Chapter 10
10
S he found herself in an elaborately designed cave. Individual pillars supported the rock ceiling, which was so high that Anna could easily stand upright. There were small cracks through which enough daylight entered, allowing her to explore the interior.
Countless flower boxes stood on pedestals, wall ledges, and on stairs leading to the sides, but not one single flower grew in any of the pots. They were empty except for the soil in them, which suggested they had once held plants. On the walls were floor-to-ceiling paintings in bright, shimmering colors. Awed, Anna approached and examined the works of art. Fairies in clothes of various colors were depicted at work and dancing. One group was spreading fairy dust on a meadow of flowers while another group held hands and danced around a flowering tree. Their faces were carefree and Anna almost thought she could hear the laughter that accompanied the work they performed. Their blitheness weighed heavily on Anna's chest and a lump formed in her throat.
She wandered on and arrived at a depiction of a stone basin that was adorned with flowers on the outside. Lushly blooming wisteria and clematis twined around it, and it bubbled on the inside with sparkling particles, making it look like the greatest gift from heaven. That had to be the source of the fairy dust. Anna leaned closer and spotted a fine trickle of glitter flowing from the background into the basin. Where was the source? She was convinced it was somewhere nearby.
She searched the cave. There was no one there, so her footsteps sounded lonely as they echoed throughout the depths. They called out, welcoming her. Even though she felt alone, her heart beat faster with excitement and she was filled with a comforting feeling, as if she'd reached home.
A smile crept onto her lips and she continued onward, driven by curiosity. A steady drip caught her attention. Was that the source? Did the dripping have something to do with the fairy dust? But why wasn't anyone around to collect the last precious particles?
As she continued walking, she felt the pockets of her pants. Could she transport the fairy dust in it? If she brought it to the fairies, perhaps they would accept it as a peace offering and it would help make amends for her mistake.
Elated by the thought, she quickened her pace. Faster than the lonely drips, her footsteps echoed through the cave as she passed the stairs and journeyed deeper down the center passageway. It was growing increasingly darker and the corridor narrower and narrower. Was she going to find a dead end? Shortly before she thought she could go no further, the corridor in front of her opened up, revealing a large chamber.
The ceiling was so high that even the colossal Anton would have been able to stand next to her. The room was nearly empty except for the stone basin across from her in the chamber. It was the one she'd seen in the picture. However, nothing remained of its former glory. Like ruins that spoke of a golden age long past, it stood there unadorned and abandoned. No one protected it, no vines adorned it, and no one celebrated its splendor.
Anna hurried over, put her hands on the stone rim, and peered inside. There was no glitter. There was nothing but darkness within. Not even a single sparkle of fairy dust remained. How terrible. As if someone was ripping her heart out, she submitted to the hopelessness and sadness of this once-celebrated place. She felt its grief, its loneliness, and its deep despair. She remained still, staring into the empty pool. She heard laughter — it was bright laughter, fairy laughter, though it was nothing but a memory, and the only thing that remained in the well.
Anna gently stroked the rim. "I'm sorry." A tear escaped the corner of her eye, made its way down her cheek, and formed a drop on her jaw. With infinite slowness, it broke free and fell into the darkness.
Where did the trickle that fed the basin come from? She stood and felt the wall. It took her a while to find the small opening just above the basin. Had the fairy dust come from this tiny hole? Where was its origin? Once again, she only heard one sound in the chamber. The lonely drips.
Where was the noise coming from? Was there a water source in the cave? Maybe it had something to do with the disappearance of the dust.
Before continuing her search, Anna stroked the tiny hole one last time.
"Wait, stay with me," someone seemed to shout.
Uncertain, she turned, but everything was quiet. The voice had only been in her head. Had the source perhaps spoken to her?
"I will do everything to save you and my family."
It was a promise that reverberated off the walls, strengthening Anna's will with each echo. Determined, she set out to find the dripping. Perhaps the flowing water and therefore the magic had been blocked by some shifting rocks. Maybe it was that simple.
The echoing drips led Anna astray and she reached a dead end. Then, finally, she identified the direction of the noise. Determined, she followed the sound and pushed deeper into the cave until a large shadow emerged and blocked her path.
"I knew I'd find you here."
Anna froze and lost all sensation in her body. Her arms hung limply, unable to rise to defend herself, and her legs barely held her upright instead of running away. At the same time, her heart was beating so fast it seemed it was trying to escape the man who was standing in her way.
It was none other than Christopher O'Brien, the captain of Fortuna.
The black leather coat emphasized his imposing figure. He stood in front of her with his legs apart, his unyieldingly dark eyes focused on her, and his unusually beautiful lips twisted into a wide grin. A shadow of a beard made his appearance more sinister and the long scar running down his cheek made him look even more menacing.
With his dark gaze fixed on her, he ran his hands through his black hair. The movement seemed to release her limbs somehow, because she could finally feel them again. Without pausing, she turned and ran back to the well. How did the captain know this place if only the fairies supposedly knew about it?
With a few long strides, he caught up to her. "You're not going anywhere." He grabbed her around the waist and lifted her. She wanted to clench her hands, scratch the man's face, or kick him in the legs, but the smell of salt and the endless sea on him enveloped her like a drug. Was that it too? Had he possibly subdued her with drugs back then?
"Let me go!" She struggled with all her might to escape the intoxicating smell, ignoring it as best as she could while trying to free herself from his grasp. She had to run away. But he held her fast. He was also taller than her and lifted her effortlessly, making her steps falter.
"What do you want from me?"
"To talk to you."
