Alexandria awoke to find herself sleeping on her stomach and her husband sleeping on her shoulder. A familiar way to wake for them, really. No matter how she slept, he found a way to cuddle her. The thought made her smile.
A calm had settled inside her. She was ready. Her time had come. It was a bit daunting and a bit painful, but she had no regrets. If she feared anything, it was leaving Shana behind. She knew her twin was strong, but she wasn't sure if she could endure a repeat of losing her soul mates again. There was so much riding on this battle. It would be the war to end all wars.
"Hey." Diaz snuggled her closer and his lips moved over her skin. "I can hear you thinking. What bothers you?"
She turned over onto her side so she faced him. His blond hair flopped in his eyes and she pushed it back out. "Nothing other than the obvious." She poked his nose. "You know I still haven't ever forgiven you for walking away when we were sixteen, right? There was nothing holding you back the way the other Commanders had been held back."
"Yes there was," he disagreed immediately. "There were the other Commanders, of which I was not even one yet. You did not recognize me and that meant rather logically that no one else would remember any of the Caretakers, and I sure didn't want to jog memories that had to be deliberately blocked. That wouldn't be fair to anyone. So I waited, and eventually Sam tracked me down because he's Sam, and he told me pretty much everything I had guessed. Sure, I could have gone to you right then, but I had stuff to put in order and, you know, you're pretty adorable when you're mad and threatening me because I know you are literally incapable of doing harm to loved ones. To coin a phrase, you're kind of full of air about that."
She wanted to be offended, but, damn it, he was right. "I've taken a swing at you more than once."
"And would have missed on purpose even if I hadn't dodged or blocked."
Laughter welled and she leaned forward to cuddle against his chest. "You really do have my number, don't you? And our daughter's. You wanted a 'cranky, can't-be-contained, does-what-she-damned-well-wants Hyacinth Ruler' for a kid and you got exactly that!"
"Sure, because the cranky is a cover for a gentle heart, the can't-be-contained is a given with an Air element, and usually her doing what she damned well wants results in everyone being better off because she would never hurt her loved ones." He tugged her head up and kissed her hard. "Just like her mother. Although I think I can probably be blamed for her, hmm, sassier than average commentary."
"Yes you can!" She sat up and looked around the room for moment. "It's hard to let go. There were still things I wanted to do. But . . . I'm fine with that. There are other things in our future within the Realm. Hey, for all we know, we can introduce electric carriages if they don't have them already and maybe still do what we do best."
Diaz brightened as he sat up. "Trying to tune an engine to traverse a place without space would be fun. I'll never run out of track." He snorted softly. "You know Rocky is already planning to bring computational machines and the like over. Why not, y'know? If the Realm hasn't kept up with the physical plane, well, then this is the ideal time to change that given the other big changes happening." He hopped out of bed and then pulled Alexandria out as well. "Up with you. Let's find our kids and get this done. There aren't many of us left behind now."
It should have felt a little daunting to hear, but in a way it was encouraging. They both got dressed and stepped out of the room. Alexandria could sense Silas and Emily were near, and they found them downstairs in the dining room. They stepped into the doorway but didn't say anything. A smile mutually tugged at both parents' lips as they saw the scene. Silas was sitting at the table, and he had Emily curled up on his lap.
Alexandria shook her head fondly. She really could not at all be surprised that Jessie and Jon's son had turned out to be her daughter's Caretaker. Jon and Diaz had been a lot alike, had become quick friends upon meeting, and they had all laughed at their similarities. So discovering not quite thirty years later that Silas was just like his father and therefore perfectly suited to a Hyacinth Dual Cultivator had been somewhat expected. Silas, especially, worked well for Emily because his eternal cheer easily dragged her out of any worries she had. She was brash and loud and uncontained, but she had a tender heart far too easily broken. Honestly, there was almost as much of Diaz in her as there was Alexandria. "Hey," she said.
Emily tried to leap to her feet, but Silas kept his grip. He smiled. "Hey. Em woke early and felt that today was the day." Emily was not so subtly trying to get free, and he reluctantly released her. She promptly stood, and he did as well to put an arm around her waist. Whether she liked it or not, she was going to have him there to support her.
