Perigee Moon, page 16
Chapter 19
I fear my days are numbered. My magic is weak and the stench of death hangs heavily in the air around me. Marion’s darkness is weaving my fate and I have little hope of fighting it. Soon I will join my beloved William. I can only pray that Alexander will find the strength to survive the evil here.
Perhaps I was wrong all along. Perhaps my son does not belong in this time and place. Perhaps his destiny lies somewhere else altogether. I can only hope.
~ Rebecca Foster 1692
***
My eyes flew open and I gasped for air. It took a moment to realize where I was. Just a dream. I closed my eyes and repeated it to myself. I pushed the hair back from my face. It was damp with sweat and clung to my cheeks. God would these nightmares ever stop? Sitting up I reached for Alex across the bed but when a cool breeze caressed my face I stopped dead in my tracks. My eyes darted to the empty bed, where my searching fingers were painful y alone, the crumpled bed sheets, and then to the window. The yellow translucent curtains were flapping in the breeze. Alex was gone.
Damn! I berated myself. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. I ran to the window in time to see Alex walking across the street, running his hands through his disheveled hair. Without thinking, I pulled on the first pair of jeans I could find and a pair of hiking boots, slipped on a flannel shirt and went as quickly and quietly as I could manage to the stairs. I didn’t want to wake Grams and Grandpa. Having to explain to them why I was leaving the house at five in the morning would only kill my chances of catching up to him. When my feet hit the soft cushion of dewy grass outside I couldn’t help but smile triumphantly. I treaded carefully across the street and slipped into the tree line as smoothly as Alex had so many times before. It wasn’t as bad as I thought. The sun was slowly rising across the horizon and the sky was turning a light pink, tinged with traces of pastel purples and periwinkle blues. It gave off just enough light to illuminate my path.
After a few minutes of hiking blindly into the forest, I stopped. The quiet sounds of the forest surrounded me with the absence of the crunch of my footsteps. A squirrel rustled the leaves as it sprang across the treetops. A bird sang a chipper tune from somewhere behind me. I could see Alex in the distance, stopped too as if he’d heard me. I ducked behind a tree and waited. When I peeked back around he was gone again. I bit my lip, suddenly feeling very nervous and second-guessing my plan.
He was going to be furious with me if he found out about this, but I was too far in to care. After a few seconds of indecision I crept forwards. Hopping over fallen trees and dodging low hanging limbs, avoiding the thorny briar patches that popped up along the way. I wrapped my arms around myself as I walked. It was chill y this morning and I was thankful I’d chosen the flannel shirt I was wearing. It helped to hold in the heat. It was becoming obvious that Alex was gone, but this far in how hard could it be to find a house or a small community. I really wasn’t sure what I was looking for but it couldn’t be much farther if he was nowhere in sight.
That’s when I saw it. I froze in my tracks, stumbling over a log. The hemlock tree from my dream. The same gnarled trunk twisting into a complicated weave of branches. It towered over the rest of the forest, stealing the lemony sunlight, yet somehow still looking like something fed from darkness. There was a symbol carved into the bark and as I studied it more closely it hit me. I frantically pulled the necklace out of my shirt and flipped it over to match up the symbols. They were the same. I let the necklace fall back into my shirt and took a step towards the mammoth tree looming over me, its shadow enveloping me like an ominous warning. I was shaking but I didn’t let it stop me. I didn’t know what I was doing but something was forcing me forward.
Something cold. Pushing and pulling on me in every direction, but especially forward. I reached my hand out and laid it across the symbol like I had in my dream. No blood this time, just dry brittle bark that looked as if someone had burned a symbol into it.
The familiar cold sensation whispered around me and before I knew it, words that were not my own were spilling out of my mouth.
“Mother of Earth, Goddess of great, part the winds of time and fate.
winds of time and fate.
We offer the fire, the salt, the power. Aid me on my quest this hour.”
I pressed each of my fingertips against the symbol and froze. The necklace burned on my chest, white hot against my skin. I whimpered in pain but I couldn’t move to tear it off. It was getting hotter. So hot. I couldn’t stand it. What was happening? I felt dizzy and my breaths were coming in too shall ow.
The only part of my body I seemed to have control of was my fingertips, so I pushed them deep into the bark, but instead of the resistance I was expecting, they kept moving forward, sending me tumbling, not in to the tree, but into emptiness. I was falling. I opened my mouth to scream but the roaring sound around me quickly stole it away. It screamed against my ears like a freight train. A hurricane-strength wind. The entire ocean crashing over me again and again. The whirlwind of air twirled and spun, kicking my hair into my face, the scent of salt water and moss and lavender invading my senses. I finally managed to pull my hands up over my ears and scream.
“Stop, stop, stop!” I screamed until my voice was the only sound ringing in my ears. The air rippled like water and then everything went black.
When I finally came to, every part of me was shivering with tremors that I couldn’t begin to control.
I peeled my eyes open and looked around the forest.
