by Diana Nixon
“Oh, he sure knows how to do just that,” Evan said quietly.
Christian and I laughed in response. And then he proceeded, “For better or worse, I bind my life with yours; to be the shelter you need, the power that makes you stronger and the reason for your every smile. I give you this ring as a symbol of my love, as I give to you all that I am and accept from you all that you are.”
Carefully, he put a ring on my finger and covered it with a kiss.
I felt a tear running down my cheek. No matter how hard I tried to stop it, I failed.
“Now, your turn, Miss Scaredy-Cat,” Evan said with as much irony as he could put into his words.
The priest gave him a warning look.
“Sorry, Father,” he said and then winked at me.
I knew he could feel my nervousness. Though I don’t think I could find strong enough words to describe the real chaos happening inside me now. I could swear even my heels were shaking.
I took a deep breath, took a ring and looked at Christian.
He was so stunningly gorgeous, breathtaking, as if it were the very first time I saw him and couldn’t take my eyes off him. Or maybe I was just afraid I would never be able to see him like this for real.
“Christian James Patrick Fairey, I take you as my…” The sound of something breaking behind me caught my attention. But when I turned around, everything was just fine.
“I take you as my…” I paused again, feeling my breathing quicken. Were the Waroi going to finish their song?
“Husband,” Evan whispered. “I take you as my husband.”
I bet I looked like a bride ready to run away from the altar, but I just couldn’t get a grip on myself and keep going.
“Eileen, are you okay?” Christian asked, worried.
I forced a smile. “Yes.” Something was telling me that the weird sound that got me distracted was not just a trick of my imagination. My eyes caught Evan’s. He frowned, and looked around carefully, as if he knew there was something making me behave weirdly.
Meanwhile, I remembered about the ring I was holding in my hand. I couldn’t mess up this moment, I had no right to mess it up.
I looked at Christian again, and said, “My love, my best friend ever, my soulmate, I take you as my husband, to share my life with you; to love you through all our years together, and even longer. I promise to listen to you and learn from you.”
“Yeah, right,” I heard Evan saying.
Christian smiled at Evan’s comment. Obviously, they both doubted I would ever listen to anyone but myself.
I proceeded, “I accept you as you are, I love you for who you are and for who I am when I’m with you. I will laugh with you in times of joy, and comfort you in times of sorrow. You’ve got my head spinning, and my heart racing from the love I feel for you. You are my biggest weakness, but when I’m with you, I feel unbelievably strong and secure. I promise to respect our differences, and fight for our dreams, no matter how unreal they may seem at times.” I paused to take another deep breath. I didn’t know what our future would be like. But one thing I knew for sure… “I promise to come back to you, no matter how far away from each other our destinies might take us… And I promise to do my best to make the dream of our life together real.” I started to put my ring on his finger, adding, “I give you this ring as a symbol of my love for you. May it be there with you when I can’t… May it remind you that no matter what, we are together, always and forever.” I placed a kiss over the ring and silently prayed for the heavens to hear my words.
Only now that I had said my vow, I could breathe a sigh of relief. It was the moment when I realized how much I needed that dream of mine to come true. Because the look in Christian’s eyes was worth every single hell moment that he and I had to live through on the way to here and now.
“I love you,” I said in a whisper.
“Love you more,” he responded, and then pressed his forehead to mine.
The priest spoke, “And now, by the power vested in me, I hereby pronounce you husband and wife. Christian, you may kiss your bride.”
The guests applauded, but all I could think about was my husband…
Christian pulled me into his embrace and kissed my lips.
This kiss was different from any other kiss he had ever given to me. It combined so many different emotions, so much love, tenderness and adoration; I felt like I was lacking of air.
“Now, this is real, Mrs. Fairey,” he whispered after he broke the kiss.
“It will be real,” I corrected him. He didn’t know what was hidden behind those words of mine. But he didn’t need to know. The most important thing was that now I knew what I was going to fight for… And there was no way I would give up on it.
“Eileen,” I heard Evan calling my name. I turned to look at him, and he nodded to the exit of the Hall, where a glowing halo started to form, blinding everything and everyone present here.
I knew exactly what that meant. I looked at Christian one last time, smiled at him and closed my eyes, letting the halo take me away and to where I needed to be now. The last thing I remembered from my vision was Marion’s shadow melting in the halo. Unlike anyone else who stayed where they were, she was leaving the Hall, because just like Evan and me, she knew it was just a dream. And she had been there to see it with me.
***
“Thank you.” I said to Songaa. He and I were sitting by the fire that was still burning, even though the dinner and the singing were over a long time ago.
“I couldn’t break the song,” he said. “I wanted you to see your future. I guess you were happy to see it, weren’t you?”
“You can’t imagine…”
“So what are you going to do now, Eileen?”
“I will go home. I will go back to Dever and do all I can to make the future you showed me real.”
