Bay of Sighs
Page 24
Here and there on the slope down, and along the land below, lights twinkled against the dark. Faintly, very faintly, she heard music and wondered if someone danced.
Overhead, over the indigo sea, the moon turned toward its dark time. When she’d been a child, her mother had told her how the sky faeries nibbled away at the light of the moon until they were full, then breathed the light back. And so the moon turned.
A pretty story, she thought now, for a young one, to ease fears. She thought of her family—did they sleep? She knew she’d brought them pride when she’d been chosen for the quest. They believed in her, trusted her to succeed.
So she could not, would not fail.
Her mother would understand the dreaming part, the longing part, the loving, and would offer comfort when Annika returned home. But she wouldn’t weep long, Annika promised herself. She would have done what she was meant to do, preserve the stars, return them to the Island of Glass. And she would have had this time with her friends who were her family in this world.
She would have her memories of them, of Sawyer, who was and would be her only love.
But she could wish—wishes that caused no harm were never wrong. So she picked out the brightest star, and made one.
Before her duty was done, before she returned home forever, she would know Sawyer’s love, and he would know hers. And from love would come joy for both.
The wish slipped quietly into her heart and eased it. When it eased, she heard the sighs. Far-off, like the music. Hardly more than a breath on the air, yet it tingled along her skin.
She stepped forward, as if to move toward that whisper of sound. And heard another.
A footstep, a rustle in the shadows. She pivoted toward the sound, braced to fight.
“Relax, Gorgeous. It’s Doyle.”
“Oh.” She straightened from her crouch, loosened her fists. “I thought you slept.”
“Just taking a last circuit around the place.”
She heard the sharp slither of his sword homing itself in its sheath before he stepped into the light.
“Can’t sleep?” he asked as he walked up the steps toward her.
“Not yet. Did you hear? Did you hear the sighs?”
“No.” His eyes sharpened like his sword on her face. “When?”
“Just now, just a moment ago. Like when a breeze stirs leaves, but not. Not that. From the water, but . . . I don’t know.”
“Everything means something.” He laid a hand on her shoulder. “I’d wager you’ll hear them again.”
Then he looked up as a door opened above. Annika looked up with him when she heard voices—Sasha and Bran.
“I just need some air.”
Concerned, Annika stepped forward until she saw Sasha leaning on the rail of the terrace, Bran’s hands on her shoulders.
“Sasha. You’re sick?”
“No. No, I’m not sick.”
“She had a dream,” Bran said. “A hard one. And one everyone should hear. Since most of us are up, you should wake the others. We’ll come down when she’s steady.”
“I’ll get Sawyer.”
She ran inside, straight to his bedroom door. In her haste she forgot to knock, but burst straight in.
He sat in the middle of the bed, legs folded, maps spread out, and books, with the compass in his hand.
“What!” In one fast move, he rolled off the bed, grabbing the gun on the table as he sprang to his feet. “Nerezza.”
“No, no. Sasha. She had a dream. Bran says we need to hear.”
“Christ.” He rubbed his free hand over his face, carefully set the gun down. “Okay.”
“Were you swimming? I would swim with you.”
“Swimming? No, I’ve been working on something.”
“Why are you wearing the suit for swimming?”
He looked down at his boxers, had a moment of ridiculous and acute embarrassment. “They’re not—they’re something else. Give me a minute, and I’ll come out. Ah, remember how to make tea?”
“The sun tea. But it’s night.”
“No, the hot tea.”
“Yes! With the water boiled in the kettle.”
“Why don’t you go make tea? I bet Sasha could use some.”
“I’ll make it right now.”
She hurried away, leaving his door open. He shut it, heaved out a breath. First she’d shoved his heart into his throat, running in so he’d thought Nerezza and her hounds of hell had attacked.
Then she’d plopped his heart at his feet, the way she stood in the filtered moonlight in filmy, flowing white.
He should’ve told her to put on something else, he thought as he grabbed jeans. Like four or five layers of anything else. But he doubted anything she wore would stop what she stirred inside him.
Just too late now, he decided, pulled on a shirt, and went to make sure she didn’t burn the house down making tea.
She had it under control, and Doyle leaned against the end of the table watching her.
It irked him—an itch under the skin—the way Doyle watched her.
It irked to be called away from work, especially since he’d just decided to call it a night and get some sleep. Now they’d have another powwow, with Annika walking around in that white thing that showed every line and curve.
Then Riley came in, looking several degrees more irked than he was. For some twisted reason, that smoothed him out again.
