Authors: Suzi Davis
Over the next several hours my frustration and irritation only continued to increase. It seemed like nothing was going the way we wanted anymore and I was starting to get worried. Sebastian had spoken to all the librarians working that day and none of them could give us any useful tips or information so he had ended up joining Mags in her search. Neither of them could find anything that resembled the hieroglyphics of Sebastian’s tattoos in any of the books on the shelves, no clues, no hints – nothing.
“How are you making out?” Sebastian asked, taking the empty computer seat beside me. Mags stood directly behind me, tapping her fingers impatiently against the back of my chair.
“This system is infuriating!” I complained, struggling to keep my voice at a library-appropriate volume. “Every time I think I’ve found something useful, I click on the link and it doesn’t work or it redirects me back to the library’s main page. And there’s so much Greek and English mixed together that half the time I don’t even know what I’m looking at! I’m starting to wonder if the Others aren’t closer than we thought because it feels like someone definitely doesn’t want us to discover what those symbols mean.”
“We would have sensed the Others if they were that close,” Sebastian argued. “And they don’t know any more about my tattoos than we do. At least, I don’t think they do.”
“Are you sure you’re even doing it right?” Mags questioned, her fingers still tapping irritatingly behind me.
I clenched my teeth together and breathed through my nose, forcing myself to answer Mags calmly.
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“Well, it doesn’t look like you’re actually searching the Internet. I think you’re just searching the library’s internal database but if you click on here…” she reached right over my shoulder as she spoke, taking the mouse from my hand and clicking on a small box in the corner of the screen.
I leant away from her and she immediately moved in closer. I found myself rolling my chair up against Sebastian’s, reluctantly making room for her as she pushed her way forward.
“There!” she said triumphantly, gesturing to the screen.
“What did you do?” I asked, forgetting to be annoyed and just feeling relieved that we might have actually gotten somewhere.
“I extended the parameters of your search to include all the libraries across Greece and the world wide web. This is what came up under ‘rare Egyptian symbols and definitions’.”
I watched in amazement as she scrolled down the page. This website showed hundreds of different hieroglyphics and all you had to do was click on one to reveal its meaning. Within seconds Mags had found one of the symbols from Sebastian’s tattoo and decoded it.
“This symbol represents fertility or motherhood or family… there’s multiple interpretations. And this symbol looks like it could be a variation of the backbone of Osiris which represents strength and inner power. And this one looks sort of similar to the symbol for sacrifice or it could represent a violent death or destruction… and that’s it. I can’t find anything even close to the last symbol.”
“Okay. Well, that gives us a start at least. Mags, why don’t you keep looking on the computer? Gracelynn and I can have another go at the shelves now that we have a little more direction as to what to look for.”
“Sure,” Mags agreed with a shrug. “I’m taking a smoke break first though. Ugh, this is so boring!”
She stood up and walked away from us, her curved hips swaying the whole while and her reddish hair flaring out behind her.
“She’s something else,” I muttered with a little shake of my head.
Sebastian wisely chose not to comment.
We spent the rest of the day in the library with limited success. I hated to admit it but Mags did a lot better with the library’s computer system than I did. She found several titles of books, research papers and journal articles that might help us discover the meanings of the rest of Sebastian’s hieroglyphics or provide more information on those already uncovered. Unfortunately, only one of these titles was available in the Thessaloniki library – the others were all spread out across Greece and unavailable for request within the next few days. We did find one book,
Mesopotamian Art
, that showed a hieroglyphic that might be a variation of the fourth symbol of Sebastian’s tattoo. It was a symbol that represented worship and faith in the Gods, often used on the tombs of particularly zealous priests and royalty. There were so many possible meanings for each symbol and it was hard to find hieroglyphics that were identical to Sebastian’s, the best we could do was to find ones that were as similar as possible. I wasn’t even certain if we were looking in the right place anymore. The possible interpretations that we had discovered so far made little sense.
When the library closed that evening, we returned to the same hostel we had stayed at the night before feeling dejected and tense. The Others would surely be coming for us by now, they could arrive at any moment to take us to the ceremony that would be happening in only two nights’ time and we were no closer to discovering a way to stop them. I was starting to panic. I could tell Sebastian was still doubtful that there were any useful answers hidden in his last tattoo and Mags obviously thought my idea was a complete waste of time. But, it was all we had to go on and I was determined to use anything we had.
The only positive I could find from the day was that Sebastian and I were slowly growing closer again. I had almost enjoyed my time in the library with him, stealing glances at one another, our hands and bodies occasionally brushing together, speaking with our heads close and our voices soft, sharing our ideas and discussing possibilities. He had held my hand on the walk back to the hostel and it had felt almost as natural as before we met Mags – almost. It was hard to forget and move on from what had happened when Mags’ presence was a constant reminder of my guilt, my lack of faith, my mistakes and his indiscretions. And it was so hard to be patient with Mags too. I was still very angry with her and wanting to blame her for the situation we were in. I knew that wasn’t really fair. And I was also feeling guilty, very guilty. Because mixed in with her jokes and complaints and loud, somewhat obnoxious attitude, there was also fear and confusion and uncertainty, for which only I was to blame. She was trying to accept things as they were and not question too much about why her memory had been erased (because this was what both Sebastian and I wanted) but I could see her doubts. I’d catch her with a dazed, disoriented expression on her face or a confused frown, or with her eyes clenched tightly shut and her fingers digging into her temples as she fought the headaches her memory loss had left behind. The guilt ate away at me.
Mags was delighted that night when after eating dinner, Sebastian and I agreed to go for a walk with her down to the waterfront. It was just starting to get dark and the city was lighting up all around us. The air was warm and muggy still and I wiped sweat from my forehead as we set out and down the street, admiring the slow transition from day to night life. Thessaloniki really was a beautiful city and I wished I was able to enjoy it more. Even now, as I was trying to relax and take in the night, it was impossible to fully appreciate the beautiful scenery around me.
