We opened our eyes; daylight was peering in through the front of the house. Landen sat up and rubbed his face, trying to wake up. I pulled myself up slowly.
“I don’t even know what to say,” I said quietly.
Landen looked down at the ground, then back at me.“I feel trapped,” he said. “What is the purpose of giving them any peace if they lose it as soon as one of the priests comes around?”
“Maybe we’re supposed to find the strong ones, help them so they can help the others,” I said, reaching for him to lie back down.
“People have tried to do that before. August tried to help a man in Esterious. The man and his family plotted underground to cause people to rise together against the priests, against Donalt. Someone betrayed them, and they lost their lives. They left behind two young girls. August has never forgiven himself for encouraging the man.”
“When was that?” I asked, feeling disgusted with Esterious.
“I don’t know...at least ten years ago. That’s why I think we need to be careful. I don’t want anyone’s blood on our hands,” Landen said, pulling me closer to him.
“I don’t think we hurt anyone last night. We could do the same again tonight,” I said, staring at the A-frame ceiling.
Landen looked at me. “I thought the reason we left our home without warning was to spend time alone, away from what Esterious has done to us, to our family and friends. We stumbled last night; I think we should be more careful and focus tonight. We need a break; we can go back when we understand it more,” he said in a final tone.
I wasn’t fond of being told what to do - I never have been. When I sat up quickly and went to find a shower, he knew I was upset.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, grabbing my bag and following me to the bathroom down the hall.
“What’s wrong?” I repeated sarcastically. “You want to go home and get everybody’s opinion on last night. You know what will happen – we’ll be pulled in every direction, only to find out that no one even knows one way or the other. All the while, people in Esterious are going to be living in their own personal hell. It’s not fair.” I pulled my things out of my bag and began throwing them on the counter in the bathroom.
Landen caught my hands before I could toss my brush. He then gently put my arms behind my back and pulled me against him, looked deep in my eyes, and smiled; he knew I would melt as soon as I took in the breathtaking blue of his eyes. “Now, you know that’s not my intent,” he said, tilting his head a little, still smiling. He was right; all he wanted to do was help those people, to keep everyone safe.
“I just want it to be over with; I don’t have the patience for all of this to unfold. Why can’t we just help and move on with our life?” I asked, almost pleading.
Landen kissed my forehead, then my lips softly. “We’ll figure this out, I promise. But right now I need you to clear your mind. Just in the past few weeks, our gifts have grown stronger; imagine how strong they’d be if we took time alone - just you and me, no distractions.” His hands gently moved up my arms as he continued, “Our gifts could very well be the way we are going to help them.” His eyes danced softly across my face.
“So your theory is that we take off alone, let our gifts strengthen, and then go back and get everyone all rallied up again?”
“Go back and help,” Landen corrected.
“It sounds like a very clever plan to get me alone,” I said, smiling a little. I knew he was right; we were sure to grow stronger without distractions.
“Everybody wins my way,” Landen said cheerfully, seeing he had managed to calm me down. He was getting better and better at that.
“I have to wear yellow here?” I asked in dread.
“We don’t have to stay here; there are other places, safe places. Let’s just not make any plans,” he said, moving his hands up to my shoulders. I nodded and took a deep breath. We did need a break, and I was excited to see all the other dimensions, to find the beauty that this universe had to offer.
Chapter Two
I was sitting on the back porch of Rose’s beach house, painting the beautiful sun as it pulled itself out of the ocean. Landen was silently watching in the background. We had spent so much time together now that our gifts had completely merged. We could see every possible choice a person could make, as well as where each of those decisions would lead them. People-watching proved to be a captivating hobby. Over the last few days, we had slowly made our way back toward our home. My father had predicted the exact moment Felicity’s first labor pain would come, as well as the very moment the baby would take its first breath - and that day was about to begin. I looked back at Landen and saw that he was already looking at me; we could both feel someone approaching the beach house. “August?” I asked.
Landen hesitated for a moment, then smiled and nodded. We woke ourselves back into our bodies. I made my way to the shower. Landen pulled on his clothes and went to greet August. Being able to remain conscious while our bodies slept opened up so many possibilities for us; it was like we had time to learn and apply so much more than we ever had before - and not a moment was lost. I secretly counted the days until we would be strong enough to help those people in Esterious. I’d imagined that once we came home, Landen would tell someone about the dream, where we’d helped so many people.
I hoped Landen would be more open to letting us drift there again if our family encouraged it. I was glad August had found us before we came home. He was very open-minded, and I felt safe around him. I felt safe around my father and Landen’s father, Ashten, too, but it was more than clear that they wanted me and Landen just to fall into the background and let fate take its course.
After showering and dressing, I found Landen and August on the porch. August was admiring the painting I’d finished just before he arrived.
“Would you mind if August took this one with him?” Landen asked, smiling at me.
“Of course not,” I answered, hugging August before sitting down next to them. Silence took over for a moment; August was attempting to hide his intent and emotion from us. He let out a small gasp of air, then looked across to me.
