The strangest part was that Kira experienced
her own thoughts and emotions mixed in with Lydia’s, so when the
next image flashed across her mind, she wasn’t sure how to react.
Lydia saw Bastian’s face. In Lydia’s heart, she felt love and
happiness, but in Kira’s, there was fear and hatred.
Lydia?
Kira tried to pull her hands
free.
It’s okay. It’s only a memory. He can’t
hurt you.
Lydia tightened her grip.
Can you feel my emotions?
Kira
asked.
No, but mine aren’t as strong.
For a
moment the images stopped.
Maybe I
can
do this. Are you
okay?
Yes
, Kira answered.
Keep
going
.
When Bastian’s face came back into view, he
was spinning her around the room, but in silence. The one sense
Kira couldn’t glean from Lydia’s memories was sound. Eerie
quietness permeated the visions. A few more seconds passed when
everyone in the room stopped dancing. Bastian led Lydia to a set of
doors near the edge of the room. He bent to kiss her hand and
smiled. Lydia’s heart skipped a beat, and Kira felt the blood rush
to her cheeks.
Did you love him?
Kira asked.
I thought I did, but . . . I’m not sure I
know what love is anymore.
Lydia loosened her grip, and the
memory began to fade.
No, I want to see more
, Kira begged.
Show me Octavion—a happy time for him
, Kira encouraged,
hoping it would ease Lydia’s anxiety.
Lydia’s firm hold returned as did the
ballroom scene, with its colorful gowns and elegant décor. The beat
of the music was evident by the rhythm of their movements, even
though she heard only silence. Lydia was still near the French
doors, but had found a chair to sit on so she could rest her feet.
There was no sign of her escort, Bastian, as she searched the crowd
intently. Feeling the presence of her brother approaching, she
straightened and brushed her hands down the skirt of her lavender
gown with its white lace peeking out below the intricately
embroidered hem.
The dancers parted, making a thin path for
their prince as he wove his way between them. When his face came
into view, it was Kira’s heart that leapt, not his sister’s. His
hair was longer, pulled back into a small ponytail at the nape of
his neck. He wore black leather pants with a white tunic and thick
black belt. The sleeves were long and full, reminding Kira of a
pirate—a very young and handsome pirate.
Lydia’s joy from seeing him mixed nicely with
Kira’s. He was so close Kira could almost feel his heart beating
beneath his chest, a wild and erratic cadence that quickened her
own pulse. He bent and took Lydia’s hand in his, pressing his lips
to the lace glove that covered it. Kira felt Lydia’s lips curl into
a smile and warmth return to her face.
What is he saying?
Kira asked when his
moving lips made no sound.
He’s just asked me to dance, but I refused.
My feet hurt and Bastian will be coming soon with my juice.
Octavion leaned in and kissed her cheek, the
warmth of his breath barely noticeable on Kira’s neck. She felt
Lydia’s pulse increase and a feeling of excitement rush through
her. Octavion’s face came back into view and he beamed with joy,
his dimples deeply imbedded in his cheeks.
Tell me
, Kira pleaded.
What did he
say to you?
Lydia let go and Octavion’s face faded into
blackness. When Kira opened her eyes, Lydia was rubbing her wrists
where Kira had been holding them. “I’d forgotten about that part,
Kira. I’m sorry.”
“Sorry? But you both looked so happy. Why did
you stop?”
No longer connected to her emotions, Kira
couldn’t tell why his words had upset Lydia so much. It was clear,
however, that she struggled with something. Lydia brought her long
braid in front and twisted it between her fingers.
“Please tell me. I want to know.” Kira wanted
to reach for her, but held back, not sure if just a touch would
cause their emotions to mesh again. “Please.”
Lydia dropped her hands to her lap, and
searched Kira’s eyes for a long moment, then nodded. “All right,
but . . . it’s something Octavion may not want you to know. He’s
dealt with it the best he can. I’m not sure he would want it
brought up. He blames himself for what happened that night—for
being distracted.”
Kira was more than curious now. “Yet he wants
you to deal with all
your
memories and feelings? That hardly
seems fair.”
