“You become more amazing every day,” his eyes smiled at me, but his features softened with sadness. I furrowed my brow in concern, but it was gone before I could say anything. That was also the exact moment Phoebe fell in love.
“Oh my God. You guys…” She stood calmly; eyes transfixed on something down the beach.
We followed her star struck gaze and my mouth dropped open. Four golden brown horses with blonde manes were trotting down by the water’s edge in our direction. A smaller colt trailed behind precariously on his lanky legs. They were slightly smaller than the horses I’d seen and there were no saddles, no tags; no sign of ownership.
“I can feel them…” Phoebe marveled with fascination, “But I don’t get it. They aren’t connected to sand.”
“These horses would be,” Ian beamed down at her.
“They’re Shackleford ponies. Wild horses,” Liam informed everyone.
“Wild?” I gawked at Liam in disbelief.
“They’re the descendents of horses that survived various shipwrecks or were left for dead.
They were originally brought over on Spanish ships in the 1600’s,” he educated us further.
“Descendents…” Phoebe whispered, completely enthralled in the horses, “just like us…” She began to walk, as if in a trance, towards the horses. Feeling her presence, they all glanced up at the same time; stopping them in their tracks. The colt bumped into the larger horse in front and teeter-tottered on two scraggly legs before regaining his balance. Carmen giggled behind me. After a moment of simply observing Phoebe, the horses changed course and headed directly for her.
“Phoebe-“ Ian warned, before she held up a hand to let him know it was okay. He remained where he was, but I knew he was ready to protect her at a moment’s notice. Feet glued in place, we watched in awe as the horses reached her. A tense silence ensued as Phoebe and the horses stared at one another for what seemed like several minutes before we saw any sign of movement. With unabated love she began to stroke the lead horse’s mane as he nuzzled up against her shoulder. As if on cue, each subsequent horse allowed the same as they each nuzzled her in an endearing display of respect. It reminded me of how the sea turtles had reacted to my presence so many weeks ago. It’s as if each one wanted to acknowledge her presence individually. As the last horse trotted back down the beach, Phoebe turned and raced back to up to where we still stood frozen in suspense.
“That was the most amazing thing that’s ever happened to me!” she bounced up and down with exuberance. “Did you guys see that?! They were so…innocent. They were pretty confused about me at first, because I wasn’t a horse but they could still sense me. After they got over that, they opened up a little more.” She placed a hand over her heart, “They’re so happy here.”
“They aren’t the only ones,” Finn whispered to me; hugging me tight. My heart soared as I wrapped my arms around him; never wanting to leave his side.
Chapter 9
The sun was just beginning to sink below the horizon as Finn and I made our way down to the beach for my second lesson. A bubble of anxiety had lodged itself in my throat and I wasn’t sure if I could go through with it. What if I had another vision? What if the ghost girl somehow showed up?
And what was she scared of? I mean she’s a ghost; besides glimpsing her reflection in a mirror, I couldn’t think of anything she could possibly be scared of.
“Do you believe in ghosts?” I questioned Finn on our way down the boardwalk. He shot me a curious sideways glance before answering.
“Of course. Ghosts are as real as you or me. Like I was telling you back on the boat, they’re just souls that have no resting place in the Underworld.”
“So, what’s wrong with them? Why don’t they have a place in the Underworld?” I began to wonder why the ghost girl wouldn’t have been allowed entrance.
“When a person dies, their soul is given admittance to the Underworld by Persephone. If she deems them broken or not at peace; she sends them away. The only place they have to go, is back to this realm.”
“I saw one yesterday,” I blurted out carelessly.
“A ghost?”
“She was a young girl with blonde hair.” I scrunched my nose, “But her head and back were all gory. It wasn’t a pretty sight.” He chuckled at my repulsion.
“You’ll find that certain lost souls seek you out. Especially the ones that have some past connection with the sea. They’ll feel that shared connection with you.”
“I’m not sure I want to have any kind of connection with a ghost,” I proclaimed; shaking my head. “Can they ever go back to the Underworld after they’ve been refused the first time? What if they become…unbroken somehow?” Was it possible the ghost girl needed my help?
“They can keep trying to get into the Underworld, but ultimately it’s up to Persephone whether or not they’re allowed to enter.”
“So, who’s Persephone?”
“She’s the Queen of the Underworld.”
“The Underworld has a Queen? Who’s the King?” I didn’t realize that the Underworld had its own version of the Royal Family.
“Hades is the King. But Persephone didn’t exactly choose or want to become the Queen.
When she was a Goddess in this realm, Hades abducted her and took her back with him to the Underworld.”
“He…kidnapped her?” I made a mental note to stay as far away from Hades as possible during my journey. He nodded, and I could see the abhorrence in his blue eyes. He scuffed the sand up as he took each step, sending a shower of sparkles through the air. Also shimmering in the low light was the trace on his forearm. Oddly enough it didn’t remind me of his father’s bones; Finn’s trace was completely his own.
“To make matters worse, before she escaped, he deceived her. If you consume anything grown in the Underworld, your soul is tied to that realm forever; you are trapped. Do you remember the pomegranate trees at the Ball?” he asked and I nodded.
“You said they were the fruit of the dead.”
“Right; pomegranates grow everywhere in the Underworld and they have many meanings, but it’s also how Hades trapped Persephone. He tricked her into eating a pomegranate, therefore tying her soul to that realm forever.”
“Oh my God.”
“Over the centuries, her bitterness and resentment grew, changing her into a very vicious and relentless Queen. She’s not to be messed with,” he affirmed with creed.
“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned…” I muttered; fascinated by Persephone’s tragic story. Then it hit me. I looked up at him, “I’ll have to get past her in order to enter the Underworld, won’t I?”
“Yes.”
Excellent.
*** The stone in my hand was hard and cold, but my small hand conformed easily to its jagged shape. According to Finn it would act as a beacon; something to absorb my energy and make me more visible to my mother. Not that I was shooting for that just yet, but he wanted me to practice with it. I lay once again on a soft fleece blanket, eyes closed, Finn rubbing my hair to help me relax. Unlike the first time, I had a better idea of what
