Cold Heart and Soul

Adea's heart was racing in her chest. What Lyda could be talking about, she had no idea, but any hope of putting a stop to these relentless nightmares was good enough for her. Adea jumped out of her bed almost immediately after Lyda had left the room. She hurried to the wardrobe they shared next to the doorway and pulled out the fur jacket she wore during the colder seasons. Lyda told her to meet her outside, so it seemed wise to wear something warm.

It was at that moment that Adea froze where she stood. She could not help but question why Lyda could not do what she wanted to do in the comfort of their cottage. Why did they need to go outside in the cold? The more she thought about it, however, the more she began to resent being alone in the darkness of their room.

Adea threw on her coat and stepped outside her bedroom, closing the door behind her. She shuddered as she stared down the hallway. The pure darkness flowing up the staircase was enough to rip her breath away. She wished Lyda would have stayed behind so they could go outside together. Of course, she knew what Lyda would say to her in this scenario: "Don't be a baby!"

Adea swallowed dryly and forced herself down the staircase. She told herself over and over to stay focused but she could not help but look around the house as she walked, fearful that she might spot something lurking in the dark. Her heart was pounding harder with each passing second, and it made her move with haste toward the back door on the far side of the kitchen. The latch on the door was undone, telling her that Lyda was already out there waiting for her. Without thinking, she threw the door open and stepped cautiously out into the dark of the night.

She took an anxious glance around the backyard until her eyes fell upon a light coming from the stables to her left. It was not long before she recognized it as a lantern sitting on the ground. On the other side of it, she was able to make out the form of Lyda as she was fixing a saddle upon one of the ponies. Adea rushed over to meet her.

"Lyda!" she called in a loud whisper. "What are you doing with Hazel?"

Lyda finished tightening the saddle before turning around to face her sister. "You want to be free of the nightmares, don't you?"

"Yes, but-" she stammered as she looked past Lyda to examine the pony. Not only was she fixed with a saddle large enough to seat both of them, but Adea also noticed a small burlap sack hanging from the side. It had a lump in it about the size of a cantaloupe. Adea wondered what could be inside it. This was all a bit unnerving to her. "Where are we going, Lyda?"

Lyda stepped toward her sister, placing her hands firmly on her shoulders as she looked her dead in the eyes. It was at this moment that Lyda realized just how small her sister really was, even though she was only half a head shorter than her, but it was all the reason she needed to know it was up to her to protect her when nobody else would.

"Adea," she said as lovingly as she could. "Do you trust me?"

Adea gave a sheepish nod of her head, almost intimidated by her sister's stature.

"Good," Lyda continued. "I won't let you down, little sister. I will not only help you rid yourself of these terrors but before the night is out, I will teach you to have absolute control over your dreams."

Adea's heart leaped at what she just heard. "W-what?"

Lyda grew a wide smile. "That's right. I can help you do this, but you have to promise me something."

"Anything!"

Lyda took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm risking my life at the hands of our parents by doing this for you, so you have to promise that you will do exactly what I say, when I say it, and not question it in any way. Agreed?"

That hit Adea in a strange way. Lyda was always the bold one of them, often doing things that would get her in trouble with their parents, but never something so serious that it made her talk like this. What did she have planned for them?

Adea gave another shaky nod of her head. "I promise," she squeaked.

Lyda gave her a serious look. "If you don't, then I won't help you."

"I said I promise!"

Lyda's smile returned to her face as she pulled her sister into an embrace. Adea felt warmer inside than she had in a while. This moment filled her with the strength and courage to see this through to the end, whatever it was Lyda had in store for them. She had no reason not to trust her. Lyda may have played many jokes on her in the past, but she never did anything to blatantly harm her. Adea was ready to whatever she asked of her.

Lyda mounted Hazel and then helped her sister up. Adea situated herself on the saddle behind Lyda, wrapping her arms tightly around her.

"Relax," Lyda said. "You've ridden with me before. You don't need to crush me."

"Sorry," Adea apologized, loosening her arms.

