by Enid Titan
«Come on, you’ve got this.»
Poppy grunted and stepped back, dragging Castor an inch.
«I can’t…»
«Yes… You… Can.»
Poppy grunted again and yanked him over the sill, falling backward flat on her bum. Castor landed on his face with his legs in the air. He groaned and then rolled onto his back.
«Thanks for the lift, Penelope.»
She was still on her butt, fresh out of breath.
“Yeah.”
“Are you alright?”
With Castor at least, she could be honest. Now that he was here with her, she felt the tug that usually existed between them, the tug she missed with Ajax and Jason.
“No,” she whispered, “I’m not alright. Something’s happened and I don’t know what.”
“I’m not alright either,” Castor murmured, “But we’ll figure this out. I promise.”
*
49
Poppy’s Powers
“If my mum knew I was doing this instead of studying for finals, she’d have my head.”
Poppy never heard Castor talk about his mum.
“We can find time to study later.”
Cas shook his head and rose, extending a hand to lift Poppy to her feet. She’d never seen him so serious.
“I can’t. You’re hurt and so am I. There’s nothing else I can focus on. Fuck. The telepathy is too strong. It’s too painful.”
Poppy moved in closer to him. His eyes were dull and sunk deep into his face. She ran her hands on the ridges of his nose. He shut his eyes and pressed his forehead against hers. She’d never seen Castor so vulnerable — ever.
“What should we do?”
“First, you need to understand what’s happening. Do you?”
Poppy shook her head.
“Very well.”
Castor sat on the edge of Poppy’s bed, his long legs kept his feet planted on the ground.
“Someone has interfered with our bond, Penelope.”
“I thought mating was one time… for life.”
“It should be. When a Devoran’s mate dies, they tend to die soon after. Within a hundred years.”
“Not exactly soon,” Poppy scoffed.
“For us, it is. We may live hundreds of years.”
“I’ve heard.”
“I don’t think you understand. A lifespan of 800 can be cut down to 200 or 300. Losing a mate destroys your life.”
“Right…”
Poppy shivered and wondered what she’d gotten herself into. According to the three boys, their bond had been unbreakable, yet Jason and Ajax had severed their bond to her.
“Telepathy is a funny thing,” Castor continued, “Few understand precisely how Devoran psychology, neuroscience and telepathy intersect. Very few.”
“It’s complicated,” Poppy agreed.
“Yes, and the secrets are well-guarded. We are vulnerable people when it comes to our telepathic bonds,” Castor said.
Poppy had never thought of Devorans as vulnerable before. They certainly didn’t seem vulnerable. They were bigger than most humans and stronger, with a broader musculature. They lived in peace without the threat of wars and invasion that humans feared constantly. Their planets were peaceful, undestroyed by a warming climate or greed. Devorans possessed calm temperament — a temperament Penelope had always envied.
“I envy you,” Castor continued, “The way you’re able to love us without losing your head.”
“L-love?”
“Don’t pretend, Penelope.”
“We’ve slept together, and it was nice but… I don’t think I’m ready for that word.”
Castor gazed up at her solemnly.
“The fact that you aren’t rips me apart. It’s what makes you so fucking terrifying. Mating has changed everything about me in a way I didn’t know it could. But I understand. We must understand you and your world — as our mate.”
“Not anymore,” Poppy murmured.
“Yes. Something has happened to Ajax and Jason. They’re my best friends. We shrae a bond with you. Nothing like this should have ever happened. I noticed their behavior changed yesterday before we were supposed to meet you.”
“Jocasta.”
Castor reached for her hair and pushed some of it behind her ear.
“Yes, Jocasta. She’s your friend, isn’t she?”
“I thought she was. I thought Hecate was too.”
“What does Hecate have to do with this?”
Poppy filled him in on the outdoor rink. Castor got off her bed and paced the room. His agitation bristled on the back of Poppy’s neck. She could feel every minute change in his emotional state as if it were her own. She pressed her hand to his back gently.
“Fuck…”
“What is it?” Poppy whispered.
“I think I know what may have happened.”
“You do?”
“Maybe. First… will you tell me what this is? It’s the loudest piece of paper I’ve ever bloody come across.”
Castor reached underneath her pillow and pulled out the letter from her mother and the symbol Poppy drew in her last vision.
“There’s a lot I have to tell you,” Poppy admitted.
She told Castor about the outdoor rink but neglected to tell him what she found when she visited Jason’s parents’ flat in Vortha.
“You’re thinking of Daphne,” Castor whispered.
Poppy nodded.
“Show me what happened with her.”
«You mean up here?» Poppy asked.
He raised his fingers to her temples.
«Close your eyes and remember. I’ll see it through your eyes. It’s easier.»
Poppy wasn’t as reluctant to have Castor crawling inside her head. Words wouldn’t do what happened in Vortha justice.
“Please, don’t judge me, Cas,” Penelope whispered, pressing her forehead to his as his thumb rested against her temple.
