Eden Forest (Part one of the Saskia Trilogy) (10 page)

look up at them, but it’s Mirium’s eyes I hold. “He was not from

this world or the mortal world. He said I am the reason the one

he seeks exists.” Everyone looks at me patiently. “His name is

Lucian.” A look of recognition passes through Mirium’s eyes.

“Do you know him?” I ask him directly.

“This is worse than I thought,” Mirium says. I stare at him,

waiting for him to continue, but he doesn’t and Morrick doesn’t

push for an answer either.

“What do you mean worse than you thought?”

Mirium looks at Morrick before speaking to me. “I am sorry,

Marta, but this is something I cannot discuss yet.”

Morrick’s hands touch my shoulder, telling me not to question

this any further, and he changes the subject. “We will get her,

Marta. It will take a full day to cross over to the mortal world,

so Tristan and Legis will leave tonight, retrieve Sarajane, and bring her back to Saskia. Liber will stay behind to protect you when I am unable to be here.”

After Morrick finishes he sits back down. “Explain what she

looks like and a bit about her to Tristan so he knows what to

look for.”

So I do. I explain of my daughter’s beauty, her long, black,

curly hair, slightly tanned skin, five foot seven inches. Then I

look at Morrick. “She has your eyes.” He doesn’t respond. “She

is very strong willed.” Tristan just nods. I know she will find

him very attractive.

“Does she know anything about us or herself?” Morrick

asks.

“No, she has no idea, but on her twenty-first birthday she

released a lot of magic. I felt it and it was strong, but she wasn’t

aware.”

Tristan rises. “Morrick, there are rumors that King Paulus

is making his way to Hummus. I think it would be best if I

resumed my search for him while Legis and Liber go to the

mortal world to retrieve the girl.” I can see by

Tristan’s face he thinks this is all a waste of his precious time.

My gratitude towards him drops.

Morrick is silent for a moment. “Tristan, this is my daughter

and I want her brought to me safely by you and Legis. That is

not a request.”

Morrick looks annoyed as they stare at each other, but Tristan

composes his face. “Yes, my lord.” Yet his body language still

says he thinks his efforts could be of better use elsewhere.

“I do not want her told anything, as I think it will be best

coming from me and Marta.” I nod in agreement. Morrick

stares into the fire and a silence falls around the room. “Does

she think I am dead?”

I swallow a lump in my throat. This is the part I am so

worried about. I have just found him again; I can’t bear losing

him twice. “No. It is complicated, Morrick.” My eyes wander

to the ground. I am too ashamed to look at him. “I have been

gone for twenty-one years. I never believed I would see you

again.” I look up at Morrick and actually feel like I am going

to get sick. “I have a second daughter… with a mortal.” Hurt

races across his face. I want to explain more, but Morrick rises.

Mirium looks at me, not in disgust, but with pity.

“You need food and rest,” Morrick says as he turns away

from me. I don’t blame him. I find it hard enough right now to

look at anyone without feeling ashamed. “Tristan is all ready?”

“Yes, my lord.”

He places his right hand on Tristan’s shoulder. “Et Lux in

tenebris Lucent.” Tristan smiles at Morrick fondly and leaves

with Legis. Morrick explains to Liber his duties and then leaves

with Mirium by his side.

I follow them to the mouth of the cave and call after Morrick.

“I am sorry.” But he keeps walking.

“You must rest my lady.” Liber speaks from behind me. He

leads me back to the couch and hands me a fresh bowl of soup

with a large piece of bread. While I eat, he just sits there and

stares into the fire. “My lady, may I ask a question?”

I sit up fully on the couch and turn to him. “Of course,

Liber.”

“How did you cross to the mortal world?”

“The same way anybody crosses.”

“I know, my lady, that you used the horses, but who actually

took you across?”

I don’t like the way he asks. “I am sorry, Liber, but I can’t.”

