38: "Is she...still alive?"

The forests were calm. Far too calm. There were no birds, no animal life at all. Even the wind seemed reluctant to blow around anymore. It was like the entire earth had taken a breath and was now holding it in.

Caia turned her head left and right curiously. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Even just in breaking through the world barriers, she shouldn't have scared off everything.

"Caia?"

She turned around completely to see Vaeri standing up from where she had been sitting beneath a nearby tree. Her eyes were wide as she tried to work out what had just happened. She lost track once she saw the enormous flash of light. Then suddenly her friend was there.

"Caia? Is that...Who are you?" Vaeri frowned as Caia's eyes landed on hers. She couldn't say why, the eyes were exactly the same, but that wasn't Caia looking out at her at them.

"I'm Caia, of course," she answered calmly. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh...Caspian had me-Caspian! Kiri! Go get Caspian! Caia's back!" Vaeri yelled suddenly into the trees. A single word response echoed back to them.

"What are you doing out here?" Caia repeated.

Vaeri looked back at her, frowning. She didn't really sound like Caia either. She sounded far too calm and unaffected to be the happy, bubbly Caia.

"We had to abandon Galmora," Vaeri answered after a moment, speaking uncertainly. "Rowan came back. She's been in town with the holy statue for days now. We keep hearing her break things. Caspian and Garrik won't let us go-Hey!"

Caia had turned away from her and begun walking. Vaeri looked between her retreating form and back to the trees where Kiriion would be, unsure what to do. After a moment, she bent down and drew an arrow in the dirt indicating where they had gone, and chased after her friend.

"Caia! Hold on! Where are you going?"

"To retrieve what is mine," Caia answered calmly, walking without issue over the uneven ground. The hike that had once been hard for her now looked entirely too easy.

It started really scaring Vaeri, because this was not Caia. And if it wasn't Caia, then...

Then...

"My lady?" she whispered softly.

Caia turned and looked at her. Her eyes, exactly as they had always been, flashed in the light. Caia didn't say anything to her. She just turned back and continued walking.

Vaeri felt a shiver going up her spine.

That wasn't the goddess giving orders to Caia. That was the goddess. Their goddess had come down and taken up residence in Caia's body.

Immediately, Vaeri was filled with terror. It only took a touch of the goddess's hand to drive a person to insanity. What would it do to someone after completely immersing itself within her? Vaeri was suddenly scared that she was going to lose her closest friend.

That fear, mixed with the shock and awe of just having spoke to her goddess, froze Vaeri in place as Caia continued walking past her and through the trees.

That was where Kiriion and Caspian found her a few minutes later. The two men, having sprinted towards her, stopped when they saw her there.

"Vaeri?" Kiriion grabbed her shoulder, shaking her a bit. "What happened?"

"Where's Caia?" Caspian looked around quickly.

"It's the goddess!" Vaeri grabbed onto Kiriion desperately. "The goddess is here!"

"What?" Kiriion looked confused, but Caspian understood.

"Where did she go? Vaeri, which way?"

With a shaky hand, Vaeri pointed and Caspian was charging after her. Kiriion stayed behind to calm down his betrothed and try to figure out what had happened so he could tell the others. They were all spread out in the surrounding woods, it would take a while to gather them together.

Caspian, on the other hand, needed to find his wife. She had been missing for days, then she just suddenly appears in the middle of the day with no explanation. If what Vaeri said was true, and Caspian had no reason to not believe her, then he could ask the goddess herself.

Caia was still walking. The goddess was not in a hurry. She had all of the time in the world, and more, to do what she needed to. So it didn't take long for Caspian to catch up to her.

She had found her way back to the path through the woods and was walking down it like she was out for an easy summer stroll. She didn't even look over when Caspian ran to her side.

He found himself looking down into the face of his beloved, who was quite obviously not his beloved, and finding himself unsure of what to say.

"Is there a problem, Caspian?" Caia asked gently, unconcerned. She didn't even look over to him.

"No, my lady," he answered automatically. The formal address fell from his lips without thinking. Of course he was going to address her with respect. "Is Caia...I mean..." he wasn't sure what he meant.

"I'm fine," she answered calmly. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, my lady," he took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair. "Have you truly returned? I mean, you're not going to take Caia back, are you?"

"I am Caia," she answered calmly. "And I'm not going back. I'm right where I belong."

"Okay. Great," he felt his heart racing. He wasn't sure what to do. She might leave Caia's body, but would she still be Caia once the goddess was gone? How would this affect her? Was the woman he loved still even going to be in there?

