off the ocean. As he broke our kiss with a wide smile, I noticed the waves for the first time. Once calm and gentle, they now crashed onto the shore at least ten feet high; blinking out the flames that had once floated serenely on the surface. Then I noticed the sand. An earthquake would have done less damage! Many of the lanterns had tipped over and were now snuffed out, greatly lessening the warm glow that had once surrounded us.

  “Oops,” I muttered. Finn glanced around and laughed.

  “I like the dark better anyway,” he assured me. He took the wildflowers still clutched in my hand and set them down in the sand, before holding up the tiny box once more and lifting its contents out. I held out a shaking hand as he slipped a ring on my finger that would put a super nova star to shame. A stunning, antique cut aquamarine surrounded by sparkling diamonds now dwarfed my left hand as I held it up in the moonlight.

  “I’ve never seen anything this beautiful,” I breathed. He took my hands and gazed into my eyes.

  “I have,” he inferred with a wink, leaned in, and kissed me again; this time with a gentleness that left my knees week and my heart swollen with love. He broke the kiss and pressed his forehead against mine with his eyes closed. As I opened mine, I realized I’d successfully smothered the rest of the candles that littered the beach, leaving only the paleness of the moon to glint off of the impressive stone now weighing down my finger.

  Someone cleared their throat behind me and I turned to see who had joined us. Carmen, Phoebe, and Willow smothered us in a celebratory huddle. Our two escorts joined us and congratulated Finn with handshakes and respectful head nods.

  “Damn!” Carmen shouted when she snatched my hand, and then muttered. “Ricker needs to take notes…”

  “Ricker needs to take out a loan,” Phoebe giggled.

  “It’s amazing!” Willow cooed. “It’s classy and powerful…just like its new owner.”

  “You guys are awesome.” I hugged them again before shaking a finger at them. “But don’t ever do that to me again! I didn’t know what had happened to you! You could’ve been dead! Or abducted!”

  “I’d do it again in a heartbeat,” Phoebe smiled happily. “I thought I was going to melt when he dropped down on one knee.” She fluttered a hand over her heart and I saw tears well up in her eyes.

  “You’re such a sap,” Carmen rolled her eyes.

  “And you two have a mess to help me clean up.” Willow put her hands on her hips, “Stasia needs to get back.”

  “We’ll meet you at the cottage in a little while,” Carmen promised me with a kiss on the cheek before they walked away to clean up the mess I made.

  “Up for a walk on the beach?” Finn’s voice rumbled in my ear.

  “Always,” I leaned my head back on his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

  * * *

  “With a really long lighter.”

  “No, really!” I swatted at Finn, “I want to know how you lit that many lanterns all at once!”

  “They were already lit,” he said simply. “I just…showed them to you.”

  “So, wait,” I stopped and faced him. “You can cloak anything and everything you want?”

  “Pretty much. It has its advantages. Especially when I want to steal Ian’s fudge rounds. He just assumes he’s out, but he doesn’t know they’re really there…” he winked at me.

  “You’re impossible,” I laughed at him. The wet sand at my feet sparkled under the moonlight as we walked hand in hand along the edge of the water. I was trying to come to terms with the fact that I was engaged. Engaged! I stopped again as the last line of my prophecy ran through my mind:

  ‘Binds her soul to thy paramour’.

  “Our souls will be bound,” I gawked at him.

  “That’s right,” he grinned down at me; wrapping his arms around me. “On your eighteenth birthday.”

  “And just what does that entail?” I asked slowly. I wanted nothing more than to be bound, but if I had to be struck by lightning twice in one day we’d seriously have to consider rescheduling.

  “I honestly don’t know,” he admitted solemnly. “I’ve never been to a binding, but I’ve heard it involves hot coals, barbed wire, and brutal Indian burns.”

  “I hate you,” I huffed, and tried to wiggle out of his arms and try not to laugh at the same time. He pulled me closer and smiled, and I tried to maintain my scowl under his loving gaze.

  “I love you, too,” he chuckled.

  “You better watch it, or I’ll make you wear a bedazzled tuxedo at our wedding,” I threatened.

  “I’ll wear anything you want me to if it means you’ll be my wife.”

  “Pink Speedo it is…” I decided cynically. A cold, biting energy snaked around us and I watched his eyes harden at the same time that my muscles tensed. We felt her arrive only seconds before she spoke.

