But something stopped me from going further. Something from my dream. That love I'd experienced in my vision – Mars and Vesta united on their thrones. Was that dream meant for me? I knew Chance was Mars – that much was clear. But did Chance love me the way Mars loved Vesta? Or was there someone else out there, some other girl, who represented his true destiny. How could I risk loving him, knowing that there was a chance that some other girl was meant to be his Queen?

  I stopped suddenly, gazing into his glimmering blue eyes. “Why does it hurt?” I whispered. “When we're so close – why does it hurt to be together?”

  Chance furrowed his brow. “Does it hurt?” he asked, his fingers stroking my neck gently. “For you to be with me?”

  I nodded silently. “Yes,” I said at last, looking down. “I'm afraid. I want so much to be with you – to fully love you – but something stops me. I feel like I can't – no, that I shouldn't. We can't...not yet. Not until we're sure that I'm...who you think I am.” I wanted the tears that had sprung at the corners of my eyes to vanish. “If you still have some doubt about me being Vesta...I don't want to...” Go all the way? How could I – when we were still so unsure?

  “You're so beautiful,” Chance sighed, tracing my face with his fingers. His eyes were filled with pain – his gaze earnest and heartfelt. This was not the ironic, jocular Chance I had known at school. “It's just that I don't want to lose you. I love you – you, Mac – whether or not you're Vesta. Others have died trying to prove that they're her – and I was sure with them, too. How can I let you take that chance, when taking that chance might mean losing you? And I couldn't live with that.”

  “And if I'm not Vesta?” I couldn't resist asking.

  Chance held me tighter still. “I'd rather tear my own heart out than keep up this search – this pain...” There were tears in his eyes, too. “I want to be with you. Vesta – she...you...I don't know. We had this love: an eternal love. And I know my destiny is to find her, to restore the lands in a way that only the united power of Fire can accomplish. But when she...you...I don't know...when Vesta left me, it left a cleft in my heart even centuries have not healed. If you are Vesta – then...how can I get over your leaving me once before? And if you're not...I could start over...”

  “A clean slate,” I said. “Like all the embodiments here on Aeros Island?” I shook my head. “But none of us are clean slates. None of us on this island are new to this earth. Look, Chance – I had this vision. When we were flying. I don't know what happened – when you thought I fell asleep. I saw you, Chance. I saw us. We were in this place, this beautiful place, with fire everywhere. And we were in love, and we were happy, and there were these gemstones...”

  Chance's eyes flew wide open. “Gemstones?” He turned to me, his expression serious. “Describe them.”

  “They were shaped like the moon...” I thought back to the vision. “And inside there were these flames....there was an amethyst, and a sapphire, and an emerald...a garnet...and a topaz.”

  “The Fire Stones,” said Chance softly. “She created them. Vesta did. To bring me back to her. Her Embodiment, whoever she is, should be able to find them – that's part of the Embodiment's test, to prove that she is Vesta. If you had that vision, Vesta's memories, surely it must mean...”

  “I don't know, Chance,” I said. “I felt like I was Vesta in that dream – but it could be a mistake. An illusion. Maybe I wanted so badly to be Vesta that I dreamed I was in her place...” I shook my head. “But I can't live with not knowing who I am. I have to figure out my identity – I have to go through with it. Not just for your sake, Chance, but for mine.”

  Chapter 2

  Another kiss – and then another. We spent hours kissing in that secluded cave, as the shouts of thunder and the wailing of the wind raged around us. It was cold; the rain poured down in floods. But it didn't matter. Where we were – we were safe. Warm. I could feel Chance's strong arms around me, the rippling of his taut, tanned forearms as they held my waist, pressing my flesh. I could feel the softness of his skin, the roughnness of the stubble on his chin, the combination of tenderness and danger that made him so irresistible to me. How had this one man affected me so much? When I was near him, it was like I was no longer myself, like I no longer had any control over who or what I was. Another identity seemed to be tugging at my heart, at my soul – the identity of Vesta, love of the god Mars. When I was with Chance, everything else seemed to disappear – my old life, my status as Mackenzie Evers, girl-next-door: I felt different. Special. As if I could really be the goddess he thought I was. His lips were so hot on mine; I could feel my blood scorch with the fullness of his passion. I tangled my fingers in his dark, wavy hair, wanting to pull him tighter still closer to me. Our clothes were wet – soaked, even – from the rain, and the moisture from our clothes mingled with the heat and the sweat of our passion, so that we lay together, entangled, our clothes still on but largely rumpled and rearranged, in perfect silence. Chance stroked my hair, his lips against my forehead. I felt so small in his arms, I thought – he could encircle me so easily.

