Chapter Twelve
Peace at Last
Jade
lay in my arms; she was beginning to fade.
I swear, she was
transparent. The other shade walkers had already disintegrated, the
moment Antharion had driven his sword into Alatheria's
heart.
"Jade, I don't understand. How did...How did you get
here?" I asked her.
"William," she replied. "Hérion.
Bethany, he...he killed me."
"What?"
"That night. The
night I left SINsation with him. He took me back to my house
and...and..."
Jade composed herself, and forced herself to
continue.
"He killed me. That's where we all
came from; the shade walkers. Hérion is able to move freely between
Myranthand and the human world, and he uses this ability to kill
innocent mortal girls and bring them back here, to be that bitch's
priestesses."
"God," I sobbed. "Jade, I'm so
sorry..."
She shook her head, weakly.
"It doesn't matter
anymore," she whispered. "None of it matters anymore. What
matters is that it's all over. She's gone, the Oracle's
safe...you're safe. That's all I care about."
"There you
go, worrying about me all the time instead of taking care of
yourself," I laughed through my tears.
"I love you, Beth,"
she said.
"I know," I replied. "Love you too."
I hugged
her, holding her until she faded into nothingness.
I leapt to my
feet and ran to Antharion, sobbing hysterically.
"I'm sorry,
love," he whispered. "But at least she's at peace, now."
I
nodded against his chest, finally gaining control over myself.
We
left the castle and the spoils of the battle behind, and returned to
our steeds. I was relieved to find Lashäd perfectly unharmed, and
Mugrumple safe in my saddlebag.
After
travelling for days, we finally returned to Lakehaven. Although I
couldn't see her, I had a strong feeling that Avalon was with us
the entire time.
Draxus called the staff together in the Great
Hall.
Antharion and I stood in front of the High Table, with
Draxus, Daug and Koralynne beside us.
Koralynne cried silently,
overwhelmed and devastated by the loss of her brother.
I gently
rubbed her back, and she gave me a grateful smile.
I jumped at a
sudden sound, and the entire gathering gasped as a bright beam of
whitish-blue light suddenly burst into view directly in front of
Antharion and myself.
It faded, and a woman stood before us.
She
was almost a head taller than Antharion, with waist-length, golden
blonde hair. Her skin was the colour of fresh milk, with a slight
rosy look to her high cheekbones.
I knew, without a doubt, that
this was the goddess Avalon in her true form.
"We lost many
great friends at the hands of the Countess Alatheria," she said in
a voice like a bell. "But I am pleased to say that the kingdom of
Lakehaven and the land of Myranthand are now at peace once
again."
Everyone cheered.
She turned to Antharion and I and
embraced us both in turn, and then, slowly, she transformed into a
tiger once again.
She looked at me, directly into my eyes.
You
did spectacularly well, Sairalindë,
she told me. Your
parents would be proud.
I
smiled, unsure of what to say.
She flicked her tail once and
prowled away, dematerialising right before my eyes.
I turned back
to the congregation and smiled, collecting myself.
"Well," I
said. "Let's celebrate."
Mugrumple flapped his wings
excitedly and I laughed.
We took our seats, and the feast
began.
Much like the feast we had on my first night in Myranthand,
the table was laid out with platters of seafood, cheese, fruits,
vegetables, and breads, and a tureen of thick pumpkin soup. The
centrepiece was a delectable haunch of venison.
"Come,
love," Antharion said softly when the feast was over, cupping my
face gently in his hands and kissing me. "Let's get some
sleep."
I smiled and kissed him back.
"That sounds
wonderful."
We retired to our chamber and curled up under the
covers together, his arms around my waist.
I couldn't forget
Jade and the rest of our friends whom we lost in the battle, but I
was glad it was finally over.
~*~
I
woke up with the sun streaming in thin columns of light through my
curtains.
That dream was completely weird, just bizarre, but
strangely intriguing.
I chalked it up to my vivid imagination, and
crawled out of bed, remembering that today was the day. I would be
moving out of my parents house; moving out on my own.
I pulled
on a pair of jeans and an orange turtleneck sweater, and started
packing away my belongings.
Faintly, I heard footsteps coming up
the hallway.
"Bethany...Are you sure you're ready for this,
honey?" My mother appeared in the doorway behind me.
"Yes,
Mom," I said gently, going over and giving her a hug. "I'm old
enough to move on and get out of your hair now. Besides, I can't
back out now, the settlement's already finalised."
Wait...hadn't
I said the exact same thing to her in my dream?
Must have been a
coincidence.
She hugged me back.
"Take care of yourself,
okay?"
"I will," I smiled. "I promise."
I grinned as
Dad entered the room.
"I'll visit every birthday and
Christmas." I promised.
My mother's smile faltered,
briefly.
Just
as it had in the dream...
She
and Dad shared a look, and I immediately became concerned.
"Guys?
Is something wrong?"
They looked slightly startled and
flustered, as though they didn't know how to answer my
question.
"No," My mother replied finally. "Everything's
fine, dear."
After a long, tearful goodbye, (just
like in the dream)
I slid into my little red Volvo and left my parents house, following
the moving van toward my own.
The house was large, maybe
larger than necessary for a young woman living alone, with a small
porch and an awning supported by intricately carved, white pillars.
