Embody (24 page)

“This body cannot pass through the string,
and we do not have the time to travel by ground,” I heard Alamos
say.

‘
String?’ What’s a ‘string?’
I
thought.

“We will go and get what we need tonight and
bring it here – you make sure this body survives four more days,” I
heard Drake say.

Four days...that’s all I have left?
What’s he going to get?
I felt my heartbeat rise and
desperately tried to make sure that they couldn’t detect it.

“What about the other girl?” Alamos
asked

“She’s keeping her balanced. Keep her close
for now. I’m sure when this over, she’ll still want to make sure
she’s safe,” Drake said.

I knew then that I’d have to play whatever
part he wanted me to in order to keep Stella alive, and I was
prepared to do so.

“Wake her. I’m sure the pain will resume
shortly. I’ll go and get her medicine,” Alamos said.

I heard his footsteps leave. Silence took
over for a moment, then I felt the heat of a body near my face.
Suddenly, his lips were on mine, and a warm sensation swept through
me; it was as if my body were craving it. I kept my eyes closed and
kissed him back, forcefully wrapping my weak arms around his
shoulders and pulling him closer to me. He reached his arms around
my back, then pulled me up as his body relaxed; as he did, I was
almost certain that when I responded to his kiss, I was sending his
sensation back through him. The guilt I felt last night grew even
heavier in my stomach as I saw the blue eyes again and remembered
the feeling I’d had in the street when the voice in my head told me
that he loved me. I made a silent promise to those eyes and that
voice that I had to do this for the sake of Stella’s life.

Drake slowly pulled away from me, and I
opened my eyes to see him smiling.

“Careful, little one; I don’t want to hurt
you,” he whispered, caressing my face.

I heard Alamos returning to the room and
pulled myself up slowly. He handed me the pills. I looked at Drake,
questioning why I had to take them if he was so close. He smiled
impishly at me.

“Did you dream? Alamos asked.

“No,” I answered.

“Are you dizzy?” he asked. I looked at Drake
and blushed.

I was, but I was sure it was because of him.
Alamos looked from me to Drake, then back at me. He sighed deeply.
“This body is weak; you need to be careful with where you place
your energy,” he warned. He then looked at Drake, and I couldn’t
figure out what was going to happen in four days.

“That will be all,” Drake said.

Alamos bowed his head and left the room.
Drake then picked me up and slid his body under mine, cradling me
in his arms. As he covered me with the blanket, I felt immersed in
the blissful warmth.

“Do you know when Stella will come back?” I
asked. I wanted to be sure of what I overheard him say, that she
was balancing me and that her safety was my main concern.

He smiled, tracing my eyes. “She should be
here just after nightfall,” he answered. I let my face fall. “Don’t
be sad. I’ve placed her in charge today. She won’t have to do any
hard labor. They must go to the other side of the city and wait for
the boats to arrive.”

I looked down, knowing that if I could feel
his emotion or see his intent, I just might believe him.

“I promise,” he whispered, seeing the doubt
in my expression.

I leaned back and stared forward, studying
all of his perfect features, knowing that I’d already known him. As
his eyes followed mine, he seemed to peer inside me at something
that I couldn’t even recognize.

“Does the sun ever shine?” I asked, breaking
our stare and peering out at the gray sky behind him.

“It will shine very soon,” he answered,
still staring at me.

I had flashes of blue skies, beautiful
sunsets, and a clear night’s sky with a blanket of stars. I
wondered for a moment how long it had been since the sun had shown
itself here.

“When my memory comes back to me, will you
be in it?” I asked, reaching to trace his dominant profile. He
smiled and nodded. “Good memories?” I asked

Drake sighed. “I think so,” he said,
smiling.

“Will you tell me, to help me remember?” I
asked, growing a little excited.

“The memories I have are not of this time,
and I don’t want to confuse you. Just know that you and I had a
passion like no other...we moved each other...even in the most
heated arguments – we’re always pulled to one another,” Drake said
with a seductive smile on his face. “At times, I’d think that you
lived to fight; passion comes from every part of you when you have
a point to make, and anyone would find you a worthy adversary.”

