*Alternate Sasha*
Stone returned again from Goddess knows where. I just knew he’d been out working on and plotting the vengeance he kept talking about.
He talked about it more and more as the days went on, and a disturbing spark of madness lit his eyes now.
I realized I couldn’t stay. I didn’t know what role the baby and I were to play in this passion play of his, but I wanted no part of it.
Still, it wasn’t as though I could just walk out. Stone would co after , and I reasoned that he’d also be decidedly less friendly when he found .
So I watched. And I waited. And I pretended to Stone that everything was alright.
I would find my opening sowhere.
“So,” I said casually over dinner one night. “I keep hearing talking about ‘Morianne’ now and again. Is she part of your plan as well?”
Stone eyed warily over his soup.
“I only ask because it sounds like she has a role in all this,” I continued quickly.
Stone relaxed. “She’s a friend,” he explained. “She’s going to bring back the Dark Lord, with our help, of course.”
“Of course,” I agreed, though fear gripped . The Dark Lord? Seriously? That was what this was about?
“And the Dark Lord will wreak our vengeance,” Stone went on.
“I see,” I said, keeping the tremble out of my tone. “That sounds... well, like a powerful move.”
“It’s the ultimate power move. You see, my great-grandfather Dylan was going to assu the throne after Sebastian, only to be thwarted by Soren Black. Yes, of Lucas’s Blacks. Soren Black ruined everything. He killed my great-grandfather. But we’re going to set it right.” Stone’s eyes were more alight than ever with the fire of fanaticism.
I was in the clutches of a truly crazy man.
“So... what is my role in all of this?” I asked with only the slightest squeak.
Stone didn’t seem to notice my discomfort. “Never you mind,” he winked. “Your ti will co. For now, you just need to stay here and keep that baby healthy. We’ll be together always and rise together as a powerful couple that no one will dare to ss with. I will do that for you, my darling Sasha.”
“Uh huh.” I swallowed. “You’re really not going to tell what I’m supposed to do.”
Stone waved a hand. “You wouldn’t agree to it, not yet, anyway. But you’ll co around. I know you will.”
“Co around to what?” I tried using my Dream Dancer powers to glean the answer.
Stone just laughed. “Your Dream Dancer powers are of no use here, Sasha. I’ve been blocking them since you arrived. We wouldn’t want the other Sasha to find you, now would we?”
At this point, I would happily have flung myself at the other Sasha’s feet if it would keep the baby safe. “Oh. I guess I did it out of habit. I just so want to know what’s going on.”
Stone grinned at . It was not a comforting grin. “Long ago, I learned from a witch nad Hestia that ever since Soren Black ca from the Light Realm and crushed Dylan, my great grandfather, the Light Realm has been subverting the Dark Lord’s will and preventing his return. They’ve put a stranglehold on the Dark Realm, where the Dark Lord and his progeny should be ruling.”
“Right,” I said slowly.
“You might not believe the prophecies now. I didn’t to begin with, either. But Hestia made it all clear to . I should be a king... nay, a god!!!” Stone crowed.
Goddess, I needed to get out of here as soon as possible. Whatever Morianne’s and Stone’s motives were in keeping , none of it could be good. I had to protect this baby.
But I also had to keep playing along or I might end up in so inescapable dungeon, I thought, like my fiance.
My heart broke for my Stone. This Stone was crazy and evil. This Stone was the reason my fiance was locked up.
“It would make our lives easier if you were a god,” I tentatively agreed.
“It would! Everything would be easier,” Stone said. He took my hand across the table and I suppressed a shudder. “Morianne is going to make this all possible. I will rise and sit at the right hand of the Dark Lord. And we will be happy together, forever.”
“You know, with my Dream Dancer powers, I could help,” I suggested, hoping whatever he was doing to block my powers could be stopped in so way. “How are you blocking them, anyway?”
Stone shook his head. “The other Sasha is too powerful. She has all the power of Morianne’s staff–the powers of a goddess. She will sniff out your Dream Dancer powers and take you from us. That, I cannot allow.” He held up an old stone tablet, which glowed with a low, eerie green light. “I am keeping you safe with this. When the other Sasha has been defeated, we won’t need it anymore. Your Dream Dancer powers will be released, and you will rule by my side.”
“That’s... well, that’s wonderful,” I managed to say. “And you’re going to do all this without my help?”
“Morianne is powerful enough,” Stone said. “You need not bother yourself. Besides, you wouldn’t want to strain yourself and hurt the baby, would you?”
On that point, at least, we were on the sa page. “No, I suppose I wouldn’t.”
“Then don’t give it another thought.” Stone put the tablet away in his pocket and continued to eat his soup, as though the matter were settled.
“How...” I took a steadying breath. “How did you manage to jump through all these realities? You must have, if you found out all that information from... my Stone.”
