Of Gaea Page 10

  The Kirin stood tall, her tall swished in angry strokes. When the light and the dark came forward again, she reared up and pawed at the air in threat. When she came down she lowered her head and swung the single antler back and forth.

  The light and the dark seemed to pause then they dipped their heads to her. Together they backed away slowly until they vanished from sight. The Kirin turned to Ari, dipped her head in respect then faded from sight as if she had never been there to begin with.

  Even though Ari had seen it with her own eyes, she had trouble believing it had been there to begin with. Sasha had warned her that life was going to get weird. She wondered if bizarre was included in that categorization.

  Sasha still cursed. He began cursing from the time he and Leonidas had found Ari, all the way back upstairs. He cursed at Leonidas all throughout the hasty bandaging of her head. He cursed and paced, with a limp and a tight bandage around his ankle.

  While she hated the wheelchair, it was a relief to finally be seated comfortably again. Ari waited patiently until Sasha seemed to run out of words to call Leonidas. It was a longer wait than she had anticipated.

  Fed up; she interrupted. “I have the book.”

  Both men looked at her. Leonidas’s face was stunned and Sasha smiled.

  Ari held the book out. She had held it close this entire time, unreasonably afraid that it would vanish the same way the apparitions she had seen had.

  Leonidas came over and looked at it, but didn’t touch it. “Are you sure this is what you want to use?”

  Ari nodded. “This is the right one. Can you tell me what it is?”

  “It’s the Mother’s script. This is Gaea’s Hand.” He sounded sad. “It hasn’t been used in a long, long time. I didn’t think it was down there. I hoped it wasn’t… maybe it wasn’t. It appears this is the Mother’s will. It’s been a long, long time since I’ve seen this.” He sighed and gently took the book. “Can I have your notebook? I want to rework your design with Gaea’s Hand.”

  Ari pulled her notebook out of her wheelchair and reluctantly handed it over. It was everything. If he lost or destroyed it, she would be back at square one.

  He placed both books on the counter then looked away. His eyes were far, far away. “Come back on Friday.” He said finally. “One for the benefit of the full moon, and two so I have a few days to… well, just a few days.”

  “Thank you.” She told him quietly.

  “There are fates worse than death.” He mused and smiled bitterly. “I am not afraid to face mine but I need time to put my affairs in order. Off with you. See you on Friday.” He looked at Sasha. “I would appreciate it if you stayed home. This is going to be draining enough without you pacing like an expectant father.”

  “I want to make sure it’s safe for Ari. That you’re not doing anything shady.” Sasha’s jaw clenched. “I’m not leaving her in your care just because you say it is okay.”

  Leonidas fiddled with something on his right hand and held it out to Sasha. “My house, my honor. She will not be harmed. What needs done will be done.”

  When Sasha accepted the item Ari saw that it was a ring with a griffin’s silhouette embossed in the gold. Sasha’s hand closed around the ring and then he pocketed it. “I’ll hold you to it.”

  “No doubt.” Leonidas waved to the door. “Go, go. I’m sure she is tired and even if she is not, I am. Off with you.”

  Leonidas watched them go then moved slowly through his place of business. He shut off the lights and walked through the back into a grand solarium. The plants that could almost always lift a black mood were ignored. He moved up a set of stairs and into his apartment above the shop.

  The neat organization was a habit instilled in him by his sister. She had always aggravated if she could not find something. In respect of her, he kept everything super neat and tidy. Not that she would ever see it.

  He set both books on the coffee table and moved to a cabinet. He poured himself a drink from one of the bottles enclosed there and sat heavily down in his favorite wingback chair. He swished the liquid around in the glass and let his mind wander.

  He wished he had Thalia’s advice. He missed his sister more than he would admit to anyone. Perhaps this was Gaea’s justice for his ignorance. He had refused to help, so lost something irreplaceable. What else would be lost before the Mother was satisfied?

  There was no doubt Ari would be able to walk again. Gaea’s Hand was the oldest and most powerful of the archaic rune scripts. It was also the most dangerous in the wrong hands.

