Chapter 21
Ipeeked my eyes open and saw only two dots in the darkness. My body ached all over, and I was lying on something hard. I rocked back and forth, as though I was on something that was walking. I blinked against the pain behind my eyes and slowly it subsided. Lundra's face came into view, and she placed her hand on my shoulder, holding me down.
"Don't move." Her voice was low and rhythmic. "You took a trip in your mind."
I groaned and pressed my hand to my forehead. "I remembered . . . everything."
Sadness ran heavy through my veins, and I looked to the sky once more, watching the two moons of Isramorta glow in the darkness. How was I going to come to terms with my two lives, the things that'd happened, and the things I'd done in my past? I glanced up at the moons, trying to find reason within the world. One was silver and one purple. They'd be different all over Terrea, but for us the purple was almost peaceful, and I needed peace for a moment. Memories ran like movies in my mind. I knew it all. Everything. I never belonged on Earth. I'd always been destined for Isramorta.
"Yes." She walked next to me, and two bright-red horns protruded through her thick dreadlocks.
"Where am I?" I lifted my head and looked around. Rivers and streams of lava surrounded us, and the Earth was dark and quiet. I lay on top of a pool of lava that only held its shape because Lundra deemed it so. But something was carrying it.
"You are in the Cinder Lands." She looked back over her shoulder. "I will get you as close to the coast as I dare go. From there, you must take one of our boats to the Swamp Lands."
"What? How will I get there?" I sat up and looked forward and gasped. "What the fuck?"
Monty was the size of an elephant with very, very short legs. The lava sat on his back, and he was the one walking me toward the coastal line. Lundra chuckled. "Did you think a ferinx was only a pocket pet?"
"Well, kind of, yeah."
Monty tilted his head back and looked at me upside down. He gave a deep rumbling coo that sounded more like a growl than a cute chirp. Lundra patted his chin, and he turned back toward the path ahead. "Ferinx can change size and can walk through all elements. They are playful but aren't easily tamed. They choose their owners, not the other way around."
"This place just keeps getting weirder and weirder." But I was starting to love things about it too. I loved the volcanos and the way it rained ash. I love the snowy peaks and the deep underground. The smell of ash filled my nose, and visions of Avalon and I together flooded my mind.
I rested my head in my hands and sighed. Lundra gave my shoulder a squeeze. "Who we are is in the now. Who we were should be left in the past."
"I loved him," I whispered, feeling hurt deep in my chest. "And he loved me."
She pressed her lips into a tight line. "And now he is watching for you to leave my castle but we are far away. Shall I go back and get him?"
I shook my head. "I have all my memories, yet I can't think of one that would make him hate me as he does."
"Fifty years is a long time for love to survive." She gave me a small, wistful smile. "I would know."
The thought of her and Herlandis just watching for each other every morning and evening broke my heart. "I'm sorry."
She lifted her chin. "Nothing to apologize for. But we bear the scars of our past, and now we hope for a better future."
"I'd like nothing more than a better future, but everyone . . ." I just had no idea how.
The sound of waves began to fill my ears, and Lundra came to a stop. "I can go no farther."
I jumped off Monty's back and stood next to her. In the distance was a black sand shoreline with rippling white, foamy waves. Steam rose in all directions where the lava met the water. At my back was the heat of the volcanos, and at my face was a cool breeze that came off the water. It was almost perfect. On the shoreline were abandoned boats scattered in all directions.
"Thank you, Lundra, for getting me this far and for the memories." Having my memories back was like finding a part of me I didn't know I was missing. This world needed me. I just had to figure out how and where.
Lundra motioned to Monty. "He'll get you to where you need to be."
I wanted to turn and hug her, but she didn't give off hugger vibes. "I don't know how I can repay you."
"All will come to light soon enough." The wind blew her hair back from her face. "You must go now. Avalon will not be able to follow you out into the water, nor will he be able to set foot on Swamp Land. Stay there until you're ready to deal with him."
