Part 19
Stonehenge, England
"What are we doing here?" Michael demanded as Isabel pulled the rental van into the busy parking lot near the stone monument. "We already know you can't open the portal. We're wasting our time."
"Oh, and you have something better to do? We're not here to open anything." Isabel snapped back. She was becoming extremely weary of Michael's attitude. She knew that he was scared - she understood it perfectly being that she was terrified too - but there had to be a reason as to why they were sharing these dreams about their past lives. Every other time she had had dreams beyond her control, they had meant something.
They had no choice but to investigate this to the bitter end. And the more quickly they did it, the less chance there was that Alex and Maria were ever going to have to know about it.
"Besides, its the middle of the day." Isabel continued. "Do you think I would really try and open the portal in the middle of the afternoon in the middle of June? Do you know how many tourists are around?"
Michael just sighed, stuffed his hands into his pockets. It was still drizzling. Isabel could see a hoard of tourists hurrying out of the site, loading onto the many buses, the rain driving them away.
All to the good. While what they were going to do could be witnessed by others, the fewer around to distract them, the better.
Isabel followed Michael through the entrance. They paid the admission and wandered casually down the path that led to the great stone circle. It always amazed Isabel how small it seemed in comparison to its reputation, particularly with the crowds still milling around it. She heard a semi on the motorway nearby honk its horn. While the road was not visible from the site, the noises that often drifted across the rolling green hills on which the circle was situated more than reminded Isabel that this was no longer the mystical site it had once been.
And yet she knew that the power here still existed just below the surface, just waiting for someone to tap into it…something that she fully intended to do today.
They made one complete circuit around the Ring before Michael spoke again. "Okay, so what are we doing here?" He sounded a little less grumpy, a little more curious.
"Do you remember when we brought Max back through the portal last time?" Isabel asked, relieved that he seemed more in a mood to fully cooperate. "Do you remember how I was able to contact my mother by using the energy from the stones? How the stones made everything more easy?" When Michael nodded, she continued. "I was wondering if maybe we tried to connect using the energy from the stones, whether we might be able to better control what's going on in our heads."
Michael frowned thoughtfully. "You mean actually TRY and remember stuff."
Isabel bit her lip, looked at him hopefully. He did not look impressed. "Yeah. To try and figure out why we're remembering now. It has to mean something Michael. I can't believe that this would be happening if it didn't."
"It does make a certain amount of sense." Michael finally admitted grudgingly. "We did have the first dreams when we were sleeping in the van nearby."
"Right." Isabel grabbed his hand excitedly. "I really think being near the Ring is one of the reasons its happening. If we can start to control it, maybe we can learn something that will help us to bring them home."
Michael looked away for a moment, an unreadable expression on his face. For one horrible moment Isabel thought he was going to refuse. The supreme irony of it was not lost on her. Until Jennetta, Michael had been the one who had been searching for answers at any cost, Isabel the one trying to avoid having to learn anything about her alien heritage.
The tables had certainly been turned.
Michael very carefully removed his hand from Isabel's before saying, "Okay. I'll do it."
She felt a pang at the emptiness inside without his touch. A shiver descended her spine. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea at all. She could barely handle the memories she already had of him. Having more, resulting in more confusion…how could it be a good thing?
But they had no choice. Her brother and her friends needed them. If there were any answers to be found in the connection she had to Michael, then they had to use it.
Michael was looking at her strangely. "Iz? Are you okay?"
She shook her head, sending her blonde hair flying across her shoulders. "Of course." She reached out and took his hand again. He narrowed his eyes, stared down at where they were joined by this simple physical bond. "We have to touch Michael. You know we have to do it to connect."
"Fine."
Isabel led him off to a secluded corner, near to the Ring, but far enough away that no one would stumble over them. She didn't feel that weird sitting down cross-legged on the grass. There were other groups lounging around the area, gazing at the circle in awe, or chatting with their friends. She even saw one small group of women with their hands joined chanting. She and Michael wouldn't look any more freaky then they did.
