by Alexia Purdy
“You’re not much of a talker, are you?” she asked Isao.
He tilted his head toward her, his expression still and serious before he shook his head and held out a plate. It was heaped high with scrambled eggs, bacon, and home fried potatoes. He followed that with a container of maple syrup along with a set of utensils before answering.
“You’re right, I’m not a big talker. It’s not really required in my line of work. I’m guessing it isn’t required in yours either.”
“That’s right. I guess it makes for a quiet breakfast, doesn’t it? Thanks for the food.” She spoke softly while grabbing a fork and digging into the breakfast. Her stomach couldn’t wait any longer, and she was sure to drool down her chin if she didn’t eat.
Isao served himself a plate and then sat next to her at the counter, shoveling the food into his mouth as quickly as she had. He kept his head down and his eyes averted. Thalia was done before him and felt odd sitting there. Isao was still one of Ichiro’s henchmen, even though he was on her side. Well, he wasn’t really Ichiro’s mercenary anymore since he’d betrayed him to protect her. What did that make them? Would he ever betray her too?
There were too many questions. Somehow, she just wanted this breakfast to never end, even though it had to.
She sighed, stood up, and took her dishes to the sink before grabbing the journals and plopping herself onto the bed. She could have sat at the small table, but she’d rather read in bed; it was a habit she couldn’t deny. Isao chose the table to rummage through some of his own books, which she assumed were the texts of his organization, the Key Protectorate.
It was amazing how much revolved around the Skein Realm when she’d never heard of it before this week. She’d have to inquire about Isao’s religion or whatever it was he was following. It made her curious yet filled her with dread about her own heritage.
After an hour of reading, Isao took a break to meditate, a ritual he performed each morning. At least, that’s what he mumbled to her. She watched him slide to his knees and close his eyes, his back straight as a board. The look on his face was more serene than when he slept. Maybe he hadn’t felt her curled up next to him on the floor last night. It’d be best if they forgot all about it. She didn’t need another complication in her life. The fact of the matter was, she didn’t know why she’d joined him on the floor. She wasn’t sure she wanted to explain it to herself.
His silence and serenity made her wonder why she hadn’t developed the habit to meditate each day too. As habits went, this was a good one to have.
“Isao?”
“Yes?” He didn’t open his eyes.
“Why do you meditate?”
“It’s centering. Plus, I’m so used to doing this, my day doesn’t feel complete if I neglect it. You should try it sometime; empty your mind and clear your thoughts away. It helps you focus on the things which truly matter… the vital issues at hand which must be dealt with.”
Thalia thought about this, pondering how right he was. Exhaling, she slipped down to the floor and sat cross-legged next to Isao, straightening her back and inhaling deeply before breathing out again while closing her eyes. Her mind immediately began to wander. Clearing it was difficult, but she pushed the thoughts out of her head as the seconds ticked by. She focused on breathing in and out with quiet exhalations.
Occasionally, something would break through—a thought about the journals Matt had given her, thoughts of Matt himself, Isao, and even thoughts of Ereziel and a time so long ago, when they had been close and so unlike the strangers they were now. She missed the times when they could speak about anything and were open to every aspect of one another. But these were different times, and they were barely even friends.
A stab of pain from remembering the past invaded her mind, surprising her with the intensity of it, making her heart hammer and her breath hitch. Isao’s presence reminded her to breathe calmly, like him. He remained focused and still. Thalia inhaled once more, shoving every thought of Ereziel and Matt from her mind. Each memory slid off like raindrops on a windshield until everything was calm within her once more.
What felt like an eternity later, she heard Isao move, and she snapped out of her revelry, easing back into the present with a sweet, warm calmness inside.
Isao was slipping on a pair of shoes near the doorway. She struggled to her feet.
“Where are you going?” she asked, still feeling exhilarated from the meditation. It felt like she’d slept longer during those moments than the entire night or any other night of her life. She was going to have to add it to her routine and was glad Isao had showed her the proper way to meditate.
“Nowhere, but we do have things to do, and dressing helps me get in the mood to work. We need to scan all the books and pinpoint exactly where on the map the gate to the Skein labyrinth is located. After that, we will prepare supplies and travel there, possibly tomorrow.”
“So, you know all about the entrance to the Skein, right? Do you know if we’ll be able to return once we cross over?” she asked.
Isao turned to study her with a curious but somewhat worried look. “I don’t know. I’ve never been there. But what I gather from the books I have read is that it will be difficult to return. But if you have the key, you may enter the realm of Earth, or the realm of Heaven, whichever you like, from the Skein. I cannot tell you if that is completely accurate information, though.”
So, it would be an adventure for them both, she thought. Something new. Thalia liked adventure as much as she liked comfort and routine. At least she’d be taking this journey with Isao, whose presence was an antidote to anxiety if ever there was one. He continued to watch her, and she felt the blood rush to the surface of her skin. She averted her eyes; it was almost unbearable to look at him. Her body’s response surprised her, but she couldn’t let her guard down. She couldn’t give in to these strong feelings for a man who was still a stranger.
