PATHS AND POSSIBILITIES
I looked at Reth. Filled as I was, I could see better than ever through his natural form and straight to his soul. It was beautiful. Unlike the liquid flames he'd given me, his soul was stationary, crystallized. It was the same bright gold of all the other souls but utterly unchanging.
“I was going to be cross with you, calling an Unseelie faerie right to you. If you had died, I would have been very disappointed. But this worked out nicely. Now we don't have to waste time filling you.” He stood up straight, smiling. “We can get right to the fun part.”
“The fun part?” Even my voice sounded different; it was richer, layered, like multiple versions of myself were speaking at the same time. An immortal voice.
“Oh, yes.” He clapped his hands. “We can dance all night, every night, and you'll last forever now. Of course, there's work to do as well. But that can wait until after I've taken you around the court. They'll all be thrilled to meet you. And now that you'll be joining us, I can explain everything to you. Listen to me, prattling on. I'm so pleased we won, that you can come home with me where you belong.”
“Why?”
He looked puzzled. “Why what?”
“Why would I come with you?”
“Well, you certainly don't belong here anymore! You can feel it, can't you? The transience, the flimsiness of this world? Besides, it's impossible to keep anything clean.” He frowned down at his waistcoat and brushed at it. “And then there's the work to be done, gates to be opened, homes to find. I'm glad it's going to be your poem. Far more cheerful.”
“My poem.” I would have been eager to know before, desperate almost, but it was difficult to care, burning with life, so much life.
“Let's see, how did that one go...'Eyes like streams of melting snow,' and so striking, by the way. 'Cold with the things she does not know. Heaven above and Hell beneath, liquid flames will end her grief. With her fire, at last release. With her fire, at last release.'”
The house felt close--too confining, too temporary. The decay weighed me down. I walked to the front door, barely noticing when the doorknob melted in my hand. Stepping off the porch, I breathed in deeply and looked up at the sky. The stars, cold and bright, felt like good company. Odd shadows and hints of light surrounded me. I saw everything. Not only was every leaf, every blade of grass perfectly defined, there was more--just beyond what I was seeing.
“Evelyn, love, where are you going?” Reth caught up, standing next to me.
“The light and shadows. Where are they coming from?”
“Paths and possibilities. I can teach you how to manipulate them, if you'd like.”
I stared up at the stars. Lifting my burning hand, I held it flat against the air. “There's something here,” I said softly, my voice foreign and strange in my ears. There was so much more to this world, more than I had ever felt. “A door.”
Reth put his hand on my arm. “Oh, you don't need to bother with that. That's nothing. I'll make the door. You belong with me, by my side for eternity.”
I turned back to the sky. If I aligned those stars just right in my vision, it looked like a gate. Odd I'd never noticed.
“Evelyn, stop,” Reth said, an edge of panic in his voice now.
“Stop what?”
“You don't want to let them go. Not like this.”
I turned to him, frowning. “What are you talking about?”
“The souls. You need them. That is not the gate you're supposed to open.”
“My souls.” I sighed. I loved them. Closing my eyes, I breathed in deeply, tracing the energy, my energy, my souls. I was filled. But underneath, vague and gnawing, I felt off. It was too much, and not enough, all at the same time. The flames were stretching me, changing me. And while I was already full to bursting, I could feel the craving, the desire seeping in. “I want more,” I whispered.
“Well, that can be arranged. Come on.” Reth pulled gently on my arm. Why didn't I burn him?
Then I noticed lights. It took me several seconds to realize it was a car. It screeched to a stop in front of us and a man jumped out of the driver's side. His soul was a pale, quavering thing, already on the decline. It made me feel peaceful in a way I couldn't explain, tender toward its fragile beauty.
Then the other door opened. I went rigid. If I had thought Reth's was beautiful, it was nothing to this soul. It filled the night with light, dancing and rippling like the reflection on a pond. I hadn't seen many souls, but I knew that this one was special. I wanted it. I needed it.
“Evie!”