Monsters & Fairytales (59 page)

“I am the leader appointed by God himself! I make the rules!” He hissed.

“Not anymore. It’s a miracle He’s allowed it to go this far. Maybe He will spare you after all.” Loki spat, turning his back on him. “Come, Mirabelle.”

I didn’t know what to do. My feet were glued to the floor. I didn’t even budge as he walked past me and his wings scraped along side of me. I was just staring at the Minakai. He didn’t seem affected, at all. In fact, he put on his glasses and sat on the other side of his desk as if he were picking up where he left off before we had ever barged in. He never looked up again.

I went to take a step forward, but Sebastian started tugging on my arm. I was hesitant to leave the Minakai in this state. However, I supposed it was obvious that Loki was not the one to be disobeyed. With a last glance, I followed them out of the room.

“Where are-”

“Father, we need to go see Uncle.” Sebastian interrupted me.

“I know.” Loki agreed.

I forgot everything I had just witnessed in an instant. My heart started racing. This was actually going to happen? I was going to see her? Could I touch her? Would she smell the same? Would she be excited to see me? That was a stupid question; of course she’d be happy. She’d have to understand what I went through to get the chance to see her again. Hopefully, Loki and Sebastian also understood that whatever cost it took, I’d do it. I’d sacrifice the human race a million times over for just three seconds with her.
Anything.
             

Wait, that wasn’t really the thought of a purist unsure of what to do with the fate of the world. I needed to focus. I had to be sure my only intentions were for her advice and that alone. Nothing selfish could surround this visit. They may not let her come to me. I needed her advice. She was the only one I trusted for this. She could guide me through a maze blindfolded and I would never stop to second guess her. 

“For what?”
Carlyle asked.

I thought he had been reading my mind. I went to answer, but Sebastian spoke up.

“She deserves to see her mother.” He said.
             

“You understand the risk you are asking of Zerach?”

Carlyle seemed offended.  I looked at him, but quickly looked forward again when we made eye contact.

“Yes. But, I think that is a decision for him and him alone.” Sebastian insisted.

He squeezed my hand for encouragement.

“Discussion is over.” Loki said, quieting Carlyle’s attempt at a rebuttal.

We passed a few more corners, and then I saw the doors. They opened them for me and I stepped out on the lawn. I couldn’t help but smile and yet, feel sad. I was going to miss this place. I had a feeling Porter was not going to be Minakai for much longer or that he would not allow me back. Either way, the odds of seeing this land inside the castle walls again were slim to none.

“Are you crazy?!” Carlyle yelled out from behind us.

He had stopped at the top of the stairs. We were nearly to the gate. Flowers bent and jerked out of the way of his sluggish strides. What was his problem? He was out of control.
             

I took a step back to stand behind Sebastian and Loki. It wasn’t because I felt like I needed protection, but because I felt I had nothing to say in this that would make matters better. It was something Carlyle was upset over with his father’s and brother’s actions to throw Zerach into it. He wasn’t upset over me needing to see my mother, at least I hoped. That’s why I needed to just stay out of it. Nothing good would come out of me saying anything to him.
             

The big, furry beast finally made it to where we were waiting on him. He looked at them with eyes bulging. He was a steaming pot left on the stove too long. I saw the top of his head blow up and twirl around like it would in the cartoons; I laughed quietly to myself. It was a good thing I was hidden behind Sebastian. I had a feeling that would have made Carlyle completely lose it.

“Having our uncle go to the other world to answer a question she already knows is pointless. You know how dangerous it is for him. How can you not understand that?”

He didn’t want me to see her. How could he? I started to move forward but Loki stepped in the way.

“
I
do not understand? Choose your words more wisely, my son.” Loki said, nearly laughing at Carlyle’s stupidity.

“If you did, you wouldn’t even come close to considering this.”

“That is where you are wrong and a fool. If you understood then you would know your place.”

“What the hell is so terrible about me wanting to see my mother?” I blurted out.

I was feeding off of
Loki’s
anger. I had been trying to stay quiet, but I just couldn’t anymore. How dare
he
! How dare anyone try to tell me that it was
pointless.

“Your vision of Heaven is just what you want it to be. You don’t understand, but it’s an entire world, Mira. It just keeps going in infinite directions. Every person gets their Heaven, and in it, finding them is nearly impossible. Once you pass through, there is zero chance of return.”

“But if Zerach is immortal, then how can he never return?”

“The Zahn is our entry way into Heaven, much like it is yours. But when one of us goes through it, it is usually with a soul for it to claim. Going through it alone has never been attempted, except for our rite of passage. I do not doubt its dangers, but I expect with your heart, it will be easy enough.” Loki said.

“My heart?”

“Your wants guide us. Just keep focusing on that.” He winked.

I knew it. I had to focus on wanting her. It would easy enough now that he confirmed it. Not to mention, concentrating on wanting to see her was all I could do since it was first brought up. 

“I want no part of this.” Carlyle sneered, turning his back towards us.

“You should have thought about that before you pretended to be something you weren’t.” I whispered.

There was no holding back anymore. In spite of his attacks on me, I was tired of Carlyle acting so self-righteous. He needed to understand the wrongs he had done and own up to them. It was petty and childish to act this way.

“I was on a mission, and I found you.”

“But now you go against everything I stand for?”

“
This is nothing that you stand for. You are putting one of my
kind
, one of my family members, at danger for an unnecessary reason.
” He said.