Michael sat down close to her. Isabel could feel the tension coming off of him in waves. He was not happy about this at all. She felt another stab of pain, tried to ignore it.
She turned so that they were facing each other, took his other hand in hers. She realized that she had not touched him like this since they were very small children. Sure she had often hugged him, but they had not held hands in years. It felt peculiar and yet comforting somehow.
Isabel swallowed, glanced up at him. His dark eyes were gazing at her steadily. While he was not pleased to be doing this, he was willing to give it his all it seemed. But then that was Michael - he never did anything half-way.
"Are you ready?" She asked quietly. He nodded shortly.
Isabel forced herself to stare directly into Michael's eyes. She reached out with her senses, calling to the energy that she could feel flowing through the ground under her, the power that was just waiting to be tapped into…
"Tristandor…" She breathed his Illyrian name, calling to his other self, buried deep within the confines of Michael Guerin. She could feel him, he was waiting for her…
"Mirana." Michael's lips were moving, but they were no longer his lips. Isabel could not take her eyes off of his mouth. The world began to blur in front of her. She could feel energy circulating through every single one of her veins, energy unlike anything she had ever experienced before.
And she was no longer Isabel as her lips met his.
***********************************************************
The Ring, Illyria - 120 years before
"Jax, can we please just go home?" I asked for what felt like the three hundredth time. And for the three hundredth time my brother ignored me. He was standing near the heel stone, one of the orbs he had dug out of Lucianus's workshop in his hands. He had his eyes closed. I could tell that he was reaching for something just beyond his grasp.
I sighed in annoyance, leaned back against one of the stones, wondered if I started pounding my head against it, whether he would actually start to pay attention to me.
"JAXON!" I yelled it this time. I glanced nervously at the sun in the west. It was descending far too quickly. If I didn't get my brother back to the Citadel before dark, I was never going to be able to sneak out to meet Tris at the appointed time. We had so little time together as it was. I wasn't going to miss a single instant of it due to my brother's insufferable stubbornness.
Jaxon's eyes snapped open. He frowned at me. "By the Ring Miri! I almost had it that time."
"Right." I rolled my eyes at him.
Jax glared at me again. "Mirana, if you took a little more interest in the process, maybe it would work." He sounded severely put out. "I can't do this alone you know."
"I've told you a million times brother dearest, there is no portal to a mysterious world. You are nothing but a dreamer." I knew that my long- suffering tone was going to irritate him even further, but it he was mad at me he would leave, which was all to the good.
"Miri…" He sighed heavily. "Very well. We'll try it again tomorrow. I can see that you are tired."
"Glad you finally noticed." I grumbled, kicking my long skirt aside as he led me towards the transport on the Illyrian side of the Ring. While the war still waged between our kingdom and the duchy of Dernia, the Ring was the safest place on the planet. No one would dare accost us there, war or no. It went against every precept that both Illyria and Dernia held dear.
This did not mean that we were not heavily guarded. I could see our men standing at attention just outside the circle, their blue and gold uniforms gleaming in the setting sunlight.
I could see the line of defeat in Jaxon's shoulders as he led the way back to the transport.
I felt bad. I did. I knew that this was important to my brother, that I should have taken more interest…
But Tris was more important. I would not regret one moment I spent with him.
I should have known that my brother would see right through me. He knew something was up. He just chose to pretend that he did not.
Which was why I was curiously unsurprised when he caught us together later that night.
We had met near the border, in a copse of trees that was surprisingly fertile for the dry steppes upon which it was found. One thing had led to another and neither Tristandor nor I were in any state to be pleased by the intrusion.
I heard Jaxon's bellow of outrage long before I saw him.
He wasn't alone either. He was surrounded by at least ten guards, all of whom had their weapons pointed straight at my beloved.
Jaxon just stared at me for the longest time. I seriously thought that he was going to start to cry. There was a strange sheen in his dark eyes - disappointment, grief, betrayal, I was unsure which predominated, but they were all there.
All I knew was that I had never meant to hurt my brother. I couldn't help myself though. What there was between Tristandor and I was unstoppable. It was pure and good. I didn't care if he was our enemy.
