The 7th Relic, page 22
Again she sits silently, waiting. I nod my head.
“The Rising. It will happen during an eclipse. It has to be during an eclipse, the only time the two heavenly lovers are able to be together. There is also a prophecy that tells of two Chosen Ones. One represents Karas, the other Aeyan.”
“The sun and moon? Are you telling me I’m the moon and Andrew is the sun?” When she doesn’t answer, I rush on. “Okay, I’m sorry, but come on. How can you expect me not to react to what you’re telling me?”
Atheas throws up her hands, turning from me in a huff. “Then we are finished here. I will send you back to your apartment.”
“No! Okay, okay. I’ll shut up.” When she looks at me unconvinced, I hold up my hand. “I promise.”
With a put-upon sigh, she shifts to face me again. “As I was saying, one represents Karas, the other Aeyan. During the ritual the mage will unite the seven relics, taking from you the one piece that will awaken the other six. The gods then take over your bodies. Aeyan needs your body to be able to do the summoning. Once Karas possess Andu’s body, Aeyan will take him back to the heavens where the sun god will heal. On the seventh day the sun will rise once again in Omakei.”
“At least Andrew will live,” I say quietly to myself.
“No, dearest. You will live. Andu will become Karas. The sun god needs a body to exist. Aeyan only needs yours to do the summoning. Once she is done, she will no longer need you, but Karas will still have a need for Andu.”
“What?” I’m on my knees, no longer caring about my modesty. “What the hell are you talking about? Does Andrew die during the Rising?”
“Yes, he does. Why do you think he has been pushing you away?”
My shocked brain tries to take in the fact that Andrew is going to die. I’m going to live. But…but Andrew is going to die. And then the last piece of information sinks in. He’s been pushing me away all these years because he knew he was going to die? And I’m going to live.
I mentally slap myself, suddenly pissed off. “That son of a bitch!” I jump out of the bed, trying to find a way out of this place. I turn to Atheas and demand through clenched teeth, “Send me back to my apartment.”
“I can see why he loves you.”
She rises from the bed, taking the sheet with her. She brings it over and drapes it around my shoulders, reminding me I’m still naked.
“We are not finished.” She guides me back to the bed. The coolness of her touch eases my anger. She pushes lightly on my shoulders for me to sit. And even though I am aware of her, all I can think of is Andrew. I’m going to kill him.
“Ah, tsk-tsk,” she scolds lightly. “You are angry because he didn’t take you when you wanted him to, but not because he will die during the Rising?”
Her remark is colder than a dousing of ice water. And then embarrassment and humiliation hit me. “You know what happened between Andrew and me?”
“I’m his aunt; he tells me everything. We are very close.”
I bury my face in my hands, not finding any words to say to her.
“Grace, there is only one more thing I need to say, then we are done.”
I straighten up and nod, unable to meet her gaze.
“The Relics. Five of the relics were placed on Andu, starting with the first at age five. Thereafter, one every year until he carried all five.”
My sympathy for the boy I grew up with surfaces. His poor little body had to endure a ritual of such pain.
“The sixth relic was given to Lana.”
“Her bracelet with the suns on it.” I remember the piece of jewelry she never took off.
“Yes, her bracelet. When she died it was passed onto Andu. He is the only one who the relic would accept. The relics can’t be awakened until the Rising. All that changed when Konè died. Each relic, including the one you have, carries a piece of the sun god’s soul: two relics at Andu’s ankles, two at his wrists, one on his chest and the last on his back. Karas’s heart lies within the seventh.”
“So this is the heart?” I reach for my neck. “But Lana…?”
“She was marked as a Protector. The initial pain she felt was caused by Konè, a ruse for your benefit. She healed as Andu did, but not as fast because she only had one relic, the bracelet.”
