Crown of Thorns

Chapter Five

An Inn Near the Beach, Day O

I was never the kind of girl that studied myself in the mirror. That was something Mia did, but I never understood it. I knew what I looked like: chestnut brown hair that looked honey colored in the sunlight, brown eyes with a hint of blue swirling near my irises, tanned skin from spending so much time in the sun.

But seeing myself in a wedding dress?

I'd hidden away in a small inn on the beach where I'd be married. The inn room looked over the ocean. Water stretched for eternity, but I couldn't see more than the peaks of trees in the distance. I kept staring back in the mirror, wondering why I looked like a different person.

My face and eyes looked the same, but my wavy hair was pinned back with a jeweled clasp. It had been Mother's; she'd worn it during her wedding. Rather than a paint-splattered or grass-stained blouse or sundress, I wore a white gown. The wedding dress had been purchased by Amire, but Mother had picked it. The neckline plunged a bit too low for my comfort, but it mercifully wasn't as revealing as Paltic's had been. The lace cascaded loosely down my arms and past my fingers in a sweeping veil of white.

The train flowed behind me in a waterfall of fabric, trailing far in my wake. I questioned the practicality of a wedding train. Weren't brides supposed to be beautiful? How beautiful would I be with sand and twigs caught in my dress?

Nerves clawed at my stomach. I wanted to run. To get lost among the beckoning trees and comforting grasses that peeked out from the window.

This is for Lalita. This is to make her better.

How strange Ayesha Okrich sounded. It wasn't familiar on my tongue. I couldn't imagine introducing myself as Ayesha Okrich for the rest of my life. I was Ayesha Akhdir. I'd always be Ayesha Akhdir. How did other married women get used to changing their names?

My eyes trailed back to the mirror as I tried to steady my breathing. Mother had said that seeing one's self in a wedding dress was a terrifying sight. She was correct.

But the even more terrifying sight were the green colors swirling in my irises, churning with distress like my stomach.

I leaned closer to the mirror, trying to get a better look.

-A wise man in the guise of a boy.-

Frightened, I jumped at yet another strange voice. It was male, sultry and ominous but not entirely foreign. I felt that I'd heard it some time before, but it certainly wasn't Matthew. This voice was older than the rambling boy, much more mature and malevolent. Didn't Lita have that phrase in her book?

-Empress?-

I knew that voice. That was definitely Matthew. Although I couldn't see the childish boy as I had in my dreams, I could feel he was there, watching me in the back of my mind. A dull throb filled the space in my skull he seemed to occupy. I welcomed his presence in my mind, a mind that was growing more disturbed than Lalita's. If I needed to be plagued by imaginary characters, I'd prefer Matthew. At least he wasn't as frightening as the other man's, or the malicious female I'd heard last night.

What does he want?

-Is the Empress awake yet?-

Matthew's voice sounded hopeful. I realized that I'd heard him before the strange dream in which I'd been stranded on that mountain. He'd been with me far longer, whispering in my ear so quietly I didn't notice, or simply dismissed it as an annoying fly. But hearing him now, speaking in my mind, the sensation seemed surprisingly familiar.