“A while,” he said. “Shall I leave you to
rest?”
She took in a deep cleansing breath and
reluctantly peeled back her eyelids. “No, I need to talk to Lydia.
Is she okay?”
“Yes, she would like a word with you as
well.”
Toran and Kira untangled their bodies as
Octavion attempted to help her to her feet. Unfortunately, Toran
stood at the same time and came up between them, pushing Octavion
aside. Both man and beast let out a growl of frustration.
Kira couldn’t help but laugh. “I think he
likes me,” she said, giving Toran a good rub on the back.
“He had better watch his manners or he will
be my next meal,” Octavion teased.
Toran let out a ferocious roar as if to tell
Octavion the same thing, then sauntered off toward the
clearing.
“I think he just got the last word,” Kira
said.
Octavion smirked. “He usually does.”
When they reentered the cave, Lydia was
pacing in front of the book shelves. She stopped and looked at
Kira. “I’m so sorry.”
Normally Kira would have gone to Lydia and
embraced her, but instead she stood a few feet away with her arms
folded. She was surprised at her own hesitant behavior. It wasn’t
like she was afraid of Lydia. After all, it was Kira’s idea to give
her new powers a try. And she certainly wasn’t angry with Lydia
either. She forced herself to relax and take a step closer. “It’s
okay. I’m fine now. I just needed to get it out of my system. I
wasn’t prepared for Altaria to take over and—”
“What?” Octavion interrupted. “Why would you
keep that from me, Lydia?” He took Kira’s hands and examined the
red finger marks on her wrists. He’d been silent about them until
then, even though she was sure he’d noticed. He ran his finger
across one section that had already begun to bruise and Kira
winced.
A low growl vibrated through his chest.
“Altaria is stronger than you know. She could have crushed your
bones with no effort at all or don’t you remember your attacker’s
mangled hand? Why did you allow her to hold you like that?”
Kira pulled her arms away and healed them. “I
didn’t have a choice. Lydia and I were barely holding on when
Altaria appeared and wouldn’t let go. Maybe you should take it out
on her.”
“No,” Lydia said. “It was my fault. I’d
forgotten my kindred spirit experienced those memories. I should
have known that she too would need to share them. I won’t make that
mistake again.”
“About that, you are right,” Octavion
scolded. “I will not allow you to experiment with something so
powerful. It is too dangerous.” He turned his attention back to
Kira. “That goes for both of you. Do you understand?”
“No, I don’t,” Kira fired back. “You might be
able to control your sister, but you will
not
tell me what
to do. And furthermore, none of this would have happened in the
first place, if you weren’t trying to play therapist and force her
to get in touch with her
feelings
.” Kira stepped closer to
Lydia and placed her hand on her shoulder. “It just so happens that
our little experiment, as you called it, is not over, so you can
either keep your opinions to yourself and watch—or leave.”
Lydia pushed away Kira’s hand and sat on the
bench. “Actually, I’m finished.”
“How can you say that? You haven’t shown me
what happened after you were hurt. I still don’t know how you
discovered the healing powers of the Crystor or how . . .” Kira
lowered her voice to a whisper. “Serena died.”
“That’s just it,” Lydia said. “I don’t have
those memories to share with you. I blacked out after I got
stabbed. The next memory that makes any sense is when I woke in my
sleeping chambers. Three days had passed.”
“Then you are finished,” he said flashing his
dimples at Kira.
Kira smiled even wider. “Not quite. Now it’s
your
turn.”
His smirk faded to a scowl. “I have nothing
to say on the matter.”
“So Lydia has to get in touch with her inner
most nightmares, but you don’t? Maybe it’s time you unloaded a few
of your own demons.”
Kira don’t
. Lydia said through her
thoughts.
You’ll only make him angry.
Kira turned and gave her a look of
frustration.
Are you serious?
Yes, I will explain it to you, just not with
him here.
“I have dealt with it in my own way,”
Octavion stepped to the other side of the cave and gathered a few
animal hides. “It will be cold tonight. If you two promise not to
do anything foolish while I am gone, I will take these to our
shelters.”
