The Heart-Shaped Emblor (The Ewlishash Series) (18 page)

“Interesting.” I turned the light back off.

“What?”

“It’s just…” I tried to share my ideas without provoking him. “In the movie you saw together, it’s Frodo who ends up with the ring. He’s innocent in what’s happening, but carries a heavy burden nonetheless. It’s curious that she would pick that ring for you. You wouldn’t have represented the evil one, but the innocent one with great sorrow. If she wasn’t human, do you think it’s possible that she knew her death was fast approaching? And you would end up carrying the burden of that?”

Alexander was completely silent.

I tried to hand the ring back to him, but the headlights began to fade. Or was it I who was fading? My head slumped forward, and Alexander shouted. “Aislinn? What’s wrong?” I felt his hand grab the wheel, and then I was out.

I could see Yasmine. She was in a collectables store, purchasing the ring for Alexander.

“Are you sure you want that ring for your fiancé?” the storekeeper asked, shaking his head.

“Yes,” she replied confidently.

“Okay. The customer is always right, I guess.” The man took the ring to the back room. I followed.

He put the ring on a machine. It looked like something to assist in the enlarging process, a feat that would be almost impossible with the writing on it. He toiled with the ring, seeming frustrated. Then he got up and went to retrieve something else. Another man appeared out of thin air and touched the ring. As if by magic, it began to grow in size. The words remained intact. When the employee returned, the ring sat on the size chart, fitted perfectly. The worker shook his head in confusion, shrugged, and took the ring back to Yasmine.

“I didn’t think this would work, but it seems that you are destined to give this ring to your future husband. It reached the desired size without much help from me.” Yasmine showed no sign of suspicion as she looked at the shopkeeper. She probably assumed he meant the ring didn’t give him trouble.

“Thank you.” She paid, and left the store. The strange man who changed the ring followed her.

As if Yasmine sensed his presence, she kept turning to see who was following. At one point, he got so close that he brushed up against her hair. Yasmine jumped and shouted.

“Who’s there? What do you want?”

“You.” The stranger’s voice dragged out long and slow. He had a hideous voice, sounding like something dead for many centuries. Like time had deteriorated the sound of him.

Yasmine turned to run, the man floating effortlessly behind her. She had no escape. The stranger’s smile revealed jagged, sharp teeth and his eyes held lust.

Days later, Yasmine was asleep, alone in bed. The stranger hovered over her.

While Yasmine slept, the stranger floated inside her. There was a tug-of-war for her body. Or at least it seemed that way at first. When the stranger left Yasmine’s body, he pulled her soul right out with him.

If she had a voice, she would have screamed in terror. But no sound came, only a horrified expression on her face. The stranger stuck his finger into the air and began to twirl it, making a spiral of darkness, and floated through the spiral. Yasmine’s soul was still clenched in his arms.

Only a lifeless body remained in her bed. The one Alexander must have found the next day.

No sooner had I entered the semi-trance than I pulled out. Alexander was struggling with the wheel. I half-consciously hit the brakes.

“Aislinn? What happened? Are you okay?”

“Is the car stopped?” I muttered.

“Yes,” he breathed relief. “It is now. I thought we were going to crash. What happened?”

“I’m not sure. I think it was your ring.” I had difficulty speaking.

“What do you mean?” Alexander sounded defensive.

“I saw Yasmine.” I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. “I had a vision, but one of the past. Where she bought that ring, and who touched it. I saw her pursuer, and what happened to her.” I trailed off and tried my hardest to look up at him.

Alexander’s mouth fell open. “How? How can you have seen all this?”

“I have visions.” I tried to regain composure. “When I touch things that have been imprinted with something, I see what’s been imprinted. Or I get an energy connection, I think. I’m able to pull from that time. Does that sound crazy?”

“No,” he muttered, scooting to the edge of his seat.

I carefully pulled the car over to the side of the road. I needed to recover before continuing on to Hope’s house. Alexander remained silent.

“Should I not have said anything?”

“No, I’m glad you did.” He took a deep breath. “But I wasn’t expecting this, especially not tonight. I want to know every detail, but not now. Tonight is about you, and we must keep it that way.” His voice sounded so serious that I wondered if it was all he could do to sit there and talk calmly with me. Something in him had changed. I sensed a relief, and at the same time, a focus. One that entailed all of Alexander’s rage balled up in one tiny but deadly package.

