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Chapter 2

December 26, 2011.

"I need to talk to you about something."

"What's up?" My eyes remained on the map I held in front of me. It was a beautiful Thursday morning, a perfect day for hiking at the Hakatere Conservation Park, one of the most iconic places to visit in the New Zealand countryside.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking since I got back." Travis took a seat next to me.

"Okay?"

"I've decided to renew my contract in the military."

It was a statement that definitely got my attention.

Long before we had married, Travis talked about joining the military. His father, a Korean War veteran, had insisted that he graduate from college first before making such a big decision. Like a good son, Travis conceded to his father's wishes.

We met at the University of Washington in 1999. Travis himself was a city boy, born and raised in Seattle. I on the other hand grew up in the middle of Kansas. My parents died in a car accident when I was a young girl, and so it fell to my Uncle Lon to take me in. He had no children of his own, and was more than happy to raise me. Unlike my father, Uncle Lon took his Native American heritage very seriously, teaching me everything there was to know about Comanche culture. My mother, a half Caucasian and Brazilian enthusiast, absolutely adored him. Being raised on a farm, I was no stranger to hard labor, which had boosted my self-confidence into thinking that I could handle whatever the military life threw at me.

I had never been more wrong.

"Why?" I said, not looking at him.

"It's work," he replied, as if it couldn't be more obvious.

"The war is over." It was not my intention to sound harsh.

"I know it is, but...," he took my hand. "It's my life, my choice."

Travis wasn't serious. He couldn't be.

"Aderyn, look at me." And I did. "I've always wanted to be a soldier. Ever since I was a boy, I dreamed of nothing else. You know this."

"You could be a teacher," I said, my voice soft. "A history teacher. You have the degree and knowledge to show for it."

"It's not what I want."

I stood up, walking towards the open landscape. The mountains in the backdrop were a gorgeous sight to behold for sure, but even they were not enough to distract me from my growing agitation.

Travis approached me from behind, the palms of his hands against my arms in comfort.

"Every time we got word of casualties, I thought of you." I told him. He had been my only weakness in the military.

"But I didn't die," he turned me around to face him. "I lived."

I tried to smile, but my emotions got the best of me. "I just want to put the past behind us."

"And we will do that," he promised. "We'll settle down, have two or three kids, and grow old from there, happy as can be."

I smiled, caressing his face.

"I can't promise that everything'll be okay, but I will make you this vow." Travis took my face between his hands, his eyes serious. "I will always come back to you. You hear me?" The pads of his thumbs began caressing away whatever tears that were threatening to fall from my eyes. "Always."

I nodded, and Travis pulled me into a tight embrace.

~xXx~

We returned to our Airbnb house a few hours later, and Phoebe insisted that we join her and her husband Charles for dinner. Phoebe was a fantastic cook, and loved nothing more than to show off her culinary skills to guests. Travis and I didn't mind it, because honestly, who didn't love free food?

"There he goes again," Phoebe commented.

"Hmm?" I followed her gaze to the living room. Charles and Travis were sitting side by side on the sofa, looking at an old photo album.

"If you allow him, my husband will talk your ear off about his family's history and world politics." Phoebe said, handing me a cup of tea. We had just finished washing and drying the dishes. "No matter how much I ask him to tone it down, he never listens. He's such a detailed storyteller, your man is likely to get trapped for hours."

I chuckled. "I'm sure he doesn't mind, being a history buff and all."

"And you?" Phoebe wondered.

"Unfortunately not," I took a sip of my drink, relishing its flavor. "I mean, I enjoy the subject, but it was never my favorite."

"To each their own," she smiled. "Your husband mentioned you were in the military?"

"Mmm," I confirmed, sipping once again. "Did two tours in Iraq as a combat nurse."

"Thank you for your service."

I smiled, glancing at my husband. "Truth be told, my husband is the real hero. He was stationed near the front line and never once complained about it."

"You're both heroes in my eyes," Phoebe placed her hand atop my arm. "Not everyone is willing to die for their country. What you did took a lot of bravery. Never forget that." She smiled. "So you're a nurse, eh? That's quite the job. A far better skill than reading tea leaves that's for sure."

I chuckled, and it didn't take me long to realize that she was referring to herself. "Wait. You actually read tea leaves?"

"Like my grandmother taught me," she said proudly. "And her grandmother before that. I can show you, if you like? You might be in for real treat."