He didn’t wait for an answer, and they didn’t
give one, but as soon as he left, Kira was back in front of Lydia,
only this time keeping her hands to herself.
“So how much did you tell him?” Kira
asked.
“I just told him about your powers and that I
shared some of my memories. At first he was upset, but then he
seemed excited.” Lydia smiled. “His inventions haven’t always
turned out.”
Kira twirled the Crystor around her wrist.
“Should I be worried?”
“Nah, I think you’re safe. You just need to
make sure you tell him if there are any other changes or if
something else happens. He’s concerned for your safety.”
“Well, considering what happened to Serena, I
can see why. Which brings me to my next question.”
“How did Serena die?” Lydia asked.
“Well, not just how she died, but how she
knew she could heal you.”
Lydia shifted on the bench. “All I know is
what Octavion told me. Serena must have followed him out to the
garden. She got there just in time to see Shandira pull the blade
from my body. Serena ran to her and tried to grab the knife away,
but Shandira sliced her hand wide open instead. It was a deep cut.
By that time, those inside the castle were filing into the garden
to help. Shandira, being the coward she is, vanished without a
fight.
“Octavion heard the screams coming from the
guests, so let Bastian escape and returned to find my mother dead
and me wounded and bleeding. When I fell, I landed next to a rose
bush and tore the sleeve of my dress. When Serena knelt next to me,
she touched the cut on my arm and, healed it instantly. Octavion
had no idea the Crystor would give her healing powers.”
“Did she feel the same pain I felt, when it
happened to me?”
“I don’t know, but I think it was what she
saw in my face that scared her the most. She’d never seen my
kindred spirit take over before. At first, I don’t think she knew
it was me lying there, but then she must have recognized my dress.
I blacked out right before Shandira left, but I remember some of
what happened. I must have faded in and out a few times. I remember
Serena’s face and the fear in her eyes.”
“But didn’t she know you could change?”
“No one did except family. My father forbade
it. As far as we knew, I was the only one who was like that. He was
afraid someone would see me. There are those who are collectors of
sorts, who have the ability to take gifts from others. They are
born with no powers or talents. But when they are of age, they
discover they can remove gifts from other Royals, using them to
their advantage. It leaves the Royal weak and empty. They are
called
Hollows
and for a good reason. They walk around like
zombies and show no emotion.”
“That’s horrible,” Kira said. “No wonder your
father made you keep it a secret.”
“When I was a child, Shandira picked on me
constantly. She was almost four years older and much stronger, so
she always had the advantage. I was tired of her always winning, so
I let Altaria take over. Talk about a battle. She’d been locked up
inside me for so long she took all her aggression out on Shandira.
Our nursemaid saw what happened and ran from the room screaming.
She thought I was possessed with evil spirits.”
“What happened?”
“I must have been about ten. Octavion had
been experimenting, fueling his talent as an alchemist. My father
had the nursemaid held in the lower levels of the castle until
Octavion created the memory drug and placed a charm on the seer
stones. He’d never done it before, so wasn’t sure how much to give
her. When he’d finished, she not only forgot the incident, but that
she worked in the castle. It was sad. Her family thought she’d gone
crazy.
“Anyway, when my father saw my mother lying
there dead, he ordered Octavion to take me upstairs and called for
the palace physician. When he finally showed up, my wounds had
already been healed. Octavion insisted he help bandage Serena’s
hand, and make sure she was okay, but it was too late. When my
father brought us the news of Serena’s death, he said her heart was
too weak to take the stress and pain from healing me.”
On the table next to Lydia sat a small
tapestry bag with a satin draw string. An intricate flower pattern
had been embroidered on both sides. Lydia pulled it onto her lap,
but didn’t open it. She sat for the longest time—not saying a
word—staring at the bag. Finally, she placed her hands over the top
of it and continued her story.