Lyda prodded Hazel to move with the reins. Even in the company of her sister, Adea's heart continued to pound as she fearfully scanned the black tree lines. They rode into the trees and toward the path leading down the western face of the ridge. It was the same way they would take whenever they went off to the creek below with their friends. For a moment, Adea wondered if they were headed to Eran and Ellis's place. It was not far from where they had played just that morning. She was both disappointed and confused, however, when Lyda turned away from the path before they even reached the bottom of the hill, and it was not long before she urged Hazel into a full gallop.

Where was Lyda taking them, Adea kept asking herself. They continued to ride deeper and deeper into the hills. With the exception of the Valley, it was the farthest away from home Adea had ever been, yet Lyda seemed to know exactly where she was going, even in the dead of night. Wherever they were going, it was clear that Lyda had been there before.

Adea's mind was being swarmed with nervous thoughts the farther and longer they rode. Eventually, she began to get lost in a mix of fear and wonder as she examined surroundings she had never seen before. They had to have ridden for more than a couple of hours before Adea noticed they were slowing down. She was taken by surprise when Lyda brought Hazel to a sudden, lurching halt. She tightened her grip on her sister to keep from falling off.

"Why are we stopping?" Adea asked.

"Hazel won't go any farther," Lyda answered almost forebodingly. "Let go of me. We're going on foot from here."

Lyda dismounted the pony and helped her sister to the ground. She guided Hazel over to a small tree and tethered her securely, the same tree as the last time she had come here. She then removed the burlap sack from the saddle, handing it to Adea.

"Carry this," she ordered as she took the lantern in hand, adjusting the flame inside. "It's not far now."

"What's not far?" Adea pressed her as she slung the small bag over her shoulder.

"You'll see."

As Lyda led them both deeper into the trees from where they dismounted, Adea followed closely on her heels so as to stay within the small circle of light cast by the rusty lantern. All the while, Hazel was making the most disturbing cries as she watched them. Adea asked what her problem was, but Lyda only assured her that it was nothing. She must have feared they were not coming back, Adea thought. Surely that would not be the case.

Lyda made a quick scan of the area before her eyes fell upon the large, stone slab, right where she expected to find it. She inched toward the area where she knew the rhododendron bushes to be, her pulse quickening as she hoped to find what she was looking for. She gave a quiet gasp of glee when she saw tower clusters that were here the night before. Perfect.

"Whoa," Adea uttered as if in shock. Lyda turned to see her staring wide-eyed the enormous hedges. "What is this?"

"What we're looking for," Lyda replied, taking her sister by the hand. "Come on."

Lyda guided her toward the narrow path that cut through the brush. She moved faster than she had the last time she was here, knowing exactly where to go, but Adea was dragging her feet as she anxiously took in her new surroundings. She could not help but feel daunted by Lyda's apparent familiarity with this place. The deeper they traveled, the more Adea got the overwhelming urge to turn around and run, but Lyda had a firm grip on her hand. A strange pressure was weighing down on her, much like the pressure she felt in her chest the previous night just before she woke.

"Lyda, wait!" Adea whimpered, finally losing her cool. "I don't want to do this. Something feels wrong."

Lyda shot her sister a look of disbelief. "We can't turn back now! Come on," she tugged Adea toward her, but she continued to resist. "You promised."

That was all Adea needed to take a flustered breath and follow her sister further. She could not understand how Lyda was so unafraid. She tried to convince herself that it was more than enough reason not to be scared.

At last, they emerged into the opening on the other side of the hedge. Lyda barely reacted to the sight of it, but Adea was left in absolute awe. She had never seen anything like it before, and almost immediately, she had forgotten about her immense fear. It was like passing into a realm of immeasurable tranquility.

"Wow!" was all Adea could utter.

Lyda smiled at her captivation. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"More than beautiful! What is this place?"

Lyda thought for a moment, glancing down at the pocket of her coat that contained her pages. "I call it the Crossing."

"The Crossing," Adea repeated to herself. "Did Iris bring you here?"

