Change of Possession (23 page)

The door slid open, revealing the aqua-tiled floor and bright silver, shimmering walls. In the middle of the room was a circle of tall pillars. Blue and pink lights streamed through them, shooting straight up into the ceiling.

Once she walked through the light, she would be gone. Magic was the source for each portal letting travelers choose their destination, but this time, the council predetermined and set her destination for her. Since this was the royal portal, the King already infused his power to have the gateway open.

Karis started walking before her legs gave out and she lost all of her courage. She strode through the light with her head held high. She felt weightless, and then there was nothing but blackness.

She blinked several times as shapes formed against a darkened skyline. The wind whipped fiercely, blowing her long black hair around her face, making it look like another shadow in the night.

She curled up in a ball on the beach. Tears streamed from her eyes. Everything hurt, right down to her fingertips, from the emotional upheaval. She laid there and cried, soaking the sand with her salty tears. 

Earth, Terpesona Island in the South Pacific

Karis looked around and tried to focus on her surroundings. The warm rays from the sun beat down on her. Its warmth spread over her bare arms like a blanket. Leaves from tall palm trees swayed in the gentle breeze. The metallic aroma from the salty sea filled her senses with a new sadness for home and the fresh scent of Shamike.

She sat up and leaned on one arm, her hand squishing into the soft white sand. A wall of trees and foliage stood about twenty feet behind her, and large rocks surrounded an inlet. Waves crashed into them, creating a cool mist on her skin.

Karis pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Resting her head on her knees, she gazed off across the endless ocean. The aquatic blue glared back at her as if to tell her she was unwelcome. A lonely outsider banished, and forced to live in this world.

“So this is home,” she whispered.

She slipped her sandals off and dug her toes in the sand. “At least it’s beautiful.”

Karis tried not to think of how she would never share this world, herself, or a conversation with another person for the entirety of her life. Sucking in a deep breath, she rose and looked around for her things.

“With my luck, they placed them in the middle of the island for me to search for.”

Picking up her shoes, she walked along the beach, lifting her dress as the tide rushed at her ankles. She could feel the familiar hum of her power as it connected with something she held dear—the necklace her father gave her when she was little. The Council forced her to remove it when they took her into custody. She feared she’d never see it again.

Karis picked up her pace, knowing it was close. In her mind, she could see the swirled pendent. She returned her quest to the beach, watching as the waves pounded against the cove. She climbed the rocks and let out a gasp.

It was beautiful. The water that danced in the pool of the cove was clear and perfect. She could see tiny red fish swimming around in a small school. Even as her shadow cast over on the water, they didn’t seem to notice and swam lazily around the edge of the inlet. Large flat leaves hung low over the back of the small pool, creating a tropical awning for shelter from the sun.

Karis smiled as she saw what she looked for. Nestled in the crevice of two boulders was her father’s box. Gold leaves made up the trim around the bottom and engraved on the lid were two stars and a moon. She knew her necklace was inside. Climbing down, she grasped the box and held it tightly to her chest. Even if this was the only thing the council allowed her to have, she was thankful it was this. A part of her father—a part of her.

A piece of paper flittered against the rock as the breeze picked up. She snatched it up before the wind could carry it away and read it.

Dearest Karis,

The word of your sentence is deeply upsetting to me. I cannot express my heartfelt grief in words, but know that not all of us are against you.  Most of us believe you are innocent. I sent you as many things as the council laws allowed. You will find them inland. Waiting for you there is a humble home that will serve you well. I could not send this box with them because I had to sneak it to the island when the guards were not looking. I simply hope you found it okay.

There are many who still need you. Please do not give up.

Until we meet again,

Tarine, Constable of Shamike Fortress

She crumbled the paper in her fist and exhaled a steady breath. She tried to imagine Tarine’s usual cheerful face as he wrote the letter, but all she felt were his tears. She should have known it was him who sent the box. With her father’s passing, only she and Tarine possessed the encrypted power to open it. It was, after all, a royal box and he was the Constable. Yet, he was more than that, more like family, an uncle who kept watch over her when her father was away on matters for the kingdom. She slumped down to the rock and waved her hand over the seal. A clicking sound came from the box, and she lifted the lid.

Glowing bright red against the black satin interior was her necklace. It always had a glow when it wasn’t around her neck. Her father never told her what kind of power it held, but she knew it was strong by the way it pulsed in rhythm with her energy. She wasn’t sure how it could help her now, but having it close helped the ache in her heart.

The necklace was a gold circular pendant with swirls inside, embedded in the middle with a ruby-red stone. Karis picked it up and placed it around her neck. The humming stopped as well as the glowing. She traced her fingers over the familiar shape of the pendent as it rested at the top of her collarbone.

“Karis my sweet, come here. I have something I want to give you before I leave again.” Her father lifted her to his lap.

She was eight years old but still liked to be close to him. It made her sad when he had to leave, so she took all she could get. “Papa, what is it?”

He gestured to Tarine, who held a box. Tarine came closer and waved his hand over the seal, unlocking it. Her father lifted out a beautiful necklace with a red glow. He slipped it around her neck and gave her a smile. “You must keep this always. Guard it well, my princess.”

Karis felt a strange purr as her body connected with the different power that now hung on around her neck. She nodded. “I will.”

He sat her back down on her feet and stood. Leaning over, he gave her a quick kiss on top of her head before leaving.

She hated those moments. She knew he did too and always left before she could see his sadness. Tarine wrapped an arm around her. “He’ll be home soon, my dear.”

She turned and buried her face in Tarine’s coat.

She swallowed the lump that formed in the back of her throat from the memory and placed the crumpled note inside the box, then sealed it shut. Taking it with her, she climbed out of the inlet and proceeded inland, pushing wide leaves out of her way as she searched for her new home. She would have plenty of time to explore her island; right now she needed to find out what else the council allowed her to have.

