Aaron seemed to take my explanation at face value and said nothing more on the subject.
“So,” Malcolm said, interrupting my thoughts, “we’re finally all here. I’d say it’s about time we begin.”
“Why exactly am I here? Or … Aidan?” Aaron wanted to know, the sound of his brother’s name rolling hesitantly from his lips as if he was still testing how it sounded.
“You are here because these powers are dangerous. The three of you are in this predicament together. If we get Persephone to harness the incredible power inside of her, she may not be able to control it.
If that happens, I will not be able to stop her on my own. I will need all the help I can get, and it seems the persons likely to help control Persephone will be the ones with a connection to her. That is why you are all here.
And though Aidan already knows how to use his powers, chances are we will have to go far and beyond the knowledge we possess at the moment in order to stop this curse. That is why we all need to be here and embark on this journey together.”
“So, the four of us, huh? Cozy,” Aaron murmured, clearly not happy.
Malcolm simply ignored this and motioned for me to join him in the center of the cave.
My trembling legs carried me toward Malcolm; I was terrified of what might happen if I tried to tap into that mysterious part of me, the part I hadn’t even known existed … the part of me where the curse had been born. Surely it was a dark, twisted part of my soul.
And I would have given anything not to have to go there. But it seemed I had no choice. If there was even the slightest chance to make up for my former wrongdoings ― even if I had no recollection of them ― then it was just something I needed to do.
Taking a deep breath, I stood beside Malcolm, waiting to hear what he wanted me to do.
“Close your eyes, Persephone,” Malcolm instructed me calmly.
When I had complied, he said, “Okay, now I want you to take deep, calming breaths. Listen as each breath enters and leaves your body. Good. Now feel your breath, let it stretch and fill your whole being; follow it deep down … and down … and down.”
For what felt like an hour, I continued breathing, listening, and feeling until everything around me seemed to disappear, leaving me alone ― my breath a living creature ― Malcolm’s voice the only anchor to the world around me as he guided me on my path.
As if my body had shut down, I could no longer feel individual parts, could no longer distinguish my body from my mind; they had become one ― an entity.
“Persephone,” Malcolm’s voice interrupted the trance-like haze of my mind, “where are you?”
“I’m … I don’t know,” I finished, my voice barely a whisper.
“What do you see, what can you feel?” Malcolm coaxed.
“Nothing,” I answered. There was nothing to see, and there were no particular thoughts or feelings floating around.
“Then you have not yet reached the part of your soul that holds your power. Persephone, you need to get closer, you need to open up to that part of yourself. Give yourself over to your power.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I answered evenly, “I don’t see any power … I can’t sense anything here.”
“That, my dear, is because you are denying yourself! You are standing before a precipice, and you refuse to jump. But if you do not jump, you will never get to the bottom … and that part of your soul will remain lost.”
Trying harder to understand what Malcolm was saying, I concentrated on finding the place inside of me that held the power I sought.
Suddenly, in my mind’s eye, I could actually see a bright, brilliantly shining light radiating outward from what looked like a sphere. The light it emitted was shining in a rainbow of the most beautiful hues I had ever beheld.
“Wow,” I mumbled in awe, “what is that? So … beautiful.”
“Ah, I think you’ve found your mystical energy, the source of your magic,” Malcolm said excitedly. “Step into that light, Persephone. Let it envelop you … let it take you over.”
I mentally stepped closer, rays of shimmering light streaming all around me as my consciousness gingerly started to penetrate the veil of light.
Squinting through the brightness, I could see there was something at its center. As I slowly approached the core of the sphere, an overwhelming dread infused me and made me falter.
“No,” I gasped breathlessly, my trembling voice betraying the horror I felt.
“What is it, Persephone, what’s wrong?” Malcolm’s voice floated in from somewhere around me.
“I can’t …,” I whimpered, tears starting to pool behind my closed eyelids.
“Persephone, listen to me,” Malcolm urged me, “tell me what you see.”
“I … black … it’s so black,” I mumbled.
“What is black?” Malcolm asked, his tone a mixture of curiosity and caution.
“I am,” I whimpered, “my soul is black,” I cried out, my voice breaking as tears leaked from my eyes and streamed down my cheeks.
I had known that I might harbor something dark and twisted, but actually seeing the reality of that horrid part of me was suddenly too much to bear.
Staring at the condensed darkness at the core of the sphere, I finally lost it, my knees crumbling underneath me as I fell to the floor of the cave ― shattered.
I would have given anything not to have seen that part of myself. There was darkness at my very core. What did that mean? Was my very essence evil? Was there no escaping it?
The darkness was so dense I could not look through it, my gaze being pulled into its very depth … I was getting lost in its ugly clutches.
“Persephone, are you okay? Persephone, what’s wrong? Persephone?” Malcolm said. I heard bits and pieces but didn’t have the strength to answer.