"So I can tell you how to get more fairy dust?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? Hold still. Or are you going to scratch my face?"
"Let me go or I'll scratch other things on you!"
"What's wrong with you, Ani? What happened?"
Anna ignored the nickname, which he said with astonishing naturalness, and fought back with her hands and feet. She tried to carry out her threat, but he held her at arm's length as if she weighed no more than a fly. Maybe she did — but only if she was actually a fairy and could transform again. Shoot, why hadn't she done that before? Then she could have easily flown away from him!
"Ani."
Hearing the feeling with which he said her name made the fine hairs on the back of her neck stand up. What was wrong with her?
"Let me go. Don't you think I've already caused enough misery?"
"What misery? What the heck are you talking about?" He turned her in the air so she was facing him. When her eyes met his, her stomach did wild loops. A feeling that was completely foreign to her drew her to him. She fought against it with all her might. If she wanted to set everything right, she had to stop this captain from disorienting her again.
She mustered all her willpower for her next words. She had to convince him. "I'm out of fairy dust and don't know how you can get more. I'm completely worthless to you."
"Worthless to me?" A smile crossed his curved lips so quickly that Anna might have merely imagined it.
What was he planning to do with her? Terror gripped her and when he saw the fear in her eyes, he looked at her in surprise and eased his grip around her waist.
"I don't know what's wrong with you, Ani, but you have nothing to fear from me. Never. I swear to you on my honor as Captain of the Fortuna. I'm going to let you down slowly, so don't run away. It's urgent that we speak."
His words did something to her, and the look in his dark eyes did the rest. He gently set her on her feet, but he didn't release her hand. He wasn't grasping it, but it was a rather gentle grip, as if they were holding hands. And as his palm touched hers, a spark passed between them that made Anna pause. Even though she had intended to leave immediately, she stopped and stared at both of their hands in surprise.
"You have nothing to fear from me," he repeated, and strangely, she believed him.
Something in her stomach fluttered and she suspected why she had fallen in love with this man. She shouldn't forget what had happened back then. What she had done because she had fallen for him. She didn't even know who he was.
Without looking up, she whispered, "If I have nothing to fear from you, then why did you ambush me?"
Indignant, he gasped. "I didn't ambush you. I've been waiting for you!"
What did he mean by that? Did they have an appointment? In this sacred place? Why would he think that? "Why would we meet?"
He placed a finger under her chin and gently lifted it. The gentleness of his gesture contrasted with the roughness of his finger, sending goosebumps across Anna's body.
"Because years ago you told me that we would meet here again if we ever lost touch."
She had told him the location of the source? Him? A pirate? Now she couldn't take it any longer. She raised her eyes and looked at him. "I said what?"
He looked at her so intently that she felt dizzy. But noticing the dismay in his eyes, a brown that verged on black, her mind suddenly cleared.
"What's wrong with you, Ani? Why are you asking such stupid questions? Why are you running away from me and why don't you remember where you agreed to meet me?"
Could she tell him the truth? Would she bring disaster to this land again if she decided to speak to this…menacing man? She had to be on her guard in case he tried any tricks. Then again, it was just as important to find out what had happened.
"Because I don't remember."
His eyes widened and her hand slipped from his. She wanted to grab it again immediately, but he balled them into fists and punched the cave wall. Fine sand trickled down and he made no sound to acknowledge the pain he had caused himself.
"Damn, what happened back then?"
Anna blinked, confused. "Excuse me? Are you asking me what happened back then? Everyone tells me it was you who stole my memory."
He stared at her in disbelief. "I'm supposed to have done what?"
To avoid being lulled by his addictive scent again, she took two steps back and folded her slim arms over her chest. Did that make her look more imposing? Hardly, but she was prepared to stand up to this pirate.
"Apparently I gave you fairy dust…"
He shrugged and nodded as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "Aye, of course you did. But we talked about that in detail. It was your decision and it was the right one."
The audacity of his words filled her with anger. He was taking all of this for granted. This man obviously thought he was in the right.
"I betrayed my family by doing it. The fairies have been nearly wiped out and everything was thrown into chaos just so you could expand your power."
He raised his hands defensively. "Wait, madam, you are completely off base. Yes, you gave me the fairy dust, but I didn't force you to do it, nor did it increase my power."
"Did you use the fairy dust to fly through the air to take on the giants or not?"
"Sure, but…"
"And didn't the giants get mad, which is why the wind changed?"
"Aye, but…"
"No buts. As a result, the fairies have almost all disappeared!"
"Not because of that, Ani. That began before."
"What?" She looked at him in disbelief. Her legs wobbled, but she gritted her teeth and held herself upright before he could notice her weakness.
"The fairies. They were disappearing long before you brought me the fairy dust." He stroked the shimmering silver scar on his cheek. "You've lost all memories of what happened?"
Her thoughts raced, but before her imagination got out of control, she stopped and looked at the pirate expectantly. "Apparently."
His eyes twinkled and he took a few confident steps toward her. "Then, madam, we should stop arguing and move straight to reconciliation. After that, we can always…"
She instinctively raised her hand, but he didn't let that stop him. He wrapped his arms around her and leaned down to her. Without hesitating, he pressed his lips to hers. Her stomach was doing wild flips and everything inside her screamed to lose herself completely in the kiss. She knew these lips, that smell, these sensations — but she couldn't give in to them until she knew the truth. Before she could change her mind, she pressed her hands against his chest and pushed him away.
Frowning, he paused. "What's going on, Ani?"
She knew these eyes, that look, and this closeness, yet he was foreign to her. When she said the next words, it felt like her heart was breaking. "I've forgotten you too."