Image (Insight #3)(9)

His eyes moved to mine, then he reached his arms out for me to lean into him; I could feel a calm coming from his embrace. “I don’t want you to worry; I can feel your grief. We’ll come back for them and go home to Chara,” he whispered.

“I can feel your grief,” I whispered back.

He leaned his shoulder back so I’d have to look at him. “It’s a grief for a life we’ll never have, a life uninterrupted by anyone or anything in Esterious.”

I reached up and let my lips rest on his neck, then thought, “That day will come.”

We drifted into calm. As we left or bodies, we merged our energy, taking in the tantalizing, addictive rush.

Chapter Three
It seemed like only moments before we felt Aora and Pelhan gently touch our bodies. We took in a deep breath; it’s almost painful to go from such bliss to the weight of a body. Once we focused, we stood and noticed that the beautiful white line that connected me and Landen was brighter and wider.

“It is time to return to Delen” Pelhan said, extending his hand to guide us out of the garden.

“We need to say goodbye,” Landen said, wrapping his arm around me.

“Yes, they are waiting at the passage,” Pelhan said as he turned to lead us.

We followed Pelhan out of the garden and down the street to the passage. In the distance, I could feel our family; overall, they were at peace. I began to focus on each of them as individuals, committing what I loved about their emotions to memory. Landen smiled down at me as he felt each one with me.

Pelhan stopped when our family came into view. “We will send our good thoughts to each of you,” he said as he and Aora bowed their heads. I smiled slightly, then Landen nodded his head and we continued forward to our family.

In the center, our parents and grandparents stood with Libby and Preston at their side. Libby was staring up at me, and I stepped forward and knelt before her to see her eye-to-eye. “Will you be able to tell me that all of you are OK when I’m in Delen?” I asked her.

She shook her head no. “I don’t know how,” she whispered.

“How did Perodine talk to you? How did you know I needed to go there tonight?” I asked, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

“I felt it,” Libby said.

I could feel frustration begin to emerge in her, and Landen put his hand on my shoulder, urging me not to push her. I looked up at him, then back to Libby. “It’s alright,” I whispered.

“We’ll try,” Preston said, looking up at me and Landen.

I forced a smile, then rose from my knees. The others had encircled us. Landen reached down and picked up Libby, hugging her as tight as he could, then he sat her down and reached for Preston to come to him. As he hugged him, Preston whispered something to Landen. Whatever it was, Landen didn’t understand it; confusion was dominating his emotions. Landen nodded, then stepped back, sighing.

“What did he say?” I asked

“I’ll tell you later,” Landen thought.

He crossed his arms and stared at our fathers, prepared to judge every word they spoke. “Is there anything that any of you know that may help us?” he asked.

Ashten and my father turned to Nyla and Karsten, waiting for one of them to explain. Karsten, my grandfather, cleared his throat. “The books we’ve given you are written in the first language, a language of symbols. August has spent decades with the scholars of Analess; he will serve as a great ally to the both of you,” he said, showing us the emotion of confidence. “Nyla and I can tell you that the descendants of the Odina have always been divided by one trait. It is said that Samilya lost her husband and never found another love, and her tribulation has been passed down from generation to generation. I am the only person in recorded history that has found a home in Chara, yet thousands from Jayda’s decedents have,” he explained.

“It shouldn’t matter if someone before you couldn’t find love,” I argued, not understanding how half of a world could honestly believe that.

Karsten stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me. “I know. I never believed it either. Perhaps that’s why your grandmother found me,” he whispered proudly. I leaned out of his embrace and smiled at him.

Rose stepped forward and hugged me and Landen. She then whispered in my ear, “They’re just stories; only those who were there know the truth.” I knew she meant to comfort me, but it made me more nervous; I wanted to know what those twins had to do with any of this.

Landen looked at his father and asked, “How come I was never told of this division?”

Ashten held in a breath and looked over Landen. He wanted to stop us, to tell us we were foolish, but he feared it would only push us further away from him. “No one in Chara really knows of this. Our family is already seen in a rare light for being direct ancestors of Alyianna and Guardian; divulging information about being connected to other admired ancestors seemed to encourage a division between our family and the rest of Chara - something none of us want. Honestly, it didn’t seem to pertain to the two of you, or Esterious,” Ashten answered. His words echoed the truth.

Aubrey hugged Landen, then me, and my mother did the same. “You make sure you’re home for your birthday,” my mother said in a cracked voice as she let go of me. She hid her face in my father’s shoulder, and I could feel her trying to call forth positive thoughts, trying to take herself to days in the future.