She carefully ignored him as she looked at her parents. Losing them hurt, but damned if she would let them down! She was not going to be a crybaby! That was Reagan's job, damn it. She took a long breath. "This really sucks. I'm not going to pretend it doesn't. But I'm going to do whatever the hell I have to in order to make things right."
"Of course you will," Diaz said gently. "We have every confidence in you, Em." He tugged on her hair when she walked over to them. "I think you can do anything you put your mind to, and I also think that I'm glad I won't see my grandkids in person because if they're like you, I will never be able to discipline them because I'm laughing too much at their antics."
"My mentor, Krysta, once told me that she wanted me to have a daughter just like me so I knew what she went through. It should have been a curse." Alexandria also tugged on Emily's slate hair gently. "It was more like a gift."
"Damn it you two!" Emily swiped her arm across her eyes. "Don't do that! Just tell me where your place of memory is so I can turn off the waterworks." She didn't argue when Silas put his arms around her again. He had become her sanity in a very insane world, and she knew all too well the value of sanity. "What is the place of most importance to you?"
"I have several places of importance, but there's only one that I feel I need to visit." She leaned down and whispered in Emily's ear, and her daughter blinked as she recognized the location. "Okay?"
"Okay." Emily activated the transport with a casualness that still sometimes surprised her. She had only known about her magikry for seven years and yet both magic and majik had become a normal part of her life. She used them the way she used her feet or hands. It was simply a part of her she had trouble remembering she had once not had.
They landed in the remains of the Hyacinth palace, in a spot just past the gardens. Because of Hyacinth's naturally flat landscape with its grassy plains, the devastation felt more terrible. There was nothing to block or hide what had been done. The battered landscape reminded Emily far too much of Aria, and she fought a chill. "What's here?"
"Well, it's not technically here anymore, but it was here." Alexandria walked over to where a little cluster of trees had once stood but had long before died. "They say that unexpected things happen where trees grow on Hyacinth. One in particular happened here." She knelt down to touch the soil. "When I was five in my first life, I just felt this . . . call. To this spot."
"What was there?" Silas asked curiously.
"A black protea."
"Here?!" Emily's brows shot up. "How did a black protea get here? The special color of a world's flower only grows on that world. No, wait." She scowled as she tried to remember. "I'd swear that I heard someone say there was a black protea growing on Iris, too. Or was at this point."
"There is also a white delphinium growing on Daffodil," Diaz confirmed on a smile. "And at the time Lexie references, there was one of those growing on Aster, too. Starting to see the picture?"
"Oh!" Emily blinked. "Because of twin souls! So the native flower grows on the world of the one to be twin to a High Ruler?"
"You got it." Alexandria trailed a finger through dirt. "I had had some warning in a way. Even though at that moment neither Genevieve nor Hannah were pregnant with the future High Princesses, and most of us never even realized there would be High Princesses given we already had Evan and Robert, I still had a guess because of Evan. You know how those with one sort of Sight will sometimes randomly get other sorts? He had a hint of Future amid his Present, and he had seen his future sister—and me. When he told me that, I just knew what would happen."
"Did you even know you were a Defender?" Silas asked softly.
"No, not entirely until I found the protea. All of us first Duals of Blossom Activated on effectively the same day. Talk about sending a shock across the galaxy." She straightened up and turned to smile. "I was honored. To be a Dual Cultivator of Hyacinth, and to be the one chosen to be the twin soul mate to the future High Princess of Protea. Sure, it scared me a lot when she was born and I realized she would be a Defender as well, but I never regretted it."
"What did you do with the protea?" Emily asked.
Diaz smiled. "She gave it to Shanae on the night of Shanae's twenty-fifth birthday, so Shanae could have a black protea she did not know. Arista had been tending it personally for all those years, just to return it to her later."
"Aw." Silas grinned. "So always knowing the right gift to give is totally a Hyacinth thing, too."
"Bite your tongue," Emily muttered.
Alexandria smiled sheepishly. "Seems so, actually. I've always accounted it to the fact that thoughts and messages can be carried on the winds of our world, so we unconsciously pick up little details we might not realize otherwise. I'm sure I'll still pick up on those sorts of things even when I'm gone."
