Winter Rose

VI. Mistakes

★★★

"Now you've gone too far!" Bastion, the second spirit, slammed his gray fist down hard on the mahogany table in front of him, his opaque eyes clouding with smokey blackness.

Aria sat cross legged on the other side of him, unphased by his tantrums; she had seen it all before. She twisted a strand of her long, shimmering blue hair around her tiny finger, and flashed her golden eyes back at him in defiance. She was currently in her pixie form, this was the form she most preferred. Her glittering wings were folded neatly behind her.

"Spirit beings are strictly forbidden from taking forms on earth!" Bastion shook his big gray head, so infuriated he'd taken on the form of an ogre.

"I believe the law states we are strictly forbidden from taking human forms on earth," Aria corrected, slowly unwinding the strand of hair from her finger.

"You're bending the rules!" Bastion raised his thick gray hands to his bald head. "You're always, unendingly, bending the rules! " He emphasized this last word with another bang of his fist on the table.

He jumped up and paced the room. "It was one thing to turn him into a dog, and set him in his past. That was bad enough! Now you've gone so far as to place yourself there with him! How do I deal with you!"

It wasn't really a room. It was what they wanted it to be at the time; a white marble floor with a large mahogany table and two oversized leather chairs in the center, completely void of walls; only endless blackness on all sides.

Two large golden goblets filled with dark red wine sat on the table. Aria wrapped her hand around one and brought it to her violet lips. She followed him with her large eyes as he paced back and forth.

"You deal with me because I bring a small bit of excitement to your dull existence," she said. "There was a time when you cared about these things as well. What harm will be done if I take the form of a lowly dog? It's simply to guide him."

Bastion stood with his back to her, staring out into the blackness. He wore a scarlet cloak that flowed in ripples onto the floor. His large body was tense with rage.

"This is no longer a game, or a petty pastime to keep you entertained, Aria." His voice was low and ominous. "Rules have been broken, laws ignored. It's only a matter of time before someone finds out, and the punishment will be severe."

Aria sprang from her chair and glided to his side. "I must do this." She placed her tiny hand on his forearm and locked her eyes with his, pleading. "I need to make this right. He's missing the memories, the dark ones. Without me, he's sure to fail."

Bastion stiffened. "And if you'd thought this through before you plummeted him down to earth, you would have remembered how it works.  He wasn't here long enough. He hadn't even made the transition yet! Where is the other side? You can't be sure of anything at this point.  Your actions were completely reckless!"

Aria sighed. She placed a hand against his rough jaw, her eyes holding his earnestly. " But still, it's been done. I couldn't wait, he wouldn't have gone on his own. I must help him succeed. You can't deny me this."

Bastion raised an eyebrow slightly. " And what makes you think he will want to succeed when he knows the truth?"

***

In her old white four poster bed, surrounded by billows of white bleached sheets and blankets, Winter lay staring out of her open window into the starry night sky. A warm breeze swept through the screen, setting her laced curtains to flight. She loved to listen to the sounds of the night; tree leaves rustling, crickets chirping, and the scurrying of night animals in the woods.