“Does that also mean you will do what I asked you to do?”
“You mean asking Evan to leave Dever?”
“Yes.”
“I will do it. Not for you. But for Tai.” After what happened during the dinner, I realized something very important. My ability to see the changes that were happening with Tai’s scar that was left by the amulet that Songaa once gave him, was not accidental. Now I knew why I could see them, I had witnessed something like that before - during Evan’s transformation into the Master of Lords…
“He’s Dominick’s son, isn’t he?” It was the only explanation for everything that was going on with the boy, including his family’s hatred for Dever and everything related to magic.
“I knew you would sort things out.”
“Does anyone in Dever know about it?”
“Your father does. As well as Patrick Fairey.”
“They want Tai to come to Dever. Why?” I had my own theory about it, but I wanted to hear Songaa’s version.
“They believe that Tai’s powers will help them win the war with the hermits.” His words were not exactly what I expected to hear in response.
“But he’s not experienced enough to do that,” I said.
“He is not. But he doesn’t need to know anything, he just needs to be there – in Dever I mean – in the place where the origins of your gifts live. See, Tai is a very special kid. Before you, no one has ever come to Dever before they turned eighteen. But Tai is not even ten yet. And he already has the powers so strong; I’m scared to imagine what might happen when he learns how to use them properly.”
“You think he might want to turn into another dark magic user?”
“What he sees in his visions is not always good, sometimes it’s terrible. Once or twice, I noticed his interest in trying the things that might make his visions real. And that scares me.”
“I know a few dark magic users who had managed to abandon their darkness. My cousin is one of them.”
“What about Evan Murray?”
“Evan has never used any dark magic spells. Even though his father wanted him to become a dark magic user. Evan never wanted that
kind of life for himself.”
“This is another reason why I want you to ask him to leave Dever.”
I thought for a moment. “Oh, no… You think that with Tai’s arrival Evan’s desire to turn to the dark side intensifies. Am I right?”
Songaa nodded.
“And by saying ‘another reason’ you mean…” Suddenly, I remembered Evan telling me about Will’s mother visiting him in a dream. She said she can’t look into her son’s eyes, because… “Oh, dear Lord… Evan and Tai can’t meet and look into each other’s eyes, because that will kill them.”
“Yes. Because Tai’s blood is full of masterminding. Even though he doesn’t know what that means, not yet anyway.”
“But how is that possible? There has never been two lords in the same family, living at the same time.” Evan’s father didn’t count. He failed to reveal his power of masterminding.
“Evan is not just another Lord. He’s the strongest one. He’s the Master. Which means his existence doesn’t count when it comes to another lord being born in his family.”
“Does it also mean that if Evan has a child who inherits his power of masterminding, he would never be able to see him or her?”
“You are absolutely right, Eileen.”
“Oh, no…” I thought about my friend Amanda, and the life she might have if she and Evan end up in a marriage with a gifted child born in it. Evan would have to leave his family and never see his children, otherwise the power of masterminding that they might inherit from him would kill all of them.
“But are children always born gifted?” I asked Songaa.
“As a rule, yes. But there can be exceptions to that rule as well. No one knows whether or not a child will inherit all the gifts from their parents, or just a part of them. But unlike any other powers, the power of masterminding can be felt even before the child is born. A mother will feel it even before she sees her child for the first time.”
“What if she doesn’t feel anything?”
“Oh, she will, Eileen. Especially if her gift is almost as rare as the one her child will have.”
I looked at Songaa, as surprised as ever. “You know about Amanda’s ability to read minds? And you know that she and Evan are together.”
“I know a lot of things Eileen. Including the fact that you were not alone in your visions. Evan was there too, wasn’t he? And he was there not just like any other guest, he was real, just like you and that French friend of yours, Marion Blanche.”
“You could see them through my visions?”
“I could see everything that was going on in your head, Eileen. Because you let me see it. Unlike Mrs. Blanche, who wouldn’t let me into her mind. What was she doing in your vision?”
“I thought she was there to see the wedding.”
“I think there was another reason for her sudden appearance in your imaginary reality.”
I remembered the moment I heard that weird sound during the ceremony, the one that distracted me from saying my vow.
“Marion is with our friend Tara now. She’s not feeling well. And Marion is taking care of her.”
“Oh, that explains a lot.”
“Explains what?” I asked, a little puzzled.
“I guess the girl you are talking about has something to do with Evan. Am I right?”
“Yes, but… What does he have to do with Marion’s presence in my vision?”
“I suppose she was there because of him. She needed something from him. And apparently she can’t meet him in reality, so she used your vision to get closer to Evan.”
What would Marion need from Evan?
“The glass breaking at the wedding…”
“What glass?” Songaa gave me a curious look.
“I heard the sound of glass breaking behind me.”
“I didn’t see anything breaking in your vision.”