The walls were off-white, the door and windows trimmed with a deep,
woody brown.
Once everything was unpacked and the movers had left,
I took another chance to explore the house. At the end of the long
downstairs hallway was a door that had been locked when I had first
visited the house.
Today, however, it was unlocked. I opened the
door carefully, surprised when it did not creak, and peeked
inside.
My jaw dropped in awe.
Okay, holy freaking crap. This
was getting insane.
Behind the door was exactly what had been
there in my dream.
It was a beautiful greenhouse, filled with
lush, green plants and flowers which were blooming perfectly. There
was a strange cement plant box in the middle of the room, and in the
centre of it was a small door.
I hesitated.
Should I? Things
were weird enough already, did I really want to—oh
the hell with it.
I tried the handle, but the door was locked
(didn't surprise me, really).
Disappointed, I left the door
alone and watered a few of the plants.
As
I was heading back up the hallway-- you guessed it--the phone
rang.
"Hello?" I pretended I didn't know who was
calling.
"Hey, Miss Independent. How's things in the new
house?"
Courtney. Of course. This was too much.
"Um...Hi,
Courtney. It's...quiet. You're the first official call I've
had."
"You okay? You sound a little funny. Like you're
worried about something."
"Just tired after the move, I
guess," I covered up.
She giggled.
"That's
understandable. Hey, the girls and I have been thinking. Why don't
we go out for a celebratory drink?"
"Sounds great!"
"Excellent. We'll pick you up in an hour, is that enough
time?"
"It's perfect. See you then!"
We hung up and I
hurried to get ready.
I slipped into a pair of jeans, my favourite
pair of leopard-print high-heels and a black halter top, and was just
finishing my makeup when the girls arrived. I grabbed my purse and
hurried outside, locking the door behind me.
I ran down the
driveway, almost losing my shoes in the process, and practically
threw myself into Courtney's adorable little white Honda Sedan.
The
girls all squealed by way of welcoming me, and Courtney leaned over
in the driver's seat next to me to give me a hug.
"So, where
are we going?" I already knew the answer.
"It's opening
night at SINsation." Vanessa spoke up from the back seat. "Jared
said he'd let us in for free."
"That's so sweet of him."
I said, not quite as excited as I had been in the dream.
She
grinned.
"When are you two getting married?" I teased
her.
"When he works up the courage to ask me." Vanessa
replied, perfecting her mascara.
Well,
everything went exactly the way it had in the dream, so I won't
bore you with the details.
The only thing different was that
William didn't show up.
I was secretly relieved, for Jade's
sake.
I
hobbled over to Courtney's car and almost fell into the front
passenger seat.
"Court," I said, my voice slurred. "You
ssshure you can drive?"
"Hey, you had more than I did." she
laughed.
"How many fingers am I holding up?" I asked, and
flipped her off.
She and Vanessa howled with laughter.
"Sure
you can get to the door without falling on your ass?" Courtney
teased as we pulled up outside my house.
"I think so."
"Want
us to carry you?" Vanessa offered. "And by 'us' I mean
Courtney, of course."
I laughed.
"Nah, I'll be fine.
Thanks for the great night, girls."
I clambered out of the Sedan
and made my way up the driveway, already feeling the effects of the
alcohol lessening. I fumbled with the key and finally got the door
open.
As I stepped inside, I immediately noticed that things
looked somehow different.
Almost as though someone, or something,
had been in the house, but the door had been locked.
I chalked it
up to the alcohol that was still in my system, and went to bed.
At
around five in the morning I was awoken by a strange sound coming
from the end of the hallway. I sat up in bed and listened hard.
I
heard it again; a scuttling sound, like tiny footsteps, running up
the hall from the greenhouse.
It was accompanied by the heavier,
slower footfalls of a slightly larger being.
I jumped out of bed
and tiptoed to the door, pressing myself against it.
"Who's
there?" I asked, loudly. "You're breaking-and-entering! If you
don't get out of here now,
I'm calling the cops!"
I opened the door a little, and was
almost knocked off my feet as a small creature practically flew into
the room.
Mugrumple looked just as he had in the dream.
I
rubbed my eyes, then shut them tightly and shook my head vigorously
before opening them again.
Nope. Still there. Okay...
"Ah!"
It cried in a high-pitched voice. "It is you, Sairalindë
Eáranë!"
"Queen
Sairalindë," A gruff voice corrected, and I cowered as another
creature entered the room.
As I suspected, it was a dwarf, dressed
from head to toe in golden armour; his ginger beard was tied into two
plaits, his hair flowing down his back. "Please, your Highness,
forgive him for his insubordination."
He glared Mugrumple, who
lowered his head.
"I'm sorry," I spluttered. This was just
too freaking weird. "But...do I know you? And...what did you call
me?"
I knew the answer, obviously, but things were apparently
supposed to happen this way so I played along.
"I am Draxus,
your Highness, the King's General. And this is Daug," the dwarf
gestured to a small warty creature the size of a toy poodle hat had
just entered the room.
"And Mugrumple."
He gestured to
Mugrumple, who bowed so low that the tip of his pointed nose touched
the floor.
"And you," Draxus looked at me. "Are Sairalindë
Eáranë, Queen of Myranthand."
I'm pretty sure I passed out
at that point.
THE END