Lydia smiled briefly, but it didn’t quite
reach her eyes. “True.” She took a deep breath and let it out in a
sigh. “I don’t know if I told you or not, but Octavion was Serena’s
escort that night. He’d been seeing her in secret for a couple
months because she was only fifteen and it was frowned upon. He
didn’t want to ruin her reputation, so he chose to meet her only
when she came to the castle to visit me. I was their unofficial
chaperone.
“Anyway, she’d just turned sixteen three days
before the ball and he’d already made a visit to her father. When
he leaned in to whisper in my ear, he told me he was about to
propose to Serena. He asked me to wish him luck.”
Kira’s heart didn’t just sink, it plummeted
to the ground and rolled around in the dirt. “He was in love with
Serena?” She didn’t know why she even bothered to ask. Her heart
already knew the answer. That’s what he referred to when he
reminded Lydia what he’d lost in all this. He’d lost the love of
his life, the girl he’d planned to spend forever with.
Lydia nodded. “I’m sorry. I think that’s one
reason he had such a hard time letting himself be a part of your
world. In one way or another, he’s lost every woman in his
life—except me. First his mother, then mine, and Serena, and even
though she didn’t die, he lost Shandira, too. That’s why he’s so
protective of me and why he won’t let you fight. The thought of
losing someone else . . . well, how would you feel?”
“I’d be scared to death to love again,” Kira
answered honestly. “So did she say yes?”
Lydia shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t think
he got the chance to ask. It was only seconds after he told me what
he planned to do, when Bastian returned and asked me to walk with
him in the garden. I’d seen my mother go out earlier and thought at
the time how nice it would be to get some fresh air. So when he
offered, I was more than eager.” She took another deep breath and
let it out slow. “That’s when everything fell apart.”
Kira wasn’t sure she wanted to know the rest,
let alone experience it through Lydia’s eyes. The emotions of that
night had already gripped Kira’s heart and were so overwhelming she
had to fight her own from mixing with them. So when Lydia offered
her hands, Kira hesitated.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Kira
asked, more for herself than for Lydia.
“Yeah, Octavion’s right. I need to deal with
these feelings. Having you see them with me seems to take the edge
off. I want to get through this and finally put it behind me. That
is, if you don’t mind.” Lydia’s pleading eyes touched Kira’s heart
and she couldn’t let her friend down—even if that meant going
through all the emotions Lydia had experienced that night.
“I don’t mind,” Kira said, while taking hold
of Lydia’s wrists again. She closed her eyes and tried to prepare
her mind and heart for what was to come. For the first time since
discovering her new powers, wondered if it was possible for her to
block them, at least the emotional part. The first image took away
all her doubts as she unsuccessfully tried to push Bastian’s face
out of her head.
Once again she was forced to feel love and
happiness combined with her own revulsion. The evil twist of her
heart was soon overcome by Lydia’s confusion when Bastian’s
expression foretold his intentions. Kira was all too familiar with
the sinister grin that crossed his face as Lydia jumped to her feet
and tried to escape his grasp.
There was no time for Lydia to translate the
words that were lost in the silence, but Kira knew the meaning
behind them. Lydia’s fear ran through Kira as she felt a surge of
pain in the back of her throat—the beginnings of a scream cut off
by the strength of Bastian’s fingers pushing against her
windpipe.
Lydia, maybe we should stop
, Kira
begged.
But Lydia gave no response as the image of
her mother running toward them, increased the fear surging through
Lydia and Kira’s veins. She’d never had that much love for
her
mother and it was strange to be feeling it now. Kira
wanted to be there, to protect Lydia’s mother and keep her safe, to
help her friend fight off her attacker and change the course of
history, but it continued to play out between them, as it had that
night.
Lydia was thrown to the ground and watched as
Bastian tossed her beautiful mother aside like a rag doll, causing
her to strike her head against the stone edge of the fountain. The
image seemed to freeze there, as Kira felt Lydia’s fingers tighten
around her wrists and the increased sorrow seize her like she’d
been crushed beneath the weight of it.