"Yes," Lyda lied, sounding sincere to the ears of her sister. "But you must not say a word about it. She told me it was to be our little secret. Now it's yours too. Understand?"

"Of course," Adea nodded in agreement. She was barely listening to her, as she was far too mesmerized by streams as they flowed together over the edge of the cliff. "That tree looks weird."

Lyda followed her attention as she pointed toward the twisting tree in the center of the spring. "Come on," she said, pulling Adea with her toward the tree. They sat down comfortably on the rock near where the two streams met. Adea took a deep breath and relished in the touch of the spring water as it sprinkled onto her face. It was cold but more refreshing than she could describe.

"Is there where you wanted to take me?" Adea asked.

Lyda said nothing, but reached into her pocket and took out the black-smeared pages, laying them out on the rock between them. Adea scanned them in confusion. She could see the writing on them as if somebody had taken a tool and etched through the substance that covered the pages, but it was too difficult to make it out. Lyda played around with the parchments as though she was arranging them in some form of priority, staring at each page intently.

"Listen to me," she began. "Do you remember what you promised?" Adea nodded in silence. "Well, now you must make another promise. You must swear to me that you will never tell another soul about tonight. Do you understand, Adi? Swear it on your life."

Adea's heart started pounding again. She had never heard her sister talk like that before. Whatever it was they were doing, she clearly did not want anyone to know. It was as if her own life depended on it, but did that justify Adea swearing her own life on it? Whatever the case, the thought that was at the forefront of her mind was her horrid night terrors, and without another moment of hesitation, she nodded and said, "I swear."

With that, Lyda immediately dove the story she had been keeping to herself. "Listen carefully, Adea. Iris has not been teaching me about the Spirits, nor have I been learning it from Aunt Mara. I've been studying them on my own."

"You mean," Adea stammered, "you've been going behind Mother and Father's backs?"

Lyda nodded without shame. "The only reason I've been doing it is that I've found a lot of incredible information on these pages alone," she said as she ran her hand across the pieces of parchment. "I truly believe I've learned things that not even the Mistresses know."

"Like what?"

"Like this place," Lyda explained, speaking of the mysterious spring. "The other day, Iris took me all the way out here for a lesson, that was why I knew how to find it. We sat out on the other side of the rhododendron hedges we just came through, but there was one difference then." She leaned in closer to Adea and lowered her voice to a near whisper. "The towering bushes were not there, I am certain of that."

"What are you saying?" Adea asked, more than perplexed now.

Lyda glanced around at their surroundings again. "I don't think this place is always here."

Adea did not know how to respond to that nonsensical claim. "What do you mean by that?"

"I don't know," Lyda shook her head. "I found information later that described the place we sit in right now, so I came looking for it last night."

"You left the house last night?" Adea's voice cracked, trembling at the realization of being alone when she was visited by the black specter of her nightmares.

"Are you going to keep interrupting?" Lyda said irritably. Adea lowered her head in shame. "As I was saying, yes, I left last night. I had to find out for myself if what I learned was true. When I came back here on my own, those clusters we saw were there, and I followed the path through them which led me here. I truly don't know what to make of it. Maybe it only appears at night, I cannot say.

"We don't have time for me to tell you everything that happened, but ever since then, I have studied these pages very closely. I've learned a lot of things that you won't understand, but there is one thing I found that I believe will help you." She picked up one of the pages and examined to make sure she had the right one. "It's called The Gift."

Adea's heart stopped. The nightmares immediately flooded back to her, but one moment in particular. She could see it as clearly as she saw Lyda now, for it was the moment when Lyda spoke of this Gift and transformed into the demon of her nightmares. In the midst of her fear, Adea hastily explained her dream. Lyda only scoffed at her.

"Listen to me," Lyda said, reaching out to take her hand. "Whatever is giving you these dreams wants you to be afraid of this ritual because it's the only thing that can stop it from attacking you at night."

"What do you mean ritual?" Adea asked apprehensively.

Lyda gazed at the page she was holding. "These passages speak of some kind of ancient ritual our ancestors used to perform. I don't know what they intended to do with it, but I came across something that caught my attention above all the rest. I think this ritual can be used to give one total control over their dreams."