The only sound besides my own panicked breathing was the trickling of water somewhere nearby. I pulled myself up to stand and stumbled into a tree, trying to process what had just happened. A hall ucination maybe? It had to be. I stretched out my arms and legs, extending my joints to find I felt like I’d been thrown from a three-story building onto a concrete slab. The pain was horrendous and my head was throbbing. I glanced around to try to get my bearings but nothing looked right. The air even smelled different. Fresh. Clean. I was still standing in front of the giant hemlock tree, but nothing else looked familiar. The trees were scattered in different spots.
Some much larger. Some smaller. The dirt path that had been carved into the forest floor was nowhere to be found. Something smoky like a left-over campfire tinged the air with a woodsy scent. The light was even coming in at a different angle. I squinted up at the sun. It seemed more like late afternoon than five in the morning. How long had I been out? I was never going to find my way home. What a stupid plan this was. I quickly decided my best bet was to move forward and try to find Alex. He’d be mad, but at least he would help me get home. And maybe if I was lucky he’d go ahead and show me where he lived anyway since we were this far.
I trudged forward, skimming from tree to tree to keep my balance. I still felt dizzy. No. More than dizzy. I didn’t feel right at all and I was starting to get scared. So, needless to say, when I heard a pair of voices quickly approaching through the trees, a wave of relief washed over me like cool water on a hot summer day. I stumbled towards the voices that were getting louder by the second. They were moving quicker than me. I stopped and listened. The echo of hooves galloping filled the hollow silence.
Horses. I took a few more steps and opened my mouth to call for help, but instead of the sturdy hello that was building in my throat, a yelp slipped out.
I squeezed my eyes shut as an arm shot out from the brush and wrapped around my waist, pulling me to the ground in one swift movement. A man’s body crashed down on top of me and I tried to scream but his fingers were locked tightly over my mouth. My eyes flew open and Alex’s eyes were wide and frightened and just an inch from mine. The tips of our noses touched lightly and we were both breathing hard. I stared back at him, confused. What was going on? As if to answer my question he held one finger up to his lips as he pulled his other hand away from my mouth. I nodded and let my eyes drift down.
His chest pumped erratically. He was scared. And if Alex was scared that meant I should be too. The panic closed off my throat and my body grew still beneath him. My eyes darted to the sound of two men laughing just a few feet from where we were hiding as they glided by on their horses. I couldn’t make out what they were saying but they had accents like Alex’s. We both stopped breathing as their voices faded through the dense foliage. I inhaled the overpowering aroma of honeysuckle. Not just from Alex’s skin. No this was stronger. I suddenly realized we were lying in a mound of it. No wonder he always smelled like that. I closed my eyes, hypnotized by the steady throb of pain that echoed through every inch of my body.
through every inch of my body.
finally Alex sighed and rolled off of me, signaling the end of the danger. I sat up slowly, stretching my aching joints and noticed he was digging in a wooden chest obscured by the honey suckle and brush. He pulled out a white linen shirt and slipped it on. It was slightly ruffled and very old-fashioned. It matched the strange brown pants he was wearing.
He was furious. I could feel it radiating off of him, tiny pin pricks of heat. So much in fact that he was shaking. I pulled my knees up to my chest and ran my hands over my hair to smooth it, waiting for him to speak. He finally turned.
“How the hell did you get here?” he said. I flinched at his tone.
“I followed you.”
“Why?” His eyes narrowed.
“I wanted to see where you were from. You’re always keeping all these secrets and I think I deserve to know.” It all came out in a rush so I paused and took a deep breath to calm myself. “If we’re going to be together, if you want me to trust you, then I deserve to know.”
He sighed. “I don’t just mean that…it’s impossible for you to be here,” he said. Then he stopped as realization settled across his face. He knelt down in front of me and grabbed the necklace form around my neck. After a moment he mumbled something under his breath and dropped it.
“Of course,” he whispered and went back to digging in the chest.
“Alex what are you talking about? Stop speaking in code and talk to me, damn it!” I demanded, the frustration boiling over, nearly blocking out the pain.
He tossed me a long black hooded cloak. “We don’t have time, here. It’s not safe. Put that on,” he said.
I lifted it up and frowned, “Why?”
“Because if people here see you dressed like that we will both end up with nooses around our necks by sundown. Now put it on,” he said. I swallowed past the lump in my throat and slipped it on. He stepped forward and gingerly helped me to my feet, tugging the hood over my head.
He sighed as he wiped a tear from my cheek and his face softened. “You’re hurting.”
I nodded unable to mask the pain on my face.
Every part of me ached. all I wanted to do was lay down and rest but it was clear that it wasn’t an option so I kept my mouth shut.
“I forgot how painful it can be the first time,” he said as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, adjusting the hood.
“What are you talking about?”
“I’ll explain everything. I swear. Just trust me right now. Can you do that?”
I nodded again.
“Okay. Then follow me and don’t say a word.” Alex laced his hand through mine and tugged me back the way I had come. He was taking me home.