“Persephone,” Malcolm urged, “come back to us,” Malcolm’s voice only just reached my ears; it sounded very remote as if it was coming from far, far away. I couldn’t make sense of his words. They held no meaning … inconsequential … none of it mattered. The only thing that mattered was…
Inky…
black…
impenetrable…
all-consuming…
Darkness…
Surrender … surrender … surrender … the voice pulled me under. Malcolm’s words no longer reached me, did not have the power to penetrate the suffocating darkness … I was utterly alone ― drowning in a black void…
Chapter 16 * Sundrenched World
Aidan watched in astonishment as Malcolm kneeled at Persephone’s side. She had dropped to her knees and was now sitting on her haunches, her body slightly slumped but still holding her up.
Her eyes remained tightly shut, and she gave absolutely no sign of hearing anything of what Malcolm had just said.
There was no reaction of any kind, no muscle twitching. She just sort of hovered in her sitting position as if something was holding her there without any conscious thought of Persephone’s.
“Well,” Malcolm said, “I hadn’t quite expected this to happen.”
“What exactly did you expect, then? Surely you expected something similar or you wouldn’t have said you hadn’t quite expected this. So, I’m guessing you’re not all that surprised,” Aaron said angrily, his gaze accusing.
“I knew there might be complications when she first attempted to access her power. But I didn’t think she would just lose it like this,” Malcolm explained.
Leaning in closer to Persephone’s body, he held her head while carefully lifting her eyelids. As he did so, Aidan could see green blank eyes that were staring into space. When Malcolm let go, her eyelids remained open. Persephone’s face reminded Aidan of a doll’s with eyelids you could open and shut as you pleased.
“Do something,” Aaron urged Malcolm, his voice both angry and anxious.
“I will,” Malcolm promised, “it will just take some time, that’s all. I think we will have a very good chance at get
ting through to her eventually.
I would not have let her put herself in a situation I didn’t believe she could get out of. So, although I might not quite have anticipated this reaction, her situation is by no means a permanent one, I assure you.”
“Okay,” Aaron replied somewhat assuaged, “tell me how I can help.”
“I’m sorry, my boy,” Malcolm replied, “but there’s really nothing you can do at this point. Aidan and I will take her back to her room, and I’ll see what needs to be done. I would like you to head back to yours, and I will let you know as soon as there’s a change in her condition.”
“There’s no way I’ll just let you take her without letting me see what you’re doing to her,” Aaron threatened. “I’m a part of this. It’s partly my fault that she had to go through this. So I’m coming along, no matter what you say.”
Aidan was surprised at Aaron’s reaction. It seemed he was emotionally invested in Persephone’s well-being … it appeared he had feelings for her. Aidan hadn’t considered that Aaron might be in love with her, he had merely known that they were sexually drawn to one another through the curse.
It had never occurred to him that his brother could feel something for … a beast. She couldn’t possibly be worth loving … at least that’s what Aidan had been telling himself over and over again.
“Aaron,” Malcolm addressed Aidan’s brother, his voice calm and soothing, “I understand that you’re upset and don’t want to leave her side. But the thing is: you are so caught up in the middle of this curse that it might even be a risk to let you get too close.
So, there really is no way I can let you be a part of this. Please understand that she may be in even more danger if I let you come with us. I promise you, we will get her back! And we won’t do anything that might hurt her or put her in more danger. Please … understand.”
At that, Aaron seemed to put his indignation aside.
“I understand,” Aaron said quietly, “I will do as you ask and not get in your way.
But there’s something you must understand,” Aaron said, taking it in turns to glare at Malcolm and Aidan, his voice dangerously low, “if either one of you, or anyone else for that matter, hurts her, that person will wish they were never born.”
“Understood,” Malcolm said seriously.
Aaron turned to Aidan, a dangerous glint in his eyes, waiting for his assurance since he hadn’t said anything. Aidan threw him a significant look and nodded.
“Alright,” Aaron said, “keep me informed.” Turning on his heels he left for his room.
Aidan watched him go, a strange feeling coming over him as he did so. It was like watching himself, like an out-of-body experience. The movement of Aaron’s body mimicked Aidan’s in every little detail. Aidan couldn’t help but wonder about his brother.
Were they essentially the same? Or had the special circumstances of their upbringing sufficed to make them fundamentally different from one another?
He would have liked to have some time with Aaron. He was by no means indifferent to the fact that he had a twin brother. And had things been different, he would have wasted no time in getting to know him better.
But things were ‘complicated’ ― to quote Malcolm ― and Aidan didn’t know how this whole situation would play out. Aidan might not be in love with Persephone but he felt a definite pull toward her, one that was very hard to ignore.
So, seeing Aaron with Persephone, seeing the way she was with him, Aidan couldn’t help but feel somewhat jealous. And he was sure, Aaron would feel the same if something ever did develop between him and Persephone … which would never happen, he berated himself quickly.
Whatever his relationship to Aaron was or would become, at the moment he had other things on his mind. He just didn’t have the time or leisure to bond with his brother just then…
“Aidan,” Malcolm spoke, interrupting Aidan’s train of thought, “come on, boy, what are you waiting for?”
“Ah … what?” Aidan asked, bewildered. He didn’t have a clue what it was he was supposed to be doing.
