Guardian of the Gate

  “You are quite right, Lia.” I can hear her trying to quell the laughter rising yet again. “Dimitri is every bit the gentleman. I only thank God that Rhys is not!”

  “Oh… you! You’re impossible!” I sit up, grabbing the clean robe and trying to keep a straight face. “Did you say something about a bath? I should very much like to know where to get one.”

  “You have always been good at changing the subject.” I cannot dispute her words, but she lets it go, and for that, I am grateful. She sits up and rises to a standing position. “I will have someone fetch you a tub and fill it with hot water. They will bring it to you, I’m sure, as they did for me.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” She makes her way to the door and opens it to step into the hallway. Before she closes it behind her, she looks back. “I was only teasing before, Lia.”

  I smile. “I know that.”

  The smile she offers me in return is shadowed by melancholy. “Dimitri cares for you a great deal.”

  “I know that, too.”

  And somehow, though certain words have not been said between Dimitri and me, I do.

  “You do not have to do this, you know,” Luisa says.

  We are sitting on the bed, waiting for Dimitri to fetch us for the visit with Sonia. Just as Luisa promised, a large copper tub was brought to my room and filled with warm water scented with fragrant oil poured from a clear vial. I do not know if it is because it has been so long since I have had a proper bath or because it truly was an extraordinary experience, but it was the most memorable bath of my life. Feeling the slippery silk robe fall against my clean, scented skin was heaven.

  I turn to Luisa. “If not now, when? I am leaving tomorrow, remember?”

  I gave Luisa only the vaguest of details about the next portion of our journey, telling her that Dimitri and I are tasked with retrieving the pages while it is hers to stay and look after Sonia until she is well.

  Luisa plays with a fold in her robe, light purple silk shimmering in her fingertips. “You could wait until she is well enough to return to London.”

  I shake my head. “I cannot. Sonia is one of our closest friends, and I would never forgive myself if I didn’t see her before I leave. If it were you, I would do the very same.”

  Luisa sighs. “Very well, then. I will accompany you.”

  “It’s all right if you wish to wait. I know it will be… difficult, seeing Sonia in such a state.”

  She reaches for my hand. “I will not abandon you. Now or ever. We’re in this together.”

  I smile and squeeze her hand just as there is a rap at the door. Dimitri’s dark head appears in the frame.

  “Good morning. Again.” He grins.

  Luisa rolls her eyes. “Come on, Lia. Let’s go before Dimitri makes himself comfortable.”

  Dimitri holds out an arm for me to grasp. “I see. Lightening the mood at my expense. That’s quite all right.”

  I laugh and kiss him on the cheek as we join him in the hallway, closing the door behind us. We continue down the hall, nodding to those who pass. Many times they glance from me to Dimitri and then to our linked arms, a dark expression crossing their faces. I refuse to voice aloud the resentment still simmering underneath my skin. There are more important things that must be faced this day.

  “How is Sonia, Dimitri? Have you heard anything new?” I want to be prepared for our visit.

  “I received an update this morning, in fact. It seems the Elders feel they have turned a corner. They are not ready to pronounce her well, but she has not mentioned the Souls or the medallion in over twenty-four hours.”

  But that doesn’t mean they’re gone. That they’re not lurking in the corners of her mind.

  I think it and wonder if I will ever trust Sonia again.

  We come to the end of the outdoor hallway. Dimitri surprises me by leading us down a small flight of stairs instead of turning a corner and continuing into the Sanctuary.

  “Where are we going?” Luisa says, turning to look back at the building that houses our rooms.

  He steps onto the same stone pathway that took us to the grove yesterday afternoon. “To Sonia’s chambers.”

  “Which are?” Luisa prompts.

  “Which are,” Dimitri says, “in a different building from the one you and I occupy.”

  Luisa never enjoys waiting for information, so I am surprised and relieved when she only sighs, gazing as we walk over the rolling fields and out toward the sea.

