Awaken (7 page)

             
I gasped as I took in the spectacle before me.  I was precariously perched on the top row of some kind of stone coliseum.  At least a thousand people crowded the levels of seats that rose impossibly high into the night air.  Seemingly carved out of a mountain, the coliseum encircled the main attraction far below.  The modern lights towering above me shone down on the large circle of black that everyone was watching.  Cheers and stomping feet filled my ears as I tried to understand what they were so enthralled with.  I could see the figures of two men in the circle.  They looked like they were fighting, but to be sure I needed to get closer.  I carefully made my way down the stone steps nearby, arriving at a lower level that allowed a better view.  Before I could focus in on the fighters, my eyes caught on a woman sitting directly across the circle from me.  She was crying.  Natasha!  Beside her sat the same older looking man I had seen that night at the Ball. The one Finn had claimed was just a friend.  A cheer rising from the crowd averted my attention back to the fight.  The two men were already beaten and bloodied as they continually lunged for each other.  Their dark hair shining in the artificial light, they wore only black shorts. Their muscular bodies were tense with the anticipation of their opponent’s next move.  One in particular moved with quiet stealth.  He was always one step faster than the other; his movements more fluid.  His bloody hands were wrapped in a type of brown leather that extended from his fingers to his wrists, sort of like a glove…leather…glove…  Finn.  Finn!  I squinted in an effort to see past the bruises and swollen eyes.  It was definitely Finn.  That’s also when I noticed the array of weapons littering the circle; a double blade axe, attached to a handle encrusted in onyx and diamonds being one of them.  What was happening?  And why was I here?  Another cheer came from the crowd as Finn was able to throw the other man down and reach for his axe.  Before he wrapped his hands around the handle, his opponent had jumped to his feet and tackled him on the ground.  He raised a silver, menacing sword above Finn’s chest and a collective gasp came from the crowd. 

             
“Stasia!  Wake up!”

             
My eyes flew open and I scrambled to my feet.  My heart was beating wildly and I was drenched in sweat.  Finn was still sitting on the blanket, watching me with concern. 

             
“I’m not going to watch you die!” I screamed at him.  Confusion washed over his face as he stood and walked towards me slowly; somehow knowing the turmoil that was racing through me.  He held his hands up.

             
“I’m not dying, Stasia.  I’m fine.  See?”  He continued taking steps toward me.

             
“Stop!” I warned him as I tried to catch my breath and still my frantic pulse.  He stopped advancing immediately and held his tongue.  What had just happened?  That wasn’t a reverie.  Well it was, before… it was a vision.  I let out a ragged breath and dropped to the sand below me in defeat.  I closed my eyes.

             
“No more secrets, Finn.  If I’m going to start having visions like that, I need to know what’s going on with you.”  I felt his presence in front of me as he sat down on the sand, too.  I met his worried gaze.

             
“What did you see, Stasia?” he prodded carefully; a shadow falling over his features.

             
“My reverie changed into a vision,” I breathed. “You were fighting.  You were in a huge stone coliseum and there were tons of people watching, like it was some kind of sick sport - they were cheering for you to kill each other!” I yelled, exasperated, but his handsome face had turned blurry as the tears collected in my eyes.  “Even Natasha was there.  And the older man from the Ball.” 

             
His eyes fell to the sand before meeting mine once again; pleading, almost fearful.  He reached out slowly, took my hand, and gently ran his finger over my trace.  His touch calmed my nerves immediately and I felt the tears finally spill over and roll down my cheeks.

             
“I can’t tell you everything, Stasia.  I wish I could, but I just can’t,” he whispered, and swiped a tear from my cheek.  My eyes dropped to my triskellion trace in disappointment as I ran my finger across its swirls, extending all the way to my ring finger.

             
“I just need to understand.  You always tell me I can trust you, but you need to know you can trust me too.  It goes both ways.  Nothing you tell me will change the way I feel about you.  I love you, Finn.  Please just tell me something.  Anything.”   

             
“I love you too, Stasia.  You are everything to me and I never want to lose you.  Unfortunately that means having to keep certain things from you.  For your safety.”

             
“I can take care of myself!” I threw at him in desperation.

             
“I know, I know.” He moved closer, grasping my hand; desperately wanting me to understand, “You’re so strong, Stasia.  But there are forces in this world.  Evil forces that are almost impossible to overcome.  I would never forgive myself if I let anything to happen to you.”  The sorrow in his eyes unraveled my resolve.

             
“I just need to understand.  I want to be there for you like you have been for me.  We’re in this together.”  His eyes searched mine and I could see the war playing out in his mind; trying to decide what divulge.

             
“Charon,” he whispered.

             
“What?”

             
“Do you know who Charon is?” he asked quietly.  I nodded.

             
“He’s a god of the Underworld.”

             
“Right.  All the Sons of Daimon are descended from him,” he added.

             
“Why aren’t you called the Sons of Charon?” I asked curiously.

             
“He’s been known by many different names, Charon being the most recent, but Daimon was the name he was given at birth.” He took a deep breath and continued, “Every five hundred years the Prime, or the leader of the Sons, steps down.  But his successor has to be a direct descendent of Charon; a
true
Son.  That successor becomes the new leader at the age of eighteen; as well as becoming immortal.  Until then he’s referred to as…the Scion.” He paused as my eyes got wide, “Charon is my father, Stasia.  I was Chosen to be the next Prime.”

             
A wide smile spread across my face as my heart filled with unabated pride.  I leaned forward, smothering him in a hug. 