I am not going to let him know about Corrona and Suis’s

involvement, even though Corrona betrayed me. I can imagine

I would do the same if Sarajane were taken from me and then

offered back. It does not matter, though. I still feel angry.

I try to sleep, but I am restless. I lie on the couch for an hour

or so, staring at the ceiling. I look over to Liber, who is asleep by

the fire. It is smoldering now. I leave the room and grab a torch

from the wall, taking it with me outside. There are no stars in

the sky. I am so used to mortal skies that it seems unnatural to

have a plain, black sky. We have a moon, but ours shines red

at night. I miss the beauty of the moon and stars in the mortal

world.

I lie awake nearly the whole night, worrying about Sarajane

and Jessica. I wonder what John is doing right now? And if

things will ever be the same again…

A day has passed since I have seen Morrick. Liber has been

with me the whole time. We barely speak; he just watches my

movements. I feel like a prisoner. I have nothing to do but

wander through the tunnels that branch off into more rooms.

There are several sleeping quarters and a small library. I find

nothing of interest there and even if I did, I know I would be

unable to focus. A small writing room is filled with scrolls. The

farther I move down the tunnels, the barer the rooms become

and the torches are more spaced out. I wonder why these rooms

are here.

I make my way back to Liber in the main room and lie back

down on the couch. I have too much time to think of everything.

Like when Clive was questioning me in the cell, pushing me for

information about how I found a way to enhance my magic,

which was rubbish. One of the times when he had beaten me

nearly unconscious, I heard him mumbling to himself, saying

maybe Bellona was wrong, maybe she sent them to the wrong

area. But I knew it was Lucian looking for answers.

The thought of Lucian sends another shiver down my spine.

What would he want with my daughter? I feel like I might go

crazy with all of these thoughts going around in my head. I

don’t voice my worries to Liber. I just don’t trust him; he feels

wrong to me.

Later that day I can hear hooves pounding into the ground.

I jump up.

“Stay here. I will see if it is safe,” Liber says and leaves. I sit

up on the couch, unable to relax myself. Footsteps sound down

the cave and into the room.

“Who was it?” I ask while turning around. I am faced with

Morrick. “Hi”, is all I am able to say.

He comes over and sits beside me and takes my hands. “I

have missed you so much, Marta.”

I hug him and start crying, feeling nothing but pure relief.

“I’ve missed you too.”

He holds me like that for a long time. “ I know why you left.”

I pull back and look into his grey eyes.

“You do?”

“Yes. Corrona told me everything. But I wish you had trusted

me enough to protect you and Sarajane.”

Looking in his eyes, I can see how much pain I have caused

him. “I am sorry, Morrick. I truly am, but how was I to know

that you would protect Sarajane and me? And if it were a boy,

would you have broken your own laws for me, a servant?”

“You’re not a servant to me, Marta. I love you. And yes, I

would have broken the law no matter what the consequences

were.”

I start to cry again. “I have made such a mess. I have a family

back in the mortal world.” Morrick looks away from me, visibly

displeased. I knew this would be hard on him, but I feel like I need

to explain. He paces the room with his hands behind his back; he

looks like a king at that moment, causing me to smile sadly.

“Do you love this mortal man?” He stops pacing and looks

directly at me.

“John is a good man. He took Sarajane in as his own, and we

have a daughter together.”

“So you do love him?”

I approach Morrick and lay my hand over his heart and place

his hand over mine. “I love you, Morrick. Our hearts only ever

love once. It is not possible to love twice.”

He pulls his hand away, his face conflicted. “Maybe you

stopped loving me, or never did?”

“There wasn’t one night that I did not cry for you. I needed

you to hold me and kiss me because I still love you. I always

have and I will never stop.”

Morrick looks at me then with a guilty look on his face. “I

know you did.”

I am taken back by this confession. “What do you mean?”

“I watched you from a distance, just to make sure you were

safe.”

I am baffled. “You watched me, but never said anything?”