"So...why are you here?" he asked after a moment.

"I've come to reclaim what is mine, what has been stolen from me," her face suddenly looked quite dangerous. "I'm not trusting this task to anyone else."

"Why..." he hesitated. "I mean, I don't mean to be impertinent, my lady, but why would you bring Rowan back here in the first place? Why not let her remain in the other world? Just let Caia finish reclaiming the statue."

"I trusted this task to Rowan, and she failed," Caia answered calmly, but with a sort of seething anger that bubbled just under the surface. "She could not handle the job. I gave her just enough power to do it, and she misused and abused it. She tainted my statue, and she failed me greatly. I've had to go through quite a bit of difficulty to fix everything."

"I...don't understand, my lady."

"Rowan was chosen to cleanse and re-power my statue," Caia answered, looking over to him. "I gave her the power to do so, and created you for her so that her powers would be hidden from those who would condemn her for them."

"I was meant to keep that secret?" Caspian looked surprised.

"Of course. You are what I made you. Protective and nurturing. Your love would have been exactly what Rowan needed to stay sane and do my work."

He felt suddenly guilty. "But I failed."

"Indeed. Rowan was too weak, even tempered with your heart. Her mind was lost. Once she had destroyed everything, I needed a new person to not only cleanse the statue, but fix it. I needed a more powerful avatar, and one that would be able to handle the stress of this power."

"Wait, you made Caia after Rowan killed my parents?" Caspian frowned.

"My world, my former world, exists in a completely different space and time than this one. Jumping between the two is difficult, but it can be done. Assuming that you do it at the right time, of course. Once I was matured enough, I allowed Rowan through the gate and had her bring you with her. Time can mean different things to the worlds, if I so choose."

"I was meant to meet Caia then," Caspian said, surprised. He believed, of course, that the goddess made Caia for him. That was what he had sworn in his wedding vows. But to actually hear the truth of it straight from his goddess's lips...

"You are exactly what I needed. I was tempered in the fires of abuse to prove my strength. Then you were there to keep me from falling apart. You shall be needed even afterwords. I'm quite proud of you. You are exactly what I wanted from you."

Caspian almost blushed from the compliment. "Thank you, my lady."

"Of course, first I must deal with Rowan and the results of her actions."

Caspian looked forward and was surprised to see the arch of Galmora coming around the corner. He didn't realize they had been walking so fast or had covered so much ground. In fact, he was absolutely sure that they shouldn't be here already.

As they got closer, Caspian saw that Rowan had done more damage in these last four days than he had heard through the trees. A great many of the paths through the town had been outright sunk in the water below. Those that hadn't instead had large holes through them that were probably irreparable. Houses and businesses had been collapsed, everything looked broken and abandoned.

It was an eerie sight. Caspian had never seen his home so destroyed before. It punched a hole in his heart that hurt a great deal.

He had to stop at the entrance. The path in had been collapsed. He could see the wood of where it had been in the water below. But it was impassable without swimming out.

Caia, on the other hand, didn't hesitate. Caspian watched with wide eyes as she stepped confidently into the air above the water. She didn't float on nothing – though it really wouldn't have surprised him if that's what had happened.

A stone came up from beneath the waves and met up with her foot. A second one, a third, a long series, started erupting from the lake bed and coming up to meet her. So the air that she stepped into became a path instead.

It wasn't rough and ugly either. Each time her foot came down, the rocks underneath it began breaking until what was obviously a bridge, beautifully carved, appeared.

Cautious, but unable to resist, Caspian took a step out. The stone remained firm. He took another and began following after his wife and goddess.

Caia walked straight forward. Paths that were whole and intact broke and fell as the stones she summoned came up and smashed through them. Where there was nothing at all, Caspian got to watch as the stones fused into one, smooth stone bridge.

He knew where she was going. Though there was no direct path to it made of wood, Caspian knew that the temple entrance could be traced straight to the town entrance. It was where Caspian imaged that Rowan had been hiding, the most obvious place for Caia to go towards.

Caspian turned back once, about halfway to the temple. The stone bridge was expanding beyond the single person path Caia was creating. It was enlarging so that it was a well defined path. His people had begun gathering at the banks of the lake. They saw the stone path, but were not yet daring to take a step onto it. Instead they were staring out at him and her with wide eyes.

