The Evensong

by Lindsay Payton

  He was so blind to everything but power. Secretly, I hoped that if he ever found it he would be consumed. He was evil enough; perhaps auctorita would just destroy him. It seemed too much to hope for.

  “We have serious things to research,” Aidan said to Omar. “I need to know everything about twin flames. What happens if one dies? Do you know?” He looked between Omar and I, but neither of us answered. I hoped he was wrong. I would rather Linden live at all costs.

  Aidan returned back to the other side, calling Omar after him. I wondered where he hoped to find his information, but more importantly, I wanted to hear it. I had never heard of twin flames dying together, but it was possible. That seemed so unfair, but it also made sense. Please let it be wrong …

  After a long while of the normal silence and sounds of the cave, I heard a distant buzzing. It was the faraway sound of a motor; Aidan must have a small motorboat somewhere. Had I the ambition to move, I might have gone to look, but I stayed put.

  Hours passed. I dozed here and there, tried walking once. It was a painful ordeal, but I forced myself anyway, feeling sick the instant I stood. I walked as close to the edge of the rock as I could and sent out strong thoughts towards Linden. There was no guarantee that this would get his attention since it wasn’t my forte, but I was willing to try.

  I eventually lay out the thin blanket I’d been given and tried to get comfortable on my back. This was virtually impossible, but I found a position that didn’t hurt so much. I dreamed lightly and slept fitfully. I woke up feverish and weak, and as I sat up I could hear the motorboat in the distance. I’d been dreaming about some of the things I remembered of Rene’s lessons, but none of it made sense now that I was awake.

  My eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and I watched the wall where the other space was located. I soon saw a faint light inside as it bounced off the walls; a flashlight. There were low voices, and shadows came with the light. Omar stepped through, a silhouette against the light behind him as Aidan followed. With them came the odor of fish, and I could see Omar held a large one along with a long knife. Aidan extended his palm towards me, and I watched as flames seemed to seep from his skin, covering his hand like a light film. It gradually grew larger, creating more light.

  “You should feel lucky,” he said as he pulled his hand back. “The death of one flame won’t kill the other.”

  I watched the flames grow and settle in his palm; it dripped from his fingers like liquid.

  “This doesn’t upset me though. This makes for a challenge. That’ll be a nice change of pace.” He stroked the small fire as if it were some kind of animal. His skin didn’t burn at all, but his palms were redder than the rest of him.

  “You like fish?” he asked, looking up from his hand. I didn’t say anything, though the prospect of real food had my empty stomach aching. Aidan smiled knowingly and turned back to Omar. “It’ll be there if she wants it. Come on.”

  He walked through the wall, and a minute later I could hear the crackle of flames and an orange glow came from the crack. Omar hesitated for a long time, tossing the fish innards into the water. Just having him nearby angered me, and I was relieved when he left.

  A few minutes later, with the sound of their voices came the smell of cooking fish. I tried to hold my breath; the smell of real food was disgustingly tantalizing, and I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of my caving. I forced myself up instead and felt my way towards the rock. Blindly, I reached into the water, my fingers grazing over foreign objects until I felt what I was looking for. I tugged the little bit of kelp out and shook away the excess water. It was slimy and almost unappetizing, but I tore off a small bite anyway. The seawater gave it enough salt for taste, and I ate it quickly. It wasn’t much of anything, but it was something in my stomach.

  I went back to my spot on the blanket when I heard Aidan’s voice coming closer. He slid out of the fracture, his fist holding his fire again. It was enough light to see the uneven ground, and he walked carefully.

  “Don’t you wonder how I knew Linden was alive?” he asked as he stood in front of me.

  I shook my head. “I don’t care.”

  He chuckled. “Oh you actress, you. That’s all you care about. The gods should have granted you the privilege of being an Elemental. Too bad.”

  I didn’t reply. His attempts to insult me were getting pathetic.

  He crouched in front of me, and I could see he was getting impatient. “You are so stubborn. How long are you going to pretend you’re not afraid?”

  “I’m not pretending,” I replied.

