Well last chapter was comic relief, so this one may draw tears. It did for me while I was writing the sad bit. Ah, foreshadowing. Enjoy! Oh yeah, and the italicized bits are mentalspeak. Yeah.

Simon Middleton's heart leaps when he sees his old friend standing in the garden next to the charity case that made a mockery of the well-to-do. He ignores the sight of Gemma sprawled most unladylike on top of the Indian coachman and crosses the plush grass to Tom.

"Simon?" Tom asks, dumbfounded. "I thought you were…"

Simon laughs bitterly. "Oh yes, I'm quite dead. But I've been recruited for evil and haven't been able to cross over." Tom's mouth hangs open. "Don't look so confused, Doyle. You should know by now that the afterlife is not quite what we were taught in church."

"What are you doing here?" Gemma demands, now standing and poised. Her eyes hold that bright gleam of inner charisma that Simon loves. He swears he can feel his heart break all over again, but he's not entirely sure that he still has a heart. Do things like that still work in the realms?

"Amar sent me," Simon explains, averting his eyes from Gemma to Kartik. "He sensed your arrival and wishes to speak with his brother." He feels a surge of rage when Gemma clasps Kartik's hand and whispers something to him like only a lover would do. This is not my place. Gemma doesn't belong to me. I am of another world now. But try as he might to reassure himself, Simon wonders if he'd ever have had the chance to steal her away if he'd survived.

"Alright," Kartik says after deliberation. "But Gemma shall come with me." She nods, as if settling the matter.

"Very well," Simon says. "Amar says you know where to find him." They stare blankly at him. "I do not know where he is."

Gemma and Kartik share a look of confusion. They duck off to the water's edge to contemplate Amar's location.

Simon smiles despite his sadness and turns back to Tom. "So, have you found a potential wife yet?"


"Where on earth could he be?" I ask, frustrated.

Gemma leans against me and rests her head on my shoulder. "He's in the realms," she says.

"Yes, that is quite obvious."

"But you asked where on earth he could be. Well, he is not on earth at all. Your search would be fruitless."

"I don't see how you find this so funny," I say sourly. She shakes with silent laughter against me.

"I've gotten the notion that Amar isn't the most serious of men," she replies, kicking at the water. It swirls away from her foot, revealing the rocky bottom of the riverbed. "Well that's rather interesting," she muses, staring at the water. She moves her foot experimentally and sighs as the water moves away. "It appears I'm water repellent."

I watch as Gemma stands and hops into the river. The water walls up around her so that she remains dry in the center. "I never knew I fell in love with Moses," I joke halfheartedly.

"Now!" Someone shrieks from the garden. There is a roaring rush as the river water settles back into its place, drowning Gemma beneath it. She surfaces angry and sputtering, her hair a red mess over her face. Laughter erupts from the garden, but I'm in no mood to join in.

I offer Gemma a hand and pull her out of the river. Her cheeks practically glow from embarrassment and rage. "Ignore them," I whisper. Surprisingly, she does just that. With a wave of her hand, she is dry.

"Let's take a ride with the gorgon," Gemma says huffily. "She may know where Amar is."

I freeze. The gorgon. "Gemma," I say, taking hold of her shoulders. "You're brilliant."

She blinks, puzzled. "I am?"

I press my lips to hers, kissing her firmly. "You are. The gorgon. My brother is sure to be with the gorgon."

Her fingertips rest at my throat. "What makes you so certain?"

"When we were younger, he used to threaten me into doing things that I didn't want to do. He'd say 'If you don't drink your sharbat, the gorgon will come for you.'" I grin at the memory. Amar knew I was afraid of the gorgon ever since I started studying mythology.

Gemma laughs. "You believed him?"

"Of course I did. He was all I had. I believed everything he said."

Gemma's lips turn down slightly. She feels the dull ache of residing pain that I've carried with me since Amar's death. "You'll have to tell me more about him someday," she whispers. "I should like to know what it was like for you as a child."

"I will." My fingers entwine with hers.

"This must be so hard for you," she murmurs. "I'm sorry."

"We all have our trials. This too shall pass."

She laughs sadly. "My mother always used to say that. This too shall pass."

"It's true."

"I know."

"So where might we find the gorgon?" I ask to steer away from the inevitable grieving for both of us.