“I could not. Mirium said it was the way it was meant to be,

so I crossed a few times in secret to see if you and Sarajane were

all right.”

My heart skips a beat at the mention of our daughter’s name.

“You knew it was a girl all along?”

“I wanted to hear it from you. I did not want to assume

anything.” I feel ill at such a betrayal, but have I not betrayed

him?

Morrick pulls me to face him. “I love you. I will never stop,

but I also had no choice but to watch.” His words are full of

passion and I know he is speaking the truth.

“Why could you only watch?”

Morrick lets me go. “Mirium said it was the will of the gods.”

“That was it? No other explanation?”

“No.” I know he is lying, but before I can question him,

Morrick pulls me into his embrace and kisses me passionately.

I have waited for this for twenty-one years and it feels so good

that I let myself melt into him. He carries me down to one of the

sleeping chambers and lays me down on the bed where we make

love. We lie naked in each other’s arms afterwards.

My mind returns to Sarajane. “Do you think Tristan found

her?” I ask, looking up at Morrick.

“Yes. He is the best man I have.” He kisses the top of my

head. “Please do not worry. She will be with us shortly.”

“He would not hurt her?”

Morrick looks at me seriously. “Never. Don’t ever say that.”

His face softens then. “If she looks anything like her mother, I

would only worry that he would fall in love with her.” He gives

a little chuckle.

“She looks like both of us, but she has your strength; she is

strong willed.” Morrick lays his head back down, looking up at

the ceiling. I lie on Morrick’s chest, his arm tightly around me.

“Sleep, my love. You must be exhausted.” I smile into his

chest, feeling happy for the first time in years.

“I love you, Morrick.”

He kisses the top of my head. “I love you too.”

Chapter Five

Ireland ~Present Day

(Sarajane)

T
he next morning I have work. I wake with no headache,

thank God, but just a lot of confusion. I don’t have time

to think too much, as I’m already pushing it for time. I

get dressed and skip breakfast. Jessica’s sitting in the kitchen,

finishing her breakfast with a puss on her face. I don’t ask what’s

wrong. More than likely she wouldn’t say. So I drop her off at

school and head into work.

Christine and Susan haven’t arrived yet so I open up and

start tidying over. The bell over the door rings five minutes later

and Christine arrives.

“Hey, Sarajane,” she says while taking off her coat and

hanging it in our little canteen.

“Hey, Christine,” I call after her. When she arrives out on

the floor, I ask, “Where is Susan? I thought you always gave her

a lift?”

“Yeah, she got a lift with Max.” Christine leaves it at that.

Susan arrives then and her face is glowing. Things must be

going good. She spends the whole day talking about how great

Max is and how he has changed so much. Christine and I nod

and smile when necessary. I really hope he’s changed for her

sake.

When I get home, Jessica is doing her homework with a few

friends. I stick my head through the sitting room doorway.

“Hey, guys.” I get a few low mumbled hellos.

I don’t feel like cooking, so I order pizza and run upstairs to

change. When I’m coming downstairs, Dad arrives in the front

door. “Hi, Dad, how was work?” I ask. He looks terrible, but

it’s nothing new. He looks like this since Mum went missing.

“It was busy, sweetheart.”

Dad has his own real estate agency. He helps people find

rental or sale properties in the area. That’s how he and Mum

met. Mum had just moved back from somewhere in Europe. She

was vague on details, as she had travelled a lot. Her parents had

just passed away in a car accident and she had no other family,

so she decided she would build a new life in Ireland, and the

rest is history.

Dad throws his suitcase and jacket on the chair in the hall.

I can hear Mum now, getting onto him about hanging it up.

He seems to think the same thing, as he stops and picks up his

jacket, hanging it on the rack. I start setting the

table and Dad sits down heavily on one of the kitchen chairs.

“What’s for dinner?” he asks, trying to push some enthusiasm

in his voice, which fails.

