Her emerald green eyes grew wide. “What else are you not saying, Charlie?”
“We can talk about it later. Right now, I have to make sure I can get Draven to people that can help him...I can’t lose him, Madison.”
“Fine,” she said as she let out a jagged breath and let my arm go. I almost ran to the next hilltop. In the distance, I could see a home. It was two stories, rustic brick with white porches. On the top balcony was a young man. I couldn’t make out his features, but from this distance I swear I could see the grief that Madison was talking about. He was leaning forward, staring out into the field in front of his house at the large white windmills that were spread across the field in the distance.
Around his home, countless jeeps were parked. Several people were on the porch, surrounding the house. Upon seeing this, I instantly lost my nerve and froze in place.
An older man stepped out on the balcony the young man was on and stretched his arm around him, obviously consoling him.
“Maybe you’re right,” I mumbled as Madison came breathlessly to my side.
At that moment, I heard the most innocent voice in creation say my name: “Charlie.”
I turned to see who had said it and saw a precious little boy behind me. His hair was sandy blond and curly, long, almost hiding the most alluring color of blue his eyes reflected.
“Um…hi,” I said as I looked over him carefully. I knew I didn’t know him; in fact, I couldn’t think of a single child I knew. I wasn’t even sure how to act around children. “Do – do I know you?” I asked, looking from him to Madison, then back to the little boy.
He smiled widely. “Not yet. I’m Preston.”
“How – how did you know my name?”
“Lucky guess,” he said with a mischievous smile. His eyes moved to Madison, then he reached for the wrist that had her Ankh on it. She didn’t pull away or flinch; her tense composure instantly vanished. She was staring at him with absolute wonder. Preston traced her tattoo, and almost instantly it was healed. There was no sign of red where her skin had been pierced, and the ankh wasn’t raised in swollen protest anymore. You would have thought she had it for years.
“Is that...uh...um...is that Landen over there?” I asked as I swallowed hard.
Preston nodded as he held Madison’s hand. I furrowed my eyebrows, finding this little boy odd – and the way Madison was acting was even odder.
“He looks sad,” I said, trying to get his attention.
“He is, but it’s almost over, so he’ll be happy.”
“Over, like, in day or so – or like now?” I asked, thinking maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to go down there after all.
“Like soon – but he doesn’t know that yet,” Preston answered.
“How do you know?” I asked.
“I listen.”
I raised my eyebrows as the thought of Monroe instantly came to me; she’d pretty much said the same thing to me last night.
Preston looked up at me. “She listens, too,” he said.
“Who?”
“Monroe.”
“You know Monroe?” I asked.
“Not yet,” he said as he smiled.
As frustrating as it was to talk to him, I couldn’t help but smile, too.
“I’m looking for Austin. Preston, do you know him already? Can you show me where he is?”
“I do,” he said as he smiled. “I can.”
“Charlie, you’re crazy. You are not stepping into a memory – inside of a memory! You have no idea if that’s even safe – that’s too deep!” Madison argued.
I didn’t know where this Esterious place was; for all I knew, it was down the street - but I wanted to find Austin.
“What do you mean, ‘deep’?” Preston asked.
Madison looked down at him and smiled. “It’s hard to explain.”
“Seeing isn’t hard to explain,” he said innocently.
“You know what would be easier?” I said with a bit of a smirk. “For you, little one, to tell us what you already know. Can I see where Austin is through you?”
“Yes.”
“Charlie, you could get stuck or lost - are you crazy?!”
“Her soul cannot be stuck. No one’s can be; you go where you want - you know that. How many souls have you told that to?” Preston asked.
“I’m not going to that Est – whatever they called it,” Madison said.
Preston’s tiny hand tightened around her hand, and an almost instant calm seemed to come over her.
Taking advantage of the distraction he was giving me, I knelt down to look him in the eye. “Preston, show me Esterious. Show me through your thoughts. Can you think of it for me?”
He smiled and reached for my hand, the one that had my new Ankh tattoo on it. A numbing calm – one that matched the peace I felt around Silas – instantly came over me. I stared into this little boy’s eyes and asked: Where is Esterious?
Instantly, my soul was moved. I was in a palace, an elegant, gothic palace. It was as if it were stuck in a lost era. There were dark hardwood floors, elegant paintings, and chairs and couches that reflected nothing less than royalty. There was a large wall of windows to the left. Nervously, I walked there, trying to get my bearings. Before I even reached the window, I could see a deep gray sky. Everything was gray; the buildings, the landscape - it was as if all of the color of the world had been erased from this place. When I reached the window, I looked down and saw millions of people gathered in the courtyard, looking up at the palace. Each of them were dressed in long black cloaks. They were silent, still, and held the deepest sorrow in their expressions.
I heard whispering, low voices and quickly hid behind the long drape around the window. When I peeked out, I saw an old man surrounded by servants that were leading him to the balcony door that was just a few feet away from me. I assumed this man was the King or something of this palace – not because he looked like a strong leader, but because he looked like a miserable old man that would lead these lost people.
A moment later, a younger man entered the room, followed by his own group of servants. His image was nothing short of breathtaking. He was tall and lean, yet had broad shoulders that almost commanded authority. His dark hair was swooshed away from his eyes, which were magnetic; black as coal, yet even from this distance I could see the pull of power they must have.
The older man stepped out on the balcony, and a second later the younger one followed. I expected to hear applause, but when I didn’t I turned in the drape to look out at the others. The crowd remained still, silent. I thought that maybe this old man was about to tell them horrible news and they knew that, and that’s why they were quiet. I listened intently as the old man began to speak.