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
He ran his fingers over both her lips. Poppy shivered and her eyes fluttered shut. She could feel Castor within her as she retraced her steps through the streets of Vortha. She stopped in front of the door. Castor sensed her qualms in the doorway and her dismay when Daphne stood there, eyes gleaming, wicked intentions painted with Daphne’s grin.
Daphne attacked first. The way Poppy remembered it was how it happened. When she responded, Poppy heard a new sound in the memory, Castor’s groaning. His screaming. He pulled his hand away from her. His fingertips were burned. He gasped for breath and shook his hand.
“You burned me!”
“I did? What? I’m sorry!”
“Shit!”
“Let me see your hand.”
Castor snatched his hand away from her before she could grab it. When he looked up at her again, his eyes glowed yellow.
“What the hell are you Penelope? Whatever you are… it isn’t human.”
“I don’t know.”
“Don’t give me that shit!”
“I’m serious, I don’t know.”
She walked toward him. Castor stepped back, his back pressed against the wall.
“Don’t come near me!”
“Castor! Calm down!”
“Nothing like that has ever happened to me before.”
“I don’t know what happened!”
“I’m not buying that naive crap.”
“Castor, please! You have to believe me. I can explain what I know.”
“I’m going to ask you again, what are you?”
“I don’t know! Please, don’t be afraid of me,” Poppy said, tears welling her eyes, “I can’t lose anyone else. I can’t take it.”
Castor tentatively stepped closer to her.
“Explain. Everything that you know. I’ll explain what I know. Then we’re going to decide what to do next.”
“Fine. Isn’t it better if you see?”
“No!” Castor protested, “You tell me. Slowly. I want to understand what sort
of creature I’m dealing with.”
“I’m not a creature,” Penelope grumbled, “Let’s start there.”
“Whatever you are, you’re not more alien than I could have imagined.”
50
The Order
When she was finished, Castor didn’t speak for a full two minutes. He didn’t even think, which was weird for Poppy. She seemed to constantly be thinking. Castor’s mind when dead silent, his energy as fuzzy as a satellite signal out of range.
“Castor?” she whispered as the silence grew too uncomfortable to bear.
“I know what’s happened to Ajax and Jason. I don’t understand why Hecate, though.”
“What’s happened?”
“Have you ever heard of The Order?”
“Um… no.”
“They’re like… a religion. Sort of. Anyway. There have been rumors about Jason’s family.”
“His family is like… super-rich, right?”
“Understatement. They’re related to the Emperor. Cousins to the royal family. Jason's a Duke. His sister's a Duchess. I'm not certain how the rest of it works.”
“Shit. He's related to the Emperor of the whole planet? I thought he'd mention it once.”
“Emperor of the entire system. His father serves as the ruler of one of the other planets.”
“He’s royalty?”
“In a sense.”
“What does this have to do with The Order.”
“Jason never talks about his family,” Castor explained, “Not to you, not to me, not to anyone. I’ve asked him about The Order before, but he denies it. They’re virulently against outsiders, they’re against multi-telepathic bonds, they don’t much like trading with outsiders and they believe in the old caste system.”
Hecate used the word before to describe them. Poppy remembered her saying it over dinner. Perhaps there was truth to the rumors Castor mentioned.
“Devor had a caste system.”
Castor scoffed, “Yeah, thousands of years ago. It’s hardly relevant anymore. I don’t even know my parent’s caste.”
“Alright, let’s get to the point. What does any of this matter?”
“These are only rumors, I have no way of confirming it, but The Order practices dark telepathy.”
“Like black magic?”
“Sort of… it’s worse than that. It’s a perversion of our collective psyche, a way of tapping into the population’s energy to bend psychic energy to your will. It’s not practiced regularly and it’s… inappropriate.”
Castor’s cheeks flushed dark blue. Poppy had only seem him that embarrassed maybe once before.
“You’re insinuating that Daphne is part of The Order and somehow tampered with telepathic bonds?”
“It’s possible. But why Hecate?” Castor mumbled, “That’s the only bit of this that doesn’t make sense.”
“Maybe she didn’t mean to.”
“Huh?”
“Hecate might have been an accident,” Poppy pointed out.
“If she’s tampered with dark telepathy, we need to talk to someone. We can’t handle her alone.”
Poppy bit down on her lower lip.
«Wow. Rude.»
«You heard that?»
«Sorry,» Poppy apologized, «It’s just that I handled her alone before.»
“It’s not safe until you know what she’s done precisely.”
“How does dark telepathy work.”
“Look, I’m not an expert,” Castor replied, as if the mere suggestion he would know something about dark telepathy was an accusation, “I’ve only heard rumors and fairytales.”
“I think it’s time you explained some of them to me.”
“Rumors go that you need biological material to bend the will. Fingernails. Spit. Beads of sweat. Or…”
“Or what?” Poppy huffed impatiently.
“Semen.”
“Ew!”
“She didn’t get our semen,” Castor grumbled.
“Obviously! Jason is her brother.”
“Right.”
She paced her room. Answers were just within reach, Poppy could feel it. Castor shared her anticipation and her desire to figure out what precisely went wrong.