She pauses, staring at me intently. “You were told the story of Sorea, the young priestess who carried the child of Aeyan. What you and everyone else don’t know is the child also carried the fire that will ignite the relics. The Flame of Karas stayed with Aeyan until she could no longer hold the Flame within her realm, the moon. She had to bestow it on another, the child. Every seven centuries a girl child was born in the Temple of Sorea, hidden from the world. There she would remain, unless her time to carry the relic arrived. That day was when you were born. Five years—it took five years for the relic to bond with your being, your soul.”
I shake my head slowly, trying to put together what she’s telling me. “Are you saying I’m the one who will set Andrew on fire? To open his soul to the sun god who will take over his body? No. I won’t do it.”
“You will. You have no choice in the matter. You were born to bring the sun back to Omakei. It is your destiny.”
“No.”
She looks at me intently, but doesn’t say another word. I guess we’re done.
“It’s time to go.” She offers me her hand.
I take it, rising with the sheet still wrapped around my shoulders. I adjust it so it’s under my arms and around my chest, holding it with a shivering hand. It’s because of her, her hand—it’s freezing. I let go, but she continues to hold onto my fingers.
And then I see them. The mist behind her seems to take form, diaphanous beings shifting in and out of view. Their faces appear daunted with despair and they move closer to the bed, to me. I step back with fear, only to hit the bed, falling back onto…a sofa.
“Grace!”
I’m back in my apartment. I look toward the door as Andrew forces his way in with Haro, Reiko and Seelah following close behind.
I stand immediately, turning about me, looking for the mist people. A chill runs up my spine at the thought of Andrew’s aunt. She said the realm of Shadow is hers.
“Grace, are you okay?”
Strong hands grab at my shoulders and I suddenly find Andrew in front of me, his worried face inches from my own. Everything Atheas told me comes rushing back, including him sharing with her what happened last night. I nod, shrugging out of his hold, my eyes locked with his.
Bastard.
I turn from him and run to Reiko, hitting against his chest, forcing him to take a step back. I wrap my arms around him, holding on tight. He would have his arms around me, too, if he wasn’t trying to catch the sheet falling off me.
~ * ~
Chapter Thirty-Four
~ Andrew ~
The Rising is in seven days. I haven’t seen or spoken with Grace since last night, when she reappeared in her apartment. And even though the night of my impending demise nears, all I can think of is her.
“This is what you wanted, isn’t it?” Haro is sitting across from me. We’ve been sitting at the table in my den for the past few hours.
“Yes.” I lean back into my seat.
“You’re a coward,” says Seelah. She’s been calling me that since last night. Seeing Reiko holding Grace has put her in a bad mood, something unfamiliar to her. She swore she would never speak to me again, and yet here she is, staring out the balcony from my living area. Across the way from my apartment is Grace’s. And through her balcony’s glass doors, Seelah can see Grace on the sofa, with Reiko sitting in an armchair across from her.
“I wonder what they’re talking about?” she muses aloud.
I ignore my little cousin and shift my attention back to Haro. He too recognized the sheet from my bedroom in the Shadow realm. “Did you speak to your aunt?”
“I did. She admitted to saving Grace when she was attacked by Jleroh. She told Grace about the prophecy and my imminent death to follow. She said it was her duty to tell Grace about the Rising, the Prophecy and about Karas’s Fire.” I drop my head back. “I don’t blame Grace for going to Reiko.”
“I do,” mutters Seelah from the sofa.
Again, I ignore her as more urgent thoughts come to mind. “How did Jleroh get past the guards and wards to Grace’s apartment? Or get in the palace, for that matter?”
From the sofa, still staring out the balcony windows, Seelah says, “Maybe he’s already inside and we don’t know it.” She turns to us. “You did say he’s able to change his appearance, take over the bodies of others?”
A sick feeling comes over me. “Where is Vilzen?”
Haro rubs at his chin in thought. “The last I saw of him was when he walked away with Morfais.”
Haro and I stare at each other, the same thought going through our heads. Vilzen is the only one who can reunite the relics. Morfais was the last one to see him. We quickly stand, coming to our feet at the same time.
“Where are you going?” asks Seelah, her eyes following us as we make our way to the door.