"Huh." Silas rubbed the side of his nose. "But how are you going to hear the winds of Hyacinth if you are, well, uhm, not here?"
"You can say 'dead'," his wife muttered. "It's what they're doing."
"It's not dead, though," he retorted. "They're technically still alive. If people in the Realm were really dead, then Mom couldn't have gotten pregnant. Gail and I aren't undead."
"You are if you haven't had coffee."
"Okay, that's totally different."
Diaz almost fell over laughing, and Alexandria grinned wickedly. "Gods, could you two be more perfect together? As for the question, the winds of Hyacinth carry to any Cultivator of its land no matter where we may be. I heard them even on Protea while my world tried to heal and recover. By far not as often, but still there."
A little silence fell and then Emily straightened her back. "Mom? I want to offer myself in your place to protect Aunt Shana. We'll all protect her, but I will be her greatest Defender."
Alexandria hugged her close for a long moment. "There's no one else I'd trust more." Her heart ached as Emily held on tighter, and she didn't let go for long moments. Finally, slowly, she released her daughter. Diaz's hand grasped hers instead, and she held on. "I'm ready. There's nothing left for me to do. It's time to go to the Core of Hyacinth."
The entrance to the Core was back in the castle, beyond the throne room and hidden beneath the remains of the library. Diaz and Silas pried the hatch up, and Emily jumped down first. When she landed at the bottom, she call up a ball of majik. Much to her relief, there were no icky bugs in the vicinity. Not that she had anything against bugs; they just made her scream like a kid. Only LeAnn, Tasia, and Ryan knew about that little phobia, and all had vowed secrecy.
Silas, Diaz, and Alexandria jumped down to join her, and they began to move as a group down the tunnel. It was very dark, and it was very long. They weren't even sure how far they had traveled before they spotted light. The spell grew dimmer in response, and when they reached the light, the spell disappeared. In the brightly lit area, they found themselves standing in front of a massive wooden door inlaid with familiar apatite. It had been carved with all the symbols representing the Air Flower Element, and the hyacinth blossom had been carved into the center as an echo to the Marks on the world's Cultivators.
"Oh, hey, spruce." Diaz studied the door. "I had forgotten spruce belonged to Hyacinth. Speaking of the few trees we get. They're only spruce when they grow. Happens so rarely it's easy to forget. I wonder why spruce."
Emily lightly touched the door, and she heard the familiar voice of her priestess in her mind. Spruce grows fast and is a little aloof. It also bargains nicely with Nature elements. It fits well to the playful, rash, and yet constant blue hyacinth, and the communication-driven, grief-shedding apatite.
A snort of laughter escaped Emily before she could stop it. The others looked at her expectantly, and she grinned a little despite the situation. "Someone jumped in my head as she does in order to educate me, as she does. Spruce is aloof and fast growing, and it can bargain with Nature elements. Oh, and the blue hyacinth is playful, rash, and constant, and our apatite is driven by communication and can shed grief easily."
Diaz started laughing as well. "Well, that explains why Hyacinthines and Proteans are always going at it. As well as just about everything else, I'd say. Good luck, Silas. You're absolutely guaranteed a kid like your mate."
Silas grinned. "Well, it didn't do you harm. And besides, twins run in my family. We might get one of each of us."
Alexandria snorted softly. "And suddenly I'm almost glad I won't be here."
"Very funny, Mother."
A presence began to fill the air, and it was feminine and welcoming. It felt even more endless than the air, and it resonated inside all four present. They all knew the presence, and it was Emily who spoke first. "Destiny," she whispered. That followed up with, "Aw, now what does she want?"
The door shimmered with all the colors of life and then began to ripple with the blue and white of Hyacinth. I feel before me the Mother and Daughter of Hyacinth. Who is it who comes to make the final sacrifice? A touch of humor was audible in her voice.
Alexandria stepped forward. "I am the Mother of Hyacinth. I have come to give back my life and magic to the planet that brought me forth. I give myself in place of my daughter so that she may fulfill whatever need you have of her."