"Cover yourself." My brother finally snapped, turning on his heel and striding away. I wasn't completely bare. Tris had thrown his cloak over me when they had first appeared, but I wasn't exactly dressed for the dressing down I knew I was going to receive either. "I will see you in camp in ten minutes."
"You must flee my love." I whispered to Tris as we dressed. He frowned at me.
"No Miri. It is time to face the music. I will not let you deal with him alone."
I snorted with laughter. "You make him sound like a demon. He's my brother Tris. My twin. He would never harm me."
Tris just stared at me stubbornly. "No. It is time to make my intentions known Mirana. I would marry you. We both know it. But in order to be truly bonded we need his blessing. He will never accept me if I run like a coward."
"We are already bonded my love." I kissed him lightly as he moved past me. He kissed me back hard, took my hand and led me off through the trees.
"Not in the true sense." Tris replied over his shoulder. "Only one of royal blood is capable of truly bonding us."
"Am I not of royal blood?" I asked saucily.
"You can't bond yourself Miri." He snapped impatiently. I just smiled at his back as he pulled me towards the lights of my brother's military installation on the border.
"I thought we were doing a pretty good job of it back there." I replied.
I heard him snort in the darkness, but he did not dispute it.
He stopped abruptly, just as we were about to stumble upon the first of my brother's guards. He turned to face me, lifted my chin with his hand. "You will belong to me in many lifetimes beyond this one Mirana Falconer. I will not have it any other way. We will be bonded to make it so."
I smiled brilliantly at him. "Nor would I. But do you think that Jax will do it?"
"How can he not?" I had never heard Tristandor sound so certain. "We are destined to be mates my love. Even your brother will see it once he has recovered from his shock." He grinned ruefully. "I think he took it quite well actually. If I had caught Sabrya in such a compromising position…" He trailed off but I could see the scowl that had appeared on his face. "Hmmmmm…maybe you SHOULD go speak with him alone first." He finally said teasingly.
"Courage my brave one." I kissed him again, took his hand and led him into the light.
Stonehenge, England
"What are we doing here?" Michael demanded as Isabel pulled the rental van into the busy parking lot near the stone monument. "We already know you can't open the portal. We're wasting our time."
"Oh, and you have something better to do? We're not here to open anything." Isabel snapped back. She was becoming extremely weary of Michael's attitude. She knew that he was scared - she understood it perfectly being that she was terrified too - but there had to be a reason as to why they were sharing these dreams about their past lives. Every other time she had had dreams beyond her control, they had meant something.
They had no choice but to investigate this to the bitter end. And the more quickly they did it, the less chance there was that Alex and Maria were ever going to have to know about it.
"Besides, its the middle of the day." Isabel continued. "Do you think I would really try and open the portal in the middle of the afternoon in the middle of June? Do you know how many tourists are around?"
Michael just sighed, stuffed his hands into his pockets. It was still drizzling. Isabel could see a hoard of tourists hurrying out of the site, loading onto the many buses, the rain driving them away.
All to the good. While what they were going to do could be witnessed by others, the fewer around to distract them, the better.
Isabel followed Michael through the entrance. They paid the admission and wandered casually down the path that led to the great stone circle. It always amazed Isabel how small it seemed in comparison to its reputation, particularly with the crowds still milling around it. She heard a semi on the motorway nearby honk its horn. While the road was not visible from the site, the noises that often drifted across the rolling green hills on which the circle was situated more than reminded Isabel that this was no longer the mystical site it had once been.
And yet she knew that the power here still existed just below the surface, just waiting for someone to tap into it…something that she fully intended to do today.
They made one complete circuit around the Ring before Michael spoke again. "Okay, so what are we doing here?" He sounded a little less grumpy, a little more curious.
"Do you remember when we brought Max back through the portal last time?" Isabel asked, relieved that he seemed more in a mood to fully cooperate. "Do you remember how I was able to contact my mother by using the energy from the stones? How the stones made everything more easy?" When Michael nodded, she continued. "I was wondering if maybe we tried to connect using the energy from the stones, whether we might be able to better control what's going on in our heads."
