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  “Our bloodline begins with twin sisters, Jayda and Samilya. I’m a descendant of Jayda, and Karsten is a descendant of Samliya.”

  “Go on,” Landen said, looking at her in the rear view mirror.

  “Samilya was given to the ruler of the East, Oba, as a wife. It is said that Samilya did love her husband at first, but years later she ran away from him, taking their children with her. She ran to her sister Jayda, in the West, and told her that Oba was possessed by darkness. Jayda hid her sister away, but Oba sent guards to retrieve his wife and children. They took Jayda by mistake. When Jayda stood in front of Oba, he looked into her eyes, his body tensed, and he fell to the floor and screamed in pain; as he did, darkness came from his eyes, ears, and mouth. When it had all escaped him, a bitter taste surfaced in his mouth; the darkness could not reside in a body that feels only pure love. ”

  I replayed her story in my mind, trying to place the names in the right place; I couldn’t help feeling an utter confusion. “I don’t understand. His wife was Samilya, not Jayda; was the darkness confused - or was Oba?” I asked.

  “No one was confused. If Jayda had been given as his wife, then the darkness never would have been able to invade Oba. It didn’t matter that they were identical; real love is beyond the surface.”

  “So where did the darkness go?” Landen asked as we approached the passage.

  “It hasn’t returned to Analess since then,” Nyla said, sliding back to climb out of the Jeep.

  Dane opened my door for me, then reached in and took the books. Clarissa was standing behind him. As I felt their solid intent on separating for my benefit, my stomach turned and dropped; I felt like I was leading an innocent lamb to sacrifice. “Dane, I think maybe you and Marc should stay with the others - that you need to shield them, not us. Perodine was not her normal calm; she could have been speaking irrationally,” I said, stepping out avoiding their eyes. I was a horrible liar - and everyone knew it.

  “Well, if she was irrational, then there’s no reason for you to worry about me being at your side,” Dane said, trying to catch my eyes.

  I gave in and stared up at him. “You don’t have to do this,” I whispered.

  “I know,” he said, reaching back for Clarissa’s hand. I walked past them to Landen’s side; he was with Stella and Marc, and I knew he was trying once more to dissuade Marc.

  Stella smiled at me as I approached. I felt her calm and shook my head slowly from side to side. “You should be angry,” I whispered as I pulled her aside. I was hoping that if I convinced her to get Marc to go with her, then Dane would follow as well.

  “Why should I be angry?” Stella asked in an astonished, childlike manner as her eyes searched over my face.

  “This has nothing to do with any of you; it’s unfair that you’re asked to endure it with us,” I said in a low tone, looking deep in her dark eyes.

  Stella stepped forward and hugged me. “We’re all connected; you taught me that,” she said quietly as she let me go and walked to Marc’s side.

  Landen reached his hand out for mine, and both of us looked behind us to our home, then to our family that stood in front of us. We struggled to fight the emotion of grief; it felt like we were saying goodbye to Chara, to all the ones we loved. Rose caught my stare, and I saw her move her head from side to side, telling us to remain calm, that we would return.

  “Landen, do you want to lead? We’ll stay in the back,” Ashten asked casually. Landen nodded, then took my hand and led us all in the string.

  “Willow,” I heard Brady say. I looked back to see him and Felicity walking in behind us. “Will you carry Allie?” he asked me as he reached his arm around Felicity to guide her through the darkness she was seeing; I smiled and reached to take Allie gently from her arms.

  “Thank you,” Felicity said, gripping Brady now. “I’m not a big fan of the dark,” she said, smiling at herself.

  “I’m sorry. It’s to keep you safe; I promise,” I said, cradling Allie.

  “And we will be,” Felicity said, smiling in the direction of my voice; I wished I could bottle her optimism. I looked down at Allie to see her eyes studying the hazes around us. I took in her calm, knowing I’d need to remember it soon.

  “I want to go, too, Landen,” Brady said in a muffled tone, not wanting Chrispin or the others to hear him.

  “Brady, I need you to make sure our family is safe, to protect your daughter. Please do that for me. I need to know that you will,” Landen answered in a low tone.

  Brady looked at me, then to his daughter, then he nodded.

  We walked swiftly through the flowing current. Without the storms to concern us, paths that would take hours now took only minutes. Before long, the string began to turn a beautiful shade of yellow, and stunning sparkles danced in thin air.

  Landen stood at the passage. I stood opposite him and gently handed Allie to Felicity. They passed through first, and Landen and I waited as each of the people we held dear to us passed through, then we stepped in.

  Perodine was right: Pelhan must have know we’d be coming; even though it was the dead of night, three women waited to meet us. Above, the stars seemed to flow like diamonds, and a white glow of energy lingered around everything. The women waited for Landen and I to lead our family, which we did as they gestured and lead them through the streets to Pelhan’s.

