Page 99 of Nyx
My attention is given to the garden, where Reyes and I pick any viable produce from the remaining plants outside. Xeni works to preserve what he can, and when Cameron and August aren’t being tossed around by their mates in the fighting ring, they help. More shelves are loaded with glass jars full of colorful vegetables and sweet jams, and one evening when he can’t sleep, Ronan takes out his aggression on the dried corn and mills it into a powder for baking.
There’s a shift in the air, a subtle cooling in the nighttime breeze that tells us the colder months are on theirway. The time rolls around for us to make the drive, and Ronan tries again to stop me from coming. Almost every day since we returned, he’s pulled me aside and begged me to reconsider.
I won’t, though, for reasons I can’t explain. Something deep inside me, an instinct I haven’t heard in decades, tells me this is where I need to be, but he doesn’t take that as a valid argument. Reyes loses his patience and yells, but I pull him away before he starts a fight. There’s no reason for the two of them to be at each other’s throats. They both want what’s best for me.
We decide the original setup worked well for everyone, so Elas and Lillith stay behind with their mates. Ronan trusts them to protect the village if anything were to happen, and Taryn has assumed more of a leadership role as time has passed. None of us are surprised, given her history.
Goodbyes are quick, though Cameron and Ronan stand removed from the group in the shadows for a long stretch. My heart breaks at the fear on Cameron’s face as Ronan walks away, and Ronan’s clenched jaw and stilted stride tell me he’s struggling just as much.
The four of us load into the van to make the journey for the second time. “After this, we won’t have much fuel left,” Ronan says as we roll through the forest. “Enough for another trip of this distance, maybe two.” The headlights are off, and the moon is high in the sky above us. Travelling in the dark makes him jumpier, but we had to leave in the middle of the night to keep our schedule.
The drive is uneventful, but everyone is on edge. Reyes reads out loud for a while once day breaks, but wedon’t get lost in the story like we did the first time. A quiet gloom settles in the air, making it hard to concentrate while everyone’s thoughts seem to drift elsewhere. Eventually, he puts the book away, and we ride to the humming song of the wheels underneath the tires.
“Last chance to turn around.” Ronan’s offer is met with silence as we spot our destination on the horizon. From this distance, the forest is only a green blob on the brown, dusty expanse, but as we get closer, the trees take shape.
“Think they’re already here?” Reyes asks, and Ronan chews on his lip as he shrugs.
“Who knows? We told them a week, but we never settled on a time. If it were me, I would’ve been waiting since the break of dawn, but they may wait to arrive laterin the afternoon.” An eerie sense of déjà vu encompasses the group as we park in the same place. There are no signs of life around us.
No crushed grass or tire tracks, or smoldering ashes from someone’s campfire.
It’s only us and the trees.
“Let’s check the camp,” Ronan says, and he readies his sword as he leads the way while Xeni brings up the rear. Reyes clings to my hand like he’s afraid I’ll disappear again. The rift reaches for me as we get closer and speaks to me, pulling me with some ancient intuition I don’t know how to answer. While I’m drawn to its song, it doesn’t force me. It has never felt dangerous.
The tents come into view, and Ronan holds his hand up to stop us. We freeze, but aside from the breeze and the occasional chirp of the birds, it’s silent. When he’s satisfied we’re alone, we trek through the camp, searching for signs of Matuk and the others, but everything is as we left it.
“Let’s search while we wait.” Ronan nods at the tents, and the four of us go to work, digging for anything worthwhile to bring with us. There isn’t much here. Scavengers have picked through the supplies the military left behind, though we find a few hidden caches that have been overlooked. It’s nothing spectacular—a few items of clothing, a small box of MREs, and some knives. Xeni finds some random devices he takes for materials, and a spool of wire shoved underneath a ratty tarp.
Reyes leaves my side for a moment to speak to Ronan, who glances at me then nods. When he returns, Reyes smiles and takes my hand, weaving our fingers together as he leads me towards the trees. “Last time we were here, I found something, but with all the excitement, I forgot about it until now.”
“You and your surprises.” He grins at my teasing as we walk into the shadows. It doesn’t take long before a spot of color pops up in the distance, and he squeezes my hand as we step around the thick underbrush and fallen logs.
His voice is careful as he says, “I think this portal might’ve been the one you came through.” I blink in surprise, and he gestures at the dots of purple ahead of us. “Do you remember telling me about the day you arrived? How you were looking at the flowers when they found you?”
We get closer, and my heart floats into my throat as I stare at the purple and yellow blooms. “Eye-riss,” I whisper, and his hand tightens on mine.
“Yeah, sirrha. Eye-riss.”
I sink to my knees and cup the delicate petals, closing my eyes as I try to dig out those cloudy, forgotten memories. Despite how many years it’s been, I find them and pull them to the front of my mind easily.
The forest behind my parents’ home is my favorite place, and I wander along the familiar paths, searching for a healing herb my mother uses in her poultice. I spot the telltale orange buds deeper in the underbrush, but as I drop my basket and kneel, I hear a strange call. Sweet and inviting, a song rings through my ears. It’s haunting like nothing I’ve ever heard before, and filled with so much emotion it brings tears to my eyes. I leave my gathering basket and weave through the trees, following its path until I see it.
It’s like looking through a window, but the picture on the other side doesn’t make sense. Pale blue skies and trees shaped like nothing I’ve ever seen wait beyond, and the music that echoes through the opening is louder now. I look over my shoulder towards my home, wondering if I should heed my mother’s warning. She has always said I am too curious for my own good.
I glance through the strange doorway again, spotting a cluster of flowers I’ve never seen on the other side. I stick my hand through and take a deep inhale at the warmth on my skin. My heart pounds, but nothing bad happens, and I want to step through. I tell myself I’ll spend five minutes, just five, then I’ll return with a beautiful bouquet to put on the dinner table, where they’ll all listen as I share a tale of another adventure.
The heat compounds as I step through, hotter than home but not unbearable. This place smells different, and I stare in wonder at the blue sky above. I step back through to my home, into the cooler air and familiar blood orange sky, then back again into the heat. A laugh slips free as I take a few cautious steps forward, my eyes following a small winged creature as it flies past.
I walk towards the yellow blooms I’d spotted from my forest, and I glance behind me to make sure the opening is still there. Satisfied, I turn back to the flowers and pick a few to bring with me. A clearing in the trees invites me inside, and the heat isn’t so bad when I’m under their canopy. My palms drag along rough bark, and my ears twitch with the alien chirps of animals in the distance. I spot a burst of color ahead, and rush forward to investigate.
I lean in and smell the flower, and my heart aches with a homesickness I haven’t experienced in so long, I forgot what it feels like. “They came from there,” I say as I point into the forest, “after only a few minutes. I wasn’t going to stay… wasn’t going to explore any further. I wanted to take flowers home to my mother. She would have scolded me for my adventures, but displayed them with so much pride.” Reyes sinks onto the grass beside me, silently offering his support. “She never knew what happened to me.”
“I’m sorry,” he whispers, and I open my watery eyes, still cupping the velvety petals as I glance behind us, towards the rift.
“It was so close. If I had been paying attention… I could have run. If I had not been so curious…”
“I love how curious you are,” he says quietly, and I sink into his side, resting my head on his shoulder.