  He could do exactly what she wanted but there would be a price. They would be asking Gaea for healing. Since there was no one above the Mother Goddess, the price could be heavy.

  It wasn’t something he looked forward to. The Goddess could ask for anything. Many of those choices would involve trading places with someone. Something he knew from the brief conversation with Ari, she wasn’t willing to do.

  Sasha would be though. Ari was his weak link. Sasha would do anything for her, which was handy. Ari would be unhappy when she found out. Leave it to a woman to complicate matters.

  “You worry too much.”

  He looked up from the glass to see Nasya sitting on his coffee table in front of him.

  “I don’t recall inviting you in.”

  Nasya tapped the book with the Gaea script inside of it.

  He frowned. “What is it you want, Nasya? I… I don’t hear her Song as well as I used to.”

  Nasya smiled gently and shrugged. “I came to see how you were doing. That’s all. Gaea does not command this visit.”

  “I’m not packing, if that was your concern.”

  She shook her head. “While, you do have a track record of ignoring matters you wish not to address, you’re no coward.”

  He toasted her with his glass. “Here’s to my death. I have no doubt Gaea wants it.”

  Nasya shook her head sadly. “I think in the end, you will surprise even yourself.”

  “Use the door.” He commanded when she stood. “That’s what they’re for.”

  “Indeed.” Nasya took the glass from him. “You are better than this. This pity party is ridiculous. You knew she would come. It was only a matter of time. You knew from the start what the Mother expected of you.”

  “I hate her. For what she’s done to me. I hate being this… pawn. I…” He sighed. “Just leave.”

  “I don’t think you hate the Mother or Ari.” Nasya began to walk away, glass in hand. “I think you hate yourself.”

  He snorted indignantly. “For what? Pray tell?”

  Nasya tossed a coy smile over her shoulder. “You tell me.”

  Sasha leaned heavily on the wheelchair as he walked. When they arrived back at the house they were moving slower than if Ari had pushed the wheelchair herself. Sasha dragged and sat heavily on his porch.

  “Let me see.” Ari bent down and propped his foot in her lap so she could see his ankle.

  He hissed and leaned back as she gingerly twisted his foot back and forth. He watched silently as Ari massaged it gently hoping to take some of the pain out of it. It was swollen through the bandage and no doubt probably had deep bruises.

  Without thinking about it Ari pressed her lips softly to his ankle. “There. All better. Just like you do for me.”

  Sasha’s lips quirked though his eyes didn’t mirror his humor. There was something else there. Something that made her heart ache. Ari briefly wished she had the courage to reach out for it.

  Sasha took her injured hand in his and leaned forward enough to place a chaste kiss on her bruised wrist. “Thank you.”

  “Ari!”

  They both glanced up to see Ghita standing on the front porch her house.

  “Supper’s ready!” Ghita called down.

  “Go on.” Sasha spoke quietly. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Ari seemed hesitant at first then finally nodded. “Be safe.”

  “You too.” He watched her roll away. Kleisthen
es would have something to say about him not escorting her home, but Ari would have been angry had he offered. Besides with him on one porch and Ghita on another it would be a foolish, foolish creature to disturb Ari. Still, he watched and waited for her to be on the porch and in the house before shuffling to his feet.

  His ankle wasn’t the only thing that ached. His head throbbed in time with his ankle and his back from his heavy landing on the books felt bruised in the weirdest spots. That wasn’t the worst of it though. His heart felt like it was in a juicer.

  It was the worst cosmic joke ever. Even though it was forbidden, even knowing he couldn’t keep her he loved her so much. He was pretty certain she just thought of him as her closest friend, which made the pain even worse in some ways.

  He sat on the sofa and propped his foot up on the coffee table. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes. In that position the physical pain was insignificant to his inner turmoil.

  “Who beat you up?”

  Sasha didn’t move at Kleisthenes’s question. “Literal answer: Ari. Technical one: Books.”

  “Knowledge is power.” Kleisthenes confirmed. “Really, what happened?”

