Eden Forest (Part one of the Saskia Trilogy)

by Aoife Marie Sheridan

  since emotions are running high, I will let this pass.” Then her

  gaze fell on me, yet she was still talking to Dominic. “I will not

  be so lenient in the future.” And at that, she left the cottage

  with the maidens and Taurus.

  Dominic pushed me away and crawled to his wife. He held

  her in his arms, whispering over and over again. “I am sorry. I

  am so sorry.” But Corrona was inconsolable. I sat on the floor

  and cried for them. I cried for my own faith. I knew I had to

  protect my baby. I had to leave.

  Now back in the room, I wipe tears away. The memory still

  feels so fresh. No one comes back that night. I fall into a restless

  sleep.

  The next morning Taurus wakes me. “Get dressed. The

  queen is waiting for you.”

  My stomach tightens. I get dressed while Taurus watches me

  with a look of hunger in his eyes. I dress as quickly as I can so

  his eyes won’t be on me too long. He marches me in silence to

  the main library where the queen sits, waiting on me. “Thank

  you, Taurus.”

  Taurus bows and leaves, closing the double doors behind

  him.

  “Marta.” She gestures her hand to a chair beside her. I

  approach slowly and sit, feeling sick in the pit of my stomach. “I

  was given”—she pauses—“shall I say, orders to retrieve a person

  from a specific area in the mortal world, and to my surprise,

  what is brought back to me? You.” She raises an eyebrow as if

  I can explain further. I only believed I was brought here to face

  charges for betraying her with Morrick, but I don’t say this. I just kept quiet. “You see, the person I was ordered to retrieve was meant to be very powerful.” She looks at me questioningly. “Are you powerful, Marta?”

  “No, my lady.”

  She nods her head. “I didn’t think so. But you must have

  found a way to gain more power. Is this correct, Marta?”

  “No, my lady.”

  She turns on me, her face fueled with anger. “Do not lie to

  me!”

  I cringe back in the chair. “I am not, my lady. I only have one

  affinity.”

  She looks at me with her cold eyes. “We will see about that.”

  She rises. “Taurus,” she calls and he enters. “Take her to my

  chambers. I will be there shortly.”

  Taurus escorts me to Bellona’s chambers. I have no idea what

  is going on. I stand in her room, waiting for her arrival, while

  Taurus stays outside the door.

  When Bellona comes into the room, she takes me through a

  bookshelf and down a flight of stone steps into a stone chamber.

  “Since you will not tell me the truth, you will tell Lucian.” She

  smirks and kneels, cutting her palm with a knife. Then she starts

  speaking in a language I don’t understand. I stand frozen with

  fear as the room temperature drops and a feeling of forbidden

  touches my very soul. A man appears out of a black fog.

  Bellona is still on her knees and drops her head. “My king.”

  But his red eyes stay on me. I feel stripped in front of him and it

  is hard to meet his eyes. I can feel nothing but evil in the room.

  After a few moments of silence, Bellona rises off her knees.

  “Is this the one you seek, my king?”

  He places a finger with a long black nail over his lips to silence

  her and moves towards me. I stand frozen with fear. He runs the

  nail along my face, causing my blood to rise to the surface. He

  licks it with a long, pointed black tongue. I sob with fear, but

  cannot physically move. He tilts his head back, closing his eyes.

  Bellona is watching with a look of anticipated fear.

  “She is not the one.” Lucian speaks clearly and turns on

  Bellona.

  “But, my lord… she was there… where you said she would

  be.” She stutters through her sentence.

  Lucian tilts his head to the side. “She is not the one.” I can

  see Bellona, her face stretched with fear. Lucian walks towards

  her like a lion approaching its prey. I am afraid for Bellona,

  which is something I never believed I would feel for her. “But

  she is the reason the one exists. Go back and retrieve her.”

  “Yes, my king.” Bellona looks eager for this to end.

  “Bellona.”

  She’s terrified now. She can’t speak, just nods stiffly.

  “Don’t disappoint me again or your heart will not beat

  much longer.” Then he looks at me. “Keep her alive; she will be

  useful.” And then he vaporizes into the black fog and is gone.

  When we are back in Bellona’s chambers, she paces the floor.

  “Why did you leave Saskia?” She stops pacing.

  “I was afraid.” I didn’t feel as afraid of Bellona now after

  seeing Lucian. He said the one he wanted existed because of

  me. That could only mean one thing—my daughter. And I

  would never tell her, even if she killed me, but I needed to warn

  someone so they could protect her.

  “Afraid of what, Marta?” Bellona is getting annoyed.

  “You,” I say.

  She laughs. “Why? Because you defied me by sleeping with

  Morrick?”

  I knew she had to have known, but hearing her say it causes

  my breath to catch in my chest. I try to look calm. “Yes.”

  “Taurus.” He enters. “Take her to the chambers. Have Clive

  make her talk. I am too tired.”

  Taurus takes me to the chambers where Clive is waiting for

  me. I can see the excitement in his face. He is no more than a

  bully.

