Chapter 35
I head down the path that continues on the other side of the grove, in the opposite direction from where Olaf and I came. Moving slowly at first, I stop and listen every time I hear the smallest of sounds. The beast could be anywhere, and maybe it is waiting for me to pass its hiding place in the bushes so it can attack me. I convince myself that it wants to eat me because it is hungry. All beasts are hungry all the time, aren't they? Perhaps the beast didn't eat Olaf because it really wanted my flesh. I am much younger, so I probably smell better and will taste much better than an ancient...whatever Olaf was. I am surprised that I don't feel bad about Olaf dying. I would never have wished for him to die, but I am relieved that he is dead. In reality, I just worry about what Layla and Maureen will say. Maybe they won't believe my story of what happened and will accuse me of killing him.
Dried branches and crunchy gravel crack beneath my feet with each step. Even with all my dancer grace, I can't prevent the sounds, and with each step, I grow increasingly more nervous that the beast will hear me. Maybe I should just turn back; at least I would be safer at the castle.
Suddenly, the beast jumps out from the woods onto the path in the distance, making me nearly have a heart attack where I stand. The beast has undoubtedly seen me; it is walking in my direction, snarling, eyes glued on me. Then I remember what I learned in school in first or second grade. If a dog is coming to attack you, you shouldn't run, you should only stand your ground and act confident, not afraid. This is not a dog, though, I remind myself, but I decide to take heed to the advice anyway. Either way, I am dead.
The beast stands only a few feet away from me now, and I prepare to meet my maker. I hope my mom knows I love her, and that Anthony knows that I care for him, too. My chest is pounding and my nails bite into the palms of my hands as I wait for the assault, but the beast doesn't charge. Instead, the beast licks its fangs and sits down. I am shocked, and don't quite know what to do. The beast rises to its feet again and approaches me very slowly, acting calm now, not aggressive at all. It treads around me, presses its snout up against my back and pushes me gently off balance. I take a step forward. Bewildered, I look back at it, and stare it in the eyes, feeling myself nearly passing out, or vomiting, one of the two—I can't tell. The beast presses its snout against my back again, pushing me off balance and I step forward again.
I point in the direction with my trembling hand. "You want me to go this way?" I can't believe I am actually talking to it.
The beast's head moves up and down.
Shocked, I think: was that a nod? I look at it again, thinking I must have imagined it. "Did you just—nod?"
It nods again. I turn around and comply by moving down the pathway and we continue for a few minutes. When I slow my pace a little, the beast gives me a shove so I have to continue to move forward.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, we arrive at the shore. A small sandy beach with large rocks on either side opens up before me. The beast runs past me and leaps into the ocean, disappearing into its rushing waves. Relief washes over me; it didn't eat me after all. I wonder where it went.
In the distance, I see what I think is the mainland. I inhale the fresh ocean breeze, smelling the freedom that might soon be mine, if I choose to try and escape. Looking back into the blue ocean, I don't see the beast anywhere. Then, a man comes out of the water. I know him.
"Anthony!" I yell. "Wait, Anthony?" Shivers go through my spine. I am excited to see him, but also wary because of all the things Layla and Maureen told me.
"I have been looking everywhere for you!" he exclaims, swimming toward me through the salty waves. He rises to his feet and stands where the water reaches his waist.
"Did you see the beast? Where did the beast go?" I ask.
He looks at me with wide eyes.
"Didn't you see it?" I ask.
His arms open wide and he looks down at his abdomen.
"Wait...you're not trying to tell me that...?" Was this yet another secret of his?
He nods. "I'm so glad to see you." His upper body is bare, his tan skin glistening in the sun. "Come here."
I take a step into the water. "I'm really glad to see you, Anthony, but I thought we said no more secrets." This new secret gives me reason to doubt him. He shape-shifted. Darkálfars shape-shift. Maybe Maureen and Layla are telling the truth.
His eyes darken. "This isn't a secret. I didn't know that this would happen to me when I stepped onto Wraithsong Island. I morph into a...creature, and the moment I step off the island, and into the ocean, I'm back to normal."
I squint my eyes, searching for truth or lies in his blue eyes. "Do you realize that you just killed Olaf?" I have mixed emotions about Olaf being killed now. I am relieved that he is gone and that I don't have to worry about him anymore, but Anthony should not have killed him. Olaf's appalling behavior still didn't warrant someone taking his life.
"Yes, I know. I feel horrible about it, but it looked like he was going to do something to harm you. I lost my temper and didn't realize how strong I was—how strong the beast was. I only wanted to frighten him, not kill him."