But when the voices wafted through the trees again Alex froze and gripped my hand tight. They were coming back. And whoever they were, Alex was afraid. I could hear the blood pulsing behind my eardrums and feel his fear as he stiffened and pulled me backward.
“Damn,” he whispered under his breath.
“Alex? What is it?”
He glanced back at me. “It’s not safe this way now. We’ll have to wait until dark to get you back.” He hesitated, his face torn.
“follow me.” His fingers squeezed mine reassuringly and pulled me forward. Well, I guess it was forward. I wasn’t sure where I was anymore.
Nothing looked the same. But even stranger, nothing felt the same.
We hiked for what seemed like forever. My legs were aching but thankfully my confusion was making it hard to concentrate on the pain. Alex wasn’t saying a word and neither was I until the trees started to part. I looked ahead and saw my grandparent’s large white house come into view and smiled. The thought of curling up in my bed was almost euphoric.
“Hey I thought you said we couldn’t…” I trailed off, my head spinning. This wasn’t home. Was it?
Nothing looked right. The road was gone. Here there was just a worn path. The house didn’t look right either. It looked…new, but still somehow incredibly out of date.
“Alex where are we?”
“I don’t think where is the proper question Rowan.” I yanked my hand from his grip and stopped. “Well then what is the right question Alex? Because I’m tired of the cryptic crap.” My lungs were gasping for a decent breath and I felt dizzy. I grasped for a tree, anything to brace myself on, but all my hand found anything to brace myself on, but all my hand found was air. Alex darted to my side and slipped his arm around my waist before I could tumble to the ground.
“Not here,” he whispered against my ear, causing me to shiver. “Not out in the open like this.” I nodded and followed him to the eerily familiar house.
Inside, Alex led me to the staircase, but before we could reach the second step a shrill voice stopped us.
“Alex? Who’s this?”
Alex quickly pushed me behind him and flashed me a warning look. I pulled my cloak tighter and held my breath.
“Just a friend Aunt Marion,” he said nonchalantly. I peeked out from under my hood at her. She was a tall statuesque woman, maybe in her mid forties. Her skin was like cream and ivory but you couldn’t see much of it. She was wearing a navy-blue dress that fastened with a pearl button up around her neck. A bit of white lace trim lined the sleeves that clung to her boney wrists and around her col ar. Her lips were drawn up into a tight line as she eyed the two of us.
Even more than the strange way she was dressed, I was wondering why Alex was hiding me from his own Aunt.
She took a step forward and extended a long boney finger, beckoning me forward.
“Come here girl,” she said in a sharp tone. I started to move forward but Alex grabbed my wrist to stop me.
“You don’t have to Rowan,” he whispered, but judging from the scowl on her face, I knew she had heard.
“May I remind the two of you that you are in my house? Now I suggest you step forward and name yourself.”
I took a deep breath as Alex loosened his grip on me, and stepped forward. “I’m Rowan,” I said in a shaky voice. I took another breath and straightened my spine to stand tall. It was obvious this woman was the type that fed off of fear, and I couldn’t let her bully me like she did Alex. “Rowan Bliss,” I said.
Before I could say another word she stepped forward and ripped the hood from my head. She stared at me for a long moment, disbelieving.
“Aunt Marion I can explain.”
She held up her hand to silence him and narrowed her eyes on me. My skin crawled as her cold black eyes drifted over me.
“You fool!” she hissed and turned her attention to Alex. “You brought her here?”
“It’s not what you think. She followed me. I never would have put her in this kind of danger,” he said nervously, coming up behind me and placing his trembling hands on my shoulders.
“Her safety is not the issue at hand here. You know they are searching for any reason to put you in the ground. How could you be so careless?” He hesitated for a moment and his fingers squeezed my shoulders. “I love her. I won’t stop seeing her.”
My stomach twisted and my face felt hot. I suddenly wished I still had the cloak to hide under.
“And your Mother’s prophecy? What of it? Are you telling me that you’d choose death for a silly romance with this girl?”
His jaw tightened and I could feel the fear and anger swelling in him. “Maybe I can change it. Maybe she was wrong.” He was reaching. I could feel that even he didn’t believe what he was saying.
“Nonsense.” She looked away and flapped her fingers as if to brush the idea away. “You’ll do no such thing. I’ve already arranged for you to be with a girl perfectly suited for you. You will not throw away your life and everything I have done for you over this.” She motioned to me like I was nothing. I felt sick. It was clear she was never going to approve of our relationship.
“You can’t control him like this,” I said and Alex tensed, his fear pelting my back like shards of broken glass.
Her cold laughter trickled through me like acid and I cringed at the sound.
“She doesn’t know does she?” she said, amused.
“I doubt she’d have anything to do with you if she did.”
I glanced up at Alex and he was shaking his head grimacing.
“Stupid girl, you have no idea what you’ve stumbled into. Run while you can.” She walked away still laughing but called out over her shoulder before she disappeared into the kitchen, “I want her gone before sundown or I will call the elders to take care of this.”