  Chapter Three

  Ireland ~ Present Day

  (Sarajane)

  I wake for work the next morning with a pounding headache.

  I feel groggy all morning.

  “Are you all right? You didn’t look good after yoga,”

  Christine says.

  “Yeah, just a headache. I think I might have the flu or

  something, just don’t feel so good.”

  Christine doesn’t look convinced, but leaves it alone. “Okay,

  well if you want to talk, you know…”

  I give her a little smile. “Yeah, I know. Thanks, Christine.”

  Susan is in bad form also, but I don’t ask her what’s wrong.

  More than likely, it has to do with Max and that is a conversation

  I can really take a pass on.

  Work drags by and when half past five comes, I am truly

  grateful. I drive home with my wipers on full to keep the rain

  off. Irish weather, we have, like, seventy percent rain most of

  the year.

  When I pull into the drive, I notice another car parked

  outside our house and someone is sitting in it. I run for the front

  door, but still get soaked. Rooting around in my bag for my

  keys, I hear the other car door slam.

  “Sarajane.” Linda, my yoga instructor, is walking up the

  driveway with no jacket on. The rain is already dripping down

  her face. She has never come to my home before.

  “Linda, hi. What are you doing here?” I can’t help but ask.

  “I needed to speak to you.” I get the key in the door. She

  stands in the rain, looking at me.

  I pull the door open. “Come in.” I grab a towel from the

  bathroom and give it to her in the ha
ll so she can dry herself off.

  “Thanks,” she says while rubbing her face with it.

  “Go on into the kitchen. Just let me change. I’ll just be a

  moment.” She nods and heads in the direction of the kitchen. I

  run upstairs and change out of my wet clothes. When I return

  to the kitchen, Linda is sitting down at the table, drying her hair

  with the towel. I fill the kettle.

  “Cup of tea or coffee?” I ask.

  “Coffee, please, three sugars.”

  “Three sugars, not worried about the calories?” I joke. Linda

  looks like she works out all the time. She is muscular for a

  woman. Not as in she has massive arms, but nothing moves and

  it goes beyond being toned.

  She smiles at me. “I love sugar.” I make two coffees and sit

  down beside her, pouring milk into mine. I offer her some, but

  she shakes her head. “No thanks, I like it strong.”

  “So is everything all right?” I ask.

  “Of course. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You

  just seemed upset when you left last night.” She takes a sip of

  her coffee.

  “Yeah. Sorry about freaking you out.” I give an embarrassed

  smile. “I just got upset, but I’m fine now… Well, except for a

  severe headache I have all day.”

  She puts her cup on the table and joins her hands together,

  looking very serious. “I need to ask you something about what

  you saw when we meditated last night.”

  I wasn’t expecting this and my headache was getting worse.

  “Look, Linda, I’m not being rude or anything, but my head is

  pounding. I would prefer to forget it.”

  She reaches across and pats my hand, looking truly concerned.

  “Did the headache start after you left last night?”

  I try to think back to last night, but the pounding in my head

  is getting pretty severe. I stand and stumble against the table,

  spilling my coffee everywhere. I jump back just before it hits the

  floor.

  Linda’s voice sounds like it’s far away. “Sarajane, are you

  okay?”

  I feel like I’m going to get sick. She grabs both my hands to

  steady me. I close my eyes against the nausea that’s clawing

  up my throat. A haze starts to fog my vision, and everything

  becomes confusing. There’s a man’s face that I can see. He has

  really long white hair and wears a long blue cape. He looks

  like a wizard from a kid’s storybook. He opens his mouth and

  speaks, making me jolt with shock. Linda clenches my hands

  tighter.

  “Adora, I have tried all day to communicate with you.”

  Linda responds by speaking, but this is all going on inside my

  head, only Linda’s voice is coming from in front of me where

  she stands. I keep my eyes closed.

  “Sorry, Mirium, to worry you, but I did some mediation

  with Sarajane, and then I couldn’t contact you. I don’t know

  what happened.”

  Mirium frowns. “She is with you now? You know this is

  dangerous.” Mirium lets out a heavy sigh, as if disappointed

  with Linda. “We will deal with it another time, but did you find

  out where Marta is?”

  Then the image of my mother is there. Mirium is watching it

  carefully. Then it’s gone.

  Linda speaks. “Is it enough to find her?”

  Mirium doesn’t answer straight away. “I think so. So this is

  Sarajane?” He says this with a kind smile.

  “Yes, this is her,” Linda replies with relief in her voice, to

  hear he isn’t mad at her.

  My headache starts to reside, the grogginess leaving. I’m

  becoming more aware of everything and starting to freak out.

  As if Mirium picks up on my feelings, his smile fades and his

  face becomes serious.

  “Vale, Adora.”

  “Vale, Mirium.”

  Then everything is gone, and I’m standing in my kitchen,

  looking at Linda, who just stares back at me, still holding my

  hands.