I shook my head in utter disbelief, wishing
I had that strength now.

“Do you feel strong enough for a short
walk?” he asked.

I nodded and slid off his lap. He stood and
wrapped his arm around my waist, then led me out of the room and
down the hall. At the end, we turned to the right this time. He
opened a double doorway to an open room full of windows, and a
large doorway was centered in the glass windows. He led me
there.

The view was depressing; outside the gates
of the estate, I saw a sea of gray, complete with a gray sky and
gray buildings. On the streets, I could see people all dressed in
black, carrying out their mundane day. From where I stood, I could
feel their deep sorrow, as well as a sense of betrayal. My eyebrows
furrowed as their pain became mine.

Drake was studying my face carefully. He
then moved behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. “You
feel them, how sad they are?” he whispered into my ear.

I sighed, feeling his breath on my neck,
then nodded. “Who betrayed them?” I asked, feeling that that was
the emotion that weighed them down more than any other.

Drake’s embrace around my waist tightened.
“They think that you and I have,” he said in a low tone. I turned
slowly to look up at him; his eyes were full of sorrow.

“Why us?” I asked in cracked voice, wanting
to undo whatever I had done to those poor people.

“They’ve been waiting for me to find you,
for you to join with me and bring them color to their dark world;
they’re ready for Donalt’s rein to end.”

I turned and looked out the window again,
realizing that I’d never be able to help them...I couldn’t even
help myself.

“I’m dying,” I whispered.

“I won’t allow it,” he said in gentle
tone.

I looked back to him, doubting his every
word.

He searched my eyes for understanding. “I
was to find you when the blue moon of your eighteenth year rose.
Just before that night, my father, a man I deeply admire and
respect, betrayed me; he led you to another man. They convinced you
that I was bad, that you didn’t belong to me. When I asked you to
be my queen, to release these people, you pushed me away with the
power that belongs to us.”

I felt the air leave me, and the room began
to spin.
How could I? Why would I?
My mind raced, trying to
give myself some kind of reason, but I couldn’t recall anything.
Stella’s story of Willow came to me; she was the one Drake was to
join with, not me.

“Is my name Evelyn?” I asked in a shaky
voice.

His eyes filled with compassion. He gently
kissed my neck, sending an addictive rush through me. “I’ve always
called you, My Love,” he whispered against my skin.

My body froze; I was terrified at the idea
of being someone or something else. He slowly raised his eyes to
meet mine, and I lost my breath in the color of midnight.

I couldn’t feel him, but I thought I saw
truth in his dark eyes. My mind rushed in every direction.
Does
he think I’m Willow? Am I demented? What’s was going on?
I even
considered that - because I was demented - my mind was telling me
that I was someone I was not. I felt my heart race, and the room
started to sway.

“I don’t understand. There has to be more to
the story than that...why did Stella not tell me any of this?” I
asked, trying to put everything I knew and remembered in order.

He shook his head and placed his finger on
my lips, ending my rant of questions. “Stella doesn’t know - and if
you were to tell her, to tell anyone, you’d bring them more harm
than good, I assure you.”

I swallowed, fearing that I’d grown too
comfortable with him. “Why would your father betray you? Does he
not want you to take over his rule?” I asked.

His eyes engulfed in pain; he sighed and
looked past me at the people in the streets. “Donalt is not my
father; he’s merely a mentor,” he answered.

I kept silent, too afraid to overstep the
boundaries he seemed to have drawn. He looked down to me again, and
I could see the pain in his eyes intensify; he was staring beyond
the surface of my body.

“My father was a traveler, a man that moves
between worlds,” he said with a sigh. “I ask myself everyday why he
would have wanted to bring me so much pain.” As my eyes questioned
his words, across his face I could see the pain of which he spoke.
“The night I came for you, he stood in my path. I pushed him away,
but my force was too strong, and I hurt him; he lost his life. I’ll
never know why he didn’t love me,” Drake said, looking down at the
ground, then up at me.