  His eyes were calculating for a moment, and then he held his hand close to my cheek. I could feel the heat radiating from his skin, and it increased as the film of fire covered his palm.

  “You don’t mind ending up like Aly?” he asked as he tilted his head slightly. I clenched my jaw when he said her name.

  “Do it,” I said through my teeth.

  “Don’t say things you don’t mean,” he warned.

  “I mean it!” I shouted. “All you can do is bluff, you never act on it. You’re more impatient than you let you, so just kill me already!”

  A brief look of surprised crossed his features, and then he seemed somewhat amused. “You think I’m bluffing?”

  “If you’d stop being so bitter about not having auctorita, maybe you’d get more done,” I said. “I’m sorry you can’t be as powerful as you like, and I’m sorry you try to gain recognition with your stupid, trivial ways of—”

  My words stopped as he grabbed a fistful of my hair. It hurt, but the intense pain in my side was worse. I cringed as he brought my face close to his.

  “Are you being insulting?” he asked lowly.

  “Why?” I gasped. “Are you hurt?”

  I could hear his teeth grinding, and he wrenched me to my feet. “Keep talking, Riley. Keep talking.”

  I could hardly breathe, but I still spoke. “See? You can’t even do it …”

  His fist slammed across my mouth, rattling my whole body. I felt my lip split and blood flowed down my chin. The pain was sharp and dull, but I barely registered it as he put an arm around my waist and easily tossed me into the water. The salt burned the open wound, and when I came to the surface I was gasping and spitting tinted water. Grasping the rocks, I tried to breathe. Aidan’s hand came from above, and he held my chin, forcing me to look up at him.

  “You’ll love it down there,” he said softly. “All the undines do.”

  He pushed me down below the surface while I flailed uselessly. I was gulping water instead of air, and the smarting of every wound was blinding. Soon, I couldn’t swallow anything else and my body gradually stopped moving. The dull heartbeat in my ears began to slow, and I felt the slow sensation of floating up.

  I opened my eyes. Above me was that beautiful soft blue and the gentle rippling. I knew where I was, though I moved slowly, and I was breathing what felt like moist air. The bubbles drifted up before me, and I soon came to the surface as they did.

  I stood on the pebbly ground that was suddenly there. Taking a moment to really get some air, I looked around at the astral plane. It looked the same as it had the last time I’d been here, only now Linden was nowhere in sight. The giant lily pads rocked slightly on the water, and the strange sounds came from the shore, wherever it was located.

  I started walking, not knowing what I was supposed to do. Now, there was only one reason why I was here, and I glanced down at my wrist. I was surprised to see the thread still there, only now it was so thin, it looked like spider silk. Somehow this didn’t frighten me, and I only kept walking, wondering if it would be stupid to call out into the distance.

  “Linden!” I shouted first. Once again, my voice seemed muffled, though it did carry a little. The noises beyond didn’t stop, so that gave me a little more confidence. I tried again.

  “Morcant!”

  I kept walking as nothing happened. The foggy sky showed no sign of anything except maybe the moon. I navigate
d around lily pads, calling out for Morcant again and again. The scene started to change as I went; the lily pads became more frequent, and up ahead I could see tall reeds growing out of the water. I stopped at the edge of them, looking up. They were taller than me by at least two feet, but I still wanted to walk into them. Reeds only grew near land, and I wanted to find it.

  I pushed my way between them, surprised at their softness. The thread on my wrist was still coming with me, showing no signs of resistance this time. I soon forgot about it as I was lost in the reeds, and I yelled out a name again.

  I heard a different noise this time. It was under the animal/insect sounds, and I called out. Again, there it was, and I tried to walk towards it. I remained quiet as I walked through the reeds, pushing them out of my way. It was definitely a voice I heard; I was positive.

  “Morcant?” I said, softer this time. I stopped moving when I heard the reeds rustling, and then a reply.

  “Talise!” He was so close, but I stayed put, afraid I might lose him.