  I push her away from me. “Get out.” I point at the door with

  a shaky hand. Linda doesn’t move, just looks at me as if I just

  slapped her.

  “Sarajane, there is so much you don’t understand. There is

  no need to be afraid.”

  I look at Linda, disbelieving. “You are a freak, Linda, if that

  is even your name. Now get the hell out of my house!”

  She gives me a sad look. “One day you will understand.”

  Before I can say any more, she leaves. I sit down, trying to

  breathe. What the hell just happened? I run to the bathroom

  and throw up. That is twice now she’s made me hurl. What did

  she do to me? What did she do inside my head?

  I’m freaked. I text Josh and ask him to come over. Dad and

  Jessica have gone to the cinema to see the newest release of the

  Twilight Saga, Eclipse, so I’m alone. I change my jeans that are

  soaked with coffee. It must have spilt all over my chair that I

  sat on.

  Twenty minutes later, the front doorbell rings. I’m still

  sitting in my bedroom, trying to get my head around what just

  happened. I go downstairs and open the door to Josh.

  “Are you all right? I came as soon as possible.”

  I wasn’t even too sure what to say. “Yeah, come on in.” We

  climb the stairs to my bedroom. I plonk down on my bed. Josh

  studies all the photos on my wardrobe door, a lot of them of

  us since we were young. He laughs at one of me when I was

  thirteen. He had covered me in mud and I was fuming.

  “I remember that day. It was a classic. You were so mad.”

  He’s still smiling when he sits down on my computer chair, but

  his smile fades when he sees the disquiet on my face. I can’t hide

  it any longer.

  “Linda was here,” I say.

  “Linda, as in your yoga instructor?” he asks, looking

  confused.

  “Yes, that Linda, or should I say Adora.”

  Josh moves to the side of my bed. “I’m lost, Sarajane. Start

  from the start.”

  So I do. I tell him everything from the start and leave nothing

  out. When I’m finished, we sit there in silence.

  “So do you think she can see things?”

  I get off the bed, feeling irritated. I asked myself the same

  question several times. “I don’t know. I mean, of course not.” I

  look at Josh. “Right? Like, those things don’t exist.”

  “Look, you’re very stressed and it’s been a really hard time

  on you—”

  I cut him off. “I know what I saw, Josh.” I can feel the tears

  rising. “And it really scared me.”

  Josh pulls me into his arms. When he leans back, his face is

  thoughtful. “So what are you going to do?”

  “I need to see Linda and get some answers off her,” I say, full

  of determination.

  “I will drive you over to the hall.”

  I shake my head “No. This is my problem. I’m doing this

  alone.”

  Josh is getting annoyed; I can see his nose flare. “Sarajane,

  no. I’m bringing you or you’re not going at all.”

  I know when Josh gets like this there’s no way to get around

  it. I put my hand
s on my hips to let him know I’m so not happy

  with him. “Fine.” He smiles with smugness. I grab his keys as I

  walk out the door. “I’ll drive since I can’t go on my own.” That

  takes the smugness off his face. It gives me a few moments of

  satisfaction, which doesn’t last long.

  Once we’re near the hall, I start chewing on my lip. “What if

  she denies everything and says I’m crazy?”

  Josh has been quiet in the passenger seat for the whole drive.

  “Just ask her what exactly happened.”

  I pull into the hall and get out of the car. Josh climbs out

  after me. “No. Stay in the car.”

  “What if she attacks you?”

  I roll my eyes. “Oh, for Pete’s sake, Josh, she’s my yoga

  instructor, not an axe murderer.”

  “Fine, but if you need me just scream. I will stand outside the

  car,” he says in a stern voice. I don’t know why, but I feel like

  laughing. The smile is wiped off my face as I walk towards the

  building. I look back at Josh who gives me an I’m right here if

  you need me look. I take a deep breath and pull the door. It’s

  open. I enter the hall. It’s eerily quiet, or maybe it just feels like

  that because I’m nervous and freaked.

  “Hello,” I call and then feel silly. I don’t know what I’m

  going to say to her. A part of me wants to turn on my heel and

  leave and pretend this never happened, but the more determined

  part of me says I need answers. Someone touches my shoulder. I

  swing around and scream in alarm; Linda screams back.

  “Sarajane, you scared me.”

  I laugh nervously. “You scared me too, Linda.” Right on cue,

  Josh comes through the doors like a bull let out of a field. He

  looks at Linda with hate. “Josh, it’s fine. I just didn’t see Linda

  and I got scared.” God, I sound pathetic.

  “Are you sure?” Josh asks, still looking at Linda as if she

  were the devil.

  I move my eyes towards the door to give him the hint to

  leave. “Yes, I’m positive.” He leaves hesitantly, sending glances

  back at me. I clear my throat. “Sorry about that,” I say.

  Linda looks annoyed. “You told him, didn’t you?” It isn’t

  really a question, more of an accusation. What the hell did she

  expect?

  “Yes, you, like, freaked me out completely, Linda… or is that

  even your name?” I ask, irritated now.