world. The temple was a place of worship. A place where the people could speak to their god and he would visit with them. But then the dark came and covered all the land. They built the lake around the temple to protect themselves.’
‘What happened to these people?’
She shrugs her thin shoulders. ‘They needed their sun to exist. And when the darkness was complete, everything started to die. After a while they had no food to eat. They grew weak. Evil grew strong. Eventually they disappeared. After a long time without people, many more creatures came to live here.’
‘The wren?’
‘Yes, and others too. Then the flowers started to grow.’
‘Flowers?’
‘Black ones.’ She points over her shoulder. But without light it’s impossible to even estimate where she’s pointing.
‘How did you come by this story?’
‘The flowers told me. They told me a lot of old stories.’
While the idea of flowers ‘talking’ sounds strange, who am I to doubt? I know nothing of this world’s inhabitants, except for the wren; and they’re certainly unusual.
‘Have you been safe here, Sera?’
‘I’ve been lonely, but I’d rather live alone than with those ugly beasts. As long as they think I’m a ghost, they let me be.’
Her words make me give a little laugh inside. I pay for it with pain from my broken ribs. ‘Pardon me for saying, Sera, but … you are a ghost.’ Her crestfallen face has me remembering that Sera was only a child of ten when Marduke murdered her. What does she remember of her other life? What has her time here done to her sanity? ‘You do know that you died in the mortal world thirteen years ago?’
She sighs, the outer edges of her pursed lips sinking downwards. ‘I know I died. But I didn’t know it was so long ago! I’m so old now!’
I begin to understand Sera’s problem. ‘You’re trapped here. Your soul can’t move on.’
Suddenly she grins, and her eyes become as luminous as her skin for a brief moment. ‘But now everything will be well!’
I stumble on a rock and almost fall, but somehow Sera helps me maintain my balance. How she does this is amazing. I can feel her touch me, yet her hands, her arms in fact, go partially through me. ‘Thank you,’ I say, then ask, ‘But how can my coming to this island be good for you? I’m trapped too now.’
We start walking again, slowly. ‘When they come to rescue you, they’ll rescue me too.’
Her words make me go still. I don’t want Isabel or Ethan, or anyone, to come. It could mean their death, or entrapment. But now here’s Sera. She’s been stuck in this place for a long time. Doesn’t she deserve a chance of freedom?
At my hesitation she frowns, her eyes narrowing to the point of almost disappearing. ‘They will come, Arkarian. My brother will come. And he will bring the girl.’
She skips ahead of me. I wish I could share her excitement. My mind’s a battlefield right now. ‘How can you be so certain Ethan and Isabel will come?’
She comes running back. ‘Oh I’ve made sure of it. After all the years of trying, I’ve finally reached someone.’
‘Who have you reached, Sera?’
‘The girl. The girl with the psychic skills.’
‘Do you mean Isabel?’
She shrugs her little shoulders. ‘I tried to reach my brother, and my mother many, many times. But it didn’t work. Ethan would scream like I whipped him or something and block me out. And my mother would only cry. But the girl, the girl you call Isabel. The one that loves my brother. She will come. I have shown her. I have shown her the temple and …’
Sera’s words drone on, but my thoughts lock on to two things: now that a link has been made, Isabel will do anything she can to come here, the connection will strike her deeply; and, according to Sera, Isabel is still in love with Ethan.
Chapter Fourteen
Isabel
The last time I came to Athens, and stood in this peaceful golden courtyard, was the day of Ethan’s trial, when he thought he was going to be ex-communicated, and ended up being awarded one of the Guard’s highest honours – his wings. It was a day I will never forget for its tumultuous emotions. I have a feeling today will also be full of surprises, but not the kind one looks forward to. Neither Ethan nor I is on trial, yet I’m picking up an uneasy sense to this summons.
We wait for a sign to