by S L Dearing
Rona stared at the empty vessel and crossed her arms in front of her.
"It's about time for you to dazzle me, Darla."
Darla lowered her head and looked at the ground. When she lifted her head, Rona could see her fear.
"How am I supposed to seduce him? I don't look like you."
Rona sneered and marched towards her and grabbed Darla's arm.
"Yeah, I know, but you're not supposed to look like anyone other than Sara Stark. He doesn’t give a damn about anyone other than Sara Stark. Got it?!"
Darla cringed and nodded, pulling slightly on her arm until Rona let go.
"Good! Just get this place cleaned up, put out those candles and then get over to the stables."
"But…"
"JUST DO IT!"
Rona grabbed her cape from the chair and walked out the door, slamming it behind her. Darla flinched as the door slammed.
A single tear rolled down her cheek and she silently cursed Rona Mason. She couldn't stand the bitch.
52
Elian walked to the southern stables and turned the corner to see Sara waiting for him, oblivious of the glamour.
Darla had barely made it on time and had feared she was late. She was nervously winding her fingers around her thumb. She looked around and then she saw him and smiled.
"Oh, Elian, I'm so glad you came."
Elian took her hands and kissed the back of each one.
"Of course, My Dear. After I received your note, how could I stay away? But what feelings could you possibly fear?"
Darla pulled Elian back in the corner and behind a wall of hay. He shook his head and looked at her quizzically.
"My feelings for you, Elian. I love you."
Elian felt a smile cross his lips and he brought her hands to his chest.
"I had always hoped you would feel for me as I do you, Sara."
"Oh, Elian."
Elian held her closely and then began to think. He pulled back and looked at her.
"Have you told the atheist how you feel about me? You looked very close last night."
Darla looked at the ground and blushed.
"I told him this morning, before I came here. He was so angry. I was so afraid, but he finally left and then I came here to meet you."
Elian smiled and touched her face again, then he leaned in to kiss her; however, as his lips touched hers, he had a sense of foreboding. He opened his eyes and for that split second he saw that her eyes were brown and not blue. Were his eyes playing tricks on him? He continued to kiss her, then pulled back and frowned.
"Sara, Precious, does Coeli know?"
Darla's heart was beating wildly. She looked around and smiled.
"Of course she knows…she's my sister."
Elian smiled and nodded.
"Then she's happy for us?"
"Like I said, she's my sister, of course she's happy for us."
Elian nodded and smiled.
"Wonderful!"
Darla began to see she was losing her grip on him.
"Is there something wrong?"
Elian regained his composure and shook his head.
"No, no…I just forgot that I promised my father that I would help with services today. Because of all that's happened, we are worshiping in our own areas."
Darla nodded, as Sara would have.
"Yes, my mother told me. So you have to leave now?"
Elian touched her face and smiled.
"Alas, yes, the Lord waits for no man, Sara, but you know that, don't you?"
Darla smiled and nodded.
"When will I see you again?"
Elian looked at his watch and kissed the back of her hand.
"Dinner I think. How does that sound?"
She smiled and nodded.
"Elian?"
"Yes?"
"Will you meet me back here before dinner?"
He lifted an eyebrow in question.
"I just want to spend some time with you alone, that's all."
He laughed and leaned in to kiss her again. She touched his face and he pulled back smiling.
"See you here, then. Around seven?"
Darla nodded and smiled. She kept smiling and watched Elian walk off towards the castle.
Darla's heart was still beating. She had never been kissed before. Now she knew what she had been missing and she felt her eyes well up. Then she heard the feet upon the gravel and she turned, still wearing the glamour. There was Rona, smiling in that slanted way, her hands on her hips.
"Great job, Dee. You can't even get a kid who's in love with the glamour to put out."
Darla looked at Rona, hiding the hatred that had been growing inside her for some time.
"Tonight at seven. He had to help his father."
Rona looked in the direction where Elian had gone.
"Are you sure that he doesn't suspect anything?"
Darla lifted her arms and spun around.
"Do I or do I not look like Sara Stark?"
Rona turned and smiled at Darla, but Darla could see what was coming.
"Yeah, how did it feel to be pretty?"
Rona turned back around and laughed as she walked back in the other direction, away from Darla and the stable.
Darla felt her anger grow as she watched Rona walk away. She bit the inside of her lip to stop the tears, as she began to walk in the same direction.
When Elian had left the stables he walked quickly back towards Keystone House. There was something amiss. He knew that whomever he had been speaking to, it was not Sara Stark. He could have mistakenly believed that her eyes were brown in the light, but to tell him that Coeli would be happy about their union, he knew that to be an out-and-out lie.
He knew that Coeli Stark disliked him. As he rounded the corner and started to walk up the steps to Keystone, he heard a familiar laugh.
He turned and saw Sara, arm-in-arm with Scott Forrester, walking towards the castle. Elian nodded and watched as they laughed and flirted with one another.
"Now this evil is targeting me."
"And Father."
Elian jumped as Albion walked over and stood next to him on the stairs.