Adea was beginning to connect the dots with what Lyda told her earlier. Much of her was greatly excited by the thought of banishing her nightmare monster at will. However, another part of her was unnerved by the prospect of dabbling in the mysterious practices of their ancestors, practices that she had never heard anyone speak of before. It did not matter to her. The benefits of what Lyda was talking about were far greater to her.

"What do we have to do?" Adea asked.

"Much of the passage speaks of the ritual in riddles," Lyda explained, "but I think I've figured enough of it out. It mentions three key elements which it calls simply cold, heart, and soul."

"What do you think that means?"

Thinking for a moment, Lyda stared at the word "cold" on the page. Just below it was a small symbol; two wavy lines, one above the other. It was a simple symbol that Lyda had recognized immediately as the one used to represent water. "I think," she began, "the element of cold means water. Specifically, we have to drink from the water of this spring."

Adea glanced at the flowing spring beside her. The water's silvery surface glistened as it reflected the light of the moon and the stars. She dipped her hand in the water, shivering as it felt incredibly cold to the touch. Still, it filled her with a sense of peace and security, as if even the water was trying to tell her that everything was going to be alright.

Lyda reached over and dipped her own hand in the spring. The two of them locked eyes as Lyda gave her sister a smile and nod of her head. They were going to do this together. Adea followed her older sister's movements as they scooped up a bit of water into their cupped hands, brought it to their mouths, and drank.

The water was delicious and cool as it ran down Adea's throat. Just then, a gust of wind rushed in from the cliff side overlooking the west. It enveloped the two of them before dissipating as soon as it swept in. Even Lyda shuddered when it was all over. Adea looked around toward the cliff side when something caught her eye.

"Lyda," she muttered under her breath.

"What?"

Adea pointed toward the rocky wall of the spring basin about ten feet to the left of the open cliff. Lyda followed her direction and found herself looking at a crevice in the rock that looked large enough for a person to fit through. Lyda narrowed her eyes curiously. The crevice was quite conspicuous, especially in the moonlight, but she had never seen it before, not even the last time she was here. She looked back at her sister, whose expression suggested that she was thinking the same thing.

Lyda snatched up her pages, grabbed the lantern, and began to head toward the crevice.

"Lyda!" Adea called after her.

"Come on!" Lyda waved for her to follow. "Bring the sack."

Adea scooped up the burlap sack and hurried after her sister. Lyda examined the opening in the rock wall. It was pitch black inside, but that did not stop her from squeezing herself inside. Adea wanted to protest this. She had half a mind to stay out here where she felt safe, but immediately remembered the promise Lyda kept reiterating to her.

"Let's go," Lyda called back, soon disappearing from sight.

Adea cringed, but held her breath and stepped into the crevice behind her. It was a tight squeeze, made especially difficult with the sack in her hand, but she was surprised when the rock soon broke away and she emerged back into the open. It was much darker here than it was in the spring. Adea looked up to see that they were back amidst the rhododendron clusters, the tops of which created a canopy over their heads that blocked out most of the light. Ahead of her, she spotted the light of Lyda's lantern moving further in. Letting out an anxious gasp, she hurried to catch up with her.

Returning to her side, Adea was standing before the most peculiar and unnerving sight she had ever seen. In a small opening in the brush, a series of small stone slabs were standing perched in a circular pattern. There were seven of them, and they were positioned around a cleared space that looked large enough to fit a full-grown person. Just outside the circle of stones, there were three larger slabs perched the same way evenly spaced apart from one another. She looked over at Lyda, whose face was lit up with excitement.

"Do you know what this is?" Lyda said, more to herself than to Adea. "I think this is the site where the ritual was performed by our ancestors!"

"This is where we're supposed to do it?" Adea trembled.

"I think so. Come on!" She pulled Adea into the circle of stones. They both sat down in the middle of the stones. Lyda sat the parchment back in front of her, shining the light of the lantern over it. She examined it carefully. Next to the element of cold was written, "heart". Just below that was what looked like a small flame, clearly symbolizing fire. Lyda was on to the meaning of this from the start. It was obvious to her.