  “When we're like this,” he sighed, “It makes me want to protect you. Normally, when we're together – you don't need any protecting. I've never met a girl as much my match as you are, Mac, my goddess. Equals – twins of fire. But right now, with me, I suddenly want to wrap my arms around you and shield you from the world.”

  I laughed darkly. “I don't need much shielding.”

  “You don't know what's out there, Mac. A lot of danger. A lot of things you'd never even know to dream. Things so beautiful that the greatest artists and poets couldn't even begin to imagine them. And things so terrible...” his voice trailed off. “I want to protect you from that.”

  “But if seeing those terrible things means seeing the beautiful ones as well?” I looked up at Chance. “Isn't it worth it – taking that risk?”

  “Only you can decide that,” said Chance, kissing me sweetly. “But now, my love, the sun is almost setting – and I promised my father I'd help him set up with the banquet tonight.” He laughed. “A mundane role for Mars, no doubt. But he's been at me since I've been back about not doing enough for the hotel...”

  Once more Chance's arms were around me, and once more we flew. This time he didn't need to support me; I was able to navigate the fog and clouds of my own free will, holding Chance's hand for pleasure rather than protection. The rain had stopped, and the splendor of sunset was spread out before us. We swam through the sky, beams of orange and pink, purple and yellow light surrounding us in a miasma of beauty, the clouds like great heavy gemstones in the sky. The air was balmy and warm, now, and in the aftermath of the rain a rainbow spread itself across the sky.

  “Look, Mac!” Chance flew us through the rainbow; colors surrounding us on every side. “I told you – beautiful things.”

  I flew through the heart of the rainbow, watching the splendid light refract upon the ocean waves. This was true happiness, I felt – more than anything I had ever experienced before. Only a few days ago I had been a normal girl, living in a normal world. Now I knew that things would never be normal again.

  Chance dropped me off at last at the cottage I shared with my mother. A far less palatial residence than Chance's rooms at the Cutter Imperial Hotel, but a charming bungalow it was nonetheless, with panoramic views of the sea. My mother was at work again – her job as Events Director at the Hotel seemed to require round-the-clock attendance at the Hotel – but I didn't mind the time alone. It gave me a chance to sit and reflect on what had happened – and to look over the Book of Vesta.

  Yet somehow my mind could not concentrate upon the words of the book. They seemed to blur and fade before my eyes; my head began to throb. I couldn't stop myself from looking out the window, watching the misty evening unfold before my eyes. I had seen this view many times before – the white sands stretching out towards the ocean, the dark waves rolling with their white foaming crests, but somehow the view seemed more powerful this time. Almost as if it were calling to me. Something within me felt a painful longing – the ocean seemed to be singing to me, a siren song luring me out. Something was waiting for me there, I felt, a shiver going through my spine. Something was waiting for me – there was a reason that my heart had begun to flutter, that my throat had gone tight and breathless.

  I looked down at the Book of Vesta, then back again at the ocean. With a sigh, I snapped the book shut, carrying it with me as I bounded out the door, following this strange feeling to the ocean's edge. I walked along the sand, feeling the moist earth caressing my bare feet, letting my intuition guide me as I let the cool ocean spray massage my skin.

