Page 151 of Queen of Legends and Lies
It’s also like I’m floating in a hot, relaxing bath that is, somehow, keeping me cool. The scent of floral oils fills my senses without overwhelming me or blocking the pleasing aroma of water and sunshine.
How can sunshine have a smell? Especially in the dark?
I shrug. Or at least, I think I do. Ripples from all the movement make my body tingle everywhere, until the sensation slips out from my toes and off into eternity.
Where am I?
Though my rational mind rejects them, I also understand that the contradictions are perfectly natural. My rational mind is a silly thing, impinging on my happiness and contentment from merging with the universe.
Maybe this is how the phoenix felt when it was buried within my heart…flowing in a space of dark and light, of silence and sound.
Then, without warning, something or someone propels me forward.
Sensations wash over me with exquisite, overwhelming clarity. Rushing air. Shimmering lights. A symphony. My nonexistent body soars through the abyss and erupts in shivers.
Am I alive?
Unseen forces buffet me like raging rivers. They surge into me layer by diaphanous layer, each one an iridescent veil more beautiful than the last. A kaleidoscope flashes before my eyes, painting my bones slick with vibrant colors.
With hues that don’t exist inside the mortal spectrum. And they don’t stop there. They tease my nose and leave tantalizing flavors along my tongue. Boundless, mesmerizing patterns swirl around me, vanishing before I can comprehend their intricacies or follow them back to their origin or forward to their destination.
With a final, gentle nudge, I breathe deeply and plunge into it all.
Awareness slams into me as I materialize on solid ground. No…not the ground. I’m curled in someone’s lap.
I blink once, twice, then a few more times.
My vision clears.
A faint spice invades my senses. “Lark? Are you awake?”
That throaty voice is raw with emotion. Sterling.
I try to respond, but only a faint croak escapes my parched throat. All I can manage is a weak nod as his strong arms cradle me to his chest.
Water drips onto my face. “Thank the gods.” His words trail off as he buries his face in my loose hair, his broad shoulders shaking with silent sobs.
I want to reassure him, to tell him I’m all right. But I’m still so disoriented, and my mind’s struggling to make sense of what I’ve just experienced.
Where was I? How long was I there? What happened to me?
I’m alive. That’s all I know. And, somehow, I’m in Sterling’s arms.
Maybe that’s why wherever I was felt like home.
The orange and pink sky stretches above us, fiery rays painting the clouds in shades of gold and crimson. Sunrise. An entire night must’ve passed since I ventured into that fated cave. Or has it been even longer? Time seems to have lost all meaning.
I lift my head and soak in my surroundings. The world is unnaturally vivid, saturated to the point of pain. My burning eyes water.
I shift in Sterling’s arms, trying to sit up or even stand, but my limbs are foreign and uncooperative, and my legs threaten to buckle beneath me.
Sterling shoots to his feet, wrapping a steadying arm around me. “Easy, love, you’ve been through an ordeal. Let me help you.”
I nod, leaning into his solid frame as I survey the unfamiliar landscape. Now that my eyes are adjusting, the world looks oddly flat and one dimensional, a stark contrast to the kaleidoscopic realm I’d just traversed.
Was that a dream? Where are we now?
I add those thoughts to the growing list of unanswered questions.