             
“Oh, Finn!  That’s incredible!” I exclaimed, but my excitement wasn’t reciprocated.  I sat back and examined his face with consternation.

             
“It’s an amazing honor, but there are many sacrifices that a Prime must endure.  You witnessed the first in your vision.”  His features darkened and his eyes filled with sadness. “The Scion isn’t just appointed as Prime; he has to earn his place as leader.  So, in order to become the Prime, on my eighteenth birthday I must kill the current Prime.”  Understanding crept in to my heart, tearing in two.

             
“That means….” I couldn’t say the words I was thinking.

             
“I have to kill my own brother,” he finished for me, his voice oppressed with obligation and defeat.

             
“But….why?” I furrowed my brow.  Would I be strong enough to be able to kill my own sibling in order to fulfill my destiny?

             
“All true Sons return to the Underworld to serve under Charon once they complete their time as Prime.  But it’s also the first test of sacrifice for the new Prime.  It’s been that way for thousands of years.”  

             
“That’s what you’ve been practicing for…” the image of Finn on the ground in my vision flashed before my eyes, “but, what if he kills you first?”

             
“He’ll remain the Prime and my soul will be sent to serve under Charon in his place.” My heart froze in fear.  That couldn’t happen.  I couldn’t lose him.

             
“Your soul…” I exalted quietly.

             
“Since I’m a direct descendent of Charon, my soul already belongs to the Underworld.  That’s the ‘darkness’ that you feel.”  He held up air quotes and grinned at me with amusement.  I couldn’t help but wonder once again what that meant about Nadia considering I could actually
see
her darkness, but I tried to push that thought out of my head. 

             
“What other sacrifices will you have to make?” I asked; a sense of dread filling every fiber of my being.  I couldn’t imagine how lonely it must be for him. 

             
“My own sacrifices, I can handle.  I’ve come to terms with my destiny,” he claimed with creed. “It’s the price the people I love would have to pay that I can’t bear.” The muscle in his jaw flexed with anger.

             
“What price do they have to pay?” I asked hesitantly.

             
“Stasia-“

             
“Here they are!  I found them!” Phoebe was jogging up the beach towards us, followed by several other shadowy shapes resembling Ian, Willow, and Liam. 

             
“Hey you guys!” she waved at us.  Automatically thinking something was wrong, I jumped up and met her near the water’s edge.

             
“Is everything okay, Phoebs?” I asked her.

             
“Of course!  We were getting worried about you guys.  You’ve been gone for a long time.”  She gave me a hug and smiled at Finn, “Plus we got tired of listening to Ricker and Carmen fight.  So we left Cage to deal with them and went for a little midnight walk!”

             
Deciding I’d been through enough for one night, we decided to give it another try tomorrow afternoon.  If that went well, we’d try to contact Thetis later that night.  I had to admit I was relieved, but I was quickly losing any faith that I would be able to pull this off.

~~~~~

             
Click….creeek….click….creeek…
  The cloak of night was still heavy on the world when I woke up with a start. 
Click….creeek….click…
  Trying not to wake Willow, I slid out of the covers and tiptoed over to the large bay window in our room.  The sound was coming from the backyard; the gardens.  From my vantage point, they were shaded in a light veil of dew, glistening in the moonlight. 
Creeek…click…creeek…click…
   The sunshine-filled rooms of yesterday had morphed into something more dark and menacing as I made my way out into the hall, down the stairs, and towards the back deck.  The hair on my arms lifted and I could feel my heart thumping faster against my chest.  The image of the ghost’s blood-matted blonde hair and shredded skin flashed in my mind, and I almost ran back upstairs.  I was probably just seeing things.  Ghosts aren’t real and they definitely couldn’t hurt me if they were.

             
I peered out the window into the gardens beyond, when the sound of a door shutting upstairs had me clamping a hand over the scream that was trying to escape my mouth.  I closed my eyes and took deep breaths.  Some Goddess I was - scared of a door shutting.  I rolled my eyes at myself and stood up straight.  I had nothing to be afraid of.  As I reached for the door handle, I realized it was already ajar.  I steeled myself and stepped out into the crisp night air. 
Click….creeek….click….

             
A rolling mist had set in and it swirled around the garden in a magical cadence.  The savory fragrances of the flowers invaded my senses and the sound of the ocean rushed in my ears, submerging me in its fury; strengthening me.  Although there were seven other people inside, I felt completely isolated.  The world around me had come alive with energy.  It pulsed in every flower, every leaf, and every blade of grass as I walked along the stone path.  I sensed their acknowledgement of my presence as clearly as if they had spoken it aloud.  The cool mist swirled and settled on my bare skin; initiating me into the ethereal world I had entered. 
Click….creeek…click….

             
Now I could tell the sound was coming from along the edge of the gardens, near the side of the house.  I circled back, inching my way to the corner of the house. 
Click…creeek….click….
  Holding my breath, I leaned forward to get a better view. 
Click…creeek….click…
  I leaned a little farther…and lost my balance.

             
Sprawled out on the grass, spitting dirt out of my mouth, I looked up into the surprised eyes of Carmen and Ricker.  They were sitting (extremely close, by the way) in an old wooden swing, rocking back and forth.  As it swung backwards again I heard the creeek of the chains and the click of the hook catching a bent chain link at the top.  I scrambled back to my feet and a new wave of embarrassment hit me as I realized my thin shorts had moved much higher during my fall from grace; revealing one very bare cheek.