The language in which he spoke was foreign to me – but it almost sounded like Latin, a subject I’d managed to get an A in when in I was in the eighth grade. As I struggled to remember that dead language, I finally managed to make out a few words: ‘You are the dammed – and debt is due,’ the old man said. He went on with his speech, and I finally realized that he wasn’t delivering bad news; no, this was more like a sermon. My heart broke for these people. It was like watching all the dark shadows that I’d redeemed gather in one place to hear an evil ruler tell them they didn’t deserve a life.
I felt someone squeeze my arm, and I jumped back to see an older woman holding me. I wasn’t afraid of her; her dark eyes were peaceful, yet troubled. She didn’t look like the people below; she looked like she lived here - like she was royalty.
“Am I dreaming?” the woman asked.
A daring smile came to my eyes as I felt the element of power that seeing was giving me. Quietly I uttered “No, I am,” then focused on where Madison was – that little boy. I felt my soul rush back there.
In front of me was the little boy, and I could hear Madison telling me that I wasn’t going to step into another memory - and that was final. I had gone and returned so quickly, she hadn’t even noticed that I’d left.
“That was mom,” Preston said as he smiled at me.
“That lady that thought she was dreaming?” I asked.
He nodded. “Beth, my mom.”
“What? What did I miss – did you already go? That fast?” Madison asked.
I ignored her. “Who were those men? The old one and the young one? Are they bad?”
“Only one is…my brother is good.”
I assumed he was talking about the younger man, but I had my doubts at the same time. Nothing seemed normal about this little boy.
“Why are you here, and they’re there?” I asked.
In that instant, Preston opened his mind again, and I saw him in a different room of the palace. The young man with magnetic, coal dark eyes was there with him. They were both dressed for a formal evening. The young man was adjusting Preston’s tie. Once he was done, he knelt down so he could look Preston in the eyes. “Listen, buddy, tonight is the blue moon. If something happens to me, mom, or dad, you find a way to Chara. You make Willow take you there – you hear me?” he said in a tender tone.
Preston nodded. “Marc will carry me.”
The young man looked down, and grief seemed to overcome his fearless complexion, which could only belong to a King. “This is going to end badly,” he said quietly.
Preston reached his tiny hands for the young man’s face. “Change is hard, but necessary to reach what our soul craves.”
The young man grinned. It was a stunning grin, one that would stop anyone in their tracks. He then picked Preston up and spun him around before hugging him tightly.
The instant that scene was over, I was back in the field, staring at those blue eyes. I nervously looked to my side to see if Madison had seen what he showed me, but she wasn’t paying attention to us; instead, she was staring at Landen’s home in the distance.
I stood up slowly. “I don’t...um...I don’t really understand what’s going on in your life – but Madison’s right: all of you have your own battles to face. Still, will you tell Austin when you see him that I need him?”
Preston smiled innocently. “He will return when my world and yours must collide to move forward.”
“How soon will that be?” I asked.
“The events in our life have a time and purpose; wishing for them to come sooner will cause you to miss the lesson you’re meant to learn at this moment.”
“How old are you?” I asked, completely mystified by him.
“This life? Six. Who knows how old my soul is,” he said with an innocent giggle.
Madison squeezed my arm. “Can we go now?” she asked nervously.
“Wait,” Preston said as he reached for my wrist. His tiny fingertips traced my Ankh tattoo, and I felt a warm, tingling sensation. Instantly, the raw, burning feeling in my skin had vanished.
Preston smiled. “Happy Birthday.”
My eyes grew wide as I smiled. “Thank you,” I said quietly.
He let go of my hand, then ran toward Landen’s home.
“Now, Charlie – I want to go back,” Madison said as she squeezed my hand.
I closed my eyes, then opened them again and found myself in the now dim living room of Wesley’s home. He was staring patiently at us with his dog on his lap and the love of his life, Erica, sitting next to him.
Chapter Sixteen
I took me a second to gain my bearings, to understand that I was back – what I’d seen. It would be impossible for me to explain to anyone what just happened to us. I looked down at my wrist to see the tattoo I’d gotten this morning completely healed. I looked up to see Wesley smiling at us.
“Welcome back,” he said as he reached to pull Erica closer to him.
“How...how long were we gone?” I asked, looking to my side at Madison. She wasn’t paying attention to me; she was lost in her thoughts.
“Like, at least six hours. It’s nearly seven.”
“Are you serious?” I asked.
“How is that possible? How did that take six hours - but when I went to Esterious, it only took, like, a second?” I asked Madison.
“You went to Esterious?” Wesley asked, clearly alarmed.
I nodded. “I was looking for Austin. They said he was there with all the other travelers. Have you been sitting here the whole time?” I asked, completely confused by the gap in time.
The girl with him, Erica, laughed as she patted his knee. “I gave him a bathroom break, but that was it.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, finding it somewhat amusing.
Madison leaned forward and looked at Wesley. “Your home...your home is breathtaking. I don’t know how you found the will to leave it.”
The smile on Erica’s face grew as she looked to her side at Wesley. “I think I’m completely convinced now: we should live in Chara.”
Wesley grinned. “All I needed to do was have them tell you that?” he asked.
Erica smiled. “It has to be magical. I just watched both of their wrists heal before my eyes.”
Wesley looked back at us. “That was intriguing. Who did that?”
“Preston,” I answered.
He shook his head no once, telling us he didn’t know him.
“Look, we have to go. I’m sorry for stealing your day. We told everyone we saw to send Austin back. Will you tell us the moment you see him?” I asked as I stood.