Michael frowned thoughtfully. "You mean actually TRY and remember stuff."
Isabel bit her lip, looked at him hopefully. He did not look impressed. "Yeah. To try and figure out why we're remembering now. It has to mean something Michael. I can't believe that this would be happening if it didn't."
"It does make a certain amount of sense." Michael finally admitted grudgingly. "We did have the first dreams when we were sleeping in the van nearby."
"Right." Isabel grabbed his hand excitedly. "I really think being near the Ring is one of the reasons its happening. If we can start to control it, maybe we can learn something that will help us to bring them home."
Michael looked away for a moment, an unreadable expression on his face. For one horrible moment Isabel thought he was going to refuse. The supreme irony of it was not lost on her. Until Jennetta, Michael had been the one who had been searching for answers at any cost, Isabel the one trying to avoid having to learn anything about her alien heritage.
The tables had certainly been turned.
Michael very carefully removed his hand from Isabel's before saying, "Okay. I'll do it."
She felt a pang at the emptiness inside without his touch. A shiver descended her spine. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea at all. She could barely handle the memories she already had of him. Having more, resulting in more confusion…how could it be a good thing?
But they had no choice. Her brother and her friends needed them. If there were any answers to be found in the connection she had to Michael, then they had to use it.
Michael was looking at her strangely. "Iz? Are you okay?"
She shook her head, sending her blonde hair flying across her shoulders. "Of course." She reached out and took his hand again. He narrowed his eyes, stared down at where they were joined by this simple physical bond. "We have to touch Michael. You know we have to do it to connect."
"Fine."
Isabel led him off to a secluded corner, near to the Ring, but far enough away that no one would stumble over them. She didn't feel that weird sitting down cross-legged on the grass. There were other groups lounging around the area, gazing at the circle in awe, or chatting with their friends. She even saw one small group of women with their hands joined chanting. She and Michael wouldn't look any more freaky then they did.
Michael sat down close to her. Isabel could feel the tension coming off of him in waves. He was not happy about this at all. She felt another stab of pain, tried to ignore it.
She turned so that they were facing each other, took his other hand in hers. She realized that she had not touched him like this since they were very small children. Sure she had often hugged him, but they had not held hands in years. It felt peculiar and yet comforting somehow.
Isabel swallowed, glanced up at him. His dark eyes were gazing at her steadily. While he was not pleased to be doing this, he was willing to give it his all it seemed. But then that was Michael - he never did anything half-way.
"Are you ready?" She asked quietly. He nodded shortly.
Isabel forced herself to stare directly into Michael's eyes. She reached out with her senses, calling to the energy that she could feel flowing through the ground under her, the power that was just waiting to be tapped into…
"Tristandor…" She breathed his Illyrian name, calling to his other self, buried deep within the confines of Michael Guerin. She could feel him, he was waiting for her…
"Mirana." Michael's lips were moving, but they were no longer his lips. Isabel could not take her eyes off of his mouth. The world began to blur in front of her. She could feel energy circulating through every single one of her veins, energy unlike anything she had ever experienced before.
And she was no longer Isabel as her lips met his.
***********************************************************
The Ring, Illyria - 120 years before
"Jax, can we please just go home?" I asked for what felt like the three hundredth time. And for the three hundredth time my brother ignored me. He was standing near the heel stone, one of the orbs he had dug out of Lucianus's workshop in his hands. He had his eyes closed. I could tell that he was reaching for something just beyond his grasp.
I sighed in annoyance, leaned back against one of the stones, wondered if I started pounding my head against it, whether he would actually start to pay attention to me.
"JAXON!" I yelled it this time. I glanced nervously at the sun in the west. It was descending far too quickly. If I didn't get my brother back to the Citadel before dark, I was never going to be able to sneak out to meet Tris at the appointed time. We had so little time together as it was. I wasn't going to miss a single instant of it due to my brother's insufferable stubbornness.
Jaxon's eyes snapped open. He frowned at me. "By the Ring Miri! I almost had it that time."
