by M. Stratton
This is where my routine office job would come in handy. I’d be able to let my brain work on autopilot, calculating the endless numbers while my subconscious would be able to come to the decision I was too scared to commit to.
Raina
As I came around the last wooded bend in the rural country road before arriving at my uncle’s house, my stomach fluttered. This was the beginning of my grand adventure! I laughed at myself. It felt amazing to be able to do something I love with my life, even if it was something as simple as reading.
With the sun setting, the sky was on fire behind the crisp white, old Victorian house. I knew my gut feeling was right; everything would change because I had finally found my home. I swore I could hear the click as my future unlocked in front of me. I almost ran off the road gazing at the beautiful house that was now all mine. With shaking hands, I put the car in park and simply sat there for a moment, trying to calm my nerves and get my breathing under control. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been this excited about something other than a new shipment of books.
I wanted to act like a kid and run around the house, investigating everything at once. Instead, I carefully opened the car door and slid out from behind the wheel, taking the time to retrieve my purse before focusing on the front door as I walked up the brick pavers. With no lights on in the home, and sunlight fading fast, I couldn’t clearly make out the crest on the transom window above the door, but the thought of it possibly being original to the house excited me.
I was somewhat disappointed that the ornate old wooden door had a modern lockset on it. Running my hand over the carving, I tried to make out what the pattern was, but since it was in the shadows, I couldn’t. Sighing, I slid the key in the lock and heard the whisper of the tumblers catching. Fancifully, I wondered what it was trying to tell me, a welcoming or a warning. I shook my head, laughing at myself. I was listening to the house like a heroine from one of my novels… as if it were alive!
Everything in my being since I had read the letter from the lawyer had awakened. Pure joy burst from me. I wasn’t meant to be another number, an accounts payable specialist in large corporate America. I was meant to be so much more, and now I had the time and money to figure out exactly what I was supposed to do with my life.
*****
I was amazed when I woke up the next morning. It had been a dreamless night. Typically my nights were filled with dreams. There were days I’d wake up exhausted from them. I stretched and looked out of the window and gasped at the morning sunrise. The sun was breaking the horizon, and I felt like for a moment I could see the fire burning along its surface. I remembered the sunset from the night before and thought it was a good omen. This was my place. This was where I belonged.
The master bedroom was at the back of the house on the second floor, and the view was amazing. From the front of the house you wouldn’t know it sat so high on the hillside. Seeing the vast expanse of the forest laid out in from of me wasn’t as isolating as I thought it might be. Being surrounded by so much nature made me feel whole. I never realized how much I craved the solitude of the countryside until I set foot in this house. Something inside of me hoped the feeling never went away.
Grabbing a sweater, I went down and made myself a quick cup of coffee before wandering out the backdoor off of the kitchen. This property came with one hundred acres and butted up to a national forest. I knew better than to go too far from the house, but I thought I could hear running water just down the hill. Carefully, I walked down, a smile on my face as the crisp, cool air caressed my cheeks. Taking in a deep breath, the smell of coffee and forest mingled together, making me happy.
I had thought it was a gentle decent to the bottom, but I was wrong. I’d been walking for about ten minutes when there was a sudden ten-foot drop off. Down below, a small river wove its way across my property. I had a moment of worry that I was standing on a weak overhang and could end up toppling into the water below, but then I noticed the tall trees right next to me, and I knew it could support my weight if they were still standing.
I sat down, enjoying nature and sipping my coffee. I thought about what I’d be doing if I was back at my job. I didn’t have to think that hard. I knew what I would be doing; the same thing I always did, day in and day out, surrounded by the same fake people, counting down the minutes until I could leave and pick up my next book to read. Living each day over and over, never truly happy, just simply existing. I couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across my face. This was so much better. I couldn’t wait to get started with my new life. First things first, there was still so much to discover about the house.
I stood up and walked back up the hill and inside. I started searching for what I knew had to be there, the most important thing to me. Sure enough, on the other side of the house on the first floor, were two oversized dark walnut doors leading to the library. I had learned from the will that my uncle was an avid reader and had an extensive library. I couldn’t wait to go through every single book he had. I was excited about the prospect of finding new books to read.
As I threw the doors open, I felt lightheaded and gripped the doorknob tightly with my hand, leaning against it for support. It was better than I could have ever imagined. A set of two story windows looked out upon the forest and gave light to the room. A spiral staircase led to a small balcony which ran round the whole area. There were dark wooden bookcases to match the doors leading into the library, but the shelves had ornate carvings along each unit – floor to ceiling on both the upper and lower levels of the library. An ancient, heavy desk filled the center of the room. There was plenty of workspace to spread books about for doing research. A stone fireplace took up one corner of the room. The dark brown leather couch facing it called to me to grab a book and curl up to read for the day.