“My mother was beautiful, you know?” Lydia’s
bottom lip began to quiver, but she held back the tears. “My father
ordered all the flowers in the kingdom to be plucked from where
they grew. The petals were to be removed from each bud and placed
on the road that ran from the castle gates to the royal cemetery.
It’s tradition to bury the dead within one day, so I didn’t get to
see it. Octavion said the entire kingdom lacked any color, except
for the path to my mother’s grave.
“After the fourth day, my father came to my
chambers. Octavion was still by my side, guilt stricken by the
trust he’d put in his friend and mourning the loss of my mother,
and his—”
Lydia had been looking at her hands, but now
raised her chin so their eyes met. “He was in love with Serena. He
had no idea the choice he’d made would mean choosing my life over
hers.” She paused for a moment.
“Even with all my father’s efforts, Shandira
and Bastian disappeared. He heard rumors of them gaining allies, as
well as plans to take my life. It didn’t make any sense to me. If
it was Bastian she wanted, she already had him. I mean, he was on
her side the whole time. What more could she want?”
“You.”
She nodded. “That’s exactly what my father
feared. But it still didn’t make any sense. If it was the crown she
wanted, she’d be after Octavion, not me. What possible reason could
she have to want me dead? Even my father couldn’t figure it out.
That’s why he gave Octavion guardianship over me and ordered him to
take me far away, hide me until Shandira and Bastian could be
found. It was no longer safe for me there.”
She opened the bag and pulled out a small
disk shaped object, like a woman’s compact only slightly larger. In
the center was a stone the shape and size of a large peach pit. It
appeared to be clear, except when the candlelight caught it just
right, it sparkled with every color of the rainbow. Embedded all
around the center stone were precious gems and unusual indentations
and markings in the metal.
“He gave us this. It’s the journey stone I
told you about the other night.” She held it out so Kira could get
a better look. “It creates a doorway between our worlds so we can
step through. The power is in the stone in the center. It helps us
travel from one world to another.”
“So you can go back any time you want?”
Lydia shook her head. “Father forbids us to
return until it is safe. Even though we know Shandira has found a
way to this world, she has allies on Ophira and it is not safe for
us there.”
“But you can if you need to.” It all sounded
so incredible.
“It’s complicated. If we open the way, we
must be very careful, make sure the doorway is secured on the other
side. It’s far too dangerous to step through, not knowing what may
be waiting for us. It’s why Octavion encased the stone in metal and
charmed it so it will only work if your heart is pure—if your
intentions are honorable.
“When we lived in Montana we opened the
doorway far too often. We believe that’s how Shandira came here.
She is sneaky and has mastered her gifts. She could have stepped
through without us even knowing. Octavion didn’t want her to take
the stone and use it to go back. If that happened and she destroyed
it, we’d be stuck here forever.
“When Octavion had a run in with one of her
scouts, he sensed her thoughts were closer. He knew she’d found a
way here. He moved us to this mountain. It was shortly after that
when you and I met.”
“Octavion said the reason he was so upset
about the pictures was because they were not
of this world
,”
Kira said. “Did you go back alone with your camera?”
“No, but I did something just as foolish.”
She grasped her ruby and gave it a rub. Octavion appeared through
the cave entrance a moment later.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“Almost,” she said.
“Are you certain it will work as you said? I
cannot risk opening the doorway without someone on the other side
to secure it.”
Lydia nodded. “I’m sure.” She stood and held
the device out in front of her. “Kira, you should stand over there
with Octavion.”
“Oh, right.” Kira jumped to her feet and went
to stand beside him.
Octavion took her by the arm and drew her in,
pressing her back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her
waist and pulled her even closer, then whispered in her ear. “Be
still. I have never seen her do this. I want to be prepared if
something goes wrong. If what she says is true, you are about to
see paradise.”
Kira wasn’t sure if it was the excitement of
what she was about to see or the pounding of his heart vibrating
through her back, but it felt like butterflies danced around in her
stomach. She wasn’t sure what to do with her hands, so she timidly
placed them over his and held on. His muscles flexed, responding to
her touch. Kira’s heart skipped a beat.