Kira released her fingers from Lydia’s wrists
and tried to pull away, but Lydia only tightened hers, pressing the
tips of her fingers into Kira’s flesh and cutting off the blood
flow to her hands and fingers.
“Lydia, let go!” Kira threw open her eyes to
see it was no longer Lydia sharing her emotions, but her kindred
spirit. Altaria’s fury seemed channeled directly at Kira until she
realized the reason for the change. It had happened exactly the
same way that night. Now Kira watched Altaria fight Bastian and
found herself cheering her on. Only a few seconds passed before
Octavion came into view. He was completely transformed, taking
Bastian to the ground in a ferocious display of bulging muscle and
powerful blows. Bastian squirmed loose and took off through the
garden with Octavion on his heels.
Kira had thought it was over until Altaria
turned to see her mother lying in a pool of blood and the sorrow
returned. Altaria fell to her knees, only to be yanked back by her
hair and made to stand. Shandira’s face flashed into view and all
hope washed from Kira’s mind and heart. She knew what happened next
and she wanted no part of it.
“Altaria, let go. I don’t want to see this,
please,” Kira begged, trying to push her away. She tried to pry her
fingers loose, but Altaria only dug them in deeper. Kira feared
she’d draw blood and that the scent would bring Octavion’s
transformation—and put her in danger.
“STOP!” Kira screamed.
But Altaria continued to reveal the scene in
Kira’s head, forcing her to see it all, feel it all and experience
every horrid detail. It wasn’t until she felt the piercing stab of
Shandira’s dagger up under her ribs that Altaria finally turned her
loose, but by then it was too late. Kira was so overwhelmed with
the physical and emotional pain, she couldn’t breathe. She stumbled
to her feet and found her way outside the cave entrance before
doubling over in gut wrenching sobs. Tears poured down her face as
she recalled the feelings of loss, betrayal, and all the emotions
that accompanied the events of that night. She’d been there,
literally walking in Lydia and Altaria’s shoes.
When Octavion appeared through the trees,
Kira withdrew even further, letting the violent spasms consume her,
not wanting to be touched or consoled. She pushed her back against
a boulder as she slid down to the forest floor. She drew up her
knees and wrapped her arms around them to help calm her trembling
legs.
“Kira, what happened? I heard you scream. Are
you hurt?” He reached out to touch her, but she pulled away.
“I’m . . . fine.” Kira managed between sobs.
She pointed toward the cave. “Check on . . . your sister.” If she
was going through half of what Kira was, Lydia needed him more than
she did. These feelings were real for her.
Octavion jumped to his feet, but only got
half way through the cave entrance before he turned back. Toran
stopped at his heels. “Stay with Kira, boy.”
At first she thought it unnecessary. After
all, it wasn’t like she was really hurt or in any danger, but as
Toran came closer, and she looked into his light blue eyes, she saw
the compassion there. It was then that she understood his gift and
what he’d been through.
She buried her hand in the fur just behind
his ears. “You know what this is like, don’t you buddy? You’ve
taken all of our pain at one time or another, and . . . never
complained one bit.”
He blinked slowly, as though he agreed, then
nuzzled against her knee before plopping down next to her. Kira
straightened her legs to give him a place to rest his head and the
moment he settled his strong jaw across her thighs, the emotional
pain began to disappear.
“Toran, you don’t have to do that. I’m okay.
I can deal with this myself.” She tried to pull his heavy head off
her legs, and he let her, but only long enough to plant a big
slobbery kiss on her cheek with his rough tongue. He returned to
taking away her borrowed grief.
Kira wiped his saliva and her tears away with
the hem of her shirt and leaned forward onto his massive body to
rest her head. He slowly pulled every ounce of emotion from her
heart as her eyelids began to sag. The constant rhythm of his purr
was like a soft lullaby.
Kira felt the warmth of Octavion’s hand on
the side of her cheek, but didn’t want to open her eyes. The
comfort Toran had given her was a welcome break from the emotions
she’d shared and she wasn’t ready to let it go. She moaned her
protest and adjusted her body to get more comfortable.
“Kira?” Octavion whispered. “Are you
well?”
Kira nodded, but still didn’t open her eyes.
“How long have I been asleep?”