The Mortal Fringe (30 page)

"Don't worry about that."

"How can you say that?"

"Your family and Abigail are hiding
with Tristan, they are alright.”

"My mother knows about
this?"

Elizabeth gets closer to
me.

"Everyone knows, Alex."

I think about what that means, Barbra
said it was their most precious rule, secrecy. I can't even start
to imagine what that might do to them. To us.

"She keeps Jay, they took him, but
they don't have his soul. There's hope for him."

I don't know if I have to be relieved
by that, he could still die. It only makes me more nervous. But yet
I have another question. The most important one.

"How is it possible?"

She knows what I mean.

"The knife she used cut my hand, and
the blood from my body came into yours."

Immortal blood keeps things
alive.

"You remember" she smiles "Come, let
me show you something."

I grab her hand, the pain is almost
gone. As I stand up I realize everything feels different, I only
feel half alive. She walks me through the garden, and as I cross it
I understand what it means to her. Those roses are like her,
perfect in their own way, and require long care to become eternal,
as they are. But yet, a soft breeze could tear them apart.
Immortals resemblance perfection, but as perfect as they are, their
soul can be torn to pieces and destroy them.

We reach the wooden recipient in the
middle of the garden.

"Look" she says.

I bend over the light, I see
Elizabeth's silver soul and another light, different to hers, with
a single drop of blood in the middle. I don't
understand.

"Our bonding was too great that half
of your soul left to join mine when Mal stabbed you. You can take
it back, if you want, or take mine."

I smile at her, and turn my back to
the wooden pedestal. I can't take her soul, I couldn’t' become what
she is, never

"We only fall together" I say firmly,
as my answer.

"Together" she whispers.

I hold her in my arms.

"Does that make you a God? My half
soul?"

"I don't think so, nothing like this
has ever happened before, but I don't think they will be
understanding, or merciful. Not now."

I kiss her on the forehead. Trying to
think about something else.

Time goes by, and even though I try to
remember what happened the night I almost died I can't bring back
the memories. It may have been days ago, even months, life seems to
have stopped for me.

What about home? What about my mother?
I promised her she would not lose another son, and yet… That was a
promise I could have never kept. I hope to see her again, someday,
when all this turmoil is behind us. If that ever
happens.

I don't know what's happening in the
world, and I can't think about it. I can barely bring my mind to
realize that everyone I ever truly cared about has been damaged
because of me. Elizabeth tries to take the thought away,
unsuccessfully.

"What now?" I ask her when I am
confident enough to hear the answer.

"Now" she begins "we wait."

"What for?”

"Anything."

Nothing has happened
according to anyone's plan. Wherever this may lead us, is unknown
to us. But there is one thing we both know for sure, we are alone
now, Gods won't back us up, and Mal's hunger for revenge makes it
impossible for us to try to find allegiance in the world above.
Whatever we do, we must stick together, now more than ever. Maybe
Jay will be able to come back to us one day, but until then, all we
can wait for, is anything.

After all, we are Tartars
now.

Alex, half
living

I turn around and everything in her
chamber greets me; the black roses don't look black anymore, the
intense power of their colour shines and lights the place, the high
and roofless walls protect us both from anything that may come
against us. I am ready to call this place home, after
all.

My dark
paradise.

###

THE
END.

Thank you for reading “The Mortal
Fringe”!

Jordi Ribolleda