I take a few more steps in his direction. Is he being honest? His eyes look sincere. I don't know what to believe; I am so confused. "What are you going to do about it?"
"I don't know that I can do anything about it. If I step back onto the island, I'll just turn back into the beast."
I see his point, but I am not content with his answer and lack of solution. "I'll have to notify Layla and she'll be furious."
"I've never killed a man before." His eyebrows furrow deeply.
"And you shouldn't have killed now."
For a moment, he seems at a loss for words.
"Did you see me the other night you were in the castle?" I ask.
"Yes."
"Why didn't you follow me out the window?" I inch closer.
"Because I thought I would frighten you and that you would scream so loudly that you would wake everyone else in the castle," Anthony explains.
He is right; I would have screamed.
"Then they would know I was there and they would all chase after me. I just needed to know that you were there. Please come here." His arms open wide.
I wade through the cool water to meet him. "I'm afraid." I stop a few feet away from him. "They say you're a Darkálfar, and you shape-shifting into another creature only verifies what they told me. Is it true that your father was a Darkálfar?"
Anthony hesitates and then he closes his eyes. "Yes, I'm half Huldu, half Darkálfar."
I bury my face in my hands for I cannot muster the strength to look at him. A Darkálfar. He is evil. I remember him saying there are no good Darkálfars. None. My heart crumbles into a million pieces, knowing we can never be together. Not only because the Huldra code forbids it. We can never be together because I don't want to be with an inherently evil being.
"I know what you're thinking," he whispers.
I let out a despairing sigh. "You can't possibly know what I'm thinking."
"That I'm malicious, and that I lied to you and that you can never be with someone who is—evil." He stares at me for a moment, his eyes burning intensely.
I nod. "You're evil?" I swallow again and again, trying to squash the tears.
"I inherited my mother's Huldra character traits so once I turned eighteen, I no longer had any Darkálfar in me. Like you no longer have human in you. I am not evil, Sonia. I want to do what is right. I don't want to be like my father, or like my mother."
Should I believe him? I search his eyes, trying to find in them the answer to my question. My search is impossible.
He touches my shoulder and glides his finger down my arm all the way to my fingertips. His touch leaves trails of goose bumps on my skin. He comes closer and then caresses my cheek.
"You don't need to be afraid anymore. I'm here—for you."
I feel the sincerity of his words deep in my core. He risked his life for me so I could find my mom. He risked his life by coming here, searching for me. He cannot be evil, like Maureen and Layla have tried to convince me. He must be inherently good—even after all the evil things that have happened to him. "Take me away from here," I say, feeling like I have just come home.
"You're not mad at me for not telling you?" Anthony asks.
I look at him. "How can I be mad at you? You came here and risked your life to rescue me."
He embraces me tightly and all my fears evaporate. "I missed you, Sonia." I hear the relief in his voice; it is the same relief that exists in my soul.
In that very moment, I know without a shadow of a doubt that all Maureen has been feeding me about Anthony are lies. I feel so safe back in his arms and know he'd never purposely deceive me or hurt me in any way.
"Where are the Lightálfars?" I ask.
Drops of saltwater drip off his blond hair. "They're back in New Hampshire with the Huldras and are ready to attack," he says.
"Let's go there." His beautiful, blue eyes immediately unstitch me. Then, I notice him resisting me. "What is it?" I ask.
"Have you found your mother yet?"
"No." I huff. The mention of her nearly takes my breath away.
"I'm not going to tell you what to do, but I think the best thing you could do is stay on Wraithsong Island until you have located her. Your mother has got to be in the castle somewhere. Are you aware of any cellars or underground dungeons?"
"No. Last night I quit exploring after my incident with the—beast. I didn't want to meet him again." I punch him softly on the shoulder, and then stroke it instead. "Before I ran into the beast, Olaf broke into my room in the middle of the night." Shivers go through my body as I remember Olaf's disturbing eyes on me.
"I wonder why Maureen put up with Olaf. He has always been a backstabber," Anthony says.
"You know, they all said some pretty bad stuff about you." I trace the inside of his arm with my fingertips. "Even Maureen." I don't want to hurt him, but I feel he deserves to know the truth.
"Did you believe them?" Anthony sounds calm, but I detect something that almost sounds like insecurity in his voice.
For a moment he looks much younger than he is, almost vulnerable. I think of Anthony and all he must have endured as a child to be raised by Maureen. She probably used him to promote and execute her devious plans. I see him as a little boy in my mind's eye, searching for love from his mother, but never finding it. He must have loved her, must have searched for love there, but instead of the love of a mother, he found a person who only wanted to use him. He was only of value as long as he served Maureen's purposes.