  “Well, you know what they say,” Nadia’s vile tone mocked me. “Real men wear pink.”

  Chapter 39

  We spun around to find Nadia smirking at us from a couple yards away; a long black shawl wrapped around her. Her hair blew wildly in the wind; the golden strands appearing almost pale yellow. Her sinister eyes pierced mine, as they reflected the moon’s light and glowed with madness.

  A slow calculating smile spread across her face as she took several steps toward us. Finn scooped his arm around me and slid me behind him.

  “Take one more step and I’ll rip your head off,” Finn growled at her.

  “You really should consider some anger management classes, love,” Nadia cooed. I sensed the warmth of darkness arrive behind us, but noted that it was more lukewarm, whereas Finn’s is always a soothing balmy temperature. We looked back toward the water just in time to see Keto lift her arm. A dark green energy blasted out from her hand and shot in our direction. Finn pushed me out of the way and allowed it to hit him instead. I tumbled onto the sand as he stumbled backwards from the force.

  “This doesn’t involve you, Prime,” Keto hissed at him, and then glided up the beach to stand within inches of him. Another presence arrived to our left and I twisted around as Selene stepped out of the darkness. She was flanked by ten women and men who appeared much older and I perceived they were extremely powerful as well. Their shining eyes matched the glowing orbs hanging from their pale necks. I picked myself up from the sand and started to go to Finn’s side, but he held up a hand to tell me to not come any closer. Of course I didn’t listen and took my stance by his side anyway, as he stared daggers at Keto.

  “Leave,” he boomed. That one word conveyed the rage that was building inside of him. He clenched his teeth and his jaw muscle tightened in anger.

  “I have business to attend to,” she retorted almost casually. “And you are in my way.”

  She wrapped a hand around his neck and started to pick him up, but he snagged her wrist and wrenched it away; her nails dragging across his skin and tearing it open. He shot an invisible force in her direction, momentarily knocking her backwards. She stared him down as she reached behind her and pulled a dagger out. The green jewels adorning its handle glinted in the moonlight, as did the sharp silver blade attached.

  In a split second, Finn had taken her wrist and thrown her to the ground. With her additional essences, including Finn’s, she was profusely stronger than him and was able to easily launch him a couple of feet away. He landed hard on his back and Keto walked toward him, shooting more energy at him. I started to run to them but felt the smoky, evil fingers of Nadia wrap around me and pull me to the ground.

  “Oh, no you don’t…” Nadia scolded me. I centered myself and tried to blow my energy outward, but I was bound too tightly. I was forced to watch on helplessly as Finn struggled against Keto. He now
glowed a dark green, and I could tell that her extra essence was overpowering him. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw a flash of silver, as the dagger went soaring in the air and into the ocean. Without the dagger she could hurt him, but she couldn’t kill him.

  Just as I thought the words, a silver stream of light came from my left, hitting Finn square in the chest and piercing his body. He cried out in pain before his body went limp and he collapsed onto the sand.

  “NO!” I wailed, struggling against my binds. His body lay in the sand, motionless and discarded by Keto, who walked back up the beach. Selene smiled as she pulled her energy back.

  “This may be easier than I expected,” Keto purred at me. With a flick of her finger, Finn’s body was cast into a sand dune near Nadia.

  “Stop it!” I shrieked at her, my nails pressing into my palm as they balled up in animosity.

  She looked at Nadia.

  “Release her,” she commanded. The evil fingers dissipated and I slumped down onto the sand beneath me. As Keto’s eyes settled on me, a seething rage raced through every fiber of my being and I quickly stood. Her green eyes darted towards Selene and then sliced through mine once again. “You remember Selene, yes?”

  I felt more presences arrive, and spun in a slow circle to figure out exactly who I was dealing with. Nadia stood at my back, while Keto glared at me near the water’s edge. Selene and her shiny-eyed minions still blocked the beach to my right, and my heart sank to the sand as a wall of ten powerful Sirens appeared out of the shadow of the beach to my left. I was completely surrounded.

  And completely vulnerable.

  “Anastasia,” Keto announced in a booming voice, as all of the arrivals moved in closer to create a barrier around me. “I challenge you! I challenge that the victor will be proved to be the rightful Leader of the Tyde Order; eliminating her opponent and securing her place in history.”