For a stoic ninja, he tended to stare, his eyes lingering far too long than she was accustomed to. Infinite possibilities lingered within them, ones she’d love to explore. She wondered if it was normal for a ninja to come off so intense. Or was it that Isao’s gaze idled a lot longer than he’d care to admit? Had he become familiar with the intimate details of her life while gathering intel? Did he feel like he already knew her? It could’ve felt like an intrusion, but she wasn’t angry, nor did she feel threatened by this man. It awoke emotions inside that she had long ago tried to hide.
Little ever threatened her, and Isao was far from threatening. Immortals didn’t really worry about death, not even when fighting. But love? Desire? Those were other, more dangerous, things to worry about.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“Isao, look.” She held out one of the leather journals she’d been flipping through and pointed at a crude, hand-drawn map. A tiny X pinpointed an area at the edge of Central Park which could possibly be one of three gates into the Skein Realm.
Isao peered over her shoulder and studied the map. He’d mentioned that he had a photographic memory, and she guessed he was imprinting the map into his mind for later. This was good, because she wasn’t as great at remembering things like maps. Maybe they could help each other, especially since he was desperate to enter the Skein and learn about his culture more than she was.
She wouldn’t even be there if she hadn’t been so hasty in killing Ariuk, she thought. The memory made her frown, but she tried to hide it from Isao’s scrutinizing gaze. If only Ariuk hadn’t given her the stupid locket. But what if he hadn’t? Then she wouldn’t have known more about her heritage, nor would she have ever understood why her parents were in Heaven after they were killed, and she wasn’t. Instead, she had woken up alone, scared, and without family. Immortal in a mortal world. Maybe somebody in the Skein would remember her family and could help her decipher why she had ended up in their custody when it was clear they were human, and she wasn’t. Maybe they’d know why her family had subsequently fled back to Earth.
“Y
es,” he said after a moment. “This is the entrance to the Skein. It matches the one on the map in my books. It couldn’t be just a coincidence; Matt’s mother never saw any of my order’s books. We’ll go there tomorrow. It’s at the edge of Central Park. I believe I know the place, behind a certain set of benches near the water.”
Thalia nodded, swallowing down a lump of apprehension. They’d be leaving tomorrow, but it felt far too soon. Matt was probably still in a coma back in St. George, and she didn’t want him waking up alone. What if he woke up and didn’t know where he was or needed someone to remind him what was going on? What if someone took her letter before he could read it?
She wondered if returning to Earth would be easy or not. If it didn’t go well, they could be stuck in the Skein without a way home.
“How long do you plan to be there?” she asked. She hoped it wouldn’t be long, but then she didn’t truly know what Isao was looking for.
“I don’t plan to return for a very long time, but you’ll be able to go back and forth as you please.”
Thalia turned, her eyes widening at the statement. Isao avoided looking at her for once, a gesture that enraged her. “What? What you mean by that?”
Isao brought his chair closer, a grim frown on his lips. “Look, I’ve grown up listening to the stories about the Skein. Going there isn’t something I take lightly. Out of our entire order, I may be the only one to ever get this privilege. It’s my duty to document everything I see and hear, for it may be the only record we have of the Skein after I return. I must take my time and get as much information about the realm as I can while we’re there. But you’ll have to promise to return for me when the time is right, or I’ll be stuck there forever.”
Thalia felt her rage growing inside. She gripped the edge of the table until her knuckles turned white and clenched her jaw until it ached. He couldn’t leave her alone in all this. Not now.
“So, if I want to return within a couple days, you’re not coming back with me?”
“No. I apologize, but I must be frank with my intentions. I am bound to protect you, and I will as long as we are in the Skein together, but this is the whole reason I’m going; to gather information.”
“What if I can’t return for you? What if some strange thing happens, or I lose the key?”
Isao pressed his lips into a firm line. His stoic mask returned. “Then I will be lost to the Skein. Forever.”
Thalia turned away and flipped the book back open, staring hard at the pages as if she could light them on fire with just her eyes. She was just getting to know Isao, and the fact that he wouldn’t be returning to Earth with her was devastating in a way she hadn’t anticipated. She liked the guy and thought that if they’d met in another life or time, they would have gotten along better than most people. The passion and comradeship they could have shared… it was like dangling a carrot in front of her and snatching it away at the last minute. In the little time she’d known him, he’d become as vital as air. She already felt the same loss as when she’d lost her parents, and they hadn’t even entered the Skein Realm yet.
“What do your books say about the Skein?” she asked, trying to recapture the calm she’d felt during her meditation. Since Isao had never been there and relied only on the scriptures, what made him believe that it existed? What made him so dedicated to the cause when it could all be a lie fabricated by his elders? And if it was all a lie, what was to become of them when they crossed? The unknown was always frightening.
“The Key Protectorate has been around for hundreds of years, and many of the stories about the Skein have been distorted by time. They were on the verge of becoming myths; many believed that the Protectorate would cease to exist before the passing of another generation.