Gemma frowns. "She's always found us."

"I see."

"We walk along the river until we find her. She is bound to the water after all."

"Sounds like a plan." I watch as Gemma excuses herself and runs to tell her friends where we are going. Simon eyes her greedily, but I pay no mind. Instead, I fixate my attention on the shining red head that is my Gemma. She flits about her brother and friends, and for a moment I feel left out, like I did when I used to watch her at Spence.

But the feeling quickly passes as she returns to me with a dazzling smile and enthusiastic gleam to her eyes. Like the bright-eyed Athena guided Telemachos, Gemma is my living goddess, my muse, my everything.

"I love you," I whisper to her.

Her green eyes grow soft and widen. "I love you too." She rests a hand on my cheek.

It is a tender moment cut short by the ever-present antics of Miss Worthington. "Oh Gemma, I'm certain you won't find the gorgon by mooning into Kartik's eyes!" she exclaims.

Gemma blushes. "I wasn't mooning into his eyes, Felicity!" Still, Gemma has been properly humiliated. "Let's go," she says quietly.

We walk in silence down the bank of the river until we are out of sight of the others. Gemma turns to me, a hopeful glint in her eyes. I know what she wants, but my anxiety has grown since we've left the calming nature of the garden. Like always, she reads me like a book.

"You're upset," she says.

"Not quite."

"Anxious, I mean. About your brother." I don't say anything, but she knows she is right. "You cannot worry about him Kartik. He is not the brother you knew in life. Even if he isn't corrupted…" You cannot trust him. He has been here too long.

"I know, Gemma. Nobody understands that better than I." But that is not why I'm upset.

Then why?

He continues to exist.

I don't understand.

"My brother knew of the realms. He would have wanted to cross over." But now that he hasn't…The fact that he stills exists is an insult to his memory. Amar's good intentions are being twisted by the mere fact that he remains here. "But now he will never get the chance to cross."

Gemma brushes her lips across mine. "I will do all I can to see to it that he does."

"Is that even possible?" Even with my doubts, my heart fills with hope.

She smiles. I am Lady Hope. All you have to do is believe in me.

I do.

Then perhaps I can make it happen.

"You're incredible," I breathe, pulling her to me. "That is all I can wish for."

She is quiet for a moment. "I want to help them. All of them. Even Circe."

I quiet her with a finger. She may have spies listening.

You're right.

You look worried.

I have been wondering…perhaps Circe is not the end of it.

She isn't. There are the trackers and her army and Miss Cross as well.

Gemma bites her lip. I fear there is more than that. We may have to strike at the core. Perhaps we should bypass Circe and aim for the Winterlands themselves.

Is that possible?

I don't know. Tears well up in Gemma's eyes. I don't think I can do this, Kartik. It's too much.

Gemma… I stroke her hair helplessly. We can do this. It's why we were reborn.

I don't think we can! This can't be all there is to life. It isn't fair.

No, it isn't.

Something strikes me from her words. We were put here on earth for some ultimate plan. But what happens when we complete the task we were instructed to do? Or will we never achieve it, and continue this endless circle of rebirth, loving, grieving, and dying? It's terribly unfair.

"Let's carry on," I suggest.

"There is nothing else we can do," she grumbles.

We continue to walk in silence.

We reach an area where the river is shallow and turbulent. "Gemma, I don't think the gorgon is here."

She collapses on a large rock in a huff. "This is ridiculous. How hard can it be to find a ship with the head of a monster?"

"Extremely." I sit next to her on the boulder. "Shall we just head back?"

"Your brother needs to speak with you."

"Well, apparently it is not important, or else he would have told me where to find him."

"This is madness." Gemma slumps forward and places her face in her hands. Her red curls fall around her like a curtain.

An irregular whooshing sound reaches my ears. "Gemma," I say, standing and peering down the river. "I believe your gorgon is about to find us."

Her head snaps up. "Oh thank heavens," she says, exhaling. She joins me by the riverbed. "Yes, that is the gorgon."

The great ship pulls up to us and Gemma goes to greet the monster. I am about to follow her, but a greater matter presses.

"Kartik, you've come." Amar gazes down at me from the ship's deck. It pains me to see that after all this time, he nearly looks the same as he had in life. "Come aboard."

I glance at Gemma, who meets my gaze. "Gorgon, lower the plank please," she says.