  The sky is the same impossibly deep, clear blue it has been every day since we arrived, and I wonder if I will forever after think of it as Altus blue. We continue walking until I recognize the place where Dimitri pulled me off the path and toward the grove. This time, we continue even as the path begins to descend toward the ocean.

  As with yesterday, this part of the island is deserted. For a long while, I do not see anything resembling shelter, and I am beginning to wonder if the Elders are keeping Sonia in a cave when I spot a small stone structure at the edge of a cliff up ahead.

  Without meaning to, I drop my hand from Dimitri’s arm and stop walking. Looking at the building ahead, it is a wonder it can be there at all, so precariously perched on the cliff does it seem.

  Dimitri follows my gaze and reaches for my hand. “It is not as bad as it seems, Lia.”

  Luisa turns to him, anger written across her exotic features. “Not as bad as it seems? Why… it’s perched at the edge of the world! The word bleak comes to mind!”

  He sighs. “I will admit that from here it looks… austere. But it is appointed with all the amenities of the Sanctuary. It is kept for certain rituals and rites which require privacy and quiet, including those required to banish the Souls. That’s all.”

  It is impossible to explain why I managed to visit Aunt Abigail at her sickbed just last night without crying while now I feel the sting of tears. Perhaps I simply cannot believe that the prophecy has taken Sonia and exiled her to such a place without even the love and care of her friends. The injustice of it makes me want to shout into the wind, but instead I turn from Dimitri and gaze out over the water trying to compose myself.

  After a moment, I feel the butterfly touch of Luisa’s fingers on my arm. “Come, Lia. We’ll go together.”

  I nod and turn back to the path, putting one foot in front of the other until the building comes into better view, and I see that it is, in fact, more than one room. It is more of a mini-compound — much, much smaller than the Sanctuary and without the exterior hallway but built with the same blue stone and copper roof.

  We follow a smaller pathway that winds through a lush garden, and I begin to breathe easier still. It is more than pleasant. It is beautiful and peaceful, the perfect place to gather one’s strength.

  The building stands at the end of the pathway. After the serenity of the garden, I am surprised to see that there are two Brothers stationed at either side of the enormous door. They are dressed like any other gentleman on Altus. Like Dimitri, in fact, in the daytime attire of white tunic and trousers. I have no reason at all to think they are guards, and yet I have the distinct feeling that they are here for that very reason.

  “Good morning,” Dimitri says to them. “We are here to see Sonia Sorrensen.”

  They bow in deference to Dimitri, eyeing me suspiciously.

  “Has the protocol changed on Altus while I have been away? Do we no longer offer greetings to a Sister?” Dimitri’s voice is tight with barely controlled anger.

  I place a hand on his arm. “It’s all right.”

  “No, it is not,” he says without turning to look at me. “Do you know this Sister may be your next Lady? Guardian or Gate as the prophecy dictates is no matter; she is working to do our bidding. And she may well rule over you in the future. Now,” he says through clenched teeth, “greet your Sister.”

  I cannot help feeling badly when they bow their heads. “Good morning, Sister,” they say in unison.

  I return their bo
w feeling anger of my own, though none directed at the men in front of me. “Good morning. Thank you for watching over my friend.”

  Nodding, shame touches their eyes as they open the door and stand back so that we may enter.

  We step into a hallway that seems to run the length of the building, ending at a glass door through which I can see a glimpse of the ocean in the distance. I pull Dimitri to the side and look at Luisa.

  “Luisa, give us a moment, will you?”

  She shrugs, stepping a few feet down the hall and looking at the art on the walls, the only privacy we can hope for in such a small space.

  I turn to Dimitri. “Never do that again.”

  He shakes his head, confusion evident on his face. “What?”

  “What?” My voice is a harsh whisper. “That. Humiliate me in front of the Brothers or anyone else on this island.”

  “I was not humiliating you, Lia.” He is clearly shocked at the insinuation. “Just yesterday you were upset at the treatment we were both receiving by those most ignorant on the island.”

  “And you told me to be patient.” I am not speaking in a whisper anymore, but I cannot seem to help myself.