Stone glared at . “I’m your Stone now. Forget about him. He is weak.”
“Right, of course, I just didn’t know what to refer to him as so that you’d understand,” I said quickly.
Stone settled down. “Of course. You can refer to him as Dead Stone.”
My breath stopped and my heart seized. “He’s dead?!”
“Not yet,” Stone said. “And you can stop worrying about him. Like I said, you have now.”
“Y-yes. You’re right. Sorry. Habit again,” I wheezed.
Stone gestured to my untouched bowl with his spoon. “Eat. You have to stay strong for the baby.”
The baby again–so deep, frightened part of knew this vengeance and rise of the Dark Lord, et cetera, had sothing to do with the baby. I wondered what terrible fate awaited the poor child after he was born.
“So... Morianne is bringing the Dark Lord back to power?” I asked, trying to stay on point. The more information I had, the more likely it would be I could use so of it to my advantage.
Stone laughed, a loud, terrible cackle. “That’s the beauty of it,” he said. “Hestia told she had a vision. That other Sasha herself, the one with the power of Morianne’s staff, she’s going to bring about his rise.”
I couldn’t imagine any circumstances where the other Sasha would do that, except....
I looked down at my belly, then back at Stone. “Are you going to blackmail her with the child?”
Stone winked. “Sothing like that.”
“Don’t you think that’s a bit... wrong?” I tried. There had to be so part of him that was like my Stone, so part that could see using the baby was wrong.
“Your point?” Stone sniffed. “All’s fair in love and war, darling. And this is war.” He frowned at .
“And love,” I said when it seed I was losing him. “It’s about our love, right Stone?”
Stone smiled, and I knew I had him. “Yes, of course, my love. It is about our love.”
He thought he was still fooling . But I knew this Stone wouldn’t know what love was if the Goddess ramd it up his ass. “I’m glad,” I lied.
“, too,” Stone responded. “Now, like I said, eat up. We want a strong, healthy baby and a strong, healthy you.”
It was only the thought of the baby that had dipping my spoon into the chicken noodle soup. I brought it to my lips and tried not to grimace. I’d let it go cold.
“Do you need to microwave it?” Stone asked.
“Oh, no, I’m fine,” I said. I didn’t want anything from him. I didn’t want to owe him anything, not even the kind gesture of microwaving a bowl of soup.
“Alright. I just thought it might be cold by now,” Stone replied with a shrug.
“Oh, no, it’s fine.” I decided to steer our conversation back where I wanted it to be. “I’m still curious as to how you’ve managed to go so easily through realities without the other Sasha’s help. I an, is so version of Morianne helping you?”
Stone laughed at that. “Without her staff, Morianne can hardly help herself. But she still has so power.” He looked at my bowl. “I tell you what. You finish that soup, and I’ll show you how I’ve managed to move through realities so easily.”
“Really?!”
Excitent bubbled up inside . Maybe he’d be foolish enough to take back to my reality. I could spring my own Stone and he would beat the stuffing out of this Stone, and... well, there was still the problem of the baby to contend with, but my Stone and I could face that together.
“Really,” Stone smiled.
I slurped down my soup in record ti, Stone laughing at intervals at my enthusiasm.
When I’d finished, Stone stood up and reached for my hand.
I took it, and he tugged back toward his office.
“You have so sort of portal in your office?” I asked, confused. I hadn’t seen it when I’d investigated the house before, and I certainly didn’t see it now.
“Sothing like that,” Stone said. He walked to the wall and moved a picture of a vase of flowers aside, revealing a safe.
I stood and watched him open it, though he was careful to keep his body between and the combination he was inputting, unfortunately.
After a mont, the safe door swung open, and Stone turned to with a length of cloth draped over his hands.
Nestled in the middle of it was a glowing, pulsating orb.
I stared at it. “Is that...?”
“This is the future orb,” Stone said proudly. “It can take anywhere I want to go.”
“Oh.” I didn’t have to hide the eagerness in my eyes when I looked up from the orb to him. “Are we going sowhere now?”
Stone shook his head. “No, not now, maybe so other ti.” He covered the orb back up and put it back in the safe, swinging the door closed and carefully placing the painting back in place.
I wanted to scream and tear my hair out, maybe claw his eyes out. I’d been so close....
“We can’t go losing track of you and the baby at this crucial mont,” Stone explained. He gripped my shoulders and steered back out of the office.
“But–”
Stone put a finger to my lips. “No buts. I know what’s best. You have to trust .”
Not a snowball’s chance in the fires of hell, I thought.
“Of course I do,” I said brightly.
“Good. Now, let’s go get so dessert... chocolate chunk ice cream?” Stone suggested.
I was defeated for now. I had to keep playing along. It was maddening.
With a forced smile, I slipped my arm around Stone’s waist and leaned a head on his shoulder.
“That sounds divine,” I said.
Reviews
All reviews (0)