The love of my lifetimes hated me, but I couldn't find any hate for him. Rage, so much rage, lingered over what he'd done over these days. But memories of the way he loved me, the way he touched me, lingered as though it were yesterday. When I looked back once more, I knew he was still at that castle waiting. I almost felt him there. But I wouldn't go to him. Something called me farther away, and he had his hatred to hold him over. Whatever had happened between Avalon and me would have to wait. There was something calling me away, and now with my memories restored, I could feel the world around me, as if the last barrier holding me back was gone.
"Come on, Monty." I ran toward the boats and picked the one that looked like it would survive a trip to the Swamp Clan.
I jumped inside and sat on the single seat. It was a small rowboat made of thin wooden planks and held together by prayers. Monty ran toward the boat and pushed his head into the back of it. I nearly fell out as he shoved me from the shore into the water. The boat glided with ease past the gentle wake, and Monty leapt into the water and grabbed onto the back of the boat. I was about to lift an ore to row when Monty flicked his tail and we glided across the water like it was glass.
We were out on the water in no time. Monty easily steered the boat. I reached back and patted his head, and he smiled. The fluffy monster actually smiled. If he wasn't the one driving, I would've hugged him. We silently glided through the water. He didn't kick or splash, and I felt like a ghost moving through the night. We were far enough that we couldn't be spotted in the darkness but close enough that I could see the different clan lands as we passed. The glow of the Cinder Lands, the shadow of the Tempest mountains against the dark sky, and the bareness of the Slate Lands. In that castle was a King who didn't belong on the throne.
With my memories back, I knew exactly who and what he was. The demons were under the wrong impression. But most of all, Avalon was on the wrong side of history, and I wasn't sure how I would get him to see things my way. We moved so quickly I could see the Swamp Lands getting closer. Monty slowed his pace, and we slowly drifted toward the entrance to the swamp.
Unlike the intense dry heat of the Cinder Lands, this was hot and humid. Sticky sweat instantly gathered on my skin and my wavy hair had a mind of its own. There was an opening into the Swamp Lands where Monty steered the boat. The water rippled around us, but it wasn"t coming from our boat. The Jaws theme song played in my mind, and I held on to the sides of the boat, feeling like I should be on high alert. There were no signs of demons among the moss-covered trees beyond the openings. But the water rippled again, and the boat jerked to the side as if it'd been smacked on the bottom. Monty hissed and we started to move even slower.
I turned back to him. "Get in, buddy."
There was no telling what was in the water, and I didn't want Monty to get hurt or bit. He quickly shrank down to size and hopped into the boat beside me. I gave him a little pat on the head. "Thank you for getting us this far, boy."
Just then the water rippled again, and the boat knocked to the side. We spun around and the water swirled into a funnel around us. We began to spin with the tide, and I pulled Monty into my lap. The boat rocked and tilted. Water sloshed over the edge, flooding the bottom of it and around my feet. A loud roar sounded, and a huge wave rose twenty feet over our heads. I thought it was going to crash down on us, but it rolled back and transformed into some kind of water monster.
Two arms emerged from the wave . . . and then a face. The eyes and mouth were hollow and only made of rippling water. I could see completely through the monster. I had no idea how one battled a water monster, but I sure as shit hadn't come this far just to turn back. It roared again and looked down at me, pausing for something.
I rose to my feet, holding Monty in my arms. "We mean you no harm. I am here to seek the leader of the Swamp Clan."
It threw its head back and roared to the sky, then slammed its fist down into the water. A wave came right at the boat, sending us spinning and sloshing in all directions. Water came over the sides, and I didn't know how much more this crappy dingy could take. I held my hand out and summoned my petals. When I blew across my palm, my petals flew toward the monster and smacked into its hand, which instantly evaporated into steaming mist.
With another roar, it shot water in our direction, and I threw my petals at the thick stream. The water turned to vapor again. We traded shots back and forth as I struggled to keep my balance. Monty wrapped himself around my leg like a tiny thigh garter. I threw my hands out and shot petals from both hands, smacking the monster in its midsection. Steam blasted out from it in all different directions like foggy tentacles. Its watery body rippled from top to bottom as it vibrated from the hit. More water rolled up its body and began to fill in the giant hole. The boat drifted even closer as the monster pulled the current toward itself to heal its midsection.
