The Evensong (47 page)

“No more talks,” he grumbled as I pulled him to his feet.

“Maybe it will be good news,” I said quietly as we walked.

Linden scoffed. “Now that would be the day . . .”

But his mood lightened a little as we walked into the room. Rhys had a slight smile on his face as he looked at each of us.

“So—what’s happening?” Linden asked as he leaned against the counter for support.

Rhys’ smile widened a little. “First of all, it’s good to see you up again. Feeling good?”

Linden shrugged. “A little funny, but good.”

“Good enough to test something?” Nerio asked, looking suddenly eager.

“Like what?” Linden replied, suspicious.

Nerio walked up to him and put his elbow on the counter, his hand towards Linden. “Arm wrestling. Just real quick.”

Linden smirked and grabbed Nerio’s other hand. “Come on, left-handed.”

Tally rolled her eyes. “Guys—”

“I said a second then we’ll talk,” Nerio cut in. He was really amped for this, and I stood back and waited. They counted to three, and then I could see the strength go through the length of Nerio’s arm. His thick muscles bulged under his skin, but Linden’s arm didn’t budge. Instead, a second later, Nerio’s fist slammed into the countertop. We all heard the faintest crack in the granite, and Rhys shut his eyes in annoyance.

“Haha, I’ve still got a hold of it!” Linden yelled as he let go. “Sorry, but I’ve got the auctorita mastered.”

Nerio was obviously sour about losing. He kneaded his reddened knuckles; I was surprised he hadn’t broken something with the force of the hit.

“All right, all right,” Rhys said, putting a stop to any further competitions. “It’s my turn now. So listen.” He looked around to make sure no one was about to speak. “I finally spoke to someone who could give me some answers.”

I held my breath for a moment, wondering if he was going to say what I wanted to hear.

“Aidan was spotted up the coast in New York.” He paused to gauge our reactions. “Now that they have a lead, they’re going after him, and I told them about Omar as well.”

Again, silence. And then Calder spoke. “Seriously?”

Rhys nodded and smiled, which was just another sign for me to breathe and try to relax.
They found them. Something will finally be done . . . and we’ll be left alone.

I turned to Linden, seeing he was smiling, satisfied. “I hope they get it good.”

“Oh there will be repercussions, believe me,” Rhys said. “When you’ve been wanted this long, it’s bound to happen.”

This is exactly what I wanted to hear. I wanted to know that they would get what they deserved. Because if someone else didn’t do it, I was tempted to try myself. But there was no longer a reason for that.

Everyone was in better spirits after this. Nerio seemed to forget about losing to Linden and actually sat down and smiled to himself. He must have been relieved to quit his watchman job. Rhys even suggested Linden and I go outside, as long as I wasn’t left alone. Though he assured me it was safe, we still had to be a little cautious. We agreed and stayed close to the house, just walking up and down the surf. Linden’s body was just getting its strength back, and he played around with the water a little to get the hang of it again. Apparently the auctorita had its toll on that too, as he had trouble doing exactly what he wanted to; everything was blown out of proportion. Creating a small whirlpool ended up washing out a wide hole in the sand, and Linden admitted he still had to practice.

We went back to the house as the sun set. It was getting cold outside, and I shivered a little as I stood inside. When Nerio walked by to tell me dinner was ready, I almost felt like I was part of their small family.

The feeling mounted as I spent the bulk of the evening being included in conversations in the living room. Nerio hardly spoke to me, but it was better than nothing. And for once, instead of me going to bed first, Linden admitted he was tired and said he was going to sleep. Even if he weren’t still recovering, I still would have insisted on going with him.

We went back to the old bedroom. It almost felt alien, and the air was cooler than the rest of the house. I realized it must have been from the fractured glass of the window, which I had forgotten to mention to anyone.

“What happened there?” Linden asked after he tossed his shirt to the floor.

“I’m not sure,” I replied, staring at it up close to find any point of impact. There didn’t seem to be, so I shrugged it off and climbed into bed beside him. He immediately pulled me on top of him and laced his fingers together at my back.

“Comfortable?” I asked as I looked down at him.

“Yeah, very,” he replied. I was worried the scar on his side would still be sore, but he assured me it wasn’t. I could feel the little area of heat where it was located, but he said it would probably be like that until it faded.

“So—finally some relief,” he said as he sighed.

“Yeah. I hope they find them soon,” I replied, resting my head on his chest.

“They already have a lead,” he said, stroking my back. “It won’t be long until they catch up with them.”

“Tell them to chuck shells at them. That ought to slow them down.”

Linden laughed and pulled my head up. “That’s spiteful—but good.”

We kissed for a while, softly touching until Linden pulled away, his face serious. He looked concerned for a second, and I asked what was wrong.

“I’ve been thinking about something for a while,” he started. I waited for him to go on. “I know seeing me in the whole partial form was weird. And—and I don’t want you to be afraid of it—me.”

I briefly thought about it, but preferred not to. I didn’t want him to know he was right about me being afraid, but it wasn’t of him.

“It’s not you,” I said. “It’s just—”

“But that is me, Riley,” he replied. “So . . . you
are
afraid of me. All over again.”

I reacted quickly. “No, Linden it’s different than—”

“I have an idea though,” he interrupted, looking at me with a pinning gaze. “No one would encourage me if I told them, but I think it would be good.”

I frowned slightly. “What?”

“I wanted to take you to the place where we ascend,” he said quietly. “I mean, your kind aren’t supposed to go there; technically you are incapable. But not if I take you there.”

He couldn’t be talking about what I was thinking. At least I hoped he wasn’t. “It’s on another plane, isn’t it?” He nodded. “Which one?”

“The actual astral plane.”

