The Golden Promise

Chapter 6 - Sinclaira In The Cave

Once on the other side of the veil I looked back and I could still see the faint shimmering but it was much less obvious on this side. The colors of everything around me were more vibrant, making the hazy veil almost disappear from sight. Turning in a circle taking in this new view, my breath caught in my throat. The cave was glowing with a phosphorescence that emanated from the walls. There was a familiar feeling to the intensity here, and the memory of that moment when James touched my hand resurfaced. Everything was so beautiful and dazzling, even James, he fit in here with whatever this strange place was. The cave was a strange version of silence. There was almost no sound except for the waves that were crashing on the rocks outside the entrance, but if I listened closer I could almost feel the energy that was in the air here. Feel it tingling through my skin right to my bones. It was like being in another world. James was right beside me, our hands weren't touching but they were very close together. A soft glow was beginning to emanate from the space between our hands. This time there hadn't been any physical contact, just proximity, but whatever this cave was made the connection between us stronger. It radiated out from the space between us, centering around where we were closest together. So many things were happening at once, it was overwhelming. James took my hand and led me forward and the sense of overwhelm ratcheted up another level. As soon as his hand found mine the sensation put my senses into overdrive. I could feel the light between us amplifying. All the energy from the previous night that had been coursing through me came back full force. It felt so natural, so right. I would have followed him anywhere, even if the idea of him being so much a part of my life, terrified me. The air moved in and out of my lungs and I could taste something in it. The air in this cave felt charged, full of potential energy, or maybe that was coming from James' fingers wrapped around my hand. We moved together, neither one of us speaking, toward the sunlight pouring through the back of the cave. As we stepped out into the sun, I was momentarily blinded by the intensity and I was reminded of one of my dreams. I wondered if I was about to wake up, but then I spun around to look at the castle ruins and I was completely shocked. The idea of this being a dream disappeared completely out of my head. If this was a dream, I did not want to wake up. I was staring up at a gleaming castle that looked as though it had just been finished yesterday. It had beautiful big windows and massive cream colored walls that glistened in the sun. The sun. I couldn't remember a day when the sun had ever been so warm and bright in Ireland. This sun was somehow more radiant, bringing to life the idea of sunkissed. Wrapping my mind around all my eyes were seeing, I looked to James expecting to see the same look of shock and wonder, but he didn't seem surprised at all. In fact he didn't even seem to notice it. His eyes were on me. He was looking at me as though I was some kind of magic that had just appeared in front of him. Completely unphased by the castle, the colors, or the suddenly perfect day. The sun glinted off the windows and my attention was back on the huge building that had looked like a condemned pile of rubble from the other side of the cliff. The castle was now immaculate. What had been broken ruins had transformed into a magnificent structure perched on the edge of the sea. I couldn't fully comprehend what I was seeing, but then I looked at James again and I realized something had changed. He was still gazing at me, but his expression was now filled with curiosity. His eyes locked on mine for a long moment, and then he quietly said, "Sinclaira, welcome to my home."