“No one did, I suppose.” Because it was not real… And the glass was not the glass exactly, but the wall that had been shielding Tara from the rest of the world. And I was not being me when I heard it breaking, it was what Evan was supposed to hear, not me. And if the wall started to break, it meant only one thing - Marion could no longer control it…
“It can’t be happening…” I gasped, rising to my feet. “Tara’s dying. I need to go back to Dever. Now!”
I rushed to the invisible wall hiding the tribe, broke through it and ran to Dever, as fast as I could.
I listened to my feelings, trying to understand if Evan knew what was going on with Tara. But I got nothing in response, as if our bond didn’t exist at all. I could feel Christian, and Amanda, but not Evan. And judging by how calm my boyfriend and his sister felt at the moment, they didn’t know that something was wrong with Evan.
Breathing heavily, I ran through the gates leading to Dever and hurried to the dorms. It was almost six in the morning, and most of the students were up and going to their morning trainings. But knowing Evan, I was sure he was still in bed. He was far from being an early bird.
I came to Evan’s room and knocked, feeling his physical presence behind the door. The energy radiating from his aura was full of fear. At least he was still in Dever and out of danger. Or to be exact - his body was out of danger.
As for his mind, I couldn’t say anything about its state. I couldn’t get into Evan’s head, as if he had been blocking me, which was not surprising at all. He had been blocking me more often these days. He didn’t want me or anyone else to know about what was going on in his mind.
“Evan? It’s me, Eileen! Open the door! I know you are there.”
But no response followed.
I put my palms on the wooden door and shut my eyes, trying to get at least something from Evan, at least one emotion that would explain things and lessen my worries about him.
But the only thing I got in response was silence.
It could mean only one thing – Evan’s mind was in a different place now, and I guess I knew where…
Chapter 14
Evan
My whole body was trembling, as if I were standing naked, in the open late December wind. Only it was not the weather that made me feel so cold, it was the death that I could feel paralyzing me. The death of someone I used to love…
The moment Eileen’s wedding vision vanished, I felt like I was being pulled somewhere I was not going to be, not today anyway. And by the time I realized what was going on and recognized the place where I was now, it was too late to change anything.
I was standing in the hall of the house that I saw just once in my life. It was the house from my dream, where Eileen saw Tara. And she was there now. I could feel her presence, so clearly, I knew about every single emotion overwhelming her. But the strongest of them was love… For me.
There was no one else in the house, I could tell. I didn’t hear or feel anyone. There were only two people - Tara and I, seconds away from seeing each other for the last time ever.
I swallowed, taking a few steps closer to the door that separated us. There were so many things that I wanted to tell her, so many questions that I wanted to ask. But when I finally opened the door and stepped inside the room, drowning in a shimmering fog, no words came out of my mouth.
The room was filled with magic, I could feel it. It was Marion’s magic, no doubt. She did her best to make it look like a fairy tale, and not just a cruel reality that I knew was about to take Tara’s life away.
She was lying on a transparent table, just like Eileen described, as if there was nothing but the air beneath her. Her wedding dress was as beautiful as the last time I saw it. Only this time it didn’t associate with anything good. It reminded me of one of the most terrifying nights in my life.
I moved forward.
Tara didn’t look like she was about to die. More like she was asleep, waiting for a prince to come and awake her with a kiss. I gathered all my courage and went closer to her.
The moment I stopped next to her, she opened her eyes and smiled. It looked more like a ghos
t of a smile, but I knew she was more than happy to see me. That made two of us.
“You have come,” she said in a whisper. She didn’t move or try to touch me. She was watching me quietly, as if trying to memorize my features. Her gaze moved down my face, my lips, my shoulders, my chest. I knew that look in her eyes. I had seen it before… The night she left Dever and broke up with me, years ago.
“Hey,” I said, smiling down at her. I felt like someone was ripping my heart out of my chest, slowly, painfully, making me bleed more and more, with every damn second of this torture. The things I felt when turning into the Master of Lords could not be compared to what I was feeling now. This pain was different; it wasn’t a physical pain, more like it was happening in my head, in my soul. But it hurt more than ever.
I couldn’t let Tara feel any of that. Even though I was sure my calm expression wouldn’t fool her. She had always been too damn good in seeing right through me.
“It’s been a long…” I said, watching her. She didn’t change, not even a little bit. She was still the Tara I fell in love with, forever ago. “How have you been doing? Seen any good dreams?”
She smiled again, wider this time. It was not easy to see her like that - fragile and a little surreal because of the magical fog surrounding her - and talk to her, knowing it would be our last talk ever. But I was going to act as if nothing had happened. To be honest, I didn’t know what else to do. I felt awfully miserable and as powerless as ever.
“I have had enough sleep for the rest of my life,” she said, trying to make it sound like a joke. But all I could think about was my inability to say my last good-bye to her.
