Dawn
A faint breeze caressed my cheek. I squeezed my eyes harder, trying to fall into the sweet slumber again. I could feel the soft ground I was lying on, and a question rose gradually into my mind.
In a flash, I opened my eyes and jolted on my feet.
Nothing seemed familiar. I turned my head around to make sense of my surroundings, when I spotted a narrow footpath.
As I walked slowly on it, the forest changed. The trees were thicker, reaching the strange glowing sky with their long arms, and moss-covered stones sparkled like fireflies on a hot summer night. I stopped from time to time and widened my eyes, just to make sure my sight is still good. From the blue-green grass, little flowers with strange different shapes were peering at me.
The path ended in front of an endless lake. I rubbed my eyes, thinking that my mind was playing tricks. The lake's water seemed like it swallowed hot ambers, but somehow they were alive, dancing under its clear blueish surface.
As I was gasping in awe, a voice interrupted.
"Greetings, beautiful lady." The man appeared from thin air, straightening his back then leaning on a paddle in his small boat. He motioned with his hand for me to get in.
"Excuse me, sir, but who are you?"
"You can call me Charon. Hoop over, I'll take you on the other side. For a small coin, of course."
"On the... other side? What is this place?"
He shadowed his eyes with his palm and narrowed his eyes, like an imaginary sunlight was blinding him. "This is the Between the Worlds. Your voice is so familiar... What's your name?"
Not wanting to give the impression of a poor education, I answered.
"But I must decline your offer, sir. I need to turn back home. Mother will be worry and she will look for me..."
He hopped on the shore with ease, despite his old and tired appearance. I took a step back at the sudden move.
"You are in Between the worlds, and there is no 'back'. Only forward."
His words unsettled me. The corner of my eye tried to spot an escape. What does it mean Between the words? My hands started to shake slowly, as an idea rose in my head. Am I dead?
"Means exactly what it sounds. Now come on, let's be done with this!" He said, clapping his palms. Could he really read my mind?
"Amongst other things. And your thoughts are so loud!"
"Who did you said you are?" I asked, puzzled. "Or What- you are?"
Having a better look at him, I noticed a flame in his eyes, and how his golden hair glowed like the sunlight. I reached with my hand his shoulder length tresses, amazed of their beauty. His mouth formed an "o" at my boldness, and he asked with a stammered voice:
"You can see my true form?" He must have read my mind again. I nodded, and this time he took a step back. "Apologies, I am old... I didn't realized it was you. I knew your voice was familiar!" He bowed and added:
"If is really you, lady, then you are not quite dead..."
"Please sir, rise. And please be kind and make me understand... how do you know me? And how am I not Quite dead?"
"You don't have your essence, do you?" He asked. "That means... that you don't have your memories either." He scratched the top of his head. I waited impatiently for him to continue.
"You need to find it, lady. You are with a foot in the mortal realm, so you might seem dead to the others. Is it the venom that opened the door to here? Or the moonberries?"
"What essence? It seems to me, good sir, that instead of providing answers, you only rise more questions."
"I can not tell you what you can not understand. All I know is that when I saw you first time, you had no wish to go back, and yet- you had to. You were not prepared to reunite with your true-self, but now you are."
"Can't you just say something clear?" I couldn't make sense of what he was saying.
"I am sorry, but is not my place to tell" he said. "You will understand in time. It began at the Stone and it must end at the Stone. The only way I can help is to allow you to remember what we talked." He touched my temple with his glowing finger and returned to his boat, leaving me baffled. "But you can't remember all at once!" he shouted.
The strange glow of the sky intensified, blinding me for a moment. And he was gone.
I stood there for a time, trying to make sense of what happened. In my heart, I was hoping that Charon will show up again and put some light over the many questions I had, but he didn't. I decided to follow the same path back, so I turned around and walked. This time, I did not admire the shy little blossoms, nor I raised my eyes to the old trees. I wanted home.
I spotted what it looked like a small door, hidden into a tree trunk. My excitement grew and my steps hurried.
When I was just about to reach it, my shoulder collided with something and I lost my balance.
"Are you all right?" A rich, masculine voice asked. Green, deep eyes stared at me. He offered his brawny arm to help me up, and I took it.
"Yes" I smiled. He looked concerned.
"Where are we, girl? It has never happened to me before, but I lost my way" he said with a dram of shame.
"I don't really know-"
"Jayce is my name." Somehow, I felt I don't need to fear him despite his intimidating looks.
"I don't know where we are, but I can get us back. I am Dawn, nice to meet you"
He smiled at me.
Suddenly, someone was running toward us. I turned my head and saw the man from the river, his eyes spitting hot ambers. Fear embraced my heart and I squeezed Jayce's hand so hard that my nails dug into his flash, leaving a red mark. He understood my signal but didn't utter a word. Instead, he squared his shoulders and just stood there, dumbfounded.
"NOOOO!" Charon shout. "He can not come with you, he does not belong there anymore!"
I turned to him, gathering myself. I thought of the nightwalkers. Mother mentioned once that death was a part of their transformation process.
"If he doesn't belong amongst the living now, then how comes that vampires rise from the dead?" I shouted with a fake bravado.
The boat man stopped running. "It is against the nature's laws! Imagine if everyone would just go back! It would be chaos!"
He leaned on his paddle, looking at Jayce, and continued: "It's the demon blood. In the longest night of the year, the dark grows stronger than the light; the demon stronger than the Sun. So strong, that he pulls back the cursed souls"
"So it is possible for a soul do go back!" I concluded. "And he" pointing to a now mute Jayce, " Is coming with me!"
"That will unbalance the realms, lady. There will be consequences, a price to be paid. Only dead can pay for life. Are you willing to pay?"
His harsh words echoed in my ears. Death for life. A chill run dawn my spine and I opened my mouth to say something, but in that moment, the werewolf kneeled.
"Take me back, and I swear to you, by the Sun and the Moon, that I will serve and protect you with my life, Dawn"
Charon hissed loud. "He won't fulfill his oath, he won't remember a damn thing once he wakes up!"
Annoyed, Jayce pulled a blade from the inside of his boot and rose.
I took a step back, unsure of his intentions, but he caught my hand and cut into my palm with the sharp metal. I shrieked and tried to escape his grip, to no avail.
With his free hand, he squeezed hard the blade, red drops falling on the ground, then he tossed the knife.
In a blink of the eye, he brought our palms together and our blood mingled, under the alert look of the old man. "This is a blood oath now. If I forget, this will remind me!"
He turned to the man with a hard look. "I am a man of my word!" Then, he bowed again to me.
"Lead the way, my lady!"
I was confused. I didn't really understood what just happened, but nothing so far was making any sense. I pressed the door's handle and slowly pulled my new protector with me.
As we walked through, I turned my head and looked back. Tears of fire were digging into Charon's cheeks, and he whispered " Fare well, my lady".
.......