"Right." I rolled my eyes at him.
Jax glared at me again. "Mirana, if you took a little more interest in the process, maybe it would work." He sounded severely put out. "I can't do this alone you know."
"I've told you a million times brother dearest, there is no portal to a mysterious world. You are nothing but a dreamer." I knew that my long- suffering tone was going to irritate him even further, but it he was mad at me he would leave, which was all to the good.
"Miri…" He sighed heavily. "Very well. We'll try it again tomorrow. I can see that you are tired."
"Glad you finally noticed." I grumbled, kicking my long skirt aside as he led me towards the transport on the Illyrian side of the Ring. While the war still waged between our kingdom and the duchy of Dernia, the Ring was the safest place on the planet. No one would dare accost us there, war or no. It went against every precept that both Illyria and Dernia held dear.
This did not mean that we were not heavily guarded. I could see our men standing at attention just outside the circle, their blue and gold uniforms gleaming in the setting sunlight.
I could see the line of defeat in Jaxon's shoulders as he led the way back to the transport.
I felt bad. I did. I knew that this was important to my brother, that I should have taken more interest…
But Tris was more important. I would not regret one moment I spent with him.
I should have known that my brother would see right through me. He knew something was up. He just chose to pretend that he did not.
Which was why I was curiously unsurprised when he caught us together later that night.
We had met near the border, in a copse of trees that was surprisingly fertile for the dry steppes upon which it was found. One thing had led to another and neither Tristandor nor I were in any state to be pleased by the intrusion.
I heard Jaxon's bellow of outrage long before I saw him.
He wasn't alone either. He was surrounded by at least ten guards, all of whom had their weapons pointed straight at my beloved.
Jaxon just stared at me for the longest time. I seriously thought that he was going to start to cry. There was a strange sheen in his dark eyes - disappointment, grief, betrayal, I was unsure which predominated, but they were all there.
All I knew was that I had never meant to hurt my brother. I couldn't help myself though. What there was between Tristandor and I was unstoppable. It was pure and good. I didn't care if he was our enemy.
"Cover yourself." My brother finally snapped, turning on his heel and striding away. I wasn't completely bare. Tris had thrown his cloak over me when they had first appeared, but I wasn't exactly dressed for the dressing down I knew I was going to receive either. "I will see you in camp in ten minutes."
"You must flee my love." I whispered to Tris as we dressed. He frowned at me.
"No Miri. It is time to face the music. I will not let you deal with him alone."
I snorted with laughter. "You make him sound like a demon. He's my brother Tris. My twin. He would never harm me."
Tris just stared at me stubbornly. "No. It is time to make my intentions known Mirana. I would marry you. We both know it. But in order to be truly bonded we need his blessing. He will never accept me if I run like a coward."
"We are already bonded my love." I kissed him lightly as he moved past me. He kissed me back hard, took my hand and led me off through the trees.
"Not in the true sense." Tris replied over his shoulder. "Only one of royal blood is capable of truly bonding us."
"Am I not of royal blood?" I asked saucily.
"You can't bond yourself Miri." He snapped impatiently. I just smiled at his back as he pulled me towards the lights of my brother's military installation on the border.
"I thought we were doing a pretty good job of it back there." I replied.
I heard him snort in the darkness, but he did not dispute it.
He stopped abruptly, just as we were about to stumble upon the first of my brother's guards. He turned to face me, lifted my chin with his hand. "You will belong to me in many lifetimes beyond this one Mirana Falconer. I will not have it any other way. We will be bonded to make it so."
I smiled brilliantly at him. "Nor would I. But do you think that Jax will do it?"
"How can he not?" I had never heard Tristandor sound so certain. "We are destined to be mates my love. Even your brother will see it once he has recovered from his shock." He grinned ruefully. "I think he took it quite well actually. If I had caught Sabrya in such a compromising position…" He trailed off but I could see the scowl that had appeared on his face. "Hmmmmm…maybe you SHOULD go speak with him alone first." He finally said teasingly.
"Courage my brave one." I kissed him again, took his hand and led him into the light.