While I've always been skeptical to believe in such things a part of me couldn't help but allow Phoebe to have her fun. I gulped down the rest of my lukewarm tea, and with a sly smile, Phoebe took the cup from my hands. She flipped the cup upside down onto her plate before turning it upright once more, studying the leaves intently.

"Well?" My grin was mischievous. "Am I going to meet a tall, dark and handsome stranger and run away with him?"

For a second, my mind flashed back to the figure within the mirror, and I immediately squashed down the unwanted memory. He was nothing more than a figment of my imagination. He had to be.

"Maybe," Phoebe's smile slowly turned into a frown. "Maybe not. What I'm seeing here is contradictory. See the curved leaf here?" She pointed with her pinky. "It indicates a journey, yet it's crossed by a broken one, which means staying put."

"Staying put?" I narrowed my eyes, not understanding.

Phoebe continued to peer at the contents with careful eyes. "I see your husband amongst strangers," she said. "Several of them, if I'm reading the tea leaves correctly." She placed the cup back down onto the table, and held out her palm. "May I see your hand?"

With a nervous smile, I reached out my arm. She grasped my fingers gently, turning the palm of my hand right side up. "Odd." She studied the lines carefully. "The pattern I'm seeing here in your hand... it's unlike anything I've encountered before."

Phoebe looked up at me, and grinned. "Look." She gripped my thumb. "This means that you have a strong will not easily crossed, and this over here...," she rubbed the line in between the bottom of my palm. "This is your Mount of Venus. Now for men it means that they fancies the gals, but it's different for women."

"How so?"

"Well," Phoebe cleared her throat. "To be polite about it, it means that your husband enjoys spending a lot of time with you. Physical time, that is."

I blushed as she chuckled, her eyes continuing to scrutinize the lines in my hand. She frowned. "The lifeline is interrupted into bits and pieces. And your...," she stiffened. "Your marriage line... it's divided."

"Divided?"

"It indicates two marriages," she explained. "Although..." Her eyes narrowed, as if she too couldn't make sense of this. "Most divided lines are broken you see, yet yours is... forked."

She met my unwavering gaze with silence, and while a part of me remained skeptical that Phoebe's readings were nothing than a sham, I also couldn't shake the cold feeling of dread that she was also telling the truth. Two marriages. I couldn't imagine loving anyone else but Travis, no matter what may happen to him. Yet...

I jumped at the sound of our husbands' cackling laughter as they stumbled into the kitchen. With an apologetic smile, Phoebe released my hand. From behind my chair, Travis slid his arms around me. "Having fun?" he kissed the top of my head.

I glanced at Phoebe, who began studying the contents of my cup once again. "Yeah," I said, my voice quiet. "Yeah."

~xXx~

With a satisfied groan Travis collapsed on top of me, his forehead resting against my own. "That was..."

"Amazing," I finished for him, smiling and out of breath.

Travis chuckled, forcing himself to roll off of me and onto the bed. "How did I manage to survive twenty-two months without sex?"

"Easy," I turned to face him. "There's only one woman you'd rather be doing it with."

"Ain't that the truth," Travis slid an arm around my bare shoulder, pulling me close. "You wouldn't believe how many soldiers fell into temptation with their coworkers."

"I know," I grimaced. "One of the men I nursed back to health kept dropping hints, and he was married."

Travis frowned. "You never told me this in your letters."

"He wasn't the first one to do so," I said. At his disbelieving expression, I smiled. "Travis, it's alright, really. Turning them down wasn't a problem for me."

"Still." He tightened his grip. "You're my wife."

I kiss him lightly on the lips. "And you're my husband." Wrapping an arm across his chest I settled against him, reveling the peaceful serenity that our lovemaking brought us. "Phoebe and I had an interesting conversation tonight."

"Mmm?"

"We were sitting at the table, and she insisted that she could read my future through my tea leaves." I frowned. "She said some things... things that were not too flattering."

"What things?"

I hesitated. Like me, Travis remained highly suspicious of those who claimed to have premonitions, and I didn't want him to think that I was annoyed by Phoebe. She seemed so sincere in showing me her "skill," I couldn't imagine her trying to take me for a fool. "She foresees me having more than one husband."

I felt Travis stiffen against me, then he laughed, much to my annoyance. "It's not funny." I pinched him, which only made him laugh harder. "Seriously, Travis. You weren't there when she was telling me all of this. It was very off-putting."

"Aderyn," Travis leaned over me so that I could better see his grin. "She's a fortune-teller. How many of them actually managed to predict things that weren't easily predictable?"

Well, when he put it that way...

