Forgotten (35 page)

“
You taught me never to
steal freewill,” Jace explained, before I could ask what Marco’s
comment meant.

“
You’re the closest thing
to a queen, cookie. Get with the program, Chronicler, or haven’t
you been reading my book?” Marco said as he continued picking his
nails, like he was bored.

“
I thought it said that all
the deities died after the Fate sisters passed away?” I
questioned.

“
Documenting history and
adding a twist – you know, to keep it interesting,” Marco said.
When I pressed further, he groaned. “Fine, you want to know why I
scribbled that lie? It was because I knew the Hunters would
eventually get their grubby hands on it. I only recently got it
back…well, a few decades ago.”

“
You wanted them to believe
you were dead?” I asked.

“
Many stopped hunting us
after word got out,” Jace explained. “They lived their lives and
eventually died.”

“
Why didn’t you all die
when the sisters did?” I asked, trying to make sense of everything
Bree read from the book. Neither Marco nor Jace seemed particularly
eager to answer. “Tell me.”

“
Because the Chronicler
gave away the Elysian in her blood before she died,” Jace answered,
very softly. “Her Elysian kept us immortal. If she would have kept
it when she first died, we would have followed suit.”

“
Is the Chronicler’s power
limited to being a glorified genie in a bottle?” I
asked.

Marco laughed. “Well, that’s one way
to put it.”

“
She once manipulated the
fate of many, by changing the Elysian in us,” Jace said. The way he
spoke made me think there was something more to it than just
playing with blood. “She could meddle with other people’s emotions,
modify how anyone saw the past - ergo, changing the way they react
to certain situations. Alter the Elysian in our blood Steal free
will. It changed their fate over the course of time. Same goes for
humans; the chemicals are just different in their
bodies.”

“
How did she do this?” I
asked.

“
Shouldn’t keep Analee
waiting,” Jace said, hastily. “It’d be a shame to get her panties
in a twist because we’re a few minutes late.”

“
Oh, come now – it was just
starting to get good watching you two. What’s a few hours when
you’ve waited centuries?”

“
Centuries?” I
asked.

“
Immortal, remember? Or did
you choose not to believe the part that I spelled out before you?”
Marco said, as he got up off my bed and walked over to
us.

I wanted to point out that he wrote
down all the deities died, so I didn’t know what to believe. “If
you are immortal, how can you die? Isn’t it an oxymoron? And how
are the Hunters successful in killing you?”

Jace held his breath just long enough
for me to notice. “We can kill each other; thus, we can die. But
not by disease or age.”

“
The Hunters can kill us
with immortal weapons that they steal from us,” Marco said, drawing
my attention to him. His tone shifted more serious as he laid a
hand on Jace’s shoulder. “Zalen shifted Analee there. I came here
to get you two. This is why I’m here, by the way, missy
moo.”

Jace sighed, and then filled in the
gaps Marco left out. “Mortals can’t withstand a shift to Elysia –
the place we call home. It’s why I’m here – to protect you from the
shift. We’re going to a place the Chronicler used to cherish,
before everything turned south. It’s a Hunter haven now. It
shouldn’t take too long before someone notices you’re
there.”

“
Wouldn’t that be a little
obvious?” I asked.

“
We’ve been shifting to
many of your old Elysia hid-e-holes lately,” Marco answered. “If
the Butcher, or other Hunters, has been tracking you, he’ll know
this. He’s a weasel, and I’m sure he’s found means of getting there
quickly.”

“
Other means?” I
questioned. “As in, teaming up with other’s like you – your ability
in particular?”

“
We’re no strangers to
traitors,” Marco said. The tone in made me think there was more to
his response than simply knowing a back-stabber or two.

Jace’s hand found mine. The moment his
hand touched my skin, I stood on a beach. I recalled the first few
shifts I thought were introductions to my dreams. I was sick
immediately after, now I was simply dizzy. My knees hit
sand.

A moonless night was
illuminated by the fire crawling across a young man’s bare back. He
kneeled in the sand and faced the ocean. Blue hues danced from his
skin, transforming into brilliant orange and yellow flames. Waves
crashed against the shore, echoing in the night. He made no effort
to run into the cool water; instead he picked up a stone half
buried in the sand, and threw it into the ocean. The longer it
rippled in the water, the more clenched his fist became. His
muscular arms glistened with blood and sweat, as if he’d just
finished fighting even though he bore no combat
injuries.

Waves crashed into the
shore. The man engulfed in flames refused to look at me. I could
feel his desire tickle my skin while it burned his
flesh.

“
I fought for you,
Chronicler.”

“
I need a healer, not a
gladiator. I need someone who can heal my mortal wounds, now that I
am no longer ageless.” I wished he’d forgive himself of whatever
past he refused to see. I was tempted to reach for the scar on his
thumb and see his past memories for myself.

“
So you simply need my
service?” he asked.

He was a stunning mess of
muscle, but there was more than mere good looks to his soul. He was
honorable and loyal. Above all else, he was persistent, which is
why he was perfect for me. The Prophet said that if chosen, he’d
cause my demise but would serve as a loyal guardian until death
bestowed me.

“
I’ll do your bidding, but
I must know the truth, Chronicler. After all these years, do you
simply seek my service?”

I’d fallen in love with
the sound of his voice years ago even though I restrained myself
from meddling in his life. I could make him fall for me; change his
destiny forever – but I couldn’t bear to steal his
freedom.

“
I need a healer,” I
confessed. My desire hung on my words. “Which is why I sought out
the best, but I want you.”

He towered over me. He
could force me to my knees, demand anything in the world if he
wanted; he was stronger than I, but he bowed his head as if I were
more powerful than he. I stopped him; I’d never wanted a servant –
I yearned for companionship. I took his hand in mine and laced my
fingers around his. I closed my eyes and bathed in his hazy sight.
His blue fiery blaze crawled onto my skin.

