Not All Who Wander are Lost (10 page)

Born of fire and earth

Treachery and lies

Born of water and air

True love’s ties

Bound together

Old power dies

New life grows

New powers rise

Ancient blood burst forth anew

Two worlds joined as once was true

Part Two

Crimson and Finn lay quietly, their bodies entwined, in Crimson’s bed. Ivy had opted to stay at Kate’s, to give them some space. They’d needed it. The last few days had been tough, so much information to process, so many challenges to face. They’d needed to get away and lose themselves in each other while they still could. They both knew that things were coming that could tear them apart and destroy the happiness they had found with each other. They didn’t want to waste a single second.

With her head on his chest, Crimson could feel his calm breaths and the steady beating of his heart. It was the most beautiful sound in the world. Finn stroked her hair. Turning her head so she could look up at him, Crimson smiled. She loved his eyes. She loved him. She wanted to tell him, but didn’t know how. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a leap.

“Finn? You awake?”

“Mmm.”

“I wanted to tell you something.” Crimson sat up. The blankets falling, revealing the curve of her breast. Her hair hung over one shoulder, curling down past her taut pink nipple. Finn looked up at her, longing to take it in his mouth, instead, he put his arms behind his head.

“What is it? You seem so serious.”

Crimson blushed and looked away for a moment, unable to meet his gaze. Gathering her nerve, she gently touched his face. “I’ve never done this before, it’s so hard.” Overcome with emotion, a single tear slipped down her cheek.

Finn sat up and wiped the tear from her face. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. You know you can tell me anything, don’t you?” Tipping her face up to his, he kissed her softly. “I have never met anyone like you. You make me want to be a better man. You make me want to stay here in this bed forever and hide from the world just to be near you, but you also make me feel like I could take on the world. Like I could do anything as long as you are there by my side. I love you Crimson. I love you as much as any man has ever loved a woman. Maybe more. There is nothing you could say or do that would make me love you less. I promise.”

“I love you too. That’s all I wanted to say,” she said softly. Then he was kissing her. She was lost in the feeling of him breathing into her, his rough hands on her back pulling her to him. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling herself onto his lap. The feel of his hard muscled chest against her soft breasts felt so perfect. They fit together like the last two pieces of a puzzle, complete at last.

He wound his fingers through her hair as he plundered her lips. He pulled her down beside him and kissed her neck and then took her nipple between his lips, grazing it with his tongue. Crimson felt a fire burning everywhere he touched. She threw her head back in ecstasy, feeling the tips of her silken hair down her back. Taking his face in her hands, she kissed him hard. “I need you so much,” she breathed. The storm was raging in his eyes. She could almost hear the sea, waves crashing furiously as he took her. She urged him on. Nothing in her life had ever felt as right as that moment, their bodies joined, their hearts beating together.

As passion over took them both, it was if the world shattered. Time stopped. They didn’t breathe, they didn’t move. Looking into each other’s eyes, they both saw the same thing, shining black skin, beautiful emerald green eyes. There was a flash of light, and then it was over. They breathed again and collapsed into each other’s arms, spent. They didn’t speak. They knew something extraordinary had just happened, but it was as if putting it into words would somehow lessen it. Instead, they held on for dear life.

The morning found them still wrapped up in each other, soft light filtering through the curtains. Not knowing what they would face later, they hung on as long as they could. But life has a way of intruding, even when you don’t want it too. Crimson was first to brave the chilly morning. She rose and went for the shower. Soon the warm water cascaded over her body and the air grew pleasantly steamy. She was so lost in her own thoughts, she didn’t hear Finn get in behind her, but instinctively arched her back to him when his hands found her breasts and began to knead the slippery mounds and tenderly roll the nipples between his thumbs and forefingers.

“Do you still love me, beautiful?” he whispered in her ear.

“Always!” she answered.

“Can I wash your hair?” he asked. Crimson nodded and handed back the shampoo. He slowly lathered her hair, careful not to wind it into knots. Crimson sighed. He turned her around to rinse her hair. She closed her eyes and tipped her head back under the water. Finn licked the beads of water from her neck and from between her breasts as she rinsed out the lather.

