In Another Life (6 page)

“I did no such thing!” Orion sounded insulted by the accusation but his eyes continued to sparkle with mirth. He was enjoying their interaction.

“You did!” Marie countered. “You made those places up. You made Azriel up.”

“How could I when here we are?”

Sighing, Marie looked around. The houses with their golden walls looked so real. As did the emerald grass carpeted beneath her bare feet. Turning her head Marie looked around, trying to take everything in.

Orion watched her, a bemused look upon his flawless features.

“We should really get you in some better clothes,” he raised an eyebrow at her current attire. Blushing, Marie suddenly remembered how flimsy the hospital gown was. She pulled the thin fabric tightly around her slight frame.

“This is a little…revealing.”

“And strange,” Orion cast another glance over the gown. Marie was about to query what was strange about it when he spoke again;

“We should really get you to the palace.” He craned his neck to look at the impressive structure resting high above the glittering homes.

“The palace?”

“Yes,” Orion clarified. “As much as I’d like to keep you here with me, someone will spot you soon but at the palace they will know what to do with you there.”

“Do with me?” Marie suddenly felt tense. She was in a strange place, a strange world with no idea what to expect. Orion had been friendly but what if other people weren’t? What if she was actually in danger?

“What do you mean, do with me?” Marie firmly rooted her bare feet to the ground whilst casting a quick glance back the way she had come, past the great trees which snaked their way up to the sky. If she needed to run she’d have to be ready.

“Nothing bad,” Orion smiled, sensing her unease. “They will just be better equipped to familiarise you to Azriel than I am.”

“Why aren’t you able to do it?” Marie assumed that his suit meant he was someone of notability.

Orion shrugged and his eyes dimmed a little but still retained their lustre.

“I’m still in training, I’m not qualified to work in magic yet. I just recognised you and I thought I could help.”

There was so much about his comment that made no sense but Marie locked in on the most worrying piece of information;

“You recognised me?”

“But of course,” Orion’s warm smile instantly returned.

“How is that even possible?”

“Look, let’s just get to the palace; they will answer all your questions there.” Gently Orion began to guide her off the grass and on to the cobbled street. Marie wanted to resist, to state that she wouldn’t go anywhere with him but she found herself trusting Orion. Some innate part of her knew that he would keep her safe.

Carefully, he guided her towards the golden houses which broke off in to numerous thin streets. The whole area reminded Marie of a quaint country village except that the homes were much grander in both size and style.

As they ventured further in there were more people milling about. What struck Marie most about them was how they were dressed. Everyone dressed in a single, brilliant colour. Be it white, green, orange or fuchsia. All outfits were of block colour and most of the men wore suits and the women wore long flourishing dresses which wouldn’t look out of place at a ball.

Even people’s hair was arranged elaborately. Women nested their hair atop their heads adorned with sparkling diamonds complimenting the colour of their dresses. Everyone was tall and elegant and when they looked at Marie she noticed that whilst everyone’s eyes were not golden like Orion’s, they all sparkled.

“Why does everyone dress in one colour?” Marie turned to whisper to Orion as they passed through the streets.

“You dress for your mood each morning,” Orion explained helpfully. Marie noticed that all the colours were bright and vibrant, no one got up and felt sad and put on a black or grey outfit. It bemused her. If her outfit had to match her mood she’d almost always be in head to toe black.

“So what does white mean?” she asked, glancing at Orion’s immaculate suit.

“I was feeling hopeful,” he smiled. “I must have known I was going to find you.”

Marie didn’t dwell on the comment. Most of what Orion said made no sense to her.

The crowds of people began to thicken the closer they got to the hill which ascended up to the palace. Marie noticed some ladies look intently at her and then giggle and talk to one another behind their hands.

A man looked at her, kept walking then abruptly stopped and did a double take. Did they all recognise her like Orion had said he had? But that was impossible.

“The wealthiest inhabitants of Azriel live on the mile,” Orion paused at the base of the hill, just as the cobbled stones began to grow steeper. Marie titled her head to look up at the golden homes lining the street at the end of which stood the palace. The homes here were like mansions. In their front yards they had opulent fountains gushing out perfect clear water which caught the sun’s light and added more sparkle to the world.

“And who lives in the palace?” Marie wondered.

“The King and Queen did once,” Orion’s eyes dimmed once more. “But that was a long time ago.”

“What happened to them?”

Orion ran a hand over his face and avoided her gaze.

“We’re almost there,” he pointed up at the palace standing grandly ahead of them at the top of the hill.

“They’ll have all your answers there.”

“I think you have some answers you’re not sharing,” Marie deduced, titling her head as she regarded Orion.

“Don’t do that,” Orion looked at her, a hurt expression on his face.

“Do what?”