  He folds his arms across his chest, looking for a moment like a sullen child. “Yes, well… I grew tired of their petty stares and whispers. And you may be the next Lady of Altus. They have no right to treat you in such a manner. I will not have it.”

  The anger leaves my body as quickly as it arrived. How can I be angry that someone cares for me enough to demand my fair treatment?

  “Dimitri.” I reach up and place my arms around his neck. “I don’t know whether I will be the next Lady of Altus, but I think I finally understand that I will always be a Sister. And whether a simple Sister or one who is the Lady, it is up to me to earn the respect of the Brothers, the Grigori, and the other Sisters. It something only I can do, and it may take a very long time.” I stand on tiptoe and kiss him quickly on the mouth. “But it will only make them resent me more if they feel forced into showing respect I have not rightly earned.”

  He exhales as if very tired. “You are far too wise for a Sister so new to the Island. Altus is fortunate to have you — whether as a simple Sister or the next Lady.” He tips his head and kisses me softly. “And so am I.”

  “Oh, for goodness sake!” Luisa is standing a few feet in front us. “It is nauseatingly sweet that you have just had your first official fight and reconciliation in one swift shot, but the artwork on these walls is not that interesting. Can we go see Sonia now? Please?”

  I laugh, pulling away from Dimitri. “Let’s go.”

  We make our way down the hall, turning right into another hallway just before reaching the glass door in the distance. Without question, Dimitri approaches a simple wooden door. An elderly Sister sits on a chair outside the door, a guard of another sort, I imagine. She is working a shimmering green thread through a fine white cloth.

  “Sister.” Dimitri bows his head, and Luisa and I repeat the greeting.

  The Sister bows in return and, this time at least, my eyes are met with kindness and warmth. She does not speak but simply stands and opens the door, ushering us inside before closing it even as she remains out in the hall.

  I don’t know what I expected, but nothing as warm and inviting as the room Sonia has called hers in the days since our arrival on Altus. It is quite large, with a deeply cushioned sofa at one end and a large bed piled high with plush coverlets at the other. Across the room and directly in front of the door through which we entered is a set of now-familiar double doors, open to a central courtyard filled with flowers. Somehow I know that I need only step through the doors and Sonia will be there. I make my way to them with some hesitation.

  Stepping through the doorway is like stepping into another world. It is a larger version of the plantings along the pathway to the building, and I think I recognize hydrangeas and peonies in addition to the jasmine. The ocean breeze scents and softens the air. It is woven into the fabric of everything on Altus, and I think I will never be at home away from it again.

  Underneath the distant murmur of the sea, water of another kind can be heard. Dimitri lifts his eyebrows in silent question, and I step onto a gravel pathway, following it around a corner as I listen for the water. I know it when I come to it — a small fountain at the center of the courtyard. It gurgles over stones piled high at its center. It is lovely, but it is not the urge to let the water run over my hands that causes me to run toward the fountain. It is the bench sitting near it or, more accurately, Sonia sitting on the bench.

  She rises when she hears our feet crunch over the gravel, and when I look into her eyes I see the hesitation and fear in their ice-blue depths. I do not have to think before running to her. It is instinctual, and I hardly register the seconds between seeing her again for the first time and the moment when we are embracing and laughing and crying all at the same time.

  “Oh! Oh, my goodness, Lia! I have missed you!” Her voice is muffled by tears.

  I step back and look at her, taking in the dark smudges under her eyes, the wan skin, and the figure that could hardly stand to lose five pounds and looks as if it has lost ten.

  “Are you all right?”

  She hesitates before nodding. “Come. Sit.” She begins pulling me toward the bench, but stops and looks back at Dimitri and Luisa. “I’m sorry,” she says shyly. “I haven’t said good morning.”

  Dimitri smiles. “Good morning. How are you feeling?”

  She thinks about his question as if the answer is not so simple. “Better, I think.”

  He nods. “Good. Would you like me to leave you?”

  She shakes her head. “I’m told you are a son of Altus. I imagine you know everything anyway. It is all right with me if you stay. And… Luisa? Will you stay?”