“Pizza.” Before he can start, I feel the need to explain. “I

know, so not healthy, but I had a stressful and busy day at work

too.”

“Why are you stressed?” he asks. Well, at least I get away

with the pizza.

“Oh, girl stuff.” His face brightens a little. I want the ground

to swallow me up when I see the questions running across his face.

“No, Dad. Susan, my friend, she’s having some problems.”

Relief washes over him. “Oh, all right, love.” In other words,

case closed.

I clean up after everyone has pizza. Josh arrives then. The

sitting room is full so I head for the stairs with Josh. “Going to

my room, Dad.”

He leans back on the kitchen chair and removes his glasses.

Dad could spend hours going through the newspapers he buys

on a daily basis. I say it’s an addiction, but he says it’s an interest.

“Hello, Josh”

Josh gets on well with Dad and is always very respectful.

“Hi, Mr. Anderson.” I roll my eyes and start up the stairs.

“Leave the door open,” Dad calls after me. That deserves

another eye roll.

Josh looks around my room as if he’s never been in it before

while I sit crossed-legged on my bed. He doesn’t look at me, just

keeps looking at all my photos on my wardrobe again.

“Josh, is there something wrong?” I ask. He’s too quiet and

his recent attention to my photos is something he never bothered

with before.

He finally turns around then. “Sorry, I have things on my

mind.” He sits down on the side of the bed and rubs his face.

He looks very stressed.

“You know you can talk to me.” Josh normally is happy-go-

lucky and he always listens to me so it would be nice to return

the favour, even if it is just this once.

“I’m in love with someone and she has no idea.” He gives

a little sarcastic laugh and continues to look at the floor with

his elbows resting on his thighs. He gives me a quick sideward

glance. I feel like laughing, but think better of it when I see how

serious he is. He looks embarrassed and a bit awkward.

“Have you tried to tell her?” I ask gently, knowing this is a

big deal for him to talk about his feelings.

“No.” He starts rubbing his hands together. “It just never

feels like the right time.”

A feeling of sadness comes over me at the thought of losing

him. “Well, I can assume it isn’t… Who was last week’s girl?”

He gives a heartfelt laugh. “Siobhan. God, no. I don’t know

what I was even thinking. I thought she was different. I made

it clear it was just a bit of fun and she was all up for it and

now she’s acting crazy.” Josh gets up and opens my bedroom

window, letting in a cold breeze. I’m only wearing a string top,

and goose bumps pop up all over my arms. When Josh notices

me rubbing my arms, he closes the window. “Sorry, just feel

really warm.” He’s only in a T-shirt.

“It’s fine.” I grab an old black V-neck jumper that has been

around for years. “I’ll just throw this on.”

Before I have it on, he stops me, taking the jumper from my

hands. “What do you see when you look at me, Sarajane?” He

asks this in a tone that suggests the answer is very important, so

I take the question seriously and answer honestly.

“I see a good person with a big heart. You’re funny and

caring. You’re Josh.” He doesn’t look satisfied with my answer

and he’s starting to worry me. “Josh, what’s wrong?”

“I am…” A knock sounds from my bedroom door and my

dad sticks his head in. “Tired,” Josh finishes.

I look at him “What?”

“I’m tired,” he says again.

“Oh, all right.”

“Are you kids all right?” Dad asks, while giving me a look

that says, Your bedroom door was meant to stay open.

Josh puts on a smile, but it is clearly strained. “Yes. Hmm…

I was just leaving. See you tomorrow.” He doesn’t even meet my

eyes.

“Okay, bye.” I call after him.

Dad gives me a kiss and says his good nights to me and then

I hear him going into Jessica’s room. I lie on my bed, worrying

about Josh. I wanted to talk about Linda. I roll over to turn

off my bedside light just as my phone vibrates. I flip it open. A

message from Josh flashes up on the screen.

Sorry about tonight. Just really tired. See you tom

I smile and write back.
Sleep well, Josh. X

Then I fall asleep.