I sighed, rubbing a tired hand against my face. "I'm sorry. It's just... she doesn't seem like the type of person who would con people."

He kissed the top of my head. "She was just trying to have a little fun with you, that's all."

"Yeah," I whispered, exhausted and unconvincing. "Just a little fun."

Within minutes we fell asleep.

~xXx~

It was another beautiful day in Lake Clearwater, and after a quick breakfast Travis headed on over to Charles and Phoebe's, intending to help the former with a few projects around the house. Despite Charles' insistence that he could handle the work himself, Travis promised he would show up. I smiled. Ever the happy helper my husband was. It was impossible not to love him.

With a few hours to kill and deciding that I could use some fresh air, I drove down to the lake just a few miles south of the town. Upon reaching my destination, I found myself once again admiring the snow-capped mountains. So close, yet so far away. I stepped out of the car and approached the edge of the lake. I stared down at my watery reflection, not for the first time unimpressed with my appearance.

And then the unthinkable happened.

Within seconds my body became stiff, as if petrified from head to toe. I couldn't move, I couldn't breath. In fact, all I could do was stare as warm seething light began emanating from the icy pool beneath me, blinding me. And then a voice spoke, in a language that I did not recognize, yet I could understand what they were saying with perfect clarity.

'It's alright, Aderyn.'

Who are you? I wanted to shout back, but the words would not come out.

'Everything will make sense soon. I promise.'

I fell on my hands and knees, struggling to find my breath.

'Come, child. He is waiting for you.'

Who is waiting for me? I closed my eyes, losing all sense of consciousness.

~xXx~

Debilitated and puzzled, I awoke to the sound of murmuring voices.

"Such strange attire."

"She shouldn't be here."

"Maybe she's lost."

"Wouldn't surprise me, given the fact she's human."

"Well, that's just rude."

Breathe. I could breathe again.

With a choked gasp I rolled over onto my side, emptying the watery contents of my stomach.

"Valar!" someone swore. "She got some on my boots!"

"Give her some space," a stern voice ordered.

Coughing violently, I slowly pushed myself up.

There standing all around me, were several of the most beautiful men I had ever seen. Tall, slender and pointy-eared, they were dressed in some kind of clothing one would wear in a medieval fantasy film. Each of them wore hair long and tied half back, and it didn't take me long to notice their weapons, which consisted of bows and knives.

I swallowed. They did not look pleased to see me.

"Who...?" I cleared my throat. "Who are you?"

"We found you faced down inside the river bed," said a different voice. "You would have drowned, had we not been quick to act."

From behind their group another man approached me, his sudden appearance making my breath catch. Like the rest of them, he too was dressed in the same attire and carried the same weapons, yet it wasn't his young angelic face or pale blonde hair that caught my attention.

It was the fact that I recognized this person.

I slowly stood to my feet, my eyes never leaving him, for he too had been regarding me with a weary, disbelieving expression. Who are you? I wanted to yell. That night in front of the mirror... you were nothing more than a figment of my imagination. You can't be real!

But here he was, standing not several feet away, and it terrified me.

He took a cautious step forward, and I backed away from him. "Don't be afraid," he said. Good God, even his voice was annoyingly perfect. "We will not harm you."

"I sincerely doubt that." Shut up, Aderyn!

"Captain," one of his men grasped him gently by the arm, speaking in a language I did not recognize.

I glanced away, observing my surroundings. No lakes or mountains, just an unfamiliar forest. I swallowed. This was not good. Not good at all.

"What are you doing here?" The man - captain - spoke to me once again.

"What?" I struggled to find my voice once again, given the fact that I was cold and soaked to the bone.

"The Woodland Realm is no safe place for mortals," he said, standing in front of me. Unlike before, I did not back away. "Anyone with enough common sense would know that. So I ask you once more." He gripped my arm, none too gently. "What are you doing here?"

"Let go of me!" I struggled against his grip. If he expected me to comply without a fight he was in for a rude awakening. The Woodland Realm? Where the hell was that?

Just then, a series of long, bone-chilling howls sounded in the distance, and my assailant froze. His blue eyes widening just a fraction. "Wargs," he spat, quickly releasing my arm.

He whirled around, barking at his men in that strange language of theirs. In unison they raised up their bows, their bodies forming a protective circle around me.

Alarmed I stared out into the forest, my eyes searching for any signs of danger. Judging by these archers' stances and grim faces, things were about to get ugly, and fast.

"Stay behind me," the captain shot me a warning glance, and I obeyed without question.

~xXx~

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