  Sonia has never looked more ashamed than when she finally faces Luisa. I do not know if it is because she tried so earnestly to convince me of Luisa’s betrayal in the first half of our journey or if it is her own shame, but she can barely meet Luisa’s eyes.

  Luisa smiles in reassurance and joins us near the bench. Dimitri, ever the gentleman, sits on one of the large stones bordering the fountain. We sit for a few uncomfortable moments, none of us sure where to begin. Once, only once, Sonia’s gaze drops to my wrist. I draw my hand farther inside my sleeve in an effort to keep the medallion hidden. When I meet her eyes, she looks quickly away.

  Finally Dimitri looks around the garden. “I had forgotten how lovely it is here. Have you been well treated?” he asks Sonia.

  “Oh, yes. The Sisters have been very kind under the… under the circumstances.” Her fair skin flushes in shame, and we grow silent once again.

  Dimitri stands up, drying his hands on his trousers. “Have you been out of doors?” He looks up. “I mean well and truly out of doors, without the walls of this courtyard to confine you?”

  “Once,” Sonia says. “Yesterday.”

  “Once is not enough. It is too beautiful to see it only once. Let’s go for a stroll, shall we?”

  26

  We step through the glass door at the end of the hall, and in an instant, the sea is spread before us. It glistens in the sunlight, and though it is far below us, the smell of it is stronger and more powerful than at any other time on Altus. Dimitri leans down, placing his lips very near my ear.

  “What do you think?”

  It takes my breath away. I find I cannot do it justice with words, and so I simply smile in answer.

  He reaches to touch my hair, and even now it seems his eyes darken with something like desire. I am surprised when his hand comes away with the ivory comb Father gave me long ago.

  “It was slipping,” he says simply, handing it to me before turning to the others. “It’s a fine day for a walk. I suggest we make use of it.”

  He promptly hurries ahead, leaving us alone, and I marvel at his ability to do and say exactly the thing that is most needed at any given time.

  Luisa,
Sonia, and I walk without speaking, the wind whipping our hair and fluttering our robes. I rub the comb between my fingers as we walk. Its smooth surface does nothing to calm the anger that bubbles once again below the surface of my thoughts.

  Sonia finally breaks the silence with a soft sigh.

  “Lia, I am… I am so sorry. I can hardly remember those last days in the wood.” She looks away as if gathering her strength from the water below. “I know I did terrible things. Said terrible things. I was… not myself. Can you forgive me?”

  It takes me a moment to answer. “It is not a matter of forgiveness.” I hurry ahead of Sonia and Luisa, hoping to stem the rush of bitterness I hear in my voice and feel in my heart.

  “Then… what?” Despair is evident in Sonia’s voice.

  I stop walking, turning to look at the water. I do not hear the sound of feet on gravel and know Sonia and Luisa have stopped behind me. There are so many words, so many questions, so many accusations… They are as numerous as the grains of sand on the beach below. But there is only one that matters now.

  I turn back to Sonia. “How could you?”

  Her shoulders sag in defeat. Her complacency, her weakness, evokes not sympathy, not compassion, but the building fury I have reined in since the night when I awoke to find her pressing the medallion to my wrist. For one terrible moment I scramble for something to use to unleash my frustration.

  “I trusted you. I trusted you with everything!” I scream it, throwing the comb at her with every ounce of anger coiled inside my body. “How will we trust you now? How will we trust you ever again?”

  Sonia flinches, though the comb is an ineffectual weapon. And I suppose that is the point, for even now, I love her. I am loath to hurt her even as I cannot seem to stop myself.

  Luisa steps forward as if to shield Sonia from me. From me. “Lia, stop.”

  “Why, Luisa?” I ask. “Why must I stop asking the questions that must be asked, however much they frighten us?”

  There is nothing to say in the silence that follows. I speak the truth, and we all know it. I have missed Sonia. I do love and care for her. But we cannot ignore those things which might cost us dearly — might cost our very lives — in the name of sentiment.