“I was telling Landen that I hoped you two would come home today,” August said in a teasing tone.
We had every intention of going home today; according to my father, Felicity’s first labor pain was to come at 9 AM, and the baby would be here at 4:32 PM.
“Is that why you’re up so early - you’re waiting on that first great-grandchild?” I asked, knowing he had a deeper intent that he was trying to hide. He smiled widely and let his excitement flow.
“Well...I can’t keep a secret from the two of you. I might as well get on with it,” August said, adjusting himself while looking slowly back and forth between me and Landen.
“I’m convinced that you’ll have to face Drake - or at least Esterious - within the next month,” August said in a slow, confident tone. “Perodine told you that ‘there are eight beyond the sun and the moon.’ There are indeed eight planets in our solar system. You faced Drake on the only night in over four million years that a full moon shown through the gray sky in Esterious.”
Landen stood slowly, his eyes lost in everything we faced in the trail of the moon. “What’s the first planet?” he asked, walking to the doorway behind August and leaning in the frame. August turned in his seat so he could see Landen behind him, a strong emotion of pride beaming from him as he looked at the brave young man.
“If it’s the orbit that triggers the trail, then you’ll face the influence of Mercury. It orbits the sun every eighty eight days,” August answered.
“Then we should have longer than a month, shouldn’t we?” I asked.
August looked back at me and smiled. “You may be right, but the way I’m seeing it is Mercury was already in orbit when you faced the full moon. If you take those twenty eight days – and the weeks that have already passed since then – we’re looking at somewhere around twenty days before the next full orbit of Mercury. But like
I said, only ‘if’ it’s the orbit; truth is, we don’t know. There were scrolls with your birth charts. The scrolls seem to map out the heavens beginning at Aliyanna’s birth and moving at least two hundred years beyond this day. The scrolls could very well be our only weapon against what lies ahead.”
“How come you didn’t show those to us? You can tell us what’s going to happen to us – when?” Landen questioned, standing up straighter.
“I’ll show them to you, if you wish; honestly, they make no sense. Sadly, we’ll have to measure the time between the blue moon and your next trail to see if the scrolls even matter. It’s more than clear to me that the scroll is younger than your charts, giving me reason to believe that it’s an interruption of what’s to come.”
“OK, so what does Mercury rule?” I asked, thinking the orbit theory made sense.
“Mercury is in the third and sixth house. The third deals with communication, and the sixth deals with work and service.”
“So what can we assume we’ll have to face?” Landen asked in a defeated tone.
“I’d say something to do with your mind, your thinking process, and your communication style,” August said, leaning back in his seat and gazing into his thoughts.
Landen looked at me; an impish grin filled his face, his blue eyes sparkled, and relief overtook him. Neither of us was concerned with this trial anymore; if there were an element of our relationship that was strong, it was our communication. We often would react to each other’s emotions before we even had the time to speak to each other through thought or with words. Landen’s emotion gave way to excitement; he had every intent on enjoying this challenge. He tried to hide it from me, but he wanted nothing more than a moment alone with Drake. Landen didn’t want to challenge Drake for his throne, though; he wanted to challenge him for taking me from him for those few minutes – and for all the nightmares before that. We had never talked about what had happened; no one but me knew the way Drake’s touch felt, and it didn’t seem worth the anger it would cause.
August focused on me again. “I think the two of you should spend as much time as you possibly can with Preston and Libby,” he said in an orderly manner.
“You think they’ll lead us again?” Landen said, hiding his grin.
“Perhaps... or maybe you’ll lead them,” August said, looking back at Landen.
“How is that?” I asked, not wanting Libby leading anywhere beyond her dimension.
August shrugged his shoulders, gazing into space again. “For all we know, the two of you may only have the purpose to pave a path for them to lead the universe. Everyone has been working with them day in and out, but I would think that only the two of you would really understand them,” he said confidently.
I shook my head, smiling. I knew I didn’t understand their gifts any clearer than the others. In their presence, I was in awe just like everyone else.“I’d be more than glad to spend more time with them - but I don’t think we’d understand them any easier,” I said through my smile.
August looked at me with a serious composure. “The two of you are in their element; all of you perceive more than the average person. It’s difficult for us to teach them anything when they’re constantly teaching us.”
August smiled a little as his eyes went between me and Landen. He then sighed and continued, “They – you – are the next element of humanity. You have found away to exist outside of your bodies. Your mind has no limits and takes you wherever you need it to. Communication is taken by you to a level that has never existed - in the sane, any ways.” He looked back to see if he had Landen’s full attention.
“I’ve never been called that,” I said, looking at Landen.
“Neither have I,” Landen added, staring at August.
August looked at Landen intently. “Everything I’ve ever taught you was to prepare you for the day that you’d finally realize your purpose. Don’t fear it - embrace it. You are the first of an evolution, and you must teach us so we can help you.”
“We can’t teach you something we don’t understand,” Landen said in a low tone.