  “I’m right here,” I said, looking around to see if the reeds were moving. All of them seemed to be even though there was no wind, and Morcant suddenly appeared, pushing the long plants out of his way. His frightening beauty stunned me, even though I’d seen him before, but he didn’t hesitate.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked as he reached out. He grasped my shoulders and pulled me against him. I instantly wrapped my arms around him, squeezing hard.

  “Morcant, I’m so—”

  “Why are you here?” he demanded. His needle-sharp nails were digging into my skin.

  “I—I had to find you,” I said, put-off by his tone. “How else could I?”

  His eyes were boring into mine as he frowned. “So you decide to die?”

  “No, look.” I held up my wrist, and he stared at the barely-there thread.

  “That’s not assuring,” he replied.

  I smiled slightly. “Well … if I did die, wouldn’t it be easier?”

  He looked at me sharply. “How would it be easier, Talise?”

  “Seeing you. As Morcant. Isn’t that what—”

  “Please, stop,” he said. “Tell me where you are.”

  I was confused for a moment. “But—if I’m already—”

  “Where is your body?”

  “A cave,” I yelled back at him, annoyed. “It’s in a sea cave. I don’t know where. Aidan and Omar took me there, and it’s off the coast. There are lots of rocks and some homes, but they’re far away from the shore.”

  He thought hard for a second, and just before he spoke, my thread jerked back, tugging my wrist. I looked at it in confusion, and it jerked again, this time pulling me with it. I stumbled and looked to Morcant for an answer.

  “You’re going to be all right,” he said, relieved. He walked with me as the thread pulled taunt again.

  “What?” I stared at the line and stumbled after it as it pulled. “But I thought this was it.”

  “I’ll find you,” he said firmly, ignoring my comment. “Now that we have some kind of idea … it won’t be long.”

  The thread pulled at me again, and I fought it this time. “Wait, I can’t go back there!”

  “You have to,” Morcant said gently. “But don’t worry. I’ll be there soon.”

  I was pulled back again, this time disrupting the calm waters as I fought to stay. The thread was completely taunt now, and my arm was almost under the surface.

  I reached out with my free hand, grasping Morcant’s wrist. “Please …”

  “Trust me, all right?” he said, his fingers at my neck. I wanted to say more, but a final hard tug pulled me under the water and out of his reach. I closed my eyes as I sailed down at an alarming speed, dreading what was to come.

  THE FACE OF MORCANT

  The reintroduction to pain was incredible. It came with all of the water that suddenly shot up my throat and out of my mouth. I coughed and choked, turning my head as more water came. The coughing wouldn’t stop even though every spasm jerked my fractured ribs.

  “Finally. I thought you were really gone.”

  Aidan’s voice was awful to hear. I was already cringing from being back in my body, and he made it ten times worse. When I opened my eyes, I could see Omar kneeling next to me, looking slightly winded. Aidan stood over him providing light from his hand. My whole chest hurt, and I realized it must have been from Omar’s constant pounding to get me to breathe again. After being on the astral plane, this was an awful sight.

  “No …” I moaned as I rolled onto my side. Crying was the last thing I needed, but I couldn’t help it. I would rather be dead than be stuck here. Even though I’d been promised to be found, I still didn’t feel comforted now.

  “Oh yes,” Aidan replied triumphantly. “I wouldn’t let you go that easily. That’s just cruel.”

  My hair fell over my face, and I squeezed my eyes shut to further block out any sights. It was just my luck that out of all the things I couldn’t do, I couldn’t die. At least, not when it was mildly convenient.

  “Plus,” Aidan added, laughing, “at least Omar got to kiss you again. Right buddy? Pretty fair deal.”

  Omar mumbled something in reply as I rubbed my lips against the back of my hand. It didn’t do much; the deed was already done. Even if it was just CPR, it was contact with him, which I didn’t want.

  “This was all part of the deal, Riley,” Aidan went on, raising his voice so that it echoed off the walls. “I help get you back, I get a little entertainment out of the whole thing. Your undying lover here comes to me with a request: help him get you out of the undine clutches. Who’d have thought I would agree?” Aidan feigned disbelief. “I didn’t think it was such a big deal, but when I look back on the whole thing, I realize it was. To some, at least. And thank the gods for my personality, because I blew it up like no one else could.”

