Stepping onto the stone bridge was the easy part. One foot
in front of the other, steady pace, goal clearly focused. It was twilight, her
favourite time of day, even when things were good. The sun had slipped under
the horizon, and darkness was free to sweep in. These minutes between night and
day were precious, and magical.
Uneven stones beneath her feet threatened to twist an ankle
if not navigated with care. She put her hands on the side walls that rose to
her waist. Cold reached up from the roughened rock, sharp edges scraping her
palms. Over the river laid before her, the silvery glow of the rising moon
painted rippling stripes across the inky water. In her head, the soft rush of
the current whispered to her, lured her.
A flicker of shadow above made her shiver and her gaze shot
upward, attempting to pierce the encroaching night. Nothing stirred in the near
black sky. Dismissing the momentary distraction, she climbed onto the
ledge-like top of the wall. The stone grazed the skin of her thighs, sending
frissons of fiery pain through her veins. Eyes closed, she tilted her head back
and drew the cooling night air into her lungs, breaths slow and steady.
The scent of moss, water lilies, verdant greenery, all of it
wafted up to her. She smiled, then maneuvered into a standing position atop the
bridge railing. She breathed deeply, enjoying the first serenity she'd felt in
recent memory. Her decision was made.
The air buffeted her, the tiny whispers of breeze caressing
her skin, raising goosebumps along her exposed flesh. She extended her arms,
and stepped out into the air as the final wash of plum faded into utter
blackness around her. The night embraced her, enveloping her in its dark arms.
She caught the scent of the rushing water as it waited to welcome her.
Just as she would have plunged into the depths of the river,
the night grew blacker and became a living entity surrounding her. Arms slid around her, their strength incredible.
She was lifted away from the restless water before it touched her, and she
struck out at the steel bands holding her. Massive wings beat in a smooth
downward arc, and she was soaring over the river's current toward the shore.
Her breath whooshed out of her lungs in a gasp of surprise
and pain when she was unceremoniously dumped on the soft bank. She rolled and
got to her feet, swaying before she regained her footing.
The stars had begun glittering in the velvety night sky, and
the moon was riding higher, cresting the tops of the trees. She hugged herself,
turned, and the words froze on her lips. Her knees trembled, and the jolt of
terror that shot through her made her stomach heave, threatening to empty
itself in the grass.
Towering over her was a hulking mass of muscle and sinew,
broad shoulders all but blocking the glimmer of moonlight sneaking over his
menacing presence. Huge wings folded, settling at his back. His expression was
scowling fury, and she stumbled backward a few steps, poised to run.
The stars above them began to drift downward and coalesce
around the male, wrapping around him, lighting every aspect of his fierce
bearing. The short horns sprouting from his head glowed, as did the fangs
protruding from his mough, and his clawed hands and cloven feet. The energy
pulsing within him and all around him shot across his entire body in powerful
bursts of glaring white brilliance, then it began to fall away from him, taking
the monstrous trappings with it as it slid from his body and dissolved.
He was six and a half feet tall, and with the gargoyle’s
wings no longer blotting out the rays of the moon, she saw the man. His
features were rough, but striking, like they had been chiseled from stone.
Corded muscles bulged, making him no less impressive now than he had been
moments earlier.
He stared at her, his gaze gliding over her in an appraising
pass. When he looked at her again, she was assaulted by the fierce fury
emanating from him.
“Do not be so eager to destroy the fate of those meant to
love you.”
His voice rumbled over her, gravel and silk, both rough and
soothing. She shivered. The death inside her screamed, but recoiled when her
spirit surged and reached for the hope he grudgingly offered.
“The only destruction I sought was my own,” she said. It
took all her courage to stand and face him, even though every instinct wanted
her to run.
“You are not alone in this world,” he reprimanded. “All life
is tied together.” He stepped toward her and his fingers curled around her
wrist, the grip enough to crush bones. “You have a fate that is bound to others
you do not yet know. Is it your wish to destroy them?”
She turned her hand upward, and opened it so her palm was
revealed. The symbol of infinity, a brand she had worn from birth, flickered
with light and life. She gaped at it, and cried out as pain and searing fire
rode the trail of her veins, coursing through every inch of her. He released
her and she fell to her knees, weeping.
“You are not alone in this world.”
When she dared to look, he was walking away, broad back
kissed by moonlight. Resting on his shoulder, coiled like a serpent, the symbol
of infinity sparkled as fire flowed endlessly through it…
© Denysé Bridger - March 2014
