Delphic Song

Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

“Why am I having these dreams?” was the first question I posed as I stepped over a tangled bush in the middle of the trail. I had so many things to say, so many things to ask, but once I’d been put on the spot like this I didn’t know what to do. It was as if all thoughts had flown from my mind. This seemed like the simplest thing I could ask.

Liam sighed, pushing back a branch for me. We were walking along the path, weaving in and out of trees in the same route I remember taking with Nate. It was dark and hard to see, but Liam seemed to be having no problem so I stuck as close to him as possible.

I waited in silence for nearly two minutes before he answered. “You’re having these dreams,” he said softly, so softly I had to strain my ears to hear him, “because you’re nearing the age when you officially become a citizen of Ellaera.”

My blood froze in my veins.

I hadn’t even dared to consider what his answer would be. I hadn’t let myself think that far ahead, because what if it had been something I hadn’t wanted to hear? Or wasn’t even ready to hear?

Because, truth be told, I wasn’t ready to hear it. I played the tough girl act well enough, but I was scared to learn the reality of all this. A sneaking suspicion was tickling the back of my mind, telling me that, deep down, I knew what this was about. Something that wasn’t real, something that couldn’t be real because it defied everything I knew.

Magic.

“Ellaera?” I stumbled over the word. My mouth was dry and sweat beaded on my forehead.

Liam paused, turning back to face me but keeping his eyes focused on the ground. He was obviously aware that he was about to drop a huge bomb right on top of me.

“Ellaera is…” he hesitated, running a hand through his hair, a tell-tale signal he was distressed.

I couldn’t wait any longer. “Is it another world?” I whispered.

Liam met my eyes. “Yes. But it’s not just another world, Guinevere. It’s your world.”

A breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding whooshed out of my lungs. I was lightheaded and dizzy, but I couldn’t move. My brain was trying to process this, gears spinning and whirring as it tried to make sense of this information.

How was it even possible? My dad was here, my brother and sister were here, Liz was here, all my friends and memories were here… this place was my home. How could I belong to a place that up until a moment ago, I hadn’t even known existed?

Not to mention that it was scientifically impossible. It couldn’t be happening; I had known for a long time that magic wasn’t real. I had known for sure, there had been no doubt or question in my mind –

“Your father met a mysterious woman,” Liam continued softly, returning to a steady walk. I forced all intrusive thoughts out of my mind and focused on what Liam was saying. “She was beautiful and captivating, and he fell in love almost immediately. It wasn’t long before she felt the same, although she always knew it would never work. She was from an alternate reality, a place where your father could never go.” Up ahead of me, he stopped, and I watched his silhouette as he looked down at the ground.