  At last I stopped. This was a familiar place – a lush tropical garden on the ocean's edge I had been to once before. With Varun. I sighed as I recalled his tanned skin, his long and luxuriant blond hair. As hard as I tried, I couldn't forget the sweet, easy romance we had shared: our first date, when he had kissed me beneath the milky moon and held me gently in his arms. I knew now that we could never have the fire, the passion, that I shared with Chance, but I regretted how things had ended between the two of us. After all, Varun was a kind, gentle, romantic boyfriend – he had been all those things with me – and I hated to hurt him.

  But how could I resist Chance? How could any girl? Varun had told me that his first love, Jana, had left him for Chance many years before; now I knew why. With his luxuriant dark hair and dangerous good looks, Chance radiated passion. Even thinking of him now, as I looked out over the ocean, I felt my skin begin to tingle at the memory of our kisses.

  I took out the Book of Vesta from my satchel. I had to get reading, I told myself – I'd never be able to figure out if I was Vesta or not if I didn't get started on my research. But as I placed the book's spine on the ground, I saw to my surprise that it was opening of its own accord.

  “What the...”

  I looked down in shock. On a smooth, blank, creamy page, an image was being drawn – as if it were appearing from the depths of the book itself. Dark lines of ink were appearing on the page. It was a language I could not make out – I could not read either the alphabet or the words themselves, but the drawing beneath the letters was unmistakable. It was a map – a map I recognized immediately as a guide to the Aeros coastline. An indent in the map showed a small cove – in the cove, a cave. My heart began to pound as a circle appeared around the cave. Was this where I was meant to go? My heart was racing – somewhere, in the back of my mind, an image came to me: a cave surrounded by jagged rocks, the memory of placing a stone...

  I had to go. I had to find the cave for myself. I rose to my feet and began running, running along the beach, feeling my legs kick into the sand, faster and faster until my skin was pink with exhaustion. I had run track at my old school, but this was different – I was more graceful, more agile, than I had ever been before. Something new was acting within me; I had unlocked some power I didn't know I had. Swim team practice and wrestling had certainly given me more stamina, I knew, but this energy that I felt within myself was different. Stronger. I was running as fast as the breeze on my back, easily crossing the miles that separated me from the cove.

  At last I reached the cove, and noted to my surprise that it looked just as it had done in my mind. Was it a memory? The water frothed high and dangerous; a chill came over me as I saw the jagged, sharp rocks – like sharks' teeth – that surrounded the cove. There was no way to run – the only way to get to the cave at the cove's center was to climb over the rocks, avoiding slicing my feet on their acute edges. I hesitated for a moment: this looked far more dangerous than I had expected. But as I looked down at the Book of Vesta in my satchel, I renewed my resolve. If I really was Vesta, then I had to listen to the instructions in this book – they were meant for me. And if Vesta had written this book, then it was my destiny to follow its instructions.

  I wrapped my fingers around a set of vines, deftly avoiding the slippery moss on the rocks as I gingerly stepped from rock to rock, making my way towards the cave. I tried not to look down at the whirlpool below, or to think of what creatures might lurk in that primordial deep. From time to time I saw something ripple beneath the surface of the water. Something dark.

  Fins.

  I swallowed hard. So there were sharks in these waters. I'd been warned that parts of Aeros Island were dangerous; now I knew for sure. I closed my eyes as I inched my way towards the cave, willing myself to overcome that sense of fear that had by now left an ashen taste in my mouth. I heard a voice in my head – an echo from my subconscious. Come. Be brave. Do not fear. This is your path. It was the same voice I had heard weeks earlier in the Aeros woods.

  The tide was low – it would be possible for me to enter the cave – but from the way the sun was hanging in the sky I knew it would not be long before a high tide washed me away. I'd have to keep faith, to act fast. My heart pounding, I ran into the cave, embracing the pitch darkness within. There was something in this cave, I felt. Something Vesta had wanted me to find.

  My eyes adjusted to the darkness. In the back of the cave I could make out a strange glow, like a purple flame. I could feel its heat even from the mouth of the cave, radiating towards me, enticing me, drawing me in.

  “What are you?” I muttered, coming closer.