“Don’t tilt your head at me. You do that when someone displeases you. I don’t want to displease you.”

“What-” Marie opened her mouth but found no further words. How could Orion possibly be aware of a reflex she herself didn’t even know she was doing? It was all too bizarre.

“North, please, let’s just get to the palace.” Orion urged, placing his arm around her to guide her forwards. Marie shrugged him off and stepped away from him, her nostrils flaring.

“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on!” she cried. “And what did you just call me? My name is Marie!”

A few people in bright blue, pink and yellow outfits lingered close by, seemingly enthralled by their conversation. Marie turned and scowled at them but her agitation did nothing to diminish their interest.

“Come on,” Orion pleaded. “We can’t linger here too long. We need to get to the palace while we still have time.”

“Have time? Orion, please, tell me what’s going on. If you explain everything to me I’ll come with you and won’t say another word, I promise.”

“I can’t explain everything,” Orion sighed. “I’m still in training.”

“Oh right, yeah, you work in magic,” Marie rolled her eyes and sighed. “I’m dreaming aren’t I?” she decided.

“This is all just some bizarre dream and any moment I’ll wake up.”

Orion looked at her with strange intensity before suddenly crossing the space between them and bending to place a soft kiss upon her cheek. His lips felt warm upon her skin and when he pulled away he left a tingling sensation.

“What-” Marie raised a hand to the point he had just kissed, unsure what had just happened. As strange as Azriel was, she reckoned a kiss there had the same meaning as back home.

“You felt that?” Orion asked, seeming a bit breathless. He looked nervously around him, his friendly demeanour evaporating beneath the intense scrutiny of the growing crowd of onlookers.

“I felt it,” Marie admitted, feeling numb apart from the tingling upon her cheek. It had felt electric as though Orion were somehow super charged.

“Is that…?” someone in a purple gown pointed at Marie and let out a squeal of excitement as though she’d just seen a member of her favourite band casually walking down the street.

“We need to go,” Orion grabbed Marie’s arm and urged her forward and this time she didn’t resist.

“People are growing restless,” he explained as they hurriedly walked up the hill towards the glittering gates which guarded the entrance to the castle.

“They recognised you,” he added nervously. “I feared they would.”

“Recognised me? That’s impossible!” Marie was struggling to maintain pace with Orion who was effortlessly racing up the hill whilst she had to push herself up against the steep incline.

An eager crowd began to follow them up the hill. Glancing back at them they looked like a bizarre rainbow following in their wake.

“North!” someone shouted.

“North! Is that you?”

“Why do people keep calling me North?” Marie gasped, struggling for breath.

“Don’t worry about it now,” Orion insisted. “We’re almost there.”

As they kept heading up the hill the crowd behind them grew in numbers causing people in their mansions to cast open their doors and look out upon what was creating such a scene. By the time Orion and Marie reached the grand gates there must have been hundreds of people crammed in to the street behind them wearing a vast array of vibrant colours.

Orion didn’t look back; instead he pressed a gem in the centre of the gate which sparkled and then turned translucent, offering a view of what appeared to be a control panel. The sudden addition of technology in what appeared to be a predominately rural world surprised Marie.

“Requesting permission to enter,” Orion’s tone was formal when he spoke towards where the gem had been.

“Look in to there,” he whispered to Marie, pointing at a small camera lens in the control panel. A dark screen in the panel came to life, like a small television. A man in a dark blue suit looked wearily at Orion but his expression immediately changed when he spotted Marie.

“Yes, of course,” he said quickly before calling in to the space behind him; “open the gates.”

Seconds later the glittering gates began to silently part and as they did so the crowd gathered behind them began to whoop and cheer. The avalanche of sound bewildered Marie and she clung tighter to Orion, needing his reassurance.

Taking her hand he led her through the open gates and in to a vast courtyard. The gates sealed closed once more, blocking them off from the crowd who continued to rejoice.

“Orion, what’s going?” Marie trembled slightly. The palace loomed before her, even grander than it had appeared from a distance. Everything suddenly seemed so terrifyingly real. She had no idea what awaited her within its grand walls.

Orion turned to look at her, his eyes sad yet sparkling. He tightened his grip on her hand. He was warm to the touch as though he radiated a heat all of his own like a miniature sun.

“You’ve been gone such a long time,” he said softly. “We thought you’d never return, that this day would never come.”

“Orion you’re scaring me.”

He drew closer to her so that their hearts were only inches apart. Marie felt like there was a magnet within her soul, pulling her ever closer to him.

“You’ve been gone too long, but you’re back now,” Orion released her hand and lowered himself in a bow.

“We’ve missed you, Princess of Azriel, Princess North.”

“W-what?” Marie staggered back from Orion who was still bowing before her. “You’re crazy! This is all crazy!”