I put my hand on his chest, trying to heal
the heartbreak I could see in his eyes. He covered my hand with his
and kissed my forehead tenderly.

“Did you ever ask me why?” I whispered. “Why
I could be so selfish?”

He laughed under his breath, then tucked a
small piece of my hair behind my ear. “You were under the spell of
another; he never left you alone - not even when you dreamed. I
knew that you didn’t mean to hurt me - though I’m almost
certain...you’ll hurt me again,” he answered.

My eyes searched his wildly; the blue eyes,
the voice, the vision - they painted a life that was so beautiful,
not one that was under a misguided illusion. I felt torn between
those eyes and Drake. I knew without a doubt that I did hurt Drake,
but I had no way of knowing if he deserved it - or if that life or
this one were really illusions. I feared that this body would not
allow me the time I needed to unravel the mystery before me
now.

“I don’t want to hurt anybody,” I said,
searching his eyes.

“I know, but you only have one heart...you
cannot love us both,” he answered.

“Am I being punished for my actions? Is that
why I cannot remember, why the pain is so bad?”

“No, my love. This is a gift; you now see me
for who I am, not what others have told you. This,” he said,
reaching for the wound on my head, “has given this world - and our
love - another chance.”

I felt his sensation and closed my eyes. I
didn’t know who to trust, who to believe. I couldn’t conceive how I
could be someone like Willow - but I knew if Drake thought I was,
Stella’s life was safe.

“I want to save those people,” I said,
looking up at him.

He smiled down. “Just trust me; first, we
must save your life, my love.”

In the distance, I could feel someone
peaceful approaching with the intent of finding Drake. I pulled
away from him slowly, then looked in the direction from which I
knew it was coming. His eyes followed mine. A beautiful woman
walked in the room; she was wearing a very elegant flowing black
dress, and her eyes met mine. Though she smiled, I could feel her
sadness and regret. Drake led me in her direction, smiling
confidently. “I would like to introduce you to my mother...Beth,”
he said.

She smiled warmly at me, then at her son. I
could feel the profound amount of love she had for him, and I told
myself he couldn’t be as dark as Stella thought he was if this
woman could love him so dearly.

“How are you feeling, dear?” she asked
softly.

“I’m well,” I answered quietly.

For a moment, I was sure that I knew her,
too, but the memory I had of her was a sad one.

“You’d be amazed by her strength,” Drake
said, smiling at me.

Two men with hoods on their cloaks walked in
the room. Their arrival caught me off guard, and the void they had
was very annoying. “May we have a moment?” one of them said to
Drake. I could see his disapproval, but their tone gave him reason
to comply.

Beth smiled at me. “Come, dear, I’ll walk
you back to your room.”

I held my eyes down, afraid I’d done
something wrong. Beth looped her arm around me and led me down the
hall. I could feel her sadness building; she was in pain. I looked
behind me to ensure myself that we were far enough away not to be
heard by them.

“Will you tell me why you’re sad?” I
whispered.

A shock came through her, then she looked to
her side at me. “I suppose those pills aren’t capable of stripping
you of all your insights,” she said quietly.

As we walked in my room, I stopped her with
my hand. “You knew me before,” I accused.

She looked at me for a moment. I could feel
her remorse.

“No,” she said.

I knew she was lying. “Yes, you did,” I
argued, feeling the temper that Drake said I had rise within
me.

“I don’t know you...we were never
introduced,” she defended herself, regretting having underestimated
me.

“Everything Drake told me is true; I’m
supposed to be with him...I was taken from him,” I said, knowing
that no matter what she responded with, I’d be able to see if it
were the truth.

I felt a surge of sorrow and dread rise in
her.

She sighed and looked down. “In your heart,
you should already know if that were true...there is no doubt when
you find your soulmate,” she said.

I felt a small sense of joy take the
sorrow’s place as she remembered something.

“He said his father betrayed him, hurt
him.”

“His father loves him beyond reason and only
wanted what was best for him. Drake will see that one day.”