“You understand more than you think you do,” August said, beaming with pride.
Landen looked away from August, trying to hide his frustration with his guidance. “We’ll spend as much time as possible with Libby and Preston - not because of this trail, but...we miss seeing them every day,” he said.
August cleared his throat and adjusted himself in his seat. It was easy to see he wanted to take Landen’s burden from him, but he could not find a way.“Well, I’m sure that Aubrey will be relived. She’s looking forward to playing with that new grandchild, but she also knows how important Preston is.”
I looked at the clock above the back door to see that it was now nine-fifteen. I sat forward quickly and said, “Landen, we have to go...I promised I’d help calm her, and she’s already had the first contraction.” Before I finished my statement, Landen had already vanished from the doorway and was running to the shower.
August laughed out loud. “A baby changes everything - and everyone,” he said, getting up from his seat and staring back at my painting. I stood and checked the paint on the canvas before handing it to August. Staring into my eyes, he reached for the painting; I knew he wanted to say something, to warn me, but he couldn’t find the words. He forced a smile, then kissed my forehead and began to walk off. “I’ll tell them the troops are on their way,” he said over his shoulder.
I watched him leave, wondering what his fears were. I debated chasing after him and asking him to tell me every possible scenario that lied ahead, then held myself back, knowing his answers would only frustrate me more. Once he was out of sight, I walked in the bedroom and found Landen hopping on one foot, trying to put his shoes on and brush his teeth at the same time. I tried to hold in my laughter, but it was impossible. He looked up as he successfully put on his shoe.
“You think I’m funny, do you?” he said, turning to rinse out his mouth. I nodded, trying to hold in a belting laugh. He walked over to me and wrapped his arms around me.
“I’ll show you funny,” he said, leaning down to kiss me. His touch never got old; he could make me high with one simple look in his blue eyes. I would easily lose myself inside his heart and mind. I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him tighter. His kiss slowed, then he leaned his forehead against mine.“We have to go,” he whispered just before stealing another kiss.
I let out a playful groan as he pulled me through the beach house. We ran across the beach through the sand dunes to the opening of the string; our home was only a few feet from here. Inside the string, we found Felicity and Brady walking in our direction. Felicity was holding on to Brady; she was not from Chara, so she was blind inside the string.
“Sorry we’re late...you didn’t have to come after us,” Landen said, slapping Brady on the back. Felicity and Brady were both extremely nervous.
“We knew you’d be here. She wants to be in the string; she says it feels good,” Brady explained, keeping his eyes on Felicity.
I could see Felicity’s point; the hum and current of the string were very addictive. Felicity reached out blindly for me, and I grabbed her hand and sent a peaceful emotion through her. She smiled immediately and let out a breath. Brady did so as well when he saw Felicity’s relief. Landen laughed and shook his head, then walked over and kissed me.“I guess I’m going to check on Dad to find out where Libby and Preston are,” he said to me.
“Wait...no, no, I need the both of you...you both have to stay with me until the baby’s out,” Felicity protested.
The look in Landen’s eyes was nothing short of comical. He blushed.“Umm...listen, Willow is very strong in this area...I don’t know if it’s my place to be here,” he stuttered, looking at Brady.
Brady put both his hands on Landen’s shoulders and looked him square in the eyes.“I need you to do this for me. I’ll pay you back. I don’t care how, I don’t care when - but I promise I will. Just help her...you know I’
m scared. I don’t want her to be.”
Felicity smiled as she heard Brady’s plea; she found him being honest with his emotions beautiful. I did, too...he had always held his true emotions close to him.
Landen sighed deeply and looked at me.
“Come on, macho man...I know you’re not scared, are you?” I teased.
Landen shook his head at me, then smiled at Brady.“You better believe that I’m going to put this favor on a shelf and save it for something really good,” he said. His tone was humorous. If anything, we owed Brady; he’d faced the demons with us and defended us when others were trying to shape us.
Landen reached for Felicity’s other hand. I could feel the peace he was sending through her; we pushed it back and forth, smiling at each other like it was a tennis match. Brady grew less tense and put his hand on Felicity’s shoulders.
After walking hours back and forth in front of the passages that led to Chara, Felicity’s breath became measured. Brady panicked and ran through the opening to Chara to find my father. We could feel the baby and knew it was calm, just easing its way into the world. We concentrated on filling Felicity with as much peace and calm as we could.
My father stepped in the string a few moments later; he smiled at me, relived that I’d come home. He then circled Felicity, looking her over. Brady was right behind him, and Landen reached out and touched his arm as well. The string intensified the emotions around us, and Brady’s nervousness was vibrating us both to the point of distraction; calming them both down was the only way we would be able to sustain Felicity. Brady smiled as he felt the peace Landen was sending him, and his shoulders relaxed.
“Let’s just think about four thirty-three right now,” Landen said, looking at Brady. If my father was right, it would be over by then.
My dad looked at me, then at Felicity. “OK, here comes one,” he said to her.