We lost Mags just as we approached the waterfront. There had been a loud and busy club we passed that she couldn’t resist. I had wanted to object when she said she was going dancing but Sebastian shrugged, stating, “What’s the worst she can get up to? Just let her go.” And even though I worried it was a mistake, it was too tempting to escape from her presence after spending almost every minute of the past week or so in her company. And so suddenly, we were alone.
We continued to head down towards the water, walking slowly but barely talking. I could tell there was a lot on Sebastian’s mind, as well as on my own. When we finally crossed the busy street that ran along the waterfront, and came to look out at the ocean’s edge, the twilight hour was darkening into night. Stars were starting to come out one by one, and their silvery brilliance was reflected upon the surface of the sparkling, black waves. There were several boats in the harbor too, their lights shining back brightly at the city that was lit up and sprawled across the rising hill. It was a beautiful sight but I still couldn’t appreciate it, I was far too focused on the person by my side.
Sebastian was staring straight ahead at the ocean, his eyes looking like they could see for miles and miles. A cooler breeze was rising off the water and ruffling his hair, cooling us both down. I studied him with hungry eyes, feeling like it had been years since I’d really been able to look at him. I admired his stunning features; his large, mysterious eyes, his long lashes, his straight nose and soft, curved lips. I noticed the faint lines around his eyes and brows that had never been there before, and the sadness and exhaustion that seemed to be ever-present in his expression now, no matter how he attempted to hide it. Without thought or pause, I reached out to touch his cheek, my fingers itching to connect with him and break down the barriers that I felt building between us.
He turned to me as soon as my fingertips brushed his skin and a question hung in his eyes. I immediately pulled my hand away, almost guiltily, though I wasn’t certain why. He kept looking at me, kept waiting and I forced myself to stare back. The moment stretched between us, my heart heavy, my hopes bright.
The warm air was going to my head, the breeze was teasing at my heart and the stars and lights began spinning around us as I looked into his eyes. A shooting star suddenly arched high across the sky, its path perfectly reflected in the inky black waters below. And just as suddenly, the realization hit me. I heard the words Sebastian’s silence had spoken so clearly to my heart.
I had released Sebastian from my wants when I had come to the realization that all I wanted, all I truly needed or desired, was his happiness. But as I looked into his eyes, I realized then, in that moment, that all he had ever needed to be happy was my trust, my faith, my love.
It was so simple, so obvious, I couldn’t say why I hadn’t realized it sooner. And almost as if he saw my thoughts in my eyes, a smile started to slowly spread across his face, a warm, gentle, loving and thrilling smile that made my body tingle all over.
I reached out to him again just as naturally and impulsively as before but now with no doubts or hesitation. My hands slid around his neck, my fingers twisted tightly into his hair and I pulled his mouth down to mine, inhaling his breath as our lips crushed together. I became lost in the moment, in the night, in my love and fiery passion for him. Suddenly, the world made sense again.
Chapter Sixteen – An Invitation
Mags was out clubbing until the early hours of the morning. Sebastian and I had only just fallen asleep when she returned to our small hostel room, reeking of cigarette smoke and vodka. We had stayed up most of the night ourselves, talking, laughing, just being together and reconnecting. There was still some sadness left between us, still some hurtful memories. I knew that time would help the pain to fade but would never entirely erase it. And perhaps that was a good thing. Either way, we were now both ready to move on. The walls between us had been broken down and we were as close physically, mentally and emotionally than we had ever been before. I finally felt whole and at peace with the world, like everything was starting to make sense again and falling back under my control. I knew what mistakes I had made and how to fix them. I finally understood what I wanted, I knew what I needed and I wasn’t going to let anyone or anything stop me from getting it.
I awoke just after eight o’clock, knowing the library would be opening soon. The moment I first stirred, Sebastian’s eyes opened, a smile already on his face and his arms automatically tightening around me.
“Good morning,” he murmured, gently kissing the tip of my nose.
I smiled back at him, my heart light and happy for the first time in weeks.
“Perfect morning,” I corrected, wriggling forward on the mattress to kiss him back on the lips. It was a slow and lingering kiss and it took several minutes before we were both ready to speak again. “The library’s opening soon. We should get moving.”
“The library – again? Gracelynn, just because you want to find answers there – if they don’t exist, even you can’t create them,” Sebastian patiently pointed out.
I sat up and stretched, covering my mouth as I yawned. “The answers are there. I figured it out while we were sleeping last night and woke up with the realization.”
“What realization?”
“That we were looking at the problem the wrong way – we were wanting to find the wrong answer.” Sebastian stared back at me blankly and I smiled, pleased to be confusing him for once. “The hieroglyphics are clues to stop the Others, I’m certain of it. We had assumed that you encoded the answer within them but I remembered the designs last night in a dream – Caoilinn knew those symbols, Sebastian. They were in her spell book.”
He sat up and frowned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
“It’s possible… I remember having them tattooed over my ribs, and I remember thinking I would preserve the symbols for you but I can’t remember what they meant or why I should save them.” He squinted up at me, the strain of trying to remember obviously causing him pain and frustration. “I wonder if it’s one of my memories that Mags tampered with?”
“Relax.” I lightly ran my fingers through his messy hair, combing it back and attempting to smooth it down unsuccessfully. “It’s not important. I know those symbols were in the spell book, Sebastian – I remember them. Caoilinn must have traveled to Egypt or somehow encountered an Egyptian, or she found an artifact from there but somehow, she knew those symbols and she used them to hide vital information.”