"As you wish, Most High." The plank is lowered and we climb aboard.

Amar grins and bows to Gemma. "Have you been taking good care of my little brother?"

She slips her arm through mine. "I hope so." Kartik, he looks so much like you.

Does he?

You have the same smile.

I suppose we do.

"What is it you need to discuss with me?" I refrain from calling him by name. It is all I can do not to refer to him as my brother.

He glances at Gemma. "I'd have preferred to speak with you alone first. Out of respect for the Goddess."

I feel Gemma panic. "You may address us both," I say awkwardly. I do not like holding authority over him.

"Very well. I wanted to ask your permission to propose an alliance with the High Priestess."

Gemma grips my arm. Should we trust him?

I'm not sure.

Can this be a trick? The gorgon is on our side.

Are you sure of that?

I thought so.

"Why should we trust you?" I look him straight in the eye.

His face softens. "Miss Doyle, do you recall the day I was taken?"

"Yes," she says apprehensively.

"And the day your friend Miss Cross passed away?"

"Yes…"

"Then you agree that I have spent a considerably longer time in the realms. The Winterlands, no less."

"I do not see where you are going."

"What did I look like the day I died? And what do I look like now?" he asks quietly. "Your friend looks very different, doesn't she? She is corrupted."

"But magic can be used to hide signs of corruption," I cut in.

He regards me sadly. "Not anymore. The magic has been bound."

"But what about Circe? She doesn't show signs of corruption."

"She has dark magic at her disposal from the many sacrifices she has made. I have not made any sacrifices."

"But how do we know that you're not…"

"Lying?" Amar approaches Gemma, who draws back. "My Lady, you have the power to take any magic that I possess. Take my hands and try to do just that."

Reluctantly, Gemma takes Amar's hands and closes her eyes. There is a pregnant moment in which their hands glow white-hot, but then she releases him and opens her eyes. "He has no magic. He's telling the truth."

I feel a surge of relief. Amar (I cannot help but recognize him as my brother now) smiles uncertainly. "I have been leading a group of spirits taken, like me, against their will. There will be a revolt against Circe, whether or not you want to time yours accordingly."

Gemma bites her lip again and looks around nervously. "She can have spies anywhere."

Surprisingly, Amar is unworried. "Why do you think I chose the gorgon as a meeting place? She shall protect us from unwanted guests." He laughs heartily and slaps the rail of the ship. "Let's sit up by this old lady."

We follow him to the front, were we sit alongside the gorgon. I peer curiously up at her, a magnificent specimen. Without warning, she swivels her great head to stare back at me. As I look into her large lamp-like eyes, I wonder how easily she could turn me to stone, or if she can at all.

"May I help you?" she asks.

"Oh, sorry," I say.

Gemma mentally chides me. Staring isn't very polite, you know.

She's not exactly something you'd see every day.

Yes, but she still has feelings.

I wasn't being rude.

Staring is rude.

Yes, but my intentions were not to be rude.

But you still were.

"I apologized," I hiss to Gemma under my breath. She sighs and shakes her head.

"Kartik, may I ask about your intentions for this battle?"

"I…"

Tell him nothing.

"I'm not exactly sure."

Gemma pats my arm in thanks. "We are still gathering our allies," she says. "I sent my friends to visit Philon and the centaurs."

When did you send them?

Before we left, I asked them to meet with Philon and inquire if our alliance still stands.

I see.

"Asha and the other Hajin are also on our side, as well as the Rakshana and the Poppy Warriors," Gemma says. She squeezes my arm.

Amar is impressed. "The Poppy Warriors? I'm proud of you, Kartik." He smiles warmly. "And the Rakshana. Tell me, have you changed our father's mind as well?"

"You knew about…?"

"Yes. Terribly unfortunate," he says with the enthusiasm of someone watching grass grow. "Unfortunate that we are his sons, that is, not that he's refusing to acknowledge you as our leader. He is worthless."

I am surprised. "You dislike him as well?"

Amar laughs bitterly. "Kartik, if you had known what I went through, you'd know that dislike doesn't begin to convey my feelings towards him. Imagine being treated like gold for the first twelve years of your life, led on to believe you were some sort of god that will save the day. I was the apple of his eye, cherished and spoiled without shame. Then the ink did not hold and on my thirteenth birthday I was disowned."

