Moonlight silvered onto the sandy dunes...casting an almost unearthly glow upon the two identical women and their companions sat around listening to the women. Around them the lush vegetation breathed and pulsed in the darkness, and the heavy scent of foreign flowers lingered in the breeze.

"So anyway...then I saw her standing up here on this rock..and I knew..my twin had come back to me..after all these years," Maeve said, the tears shining freely in her veltvy brown eyes.

Sinbad was shocked to see this obvious display of emotion...almost as shocked as he was by her own admission. He could sense the pain and reserve behind Maura's words as she added to the story yet Maeve...she had spoken as if it were a great relief to finally tell him..all of them..of her past and her family. He could sense she was only leaving one thing unspoken..and his eyes strayed towards the hawk perched on Maura's arm.

Maeve felt as if a great weight had been lifted off of her heart..yet it was still weighed somewhat by the sadness in her sister's eyes. Confusion swept over her as she glanced over at Sinbad...one moment he had looked ready to hug her and the next...he was staring at Dermott intensely. Then his eyes slowly turned towards hers..and he smiled.

He reached out to hold her but stopped himself..knowing that she would be angry had he done so as she might think it was meant as a gesture to make her look weak. He instead stopped and just nodded at her and Maura...keeping his pain over her memories hidden from his eyes.

Maeve surprised them all, including herself, by what she did next. Jumping up from beside her sister, Maeve wrapped her arms around Sinbad's shoulders and drew him to her. He was as shocked by her action as much as she was...but she could feel his inner light warm her tired soul...and she reached out for that light, entwining it with her own.

Neither knew how long they had stood wrapped in each other's embrace until Sinbad heard his brother whistling into the wind and Rongar silent snickers. Only Firouz remained oddly silent...his heart dropping at the site of the two being interrupted so callously.

The moment between the two shattered...and they backed off faster than a streak of lightening. Maeve sat down beside her sister and was amazed when she felt Maura's strong hand clasp over her own.

Maura looked into her sister's eyes and let her empathy flow to her. She was angry at the male crewmembers for interrupting the precious moment..for she could sense that her sister and Sinbad were very close to admitting the special feelings which ran between them. As he held Maeve close, Maura could feel the light emanating from him embracing Maeve...and now the light was fading as she felt Sinbad pull away..mentally as well as spiritually, and the door of opportunity seemed tightly closed in her face. Only Firouz..the one with the innocent heart...had seemed to have any compassion for the duo.

Maura also felt a rush of sadness overtake her as she realized just how much Sinbad did truly care for her sister...a love which would withstand the tests of time and distance. And her heart bled anew with the knowledge that she could never allow herself to be loved like that..to let another human being hold her in his arms and let him heal her with a simple embrace.

************************

In search of rations for the ship and a good night of rest, they wandered into the local town of Iraklion. The seaside village laid but five minutes north of the secluded beach in which the crew had landed in the longboat only three hours earlier.

Maeve and Maura walked arm in arm and both were aware of Sinbad's gaze from behind burning into Maeve's back.

Maura herself was careful not to allow anyone but Maeve or Dermott to get to close..and the bird understood her fear. He stood as a guard between her and the other crew members..such as Firouz who talked and walked non-stop beside them. Dermott was careful not to allow anybody to accidentally brush up against his beloved sister.

"Look..a tavern and I don't know about any of you, but I'm hungry enough to eat a boar...and ale doesn't sound too bad right now either," Doubar roared, grabbing his big tummy and laughing.

"Of course big brother..let us go feast...after being three weeks at sea with only sea rations we all deserve a big meal," Sinbad said, clasping his brother on the shoulder.

They all began walking towards the tavern when Sinbad noticed that the two ladies were not directly behind them. He turned around on his food and walked over to them.

Maeve found herself mesmerized by the way the moonlight shimmered into his sea-blue eyes and did not hear his questions nor anything. She only saw him turn his head toward Maura and that was when she heard her sister assuring him they would be fine..Maeve just needed some more fresh air it seemed.

