Before he even opened his eyes, he heard them. Twittering interrupted by squawks and croons, an avian chorus conducted by the steady, piercing shriek of a falcon. He could tell it was midmorning just by the way they sang, even without the sun rays that settled on his skin, the scent of thawing earth in his nose, or the rustle of leaves tickling his ears. A strong flap of wings struck right above him and he bolted upright, yet his eyes did not settle on a crow as he expected, but the falcon, who studied him with suspicious black eyes.
“Good morning,” a voice came from behind him.
He spun in alarm. Thick, oppressive jasmine immediately accosted him, its familiarity disarming him as he observed a ghost from his past. Radiant against the azure sky, she moved across the grass towards him, her rose-gold hair lifting in the breeze.
David blinked, trying to bring rationality into his mind. This felt too real to be a dream—it had to be another realm, one that managed to be spared in the Purging. Or had he finally died? Could it be that he was in Heaven? Or had he landed himself in Tartarus, and this was simply a cruel trick of the mind?
“Shhh,” Gaia whispered as she drew closer. She looked exactly as she had when he left her in his youth, her heart-shaped face dusted with sunspots, her lips full, blonde lashes rimming eyes the color of spring. “I know it is a lot to bear, but you are safe here. This is my realm.”
The longer he peered at her, the more he felt as if the past millennia hadn’t transpired at all, and he was once again a young Druid boy standing in verdurous grasses with his first love. The urge to hold her overcame him, a yearning to breathe in her fragrant hair and touch her skin, although he’d left Morrigan only moments before. “Your realm?” he managed.
Gaia smiled, the act bringing a sparkle into her eyes. Their shade matched the flora surrounding her. “Do you remember this place?” Her voice married the pitch of the songbirds.
He looked around him at the verdant plains, the cloudless sky, and the lush trees that seemed to have no end. He felt peace, contentment even, and that was when the realization dawned on him. He stood in a realm that perfectly resembled the ancient hills of Gaul. “Where are we?” he asked in wonderment.
“We have much to discuss.”
He looked down to see he was dressed in a tunic similar to hers, blinding white in the sun. His bare feet sunk pleasantly into the earth, the grass snaking between his toes. He felt her hand slip into his. He’d forgotten how small her hands were, how nicely they fit together. The act itself grounded him, his disorientation subsiding.
“Come,” she beckoned. “I will show you my home.” She led him through the unkempt plains as his mind continued to piece together his reality. The last soul he’d spoken Gaia’s name to was Anubis, back when he lived in Wallachia, centuries ago. The death god had assured him her soul was safe in the Underworld, but since that time, the realms had been destroyed. So where were they now?
“You think too much.” She laughed as though she could hear his thoughts. “I will explain everything to you, I promise.”
A forest heavy with oaks and yews loomed up ahead, and she guided him through it to a winding creek. She didn’t hesitate to cross it, balancing on the scattered stones until she reached the other side. He hurried to keep up, nearly colliding with her when she stopped in front of a mammoth oak tree who proudly dwarfed the saplings surrounding it. Its thick bark bore warts like an ancient elder, its arms so long, they weaved through the clouds. She gestured for him to follow her through its open mouth.
David wasn’t sure what to expect, but it was not the cozy abode he found nestled inside the warm, fragrant wood. Thin vines streaked the walls, plants sprouting at every corner. The sudden realization hit him—she was exactly where he’d left her, so many eons ago.
He followed her up a set of mossy wood steps into an open space warmed by the sunlight filtering through the cracks in the wood. She settled down into a cluster of leaves, inviting him to join her. Butterflies flitted back and forth between the jasmine blossoms that dotted the vines, their dewdrops glistening in the light. Her eyes followed as he sank down next to her, waiting for him to settle before she spoke. “So, my long lost love. Where do we begin?”