The Sword And The Pen (29 page)
Read The Sword And The Pen Online
Authors: Elysa Hendricks
"We're alive?" she asked in a hushed tone.
"It seems like it." I wanted to grin, to laugh and shout, but unsure of her reaction to returning to the real world, I held back.
She snatched her hand from my thigh and sat up. Her fingers curled and uncurled around the hilt of her sword, which had apparently come with her. Mine was gone, lost in the oblivion between our worlds.
Cool air swirled over me. I missed the warmth and comfort of her chest and face pressed against mine. I scooted up until my back rested against the desk and waited for her reaction.
I followed her gaze as she looked around my office. Papers littered the floor. The desk lamp cast a mellow glow over the chaos. For a long time she stared at the mural on my wall, then turned her gaze to the view outside the windows. A light rain pattered softly against the house, its sound a comforting rhythm. Lightning no longer lit the sky, and shafts of sunlight peeked between the dissolving clouds. The river below flowed swiftly, its surface like a stream of raw silver.
"What do you remember?" I asked.
Confusion turned her eyes the grayish-green color of a stormy sea. "I remember I died. Then I lived again." She touched the center of her chest then looked up. "Then you died." Pain darkened her eyes. "Now we're alive. Back in your world. I don't understand how these things have happened."
"I'm not sure, either, but we're alive and safe. Do you remember being here before?"
She dipped her head. "I remember it all. Are we here to stay? Will I return to Barue?"
From the moment she'd first appeared, her goal had been to return to her world. To save her people. To live free. Was there anything that could convince her to stay with me now?
"I'm not sure. Do you want to?"
When I lay dying, she'd whispered words of love, but what did she mean by it? Was her love for me strong enough to anchor her in this world? Had she known what she was effecting? Could she be happy here? If she wanted to return to the world of Barue, I couldn't keep her with me. I wasn't sure of the how or why of her appearance in my life, or how I'd ended up in her world, but somehow I knew if she didn't want to stay, she shouldn't. And I knew that whatever I had to do, I would find a way to send her back. And I knew I had the power to do it.
Though it pained me to offer, I said, "I don't know how, but if you want to go back I'll find a way to get you there." It was a promise.
"Are you so eager to be rid of me?"
"No, of course not!" I said. "I--"
She pressed her fingers against my lips. "The how and why do not matter. What is important is that we are here, together. Roark's death. . ." She paused. "He is dead, isn't he?"
I nodded vigorously, knowing it to be true.
She smiled and continued, "Thank heavens. But I wish to remain here with you, no matter what."
"You're sure?" I asked.
"I do not say what I do not mean."
Though I dreaded the answer, I had to ask. "What about Barue? Your life there? Mauri and Jole? Can you leave them?" Afraid to see the answer in her eyes, I looked away.
She cupped my cheek in her palm and met my gaze. "With Barue and Mauri free of Roark's yoke, I'm no longer needed there. You are the architect of their lives. I trust you to keep them safe." She threaded her fingers through mine.
I lifted our joined hands to her cheek. The uncertainty in her eyes reflected my own.
"Your world is a strange and wonderful place," she said after a moment. "I realize that I started as naught but a creature of your imagination, but I am more. I swear it. I don't know if I can be as real as the other people in your life, Hillary and Wanda, but I'm willing to try and fit in. Do not send me back. I love you. . .Brandon."
All of my doubt vanished. Hillary was going to be thrilled when she got the revisions on my latest book. I smiled and wrapped my arms around Seri. "There's more to you than anything I ever created. Your world is more real than I ever intended. In fact, maybe I didn't even create it. Maybe it exists in some parallel universe as real as this one, and I simply tapped into it. Whatever I've done, I don't know anymore. But I do know you've always been real to me, more real than Hillary or Wanda and a better person than any I know. I know without you my life will be empty. And I know without any reservations that I love you. Stay with me."
"Forever," she agreed.
Elysa Hendricks is 5'6" tall. I have curly hair and brown eyes. I'm a writer, a wife, a mother and a daughter. Everything else is subject to change without notice. If you'd like to know more connect with me online:
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