Amanda Stevens - The Kingdom

“Incestuous?”

“I was going to say entangled.”

“That’s the nature of a small town,” Thane said. “Especially one as isolated and insular as Asher Falls.”

“You’ve never considered moving?”

He frowned. “Why would I move? This is my home. This is where I belong.”

I thought about the familiarity I’d felt in those woods, and I pulled up my legs, hugging them to my chest as I rested my chin on my knees. What an odd, scary place this was. So much dark history. So many lingering emotions bubbling beneath the pastoral façade. Yet here I was and here I would remain because I couldn’t leave without knowing the truth. Without finding my place.

Lifting my gaze to the highest summit of the mountain ridge, I listened for that whisper. That telltale ripple through the trees.

Beside me, Thane caught his breath, and I turned to find his eyes on me. He looked pale and unsettled, though I hadn’t seen or heard anything to disturb the calm setting.

“What is it?” I asked sharply.

He reached out as if to touch me, then let his hand fall away before he made contact. “My God,” he whispered. “Who are you?”

A shiver ran up my spine at his stunned look. “What are you talking about? You know who I am.”

“It’s like seeing—”

“What?” Something inside me started to quake, and I tried to glance away, but the intensity of his gaze held me.

He searched my face. “The way you were staring up at the mountains just now…your expression…” He trailed off. “This is crazy.”

“What is? Please, just tell me.” But already I could feel myself withdrawing into my own head. For all my preoccupation with truth and destiny, I was terrified of what I might learn here, terrified of how it would change me. I sensed a connection to whatever waited for me on that mountain just as surely as I’d felt a suffocating tie to that hidden grave.

There was a reason I saw ghosts. It wasn’t happenstance, and it couldn’t be heredity because I was adopted. So what was I? Where was my place? Why, after all these years, had I been led here to Asher Falls?

He shook his head, as if trying to free himself of something unpleasant. “It was just one of those strange moments. Déjà vu or something.”

“Your reaction seemed more than déjà vu. You were genuinely upset.”

“No, not upset. Just…surprised.” He tried to laugh it off, but his voice sounded strained. “Sorry if I freaked you out. I’m seeing things, I guess. Like you did that day at the laurel bald, remember? You thought for a moment I was someone else.”

“I remember.”

“We concluded it was lack of sleep. The mind playing tricks.” He was trying very hard to convince himself. Who had he seen just now when he looked at me? What had he seen? “You called it something that day.”

“A waking dream,” I murmured.

“A waking dream. Yes, that’s exactly how it felt. Well.” He glanced at me. “That was interesting.”

“You’re not going to tell me about it?”

“No, I think we should just let it pass,” he said. “Moving on…”

But we both fell silent, as if entrapped by the heavy weight of our secrets. The shadows lengthened at the edge of the woods, and the sunlight on the steps was dappled now, filtered through the branches of the evergreens. I felt bone-weary from all the physical labor at the cemetery, and yet an odd restlessness gripped me.

Suddenly, I thought of that vision I’d had at the falls of the couple naked and entwined at the water’s edge as creatures looked on. As the very earth seemed to pulsate with dark, unspeakable passion… .

I shuddered violently.

“What’s wrong?”

My cheeks colored as I glanced away, but he leaned forward, taking my chin in his hand to gently turn me to face him. “I’m sorry if I upset you just now. I don’t even know why I said that.”

“It’s not that. I was thinking about something you said after dinner the other night when we were going through those pictures.” Not exactly what I’d been thinking about, but I could hardly tell him the truth. “You said there was a certain eccentricity about Luna and Bryn and Catrice. You called them witches. What did you mean by that?”

“It was just a joke, but there’s always been an air of mystery about them,” he said. “An element of mysticism. Somehow they’ve managed to thrive while the rest of the town languishes. But I suspect that’s more a matter of smart investments and good genetics than witchcraft. Despite the talk.”

I glanced at him. “What talk?”

“The usual small-town gossip mixed with mountain folklore.

“There’s an old rumor that the Daughters of our Valiant Heroes was once a coven.”

I glanced at him, startled. “I thought it was a historical society.”

He shrugged. “Like I said, it’s an old rumor.”

The breeze had a distinct chill now. “Why didn’t you say anything about these rumors when we were at the falls looking at the Drudenfuss? ”

“You already seemed a little spooked. And it’s no big deal. A town like this breeds superstition and gossip, especially when it comes to those three women. They’ve always been close, always a little different and now that they’ve reached a certain age with no families to speak of—”

“What about Sidra?”

“Ah, yes. Sidra.”

“Why do you say it like that?”

He was silent for a moment. “Sidra is a bit of an enigma herself, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

“She is different,” I agreed. “But I like her. I think she has an old soul. She seems much more mature than other girls her age.”

“Little wonder, given her condition. She was born with a severe heart defect. The doctors didn’t think she’d live past her twelfth birthday, but somehow she’s managed to defy the odds.”

I thought of the girl’s pale complexion and those guarded eyes. She looked fragile, but I’d always sensed an inner strength. Now I knew why. I also wondered if her condition had something to do with her ability to see ghosts. But that wouldn’t explain my situation. There was nothing wrong with my heart. I’d always been the picture of health.

“Where’s her father?” I asked.

“He died years ago. Suddenly, as I recall. I don’t remember too much about him except that he had money and he was a good deal older than Bryn.” Thane watched the water for a moment. “Why all the questions about Luna and her cohorts?”

“Is that how people around here refer to them? Luna and her cohorts?”

“Just a figure of speech. Anyway, why all the interest?”

I hesitated, still considering how much I should tell him. “Something happened earlier and I’ve been trying to figure out what it means. I saw Catrice in town and she asked for a ride home. Then she offered to give me a tour of her studio. She never said a word about anyone else being there, but Bryn and Luna were in another room. And then I saw Hugh coming up the path to the studio as I was leaving.”

“So?”

“Why didn’t she mention that the others were there? Why did Luna and Bryn stay out of sight? Don’t you find that odd?”

“I take it you do.”

“Very odd. I had the distinct impression that they had all gathered at the studio to…observe me.”

“To observe you,” he repeated. “That’s—”

“Disturbing. I know.”

“And maybe a little paranoid,” he suggested. His tone was light, but I had a feeling he meant it. I did sound paranoid.

“Why would they want to observe you?” he asked in a cautious tone, as though wanting to placate but not encourage me.

I hugged my knees tighter. “I don’t know. But it’s not my imagination. Something strange is happening to me here, Thane. I have this awful feeling…this premonition…” I looked past him to the mountains. “You must feel it, too,” I said in a half whisper. “It can’t just be me.”