“To see Morfais,” replies Haro.
“But he’s not here.”
“Where is he?” I ask.
She shrugs. “I don’t know. He left to meet someone at Forcia Harbor last night. I saw Aunt Cohnia this morning. She told me she was worried.”
An alarm goes through me. Fear for Vilzen eats at my chest. Forcia Harbor is the oldest harbor in Kalorii. It’s infested with lowlifes and criminals, and the latest rumors tell of beings of the UnderRealm type. I’ve seen what the old mage can do. It would be hard to take him without a fight, unless his trust in Morfais caught him off guard.
Haro is out the door, heading for Cohnia’s apartment, but Seelah’s voice holds me back.
“Oh my god,” she says, stunned. She’s now standing, her eyes on Grace’s apartment. I move to her side, facing the same direction, and I am shocked by the scene before us.
Reiko and Grace are in an embrace, locked in a passionate kiss.
~ * ~
Chapter Thirty-Five
~ Grace ~
Reiko holds me close, our lips together in what I hope is a passionate kiss. I try to recall my kisses with Andrew, to feel what I felt with him when he almost took me. But when Reiko’s tongue touches mine…I lean away. “Okay, I’m sorry…I can’t.”
“I think I need a shower,” says Reiko, looking disgusted at our failed attempt to be passionate. He lets me go and falls back into the armchair. “Are you satisfied now? I told you it wouldn’t work. Look, I love you, but not in that way. And you’re right, it was stupid of me to go along with Andrew’s idiotic plan.”
I make my way back to the sofa and take a seat. “It was like kissing my brother,” I moan. What was I thinking? I almost convinced Reiko that Andrew was right, that we should be together; I almost convinced myself. Who am I kidding? I throw my head back against the cushions, grabbing another to cover my face with.
“I am your brother,” he says, annoyed. “Look at me, Grace.” I do as he asks, tossing the cushion aside. He sits forward, staring at me in bewilderment. “I always thought you two should end up together. Why the sudden change?”
“You can’t tell me you don’t know about the prophecy?”
“Grace, I’ve been hearing about that prophecy since before I could walk. You can’t believe that after…what…thousands and thousands and thousands of years it’s only now the sun god decides to wake up?”
“Andrew believes it.”
“He believes it because it’s been etched into his brain, where his beliefs have lived since before he was born. With his father and an uncle like Konè, he never had a chance. Come on, you remember how Konè was. We all believed he could walk on water…and Andrew’s father? He was ten Konès put together, and Andrew worshipped him.”
“Atheas believes it. And from what you’re telling me, so did Andrew’s father. And I’m sure Seelah does, too, if only because Andrew does.”
“Of course she would. Seelah loves him more than her own life.”
“Yeah, I get that. And he loves her.”
Reiko throws his arms over the back of the armchair. “Why wouldn’t he? She’s his cousin. She’s very dear to him, and with her sister now gone, he’ll do anything for her.”
Wait…what? I sit up, not sure I heard him right. “Seelah is Andrew’s cousin?”
Lana’s face comes to mind. How could I have missed the similarities? Well for one, Lana never mentioned she had a sister, and since I’ve been here neither has Seelah. “Seelah is Lana’s sister?” Reiko nods with a shrug. “Why wouldn’t Seelah tell me she’s Andrew’s cousin?”
“I don’t know, Grace. I’m now wondering why she didn’t, either.”
“That punk. He made me think he and Seelah had a thing, and she never let on what he was doing.” And I fell right into it. I should’ve known by the way she kept talking about Reiko and always coming to his defense when I would inadvertently say something against him she found offensive.
Last night I was pissed at Andrew. I wanted to hurt him the way he hurt me. In the end, the only one I hurt was myself…and by the look on her face, when I hugged Reiko, Seelah…and maybe Reiko. I stare at him; he doesn’t look hurt, just annoyed.
“She has a crush on you, you know? A very serious one.”