I sank to my knees in awe, trying to fathom the amount of beautiful books in my library. I knew I could spend years in here; looking, reading, touching, and smelling all of these age-old treasurers.
When I began to think clearly again, I started a tour of the library. I needed to decipher how he organized it. I started on the same wall as the fireplace, stopping in front of it to look at the carving in the stone mantel piece.
The key to unlocking your dreams is within you.
There was an old fashioned skeleton key carved above the quote. This key was a little different because there was an actual skull at the end of it. I wondered what it meant. Obviously there was the literal translation, with the key right there, but could there be some other more metaphysical meaning? Shrugging, I continued on, gently running my hands over the spines of the books as I read the titles and authors to myself. I stopped when I got to the window overlooking his - I shook my head - I mean, my property. From there, I could see the river below and knew immediately I wanted to put a chair directly in the sun rays drifting lightly into the room. I could sit and look out on the beauty of nature while I read.
I continued to the other side, knowing I was taking longer than I should, as there were still so many other parts of the house to familiarize myself with, but I couldn’t stop. It was going to take me awhile to get used to the fact I didn’t have to answer to anyone about my time. After taking a break for lunch, I stepped onto the balcony, starting with the bookshelves above the entrance door, moving around to the chimney. I frowned as I traced the faded letters carved into the stone, trying to make out what they said. Aimsir. What did that mean? What was Aimsir? I made a mental note to see if I could find out what that word meant.
It seemed like my uncle had more contemporary books up here because there were a lot I had read myself. I wasn’t sure at this point how I was going to be able to incorporate my library with his, or if there was any way to expand because there didn’t seem to be a lot of extra room as it was.
I had almost gone all the way around when I noticed something strange. It was almost like there was an optical illusion with the shelves. I took another step closer to the closest bookshelf and sure
enough, the case behind the front one was slightly offset. They weren’t flush together like every other case in the room. I hadn’t noticed from below, but there actually was a small, dark hallway, or room, something off to the side, hidden. Taking my phone out of my back pocket, I turned the flashlight on and noticed I was right, it was a hallway. Without a second thought, I entered the unknown.
Hallet
Ever since I had seen the outline of a woman in my fire at the meadow, I had decided I needed to stay at the Skeleton Door. Part of me wanted to find out what my brother and sisters were up to. I knew Dayna and possibly Erion were up to no good, trying to find a way to keep their kingdoms and separate themselves even further from the rest of us, but I knew it was more important to be at the door when it opened.
Some people would think I was only angling to get in good with whoever came through the door, but it was more than that. I always knew this day could come, and I had to be there. It was part of my fate.
Standing in the shadows, I conjured a ball of blue flame in my hand. Looking into it, I replayed the scene from the meadow. I knew better than to allow my fire to burn so recklessly, even when I was alone. Opportunities for destruction arose when I allowed it to run free. The moment the flame erupted in my hand, I knew something else was there with me. Even another fire element should not be able to touch the flame of the King, unless I allowed it, and it had been years since I let anyone close enough to even feel the heat.
I knew it was a shape of a woman, but I couldn’t see her clearly. My flames raged and licked their way up her entire body, and instead of scorching her into ash, it danced as if reuniting with a long, lost friend. And then she just disappeared. If she had been burnt, she would have been writhing in agony. There was no flame in this world hotter than mine. No one could stand to be in my flame and survive. Yet she did. I knew it.
I froze the memory in my flame at the split second she reached out for me before she disappeared. I wanted to believe she was the one who was going to come through the door. I sensed her time was close. She had been able to cross over and see me. That had to be a sign.
The blue flame ball shattered when I heard a grinding sound coming from the Skeleton Door. Quickly I strode to the door and gazed up, taking in all the bones once again moving and shifting. This was the first time I had actually seen them move.
The rows of bones lined up next to each other and the four original skulls were in a line with the new one in the center. The door shuddered as the skulls weaved their elements into the frame. Live flame burned from the fire skull and spread among the bones. Vines grew around the earth skull, as fog seeped from the air skull, and finally, water poured out of the last original skull and down the door.
“It’s really happening, isn’t it?” Erion’s voice came from behind me.
“Yes, it is, brother. Are you ready?” I hoped him being here was a good thing.
“Of course.”
I turned toward him, trying to read him, his hair stark white today. “And where will you stand?”
“I will do whatever needs to be done to protect my people.”
“We all want to protect our people,” he said.
“Yes, but some of us will have to sacrifice more than others. I won’t have my people harmed.”
“Then stand beside me.”
“I most likely will until it proves to be too much. I will leave you dying on the ground if it means my people will be safe,” I said.
“You have to know the last thing I want is anyone to get hurt.”