“But then we received new knowledge. My grandfather met a stranger when he was very young. He was a full-blooded man of the Skein and had visited the labyrinth. He was powerful in ways my grandfather had never seen. He could return to the Skein at will, and he did not have to enter through the gate. He used what was called a veil as his portal, but no one else could do it. There was no one else on Earth like him. He took many human wives and had many offspring, but he discovered that his descendants did not possess his powers. They were greatly diminished by the mixing of blood, as were my ancestors.
“This man wrote down many things that he saw and heard from the Skein. This knowledge revitalized the Protectorate. It verified that the old stories were true and now augments the scriptures that we follow.”
“So, in the scriptures, does it describe the layout of the place? Something we could use?” Thalia asked. There was no telling what would be on the other side or whether it still existed the way it had been described.
“Yes, but they also state that the land is an ever-changing, living maze. It is affected by the powers and abilities of the people who encounter it.”
Thalia chewed on her lip, thinking on the words and wondering what she should ask. There were so many questions, but the answers only complicated things more. “So, I would affect the realm when I get there?”
He nodded, scratching his head as he studied her face. He reached down and plucked up a book before flipping through it and opening it up near the middle. She had not yet read through any of his books and looked on curiously.
He held it out to her, and she took it graciously. The book was old, but it didn’t seem as old as the others. The pages were yellowed on the edges but not in the interior. There was no fraying or rips. She wondered if it had belonged to the man Isao’s grandfather had spoken to him about.
She admired the smooth longhand which had been painstakingly inked on each page. Matt’s mother’s journals were similar, but this handwriting was different. From the condition of the book, it looked like it had been written around the same time as the journals.
She began reading the cursive longhand, taking in every detail of the labyrinth.
The beacons are lights that each wraith gives off, which shine into the sky. Only other wraiths can see them. They call to each other with a magnetism none can deny. A beacon can attract all creatures roaming the Skein. Beacons are usually deadly and can confuse their prey with hallucinations and realistic representations of inner desires or fears.
The Skein is unique to each person who lives there. If they are powerful, they can change the landscape and the sky if they wish. For those who lack magic, the place can be chaotic, unpredictable, and dangerous. It is full of creatures who absorb energy from its inhabitants. They are long-forgotten monsters of the mind. With this energy, they are difficult to eradicate. If a magic user is unable to control them, they become powerful enough to affect the user and hurt them or those around them.
Humans were once abducted in large numbers and taken to the realm of the Skein for slave labor. They are protected by magic users who keep the energy vampires at bay. These entities can be wraiths and are called barons. They usually care for a clutch of servants as well as their own offspring. They are bound to the Skein and dedicate a certain percentage of their magic to keeping their kingdoms safe. If these barons do not do their jobs, the rogue beacons, or wraiths, can pick off workers, especially humans who have no power. They must be a part of a kingdom or die from a lack of magical protection.
It is common for humans to attempt to escape, but failure is a near certainty, for without the protection of a baron, they are helpless. Some may attempt to exploit the magic of a baron’s offspring, a child who is not yet at full power. These youths are easier to control but remain unstable due to a lack of training. This is the only way humans can return to the realm of Earth without a baron’s help.
“What does this mean?” Thalia asked, the blood draining from her face. Her fingers pressed hard into the book, leaving indentations in the paper. She drilled her eyes into Isao, who only confirmed her suspicions with his look of apprehension. He frowned, furrowing his brow.
“I believe you’re a daughter of a baron. Your human parents kidnapped you so
they could escape back to Earth using your power and magic before you were old enough to ascertain what was going on.”
Thalia slipped down into the chair at the small kitchen table, staring at the book. How could this be? How could she not remember anything about her former life in the Skein? She still wasn’t sure it was all true, but if anything was true, then maybe she did have a family waiting for her on the other side. Her real parents. She’d been used, abducted for her magic. How could they have done this to her? It was a betrayal of the worst kind.
Her parents had lied and withheld the truth from her all those years ago. They’d kept everything from her the entire time she’d spent with them, believing they were her kin. It was unforgivable. She’d been left in a world where she did not belong.
She inhaled sharply and looked up, her heart hammering madly in her chest. The air seemed to grow thin, but she slowed her breathing as best she could. She felt like screaming or beating her fist into a wall. Either way, it would resolve nothing.
“That explains it all. Everything I’ve ever known is a lie. It explains my parents’ mortality and why they took me from the Skein.” She frowned. “But it doesn’t explain why Ereziel would keep this from me. He would’ve known who my parents were and where they’d come from. Angels know this stuff. Archangels know everything.” She rubbed her temples, feeling the coming pain threatening to spill forward in a rush of tears. “Why would he lie to me too?”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Isao placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “I don’t know, but I do know that you’re going back. I swear I’ll get you there. We’ll learn more when we arrive. I promise.”
She barely felt his touch. She had been numbed by the revelation. As much as she’d tried to deny it, this book confirmed everything she’d feared. She wasn’t human and never had been. What the hell was she, then?