Then you must make the first sacrifice. The sacrifice of mind. Your memories will remain here as you travel, and they will slowly leave you as you progress. You will remember only the people you love but not any experiences you shared with them.
Emily took a sharp breath and Silas hastily covered her mouth with his hands. She did not argue for once. She reached up to grab his arms and held on for dear life. She was not ready for this. She would never be ready. This had better be worth it!!
Diaz gently ran a hand over her shoulder in comfort. "Destiny, I am also here to give my life and magic, to aid my Cultivator wherever she goes. My king will follow soon enough, so I must go to where the ones who need me most will be."
Alexandria must make the sacrifice to open the way, but I of course expected your action, Diaz. Your wish will be granted.
Alexandria felt calm settle inside. "Let's do this, then."
A light centered at her chest and pushed forth with her Life Orb. It glowed brightly and beautifully, each tiny facet reflecting another year in her long life. The Life Orb floated to the door, the two merged, and the door disappeared. Her back remained straight as she began to walk down the waiting tunnel even though pain slowly filled her as her memories bled away. Everyday memories of things she had taken for granted and never realized were important until they were gone.
It was the Commanders that left her first. Those stubborn, stubborn men that she had always admired for their ability to keep calm and keep their kings and soul mates alike in line. She had wondered now and then, early on, why she would be the only Cultivator to not have a Commander as her mate, only to discover that she'd had one all along. She had been friends with all of them, but especially Michael and Sam. Many hours had been spent talking with them over the hazards of stubborn twin souls, and she forgot all of it.
She lost the Resurrection Cultivators next. She had never really understood them—no one really did—but she had loved and admired and respected them regardless. She forgot everything about them. How Raine had shamelessly painted her into an image without asking, which even Virginia had never dared, and how Storm had shown up one particularly busy weekend during reconstruction and forced her to eat a dinner she had almost skipped. She forgot how Tasia's presence had brought her comfort for the sake of her twin soul. She forgot everything.
The Light Defenders were the next to go. She had shaken her head over them too many times to count. Sometimes excessively cheerful, never knowing when to quit, and always ready to grab for the happy endings they never stopped believing in. But then . . . she had needed that. Those with Dark cores needed their Light partners to believe in anything in the face of overwhelming odds. All of the years of friendship of ten millennia were gone within a few steps down a simple dirt hall.
Clara and Kellie and Desiree slipped away before she knew she would lose them. She had depended on Clara for many things, and had been one of the first to outright cheer when she had seen the sparks between Claret and Sabin so long before. There were thousands of memories of her oldest partner, and they disappeared. Kellie and Desiree had shared her exasperation at being the protectors of the first Protea Defender, but they had also shared the joys and heartaches alike. They had been more like sisters than anything, inseparable a times. And now they were gone.
Edgar, Siobhan, and Rocky loomed next. Protecting her prince had never been easy, and she had happily turned over a chunk of her duties to Maxim. And yet, perhaps spruce-induced, she and Edgar had always stayed close. Or perhaps it was Shana who connected them. There was no knowing. Would be no knowing for he left her in only a few breaths. Siobhan was next. The cheerful Apex of Light who would hold her hand anywhere and never noticed when Alexandria grumbled half-heartedly about it. She loved generously, protected fiercely. And Rocky. How could you not love him? She and Rocky had bickered and fought for centuries. They had clashed over how to handle Shana, and they had always tried to one-up each other, yet there was almost no one she trusted more. Was it another reciprocity? Possibly, but she did not care. She forgot everything about him, forgot the way he had always been able to smile and make her smile as well.
Emily was the next to leave. Her precious, precocious, daughter. She forgot her, forgot finding her. Forgot how Emily had taught her how to pick locks and lift wallets just 'because it might be useful.' Forgot the way her daughter had shown her love by storming into their wing and yelling at her about not having a close enough room. How she wished she'd had her for all her life! The years had been too short, and it was gone in only a short time.
Shana's face filled her mind, and something cried out in agony. Her queen. Her twin soul. The memories had been engraved inside her soul and mind equally. Watching her grow and bear up under a painful burden. Watching her live and laugh and make the world better just by being in it. Alexandria would have given up everything if only to have her beloved twin soul always by her side. Every memory ripped out of her until tears closed her throat.