Part of Caspian wanted to turn to explain what was going on. The bigger part of him insisted that he couldn't leave Caia's side. This was where he belonged. So decreed by the goddess.

The stone path building wasn't quiet. The stones that feel off while it was being shaped were loud as they splashed down into the water. The stone itself was groaning as it was disturbed from its centuries long resting place.

Caia stopped well away from the entrance. The bridge kept building towards it. Caspian stopped behind Caia and looked towards the entrance.

The last stone locked into place and the air fell silent. The last ripples in the water below continued to toss the water's surface, but otherwise it was still.

Then a groaning came from inside the temple. The holy statue emerged into the sunlight first. Then Rowan came after it. She was seated on its shoulder, glaring out at the two of them.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded angrily. "This is my place. Go away!"

"The temple does not belong to you," Caia replied evenly. "Nor does the stone circle or the statue you've tainted. Return them to me."

Rowan's eyes narrowed on her. "Who are you to take these from me?"

"I am Caia," she said. Caspian wasn't sure if she was deliberately nor answering the question asked, or if she was answering the question they all kept asking. "Return the things that you have taken from me, Rowan."

"No! These are mine!"

"Caspian," Caia spoke to him softly. "Go to the sculptor's workshop and bring me the statue there."

"Yes, my lady," Caspian bowed his head to her before turning to make his way across. It would be a bit difficult considering the state of the paths. But he wasn't going to deny his goddess.

"Rowan, your mind is not beyond salvaging," Caia called out to her as Caspian's footsteps faded away behind them. "Return what you have stolen, and I can return your lost mind."

"I'm not crazy!" Rowan very nearly shrieked as her arms tightened around her statue. "This is mine. This is all mine. You can't take it from me!"

"The privilege to control them was given to you. These things and your power belong to me. It is my things you dare to try and claim, that you desecrate. Return them and you will be allowed to live in peace with your husband. Return them and no more pain shall fall on you."

"No!" Rowan gripped tighter to the statue, tears forming in her eyes. "This is mine. This is all I have. You can't have it!"

"It is not my wish to harm you, Rowan. I am sorry, because this is my fault. I should have given you more hardships. If I had, you would be more prepared to handle them now. I was foolish and made your life too easy, and it made you weak. So listen to me now and give back what you have stolen, and I shall remove the pain in your heart. The guilt that you feel. The betrayal. I will return the peace of mind that you crave."

Rowan was crying now, shaking her head desperately. She had been lost for so long that now she was scared to try and find her way back.

Caia sighed as running footsteps told her that Caspian was returning. "So be it."

The statue in the goddess's form was still unfinished. Caspian set it down, grunting at the effort involved in doing so, and stepped back from it and Caia..

Caia looked over and ran her eyes over the piece. The work she had done before nearly finished it. But it was still rough, the soul of it still sleeping within.

She reached out with one hand and ran it along the head. Loud cracks could be heard as pieces of it fell off, completing it with one touch. Then Caia started lifting her hand straight up. The statue, completely hers to command, followed it up. Just like she had once shrunk her humming bird, the statue of the goddess now started growing.

Rowan and Caspian stared with open mouths as Caia took a step away from it. Newly completed and freshly awakened, the great statue finally stopped growing at about the same height as the holy statue itself. The marble it was made of gleamed gloriously as its eyes looked for the first time on the world around it; then directly at the holy statue.

The broken, beaten holy statue. Rowan, on its shoulder, screamed indignantly.

"Rowan, return what you have stolen."

"NEVER!" Her voice broke in the scream.

Caia didn't even have to touch the statue to get it to obey her commands. She simply blinked, accepting Rowan's answer. Then the statue of the goddess, beautiful and strong, began running. It's large stone feet were surprisingly soft on the bridge below it.

Rowan yelled and dropped down as the holy statue stood to fight against her. It wasn't even a contest. The holy statue was already falling apart. The statue of the goddess grabbed onto its face and dropped it down to the floor. It's bad leg slipped off, it's body, already abused from having fallen from a cliff, shattered at the force.

The head of it, trapped under her hand, looked up weakly.

Rowan screamed like she was watching someone she loved being killed. Tears, hot and uncontrollable, were pouring down her face now. The goddess statue stood over the holy statue, victorious and silent as it looked to Rowan with an expressionless face.

Rowan tried to run away. She turned to sprint towards the two of them. Already she was reaching out a hand to petrify them, forgetting Caia, as another enchantress, was immune to that power.