Spreading the leaves on one more tree, she came upon a clearing. It was there that she spotted a tall wooden structure with a wraparound porch. After living in a grand palace for all of her twenty years, this was hard to appreciate. Wooden slabs and bamboo poles made up the frame of the house, but upon closer inspection, the walls were dried grass woven into a weave-like pattern.

Wooden steps led up to the porch with vines hanging from the railing all the way up. A thatched roof hung over the sides, giving some shade. The stilts made the house sit up off the ground enough that she could walk underneath it easily, but wide leaves filled the area, making it hard to move through. Colorful flowers were scattered among the plants, leaving a trail of violets, pinks, and oranges around her new home.

Karis straightened her shoulders and climbed the stairs. She braced herself against the doorframe, leaning slightly but not too hard, afraid she’d fall through. Nothing about this felt like home. She opened the door.

It was nearly a bare room; a single bed sat on the far wall. There were at least four open windows with sheer treatments that danced in the breeze. Her trunk rested unscathed, taking up the whole end of the wide bed. She quickly walked over and opened it, letting out a sigh of relief when she noticed most of her clothing neatly folded inside. She pulled each piece out and then laid them on the bed. Among her clothing, she found her hairbrush and other essentials. It surprised her to find a few personal items, such as a picture of herself and her father taken not too long ago, hidden underneath all the clothing. She pulled it out and held it tightly to her chest.

“Oh, Father, what has happened? Everything is all wrong.”

She slumped onto the floor, taking the picture with her. At least the council saw fit to let her have such a personal remembrance.

A small yet stunning yellow bird perched on her windowsill, startling Karis out of her misery. The tiny creature observed her through its white rimmed eyes.

“Hello, Sweet Thing. What are you doing here in this dark paradise? I bet you're just as curious about me, wondering what I’m doing here in your home.”

The bird continued to dance around. Karis moved slightly, causing it to fly away. Her shoulders dropped as her loneliness became reality.

Two

Terpesona Island, Present Day

“There've been more storms than usual this year,” Karis spoke to the newest young bird on the island as she closed the shutters on her windows. Over the years, she’d become friends with a family of yellow birds. She watched as her only friends were born, and then died.

The small bird perched on her shoulder and cooed as she paced the matured floorboards. Even after ninety years, her quaint home had aged well. It was only every few years that she needed to fix a leak in the roof, or repair a step on the stairs. At first, she wasn’t sure how to accomplish such feats, but soon she figured out how to thatch patches of her roof with new leaves.

Karis reached up and gave her little friend a light pat. “Shhh…it’s okay. The storm will be over soon.”

Each clap of thunder made her think back to the first storms she experienced on the island. It was then that the yellow birds became her friends. She opened her home to help keep them safe from the winds and earned their trust.

It was a sad day after almost ten years when the first one died. It was a day that brought a new reality to Karis. She would be on the island forever, no death to take her away, but she’d be around to watch the creatures around her die. Every generation of the tiny yellow birds lived with her and became her single source of companionship.

Off in the distance a clap of thunder rumbled in the skies, and her tiny friend flittered off around the room. She walked onto the porch and looked out over the darkening sea, pulling her shawl closer to her as the wind whipped through her hair. After many years of wearing the thin material on the island it did little to keep the elements from reaching her, she did it more for comfort than anything. Even after so many years of being on the island, she still found the storms to be unsettling and wished for human comfort.

At least her immortality never changed on Earth. She was still just as young and vibrant as she was the day she arrived on the island, forever looking the part of twenty.

The little bird followed her out, landing not too far from her. Karis raised her eyebrow. “You might blow away, it's best for you to stay with your family until after the storm.”

Just the notion of losing her tiny friends made her upset. She cast a glance out over the sea. The churning ocean made an eerie scene and she shivered at the thought of watching any other innocence beings die because of her punishment. Tiny boats reduced to splinters. Swimmers drowned as waves swallowed them. It gripped her heart that so many people died in vain trying to reach the island. The council had created a powerful barrier around the entire island to keep her there and others from reaching her.

A crack of lightning split the sky. She held her hand high over her head, using her ability to create protection over her island and home. She might not have the power to break the spell that kept her from leaving, but she had enough to defend herself.

The clouds were now dark as night, and thunder continued to rumble through the air. The wind picked up and she watched as the sea crashed on the beach in violent waves. The trickling rain began to come down in torrents.

Karis dashed inside her home and pushed the door shut, leaning against it. Inside she knew she'd be protected, but she still felt helpless as she watched her walls shake under the wind’s brutal attack.

Off in the distance she heard something unusual, something that wasn't the storm. She tried to focus on the noise. She didn't have enough time to figure it out before another clap of thunder vibrated the entire island, drowning out the unfamiliar sound. Suddenly a loud crash of metal grinding against metal sounded over the squall.

Her heart raced inside her chest. “What in the world?” She used all her strength to yank open the door that sucked closed in the wind. Her hair whipped around her face, obstructing her view. She grabbed the doorframe, then reached for the railing on her porch and pulled herself outside.

She held her hand out, using her energy to calm the wind around her body, making it easier to walk, though it was still arduous. Her body became soaked within minutes in the pouring rain. She made it to the beach, but couldn’t see through the storm to determine what made the awful noise. Karis shielded her eyes with her hands and trudged through the stinging sand and spray off the sea.

The scent of smoke filled the air. Karis twisted around and saw black smoke through the pelting rain. It was on the other side of the ridge just past the cove. She wasn’t sure what she’d find, but after being alone for so long, she took her chances and went off in search of it.