赤裸裸的滑稽故事

[An Hour Before Caleb's Arrival]

'I wanted to share something with you. An idea… to save the people of Summer.'

Ashleigh's eyes widened at Lily's words.

"Excuse me, Fiona," Ashleigh smiled. "I just need a minute."

Fiona nodded, taking a seat at the small table as Ashleigh walked a few feet away to continue the conversation in her mind.

'What do you mean, Lily?' Ashleigh asked. 'What idea?'

'Fiona is right,' Lily began. 'There is no point in saving the gates if they will ultimately fall and the people of Summer will be lost.

'Summer is well guarded and difficult to infiltrate because of the natural barriers it uses as its borders, much like Winter. But that also makes it almost impossible to escape when the enemy is at your door.'

'They never thought there would be a need to escape,' Ashleigh replied sadly.

'No,' Lily said. 'But, even so, they do have an escape route.'

'Where?' Ashleigh asked.

'The same way we arrived.'

Ashleigh furrowed her brows.

'The way gate? But only someone with fae blood can use it,' she replied.

'The blood is needed to open the gate and, to an extent, control it,' Lily answered. 'You have the blood. So you could open it.'

'I don't know how to control it,' Ashleigh said.

'I do,' Lily said softly. 'It was all very hazy at first, but I remembered once we were traveling through. I can control it.'

'Ok…' Ashleigh said, feeling hesitation without knowing exactly why. 'So, I open the gate, you make sure it's pointing to Winter, everyone runs through, and that's it?'

'Essentially,' Lily replied.

Ashleigh was quiet, she knew there was something that Lily wasn't sharing, but she had no idea what it could be. But another concern struck her.

'What about the Dark Queen?' she asked. 'Didn't you say she can feel the ley lines, the gates? Wouldn't using it draw her to us immediately?'

'She's already coming,' Lily replied. 'We can't stop her, but we can save those people. We can close the gate before she arrives if we are fast enough. Then set the detonation, and you will go through to Winter.'

Ashleigh clenched her jaw.

'We,' she said, a cold feeling of dread moving down her chest.

The same feeling that had been creeping over her for days. Whenever they would talk about the future, about how Lily wasn't going anywhere. That quiet would come over Lily, the gentle way she would agree.

'We go through to Winter," Ashleigh reiterated. "I will open the gate, you will control the path, I set the charges, and we go through to Winter.'

Lily didn't reply.

There it was again. The quiet.

'Lily,' Ashleigh called to her. 'Tell me what you're hiding.'

Lily took a deep breath.

'It won't be we,' she replied softly.

Ashleigh clenched her jaw and closed her eyes.

'When you passed through the gate, your blood, your connection to the fae, and more specifically, to my mother, allowed you to move freely. To stay within the pathway connecting Summer and Winter.'

Lily paused. Ashleigh took a shaky breath.

'The ley lines are chaotic magic flowing freely through the universe. Dipping in and out of the world we know and others we don't. It is raw, primal, and destructive,' Lily continued. 'My people built the gates, but my mother perfected the barrier that protects you from the power of the ley lines. She built it with a direct connection to the fae. That is why you need fae blood to open the gate and to walk through the barrier.'

Ashleigh furrowed her brow.

'Then the wolves can't go through. They'll be destroyed!' Ashleigh objected.

'You're right. If they went through on their own, they would be torn apart by the raw power.'

'Then we can't–'

'I plan to shield them,' Lily interrupted. 'When you open the gate, you won't step through. Not until everyone else has already gone through.

'Your blood is the key that both unlocks and locks the gate. It will close when you have passed through to the other side. So instead, you will just put your hand inside, and I will become a part of the barrier.'

'What does that mean?' Ashleigh questioned.

'I will pour my power into the barrier, using my life force to satisfy the demand for fae blood. I will shield the wolves of Summer as they make their escape.'

'What will happen to you?' Ashleigh asked with a pained expression.

Lily was quiet.

'What will happen to you, Lily?" Ashleigh repeated.

'I don't know, exactly,' Lily replied. 'But I know it will be a one-way journey for me.'

[Present]

Caleb hugged Ashleigh close, rubbing her back and pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head as she finished telling him about her conversation with Lily.

Ashleigh buried her face in his chest, the gripping pain in her heart and the tight knot in her stomach expressed her heartache.

"I'm sorry, baby," Caleb whispered, touching her hair gently. "I'm so sorry."

Ashleigh closed her eyes, refusing to let the tears fall.

"It's not fair," she whispered.

"No," he said. "It's not."

​ He pulled her closer.

Caleb swallowed as he tried to think of the right words to comfort her.

There was a knock at the door.

Caleb took a breath.

"That'll be mom letting us know it's time," he whispered.

Ashleigh nodded.

"I'll be right there," she said.

Caleb lifted her chin, giving her a soft kiss and a comforting smile before he picked up their bags and walked toward the door.

Ashleigh took a deep breath.

'Are you sure?' she whispered. 'Is this the only way?'

Before her, Lily appeared in her long blue dress. Her hair was pulled back, like Ashleigh's, in a loose braid. She smiled.

"This is the way that saves the most lives."

"Not yours," Ashleigh whispered with a tremble in her voice.

Lily smiled again and reached her hand to Ashleigh's cheek. Ashleigh closed her eyes and let out a sob at the delicate touch.

"I lived my life a thousand years ago," Lily whispered. "Since then, before you, I have been alone. I have watched and listened to so many lives. Seen so many mistakes, miracles, joys, and devastations. But through it all, I was alone."

Ashleigh took in a shaky breath. Lily gave a sad smile.

"I never realized how empty I felt until we found each other," Lily continued. "Thank you for allowing me to feel again, to live through you."

Lily moved her hands down, taking Ashleigh's hands into her own.

"And thank you, for allowing me the chance to redeem myself in death, for the mistakes I made in life."

Ashleigh felt the tears streaking down her cheeks. She let out a sob and hugged Lily close.

"I will miss you," Ashleigh whispered.

"I will miss you, great daughter," Lily smiled and wrapped her arms around Ashleigh. "I hope we meet again, in another life. A happier one."