And, finally, Diaz was there in her mind. Where her steps had faltered with Shana, they stopped entirely for a moment with him. Was a life worth living without her soul mate? Not a chance. Yet she forgot all of it. Every memory over ten thousand years. In their first life, the way he had marched right to her parents and said he would marry her as soon as they were legal; she had not really objected to that. In their second life, the way he had marched her to Jean Rancul—the High Priestess of the Era—and told her they were planning their wedding, before he had even told Alexandria herself. He had always just known exactly what she thought, and needed. All of it . . . now gone.
She would have fallen to the ground if Emily and Diaz hadn't caught her. The second door instantly appeared before them, and Emily could feel something warm and powerful stirring inside her soul. She could damn near see Alexandria's memories inside herself. "What is that?"
It is your final evolution. When this journey ends, Alexandria will no longer exist on this plane, but her very memories, emotions, reason for being, and strength will become your power. You will be her living legacy.
She reached for all of her strength and nodded. She knew she was crying, but she couldn't turn it off. Stupid traits from her father's Light core influencing her; she would rather have gotten the even temper instead of the gentleness! "I accept her legacy." She drew a long breath. "Destiny? Why did . . . why did Ryan and I have to suffer what we did?"
Sadness filled Destiny's voice. It was not my first choice for you, but it made you the people you are and gave you the strengths you needed to endure what would come. Take comfort in this, Emily: when the Cleansing comes, when peace comes, no more children will endure what you did.
"Forgive me if I don't believe you. We'd never appreciate life if we didn't have people around to hurt us and help us recognize happiness when it comes."
Mmm. Someone has been paying attention to our High Priestess. Yes, you are correct. Bad things will always happen, but there will be no more evil. No more war. There will always be a happy ending. Isn't that worth it?
Alexandria slowly straightened. "It will always be worth it." She drew a deep breath. "I am ready to continue."
Then it is time for the second sacrifice. The sacrifice of heart. As you progress, you will lose your love for all those around you.
Silas grabbed Emily again when he felt the pained protest welling inside her. He cursed softly under his breath, his entire body trembling. He was the son of a Defender Cultivator. He knew what they were there to do. That did not make it easier. He held Emily closer and willingly gave her his strength. She was too gentle for all of this.
Alexandria closed her eyes in acceptance, and the second glow came from her chest. It came out as a force shaped like a hyacinth blossom, and it merged to dissolve the door and reveal the path ahead. She took a step forward and staggered. Diaz's quick reflexes kept her on her feet, and she leaned on her husband as they moved slowly down the hall. With every step, her love for her friends faded. She knew only that she had once loved them.
The Commanders . . . gone. The Elders of the Light and Resurrection Cultivators . . . gone. Her Dark world Cultivator partners . . . gone. Her king and one of her queens . . . gone. Her best friend . . . gone. Her daughter . . . gone. Her beloved twin soul was torn out by the root, and something inside screamed in agony. Diaz's face filled her mind, and for the first time, Alexandria fought back. "Stop!" she shouted. "Don't take him from me again!"
The third door was instantly there before them and Destiny's presence felt soothing as it swirled around her. I cannot take a Cultivator's Caretaker from them. I have neither need nor desire to try. To take him from you would be to take more than you can survive.
Alexandria painfully straightened and fought for a calm breath. Everything hurt. "What is left to take?"
The reason for your existence: your Seed.
"It is yours."
The third and final glow formed and brought forth her glowing Seed. Looking at it, Alexandria did not remember those painful moments when she had made the choice willingly to sacrifice herself to protect Byron and help Shana finally evolve into the Apex of the Dark. Did not remember being the last to fall for all the rest had already sacrificed themselves. Some memories were a blessed blank. The Seed merged with the door, and both disappeared. The final tunnel loomed large.
It was only Emily and Diaz that helped her move down the tunnel. They gave her something to lean on, let her walk on her own feet without fear of falling. Both had unashamed tears running down their faces. Alexandria barely saw them or Silas hovering near just in case.