  “Went to see Leo. He still hates me.”

  “Of course he does. You know why. Be thankful he hasn’t tried stepping in.”

  Sasha sighed. “I guess. It’s not going to matter in a few days anyway. He’ll have to step in.”

  “Have you told Ari yet?”

  Sasha shook his head. “I can’t seem to bring myself to say the words. I don’t want to hurt her.”

  “Sasha.” Kleisthenes waited for Sasha to open his eyes and look at him. “Has it ever occurred to you that she loves you just as much as you love her? Doing it this way, you’re only hurting her more than she actually needs to be hurt. You need to talk to her.”

  “She only sees me as her childhood friend.”

  “Which, if that were true, isn’t it interesting that she’s never had any boyfriends? What popular high school girl has no boyfriends? Or, let’s say she does love you, than it makes better sense doesn’t it? That she doesn’t share her heart with someone else. It already belongs to you.”

  “How do I tell her?”

  “Tell her the truth. Tell her you would die for her without regrets. And tell her that when you do, you regret nothing and love her very much.” Kleisthenes smiled. “If I know Ari, she’ll argue it, but at least this way, she’ll know.”

  Ari sat in the shade against a tree with her favorite book. Her study hall consisted of her picking a book from the library and on nice days sitting out in the courtyard. On not so nice days she sat inside next to the antique fireplace that while never lit, still felt cozy and warm. Her wheelchair sat a few feet away, close enough to be reached but far enough away that she wouldn’t accidentally hit it and roll it away.

  This was also the only class she didn’t have with Sasha. He had chosen back to back college advancement classes. While Ari took the some of the same classes, she chose to take some break time as well.

  She didn’t mind so much, being without him, though she felt odd during that hour of the day. Ari felt like half of her was missing. She would never tell him that, of course. It would only make him adjust his schedule to be with her more often than he already was.

  She was oddly calm. Friday was tomorrow but the nerves that had plagued her before speaking to Leonidas had vanished. It was as if all she had needed to settle down was a solution.

  “Ariadne.” A silky voice purred.

  Automatically, at the sound of her name Ari looked up. A hand wrapped around her exposed throat and pinned her back to the tree. The book fell, forgotten, to the ground.

  Ari gasped for breath even as she recognized Damia’s maniacal glee. Ari grabbed Damia’s wrist with one hand while flailing around with the other searching for something, anything to defend herself with. Damia seemed stronger than she should have. Somehow Damia had turned to living, breathing stone unyielding to Ari’s struggles.

  Damia leaned in close enough for her breath to tickle Ari’s ear and her perfume to pollute Ari’s already dangerously low air supply. “You have become the most cankerous sore I’ve ever dealt with. Tell me something, cripple.”

  Ari’s flailing hand landed on one of the trees massive roots. She tugged gently, maybe it would give and she would be able to whack Damia with the blunt end.

  Tears sprang in Ari’s eyes, and her vision began to gray. She was losing focus. Ari felt like Damia was draining her somehow. She could almost see Damia sucking the life out of her.

  Damia would kill her this time. Ari was sure of it. There was no one around for it to be otherwise.

  Ari wished Sasha was there. She wished someone would come out and see. She wished for anyone at all to help.

  Damia released her windpipe enough that the spots that had begun appearing faded. “What were you doing there, Ariadne?”

  “I don’t know…”

  Damia’s hand tightened around Ari’s denial. “I saw you at Goddess Ink, Ariadne. What were you doing there?”

  “Tattoo.” Ari murmured nearly unconscious, yet in the darkness something waited. Something was trying to reach her even as Ari tried to reach for help. Something pulsated under her hand.

  “Why?” Damia hissed.

  “Looking.” It wasn’t a lie. Both she and Sasha had looked at the tattoos on the walls.

  There was something flirting at the edge of her consciousness. It reached out to Ari and she mentally grabbed it. Please, please help.

  Damia’s grip tightened. “Why, Ariadne?”

  Ari’s eyes rolled up and she lost strength in her arms. “Help, me. Please.”