"What? Air?" Maeve said, trying to catch her breath, her cheeks flushing red and she felt she had been caught red-handed daydreaming about the handsome captain yet again.

"Yes..I think you need some..come, dear sister, let us walk. It's been so long since we've seen each other, I want to talk." Maura said as quietly as she could...aware that the Captain had never taken his eyes off Maeve once that dazed look came into her eyes. Maura found herself chuckling for the first time in a long time..and it felt good...she knew in that instant that Sinbad knew exactly what Maeve was thinking about..yet he was too much of a gentleman to even try and broach the subject.

"Shall you meet us at the tavern in an hour?" his soothing voice asked...and Maura felt as if she should have been invisible. She could have broke into song right then and they wouldn't have noticed. And that fact made her grin and look towards her brother perched on her arm and she winked...as a special memory of her brother rushed through her..and it was a pleasant memory, and Maura welcomed it with open arms.

***************

"I'm gonna get you...big brother. Just you wait," came a sparkling young woman's voice...and the young man of 18 turned his head to see his young sister drop her conjuring book and grab a handful of freshly fallen snow.

It was winter on Dim-Dim's magical land and the soft snowflakes dwindled lightly through the air yet the place was not cold. It was a place of many wonders...and Dim-Dim's ability to control the season's was just one of them. And one he would teach his gifted young apprentices.

"Oh, really, shortstuff and how do you intend to do that?" Dermott said playfully and was stunned to be tackled from behind by his sister's twin. He laid on the ground as Maeve called for Maura to come and teach Dermott a lesson. "Maura...come on, let's teach this..brute..that he his not our lord and master" Maeve said, and her sister, forgetting her fears and her sorrow for those seemingly eternal moments of bliss, joined her.

Laughter echoed in the wind as the two doe eyed beauties buried their brother up to the neck in snow and then playfully ran off holding hands as they watched him try to set himself free.

After watching him struggle for ten minutes with no success, they finally walked back over to him and Maura used her newfound talent of fireballs to melt the snow on him. By the time she finished, he was soaked.

"You couldn't have just wiped the snow off of me?" He asked with a sly grin.

"No..where would be the fun in that?" Maura had replied and Dermott's heart had burst at hearing his little sister sound like the young, carefree girl which she should have been.

*****************

"You could just cast a spell on them, dear sister," Dermott said in mind-voice. He had seen her thoughts..she had shared their early memories of rough-housing in the snow and then her earlier thoughts of Sinbad and Maeve. And he wished to interfere before a negative rush of emotion replaced that moment of tranquillity which had washed over her.

Maura looked around to make sure nobody was watching and then flashed her brother a rare smile, "No...where would be the fun in that? They shall learn...the love is there, they just need to accept it."

"Accept what?" Maeve asked casually, for she had only heard the last part of her sister's conversation. She and Sinbad had been standing for five minutes while she had tried to reassure him that they would be fine taking a walk.

Maura was flushing and trying to think of a suitable answer when they heard a loud ruckus come from the inside of the tavern. Sinbad tried to warn them both to stand there, but he had learned long ago that Maeve was not one to stand back and just watch a fight take place. She would get in there and stop it.. she had her broadsword ready and was already ahead of him.

All three rushed in to find the men fighting against a band of scruffy looking pirates...and Maura felt her throat close on her. Quicksilver memories rushed over her of another time and place. Of the pirate who had tortured her as a young child trying to accost her in another tavern..just like this..the fight which had broken out..how he had tossed Maeve like a rag doll...how she had burnt him in her uncontrollable anger.

"Maura, NO!" Firouz shouted, for the fiery sorceress had been too lost in her own thoughts too see the drunk animal with the dagger begin rushing her. He threw his body in front of hers and a sharp searing pain rushed through his chest and in that moment...he knew he was dying.

"MAURA" Maeve shouted as she saw Firouz jump in front of her beloved sister. She had only gotten her back and yet already Maura was being bombarded with pirates and blood and...the overwhelming stench of death. And now Firouz lay dying at her sisters feet.

