See You Soon (See the Moon)

11. A Dark Day

Before I knew it was a new year. It was going to be my last term at the University of Queensland before I transferred to Culver University in the States.

I would miss the girls' but they'd all be graduating and finding new adventures to embark on.
In fact, the Gilberts and Emma already were traveling the world and Emma took her SSCE (Australian version GED) early.

So when I returned I was at the dorms and seeing the remaining girls even less than I had before.
A desire to see my soulmate more had been swelling in myself for some time. A new goal was set in my soul: every chance I would sing the song of the full moon, but this time I would try to do when dry and on land. I doubted my soulmate was in the sea as often as I was, and the last couple instances I seen him a rarity.

So the first full moon of the new year, I traveled to Mako and sang the song of the moon from its jungle rather than its moon pool.

A rush of air surrounded me and found myself outside a stone abode. I looked around for my soulmate, he had always been in eyesight whenever I transported myself.

"Darya!" My soulmate called and I turned to see him come up upon a black steed. "You've come." He dismounted, his black cloak swirling around him. His granite eyes looked over me, as if inspecting every inch of me.

"Do I measure up?" An odd sense of deja vu came upon me as the old language slipped from my tongue as he neared.

He hadn't changed much since the last time I saw him, his features were a little more defined now.

I smiled as he came closer, having the odd sense that he was a wary creature and I was a woodsman entering his territory.

When he stood before me, I realized for the first time that he was taller.

"You are not fading." He glanced at my hands.

I shook my head, "I think each time I visit I can stay longer." I shrugged, "Another is that I arrive whenever you need me."

The smallest flicker of some emotion passed through his features before it was tucked away behind his piercing eyes.

He held his hand out to me, "Come and see what I've made."

I didn't hesitate before slipping my hand into his gloved one. He led me and the horse behind the stone structure.

"It's just the beginning." He nodded toward the structure, "A place for Grisha to be safe."

I tilted my head to the side, "Grisha? Do you mean those who can summon elements?"

He nodded his gaze tracking every emotion that went through me.

He pulled me with him. Once we were at the stable he let go for a while as he put his horse's tack up and situated it back in its stall.

He came out and slipped a hand around me before directing me forward. I glanced at where his hand rested on my waist and tried my hardest not to blush. This was more touching than we had ever so far. It almost felt too intimate.

The building at first rose up in front of me. I saw a couple of figures pass by its windows, some faces glancing down at my soulmate and I in curiosity.

His arm slipped away and my waist felt barren without the weight of his arm around it.
I turned toward him, "How can I help?"

This time the emotion that flickered across his features rested upon his lips where they lifted ever so slightly.

"In your world..." He paused and for a moment I feared I was already fading but a glance down at my body showed it still solid.

"In my world are there Grisha?"