“Should we leave this topic alone, then, and head to Hope’s?”

“Please.” The word came out eerily calm.

When we pulled up, Hope had made it home and was waiting in her usual cross-armed position for us on the deck. This time, she hopped around a bit, probably due to the cold.

“Hurry up, guys.” She shivered as she spoke, teeth clattering.

We emerged grimly from the car.

“Guys,” Hope frowned. “What is it?”

I shook my head quickly to cut off her questioning. Hope was smart. She immediately dropped the inquiries and helped get my stuff inside. Alexander wandered ahead, staring blankly at the ground. Hope grabbed my sleeping bag and pillow for me while I took my bag.

Alexander glided into the house, completely unaware of Hope’s family staring at him as he walked past them. Kiera stopped in front of him in the hallway, momentarily meeting his gaze. They stared at one another, having a silent conversation. Her face blanched.

“I may have something for you.” Kiera spoke aloud, but we all knew her statement had been for Alexander alone.

“Thanks,” Alexander said softly, his mouth a thin line.

Hope looked at me, confused. I shook my head and pulled my hand over my throat in a cutting motion. She nodded and tried to lead us upstairs, but Alexander seemed to know the location of her room.

To my surprise, no one even introduced themselves to Alexander, or asked why I’d brought a stranger into their home. Tellah and Samara backed into the kitchen and began making some hot cocoa. Samara carried some up for us.

“Hope?” I asked. “Did your family expect Alexander to come here tonight?”

“Kiera…” Hope looked at me expectantly.

“Kiera? How did she know?” I felt my eyebrows crease.

Hope looked at Alexander to make sure he wasn’t watching us, then leaned in to whisper to me. “The Jarwin asked Kiera to stay after Alexander left. They told her that he would learn something tonight that was going to upset him greatly. So they gave her something to give him.”

“So Kiera knew he would be coming tonight and told your family?”

“Something like that,” Hope said, but didn’t elaborate.

If the Jarwin knew I was going to tell Alexander and they gave something to Kiera for him, maybe they weren’t what I thought. Secrets… That was the danger of keeping them. No one knew your intent.

When we reached Hope’s room, we all sat on the bed. When her bed got too crowded, Alexander moved to the floor. His long legs stretched out, taking up a good portion of her room.

Samara knocked on the door, bringing us all some hot cocoa. She even added little marshmallows. I would normally have drifted back to childhood at that point, reminiscing about the old days, but I had too much on my mind.

“Thanks,” we all muttered, our moods not the best they could be.

Samara grinned and left us to talk.

“So,” Hope began. “Who wants to fill me in on what’s going on?” She sat back, her cheerful self blissfully unaware of the devastation both Alexander and I were feeling.

“I guess I will,” I mumbled. Alexander stared at the wall. “I’m going to cut this down as much as possible. So much has happened today, I can’t tell you everything.”

Hope sipped her cocoa and made herself more comfortable, waiting for me to continue. Alexander’s eyes still fixated on the wall.

“I’m adopted. My exact birthday is unknown, and Jaden is missing because of me. I think that covers it.” I took a sip of cocoa. The chocolate swirled down my throat, soothing it. After fifteen minutes of filling them in on every detail, I finally finished.

“Wow.” Hope looked down at Alexander. “And now you get to tell Aislinn all kinds of stuff too. Should I make some coffee? This is going to be a long night.”

Alexander looked up at her, rolled his eyes, and replied, “Well, if you two need it. I’ll be just fine.” His mouth lifted into a grin, and I wondered how staring at the wall had helped his mood improve.

I looked at him questioningly.

Alexander met my gaze, then tilted his head to the side. “I’m listening,” he said.

“Listening?”

“Not just to you, Aislinn. I can hear you and my guides at the same time. I’ve been checking on Jaden, getting an update on what to tell you, and…” he hesitated, “checking my sources about what you revealed to me a bit ago. Apparently, there is more to what you said on the way here than what the Jarwin admit. Although it doesn’t make any sense that they kept this a secret.”

“You can do all that at once?”

“Yup.” He spoke with assurance. “Don’t worry; you’ll be able to as well. It’s kind of like listening to me talk and listening to your thoughts at the same time. Not that difficult, if you practice.”

“Ah.” I looked at Hope to see her reaction, but she had none. I took another drink. It was my turn to listen now.