“Well …,” Malcolm prompted, “pick her up, son.”
“You want me to carry her?” Aidan asked surprised.
“What do you think? Do I look like a strong young man?” Malcolm said sarcastically.
“You’re strong enough when it suits you,” Aidan snorted.
“Careful,” Malcolm warned, though the corner of his mouth lifted slightly as if he was trying not to laugh.
“Fine,” Aidan grumbled, crouching next to Persephone’s immobile frame. Gently lifting her arm and pulling it over his shoulder, he reached around her body and lifted her into his arms.
“Good,” Malcolm said, “now bring her to your room and try to get through to her.”
“Wait,” Aidan replied panicked, “you’re not coming with? You told Aaron we would take her.”
“No, I’m afraid this is something only you can do. I do not have a connection to her … you do. And I couldn’t very well tell Aaron the two of you were going to get cozy, now could I?
Use the bond to get access to her mind. Your power will guide you. You can do this,” Malcolm said seriously, squeezing Aidan’s shoulder in support before walking away … leaving Aidan completely alone with Persephone’s limp form.
Holding her body tightly to his, he started the long climb through the tunnels and the castle, all the while trying not to pay too close attention to Persephone’s quiet, steady breathing, or the way her warm, amazingly soft skin felt while he held her. Her head lay against his shoulder and neck, and he could feel her warm breath caress his bare skin.
Trying to block out how incredible she felt, he hurried toward their room. The sooner he put some distance between them, the better … otherwise he would go mad.
Aidan finally reached the top floor, opened the door and went through to their room.
Uncomfortable going anywhere near a bed, with the turn his thoughts had taken since cradling her body, he walked over to the large curved bay window seat, sat down on the cushioned seat, and lowered Persephone down onto the empty space beside him. As soon as he let go of her, her body started slumping to one side, threatening to fall over.
Aidan quickly caught her and pulled her onto his lap instead, folding her smaller body gently into his. Her forehead was resting in the hollow between his neck and collarbone, her hair covering her ears and part of her face. Carefully he swept her hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear, so that she could hear him.
“Persephone,” Aidan whispered softly, his lips at her ear.
“Persephone,” he repeated, waiting for any kind of response.
Persephone remained completely still. Aidan’s palm gripped the back of her head, tilting it to face him and holding it firmly in place. Her emerald eyes were dull and lifeless as he gazed into them.
He would not get through to her by calling her name. She was gone, lost somewhere inside her mind. The only way to get her back was by using his gift.
Aidan closed his eyes, concentrating hard. When he could feel power rushing through every part of his body, pure energy infusing him, he opened his eyes, gazed into Persephone’s and said, “I am in you.”
Instantly he could feel his essence being pulled into her. He was rushing into the unknown, his surroundings nothing but streaks of light and dark as he flew forward. Finally he reached the part of her soul where her power rested.
He was amazed by the sheer beauty of her energy. What he had expected to see was an enormous black ball of evil and nothing else.
As he slowly progressed, squinting through the blinding light, he suddenly saw her. Just as her body had, Persephone’s mental image of herself had sunk to her knees.
She hovered there silently, unmoving, unblinking, her gaze lost in what Aidan could now see was a ball of purest darkness at the center of her energy.
So, this was what had made her lose herself. Honestly he couldn’t blame her. The black orb ahead was rich with darkne
ss, and reeked of destruction and evil.
This was Persephone’s true essence. It seemed she had gotten a good look at who she was at heart and couldn’t handle it.
But that didn’t really sound like someone who was evil. An evil person could have cared less about being evil. It would not have unsettled them.
The fact that Persephone had gotten lost in the darkness, suggested that she was not accustomed to it and had not accepted it as a part of her soul.
So, it seemed she had told the truth when she had answered that there was no Morrigan inside of her. At least, the truth as far as she understood it.
Morrigan was inside of her, he was staring at the darkness right now. But it appeared that Persephone had not yet made contact with that part of her soul. For now, they remained as separate as two individual entities could be.
That could easily change, though; depending on how well she would be able to control her power, and if she could resist entering the darkness within. He prayed that she would be.
If the Persephone he had begun to get to know was actually for real, then it meant she was someone he could really … like. She was someone worth saving. He just hoped he could.
Persephone, Aidan projected his thoughts toward her, envisioning his body kneeling beside her.
Persephone didn’t stir and gave no indication whatsoever of being aware of his presence. He gently touched his hand to her arm, but got no reaction. Aidan dropped his hand, sat back on his haunches and thought long and hard about what he could do to get through to her.
Suddenly it hit him.
She was lost in a world of darkness … she needed to be bathed in light. Kneeling in front of her, he steadily held her head, gazed into her eyes and let his soul shine outward. Bright shining beams of light streamed toward Persephone, infusing her with Aidan’s light … Aidan’s soul.
Sensing a slight reaction when her lips started twitching, Aidan deepened the connection, his lips gently pressed against hers. Finally he could see a spark of life in Persephone’s eyes. Her lips parted slightly, and he could hear her sharp intake of breath as she resurfaced.
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