Every step stole her knowledge of herself as a Defender and Ruler. She lost the knowledge of her skills and her magic, lost the understanding of who and what she was born to be . . . but not the pride. The pride and the honor of being a Dual Cultivator stayed. She was chosen by Hyacinth, and that could never be changed.
A point of light appeared and became a doorway as it rushed toward them. When the light faded, they stood in a circular room. In the very center sat an immensely large apatite covered in blue hyacinths alive and dead alike slowly being eaten by the evil tar dripping from the ceiling. The Core of Hyacinth.
Alexandria, it is time. Diaz, your time is also here. You know what must be done.
Alexandria shook off her help and walked by herself, tall and proud, toward the dais with Diaz at her side as partner and not support. The evil gathered for an attack, but she glowed with blue and white and fired back at the evil to repel it from the room entirely. She climbed the steps to the Core and gently touched it. It was sick, weak, and dying. All of her pain meant nothing at that moment. She had not endured for millions of years what her Mother had.
She removed her Mask to place it on the Core, and Diaz's fingers laced with hers as they both covered the Mask with their hands. She let her lifeforce and remaining magic well to pour into the Core, and his rose as well. They both began to fade, and in that beautiful moment, everything came rushing back to her. Every memory, every feeling, every bit of knowledge. And, as well, she could feel her twin's burning soul-deep agony as she lost Alexandria after losing her brother. "Destiny?"
Ask and it is yours.
"Protect Shana. Shield her heart. Ease her pain when I am gone."
It is done. Alexandria, you are everything that is Hyacinth. You are playful and always constant. Your ability to grow quickly allowed you to adapt and adjust to any trial, and you sheltered those hurt by grief. Now, finally, you can rest. You have done all that was ever asked of you, even when you did not know you were being asked.
Alexandria turned and held out a hand, and Emily slowly walked over to join her. Though she was almost gone, Alexandria still felt her daughter's fingers lacing deeply with hers. "I'm damned proud of you," she said softly. "And I know you'll keep our two Protea Cultivators in line. Just don't give Silas too much trouble."
Emily's lips curved into a trembling smile. "He wouldn't know what to do with me if I wasn't giving him trouble."
"That's my girl."
Finally, slowly, Alexandria faded away entirely, everything that she was returning to the planet that had given her life. So, too, did Diaz fade, and he blew a kiss as Emily as he did. The Core began to quiver and shake then produced a glow more radiant than anything anyone had ever seen, and each hyacinth breathed new life. Emily felt the pulsing warmth of Alexandria's magic inside her soul. It was her memories, emotions, existence, and life. She had become her living legacy.
Her Mask appeared before her and started sparkling as every crack and fracture mended. She reached out to grasp it and felt the magikry in her body expand and swell in a way that made her wonder how she had ever once doubted its presence. Her Flower Marks began to burn against her skin.
It is time, Emily, came Destiny's voice. You are powered by the oldest of magic, the rawest force of the Air Flower Element. Take this destiny thrust upon you and bloom!
Emily pulled on her Mask, and before her newly empowered armor rushed in, her Flower Marks could be seen opening into full bloom as a third blossom joined her Defender Mark. Silas could feel the power inside his wife vibrating through his wings long before it reached anywhere else. It felt, a little, like Alexandria had never left. She was there, living inside her daughter, becoming the power that fueled her.
Silas was already moving forward even before she fell, and she landed in his arms safely. He lifted her gently, and she had no will or energy to protest. He could also feel the added weight to her frame and knew that her majik alone had expanded exponentially. "Em."
Her lashed fluttered but did not lift. She was exhausted in a way she had never felt before. And yet . . . she felt oddly comforted. She could feel Alexandria's memories and powers, could sense her hovering at the edge of this plane. She could even sense Diaz out there as well. Silas was right. This was not death. This was another life.
Destiny's power tenderly removed her Mask and then began to surround them soothingly. Sleep, Emily. The final battle does not come just yet. Rest and recover. Even those who grow fast need to recharge once and a while. I will return you to the surface now. Softer, she said, I am proud of you.
Her lips curved. For a former rabble rouser and orphan, she had done a pretty good job of making the guys in charge happy with her. She wasn't going to let them down now.
©Stacy J. Garrett. Do not reprint or redistribute without permission.
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