I was afraid he would say that. I’d heard all of the rules to the planes, and no natural being was ever on the astral plane unless they were dead. Beings like Linden could go there and back anytime they wanted, but it wasn’t an option for me. I only stepped onto a lower plane when I projected.

“I’d have to be dead to go there,” I pointed out.

He quickly shook his head. “No, not if I take you.”

I looked away and bit my lip. “I don’t know . . .”

“I just want to show you everything—about me, I mean. No more pretending it doesn’t exist. I don’t want you to be scared or anything.”

He was being sincere, and it was obvious he was genuinely worried. But it was still the astral plane . . .

“How would I get there?” I asked.

His face brightened instantly. “You just project like you usually do, but stay here when you do. Then we’ll go from there.”

“That’s it?” I asked. I didn’t quite believe him.

He grinned. “Yes. Just leave the rest to me.”

I took a deep breath and brushed my hair back. “Okay—okay, fine.”

I lay flat on my back as Linden watched me. He kept his even gaze on my face, and I glanced at him before I closed my eyes. “Do you have to stare?”

“Sorry,” he said as he looked up at the ceiling. I concentrated on relaxing for a moment, and then began the gradual detachment from my body. I was vaguely aware of Linden turning to face me again, but then I wasn’t part of the physical anymore.

Out of habit, I projected into something. It was the tiny breeze from the window, but I quickly left it and stood in the middle of the room. It was strange to be looking at myself, at the body on the bed that breathed very softly. Linden watched the face and kissed the cheek. It was daunting when his eyes looked straight across the room at me. I knew he couldn’t see me, but his senses were unbelievable.

“Come back over here,” he whispered. I did as he said, and I sat on the opposite side of him, trying not to look at my body. He turned over and looked up at me, laying his hand on the bed. “Here, grab on.”

I looked down at his hand, unsure of how to proceed. I just lay my hand in his, noticing how opaque my skin looked. How could he even feel me? Apparently he could, because he closed his fingers over mine.

“Okay, now don’t fight anything. I can handle this,” he said. I nodded even though he couldn’t see me. It didn’t look like he was doing anything, but I felt myself going limp. Immediately I fought to stay upright, but I gave in after a moment. Things were getting dark as I lightly slumped to my side, barely feeling anything. I let my eyes close when I felt like I was falling. It was dizzying, and I reminded myself to relax. He knew what he was doing.

There was nothing but silence and darkness for a while. I was hardly aware of myself until I regained the feeling in my limbs. It was strange; I was heavier than my projection self, but I knew I still wasn’t in my body. There was no sound around me, and the air felt thick. I was moving upward, and I opened my eyes.

There was a soft blue glow from above, and it seemed to ripple. Yes, it was rippling. I was deep underwater, I realized, and slowly floating up. I still breathed, though barely, and the bubbles came from my nose and floated faster above me. The glow was coming nearer, and I was soon at the surface.

I stood, though there wasn’t a bottom before. The water came up to my waist, and it was completely still. Still in my projection form, I stood there naked as I looked around. Wherever I was, it was night, though I couldn’t see much of the sky above; a thick shroud of fog obscured the sky. The strange light didn’t seem to have a source, it was just everywhere. In the water around me were monstrous lily pads floating quietly. Other sounds came from somewhere in the distance, but I couldn’t even tell if they were insects or animals. This place was completely alien to me, yet I didn’t feel very afraid.

“You made it.”

I turned around at the sound of the familiar voice. I couldn’t reply immediately when I saw Linden standing a ways away. He was recognizable, but still very different. This wasn’t the same as the first time I’d seen him; this was the entirety of his true form.

I tried to hide the immediate fear and shock of seeing him. He was still Linden under it all. His skin had taken on the strange look: very pale with the veins visible, though it all almost had the slightest blue tint. Maybe it was the light. It was hard to meet his eyes, now more of a silver-gold, and all four of his canines were pointed and sharp.

“It’s all right,” this new Linden said. “I won’t hurt you.”

I just stared at him, unable to really take it all in. His arms were bare, the tattoos gone, only leaving behind that flawless skin, and under his hair I could see his ears tapered to long points. I took a very hesitant step closer, the water rippling out towards him. He smiled ever so slightly as if amused by my hesitance. But he didn’t move, so I continued to walk closer. When there was only three feet between us, I stopped, my right arm held out behind me. I hadn’t meant to stop, and I glanced back. The thin silvery thread attached to my wrist was pulled taunt, the opposite end hidden in the water. The tie to my body seemed to only allow me to go so far.

“Here,” Linden said, reaching out. I backed away from his outstretched hand. His nails were long and needle-sharp, and a clear webbing was in between each finger.

“I can take it off,” he said, pointing to the thread. “When you go back to your body it will be reattached.”

I stared at him, not sure of it. “How do you know?” I whispered, my words seeming muffled.

“Believe me.” It was a simple answer, but it sounded so much like Linden. So I let him. I pulled my wrist as far as it would go, and he stepped forward. Somehow he found the invisible knot and deftly untied it with his nails. It fell away easily, and I watched it snap back a little and then sink below the surface. I felt different already without the tie; lighter and somehow free. I stared at my bare wrist for a second before looking back at him.

He tilted his head slightly and surveyed my face. “I don’t know how I didn’t recognize you before. But being all human obscures things, and your natural aura hides it.”

“Hides what?” I asked quietly. I felt if I spoke too loudly something else around us would realize I was here.

“Who you are,” Linden said. “Talise Aislin.”

It was startling to hear him say my true name, especially in his new, strange voice. He smiled slightly at my reaction as I stared. And then something came to the tip of my tongue; it was something that felt long forgotten. Being here and really seeing him brought the words to mind.