"Adea," she said, giving her sister a serious look. "Give me the sack." Adea reached behind her grabbed the bag, handing it to her sister. Lyda reached inside it and pulled out the cantaloupe-sized object within. To Adea's surprise, she saw that Lyda had packed in it an unconscious hen from the chicken coop.

"Lyda!" she gasped. "You took one of Mother's hens?"

"Relax," Lyda responded. "It's a runt. She won't even notice it's gone. Besides, you won't say a word to her, will you?"

That last sentence sent chills up Adea's spine. It almost sounded like a threat, but there was something else in Lyda's words that disturbed her. "What do you mean she won't notice it's gone?"

Without responding, Lyda placed the motionless hen between them in the center of the circle. She then slipped her hand inside the flap of her coat and, to Adea's shock, she produced a stone knife that she must have taken from their father's tool shed. Adea immediately felt sick to her stomach.

"Wait, Lyda," Adea cried breathlessly. "Please, not like this."

"What are you talking about?" Lyda asked as she lowered the knife toward the hen. "You said you wanted the nightmares to stop, didn't you?"

"But," Adea stuttered. "I didn't know you were going to kill something."

"Adi," Lyda persisted in a parent-like tone. "What do you think you eat every night at dinner? What did you think was going to happen to this hen eventually? Every chicken in that box at home is just waiting to die to suit our needs."

"But this is different!" Adea squealed, rising to her knees as if to sit above her sister. "This is murder!"

"No, it's not different!" Lyda fired back. "Actually, you're right, it kind of is. It's much more important than the ones that we eat. I'm doing this to help end your suffering. I'm doing this because you're my sister and I love you. I thought that would have meant something to you."

Adea was left speechless. She did not know how to respond to that. She wanted nothing more than to be able to sleep peacefully at night without fear of things haunting her mind from the shadows. Her parents were worried about her beyond measure, yet her sister was the only one going to such distances to help her. Even so, Adea could barely stomach the idea of spending an innocent life, even that of mere hen, in exchange for her own desires.

Adea was choking on her own breath. She still wanted to protest but was frozen where she knelt as Lyda proceeded. With her free hand, she rolled the chicken onto its back and pinned it to the ground. She placed the sharp tip of her blade against its chest. Adea cringed and covered her eyes.

"What are you doing?" Lyda's eyes shot up at her. "Open your eyes!"

"I can't," Adea sobbed, refusing to move her hands.

"You have to!" Lyda was almost screaming now. "If you don't witness, it won't work for you. You're the one I'm doing this for, so be a little grateful!"

Adea struggled to lower her hands as if they were attracted to her face like magnets. She did not lower them past her nose, but it was good enough for Lyda as she repositioned her knife. Without warning, she slowly began to force the blade into the flesh of the hen's chest. Adea was overwhelmed by the disturbing sound of the knife penetrating the body of the poor animal. Her fingers began to rise back to her face, but Lyda immediately shot her a glare of warning. Adea could do nothing but tremble uncontrollably. She was filled with disgust as she watched her own sister twist the knife around ever so carefully. It was as if she knew exactly what she was doing. Blood was already gushing from the wound. Even while unconscious, it was obvious that the animal could feel the pain as its leg began to twitch. It never woke, but Lyda held it firmly so that it could not move a muscle, completely disregarding the blood that was soaking her hand.

Then it happened. Lyda expanded the wound as much as necessary before removing the knife. Using the hand that had restrained the hen, she placed her finger and thumb along the edge of the wound and held it apart. She dropped the knife at her side and reached carefully into the hen's chest. Adea's heart was frozen painfully as she watched her older sister forcibly pull a tiny, pink object from the bloody wound. Adea gasped into her hands which were still clenched to her face. Even after all that she had witnessed, she could not believe what she was seeing. It was the poor animal's heart.