She didn't get much further than a few steps. The goddess statue was there, grabbing her in its large hands and lifting her clear up off of the ground. Rowan struggled in vain against the creature's grip. It didn't squeeze her hard enough to kill, but its fingers were immovable.

"Let me GO!" Rowan screeched, throwing her head back as her body thrashed. She was doing far more damage to herself than anything else.

Calmly, Caia stepped forward towards her.

"You attempted to claim ownership over the stone circle," Caia told her, calm. "You destroy this town that was built in my name and dared to lay claim over my temple. Worst of all, you cover the hands of the holy statue with blood and have it destroyed by the one charged with caring for it."

"I don't care! I don't careIDon'tcareIdON'tcareIdoN'TCAre-" Rowan began yelling repeatedly with varying volumes and speeds.

"Your mind is lost to you, Rowan," Caia stopped just before her. The goddess statue kneeled, presenting the captured Rowan out towards her.

Rowan started trying to bite Caia, throwing her hair around wildly.

"An example shall be made of you," Caia continued, reaching out.

She pressed the tip of her finger into the center of Rowan's thrashing forehead. So surprised by the sudden touch she was that Rowan stopped. Her eyes moved up as she tried to see the finger. What she did not do was lock her body forcing her limbs to snap into place.

Caia did that for her. The bones in her body, simply living stone, responded to her call and locked into the position that Caia demanded of them. Rowan was crying harder now, her face a mess, as she struggled against the invisible bonds that held her in place.

"May none forget what happens when they defy the goddess's will," Caia told her, her voice ringing with power. Even across the lake, the people heard her call and shivered. "May none ever again deny her will or her power. You shall remain forever as evidence of what happens to those that do. Rowan, you sought to claim what was hers, and now you shall forever belong to her."

Spreading out from where Caia touched, Rowan's skin began petrifying. Rowan screamed as she felt it slowly coming over her, spreading out from there down her face and through her body. Behind Caia, Caspian gulped as he remembered the sensation of being locked in stone.

Rowan was encased in stone exactly as she was. Limbs locked in place, face frozen in a scream, tears of anguish trapped now forever flowing down her face.

The goddess statue set Rowan down there at the entrance and stepped back. Rowan, her body positioned just so, didn't fall over. She remained there. It looked like she had been tortured. It was scary and unnerving to look at. Caspian felt a chill going down his spine at the sight.

"Is she...still alive?" he had to ask.

Caia didn't look away from Rowan's face. "She's still alive. She is going to be trapped here forever. Not even another enchantress can undo what I have done."

"Doesn't that seem...harsh?"

Caia finally looked back at him. "Do you think so?"

"Well, I'm no fan of hers, but such a punishment," he remembered his own time trapped in stone. Never able to move, unable to speak or breath. Trapped forever with only your sight and mind. For five years it had been torture. For eternity?

"Very well. Then I shall give her this gift that she does not deserve," Caia turned back and looked the Rowan statue directly in her eyes. "You shall stand here, guarding this temple and serving the people that come to pray in it. You will be able to influence the stones around to do good things for them. If, at the end of a century, you have learned your lesson, I will free you. However, if at the end of that time you are still as broken as you are now, you will remain trapped forever."

The Rowan statue did not respond.

Caia stepped around her and towards the fallen holy statue. She put her hand on its broken cheek and sighed at the sight of it.

"Oh, my darling. You have served me faithfully for many years. I did not mean for this to befall you."

The statue's head, the only part of it not in pieces, turned to face her as best it could.

"It will take time for you to be fixed," Caia said, stroking his face. "However, it will be done. The blood shall be cleaned from your hands and your body restored. Then you shall take your place back in the temple. This time, you will have a companion." She looked up at the goddess statue that was still on one knee, looking at her.

Caia stood back up and looked towards Caspian. "I am claiming the temple now. Neither you nor your uncle nor any other temple worker is allowed inside until I say so. It must be cleansed. Everything inside needs to be fixed."

"As you command, my lady," Caspian nodded to her once.

Caia walked towards him, a small smile on her face. "You used to serve me faithfully as well. You turned your back on me though."

"I apologize," Caspian bowed his head. "I shall return to your service, of course."

"I know you will," Caia touched his face gently. "I'm quite tired. I wish to sleep now."

Just like that, Caia's eyes closed and she started to drop. Caspian reacted instinctively to reach out and catch her. She made a soft, pleased sound, and started cuddling up to him in a way that was purely Caia.

He let out a sigh of relief. Caia was back.