“Ah, thank you Celina. I know this isn’t what you ladies were hoping for, but these are tumultuous times. Please, take these rings,” the Queen said, reaching for a blue satin box.
Until then I hadn’t noticed it on the table.
She opened the lid, revealing the three rings to us. They were bands seemingly carved entirely out of stone and polished to a high sheen. One ring was ruby red, the second was green – a deep emerald colour, and the third was sapphire blue.
It was only proper to let Princess Saphira choose first. I had a feeling she might choose the blue band, and she did.
“You should take the red one,” Sorcha told me.
“Why’s that?” I asked her, as I pulled it carefully from the satin jewellery box.
“Because you’re a redhead, of course. It makes sense to me,” she told me with a sassy smile.
I grinned and held the ring up to the light. It shone through it just a little, revealing a flawless and even greater depth of colour.
“Do we put them on now, Your Majesty?” I asked the Queen, unsure of whether timing was important.
“Now or when you reach the pillars – it doesn’t matter, so long as it stays on,” she told me. “Thank you both for doing this. I have to stay and help protect our people, but it will take a lot of worry off my mind to know Saphira’s safe with you.”
The ring felt cool on my finger and fit perfectly – like magic.
I wondered if Princess Saphira would be safe in the long term, but we would try to protect her as best we could. If the unseelie gained access to the pillars, they too could reincarnate into the world, but unlike us they would probably forget more of their memories. That had to give us an advantage, or at least a fighting chance.
“We’ll do our best, Your Majesty,” I promised. I honestly didn’t know how much control I’d have over my life, my memories, or my awareness of who the Princess was once I left this world. I could only try, so that was what I promised to do.
“Your Majesty?” Sorcha asked, her voice softer than usual. “If the war ends, will we be recalled from the dance?”
Queen Carisse seemed to consider this for a moment before she gave an answer. “If it ends, we will send you an invitation to return, but we will leave the decision to you. Our means of contacting you will be limited, but if you reach the end of your lives and haven’t heard from us, you should continue on to the next lifetime together.”
Sorcha nodded in response to that. “I understand.”
“So do I,” I said, answering the Queen.
I saw Sorcha slip on her ring, and I smiled. Saphira was already wearing hers, which glinted a lovely shade of blue.
As the Queen took a step back behind the Steward’s desk, I leaned in beside Sorcha, and whispered to her. “If we make it back safe and sound here, I’ll buy you a different sort of ring. That’s if you would be my wife?”
She nodded, wiping tears from her eyes. She hugged me, and I kissed her softly and quickly. There was laughter and happiness as we turned back to the Queen and the matter at hand.
“Aw, congratulations ladies – I wish you a wonderful future together.”
She included her daughter in her blessing: “May the Gods watch over you all, and bring you joy and happiness. Look after yourselves.”
Saphira hugged her mother goodbye, and I heard her ask, “Don’t I have any choice?”
“We all have to do things we might not want to do,” Queen Carisse explained. “I’m just glad I can send you to safety.”
Sorcha and I waited a minute longer while Queen Carisse and Princess Saphira spoke and said their goodbyes, and then we returned to the entrance hall and made our way out toward the pillars.
I didn’t want to return there – ‘a hundred times no’ was how much I wanted this, but it was likely a gentler fate than we’d have faced here if we’d remained and if the island fell before its unseelie attackers. It gave us a chance to come back and reclaim the island later or rebuild if it turned out to be necessary. This wasn’t the end for us – it would be a new beginning.
Once we were outside, Sorcha held my hand and we both stayed close to the Princess. I could tell she was trying to contain her emotions and hold back tears. Even as she dabbed them away, she seemed to be committing the sight of Insley Mansion to memory, as though she might never see it again, at least as it was. My heart ached for her, because she must’ve wondered if her mother or father would survive the coming battle. Queen Carisse was known to be a fearsome sorceress, but the enemy were powerful and seemingly relentless.
I wanted to say something to Saphira to reassure her somehow, but I didn’t want to cause her emotional restraint to crumble. Instead, I did what I had to do and kept an eye out for danger as we hurried toward the pillars. They weren’t far from the front of the mansion – they were the place I’d arrived before the grand masquerade, just off the courtyard in front of the mansion.
The night blazed with flashes of fire that crashed down beyond the treeline, while I could hear the ring of steel against steel in the distance, and explosions of what were most likely magical enchantments. I couldn’t tell whose they were – ours or the enemy’s, but there were sorcerers on both sides.
There were a few people ahead of us, who I saw lingering near the pillars. I couldn’t tell whether they were friendly or not at first, but then I noticed that two were young women, and they had a younger, teenage girl with them. I hoped they were seelie and that they wouldn’t try to stop us, though a part of me secretly hoped for a reason to stay.
“What’s happening?” I heard one of them ask as we approached. “Are they coming? Is there any news?”
I soon recognised one of the women, and knew they weren’t enemies. It was dark outside, but even the darkness couldn’t conceal their fear.
“I don’t know,” I told them honestly. “I think they are coming. The shield’s down and they’re out on the island, and they’ll be coming here. They’ll probably try to block off the pillars so we can’t escape through them. What are you going to do?” I asked them.