“I was asleep for exactly three minutes before the Black Knight beats on my door. Where’s the coffee?”
Overhead, over the indigo sea, the moon turned toward its dark time. When she’d been a child, her mother had told her how the sky faeries nibbled away at the light of the moon until they were full, then breathed the light back. And so the moon turned.
A pretty story, she thought now, for a young one, to ease fears. She thought of her family—did they sleep? She knew she’d brought them pride when she’d been chosen for the quest. They believed in her, trusted her to succeed.
So she could not, would not fail.
Her mother would understand the dreaming part, the longing part, the loving, and would offer comfort when Annika returned home. But she wouldn’t weep long, Annika promised herself. She would have done what she was meant to do, preserve the stars, return them to the Island of Glass. And she would have had this time with her friends who were her family in this world.
She would have her memories of them, of Sawyer, who was and would be her only love.
But she could wish—wishes that caused no harm were never wrong. So she picked out the brightest star, and made one.
Before her duty was done, before she returned home forever, she would know Sawyer’s love, and he would know hers. And from love would come joy for both.
The wish slipped quietly into her heart and eased it. When it eased, she heard the sighs. Far-off, like the music. Hardly more than a breath on the air, yet it tingled along her skin.
She stepped forward, as if to move toward that whisper of sound. And heard another.
A footstep, a rustle in the shadows. She pivoted toward the sound, braced to fight.
“Relax, Gorgeous. It’s Doyle.”
“Oh.” She straightened from her crouch, loosened her fists. “I thought you slept.”
“Just taking a last circuit around the place.”
She heard the sharp slither of his sword homing itself in its sheath before he stepped into the light.
“Can’t sleep?” he asked as he walked up the steps toward her.
“Not yet. Did you hear? Did you hear the sighs?”
“No.” His eyes sharpened like his sword on her face. “When?”
“Just now, just a moment ago. Like when a breeze stirs leaves, but not. Not that. From the water, but . . . I don’t know.”
“Everything means something.” He laid a hand on her shoulder. “I’d wager you’ll hear them again.”
Then he looked up as a door opened above. Annika looked up with him when she heard voices—Sasha and Bran.
“I just need some air.”
Concerned, Annika stepped forward until she saw Sasha leaning on the rail of the terrace, Bran’s hands on her shoulders.
“Sasha. You’re sick?”
“No. No, I’m not sick.”
“She had a dream,” Bran said. “A hard one. And one everyone should hear. Since most of us are up, you should wake the others. We’ll come down when she’s steady.”
“I’ll get Sawyer.”
She ran inside, straight to his bedroom door. In her haste she forgot to knock, but burst straight in.
He sat in the middle of the bed, legs folded, maps spread out, and books, with the compass in his hand.
“What!” In one fast move, he rolled off the bed, grabbing the gun on the table as he sprang to his feet. “Nerezza.”
“No, no. Sasha. She had a dream. Bran says we need to hear.”
“Christ.” He rubbed his free hand over his face, carefully set the gun down. “Okay.”
“Were you swimming? I would swim with you.”
“Swimming? No, I’ve been working on something.”
“Why are you wearing the suit for swimming?”
He looked down at his boxers, had a moment of ridiculous and acute embarrassment. “They’re not—they’re something else. Give me a minute, and I’ll come out. Ah, remember how to make tea?”
“The sun tea. But it’s night.”
“No, the hot tea.”
“Yes! With the water boiled in the kettle.”
“Why don’t you go make tea? I bet Sasha could use some.”
“I’ll make it right now.”
She hurried away, leaving his door open. He shut it, heaved out a breath. First she’d shoved his heart into his throat, running in so he’d thought Nerezza and her hounds of hell had attacked.
Then she’d plopped his heart at his feet, the way she stood in the filtered moonlight in filmy, flowing white.
He should’ve told her to put on something else, he thought as he grabbed jeans. Like four or five layers of anything else. But he doubted anything she wore would stop what she stirred inside him.
Just too late now, he decided, pulled on a shirt, and went to make sure she didn’t burn the house down making tea.
She had it under control, and Doyle leaned against the end of the table watching her.
It irked him—an itch under the skin—the way Doyle watched her.
It irked to be called away from work, especially since he’d just decided to call it a night and get some sleep. Now they’d have another powwow, with Annika walking around in that white thing that showed every line and curve.
Then Riley came in, looking several degrees more irked than he was. For some twisted reason, that smoothed him out again.
“I was asleep for exactly three minutes before the Black Knight beats on my door. Where’s the coffee?”