“
Consequences must be paid
if we continue this path, Healer. My sister has seen it,” I
said.

I expected hesitation;
however, I wasn’t given any. He immediately pulled me against him
and led me into the ocean. He acted like I was the breathtaking
one, not him. He muttered that even the ocean couldn’t compare to
the beauty in my eyes. I didn’t believe him, but I didn’t
care.

“
Your adoration is worth
centuries of torment,” he promised.

The black water hid
everything under its surface. Nothing showed through, except for
the faint outline of a calloused hand. Just when I was about to
look away, a single blue flame sparked just below a ripple of
water. The flame danced and flickered in the water, like it would
have in the wind.

I watched the vision play out before
so it felt familiar…but not just because it unraveled in my mind as
a futuristic vision. It felt more like a memory. Jace’s hands were
on my face, studying me as if I’d just done something truly
remarkable. I knew he wanted to know what was going on, but I felt
his hesitation in asking. I shook my head and muttered that I was
okay. I looked around.

My world of gray sharpened
significantly. I could see defined shapes of Marco and Analee
towered over us on a bed of sand. Salt-water scents hung in the
air. An endless sea encased one side of the beach. A cliff
barricaded the beach on the opposite side. I knew of this place;
Jace had brought me here before. Was it not safe then?

Reading my thoughts, Jace whispered.
“Marco was keeping watch-out the entire time. I brought you here
before, hoping you’d recall the first time we kissed.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat; the
dreams were real – but that’s not the first time we kissed… unless
it was Deino he kissed here first. Jealousy dominated my focus. I
closed my eyes and pressed my palms into my eyes and tried not to
worry about my visions at this moment. Now was not the time or
place to have a revelation.

“
Welcome home,
Chronicler
,” Analee said,
sarcastically.

“
Where’s Zalen?” Jace
asked, annoyed that she interrupted the moment between
us.

“
He’s scouting, and what
did I say about giving me with the respect I deserve?” Analee said
playfully. Her grip closed around Jace’s neck; she was hell-bent on
torturing him and strangling me while she was at it; I felt her
grip caress my neck with ghost fingers. Jace was keeping me from
succumbing to her wrath; he fell to his knees beside me. He
screamed obscenities after Analee said she liked the way it looked
when we knelt down before her.

“
How do you know the
Butcher will even show?” I asked, trying to prevent Jace and Analee
from having another fight.

“
Is she really this dumb?”
Analee scoffed. She released Jace, only to walk around me in a
circle. She snapped her fingers, and Marco disappeared like he’d
been trained to shift at that command. He brought back with him the
two frozen sisters. “Perhaps we should leave you here alone to
wander the beaches while we wait. Jace can keep me
company.”

“
Are you kidding me?” I
demanded, furious about a mere suggestion of Jace not being with
me, and with Analee instead. “I’m sure they have eyes, and will
notice Jace isn’t with me. Isn’t that the plan, baiting them close,
because they’ll think Jace and I are alone?”

My skin hissed. It was no secret my
mere existence bothered Analee on a personal level. But it was too
late to back down now, especially since the Master’s insane angelic
laugh echoed in my mind.

“
Analee enjoys making empty
threats just to see how we would react,” Jace said.

Well, that would have been
nice to know two seconds ago!

“
Excuse me?” Analee
laughed. “My threats are not empty.”

It felt like she was piercing my
eardrums with her fingernails. She circled around me, mocking me. I
leaped for her and grabbed her wrist. Her knife-like touch stopped,
but she hadn’t backed away from me. The sound of the waves drummed
the shoreline as we waited for one another to react. I had a
suspicion she was used to waiting. She had mastered the art of
waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

“
You’re lonely,” I finally
said, breaking the silence.

“
You speak vaguely,” she
hissed. “Bow to me, human girl.”

At her demand, I fell to my knees, but
not because I willed it. My body no longer responded to my orders;
I was her puppet. She laughed and requested that I stand. I stood.
I was at her disposal – no wonder she was calling the shots. Jace
crashed into Analee. I watched, unable to move. Marco yelled in
frustration and disappeared. A second later he reappeared next to
them only to tear Jace off of Analee.

“
We’d make more progress if
you two weren’t at each other’s throats all the time,” Marco said,
jerking Jace away from
the
Master
.

Their wordless curses and soundless
screams echoed in my mind as they argued with one another. Analee’s
angelic laugh rippled through my body when she said something about
needing another slave girl. I was the perfect candidate.

I fought for my body to
obey my wishes; it refused. My destiny might have already been
determined. But I was damned if I didn’t put up a fight. Irate that
she thought I’d simply bow down to her without a fight, I pressed
my lips together and screamed in my mind. I didn’t know what their
words meant so I poured every part of my anger into my voice. I
didn’t know if what I said was important, but it was my voice – the
only one I had. I tried to move, but I couldn’t. I closed my eyes
as I embraced every horrible experience I’d ever felt.
I stole my sister’s life; I ran away from
everyone who’d ever tried to love me; I’d failed so many times; I’d
refused to live the life I wanted to, I was a scared little girl
that ran away from her problems because I might not succeed or
worse, positive I’d fail to everyone who’d relied on me. I lived
with so many regrets; now was not the time to make another.
Dread seeped from my soul, and into my soundless
cries. Despair sank its cold fingers into my heart. Depression
squandered my happiness.

Tears slid down my cheeks. My voice
was raw even though I hadn’t opened my mouth. My soul ached. Sand
clung to the sweat gathering on my clammy skin. My eyes stung when
I looked around.