Adea was not sure what sickened her more; the sight of the mutilated hen, or the almost sinister expression upon her sister's face as she held the heart before her. Losing all control, Adea keeled over onto her hands and knees and disgorged upon the edge of the circle. Lyda stared at her in disbelief, as if more shocked by this action than what she had just done. Adea's throat burned and reeked of the bitter taste of her own vomit. Her shaking arms were barely holding her up and she looked back at her sister with tears flowing down her face.

"You have no stomach," Lyda berated her in a calm voice. "I'm starting to question what really scares you so much at night."

Adea only coughed painfully in the aftermath of her episode. She watched as Lyda scooted the dead carcass out of the way and placed the tiny, blood-soaked organ in the center of the circle. From there, she reached back into her coat and produced a small matchbox, something else she had taken from the cottage. Clearly, she had planned this out down to the last detail.

"What-" Adea stammered weakly. "What are you doing now?"

Lyda was more than unamused by her consistent questioning. She seemed to be completely on her own terms now. "What needs to be done," she answered. Lyda removed a match from the box and struck it along the side. The match immediately produced a flame which she lowered down to the heart. Against her own will, Adea's eyes were glued to the organ on the ground.

Lyda held the flame against the heart for a few seconds. The dampness of the blood resisted the tiny ember, but suddenly, to Adea's surprise, the flame seemed to jump from the blackened tip of the match and completely engulfed the heart. She had never seen fire behave like that. It seemed to shock even Lyda, who dropped the match and inched away from the center.

As quickly as the fire had swarmed the heart, it dissipated, returning the site to the darkness illuminated only by the lantern. Adea wanted to say something, but another gust of wind suddenly picked up, much like the one that had swept in after they drank from the water of the spring. This time, however, the wind seemed to flow in from all around the two of them, enveloping them like some unseen force. Adea could feel the heavy sensation inside her. She felt it in her heart as it crept up into her mind, leaving her with a debilitating headache as the gusts faded away.

Adea brought a hand to her forehead, groaning in discomfort. She looked up at her sister, who seemed to be reacting the same way. "What happened?" Adea moaned.

Lyda scanned around the ritual site with eyes of curiosity. She stared down at the page in front of her that she had been using to conduct the ritual. There was still one more part to it; the final element of soul. Just below that word was another symbol. It was the first time she really got a good look at it, but it looked just like a symbol she had seen the night before in Aunt Mara's book; the serpent gripping its own tail in its mouth. She had no idea what that could mean, yet somehow, she had a persistent feeling in her gut that the ritual had already been completed. Looking into the eyes of her sister, Lyda believed she knew it too.

"How-" Lyda began to stammer. "How do you feel?"

Adea thought for a moment. As much as she wanted to tell her sister of her disapproval, there was a single sensation in her mind that trumped every other notion of fear and anxiety. It was a sensation that told her, for the first time in weeks, everything was going to be alright. She no longer felt disgusted by the bleeding carcass which sat a mere two feet away from her. She had no words for what she just experienced. Her sister promised a way out of her horrid night terrors and somehow, in a way beyond anything Adea could possibly understand, she had done it.

It seemed difficult to admit, but Adea felt great. It was not courage or fearlessness that was filling her up inside, but more like hope, and deep down she knew that the next time she fell asleep, there would be no more nightly visitors.

"How did you do this?" Adea's voice squeaked as she cracked a smile.

Feeling her own soul calming down, Lyda returned her sister's grin. "I didn't," she said kindly as she pointed up toward the heavens. "They did. I promised I would protect you, little sister."

The two of them stood to their feet. Adea stepped forward and threw herself into her sister's embrace, unfazed by the blood still staining Lyda's hands. Even out here in the darkness of a place she never knew existed, Adea felt unafraid. From then on, she knew better than to doubt her sister, for the following night, and all nights after that, she would drift peacefully off to sleep and dream the sweetest of dreams. She never again experienced another nightmare. However, as the years went by, she slowly came to the horrific realization that she had merely traded her night terrors for a haunted conscience, for ever since that night at the place called the Crossing, Adea could not rid herself of the horrors of what they had done.