"Disowned?" My ears ring in disbelief.

"Yes. He couldn't bear to have a 'worthless' son. He threw me to common training and retreated into his shell of worthlessness. He didn't even care to have any part in raising you, such was his embarrassment in favoring a boy that was not of any importance."

"But you were his son!" Gemma exclaims in horror. "How could you not be important to him?"

Amar sighs. "Our father was the most elitist bastard I have ever known. He believed in the strength of purity, following the rules of the Rakshana as if they were written by God himself. He resented that he had to marry, especially to one of the Order. Despite all claims, he never loved our mother, nor did he love us. We were all tolerated, a necessity for a cause that he didn't believe in. I have heard that he was threatened into marrying our mother, else he'd be kicked from the Rakshana."

Somehow, this doesn't surprise me. I only grieve for my mother, who is so good to have loved him for the sake of us, her sons.

"Do me a favor and kill him, will you Kartik?" Amar sneers. I somehow don't think this is a joke.

"The only person we will be killing is Circe," Gemma says quietly.

"Yes," says Amar. "And I still wish to help you."

"I will have to think on it," she says.

"Please do."

The garden comes into view, but it is empty. Gemma's friends must still be on their quest to speak with Philon.

"Miss Doyle, may I tell you something?" A wicked smile spreads on Amar's face.

"Of course," she says, taken aback. She blinks slowly. Against the bright sunset, her long eyelashes glow.

"My brother tends to talk in his sleep. If you're lucky enough to be present, you can even hold conversations with him."

I feel my face grow hot as Gemma's face lights up. "Really? What sort of things does he say?"

"He once entertained me with a discussion about flying rabbits. He was quite upset about it, as I recall."

Gemma turns to me with a gleeful expression. "Better watch out for those flying rabbits, darling." Amar snickers.

"We've arrived, Most High," the gorgon interrupts, allowing me to save face.

"We should go," Gemma says to Amar.

"Of course. May I just say one more thing?"

"Certainly."

"I'm so happy that you found my brother. I wouldn't want it any other way." He smiles sadly. "I just…I'm a bit sad that now someone knows him better than I do." His lip quiver slightly and his eyes grow glassy, but he remains fixated on Gemma. "I love my brother so much, but now I cannot be a part of his life. And now, he must see me as an enemy…"

"I don't," I say. The lump in my throat aches.

Tears shimmer on Amar's cheeks. "Kartik, I am so sorry for all of this. I wish I could be with you. I wish I was…alive again. I can't bear it here any longer, being held against my will. I need to know that you'll be alright."

The plank lowers and Amar looks at it almost fearfully. I cannot help it. Tears stream freely down my own cheeks now. I would do anything for Amar to live again. But instead he is trapped here, a shadow of his former self.

"I will be alright when you are," I say. My voice comes out strangled and weak but I do not care.

"I want to cross over," he chokes.

"I know."

He embraces me tightly for a moment. "Do what you must," he instructs. "Gather allies, and prepare yourselves. Then please help me destroy her."

"We'll try," Gemma whispers. I notice her eyes are not free of tears either.

Amar nods curtly. "You will know where to find me."

"We will," I say.

Gemma and I step down from the ship and retreat to the safety of the garden. I am glad for the privacy, for I have not yet been able to stop the flow of tears. Gemma bids me to place my head in her lap so that she may try her best to soothe me.

"We have to help him," I say shakily.

She strokes my hair slowly. "I know, Kartik."

"This whole time," I weep. "My poor brother." I am overwhelmed with the sorrow from his words, from his disownment to his imprisonment here. And how through it all, he always had a smile on his face for me, always strong and sure. "Dear God," I say. "We have to help him."

"We will," Gemma says. I study her face as she looks off into the distance. Her eyes hold strength and determination. They give me hope. Of course they do. Lady Hope. It all fits. "I promise."

So sad!!! Poor Kartik and Amar!

I'm tired. I hate my roommate. Dear God I'm trying to get her to move out. You should see my room. MESSY AND DELIGHTFULLY SO.

Is being passive regressive and has pictures on Facebook to prove it,
LunaEquus

Thanks uber much to reviewers! Maybe some crazy magic will drive out my roommate. Like, the more you review, the more she wants to leave. Anyone care to try it? LOL. Please!