"Do you know something of what's going on?"
Albion nodded and shrugged.
"I can tell you what I know, but I think when we're done, we should go talk to Sara and Scott. They should know about someone impersonating her, you know?"
Elian looked at his hands and then at his brother.
"You saw me at the stables?"
Albion nodded.
"Do you know who it was?"
Albion shook his head.
"No, whoever it was kept the disguise going, but I saw them talking to someone, only I couldn't see who that was either."
Suddenly it occurred to Elian that he and Albion were talking.
"You trust me enough to share what you've seen?"
Albion shrugged and sighed.
"I don't have much choice really. Everyone else would think I was crazy."
Elian smiled.
"And I don't?"
Albion let a small smile through and started to walk up the stairs.
"C'mon, I'll tell you what I know."
Elian nodded and began to follow, allowing himself one more look at Sara. He finally knew in his heart that they would never be together. It was almost a relief. Almost.
53
Chelsea and Coeli were strumming the strings of their mandolins. Chelsea looked over at Coeli and bit her bottom lip, then stopped strumming. It took a few moments, but Coeli realized and looked over at Chelsea. Her large charcoal eyes fixed on her friend.
"What's wrong, Chels?"
Chelsea smiled sadly and shrugged.
"Things are changing. It seems like I haven't seen you at all this Gathering and we were inseparable six months ago. Now you're spending all your time with Sam and…well, that's not a bad thing…it's just that…well…"
Chelsea let a tear roll down her cheek.
"H
e's staying isn't he?" Chelsea asked.
Coeli felt her own tears welling up as she nodded.
"He told me he wants to stay. I want him to stay. I love him, Chels."
Chelsea smiled and nodded.
"I know, I can see it when you look at each other. Like I said, things are changing. I'm seeing Tanner."
Coeli's mouth dropped open.
"When did this happen?"
Chelsea smiled and shrugged.
"Officially, this morning. He kissed me… right after he told Tanya Hogar that he was with me."
Coeli smiled and held her instrument, slightly rocking it back and forth.
"I'm glad."
Chelsea continued to smile and then held out her hand. Coeli took it gently and they stared at their hands. Chelsea then looked at Coeli.
"I'm glad too, but…look, I know you want to spend all this time with my brother and that's great, but it's my only time to see you too and even though I want to spend time with Tanner and Hannah and Rebecca and Rachel, I want to spend time with you and Sara, too. You know, just girl stuff. Like we used to, you know?"
Coeli put the mandolin down and grabbed Chelsea into a hug, holding her tightly.
"I'm sorry, Chels…I'm so sorry."
Tears fell down Coeli’s face and she sniffed and held her friend.
"I've been so caught up in Sam that I forgot you. I'm sorry."
Chelsea hugged her friend back and smiled. She pulled back and wiped the tears off of Coeli's face. Chelsea sighed.
"That's ok, I mean if you play your cards right then maybe I get you for a sister, huh?"
They laughed.
"Or maybe I get you for a sister. How weird is it if we married each other's brother?"
"How weird is all of this? I mean it seems like just yesterday I was playing with dolls and making mud pies and now I'm dating and people our age are getting married. Your sister is only three years older than we are…don't you think it's weird?"
Coeli shrugged and smiled.
"I suppose if I stopped to think about it I might, but I haven't been thinking about it…I've just been going with it. I think it's supposed to get complicated when you grow up, your feelings I mean."
"I guess…do you ever feel older than Rebecca and Rachel? I mean do you feel like more mature? Does that make sense?"
Coeli nodded and laid her head on Chelsea's shoulder.
"My mom always says that people grow at their own rate. I think we've always been older."
Chelsea nodded and pursed her lips as she remembered.
"Yeah, except maybe that one time we put pollywogs down Mr. Tippen's pants."
The girls began to giggle wildly as they recounted all of their escapades. The air was giddy with happy sounds and the messenger watched.
54
"Creegan."
Molly Creegan turned and saw the captain walking towards her in the bright midmorning sun.
"Yes, Sir?"
"Has anyone been able to raise the KMC on the radio?"
"No, Sir. We've been trying all morning, Sir, but no one answers. No one at Salt Lake II has heard from them either."
Sean nodded and rubbed his forehead. The last three days had been more than he had expected for this Gathering and the stress was beginning to build.
"Ok, Creegan, I need you to make sure all the sentries are looking for the Mormons. If they are on time, they should be here soon. This KMC thing is all wrong."
Sean looked over at Molly and realized that for a moment she was that little girl he had raised and he gently took her arm and squeezed it reassuringly. She smiled slightly and nodded.
"Alright then, I'll leave you to organize the watch."
Molly nodded.
"Right away, Sir."
Sean turned and walked down the stone steps of the battlement wall as Molly watched. Taking a deep breath she walked along the wall towards the northern corner of the village. She could see Spirit Hill and remembered the day they had brought her parents there. She had been thirteen when they died from the last of the influenza outbreak.