  “Give it a rest,” Omar growled.

  “Oh no, I’m not done,” Aidan replied. “Look at her—this is the ideal time for breakage. I’ve seen this a hundred times, trust me.” He paused and cleared his throat. “I don’t make deals. But this is the exception. Riley, I mean it when I say you’re the best I’ve had.” He got a good laugh out of that, and Omar stood fast; I could hear his shoes slipping on the rocks. When I opened my eyes, I could see he had pushed Aidan against the wall.

  “You’ve said enough,” he bellowed.

  Aidan grabbed him by the forearms and pushed him away. Omar yelled and lost his balance, catching himself as he fell. His teeth were clenched together and he was holding his arms.

  “Remember who you’re talking to,” Aidan replied. “You’re hardly in control.”

  He walked away, disappearing on the other side. Omar lay there for a few moments before pushing himself up. He hissed, and I noticed he was gingerly touching his skin. Aidan must have burned him. Serves him right. He left me alone without a second glance, and I hoped he wouldn’t be back.

  I absorbed what Aidan had said as I lay still. How Omar had figured out he was an Elemental was beyond me, but I couldn’t believe he had gone to him for help. I wondered whose idea it was to burn down the house, though I suspected it was Omar. Just thinking about everything made my fury grow, and sleep wasn’t even an option. I could only focus on the facts, and the way the seconds passed so slowly. I wanted Linden to be here.

  Two days passed. Two horribly long days. I never moved from my spot, preferring to lie down and watch the distant entrance. I didn’t eat and I hardly slept; I felt hollow by the afternoon of day two. Aidan and Omar had stopped the frequent visits to check up on me, and they no longer attempted to leave me food. I didn’t feel much of it, and I planted myself firmly in my mind. There at least I could imagine things, anything that was different from the reality. It’s what I wanted over everything else.

  Even though my eyes were open, I didn’t see. It was like a moving picture stuck there with no differences in it. The sounds were the same, and everything had turned mundane.


  I was thinking of a time that felt very long ago; eons. I had been in work dodging Linden behind the shelves until he was looking back at me between the boxes. There was the first time I’d seen him in the swamps when he’d been perched on a root. He seemed so curious then, looking at me with his almond-shaped eyes. Funny how things turn out … I had been afraid of him when I probed his aura from the bathroom, but I was daring enough to kiss him later. Strange how it had all gotten me here, beaten and drowned and waiting in a hopeless cave who-knows-where.

  I kept up the nostalgia and didn’t notice the subtle change in the way the water was moving. My eyes didn’t see the slight dark shape near the mouth of the cave; I was with Linden on his roof. The beat of the waves on the rock had seemed like silence, and the silence was broken when there was a quiet splash of water, and something came up onto the rocks. That something was dripping wet and it stared at me for a long time.

  “Riley—” My name sounded choked and strained, but it pulled me out of my thoughts. I blinked rapidly a few times and looked up as my vision was filled with a new sight. Still, I wasn’t sure if I was just making it up.

  “Hey, Linden,” I replied in a dry whisper. I almost smiled, but it hurt the tender skin; my lip still wasn’t completely healed. He reached for me, but stopped, his face pained.

  “Jesus,” was all he could say for a second as he looked at me. When I felt his cool touch on my arm, I knew this had to be real. My brain couldn’t make that up. I tried to push myself up, instantly needing to feel more. Linden helped, though he barely held me. I could tell he was trying to be cautious, but I didn’t care. I was almost immune to the pain at this second.

  “I—I can’t believe you found it,” I said as I clutched his arms. “You found the cave.”

  “I’m so sorry it took so long,” he said, carefully pressing me against him. I didn’t care—the fact that he was here was enough. Everything would be all right now.

  “Who did this to you?” he demanded, holding my face in his hands.

  I would have told him everything he wanted to know, but I saw the figure emerge from behind him.