Page 19 of The Shadow of Polaris

A whisper echoed through the air, and the ground beneath my boots vibrated with tension. Flurries fell from the surrounding sky, landing on my closed lashes. The blackness behind my eyelids brightened abruptly and I opened my eyes, shielding them with my fist from the harsh waves of green light now ebbing across the horizon.

“It’s glorious tonight, isn’t it?” Rune said through ragged breaths. His cloak, now powdered with snow, swirled around his broad shoulders as he joined me against my perch.

“It’s breathtaking. I don’t think the sight of it will ever get old,” I said, watching the borealis writhe against the black night- now a deep shade of navy. Strings of magenta and amethyst threaded themselves through the gemstone greens. The breath in my throat vanished as I looked upon such beauty. Arcturas had made her way to my side, the light reflecting in her wide, round eyes like a kaleidoscope.

She was shaking beneath her pelt, but not in fear; it was something else. Suddenly, everything faded away but her. It was as if we’d been transported somewhere far beyond the mountainside. Far beyond the city. A vibration beneath us rose from the deepest core of the mountain and reverberated into our bodies.

The same tingles I felt at the festival washed over me and I fell to my knees- my body growing too heavy for my feet to support. Rune knelt beside me, his frantic voice muffled beneath a sharp ringing in my ears. Lifting my chin, concern etched across his face, he continued to speak, but his voice was gone away entirely. Black spots formed in my vision until they replaced him altogether.

The tingling swept through my body with such ferocity it was almost painful. I reached for Arcturas. She, too, was hunched to the ground, her fur pricking up her spine. Trembling, I stroked her pelt, but jerked away at the sight. Deep tendrils of shadow licked at my fingers and a flame of colors similar to the borealis above us emulated from my palm. Rune’s jaw dropped, taking a step back as he saw the light expelling from beneath my skin.

Terror washed through me, penetrating the core of my being as I struggled to stand and stare at my hands. What was happening to me? With startled eyes that reflected that same vibrant light, Arcturas whined towards me. I wasn’t the only one consumed in fear. She lurched toward me, needing the comfort of my warmth as much as I needed hers. As our bodies met, a rush of energy pulsed through us with a force so great I flew backward, landing against the hard, frozen ground at least a hundred feet away. Rune fell to his knees, feeling the force of the pulse wash over him.

With blurred eyes and pounding heart, I wiped the snow from my face and sat up. Arcturas lay in a crumpled heap of fur a ways from where she had been sitting. Her face filled with panic, mimicking my own, I was sure. I coughed up the air that had been pressed out of me upon impact with the ground. The tingling subsided, and in its place, a wave of tranquility soaked through my bones.

“What the fuck was that?” I asked Arcturas, now shaking the snow from her fur. She stared at me with a deep expression of confusion in her eyes. The borealis had faded entirely. Its navy background returned to a deep shade of black.

With my vision finally returning to normal, I looked around the clearing. Rune lay beside me, knocked completely unconscious. A deep, black singe now marked the Earth where Arcturas and I had stood. All the snow and ice and cold within the radius of the scorned ground had melted. No, not melted. It had evaporated. Not a droplet remained on the surrounding branches. The ground was as dry as if it’d experienced a long, hot drought. The wind had stopped, leaving in its place a silence so heavy, it was deafening in my ears. Sickness washed through me, and I swallowed hard to keep it from rising in my throat.

Turning from the spot, I ran. I couldn’t think of an explanation to give the man I’d abandoned. Sprinting away from the summit, away from whatever had just happened, away from the questions I couldn’t answer. I didn’t stop running until I had passed beneath the statue of our goddess and my lungs quaked beneath my chest.

With Arcturas in tow, we continued through the city square towards the safety and comfort of my tavern. Tears of panic blurred my vision as I continued to run, stride after stride crunching beneath the snow. The stars screamed in my direction as the sky flattened against the ground. Nothing made sense. My thoughts raced through me.