Molly remembered the feeling of utter loneliness she suffered that day until she had felt Alia's hand on her shoulder, then the embrace of a woman who wanted nothing other than to protect a child. She had made Molly feel as if she belonged and that she would be protected. Molly smiled as she remembered growing up in the village. Everyone had taken care of her, but it was Sean Lantry who had become her surrogate father. Alia had decided to let Molly choose where she would live and she chose the barracks.
Every day she had risen with the soldiers and dined with the soldiers, it was a natural progression that she would become a soldier.
Molly remembered the day she joined and Sean telling her that the dynamic of their relationship would have to change. He could show no favoritism and she would have to refer to him as “Captain” instead of “Shad”, her nickname for him. She had never regretted her decision to become a soldier and she knew in her heart that Sean Lantry would always care for her as a father cares for a daughter, and he had told her as much on the day she joined his ranks.
She smiled as she approached Jones. He turned around, chewing on his thumb.
"Well?"
"SL2 should be her soon, we have to keep an eye out."
Jones nodded and then squinted up at her.
"They worried about St. Viviana's?"
Molly looked out over the valley and nodded.
"Yeah… let's let the rest of them know about sharp eyes, huh?"
Jones nodded and they took off in separate directions around the parapet. Eventually the soldiers took their positions around the fortress, watching the distance for any movement.
It wasn't long before they saw them, the members of Salt Lake II riding quickly towards the Fail.
"There… there they are!"
Molly pulled out her binoculars and saw them clearly.
"Open the gate!"
Molly leaned over the edge.
"Yo, Quinn, go get the captain, now!"
Quinn squinted at her and then over at Todd.
"Boy, she's bossy."
Todd smiled.
"Yeah…"
They laughed as Quinn trotted off to find Sean. Molly looked back through her binoculars and noticed that the group heading towards their village was much smaller than she remembered them being in the past. A knot twisted in her stomach and she knew that things weren't right.
Sean's footsteps pulled her from her thoughts. She pointed east.
"There, Sir, just on the other side of the old beacon."
Sean took her binoculars and watched them move towards Lia Fail. He brought the binoculars down and handed them back to Molly.
"Where are the rest of them?"
Molly shrugged and Sean moved back down the stairs, ordering Quinn to get Alia. She had been dealing with the cryptic information the unicorns had given them.
Soon the Mormons made it to the village. As they entered, Edward Nyland approached Sean and Alia.
"We need to talk."
Alia noted the paleness of his face. Alia took Edward's hand and they walked towards the castle, as Bill and Sean followed. The four of them entered the Great Hall.
The Nylands recounted what they had seen at St. Viviana's. Alia sat quietly in her chair as she listened. When Edward had finished, he put his face in his hands.
"It was horrible. I've never seen anything like it…not even during the War. They were butchered! Tortured…I don't think I can ever get those images out of my head."
Bill grabbed his father's shoulder and squeezed, then looked at Alia.
Her skin was ashy and pale. Sean, who had been looking out the window, turned and saw her. He walked over and knelt by her side, gently placing his hand on her arm.
"Alia?"
She looked at Bill and Edward and shook her head.
"My dreams…"
She placed her hand over Sean's and frowned, then stood and walked over to Edward Nyland, laying
her hand on his arm. He slowly looked up at her and she sat beside him.
"I'm so sorry, Edward."
She stood up and walked slowly out of the room. She had denied her dreams of late, but it was all too obvious that they were trying to prepare her. The unicorns, the dreams, she felt that old familiar knot in her stomach, that old tension and she wanted to throw up.
Sean watched her as she ascended the stairs towards her room. He knew there was something amiss, but he took Edward and Bill to their quarters, assuring them that they would deal with the massacre as soon as possible.
Once he had stowed the Nylands he returned to the castle. A raven watched him enter the building and then flew to the woods.
55
The Fail was buzzing with news of St. Viviana's. Everyone wanted confirmation about the events, but the Mormons would say very little about what happened. A meeting in the Main Hall was called so all visiting leaders could discuss what had happened. Alia asked Beverly Watson and Elena Petrulengo to join them.
Everyone gathered quickly. The dignitaries spoke in whispers about the rumors that had been circulating around the village.
Alia entered the room with Edward Nyland, Grant Turner and Larry Hearst. Aaron Levine stepped up to greet them. Alia smiled to see him and clasped his hand. She then walked forward, stood at her chair and raised her arms. The room fell silent.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, if we might take our seats and bring this meeting to order."
The leaders took their seats, Beverly and Elena sitting to the immediate right of Alia. Alia glanced around the room and leaned forward, placing her hands on the table in front of her.
"Most of you have now heard the rumors that St. Viviana's was attacked and that as far as we know, there are no survivors. I would ask Edward Nyland to recount what he knows. Edward."
Alia sat down as Edward stood up and recounted their grim discovery at St. Viviana's. When he had finished, the faces around the table were solemn and pale. Alia stood up and took a deep breath.
"I believe that whoever is responsible for the massacre at the KMC is also responsible for the bizarre attacks on Scott Forrester and Jerry Turner."