  Pelhan was on the porch with Aora at his side, waiting. Behind them were four more women dressed all in white. They walked forward and guided everyone in - with the exception of me and Landen; we stared at Pelhan with questioning eyes.

  “Can you help us? What have the stars told you?” Landen asked.

  Pelhan stepped off the front porch and walked slowly to Landen, smiling. Aora mirrored his steps. “My friends, I cannot read the stars above; I never have been blessed with that understanding,” he said.

  “Then how do you know what you know?” I asked, confused.

  Pelhan looked at me and smiled. “I listen to my higher self; in the silence, I find the answers I seek,” he answered.

  “Can you ask how to defeat him?” Landen said as respectfully as he could.

  Pelhan nodded. “I have already...light is the destruction of darkness,” he answered.

  I let my shoulders fall, then looked up at Landen. We were both hoping for an insight beyond that; we wanted to know how to avoid it, to endure it. Pelhan smiled and began to walk to the large garden to the left of his home. He looked over his shoulder, assuring himself that we were following him. He and Aora led us through the weaving paths of the garden. In the center of it were red rose bushes that towered over me; the thorns looked like steel razor blades, and I pulled my arms close to me, wanting to avoid them. The rose bushes encircled a small area where the grass was short, which was where Pelhan sat slowly down and crossed his legs in front of him. Aora sat at his side. Landen looked at me and sighed; neither of us felt we had time for these slow, revealing lessons.

  We sat in front of them and pulled forth as much patience as we could. With a small grin across his face, Pelhan looked at Aora and nodded; she then reached her hand for the closest bush. I squinted my eyes as her hand gripped the thorns and blood slowly drizzled down her wrist. When she released the stem, she showed us her palm: I could see four deep lacerations. My mouth dropped, and I felt a cold sweat come across my forehead; I’d never been one who could endure the sight of blood. Landen reached his arm around me, giving me as much calm as he could; I knew he was bothered by the display as well.

  Aora stretched her hand toward Pelhan, who took her hand. With his touch, the glow around them grew brighter; when it dimmed, he released Aura’s hand, and she showed us her palm: the lacerations were gone, and all the blood was gone from her wrist...it was as if it had never happened.

  “How?” Landen asked quietly.

  “This is a gift you taught me long ago. I’ve never been able to teach another - but I hope that changes tonight,” Pelhan answered.

  I swallowed and looked t
o the razor thorns, fearing that he was going to ask me to cut my hand so Landen could practice this new gift.

  “You saw the light?” Pelhan asked. We nodded. “That was my energy, me wanting more than anything to take her pain away, to heal her body from its wounds.” He paused and examined his own Aura. “You can see clearly that now, my energy - our energy - has been depleted,” Pelhan said.

  “Can you get it back?” Landen asked

  “It will return when we join as one,” Pelhan answered.

  “You just wanted to heal her...just a focused thought?” Landen summarized.

  Pelhan raised his eyebrows and smiled slightly; I could tell he was amused by Landen’s eager interpretation.

  “A much focused thought; no doubt or care for my own well being...willing to give her my energy, my life force,” Pelhan said.

  “At least I can heal you,” Landen said, looking to his side at me.

  “You can heal anyone,” Pelhan said. Landen curiously looked to him. “It’s an amazing gift, but you must be careful with it; when you take your energy and give it to another, you are depleting yourself, taking away your ability to shield yourself from others. I’m afraid that in your path you will find a need for both; therefore, a balance must be enforced.”

  “But you said you could get it back by joining,” Landen said as he tried to understand Pelhan’s warning.

  “Yes, but you would have to fully release yourself inside one another, losing touch with time and reality. During that time, your bodies are at their weakest point; joining inside any dimension beyond here and Chara is not advisable for the two of you.”

  Aora reached her hand for the same stem her hand was on before; blood was still dripping from the thorns. I closed my eyes and buried my head in Landen’s shoulder, not wanting to see the display again. I could feel how nervous and unsure Landen was, so I put my hand on his leg, imagined the emotion of victory, and gave it to him. A second later, I felt a warm hum rush through the both of us; the sensation was amazing. I opened my eyes to see Landen releasing Aora’s hand; he’d healed her completely. I could feel utter astonishment coming from Landen. Aora grasped the stem again and again, and each time Landen seemed to heal her faster. The white glow around us dimmed more and more as he healed her. Landen finally released Aora’s hand and said, “I feel weaker.”

  Pelhan nodded. “I feel that you have mastered this; we will leave you alone to join your energy,” he said, standing.

  “Wait - we don’t have time for this; August and Perodine are waiting for us,” I said, rising to my knees.

  “You can return in a few hours. We will get your family settled and wake you then; it is important that you are strong,” Pelhan said, helping Aora up.

  We watched them walk into the darkness, leaving us alone in the rose garden. I let myself fall back on my legs, then looked to my side at Landen, who was staring at the blood-stained thorns. “I don’t think I can be calm enough to meditate,” I said, trying to get his attention.