“We only want to go if we have to. We’re going to stay until the last moment.”
I could understand that. “Just be careful not to leave it too long,” I told them. “If you lose the chance to go, you might not have any options left.”
As Sorcha caught her breath and listened in to our conversation, Saphira stared off toward the mansion, her arms crossed. It was the first time I’d noticed a subtle glow from the blue stone ring on her finger. Glancing at my own, I realised it glowed too, only a lustrous red. So did Sorcha’s – glowing green with an inner luminescence. It suggested to me that the magic might already be working. It was reassuring in the midst of so much uncertainty.
“We should go,” Saphira told us, and I could tell she just wanted it to be over with.
The worry was discomforting, and I knew she must be experiencing a sense of helplessness, even hopelessness. She didn’t need to say it – it seemed clear to me somehow, from what she didn’t say as much as what she did, even in the dark.
“It’s time, Celina. I love you,” Sorcha whispered softly. I felt her kiss me, and I kissed her back, holding her in my arms for a long, last moment before we finally let each other go.
“I’m not sure I can do this,” I told her, aching inside at the prospect of living a lifetime apart from her, but I also knew that shouldn’t happen, because we had the rings. They’d bring us back together again. Even if we didn’t have them, chances are destiny would.
“You can do it. I believe in you, Celina.”
Not knowing what to say, I took her hand, and I saw her take Saphira’s. Together, the three of us walked between the pillars. We lingered for a short moment on the threshold and then stepped forward, one by one. All of my thoughts, memories and fears were swept away and replaced with a comforting, safe feeling of warmth.
It was like sunlight, soft and bright surrounding me. I didn’t feel fear, or despair, or the strength o
f love that had gripped me. There was only peace and a shining new beginning. That was how my new life started.
Chapter Six: Awakening
(Twenty Years Later)
The rectangular grey buildings sat in stark contrast against the pastel blue sky. It gave the impression that civilisation had well and truly supplanted nature, but it didn’t change the fact it was a nice day out. The city was noisy, and it looked like it could use a bit of rain to give it a natural wash, but it also held a comfortable familiarity for me. I knew it well.
I passed cars and people as I hurried along the footpath toward college. My canvas backpack was heavy and it pulled down on my shoulder uncomfortably, but I didn’t have far to go. It was Ayla’s birthday today – my younger sister, and I’d promised to be back for her party, starting at 6 p.m.
When I wasn’t studying – I’d switched from chemistry to physics, because it was a far more interesting major to me, I worked part time at Llewella’s coffee shop, which helped to pay my bills to some small extent. I didn’t know then that I was Celina, but my awakening was fast approaching, because this was the day Sorcha and I crossed paths again.
Born to my parents in Tennessee, I was named Bethany, but friends and family called me Beth. That was other than my brother Callum, of course, who chose to be difficult because that was the job of brothers everywhere. He called me Blondie, even though I now had a cropped auburn bob. I called him Cal in return.
My life was fairly mundane, but busy. I was always rushing somewhere, but I felt more organized than most of my peers because it took a lot of energy to stay on top of study and hold down a job.
On this day I was out on the footpath – sidewalk to Americans – minding my business and trying to reach college in time for another lecture, when a car swerved out of nowhere and almost hit me. I don’t know how I managed to avoid it. I guess I was lucky or my reflexes were good.
By the time I heard the squeal of tyres, it was right in front of me. I remember throwing myself to the side, and it luckily missed me. The silver sedan ploughed into the brick wall behind where I’d just been standing, flattening the front of the car as it collided with the outside of a legal office.
“Are you crazy?”
The words were out of my mouth before I could think them through. Someone almost killed me. I hurried toward the door of the car. The glass was cracked and stained, which brought back a flash of memory I didn’t understand – like something I’d seen in a science fiction movie once. Leaning closer, the occupant of the car – a man with curly dark hair and eyes a vibrant green – glared out at me through the window.
He slammed his hand on the glass angrily, and then freed himself from his seat belt.
The look on his face, combined with the force with which he struck the glass, made me wonder if he harboured violent feelings toward me. I didn’t know for sure, but I had a sense it might not be a good idea to stick around. I was certain I’d never met him before, but perhaps he blamed me for his accident, rather than his obvious reckless driving.
I hurried away, with the intention of putting as much distance as possible between myself and the driver.
I didn’t get far before I heard a woman shout “look out!”
It all happened in a flash. I glanced back over my shoulder as an object flew toward me, which like the car, I barely dodged. If it wasn’t for the woman’s warning it might’ve hit me. It took me a moment to realise it was a crossbow bolt, and the man had just tried to shoot me. Given how fast a crossbow bolt flies, I could only assume the woman had warned me before he fired. She was taking a large chance doing that, but I was grateful she’d chosen to help me. After all, I was a stranger on the street.
It took me a moment to process what had happened, and soon the man was fitting another bolt into his weapon. He was obviously a madman. As I turned to run, I noticed a woman nearby in a black jacket and knee-high boots. She must’ve been the one who called out to me. Her hair was a light ash blonde, and she looked familiar somehow. I didn’t know what she was going to do, but I feared for her safety.