“Your turn,” she said. Crimson lathered his hair. She giggled because she could barely reach. “Rinse,” she commanded, playfully. As he bent his head back to rinse, she went to her knees in front of him and took him in her mouth for just a moment.

“Hey! I’m rinsing here. That’s very distracting,” Finn said playfully.

“I’ll stop if you want me to.” Crimson smiled and stood up, pressing her lips to his chest.

“Come here, you sly little fox,” Finn grinned. He poured vanilla scented body wash into his hand and began to lather her body. Soon she was covered in sweet smelling foam. She returned the favor. They played in the suds for awhile, but soon the water started to cool. They rinsed off quickly and then toweled each other off, still laughing.

Finn took a comb to his hair and then started to carefully work the snarls out of Crimson’s. Crimson wished they could wake up like this every morning. It was nice, it was normal, it was perfect. “I don’t suppose you have a razor?” Finn asked. Crimson handed him a pink one from the drawer. Finn shook his head and rolled his eyes, but lathered his face and used it. Crimson sat on the commode and watched him shave, elbows on the counter and her chin on her hands. Finn glanced at her adoring expression. “See anything you like?” he said. Eyebrows raised.

“Everything.” she replied.

Drella pulled up in front of Kate’s house as the sun was coming up. It had been easy enough to find her address with her smart phone. She looked over the seat to check on Mariah. She was sleeping fitfully. They had stopped at an all night box store on the way out of Portland for supplies. Drella had picked up some first aid items, a camisole and yoga pants to replace Mariah’s tattered and bloody dress, and a blanket and pillow to make her comfortable. She’d roused a little when Drella was cleaning her up, enough for Drella to know that while she was badly hurt, she would make it. Most of her cuts were superficial. They’d bled a bit, but she didn’t think any of them would need stitches. They had been calculated to cause maximum pain, with minimal damage, not to kill.

She wondered what Jessamine had done to provoke enough rage in the Prince to make him kill her. Maybe she had chosen to fight back. Maybe Mariah could tell her when she woke up, but honestly, she thought she probably didn’t want to know what had gone on in that room. She was glad to be away, safe for the moment, but terrified of what would happen if Rickon found them. She was starting to feel the effects of withdrawal and knew that before long, she would be in bad shape. If she was going to ask Kate for help, it was now or never.

Drella got out of the car and walked to the door. She hesitated, and then knocked loudly. It only took a minute for a sleepy eyed Kate to answer. “Can I help you?” she asked the bedraggled young woman on her porch.

“Kate?” Drella said tentatively. Kate nodded. “It’s me, Drella Thorn, Crimson’s sister. I heard she was here and I need her help.” Drella was shaking now, ordinary nervousness adding to her growing sickness. “Please, you have to help us.” Tears were rolling down her mascara smudged cheeks.

“You said we,” Kate motioned to the car. “Is someone with you?”

“My friend, she’s hurt. She’s hurt really bad. I don’t have anywhere else to go. I know Crimson hates me, but I don’t know what else to do.” Drella was begging now, desperate, praying Kate wouldn’t turn her away.

“I’ll help you get her inside.” Kate said, finally. They walked to the car and opened the door. When she saw the huddled figure inside, she gasped. “Mariah? Baby? It’s Katie. Can you hear me?”

At the sound of Kate’s voice, Mariah opened her eyes. They were glazed and bloodshot. “Katie? I’m so sorry Katie!” Mariah collapsed into hysteria, violent sobs wracking her thin battered body. Kate gathered her in her arms. She was so thin that Kate was able to carry her by herself. She held her close and crooned to her softly as she carried her into the house and gently put her down in her childhood bed. Drella hovered in the doorway, unsure what to do.

Awoken by the noise, Ivy poked his head out of the guest room to see what was happening. “Drella? What the hell are you doing here?” Before she got a chance to answer, Kate called to him from the bedroom.

“Ivy? I’m so glad you are up. Take Drella to the kitchen and get her something to eat, and call Crimson and tell her and Finn I need them here now.” Kate’s commanding tone didn’t leave room for questions or debate, so Ivy took Drella by the hand and headed to the kitchen. He picked up the phone and dialed.

After only two rings, Crimson picked up. “Hello?” she said, laughing, obviously distracted.

“Crimson? This is Ivy. Kate said to call you and tell you to come right now.”