  His eyes moved to mine, then he reached his arms out for me to lean into him; I could feel a calm coming from his embrace. “I don’t want you to worry; I can feel your grief. We’ll come back for them and go home to Chara,” he whispered.

  “I can feel your grief,” I whispered back.

  He leaned his shoulder back so I’d have to look at him. “It’s a grief for a life we’ll never have, a life uninterrupted by anyone or anything in Esterious.”

  I reached up and let my lips rest on his neck, then thought, “That day will come.”

  We drifted into calm. As we left or bodies, we merged our energy, taking in the tantalizing, addictive rush.

  Chapter Three

  It seemed like only moments before we felt Aora and Pelhan gently touch our bodies. We took in a deep breath; it’s almost painful to go from such bliss to the weight of a body. Once we focused, we stood and noticed that the beautiful white line that connected me and Landen was brighter and wider.

  “It is time to return to Delen” Pelhan said, extending his hand to guide us out of the garden.

  “We need to say goodbye,” Landen said, wrapping his arm around me.

  “Yes, they are waiting at the passage,” Pelhan said as he turned to lead us.

  We followed Pelhan out of the garden and down the street to the passage. In the distance, I could feel our family; overall, they were at peace. I began to focus on each of them as individuals, committing what I loved about their emotions to memory. Landen smiled down at me as he felt each one with me.

  Pelhan stopped when our family came into view. “We will send our good thoughts to each of you,” he said as he and Aora bowed their heads. I smiled slightly, then Landen nodded his head and we continued forward to our family.

  In the center, our parents and grandparents stood with Libby and Preston at their side. Libby was staring up at me, and I stepped forward and knelt before her to see her eye-to-eye. “Will you be able to tell me that all of you are OK when I’m in Delen?” I asked her.

  She shook her head no. “I don’t know how,” she whispered.

  “How did Perodine talk to you? How did you know I needed to go there tonight?” I asked, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

  “I felt it,” Libby said.

  I could feel frustration begin to emerge in her, and Landen put his hand on my shoulder, urging me not to push her. I looked up at him, then back to Libby. “It’s alright,” I whispered.

  “We’ll try,” Preston said, looking up at me and Landen.

  I forced a smile, then rose from my knees. The others had encircled us. Landen reached down and picked up Libby, hugging her as tight as he could, then he sat her down and reached for Preston to come to him. As he hugged him, Preston whispered something to Landen. Whatever it was, Landen didn’t understand it; confusion was dominating his emotions. Landen nodded, then stepped back, sighing.

  “What did he say?” I asked

  “I’ll tell you later,” Landen thought.

  He crossed his arms and stared at our fathers, prepared to judge every word they spoke. “Is there anything that any of you know that may help us?” he asked.

  Ashten and my father turned to Nyla and Karsten, waiting for one of them to explain. Karsten, my grandfather, cleared his throat. “The books we’ve given you are written in the first language, a language of symbols. August has spent decades with the scholars of Analess; he will serve as a great ally to the both of you,” he said, showing us the emotion of confidence. “Nyla and I can tell you that the descendants of the Odina have always been divided by one trait. It is said that Samilya lost her husband and never found another love, and her tribulation has been passed down from generation to generation. I am the only person in recorded history that has found a home in Chara, yet thousands from Jayda’s decedents have,” he explained.

  “It shouldn’t matter if someone before you couldn’t find love,” I argued, not understanding how half of a world could honestly believe that.

  Karsten stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me. “I know. I never believed it either. Perhaps that’s why your grandmother found me,” he whispered proudly. I leaned out of his embrace and smiled at him.

  Rose stepped forward and hugged me and Landen. She then whispered in my ear, “They’re just stories; only those who were there know the truth.” I knew she meant to comfort me, but it made me more nervous; I wanted to know what those twins had to do with any of this.

  Landen looked at his father and asked, “How come I was never told of this division?”

  Ashten held in a breath and looked over Landen. He wanted to stop us, to tell us we were foolish, but he feared it would only push us further away from him. “No one in Chara really knows of this. Our family is already seen in a rare light for being direct ancestors of Alyianna and Guardian; divulging information about being connected to other admired ancestors seemed to encourage a division between our family and the rest of Chara - something none of us want. Honestly, it didn’t
seem to pertain to the two of you, or Esterious,” Ashten answered. His words echoed the truth.

  Aubrey hugged Landen, then me, and my mother did the same. “You make sure you’re home for your birthday,” my mother said in a cracked voice as she let go of me. She hid her face in my father’s shoulder, and I could feel her trying to call forth positive thoughts, trying to take herself to days in the future.

  “Landen,” my father said in a low tone, “you take care of my little girl.” He pulled me to him, and I wrapped my arms around my parents and thought of how much I loved them. The emotion didn’t comfort them as I intended; instead, it only brought them more grief. They didn’t want me to go.