Souls of Fire (36 page)

It seemed the last thing they wanted to do right at this moment, was spend quality time with each other after having been separated for so long, not having known the other existed.

The wounds that had been inflicted ran deep, and I could tell it would take time and patience for them to heal, and a careful approach for them to open up to one another. Now their company was being forced upon each other by greater circumstances, and they had not yet had a chance to acclimate.

The picture they presented ― standing side by side, the same facial expression, same posture ― was enough to blow my mind. Had they not been wearing different clothing, I would have thought I’d had too much to drink.

It was completely unnerving, and I silently prayed that Aidan had not breathed a word of what had happened between us last night to Aaron, or to anyone else for that matter.

Somehow, I doubted he would do that, though. He had plenty to lose, I mused. His father did not seem like the type to tolerate disobedience, and he had been very clear on Aidan’s not kissing me at any cost. Aidan would not likely want his father finding out about his lack of restraint.

And the disdainful look that had crept over his face as I entered, and the fact that he refused to even meet my eyes, spoke volumes.

He appeared to be generally disgusted with himself for the nearness we had shared, and it was obvious he would not be seeking my company again if he could help it.

His current attendance seemed to imply that he couldn’t, though. Just as he couldn’t escape Aaron’s presence, he would have to interact with me on some level.

We were in this together, after all. He had no choice. None of us did. Crappy destiny and all…

The difference between Aidan’s and Aaron’s reaction to my appearance couldn’t have been more pronounced.

Unlike Aidan, Aaron’s arms immediately unclenched and relaxed at his sides and his eyes lit up excitedly, a warm inviting smile spreading over his face.

I tentatively smiled back at him, my heart lifting at his welcoming stance. It felt good to know that at least someone here was genuinely glad to see me.

That cheerful thought died a moment later when my mind flashed back to last night’s betrayal of Aaron’s trust.

The fact that we couldn’t be together in no way justified that I had kissed his brother! It was wrong … on so many levels … but, try as I might, I had not been able to stop myself.

It had been too confusing … lying there beside a man who looked just like him … a man I was exceedingly attracted to … when I was not allowed in Aaron’s presence.

My hormones had taken over, had gotten the better of me. I had been beyond reason. I had hoped to be better than that, apparently I wasn’t … I was a horrible person!

“Hi,” I managed quietly.

“Hi,” Aaron replied softly.

Aidan’s eyes merely flicked toward mine for a second and away again, acknowledging my presence and dismissing me with one and the same glance.

I ignored the slight hurt his reaction caused, vowing not to inspect my feelings too closely. It was better not to go there.

When I came closer, Aaron suddenly said: “Wow, you look … err …”

“Awful,” I finished for him. He had been too much of a gentleman to say it out loud, but ‘awful’ summed it up pretty much, I thought. At least that’s how I felt.

“What happened to your lips?” he wondered.

Crap,
I thought wildly, his question completely taking me by surprise. Apparently the swelling had not yet receded completely.

Though Aidan and I hadn’t kissed that long, it had sufficed to make my lips swell slightly. My crying fit that had followed had probably contributed to making the swelling worse than it might otherwise have been.

Trust it to Aaron, of all people, to notice the now only just distinguishable inflammation. And it wasn’t helping matters that Aidan’s head had suddenly shot toward me at Aaron’s words. I sure hoped no one had noticed that.

“Err, nothing. I just didn’t sleep all that well … you know, knew place, new mattress … sometimes my lips get that way when I don’t get enough rest …”

Yeah, right,
I thought even as I babbled. I could have sworn Aidan’s lips had slightly twitched just then. A split second later his face had resumed the same unpleasant look as before. I had probably only imagined it.

Aaron seemed to take my explanation at face value and said nothing more on the subject.

“So,” Malcolm said, interrupting my thoughts, “we’re finally all here. I’d say it’s about time we begin.”

“Why exactly am I here? Or … Aidan?” Aaron wanted to know, the sound of his brother’s name rolling hesitantly from his lips as if he was still testing how it sounded.

“You are here because these powers are dangerous. The three of you are in this predicament together. If we get Persephone to harness the incredible power inside of her, she may not be able to control it.

If that happens, I will not be able to stop her on my own. I will need all the help I can get, and it seems the persons likely to help control Persephone will be the ones with a connection to her. That is why you are all here.

And though Aidan already knows how to use his powers, chances are we will have to go far and beyond the knowledge we possess at the moment in order to stop this curse. That is why we all need to be here and embark on this journey together.”

“So, the four of us, huh? Cozy,” Aaron murmured, clearly not happy.

Malcolm simply ignored this and motioned for me to join him in the center of the cave.

My trembling legs carried me toward Malcolm; I was terrified of what might happen if I tried to tap into that mysterious part of me, the part I hadn’t even known existed … the part of me where the curse had been born. Surely it was a dark, twisted part of my soul.

And I would have given anything not to have to go there. But it seemed I had no choice. If there was even the slightest chance to make up for my former wrongdoings ― even if I had no recollection of them ― then it was just something I needed to do.

Taking a deep breath, I stood beside Malcolm, waiting to hear what he wanted me to do.

“Close your eyes, Persephone,” Malcolm instructed me calmly.

When I had complied, he said, “Okay, now I want you to take deep, calming breaths. Listen as each breath enters and leaves your body. Good. Now feel your breath, let it stretch and fill your whole being; follow it deep down … and down … and down.”

