See How She Fights (The Chronicles of Izzy #2)(68)

“You are the one the prophecies have been written about. It has always been you. They thought Cait might have been the one, but she wasn’t strong enough. Well, not strong enough to form a sustainable bridge at any rate. She did throw a wrench in their plans with that self-sacrifice bit she did,” Elaine giggled to herself.

“We are not going to get anywhere with her,” I said, moving toward the windows. I stared out at the garden and listened as Conall and Kennan broke into a heated argument. A Guardian stepped in to remove Elaine and take her away. I listened for a moment longer as Kennan and Conall bickered before I’d had enough.

“I’m going to go out there for a little while,” I nodded towards the garden and Conall and Kennan both moved towards me.

“I’ll go with you,” they simultaneously said.

“Alone. I’m going to go out there alone.” I reached up and patted the side of Kennan’s face before moving toward the door. I was bone tired and all I could think about was getting away from their fighting. “You can watch me from the window. While I’m gone, you guys can try and figure out what we can do to stop this. You beat them once, we can do it again.”

I walked toward the French Doors that led out into the garden. I reached for the handle only to be stopped by Kennan’s hand.

“Don’t leave the garden,” Kennan’s voice was a plea. I knew it took a great deal for him to let me go out there alone at all.

“I promise I won’t. I just need some air. I’m not feeling well.” I smiled wanly before opening the door and heading out into the early morning chill. I wrapped my sweater more tightly around me as I moved into the hedge maze.

**********





TWENTY SIX


I moved into the dark green walls trying to calm my breathing. The sounds of Conall and Kennan arguing could be heard even at the center of the maze. I kept walking, in search of the bench I had occupied the day Kennan and I had fought. I needed to sit down and soon. I turned the corner and caught sight of the bench just as I felt my knees begin to buckle. My vision blurred and as I started to fall, I saw a flash of a person. I was suddenly airborne, trapped in someone’s arms. I looked up to find Aberto looking ahead toward the bench.

“Why are you alone?” he asked, sitting me on the bench.

“I needed some air and I’m tired of listening to them argue. It isn’t helping.” I was so tired. I wanted to close my eyes and drift away.

“Izzy. Izzy, open your eyes and look at me. What happened after we parted last night?” his voice edged on panicked.

“Hmmmm? Oh, another rune. Man in red robe. Warning,” I mumbled, closing my eyes again.

“Izzy, stay awake. Do not sleep.”

“So tired. Just for a while.” I closed my eyes, only to open them wide once more when I felt his mouth brush mine. The same warmth flooded me as it had when I died the day before. I no longer felt the pull of sleep trying to drag me under. I moved away from Aberto quickly. “What did you just do?”

“I stopped them from pulling you into the dreaming.”

Aberto looked out at the hedges refusing to meet my eyes.

“Aberto,” I barely uttered his name. “I need to know what is happening to me. You promised me answers.”

“Once you know, there is no going back, Izzy. Are you sure this is the course you wish to follow?” he asked with such hesitation my resolve almost faltered.

“I’m sure.”

“What would you like to know first?” His calm seemed to have been restored. He no longer held the rage he had the night before.

“What did you do to me yesterday when you saved me? I don’t feel like myself anymore.” I looked down at my hands and noticed they were shaking.

“I saved you,” Aberto said.

“You know I need more.”

“I breathed my life into you. Part of my soul now lives in yours. It was the only way I could keep you alive. I didn’t have another option.”

“But what does that mean? Am I like you now, whatever you are?”

“I don’t know what will happen to you now. What I did is meant to be forbidden.”

“Why did you do it?” I asked slowly, looking up to meet his eyes.

“Because you were not meant to die yesterday.” Aberto’s eyes shown with endless knowledge and for a moment I felt the pull to him once more. “That is not entirely true,” he finished.

“So, I was supposed to die yesterday?” I was beginning to get confused.

“No, I mean to say that my reasoning was not entirely to uphold your future. My reasoning was partially selfish. I could not let you go,” he said, getting up from the bench.

“Aberto…” I began only to have him put his hand out to stop me. He turned toward me, his eyes gleaming with pain.

“I do not expect anything from you, Izzy. I know you have your home. I will never try to interfere there. I will never push myself on you. All that you must know is that I am at your service, always. So let us put an end to this, brush it from your mind, and move forward.”

“But, you can’t just say something like that and say it doesn’t matter.” My voice was frantic. How had I been so blind? He moved toward me quickly and squatted down in front of me. He grasped my face in his hands and looked at me for a moment.