Page 71 of Across the Sapphire Sea
Even their voice seemed to shimmer, if such a thing was possible, the twinkling notes of it echoing through the large salon before fading to silence. Or, not silence, but thrumming.
“What is that constant pulsing noise?” asked Valeri on impulse. “It never stops.”
The creature’s pink lips curled to a smug smile. “Ah, apparently you do not know all our secrets after all. Some things aren’t meant for you to understand, seeker.”
“I apologize for Valeri’s rash nature,” said Ash, much to Valeri’s annoyance. “What can we do for you?”
“Actually, it is I who came to offer something to you.”
Ash’s brows lifted. “And that is?”
“Myself.”
* * *
Elias, Present 1432 Common Era
Elias lay on his back in the boat, body bobbing with the current of the water beneath them, marveling at the stars overhead. The sky was crystal clear. How had he gone so long without simply enjoying the majesty of the night sky?
Sachi lay next to him, her head by his, but her body stretched the other way, so that her feet were at one end of the boat and his were at the other.
Valeri must be going mad. Elias had been gone for hours. But his conversation with Sachi showed no sign of slowing, and it would do Valeri good to think on what he’d done. What he’d thought they all would do.
“This is my favorite place to dream,” said Sachi, her voice quiet.
They drifted along in the big rowboat somewhere in the middle of Lake Norvajarvi. Sachi had taken him from the underground compound and down a little trail in the woods to procure it. They’d shoved off from shore and simply rowed away. She’d been quiet in the beginning, as if she knew he needed to sort his own thoughts, then she’d begun a line of questioning that had absolutely nothing to do with ancients, or cures, or secrets. Elias found her refreshing.
Sachi asked after his journeys. What did the lands to the south look like? Were their mountains? Had he seen a whale from the ship? Did warm summers melt the snowcaps? Were the plants different? The flowers? The people? What other languages were spoken? Had he seen a person with brown skin? How tall was Bran Vigny? Did it really pierce the clouds?
When her curiosity proved endless, Elias began asking questions of his own. Why have you never left Lappland? What is it like to live forever? Aren’t you cold in your sleeveless gown? Do you ever miss real food?
There was such relief in these questions, in this conversation that ignored all the danger and uncertainty of his reality. Sachi was easy to like, with her friendly, inquisitive nature and bright intelligent eyes. Elias was ashamed of Valeri for demanding either she or her friend be kidnapped.
As much as he enjoyed the lighthearted chatter, Elias had to ask the question he’d been asking himself for a while. “Should I leave my selfish lover?”
Sachi rolled her head to the side to look at him, but Elias kept his eyes on the stars. Though he’d asked for it, he couldn’t face her scrutiny yet.
“Ah, Elias, only you can answer that question. Ask me something I can actually help you with.”
“What should we do, Sachi? My group and I. We’ve traveled here under Valeri’s false pretenses, angered your people, suggested a crime, and failed in our mission. Mahu will die. The Dozen will mourn him. My friend Remy, whom he saved, will be sad. And Laurence. There are times I wish…”
When he didn’t finish, Sachi asked, “What do you wish, Elias?”
“Nothing.” Elias shut his eyes. “I don’t really mean it. I shouldn’t say things I don’t mean.”
“You can tell me.”
“Sometimes I wish I’d never met Valeri.” The admission tugged painfully on his heart. “But that isn’t really true. He can be good. I think he wants to be good, he just, well, he isn’t good at it.” Elias gave a sad chuckle and opened his eyes. “That sounds stupid, but it’s accurate. He saved me from a life of hard labor and an early death from exhaustion. He’s given me everything I have: shelter, warmth, nourishment, clothes…this life. I must sound ungrateful.”
“You don’t. You sound honest.” Sachi sighed; Elias watched the silver swirling mists of her breath disappear on the breeze. “Life is complicated. Love is complicated. Choosing the right thing isn’t always straightforward or easy. Sometimes we get it wrong.”
“I don’t want to leave him,” Elias admitted, perhaps more to himself than to Sachi.
“Perhaps you won’t have to, but Elias.” Sachi rolled to her side and propped her head on her hand. Elias couldn’t avoid her eye contact now. Her expression turned serious. “You must learn to advocate for yourself. No one will do it for you.”
“And you?” Elias asked, sensing she needed the same advice she was doling out to him. “What is it you want?”
“Many, many things.” Sachi’s voice thickened with longing. “Perhaps too many to count.”