  “There’s no one here to help you little girl.” Damia snarled and her hold tightened even more. Ari was completely cut off from air. There was no space left to inhale.

  Something warm and radiant drummed under Ari’s hand. Warmth rolled up her arm in waves from the ground. She felt hugged and cocooned; she felt safe.

  With the last of her strength Ari looked Damia in the eyes. “So you think.”

  Ari drifted out. She floated in a bubble of water. Warmth wrapped around the bubble, and Ari could hear speaking, but it was muffled and distorted. It didn’t matter, she was safe here. Nothing could reach her through whatever protected her. She would survive another day.

  Ari returned to consciousness, coughing. Nasya knelt beside her; Ari was half in her lap and Sasha stood between them and Damia.

  “What did she say?” Damia pealed and lunged at Sasha. “She has no right! None!”

  He countered her easily and threw her back again. “Stay away from her. How many times do I have to say it? I don’t want to hurt you. I just want you to get the point. Stay away from Ari.”

  Damia pointed at Nasya. “You cannot protect her forever.”

  Nasya’s chin lifted. “I can protect her until her choice is made. We have some weeks yet. Go back to your classes, child.”

  Damia shrieked, yanked on the ends of her hair in frustration. She studied the situation then finally judged it to be a losing fight and stormed away. The negativity that rolled off her faded as her presence did.

  Sasha remained rigid until Damia was well out of sight. When he turned and faced the girls Ari saw the fear before he covered it up with a gentle smile. He crouched down and gently ran a hand over Ari’s hair.

  “Are you okay?” His hand lingered maybe a moment longer than it should have before he carefully picked Ari up and placed her in the wheelchair.

  Ari tried to speak but could only cough.

  Nasya held out a water bottle. “You’ll need something cool for your throat.”

  Ari gratefully took the bottle. The water tasted slightly of honey and something unidentifiable. “Thank you.”

  Nasya nodded. “I think perhaps you should skip the rest of school for today.”

  “Why didn’t anyone else see it? Why did it take so long for someone to help?” Ari asked. “What did I say to her
to make her so angry? How did you two know?”

  Nasya’s eyes twinkled. “Suyu klihunhg…”

  “Gaea protects the Faithful.” Sasha cut her off quickly. “I felt, something… off. Excused myself from class to find you.”

  Nasya frowned lightly then shrugged. “As he said.” She wouldn’t counter Sasha. If he chose to leave Ari in the dark for another day she had no real issue with it. Ari would find out sooner or later anyway. Though Nasya preferred sooner to later she had enough respect for Sasha to leave it to his judgment.

  Sasha looked back at the school then down at Ari. “People only see what they want to see; no one wanted to see Damia strangling you so they didn’t.”

  “It can’t be that simple.” Ari protested.

  Nasya tilted her head as if she contemplated something. “Indeed. However, Kleisthenes is on his way. Thankfully, he has guardianship so he’ll be signing you out.”

  “It’s so weird how Ghita and he don’t get along but when I need an adult for anything she always has him do it.” Ari murmured.

  “Perhaps you should ask him of it.” Nasya suggested. “I have it from here, Sasha. Go back to class before you are missed.”

  Ari smiled at him and reached for his hand.

  He automatically offered it. “I don’t trust her.”

  Ari kissed his fingers. “Thank you, Sasha. I’m safe now. She’s not coming back right now.”

  He seemed startled at the gesture. His fingers closed around Ari’s hand. “You don’t have to say thank you.”

  Ari smiled and let go of his hands. “I know. But you deserve it all the same.”

  “I have my phone, if you need me at all. I’ll come.” He ruffled her hair and walked away.

  It was the hardest thing he’d ever done, walking away from her when she had asked him to. He wanted to wait for his da. He wanted to make sure Damia couldn’t touch her again. Nasya was a good deterrent in herself, but he would have been much more comfortable leaving Ari with da.

  His fingers tingled where Ari had kissed him. He recognized the left over power for what it was. It was frightening, yet thrilling to know that Ari was everything they believed her to be.