“Aislinn,” Hope piped up. “Before Alexander takes off in another direction, can I say something about your birthday?”

“Sure. What’s up?”

“Because of your dream, you being changed, and the Jarwin feeling the urge to nudge your parents into confession, I think your birthday may be soon. And I mean
very
soon. I don’t think the Jarwin would let Jaden stay captive for months. So if you are the one to rescue her, well… just be ready is all.” Hope almost withdrew from me as she finished sharing her opinion. As if saying it aloud would cause some spontaneous combustion of change right before her eyes.

“I think you may be correct. But it hasn’t happened yet. So it may be wise to get all the information I can before I change.” I tried to suppress my nervousness, but I couldn’t hold it in.

“Absolutely.” Alexander’s voice held confidence, and I almost jumped when he spoke. This was not the same Alexander from twenty minutes ago. How could he change his mood so quickly?

“Well,” I sighed. “Let’s get to it, then.”

TOO MUCH, TOO SOON

A
lexander beamed a large smile. “It’s okay, Aislinn. You’ll be fine.”

“I know.” My chest tightened. “So much has happened, though. Sometimes I wish things would just slow down a little. I initially wished to do things like Neo, but maybe I spoke a little too soon.”

A soft chuckle escaped Alexander’s mouth. After all, he
had
warned me. He looked away, probably to keep from breaking into laughter.

“I guess to start,” he began, more serious now. “We should talk about those like us, and those not like us. You know that, in Ireland, you and I are Ewlishash, but that’s only when we’re in Ireland. There are those who can do what we do all over the world. The Jarwin guide all of us. They call us Hope Bringers. I know it’s a simple title, and kind of assumes a lot about what we’re capable of, but that’s how they see us.

“You see, our job is to help people. Not just help, but also give them hope. It seems fitting that one of your best friends is named Hope.” He looked at her appreciatively. “Because that’s what we do, essentially. For instance, once the Jarwin get a ‘call,’ they find the closest of us and send us the message. Then we can go help that person. It may be something simple, like when my guide left me a business card. I had asked for help, and the next day, I got it. The card wasn’t what gave me hope, however. It was meeting you. Do you see?”

I nodded. “What do you mean when you say the Jarwin get a call?”

“Well…” He ran his hand through his hair. “When we’re in our changed form, we can sometimes hear the thoughts of others, but only those who are in turmoil or extreme pain and sadness. When their auras are weak, their feelings make their thoughts expand outward, like a signal. Even if the person hasn’t asked for help, we may still be able to hear things, just in a muddled and choppy way. But when someone asks for help, the signal comes clearly. The Jarwin, or whoever is closest, can then pick it up. But we can only help if the person asks for assistance from a non-specific source.”

“You mean like if I asked my animal spirit guide for help, or if I was praying to a specific god or goddess, then we can’t help?” My voice edged toward frustration. What was the point of being able to help if we could only help those who wanted non-specific helpers?

“That’s exactly what I mean.” Alexander nodded. “There is a reason for that, you know.” He spoke a bit condescendingly, as if he could see the accusation in my eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“There are more beings out there than our type, many different types of helpers and many types of higher powers. If someone wants help from a specific source, they oftentimes get it. But sometimes people lose faith and hope, and then they have a harder time asking for specific helpers. That’s where we come in.

“When you get to go to council more, you will understand how to gain access to a person’s life plan. So before you help the person, you can know how to help him or her. When people are ‘on path,’ they usually aren’t asking for help. It’s not quite as difficult as it all sounds.”

“So you’re saying there
are
gods and goddesses? Or animal guides, spirit guides, things like that?” I sounded full of doubt. The concept of religion always seemed foreign to me. If these beings existed, why were there so many? How many gods did it take to create a world?

“As far as I know,” Alexander stated flatly. “I haven’t seen them, because they move at different speeds, just as we do. But I do believe they exist. We exist when science is just now beginning to unfold the possibility of String Theory. Yet here we are, with a very specific purpose. So why wouldn’t others exist as well? Plus,” he smirked a little, “have you ever set up someone’s life plan?”

As I reflected on what he had said, the evidence that something higher than me must exist hit me like a ton of bricks. All of this time, we’d been discussing my life plan, but who had I set that plan up with, and for what purpose?