“Run!” I begged her.
That was when I was struck by an immensity of feeling that told me yes, I had met this woman before. I just couldn’t remember why or how.
I felt compelled to run away, but I turned back to her. “Please, let’s go.”
We both ran for it, and the footpath cleared quickly following screams and shouts behind us.
We got a good way down the road, and then the woman drew something out of her pocket, and spun around to face the way we’d come. I wasn’t sure what she had in her hand, but it looked like a blue stone sphere.
“What are you doing? He’s crazy,” I told her, and sure enough I could see him running toward us, crossbow in hand.
“Just a moment,” she told me, and then she threw it toward him – the sphere.
I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. It was as if blue flame erupted from the sphere as soon as it came within range of him, and it enveloped him in moments. He fell to the ground, like a puppet whose strings had been cut. He lay there unmoving, as I stared on open-mouthed.
“Did you just kill him?” I asked her, horrified.
“No, of course not,” she told me, smiling back as she watched him fearlessly now. “The threat’s been vanquished. It’s quite alright now and he – the real he – will be too.”
I eyed her cautiously, wondering if there was some way they might be working together, but I didn’t think so. It was just an odd situation where I’d found myself in danger, and now it seemed I might not be, though I wouldn’t be entirely at ease until he was gone or I was somewhere safer. Glancing at my watch, I realised that if I didn’t hurry I’d be late for class. Somehow it seemed less important in light of what had just happened. However, I also knew my curiosity had a tendency to get me into trouble sometimes or land me in precarious situations. I wanted to avoid that happening, but something kept me there. I had unanswered questions.
“What was that? What just happened to him?” I asked her, glancing carefully at her features. She was pretty – not necessarily the kind of pretty you’d associate with a model, but she was nevertheless lovely, and she had gentle hazel eyes beneath her mane of blonde hair. Her sense of softness contradicted her tougher or stronger exterior, in her leather jacket, and in light of what she’d just done. It seemed an act of violence and yet, she’d helped me. I wasn’t sure exactly what she’d done, but it had seemingly put a stop to a situation where I’d found myself in danger.
“I’m not sure how much you remember, but that man was unseelie and he was hunting you.”
At first it sounded crazy and then – snap –, something happened. It came back to me in a rush of memory so strong that I felt unsteady on my feet. First there were pieces – fragments of a life that until that moment I’d forgotten, and then they seemed to integrate with my other memories. I felt like in mere moments, I’d changed as a person, but I couldn’t have explained why or how it happened. I only knew it had.
“Sorcha?” I asked, gasping as I looked at her more carefully and tried to match up what I saw with the reflection in my mind’s eye.
“That’s right, Celina,” she told me with a friendly chuckle.
I hadn’t remembered the name ‘Celina’ until that moment, but yes it was there. It was a hell of a lot to take in so suddenly.
“How – how can this be real? How long have you known?”
She studied me for a moment before she answered. “A few weeks, but we were being watched and I didn’t want to endanger you. I’m sorry, I should’ve come to you at once, but you can’t imagine how pleased I am to find you here. I feel like I’ve been searching forever, and I didn’t know why.”
I nodded. “I can understand now, but I’m finding it hard to reconcile what I see with what I remember… or think I remember.”
She beamed at me reassuringly. “You’re you, and I’m me, and we’re here – together again.
It couldn’t be more perfect. Saphira’s your sister, isn’t she?”
I shrugged at that, and it took me a moment to realise who Saphira was. A Princess. The daughter of Queen Carisse and King Auberon of the Seelie. I was supposed to be guarding her.
I guessed as her older sister, and a protective one at that, I’d managed it.
“I think so, yes. I look out for her, if she is who I think she is.”
She smiled at me and I felt weak at the knees. A week ago I’d been mourning a break up with my girlfriend Kelly, and here it felt like I’d gained a sudden new girlfriend, only she was Celina’s – my past self’s girlfriend – and not mine, if what I thought I remembered was actually true.
“What do you say we get a cup of coffee and talk for a while?” she suggested, her eyes sparkling with interest and curiosity.
I could feel the strength of the chemistry we shared, and I too was curious to learn more about her, past and present.
Nearby, the man who had threatened us got up off the footpath, put a hand to his head – as though he had a terrible headache – and made his way back toward his car. He didn’t even give us a glance, and he left the crossbow lying on the ground, as though it didn’t belong to him at all.
“I’d love to get a coffee with you,” I told her, smiling shyly. “Oh, I’m Beth, by the way. Beth now, that is.”
She offered her hand to me and I shook it. She wore a charm bracelet with silver and bejewelled charms. I noticed a cross and a pentacle among them.
“I’m Angelica,” she told me, beaming. “Angelica Preston: artist, translator and witch.”
I grinned at her. “That explains the blue fire.”
“It’s only the beginning,” she told me. “I have so much to tell you and we have so much lost time to catch up on.”
With a smile, I walked with her toward my college, which had an excellent coffee shop. “I can’t wait.”
About the Author
A Cascade of Moments Page 6