I toppled back in the boat, and for a minute my ass was soaked in the bottom of it while my feet were almost flipped over my head, water sloshing over my clothes and hair soaking me to the bone. The boat barely stayed afloat. I felt like at any moment this freaking thing was going to drown me. It belly-flopped back into the water, and the wave sent my boat flying. I was thrown off and into the icy depths.
I spun around, trying to find my bearings while I searched for the surface. My lungs burned for breath, and my eyes stung from the murky cold. I kicked out my legs and paddled my arms, but it felt like weights were wrapped around them. Monty dug his paws into my leg, piercing the skin. I had to swim, had to fight to keep on going for him. But his body blew up like a balloon, and suddenly I was being hauled to the surface. The water rushed by and when the flickering light of the moon came into view, we exploded through the surface.
Gasping breaths racked my chest and I searched for something to grab on to. There was a piece of the boat big enough for me to hold and stay afloat. Monty raced up my body and sat by my side. I let my head slump down on the rough wood. The current spun again, and the monster began to reform right before my eyes. It rolled up like a tidal wave. Monty leapt off my little raft and grew even larger. He floated on his back like an otter. When the monster spotted Monty, it paused.
Monty let out a string of growls and squeaks, and the monster returned the noises in kind. I lifted my head and caught my breath. Are they having a conversation? Monty rose up on his tail and his noises grew louder . . . almost bossy. The monster flinched back and turned away from us. Slowly, it seeped back into the water, melting into the surface and disappearing. I let go of a sigh and tried to scramble onto the wood, but Monty was already there. He dove under the surface and rose up beneath me so I was straddling his back as though riding a horse, even though the way he glided through the water was like a giant otter. I wound my hands into his fur and held on tight.
"Next time yell at the monster first before it kills us both, okay?" I leaned into him and trusted him to take me where I needed to be. He gave a little coo in answer, and I sucked in a breath.
I tossed my soaking hair over my shoulder and tried to figure out what the hell part of the Swamp Lands I was in. It reminded me of the Louisiana Bayou. Trees were spread as far as the eye could see. Moss covered their winding limbs and hung down low, touching the surface of the water. While there'd been very few signs of life in the other lands, this section was teeming with it. Giant lizard-looking things lay across the branches like iguanas. Snakes slithered up and down the tree trunks. Some even slithered across the surface of the water like dark danger noodles. Noises came from all around me. Rattling, hissing, and screeching all filled the air. Monty gave a rumbling growl, and the world grew silent.
As we drifted farther into the Swamp Lands, there were tiny huts built from driftwood. They lined the river on each side. All of them had a front porch and a sloping roof. They stood on thin stilts barely higher than the water's surface. The river became narrower, and Monty slowed his pace. A small child stood in the river beside his home. The water nearly came to his neck. He stared at me as we passed.
"Hello." I tried to give him a smile and look friendly, but he said nothing.
More demons appeared on either side of the river. They were wrapped in shredded material, possibly giant leaves. They stood in the still waters just watching me like I was walking down an aisle to my own death. Their eyes were wide, but their faces looked drawn, almost exhausted looking. Sticks were tied to the branches and hung like homemade wind chimes. Those illuminated butterflies fluttered all around them, giving just enough light to make out the many faces watching me.
As I drifted farther, we came to stop just in front of the biggest house in the swamp. Though it was in the same state of disrepair as the others, with holes in the roof and uneven planks on the porch, it was clearly the center of their clan. Monty stopped just in front of it, and I gave him a pat on the back of his neck. Wooden cages hung from the rafters of the porch, and tiny creatures scurried back and forth within them, growing more and more excitable.
The door to the hut flew open and an older woman stood there. She was short and slightly hunched over. Moss hung from her shoulders like a shawl, and she wore a threadbare dress beneath it. Her salt and pepper hair was cut short and stood in all different spiky directions. She looked me over with her dark eyes and smiled. Wrinkles fanned out from the corners of her eyes when her lips pulled up into a smile.
She stepped out into the moonlight and tiny lizards skittered up and down her mossy shawl. She held her arms open to me. "Welcome, Morgana. We've been waiting for you for some time now."