Iyana followed Theo through a meandering trail, nobody else in sight.The Kanaliza didn’t seem to be in any sort of rush.
She cleared her throat.“Emmeric is only going to give me twenty minutes, so I don’t have much time.”
Theo smiled broadly.“Time acts differently in the Everlands.Twenty minutes for him will feel like hours here for you.”
Still, the lack of a heartbeat below her breastbone was disturbing, as was the absence of the bond with Emmeric.Iyana wanted to get the answers she sought, then return to her own Kanaliza.She missed him.
“Couldn’t you simply tell me what I need to know?”
He shook his head.“Les knows more about it than I do, since she had the magic.But she couldn’t come down to the river.”
“Why not?”
“Most souls aren’t able to wander that close to the water once they’re here.All the years I’ve been here, I’m the only one who can, so I’ve become an unofficial welcoming party for many people.”
“Why are you able to when everyone else can’t?”
Theo shrugged and grinned.He seemed to smile a lot.“I don’t know.I’ve never been great at doing what I’m told, though.”
Iyana couldn’t help but notice the lack of any sort of buildings and wondered if they were located elsewhere, or if people lived in the trees.She asked Theo, and he laughed, rich and deep.
“No, this is paradise.We don’t stay in the trees.The houses are built into the hills.There’s no need for food or water in the Everlands, so there are no markets, and if youwantto drink a beer because you miss the taste, all you have to do is think about it.”Theo held out his hand and, sure enough, a tankard of ale appeared.
“And you do nothing for the rest of eternity?”
“You could, I suppose.People find things to occupy their time.You can also choose to Fade.”
“Fade?”Iyana had never heard of the term before.
“When you’ve decided you no longer want to stay in the Everlands, you can choose to Fade.Your soul is returned to the universe and you essentially cease to exist.People still remember you, but your energy is redistributed.”
“Why would anyone choose to do that?”
Theo turned his dark eyes to her, suddenly serious.“Eternity is a long time, little one.Even a soul can grow weary of carrying on.I’ve considered it over time, but Les thought she would need to be here for you at some point, and I don’t go anywhere without her.So I’ve stayed.”
The thought of this beautiful soul before her not existing hurt Iyana’s heart.She had only known Theo for a handful of minutes, but she already liked him, and she hoped he decided to wait to Fade until after she had her time in the Everlands to get to know both him and Les better.
“Here we are,” Theo finally said after they had walked in silence for several minutes.He turned to the base of a hill and a door shimmered into appearance as he reached for it.Without hesitating, Theo grabbed the round knob and pushed the door open into a small and cozy foyer.It opened into a living room with plush couches, a hearth in the corner, and multiple rugs strewn around the room.
“I’m back!”he shouted.
Alessia, the original Aztia, turned the corner into their living room and grinned.“Iyana, it’s so good to see you again.”
Iyana was wrapped in a warm, motherly hug.“I’m surprised you remember me.”
Les scoffed.“It’s hard to forget a girl from a thousand years in the future suddenly appearing on your front lawn.”
Another man and woman entered the room.As Les released Iyana from her embrace, she was able to take a look at the newcomers and couldn’t believe what she was seeing.They were people Iyana only recognized from her hallucinations in Uther’s dungeons, and from her grandmother’s descriptions.
“Mom?”she choked.“Dad?”
Iyana’s mother grinned and opened her arms.“My beautiful girl.”A sob broke free from Iyana as she ran forward into her mother’s arms.A strong pair of arms wrapped around them both, and she enjoyed the sensation of being sandwiched by her parents.People Uther had forced her to grow up without.She’d never had the luxury of remembering their embrace from when they were alive, and she was not ashamed to be crying so openly.
Someone cleared their throat, making Iyana glance away from her parents and blink her tears away.But they returned immediately when she saw the old woman standing in the doorway.
“Mata Imo,” Iyana whispered.
Her grandmother’s beautifully wrinkled face smiled.All of her turquoise jewelry was where Iyana remembered it, but her back was less stooped.The tears fell harder as she approached the woman who had raised her and formed her into who she was.Imo was never one for physical affection, so when she touched her hand to Iyana’s face, she leaned into the touch; trying to soak in the time with Imo as much as she could.