He gives me a crooked smile. “Seems every girl I think of as a sister has a crush on me. Seelah is a delicate flower and I would protect her with my life. But…I like my women to have a few thorns to them.”
I throw a pillow at him, which he catches easily. We both laugh at our situation. Something Andrew has planned for years, manipulating us in his scheme to push me away.
“I won’t let him die, Reiko.”
“It’s not your call, Grace.”
“What do you mean? Of course it is. Without Karas’s fire the relics won’t burn through him and Karas won’t take him from me.”
He leans forward. “Two things; one, you’re not seeing the big picture here. You’ve only seen a small part of Omakei; the realm is flooded in areas, making them unlivable. The food supply is dwindling by the day, and people are filling the city beyond capacity. The situation has become dire, even for the water elves—Lyrthan and his people, the Manui.”
“You mean the merman that Andrew called?”
“He’s no merman, but an elf like Alorn and Mellis. They are distant cousins, except the Manui practically live in water. During their great war between the Elven king brothers, the Manui lost a great deal of their numbers. Separated from Eirrell and with less than a hundred survivors left, Lyrthan’s father asked their realm’s king to release them from Velesi. He wanted to seek a home where they could heal their wounds and focus on rebuilding their clan. They chose this realm because of the water, of course, but even they need the sun to survive.
“This world is dying, Grace. The land mass is sinking, losing ground to the rising sea. The rainy season is harsh, the winter even harsher. The Elders have foreseen another Ice Age in the not-so-distant future. Every five years or so the temperature drops, changing the atmosphere, environment and geographic layout. We need the sun in order for all of us to survive. There were fifty-eight territories at one time. Now, there are only seventeen territories left. The rulers will concede because eventually what little land is left will disappear and the last to go will be Kalorii. Is the prophecy true? I don’t know. But I know what is happening now. I can see how the water is rising, I can see the despair in our people, and the hard fact is…Omakei is drowning. And us with it.”
Great. I shake my head, rubbing my arms. It’s suddenly chilly in here. “And the second part?”
He sighs heavily before continuing. “Think about it, Grace. Growing up, Andrew and I would disappear for months; that’s because we were here. This…” he waves his hands to encompass not just the apartment, “all of this, belongs to him and the people of Kalorii. His father raised him to be king, ruler of the territories.”
“Okay, and…?”
“Do you really think Andrew wants you to save him and let the people of Kalorii die? Do you think he would say ‘thanks, babe, now let’s go live happily ever after in a dark, bleak and dead realm?’”
I am unable to look at him or answer, so I shake my head slowly.
“No. Knowing Andrew as I do, he will forgive you, but you will always wonder, never sure. And eventually that will tear the two of you apart, and everything we have waited and fought for will be for nothing.”
I stand, suddenly unable to sit still. I look around the room, into the kitchen, then over to a reading area with shelves full of books. Next to that is a small alcove, big enough for a drawing table, art supplies and glass walls to let the moonlight in. I smile, knowing it was Andrew’s idea.
“What am I going to do?” I ask quietly.
I don’t hear him rise before he puts his arms around me from behind. “Life is too short, Grace. The Rising is in a week. Go to him and don’t take no for an answer.”
He leans over my shoulder and I let my head rest gently against his. He kisses me softly on the cheek, then hugs me tightly. “I love you, Grace.”
“I love you, too, Reiko.”
~ * ~
Chapter Thirty-Six
~ Andrew ~
“Did he say who they were meeting?”
Cohnia shakes her head. “No. I’m sorry, Andu, but he didn’t say much.”
Like the others of my bloodline, my aunt has the features of the Teo. Dark hair, blue eyes, athletic built even at her age…and there’s the height. Cohnia stands only two inches shorter than me at six foot one. It’s because of her beauty and stature that rumors of blackmail used against Cohnia circulated regarding her marriage to Morfais. Yet, each time I spoke with her she had nothing but good things to say about her new husband. She has, and does, go on with her life as usual, and after nearly a year the rumors have died down. But I still have my reservations about Morfais and his sudden appearance in Kalorii.