“What about hair?” Poppy whispered.
A wrenching ache in Poppy’s stomach drew her closer to the answers. Hair. The only place where all four of them — Castor, Jason, Ajax, and Hecate — had been was in her bedroom. This room.
“What about it?”
“The hair could have come from here.”
“I don’t imagine you gave the hair up to Daphne for her wicked intent,” Castor grumbled.
“I didn’t. There’s someone else who might have.”
“The nurse?” Castor asked.
Poppy could forget how much of a jock Castor was. He mightn’t have been struggling in math the way Jason was, but he wasn’t exactly the class valedictorian.
“No, not the damn nurse!”
“Don’t yell, Penelope.”
“Sorry… I think it might be Jocasta.”
“Jocasta? Why the hell would she do that? She doesn’t know about us, does she?”
“No. Hecate told me that Devorans were private about their relationships. I decided to respect that.”
“Oh. Thanks.”
“I did think you were keeping me a secret, though.”
“Not a secret. I’ve told my mother.”
“Your mother?”
“Is that bad?”
“No. I didn’t expect all that.”
“You haven’t told your uncle, have you.”
Poppy blushed. She didn’t want to be confronted about this — not now.
“Forget I asked,” Castor grumbled.
“Jocasta’s the only other person who’s been in here.”
“She is the one they claim to be bonded to now.”
“She’s not a part of The Order though, is she?”
“Heavens no,” Castor said emphatically, “She’s not the right caste.”
Poppy winced. Devoran politics bordered on classist and insensitive sometimes.
“Why would she help Daphne?”
“There’s only one way to find out,” Castor pointed out, “We’re going to have to ask her. I could kiss you for figuring this out.”
“What are you waiting for?” Poppy teased.
Castor waited for nothing but her approval. He grabbed her and planted his lips on hers. Poppy gasped as he kissed her. Not now! Not another vision. She closed her eyes and seemed to wake up on the boat again, rocking back and forth across the ocean.
51
Fengari
“Where are we?”
Poppy whipped around. Castor was here. He was in her vision.
“What are you doing here?”
“I don’t know. You brought me here.”
“Let go. Wake me up,” Poppy pleaded.
“I can’t.”
“Why does your voice sound so real. It’s not echoing and… telepathic.”
“I don’t know. Maybe we’re here. On this boat”
The boat dipped forward and Poppy nearly lost her balance. Castor caught her just before her knees hit the deck.
“Careful,” he muttered, brushing her hair out of her face and holding her up. Poppy braced herself against his strong chest.
“Maybe this is it…”
“Penelope. Look. It’s changing.”
The sun set quickly like she was watching a timelapse and before Poppy could draw another breath it was dark and a full moon rose over the horizon. Castor and Penelope both stared up at the radiant orb splashing silver light onto the boat deck.
“Is this your planet?” Castor whispered.
“Yes,” Poppy replied, settling deeper into Castor’s grasp as the boat rocked.
“It’s beautiful.”
Distracted by the light of the moon, they didn’t notice the footsteps on the ship’s deck until a figure in a black cloak stepped a few feet away from them,
the boards creaking with the final step. Poppy turned to face the figure. There was no face beneath the black cloak, but there was someone there.
«We found you, child of Fengar.»
Poppy breathed in, her lungs on fire as she struggled to breathe the air all around her, the air on Earth. Castor held her tightly.
“Who are you?” he asked.
“Sssssssssilence, Devoran. Ancient enemy.”
Castor screamed and clutched his head, falling away from Poppy.
«Leave him alone!» she screamed.
«Penelope Darden, child of Korina and Julian. You are a child of Fengar. You belong with ussssssss, not on the planet of our greatessssssst enemy.»
«You don’t get to tell me what to do. Who are you? Who am I? Before I listen to you, I need to know the truth.»
«Your father was a child of the moon… Our people sssssssssent his mother home. He died because of humanssssssss.»
«That’s not true! He was ssssssick.»
«We could have healed him.»
«No! You’re lying to me. My father is not some half-alien from the moon. Or Fengar. Or whatever the hell you’re trying to tell me!»
«Penelope, we want ssssssomething.»
«I’m not going to give you anything…»
«Unlessssssss we give you something in return.»
«What are you talking about?»
«You want to heal Earth’sssssss sssssicknessssssss.»
«Yes. I do.»
«Then we will heal the Earth. But you must give us ssssssomething in return.»
“Don’t listen to her, Penelope!” Castor screamed, “Don’t make a deal with her! Whatever you do! Don’t!”
Castor screamed again and fell to his knees. Poppy fought back tears and anger. She’d asked this creature not to hurt him. How dare she? Poppy couldn’t listen to Castor’s pleas, not when this alien held the power to destroy both of them in her head. Poppy could see that now — the depth of power contained in the cloaked alien.
This woman offered her everything that she had come to find on Devor — the truth about her past, a solution to the crisis on Earth, and the promise that her suffering might soon be over. She didn’t have to return to Devor. She could go home. And stay there.