“No, I haven’t set up anyone’s life plan. Not that I’m aware of, anyway. I see what you’re saying.” I took a deep breath. “So then, if our purpose is to give people back their hope, what do the Tirates do?”

Alexander’s wide smile told me my questioning was right on track with what he wanted to tell me. He pulled his hair back from his forehead and began again. “First, I must say that the Tirates are from all over as well. Many cultures have their own concepts of what they are and what they call them, but we call them all Tirates, regardless of where they’re from.

“The Tirates are exactly the opposite of us. Their only purpose is to gain power, wealth, control—anything that is self-serving. Never do the Tirates help anyone but themselves. They take hope away from others. Tirates are our enemies. It’s the Tirates who’ve taken Jaden and who want you for themselves. But why they would be interested in you after you’ve already chosen your path is beyond any of us, even the Jarwin. Until we have more answers, you’re in danger.” Alexander’s voice hardened, his protective side kicking in.

“So this is odd?” I asked, shuddering on the inside. “The Tirates have not tried to seduce anyone to their side before?”

“No.”

Heaviness built in my chest. Why did they want me? What was so special about me?

“Alexander?” I paused. “If I had chosen the path of the Tirates, would someone from that side have been the one to greet me and guide me like you are? If so, maybe he or she is the one who took Jaden.”

“I’m glad you’re thinking about the possibility, but when I say they live for themselves, I mean completely. There is no one to guide them. Once someone has chosen that path, it’s like living in the dark all the time. They can still use their powers to change, but they never find permanent happiness. That’s why they just continue to take and take. For a short time, the latest acquisition brings happiness. But it doesn’t last. Then they are on to a new target.

“You would have had no one to guide you if you chose that path, Aislinn. Despite what Hope may have said. Anyone you ended up with would have been like Cooper: selfish and not really as into you as you were him. Do you see how that could lead to more unhappiness?”

“Yes,” I admitted. “I absolutely know how that could bring unhappiness. Or a drowning sensation, to be more accurate.” I chucked inside at how easy it had already become to admit my mistake with Cooper. “Does anyone ever change sides? I mean, if a Tirate realizes their mistake and wants to change. Do you know if that happens?”

Alexander’s mouth fell open. “Never! Once you choose your path, you’re locked in!”

“That kind of sucks. I learn from my mistakes. Why are they locked in? The rest of the humans, the ones that don’t have our powers, aren’t. If we can give the average Joe hope, why not the Tirates?” My mood turned sour as I thought about having limitations on not only how, but also whom I could help.

“Why on earth would you want to help one of them?” He gasped in disgust. “Don’t you understand how purely evil they are?”

Despite Alexander’s opinion, Hope looked pleased with my questions.

“I’m not sure that selfishness means that they are all evil. Maybe some are, but the ones who are just starting out are probably terrified when they begin the change. With no one to help them, there is more potential to turn greedy. If they had help from one of us, then maybe rather than continue on the path of greed, they might decide to act honorably.” I cocked my head to the side, raising my eyebrows. I knew that I had a good point, even if it made Alexander scowl in the most unattractive way.

“We’re getting off the topic.” He quivered with frustration. “When you are able to change, then you can speak with the Jarwin about that. For now, we need to get back to the Tirates.

“First, you must never trust any of them. That’s how our kind are lost. The Tirates will never do something selfless. Just remember that when it comes time to interact with them. They will lie a thousand times over to get you to do what they want.

“Second, try very hard to never mix your energy with them. They don’t like it either, so most times, they won’t get close to us or us them.”

“Why?” I interrupted.

“Once you mix,” Alexander began, eyeing me in a way I couldn’t quite comprehend. “You can’t withdraw all of your energy again. You will always stay partially combined with the person you mixed with. That’s why when we mix with our chosen we end up getting so close. A part of us stays in the other person.”

“So if I mixed with you, for instance, then I would become part of you? In an energy sense, anyway?”

Alexander looked at the ceiling, his mouth puckered.

“That’s part of it.” He grimaced. “But that energy also carries how we feel about things, how we see things, and some of our memories. Mixing energy makes us vulnerable to one another. That’s why you only want to mix with your chosen.”

“Can you mix by accident? What happens if we bump into someone? I’m sure accidents happen. Don’t they?” My voice began to shake, and I shifted my weight to the side. I didn’t want Alexander to notice my worry over the mixing process. In my dream, it had hurt worse than I believed possible.

