Beautiful Cries

Chapter Twenty-Two: To Home I Return

Staring down at their hands, she could see the silver mark quivering back and forth in her skin, the warmth that had spread throughout her body now visibly generating from the symbol etched on her.

She could feel it just as strongly as her heartbeat and didn't realize until she had placed two of her fingers on it that underlying the beating of her heart was another, beating in concord with her own.

Releasing Damari's hand slowly, she felt the warmth subside until it was only a faint caress on her skin, leaving her to look at Damari in disbelief.

"The..the bond... it-it.."

Damari rubbed her shoulder reassuringly and leaned his head against the boat while inhaling deeply through his nose. "It's as Amphitrite said it would be."

"But you...you gave me..." Alena stuttered, placing her hands on his heaving chest as if to reassure herself he was there and that he was alive.

"I believe the word you're looking for is strength, Alena." He laughed quietly, suddenly deciding against passing out on the side of the boat and instead sitting up to stare out across the polluted waters.

"How could you do that?"

"I have no idea really, I just thought of any plausible way that I could aid you and it simply...happened." He sighed heavily, massaging his temple before gazing out at the land that they had gradually sidled up next to.

He looked over at the hooded man and back out to the questionable land mass. "Where exactly are we?"

The hood moved in slow, dignified movements as the man lifted the paddle from the water, setting it aside as his aged hand rose up to draw back the cloak that hid his features.

He was a disgruntled looking gentleman to say the least, whose ash colored beard suggested he lived somewhere quite as miserable, if not worse, than the Underworld.

With his lips stuck in a grim, disconcerting line and his nose tilted somewhat to the right in a ghastly appearance, it was wise to say that he was one that wouldn't come across well in a civilized conversation.

"The gates." he said gruffly, gesturing for the two of them to step off the boat. "This is my stop for all souls. I suggest you move along before they find you."

"Before who finds us?" Damari asked skeptically, his eyes sliding over the cryptic landscape, shadows dancing in the darkness of the imminent unknown.

"The shades." Alena whispered, coming to a stand on her feet, only noticing that she wasn't in her siren form when Damari's cheeks flushed crimson and he took off his chiton to drape readily over her bare shoulders.

"I've brought you as far as his Lordship allows me to pass, this is where you must depart."

Alena shivered beneath the thin covering and steadied herself as she moved to step outside of the boat and into the moist, marshy land.

Damari grabbed ahold of her arm to stop her, gesturing to her dry feet before slipping the leather sandals off his feet.

"You take them." He said with a faint smile, bending down to strap them onto her soft feet.

The sensation of his callused hands smoothing over her skin made goosebumps scatter across her skin and an almost imperceptible blush rise into her cheeks.

"I think we should head out then." She coughed, avoiding Damari's impish grin and looking to the cloaked man instead. "Thank you...?"

"Charon."

Alena nodded her head and placed a hand on the cloth covered shoulder, feeling the protruding bone from beneath. "Thank you, Charon."

The short jerk of his head was answer enough as Alena stepped out of the boat, the foreign feeling of her feet inside the sandals as she stepped upon land causing her to marvel at its craftiness.