“Haven’t you learned yet, Hallet? You can’t control everything.” He gestured toward the door. “This deity who is supposed to come through is going to be more powerful than any of us. It could wipe us all out, or it could bring us together. I agree we need to stand as one, because if it is evil, it might be the only way we will be strong enough to fight it. But I don’t trust it, or any other royalty. In the end everyone wants what is best for them. That’s a lesson I won’t soon forget.”
I watched as Erion flew straight up into the air and disappeared into a cloud. It wouldn’t take long before he let the others know how much the door had changed. The legends of the elders had said whatever came through the door would unite the elements, but as with everything, it could be open to interpretation. I worried that the deity would choose to start from scratch, eliminating all Kings and Queens, and peoples, thereby appointing its own leaders with no royal feuds dating back centuries to contend with.
The elders never said how the elements would be united or how peace would come about. It could be after complete and utter destruction and war – killing off everyone and building from the ground up. What if it meant to unite us in a common goal of overthrowing the evil that walked through it? For us to work together? I hated the fact Erion had me doubting myself. I spent so many centuries researching and waiting for this moment. Now that it was upon us, I was worried everything I had found out about this world living in peace was going to come at too great a price.
Raina
Holding my breath as a turned the corner, I let it out in a rush when the passageway opened up to a small, windowless room. There was a light switch on the wall. Once I turned it on, I was able to turn off the flashlight on my phone. Compared to the rest of the house, this room was quite barren with only a small table and one chair taking up most of the space. On the table were five books.
I picked up the top book in the stack, which felt heavier than it should have based on its average size. Running my hand over the hard, red leather cover, the embossed flame and number one on it tickled the palm of my hand. I skimmed a few pages before setting it back down again and picking up the next one. This one was green with a tree and the number two carved into the trunk. Flipping the pages, it almost sounded like leaves blowing in the wind. Quickly I grabbed the next one, curious to see what was next. The white of the book blinded me and the number three was surrounded by a dark grey cloud. Smiling, I lifted it up and smelled like rain to me. The fourth one was the most beautiful blue I had ever seen. It reminded me of the pictures I had seen of the Caribbean. The number four formed a wave.
Setting them aside, I looked at the last book which seemed to encompass all of the other books. The cover was sectioned off into four equal squares, one for each of the symbols in the standalone books. In the center was another square with a skull and the number five on the top of that.
I couldn’t understand why this room existed. What was so different about these books that they were in here and not with the rest of them? I should have known better, but I didn’t listen to myself. Sitting down in the chair, I grabbed the first book and started reading. Within the first page, I was lost. The world around me could have ended, and I wouldn’t have noticed.
In fact, being in that room, there was no way to tell when the sun set and the stars had come out.
Hallet
“Dayna’s up to something,” my second-in-command, Ronin said.
“She’s always up to something.” We were sitting under the trees watching the door.
“True. At least we always know where we stand with her. Have you talked with Naida?”
“She hopes I’m right, and will stand with me until proven wrong. At least there is that. If we can get Erion on our side then we have a chance of making sure everyone survives, and we can bring peace to our world.”
“Have you given any thought to what we are going to do if whoever comes through the door is evil? Or an evil army?” Ronin snapped his fingers, and the sparks he created with the friction flickered down to the ground.
It was the last thing I wanted to imagine. The only thing that brought me solace was the fact that, if for some reason, whoever entered was here to destroy us, it wouldn’t have been me who brought them through that door. It had been written a long time ago this would happen. All I could do was prepare as best I could.
Living as we had for centuries, we’d always been ready for battle. The four of us tried to keep the pe
ace as well as we could, but our people were always fighting; always thinking some other element had caused them harm, or taken something of theirs. We had learned to keep everything as separate as possible, but we all needed each other to survive. That was the one truth in the end.
“Our people are fighters. They will do what needs to be done.”
“Since the betrayal, we’ve been living in this constant state of waiting to be attacked.” Ronin built a ball of flame, tossed it in the air, and caught it. “Once this is all over, I hope we can let our guard down and live in peace.”
“I’m all for that.”
“Did you hear some of Naida’s people have disappeared?”
I frowned. I hadn’t, but I’d been spending more and more time here. “Tell me.” We weren’t immortal, but we did live for an extremely long time. There were specific rituals when death was coming for us. Unless we were killed, we always knew when it was coming, and we could prepare for it. Each burial was dependent on the element. My people were always set afire, much like the Viking the Librarian told us about. There was always a scorch mark where we died. None of us simply disappeared.
“They were on the fringe to begin with, so the scouts really weren’t sure how long they were gone. Naida had some of her guards go out to bring them in closer to her castle since we figure the Skeleton Door is going to be opened soon, and she wanted her people close. They weren’t there. Nothing out of place in their homes. It looked like they were going out for the day and would return. Except they didn’t.”
I narrowed my eyes. I didn’t like the sound of this; something about it bothered me. “What about my people? Have you checked on them lately?” I was charged with protecting them. The thought of them disappearing didn’t sit well with me.