“Is everything ok?” Crimson asked, noticeably more serious. “Has something happened?”

“Just come, ok?  And hurry.”Ivy hung up the phone and sat at the kitchen table facing Drella. Drella was really starting to feel sick. She was sweating and shaking. “You look like shit, Princess.” Ivy said with a frown. “I don’t know what the hell is going on here, but you have a lot of nerve coming here asking for Crimson’s help after what you did to her. If it wasn’t for the fact that you brought Mariah home, I’d throw you out myself. As it is, Kate is going to have questions, and for your sake, you better have the right answers.”

Drella didn’t answer, she just looked at the floor. Ivy was right, of course, she thought to herself. There was no way Crimson was going to help her after what she did. Why would she? Drella thought about just leaving. No one would miss her. They didn’t want her here. She’d had no idea that Kate knew Mariah. What if they blamed her for Mariah getting hurt? Her thoughts were all over the place, her head was spinning, and as her body cried out for a fix, she became more and more agitated.

Her calmness completely shattered when she heard Crimson’s voice calling from the front door. “Ivy? Kate? We’re here.” Drella collapsed into a quivering pile. She couldn’t face her sister. There was no way she was doing this. Ivy shot her a dirty look from across the table and wagged his finger at her. Crimson stopped in her tracks when she saw Drella. Their eyes locked for a split second, and then Crimson ran to Drella and hugged her tight. “Stars, Drella! What’s happened to you?” Again, Drella didn’t reply, she just limply allowed her sister to hold her, not understanding why her sister wasn’t screaming at her or choking her out.

Kate stepped into the kitchen and pulled Finn aside. As she whispered in his ear, all the color drained from his face. He touched Crimson on the shoulder and as she looked up at him, she knew something very bad had happened. “I’ll be back,” he told her. Crimson nodded. Finn followed Kate up the stairs. Crimson released Drella and took a seat at the table. Ivy brought her a cup of coffee and she took a sip. She looked at Drella for a long time, her face unreadable.

“I’m so sorry, Crimson.” Drella said softly, her voice shaking. “I know I hurt you. I know you don’t have any reason to help me, but I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

“I spent too much time being angry with you, Drella. I’m happy now, and I can see that you did me a favor, despite how you meant it. You will always be my sister, you know I would do anything I could to help you.” Crimson took Drella’s trembling hand. “Now, tell me what’s happened?

Drella didn’t think she’d be able to speak, but once she started, it all came gushing out. Rickon, the drugs, the girls, all of it, even Amiee. It took a long time, but the whole story poured out of her and it felt as if her soul was being cleansed. Crimson just listened. She didn’t interject or judge, she just listened. Ivy busied himself by making them breakfast while they talked. Finally, it was all out, and Drella stopped talking. No one spoke for a long time. The gravity of the situation started to sink in for all of them.

“Where’s Rickon now?” Crimson asked standing up. Her shock at Drella’s story was slowly kindling into a roaring fury. She felt an uncontrollable need to hurt him. As a Guardian, she had been in a few fights. She was well trained, but she had never relished violence. This was different. After what he had done to those girls, to her sister, what he had planned to do with her, she didn’t have words. Her hands clenched and unclenched at her side. She wanted to break something, anything, just to release this anger growing and burning inside her. She could hear her own heartbeat in her ears, her vision started to turn misty and strangely red, she could smell brimstone and fire. She could hear that someone was talking to her, but she couldn’t quite make it out, didn’t even try, didn’t care, just wanted to burn…

Ivy was speechless as Crimson’s eyes began to glow a dangerous shade of red and the temperature began to rise in the room. He could feel her fury, but this was new, she’d never done this before. As the spot on the floor she was staring at started to smolder, he started to yell. Finn came barreling down the stairs and grabbed her, but he wasn’t getting through.  Instinctively, he dropped his glamour and stared into her eyes. It hurt at first, the heat was intense, but suddenly, he felt a cool energy flow from him into her and she started to back off. He smelled the sea, pushed it out from himself and into Crimson. Her eyes cooled and then she was herself again. She shook her head, confused. Finn crushed her to him.