“Then give up on me. I don’t need you.”

I t
urned from him. Loki was facing me with a smile in the corner of his lips. He was proud of me. I had proved myself to him. Everything that Sebastian saw in me was now visible to Loki
.

“Shall we?” He asked.

For a moment,
the look he had in his eyes led me to believe he was inviting me to climb up on him. I wasn’t sure how I would have handled holding on to him though. So when he took to the sky without me, I was relieved. Carlyle darted after him; the gust from his take off nearly knocked me over. I hoped he was finally done talking and just didn’t want to be left alone with me, rather than trying to chase his father down to argue without our ears hearing
.

Where was Sebastian, anyway? I glanced around and smiled when he was right behind me. He was smiling at me, as well. How long had he been waiting for me to notice him? I hadn’t forgotten him. He had to know that. This was such a hectic mess. I wished I could stop time for a few moments in his arms. Was I wasting time to go see my mother? How was he making me question it?
             

He seemed to feel my nerves were on edge. His body tensed up and I was engulfed in his arms. I felt the weight lift off of me for just a moment. I was weightless in his arms. A tingling on my forehead told me his lips were there. I was forgetting what I had even been stressed over. Like two magnets our lips found their way together, blindly. I
was
wasting time.
             

Startling me,
Sebastian swept me up and took off after the other two. The way he was holding me made me giggle uncontrollably. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, but I had never flown with him before like this. My eyes were watering and I dug my face in his chest to shield them from the wind. When he slowed down to a much more reasonable pace, I moved my head out of his chest. I wanted to see everything, especially him. I was so lucky to have him. He was good to me, not the way Carlyle had been, but because he loved me. I had this handsome and brave beast in love with me. What shined through everything was how much he believed in me
.
             

“You doubt your own beauty?” He asked, interrupting my thoughts.

“Huh?”

“You know you are the beauty and I am just a beast, but yet you stare at me wondering how someone like you deserves
me?
It’s not fair to lie to yourself like that. It is I who does not deserve someone as pure as you.”

For someone never knowing fairytales and love, he sure had that love story down pact. The man-beast who never thought he was worthy of such a woman, only to prove he was indeed the only one worth her. For his love was all that mattered to her and with that they had everything.

He leaned down and kissed my forehead, agreeing my thoughts. I
could never see him as a beast as he or the books portrayed it though. I guess that was the proof that I was the beauty in the stories. Maybe he was right. My stomach tingled and I had to kiss him. I wasn’t sure how good he could fly without looking, but I reached up and pulled his lips to mine anyways. It gave me a rush like it did the first time. I savored it
.

“Careful, you’re going to make us fall.” He whispered.

“I’ve already fallen for you.” I smiled.

He
grinned
the cutest grin then carried on flying without making eye contact. It made me blush knowing how embarrassed he got over that. I couldn’t help but to keep staring at him, thus making it worse.

“Hold on.” He whispered, squeezing me.

For a second, I thought he was trying to create a distraction, but then I realized we were hovering. I was suddenly reminded of what that meant. I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck, took off my glasses, and dug my head against his chest. He took the nose dive down into the land below, making my heart stop beating. In a few seconds, everything got quiet and he very gracefully pulled himself upright to land.

“You can open your eyes, now.” He laughed.

I
peeked
one eye open and saw the world around us was a bit fuzzy.
Remembering my glasses weren’t on my face, I hoped they wouldn’t make me sick when I put them back on. Disappointingly, I still felt a bit dizzy looking through them. I needed food or water or even a moment to sit down. When Sebastian set me on my feet, I lost my grounding and fell backwards. He laughed as he caught me and helped me to straighten back up. Watching me carefully, he waited for me to find my equilibrium. With a few blinks and deep breaths it came to me and then we walked to catch up with Loki and Carlyle
.

This place was a bit different than the part of their world I had gotten used to. There was color, but it seemed to have a tint of yellow on everything. There were no shops or stands or really any other buildings. There were, however, three houses at the end of the clearing we were standing in. It was odd because each house was a different shade of yellow. And not only that, but they varied in size from shortest to tallest and darkest to lightest. The darkest and tallest was to the right of them all. It was nearly burrowed into the vegetation
. That’s when I noticed the odd look of the trees around us. Each one was shaped differently, almost like an alphabet forest. Their tops scattered a different color from their rainbow. I giggled as I had a thought of if any unicorns or other mythical creatures lived in there.
             

Something splashed behind me and I saw the purple stream next to us. How was this stream winding its way through all this clutter? Could it really have come from the valley we were in that one day? I guess it would be what went to that, since now we were on higher grounds. I hadn’t seen it from the air, though. Well, I might’ve if I had been paying attention.

I shot a quick glance over at Sebastian. He was staring straight ahead. Some fish jumped out from one of the lower bushes and waved me over. Seeing no reason to be standing in silence with them, I rushed over. Kneeling down, I pushed through the brush and stopped on the edge of the stream. I waved back to it and its friends. The water was so pure and clear, I was so thirsty. I hoped they didn’t mind my drinking from it.

With just a few sips, my body instantly felt better. The nausea was completely gone, and even my hunger seemed to dissipate. I splashed my face to cool off and they started shaking their tales to help splash me. I was giggling. When the water settled, I saw a black figure hovering over me. I panicked and threw myself around. Wiping the water from my eyes, I heard the fish scatter back under the water.