“Yes, Aislinn,” he assured. “That does happen by accident, which is why I’m warning you. Mixing with someone you don’t want to mix with is extremely dangerous. Some of the Jarwin have hinted it could be fatal, but they’ve never elaborated.”

I sat up straighter again, unable to hide my fear.

“How will I know how close to get? Or when I’m going to bump into someone?”

“You’ll feel it, trust me.” He rolled his eyes in an exaggerated manner. “Every person feels different. So once you get to know how I feel, you’ll know when it’s me approaching you. When you feel someone else, it will feel like you’re being shocked, me included, but only until we mix. Once we mix, I will no longer shock you. That’s what you want to watch for. When you feel energy, move away quickly.”

“Ugh,” I moaned. “This sounds hard.”

“It’s not.” Alexander got up and came to stand over me. He pulled me to my feet, wrapping me in his arms. His heartbeat thumped in the ear that I rested over his chest. “You just need to relax. That’s all. I will take good care of you, I promise. Try not to be afraid. You were made to do this.”

As I stayed wrapped up in him, the warmth coming from his body lent even more assurance. His words also soothed me. I was made for this, and I knew it deep down in my core.

“What else do I need to know?” I asked urgently. “In case I just suddenly shift at random.”

“Huh,” Alexander mused. “You do realize that’s not going to happen, right? I mean, strange things will begin popping up, but you won’t actually change until you use your mind to do it. Even when the Tirates begin to change, not all of them figure it out. It’s only when they wonder what the strange experiences mean that some of them focus their intent and make the change. It won’t just happen.”

“Thank goodness.” I sighed in relief. “I was afraid I’d just be sitting here and suddenly start floating around the room.”

Both Alexander and Hope burst into laughter, but I knew that Hope had wondered herself if that were possible. It was nice to lighten the conversation.

“Anything more?” I added.

Alexander sat back on the floor to continue. This time he beamed a grin, probably trying to help me feel more at ease. “A couple of things will help you. First, remember that to change, you have to will it with your mind. It’s the same to change back. For the most part, it’s similar to what you did when you called for me tonight, when you were lost.

“The second thing—and this one will be most important if your dream of us rescuing Jaden comes to pass—we can change to get into the room, but we’ll have to stay in solid form once we’re there. She is not supposed to see us change. Also, we can’t change her. So to get her out, we’ll have to be on foot. Does that make sense?”

“It does add to the difficulty, I will admit. The rescue attempt seems harder, if not impossible.” My anxiety returned as I realized my dream didn’t actually reveal us getting her out.

“Oh, it’s possible, trust me. Easy no, but possible, yes.” He took a breath, preparing for his last instruction. “Just remember, I will be there when you change for the first time. I will show you how to follow the ley lines and the energy grid of the earth to get to where we need to be. When you are in changed form, your memory is much sharper. You will be able to remember how many lines we traveled and in which directions, so that you can follow them back. And don’t act without consulting me. Until you’ve been doing this for a while, you’ll need my help. Don’t be hasty.”

“Got it.” I tried to sound convincing, but it was not them I needed to convince. “I think.” I added under my breath.

“You’ll do just fine, Aislinn,” Hope assured me. “I mean, think about what you’ve already done. You’ve been through so much in such a short time. Many people would have gone off the deep end by now, but not you. It’s almost as if the more that’s on your plate, the calmer and more confident you become. So relax and try to trust yourself. The closer you are to what you were meant to be, the more peaceful you will become.”

“Do you really think so?”

“I do.” She smiled her perky, cheery smile and leaned back onto her hands. “I really do.”

I turned back to Alexander. “I need to know something. Just so I’m prepared. What will happen when the process starts? I mean, if I don’t know when my birthday is, how am I going to know when I can change?”

“Things will begin to happen. What those things are will depend on you. I can’t say for sure. Each of us is different.”

I looked at the clock. Both Hope and Alexander followed my gaze. We’d managed to talk until three in the morning.

“Is it okay to wrap this up now? I need some sleep. And maybe some time to think.” I yawned all the way through my sentence.

“Good idea.” Hope got up and grabbed my pillow. “You two aren’t sleeping in here.” She walked out of her room and led us down the hall to the last door on the left. “In here.”

I eyed her suspiciously. “There’s only one bed in there. Won’t your mom be upset?”