Page 20 of The Shadow of Polaris

“I was launched backward. Like someone threw me across the clearing.” There was silence then. Words escaped them both as they tried to comprehend my absurd claims. I scratched Arcturas behind the ear with a toe. Apprehension electrified the air.

“I know it sounds insane or like I’d imagined it, but please, you must believe me.” My eyes welled with a release of warm tears. “You must.” Rune shot towards me, kneeling beside the barstool and placing his palms into mine.

“We believe you, Ell, don’t worry. We do, I promise. I was there; I felt it too. One minute we were smiling, watching the horizon. The next minute I was on my ass, buried in snow.” His voice was firm and reassuring.

Giving me a soft smile, he brushed his thumb against my wrist, leaving only warmth on its trail. I stared down at his hands; the veins protruding like webs across his skin. Traces of citrine flickered across his eyes, now staring up at me through thick lashes. There was a profound kindness within them that buzzed through my aching mind. I wanted to curl up beneath their warmth and stay there for a while until the darkness within me settled back into the box. I locked it in.

Something struck at my chest as I lost what little breath I had taken in. In all of my life, I had never known such gentleness, such compassion. It was sweet on my tongue, cinnamon and spiced in flavor. My words had never been trusted with such conviction before.

“Thank you,” I whispered, letting the tears roll to my chin and fall to my lap. A kettle whistled from the kitchen, interrupting the charge that now pulsed between us. Rune cleared his throat and stood, shaking the wrinkles from his white tunic. Frya appeared from the archway of the kitchen, a tray of three mugs and a teapot, now steaming with jasmine, in hand. Placing it on the table beside us with a clank, she poured us each a mug and settled into her seat across from me.

“I’m not sure what to make of all this,” she sipped from her mug, both of her wrinkled hands wrapped around its base, “but one thing’s for sure. Not a soul outside this room should hear about it. If the city guards were to catch wind of this, they’d think it was some sort of magic.” She shot Rune a look through wisps of steam swirling from her mug.

A muscle in his sharp jaw clenched then relaxed, and his back straightened against his chair. He nodded coldly at the old woman and sipped from his mug, avoiding her watchful eye.

“Until we figure out what this means, don’t give it your energy. We can’t take the risk of another incident. Especially with eyes at every corner. The city folk around here talk,” she said.

“I’d like to just forget this entire night,” I said, stirring my tea, “but I’m not sure I can.”

“Of course you can, girl. We just have to find some distraction. It’s what’s best.” Smiling, Frya finished her tea and placed her now empty mug back on the tray resting between us.

She had a point. If I dwelled, maybe I would feed whatever it was my energy. Panicked that it would grow and solidify into something more, something dangerous, I tried to wipe it from my mind. The rise and fall of Arcturas’s chest as it evened into a peaceful rhythm brought relief to my aching mind. The feel of her fur against my toes dulled the panic creeping up my throat.

“Alright…” I said, shaking the image of the blackened earth from my mind.

“Now, let’s get you upstairs. I’ll draw a bath for you, dear.” She looked at Rune. “You best be getting home.” Something changed in her eyes as she spoke to him. Was it a film of suspicion that I saw now peeled across her expression?

“Right, yes,” he got to his feet, looking at me, “I won’t tell anyone what happened, I promise. I have to help my uncle tomorrow with the potato harvest, but I’ll come back as soon as I can.”

I nodded, silently thanking him for his trust, and continued up to my bedchamber. Their brief goodbyes echoed up to my bedchamber as Rune took his leave.

After soaking away the cold, my fingers now withered and prune-y, I climbed into bed, laying in the darkness with Arcturas at my side. Images I tried to ignore scraped against me with their sharp talons. The feel of those shadows woven through my fingers hadn’t felt menacing.

They almost felt familiar and natural, as if they were another limb extended from my body, like an arm or a leg. I realized it wasn’t pain or malice that had frightened me. It was the acute sense of calm and awareness. The events of the night continued to replay through my mind until exhaustion took over and they faded into black.

Chapter 12

Darkness burned my eyes as the familiar scent of smoke pinched my lungs. Coughing, I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t move. My limbs were heavy against my body, muscles refusing to flex. Droplets of water echoed throughout the vastness of my surroundings. High caverns of night arched around me.

Panic traced its way through my veins as I tried again to move from where I lay. I had to get out; I had to run. She was coming. Scratching my nails against the cold floor beneath me, I continued to fight the paralysis. This couldn’t be the end. It wouldn’t be.

Somewhere beyond, a hum buzzed through the earth as pebbles of dirt loosened and shook from the walls above me. A faint glow radiated from my palms as licks of emerald wrapped themselves around each finger and up my wrist. I welcomed the electrifying comfort that now coursed through me in a rush of tingles.

As the light traveled outwards, it grew in intensity until my limbs themselves were nearly blinding. Its rays bounced off of a high marble ceiling. My body, now glowing with the borealis, cast away the shadows of the prison, illuminating huge white pillars and a dais beneath a pristine, white throne.

Seated upon the throne was a woman with golden hair trailing down her frame. Ringlets of curls bounced from the crown of her head down below her waist. Atop her head, a golden diadem dripping with topaz- both yellow and pink. She wore a gauzy golden gown that plunged to her hips, secured with a chain around her petite waist. Strips of apricot, lilac, and fuchsia draped down her thin, crossed legs. Her eyes burned brightly with orbs of morning sunlight as she rested her head on her arm and leaned against the side of the throne. A faint, yellow glow slithered through her veins.

“Elpis, my dear, how long I’ve waited to meet you.” Opposite her warm and gentle likeness, her voice was bitter with a venom that trickled down the back of my neck. I swallowed hard, still unmoving.

“It seems your power has finally awakened. Good.” She rose to her bare feet.

With silent, graceful steps, she seemed to float towards me, the swish of her gauzy train trailing behind her. Snapping her fingers, the chamber lit in a blaze of candles and sconces. The glow surrounding my body receded back through my fingertips, leaving a heaviness in its place. I flexed my fingers, relieved to feel the muscles contract to my will once again.

“Who are you? What do you want from me?” I asked, pushing off the floor to my feet. My knees creaked beneath my stance as I straightened them. There was something about this goddess I didn’t quite trust. She was beautiful and bright, but the surrounding lightness was too intense, too harsh. It ignited only a chill down my spine as she glared at me, her eyes burning into my own with fiery hatred. I needed to get away. The goddess laughed- the sound sharp and clipped.

“My dear, you know who I am.”

In that moment, I knew her. Mortals and gods alike trembled with fear in her presence. Hated across the realms, a scorned lover who had slaughtered an entire court of innocents. Tethys.

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