Panting too hard, I was forced to stop running. Arcturas wrapped herself around me. The empty midnight street brought me to my knees. What the hell was that? Placing my hands across my chest to keep my pounding heart from cracking through my sternum, I curled into my wolf, seeking her warmth.

“Oh my Gods! Are you okay?” Rune called, sprinting up the sidewalk towards us. I couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak. Familiar brown eyes and auburn hair looked down at me with frantic concern.

“Ell?” he said, reaching a hand to help me back to my feet. Rubbing my aching skull, I reached for his hand, pulling myself up.

“What… what was that?” he questioned, brushing the snow from my cloak and stroking his hand across my frozen cheek.

“I…I…” I trailed off, realizing I wasn’t really sure. Taking a few deep breaths, I begged my fluttering heart to be quiet.

“Well, are you okay?” he said, glancing towards my trembling fingers. “You were gone when I woke up. Thank the Gods I found you.”

“I…I…” Again growing quiet, I was unsure what to say. There’d be too many questions, too much suspicion. How could I twist reality just enough to hide when I wasn’t sure what was real anymore? Maybe an irreparable piece had snapped in my mind from all the time locked away. Maybe I’d lost my mind. Or maybe what’d happened tonight was real. I swallowed hard at the thought.

“Alright, let’s get you back to Frya’s,” Rune said, holding his arm out for me to grasp. Leaning into him, we started up the street. I was like a moth drawn to a flame for his warmth. Clinging to his side, my shivering subsided. Wrapping his cloak tightly around my shoulders, Rune pulled me closer to his body. The strength from years of hard work were carved beneath a cotton tunic.

Notes of rosemary and citrus peppered the inside of my nose. His scent was fresh and bright, reminding me of sunshine bouncing off newly sprouted greenery. I closed my eyes and, for a moment, allowed myself to live in his scent. To be comforted by his warmth. It had been so long since I’d been held; I had forgotten the softness of another’s body against mine. I had forgotten the tenderness of another’s arm wrapped around me. For a moment, I allowed myself to enjoy his intoxicating touch supporting me beneath my arm.

Reaching the tavern, Rune dropped his embrace to pull open the front door. Frya, startled by our entrance, rose to her feet from behind the bar. Her mouth dropped as her eyes snapped from Rune to me. Helping to unclasp my cloak, he led me to a barstool and urged me to sit. The candlelight of the tavern was too bright. My eyes watered with each lick of the flames that flickered before me. Clenching my jaw, I looked to Frya, meeting her concerned eyes.

“What happened?” she asked, her words sharp in a whisper.

“I’m not sure, in all honesty. She hasn’t said a word to me. I think she’s in shock,” Rune said, placing my hand on his. Frya dropped to her knees in front of me, grasping at my cold, ashen face, now blank from any expression. Rune smoothed back his disheveled hair, lines of concern wrinkled over his brow.

“What happened, girl?” Staring into my eyes, she shook at my shoulders, willing me to speak. I opened my mouth, but I still couldn’t form words. Arcturas padded to my side, licking at my fingers.

How could I explain what happened at the summit when I was still unsure? I looked down at my hands, begging I wouldn’t see those strange black shadows and orbs of light. They were the same as they always were, pale, slightly dry, and ridden with thick, spongy callous. Arcturas curled at my feet, wrapping her warmth around my toes. I looked at Frya, still eager for my response. Then to Rune.

“Something happened up there. I don’t really know what, but if I tell you, you’ll think I’m crazy.”

“Maybe so, but regardless. Tell me, dear.” Frya urged me to go on.

Swallowing the large knot that had tightened in my throat, I continued, “We reached the summit and were waiting for the borealis to appear. When it finally did, I… I don’t know. The ground felt like it was shaking and my hands,” I glanced down at my trembling fingers, “they were glowing. Arcturas was looking nervous, but when I went to comfort her, it was like there was an explosion between the two of us and we flew backward.” I trailed off, tucking a strand of hair back behind my ear.

“What do you mean, you flew backward?” Frya’s voice was low. She carried a bewildered wrinkle beneath her brow as she glanced from me to Rune.

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