Chosen by the Fates

Delphi

Aisling ~

A concrete weight drags me down into nothingness. Struggling to breathe, I reach out a hand. No sound escapes me when I cry out for help.

‘This is what it does.’

A voice that is not my own echoes through my mind.

‘It lures you in.’

I gasp, unable to breathe as I am strangled by the darkness.

‘It gives you the comfort of memories. Mingling with the promise of mysteries answered. Allowing you to rely on false confidence so you feel safe.’

The thoughts sound like Delphi, but something about the voice chills me to the center of my being. Are we somehow separate? Were we ever one? My body feels like my own again. Delphi is buried within me like a searing pain.

‘How can you possibly fight what you do not understand?’

No! This is my mind; I make the rules in this dream! I feel my own thoughts as Aisling cry out. But I’m not even sure I believe that. Not with how easily the shadows have overtaken every part of my dream.

What about the brothers? Are they okay? A new kind of terror fills me. I thrash blindly, but I am formless, and the inky black is immovable.

My consciousness threatens to recede and vanish, I fight desperately against it. If I lose this battle, will I lose myself?  Every cell of my body cries out that I cannot let myself be overwhelmed.   .

How can I be drowning in a dream? Yet the choking sensation is asphyxiating. My heart is pounding so hard it feels ready to explode within my chest. Sharp pain shoots through every part of my formless body.

I am losing strength rapidly. The weakness drives away most of my thoughts, so much so that even Delphi’s voice seems to be gone now. In the empty space of my mind that remains, my dad’s voice comes back to me.

‘The next time you are being chased, you turn and face it. And you say what your hero says when they transform. Then you will become her.’

Weakly I open my mouth. How am I supposed to speak when I can’t even scream? Do I even remember the words…? Word by word my hero’s incantation leaves my lips, as if in answer to my doubts. Each clear, ringing, and breaking through the suffocating silence.

Something shatters within me, and then I feel the drops of rain. I feel my body tangibly. Looking up I blink past the downpour to see an open night sky filled with meteors. Looking down I see what remains of the stone roof, no more than rubble across the floor of the reception hall.

Cian and Sionainn are gone.

Only Ashleigh remains, kneeling helplessly before me. When his eyes lift to mine, his expression is distraught.

I rush forward to kneel in front of him, “Are you okay?” I never asked them what the consequences of being attacked within my dream space would be. It's something I hadn't thought possible.

If my dad was right, I am meant to have control in this space. But I didn’t entirely have control. Does that mean the brothers were weakened by joining me here? Since this is my dream?

Ashleigh stares at me, his bright eyes wide and shocked. I take his face in my hands, looking him over before checking everywhere else.

One of his arms is wrapped across his waist. When I gently pull his arm away, I see blood across his abdomen. How did this happen?

“You-“ His voice is unsteady, “-Delphi….” His words trail off, his eyes following me.

“What do I do? What happened? Can I heal you here?” The questions pour out from me in an anxious rush. This is just a dream, so if we wake up will the injury be gone? I still know so little about the dreaming. I curse under my breath.

“Delphi.” This time his voice is strangled with tears. Ashleigh falls forward, sobs racking his body even as the blood pours from his gut wound.

“I couldn’t leave. Even when… I couldn’t.” His hands cling to me. Without looking, I know I am Aisling. Delphi feels… gone.

Is that even possible if I am Delphi?

“Ashleigh, I don’t know why the darkness was here. I don’t know why I lost control and couldn't stop it. I’m so sorry. But I need to know how to help you.” I look desperately around for anything I might use to apply pressure or wrap the injury.

I don’t want to leave him, but I don’t know what to do in this place.

The weight of Ashleigh pulling himself together from whatever has rattled him so deeply is profound. He sits back, looking deeply into my eyes. For the first time since I’ve known him, it feels as if he’s looking for me as Aisling rather than some sign of Delphi.

After a long moment he speaks concisely. “We need to leave.”

I nod. “So, I don’t know that I’ve ever intentionally woken up….”

Ashleigh’s body shudders as he takes a ragged breath in. He offers me his hands, ignoring the wound. I cast his wound a worried glance.

He shakes his head and answers my unspoken question, “I’ll heal once I've left your dream.” His words put my worries at ease, and I feel my mind open. 

As my guard drops, I can feel his presence. I’d never thought about it before, but Ashleigh has a specific feel to him. Like a fingerprint made entirely of something intangible. Energy of some sort?

That unique energy builds around us, rushing across me. Everything around us fades until my eyes flutter open.

Sionainn and Cian’s urgent voices can be heard from the kitchen. Tiffa is sitting across from me. When she sees me start to wake she gives a shout, “They’re waking up!”  

I feel Ashleigh’s warm body stir beneath me. I suddenly remember his wounds in my dream. As irrational as it is, I bolt upright to pull back his shirt and check his abdomen. His skin is smooth, and I feel a little silly. I pull his shirt back down.

“What in the heck Aisling?!” Tiffa exclaims, rushing over. She looks between us.

Ashleigh’s eyes are open, and he is watching me. His tenor soft, ““I’m okay.” Even though his smile is sad enough to break my heart, a sense of relief washes over me at his words.

“What happened in there?” As Tiffa asks, her voice is softer and filled with concern. 

“I’m not sure. I was Delphi, and I started to remember things. It was working until this black thing filled everything and tried to drown me?”

Ashleigh's eyes are still on me, but his cautious look is one I’ve never seen directed at me before. 

My phone suddenly chimes, and I about jump out of my skin. I sit back against the couch for a minute, letting my heart settle.

“Sionainn and Cian woke up about 20 minutes ago. They have been brainstorming how to get Ashleigh out of your dream but didn’t explain why.” Tiffa sounds frustrated.

As if on cue, the two brothers appear from the kitchen. “Apologies Tiffa, time was of the essence. But it appears everything has sorted itself out without our intervention.” Sionainn's words are measured. Both he and Cian are observing me in the same unusual manner Ashleigh has been.

My phone chimes again. Worried it is work, I check it.

It’s from Sol. We haven’t spoken since the masquerade, and something about the timing of his text tugs at some part of me. “I’d like to take responsibility for how I’ve wronged you.”

His second message, “Please, talk with me? I can meet you wherever and whenever that works best for you.”

The brothers are all unusually quiet. Ashleigh has pulled back to sit on the far side of the couch. He’s never pulled away from me like this. It feels profound, as if the gap between us now spans miles instead of feet.

Tiffa looks between the silent brothers. When she finally speaks, her voice is short and demanding, “Share with the class. Now.”

Ashleigh’s soft tenor is pained, “Delphi is corrupted by the void.”

Sol~

My heart has been aching since the dream of Aisling running with me. Every day I realize what I am missing by running alone as my wolf. Even as I run in my dreams every evening I long for her.

What is she? My wolf is certain she is not a wolf, and yet the feel of her as we explored the mountains was real.

Unable to bear the thought of another run alone, I settle into a meditative seat in the old hall of our ancestors. It’s the same place Skoll and Hati used the day they showed me the nature of the mate bond, typically the space is meant for communion with pack memories. 

Tonight, however, I sit alone.

It has been several days since I sent her that message. My meditation is interrupted by the buzzing of my phone. My heart flips, but I remind myself that she is unlikely to reply if she hasn’t already.

Even as I reach for my phone, I have to fight the hope that fills me.

One unread message. 

It's from Aisling, “I agree. We need to talk.”