“What in the blue fuck was that?” Ivy said stunned. “You two are starting to weird me out.” Ivy looked at Crimson. “Since when have you been able to do that? Cause, um, yeah, that was like like whoah!” Ivy threw up his hands and backed away a little bit. “And Finn? Dude, The memo I got was that you were Human, and that, so not a Human trait. I… I …I need some air.” Ivy turned and headed for the door, but Finn stopped him before he got there.

“Hey, goat boy, I get that you are losing it a little, but glamour, please? How do you expect Kate to explain, well, that, to her neighbors?” Finn gestured to Ivy’s legs and horns, well, horn now. Ivy rolled his eyes and his horn disappeared and his fur covered goat-like legs became jeans and expensive looking loafers as he went out the door, slamming it behind him.

“Your eyes, I’ve seen that before. It’s what Amiee does. She really is your mother, isn’t she?” Drella looked at Crimson in awe. “She said it, but I never would have believed it. You are usually so, don’t take this the wrong way, but sort of awkward and uncertain and she’s all ‘Grrrrr!’” Drella said, growling and making claws with her hands. “But I see it now. I’m not sure if I should be happy for you or pee my pants.”

Finn looked down at Crimson. “Are you ok, baby? I thought you were going to go nuclear there for a minute. I’m not even sure what I did, all I know was that it felt like putting out a forest fire with the ocean.”

“I don’t know what happened. I don’t think I’ve ever been that angry in my whole life. I just wanted to break things and yeah, like you said, ‘go nuclear.’”

“It’s your powers manifesting,” came Kate’s voice from the doorway. “It’s never happened before because you weren’t strong enough, either of you. But something has happened that has made you both stronger, and bound you together somehow. Finn never would have been able to drown the fire of another Draakki, but somehow, his powers are mirroring and complimenting yours.” Finn and Crimson looked into each other’s eyes, remembering a flash of something. Neither wanted to believe it meant anything and they didn’t share it with anyone, for now, it was still just theirs alone.

“Ok,” Crimson said. “Should I be worried? Am I going to grow a tail or anything?”

Kate chuckled. “No, Draakkis can’t change form, remember. But Finn might. Grow a tail that is. He’s never been able to do it before, but as strong as he’s gotten, I bet he could.” Finn was floored. He’d given up on ever being able to manifest a tail, to swim free as he had always felt he should be able to. Was there anything that this amazing woman couldn’t do to him?

“Mariah’s sleeping, by the way. You could try to keep it down.”

“Oh, Finn, I didn’t even get a chance to ask you, are you ok? Is Mariah going to make it?” Crimson asked.

“She’ll make it. She may never be the way she was, but she’s going to live. She’s been through a lot.” Finn answered.

Ivy slammed the door again as he came back in from outside. “So,” he said looking around at everyone in the room, “are we going to talk about the elephant in the room or what?”

Everyone looked confused. “Elephant?” Kate asked.

“Do I have to do everything?” Ivy demanded. “The prophecy. All we knew before was that Finn was somehow involved. Drella has seen it. We need to know what the prophecy says and we need a game plan.”

“How do you expect her to remember anything after what she’s been through?” Crimson said.

“It’s probably a good thing I kept a copy, then, huh?” Drella spoke up. All eyes turned to her expectantly as she pulled the folded up piece of notebook paper out of her purse. “What?” she said. “I am a lot of things, but I’m not stupid, not really. I thought it might come in handy.” She handed the paper to Crimson who began to read aloud:

BORN OF FIRE AND EARTH

TREACHERY AND LIES

BORN OF WATER AND AIR

TRUE LOVE’S TIES

BOUND TOGETHER

OLD POWER DIES

NEW LIFE GROWS

NEW POWERS RISE

ANCIENT BLOOD BURST FORTH ANEW

TWO WORLDS JOINED

AS ONCE WAS TRUE

Crimson stopped reading and dropped the paper. She looked at Finn who was just as stunned as she was. Things were starting to make sense in a really scary way. Crimson’s hand strayed absently to her stomach. She remembered, suddenly, the one thing she couldn’t believe Kate hadn’t thought of. The reason that Draakkis can’t manifest is because their Dragon blood has been diluted so much by intermingling with Humans and other species that they are no longer connected to all four elements. Most of them were only connected to fire, but it takes earth, fire, wind, and water to make a Dragon.