Maura snapped out of it at the cry of her sister's voice..and she looked down to find the man with the gentle eyes gasping for breath. She looked at the pirate, bent down to snatch the dagger out of Firouz's chest and she flicked her wrist.

Suddenly, the man was writhing in pain on the floor...and Maura knew that he could feel everything Firouz was feeling...all the pain and suffering and feeling your life-force flee from your body.

Then she focused her attention back on Firouz..he was pale and she was sure he was already inches from death..and only she could save him. Yet..to do that would mean to touch him... Maura recoiled with disgust at herself for being so selfish at this time, but she knew that she could not stand to touch anybody but Maeve, and to touch this stranger, that might be more than she could bear.

Yet, she saw his eyes stare up into hers and she somehow sensed that he was glad to die if it meant that the had saved her. She could see the innocence which penetrated his very soul. She held onto that gaze and listened to the sound of her beloved sister weeping and rested her hand on Firouz's forehead.

Suddenly all anybody saw was a white light illuminate Maura and soon spread all over her body..and down her arm..and onto Firouz's chest. Maeve's hand unconsciously found Sinbad's and their fingers wrapped around each others.

Firouz suddenly felt a rush of air pour into his lungs and for a moment..the burning was unbearable. And then it stopped. He looked down to find himself...completely healed. And yet, he knew he was a slightly different man than he had been before.

For while she had opened up her life-force to heal him..he had peeked into her soul. He saw all the hurt and the loneliness...and the betrayal which lingered there and he could only guess at what caused this. And he shivered for what Maeve and she had not told him...he knew she was holding something back from her sister. Something recent...something which had ripped the loving, caring innocent inside of her to shreds...a betrayal. A big betrayal. A betrayal of innocence...and Firouz wept as he gazed up into her brown eyes and saw her recoil from him...and his heart saddened with the knowledge that it was not him she was recoiling from..it was that she could not bear to be touched by anyone.

Maura had no idea that he had looked inside her soul...she could only sense that he was different, not bad, just..more sympathetic in a way. His eyes were fixated upon her as his friends hugged him and welcomed him back from the dead..a reunion mixed with tears and laughter.

************

Maeve stared at the flickering candle in the small rented room in the city in which they were staying. It fascinated her. Her other half laid on the bed next to her sleeping, and Maeve looked at all the different shades within the candle.

It was amazingly that the most beautiful shades of the flames were also the deadliest...and how easily it was to extinguish. This flame could easily destroy property... lives... and yet a single gust of wind or a sweet breath could silence it. Perhaps that was what love was truly all about... being able to take something as gentle as a word..or a sigh..or a kiss...and be able to quell all the burning embers of hatred and emotions which thrived within the human heart.

Her silent contemplation was interrupted by a soft knock at the door. "Maeve?" came a gentle voice from the other side.

She opened the doors and smiled to find him standing there half awake..yet his concern for her obviously written all over his face. "You two doing all right?" He asked, motioning in the room to include Maura in on this..when in reality, he only saw Maeve..his only concern was for her at this moment.

"We're fine...How's Firouz?" She asked..and she was very aware of how closely Sinbad was moving in towards her. His body seemed to lean in a little closer with each breath.

"Better..although he still seems withdrawn. But he's probably just tired...Maeve?"

"Yes?" she said...her whole body aware that his mouth was only a breath or two away from hers.

Their moment was interrupted by a piercing scream..and Maeve realized that it had come from inside her room. Slamming the door in Sinbad's face, she ran in to find her twin off the bed and rocking back and forth in the corner. Maeve looked into Maura's terrifed eyes and Maura rocked as she repeated only one name..."Mozab.."

A chill ran up Maeve's spine and she walked over to wrap her arms around her beloved sister and wondered...who was this new man who caused her sister to react with a whole new onslaught of pain.

Continued in Sorcerer's Blood: Part 3

Return to Page of Scripture

Return to Center Realm