For what felt like an hour, I continued breathing, listening, and feeling until everything around me seemed to disappear, leaving me alone ― my breath a living creature ― Malcolm’s voice the only anchor to the world around me as he guided me on my path.

As if my body had shut down, I could no longer feel individual parts, could no longer distinguish my body from my mind; they had become one ― an entity.

“Persephone,” Malcolm’s voice interrupted the trance-like haze of my mind, “where are you?”

“I’m … I don’t know,” I finished, my voice barely a whisper.

“What do you see, what can you feel?” Malcolm coaxed.

“Nothing,” I answered. There was nothing to see, and there were no particular thoughts or feelings floating around.

“Then you have not yet reached the part of your soul that holds your power. Persephone, you need to get closer, you need to open up to that part of yourself. Give yourself over to your power.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I answered evenly, “I don’t see any power … I can’t sense anything here.”

“That, my dear, is because you are denying yourself! You are standing before a precipice, and you refuse to jump. But if you do not jump, you will never get to the bottom … and that part of your soul will remain lost.”

Trying harder to understand what Malcolm was saying, I concentrated on finding the place inside of me that held the power I sought.

Suddenly, in my mind’s eye, I could actually see a bright, brilliantly shining light radiating outward from what looked like a sphere. The light it emitted was shining in a rainbow of the most beautiful hues I had ever beheld.

“Wow,” I mumbled in awe, “what is that? So … beautiful.”

“Ah, I think you’ve found your mystical energy, the source of your magic,” Malcolm said excitedly. “Step into that light, Persephone. Let it envelop you … let it take you over.”

I mentally stepped closer, rays of shimmering light streaming all around me as my consciousness gingerly started to penetrate the veil of light.

Squinting through the brightness, I could see there was something at its center. As I slowly approached the core of the sphere, an overwhelming dread infused me and made me falter.

“No,” I gasped breathlessly, my trembling voice betraying the horror I felt.

“What is it, Persephone, what’s wrong?” Malcolm’s voice floated in from somewhere around me.

“I can’t …,” I whimpered, tears starting to pool behind my closed eyelids.

“Persephone, listen to me,” Malcolm urged me, “tell me what you see.”

“I … black … it’s so black,” I mumbled.

“What is black?” Malcolm asked, his tone a mixture of curiosity and caution.

“I am,” I whimpered, “my soul is black,” I cried out, my voice breaking as tears leaked from my eyes and streamed down my cheeks.

I had known that I might harbor something dark and twisted, but actually seeing the reality of that horrid part of me was suddenly too much to bear.

Staring at the condensed darkness at the core of the sphere, I finally lost it, my knees crumbling underneath me as I fell to the floor of the cave ― shattered.

I would have given anything not to have seen that part of myself. There was darkness at my very core. What did that mean? Was my very essence evil? Was there no escaping it?

The darkness was so dense I could not look through it, my gaze being pulled into its very depth … I was getting lost in its ugly clutches.

“Persephone, are you okay? Persephone, what’s wrong? Persephone?” Malcolm said. I heard bits and pieces but didn’t have the strength to answer.

“Persephone,” Malcolm urged, “come back to us,” Malcolm’s voice only just reached my ears; it sounded very remote as if it was coming from far, far away. I couldn’t make sense of his words. They held no meaning … inconsequential … none of it mattered. The only thing that mattered was…

Inky…

black…

impenetrable…

all-consuming…

Darkness…

Surrender … surrender … surrender …
the voice pulled me under. Malcolm’s words no longer reached me, did not have the power to penetrate the suffocating darkness … I was utterly alone ― drowning in a black void…

Chapter 16
*
Sundrenched World

A
idan watched in astonishment as Malcolm kneeled at Persephone’s side. She had dropped to her knees and was now sitting on her haunches, her body slightly slumped but still holding her up.

Her eyes remained tightly shut, and she gave absolutely no sign of hearing anything of what Malcolm had just said.

There was no reaction of any kind, no muscle twitching. She just sort of hovered in her sitting position as if something was holding her there without any conscious thought of Persephone’s.

“Well,” Malcolm said, “I hadn’t quite expected this
to happen.”

“What exactly did you expect, then? Surely you expected something similar or you wouldn’t have said you hadn’t
quite
  expected this. So, I’m guessing you’re not all that surprised,” Aaron said angrily, his gaze accusing.

“I knew there might be complications when she first attempted to access her power. But I didn’t think she would just lose it like this,” Malcolm explained.

Leaning in closer to Persephone’s body, he held her head while carefully lifting her eyelids. As he did so, Aidan could see green blank eyes that were staring into space. When Malcolm let go, her eyelids remained open. Persephone’s face reminded Aidan of a doll’s with eyelids you could open and shut as you pleased.

“Do something,” Aaron urged Malcolm, his voice both angry and anxious.

“I will,” Malcolm promised, “it will just take some time, that’s all. I think we will have a very good chance at getting through to her eventually.

I would not have let her put herself in a situation I didn’t believe she could get out of. So, although I might not quite have anticipated this reaction, her situation is by no means a permanent one, I assure you.”

“Okay,” Aaron replied somewhat assuaged, “tell me how I can help.”

“I’m sorry, my boy,” Malcolm replied, “but there’s really nothing you can do at this point. Aidan and I will take her back to her room, and I’ll see what needs to be done. I would like you to head back to yours, and I will let you know as soon as there’s a change in her condition.”