Chapter Nineteen The Eclipse
Chapter Nineteen
The Eclipse
Would she jump from the cliff if the pull was consistent enough, like an aching wound that ate you from the inside out? I knew she felt it, but it was a matter of when, not if.
My theory was that all people felt the pull, some stronger than others. Infinitely curious, finite capabilities to know. Her pull came from her other half, the one not from this world. It was only a matter of time before she acted on it, as long as I could guide her way to the end.
The silt created by the friction of water crashing against rock was our only barrier. I sulked in the depths of the dark sea, waiting.
While their conversation was out of reach, the emotional fallout was as potent as the salt in the sea. It was heavy, tension wound up tight. A hardy meal for surrounding shadows.
I pulled myself up the wall of the underwater drop-off. Digging my claws into the kelp, the sand, anchoring myself on the cliff ledge under the sea-foam surface, only the waves between us.
I was taken by surprise when a large object’s shadow thrust off the ledge above, nose-diving straight for me.
A foamy storm burst through the surface, breaking the object’s fall for its final descent.
One end of the wooden box hit the rocks, then settled.
Muted creaks and scrapes as the casket pushed along, phantom pallbearers carrying it toward the underwater barrier ledge.
The detached cart fell more slowly, lighter now that it was rid of the heavy casket.
They both sank deeper into the abyss, their final descent only the tide could determine.
When my sights returned to the cliff above, an aura.
There you are.
Lucia stood at the peak. A soft glow of white and blue, much like the ones of her markings.
Will you join him?
The thought was like a knife in my throat, and I swallowed it back.
She is considering it.
While joining the unknown would certainly move the plan along, I wouldn’t get my hopes any higher. Her will to live was too strong. Stubbornly, she knew she had work to do. It would be the only thing that kept her from peace. The hunger for knowledge that some killed for.
As she stared, I wondered if she could see me. I was sure she always had the itch at the back of her neck, a chill that told her I was always watching, always there.
She disappeared from view, the aura fading into the night.