"I thought about some of their claims, because they seemed credible. But in the end—no—I didn't believe them."
"Good, because they were lies to try and drive a wedge between us and to break up the Huldra Dynasty." He leans down and presses his salty lips against mine. I run my fingers through his wet hair, tugging at it gently.
I know in my heart that he is speaking the truth. I wrap my arms around his bare waist, and something occurs to me. He is completely naked. I pull away, feeling slightly awkward, yet slightly thrilled. "So—where are your clothes?" I try not to blush.
The corner of Anthony's lips twitches and for a moment he appears self-conscious. "Well—it's not exactly easy to carry around clothing when I turn into a beast."
"I can understand that," I say.
"When I figured out that I would be completely—in the nude after I changed back from my demon self, I threw a few bags of clothes onto shore and into the bushes back there." He points. "Do you mind?"
"Sure, I'll go get it." I turn to face the shore, but Wraithsong Island has disappeared and only miles and miles of ocean remain. I look back at Anthony.
"The instant you step off the island, it becomes invisible. We can only see it and locate it from underneath the ocean's surface. If you get my shorts first, I can show you."
"Okay."
"Just walk straight forward and you will see the island once your feet touch the land."
I follow his instructions and then, suddenly out of nowhere, I see the island in front of me. I gasp a little and then continue to search the bushes for Anthony's bag. Once I find it, I toss it to him and turn away to give him privacy.
"Can I show you the island beneath the surface?" he asks.
I turn around and wade back into the water all the way back to him. When he takes my hand and pulls me with him, I resist. "I—I'm not used to swimming under water."
He smiles. "You are in for a surprise then. Remember when I went through the Book of Huldras and mentioned environmental adaptation?"
I nod faintly. "Are you sure I won't drown?"
"Absolutely. Unless you're not a Huldra, that is—"
"Very funny," I splash water on him.
Anthony shields himself by lifting his hands in front of his face. "When you submerge under water, hold your breath, and your body will do the rest, okay?"
I grab his arm. "Wait, I'm scared. What if it doesn't work?"
"Well, we'll be submerged under water right here until you feel comfortable. You can always just stand up."
"Will it hurt?" I ask.
"I'm not going to lie. The first time you breathe under water it hurts. You'll need to hold your breath until your lungs start burning, and then your air passages will open. That will be painful, and you'll feel like your skin is being ripped apart, but only for a moment."
I wince. "Okay, I'm just going to do it." The less I think about it, the easier it will be. I inhale and submerge my whole body into the water. When I open my eyes, I see Anthony's smiling face right in front of me.
My lungs start burning after a little while, and I want to inhale, but I resist because I am determined to make this happen on the first try. My lungs burn more and I exhale. Then my lungs burn even more, and just when I think I won't be able to hold my breath for a second longer, it feels like my skin rips apart on my back. The pain is unbelievable, and I scream under the water. I want to look back to see if there is blood seeping out of my skin, but find strength in Anthony's gaze. Finally, the release comes with cool water being sucked up underneath my skin, and I take my very first breath under water with my newborn air passages.
Anthony swims around me, moving effortlessly as if he has done this his entire life. He kisses my lips and hugs me close. His eyes look fluorescent blue in the water and his skin is smooth beneath my fingertips.
I find myself moving deeper and deeper beneath the waves with Anthony, down to the bottom of the ocean floor. Fish, eel, jellyfish, shrimp and even a whale swim below the surface. There are red, gray and blue corals on the ocean floor and the sunbeams sparkle through the waves overhead, creating a light spectacle on the sandy bottom.
Anthony takes my hand and we swim away from Wraithsong Island. I swim much faster than I thought I could; it's as if the resistance of the water is no longer a hindrance. When we gain some distance he turns us around and points.
I see the bottom of Wraithsong Island. The island's base floats under the water, hovering above the ocean floor, and now I understand. We can see the island clearly from the bottom, and that's how he had found me.
Anthony pulls me up to the surface, and I start breathing through my mouth.
"Look over there," he says, still pointing. Wraithsong Island is invisible on the surface.
He kisses me again, and then pulls me beneath the soft swaying waves. We swim back to the shore hand in hand. Along the way I marvel at how much life there is beneath the ocean. The surface of the water seems so quiet—so dead—but beneath it is a whole other world, secretly resting, quietly hiding.
When we finally arrive back at the island, we walk toward it hand in hand.