  The flame grew brighter, and I gasped. It was not a fire at all, but rather the glare of a particularly bright amethyst stone, shaped like a moon, its glow so bright that it resembled a burning flame. I flashed back to my dream. Yes, this was one of the stones – the stones of Vesta. The one that would bring courage, the gift of sight.

  My hands were shaking as I placed the stone into my pocket.

  And then I heard the roar.

  “No!”

  I had taken too long in the cave; the tide had begun to rise. A rushing wave of water swept into the cave, knocking me breathless with its force. Seaweed and salt filled my nostrils; in vain I clutched at the cave walls, looking for vines, for seaweed, for anything to hold me fast. But it was too late. My fingers relaxed their grip; the waves had me, now, captured me in their grasp, and were pulling me out into the cove.

  My eyes squinted in the water, salt stinging my face. But I could make out the shapes coming towards me. Their teeth were jagged; their skin rough. These were sharks.

  Chapter 3

  I twisted my way through the waves, my heart pounding louder than the ocean roar. There was no way I could outstrip these sharks. They were agile, hungry, born to kill. Their teeth snapped at me as I furiously scrambled to the surface, gasping for breath as I looked around me in desperation. It was too far from the rocks; even if I made it to them I'd never be able to climb them, but would rather be thrust back down, falling from the slippery moss into the water. The sharks circled closer, their yellowing eyes hungry for a meal. For me.

  The stone. I felt in my pocket for the smooth, round stone. It gave off heat, and I clutched it tightly. It was supposed to bring the possessor courage and protection, was it not? Well, I didn't feel particularly courageous at that moment, but I figured it was my best bet.

  The stone seemed to give off a strange, purple light – a glow that seeped through the water like ink. For a moment, the shark backed off, closing its mouth. I breathed a sigh of relief. But out of the corner of my eye, I saw two more sharks approaching, each larger than the last. I shuddered. There was no way I was going to be able to repel all three. I started flailing about in the water, trying to remember my swim team training, but paralyzed by fear...

  And then I saw it next to me – the flash of a trident, blinding me with its brightness. Blood filled the water – my own? In a panic I looked about.

  But it was the shark who bled, not me. And atop the shark, his muscular thighs digging into his side, was a figure I knew well, riding the back of the shark, commanding it in a tongue I could not understand.

  Varun.

  His hair was soaked and matted; he wore no shirt and his chest glistened in the moonlight. “You will return to where you came from!” Varun was shouting to the shark, his trident stained with blood. “You will let her be.” The shark reared up with a roar, plunging Varun into the water.

  “By my power as the Water God, let her be!”

  The shark, however, did not feel particularly inclined to listen. Yet I looked up in shock to see at least ten more glistening tridents in the water. An army of mermen had encircled the sharks, their gazes menacing. They were looking at Varun, awaiting his command.

  The shark stopped thrashing, and Varun dismounted, his trident still in hand, his expression dark. The shark seemed to bow low, turning on its fins and swimming away, followed by his companions. Varun turned to the merman, giving them a careful salute. One by one, the men responded in kind to his gesture, and then vanished into the darkness of the water.

  I stared at Varun in shock. His eyes were brilliantly blazing; his hair was like spun gold. My mind was hazy; I'd swallowed a lot of water, and there was no room in my lungs for air. I began to grow dizzy, losing consciousness as I thrashed about in the water, gasping for air. This is an Immortal, too, I thought vaguely, as my eyes began to close. This wasn't the Varun I knew from high school, jocular and easy-going. This was the Water King, Poseidon, coming in all his power, commanding the waves. This was the true self of Varun.

  Mac. The voice seemed to be coming from within my own mind. Breathe into me. We need to get you air. His arms were tight around me as I lost consciousness. It's the only way to stay alive.

  My lips parted; his lips were against mine. He pressed my chest, expelling the water, and then began to breath fresh, sweet air into my mouth. My lungs expanded; consciousness returned to me. The waves and surf came over us intermittently with the lapping of the tide; we were both soaked and exhausted. I clung to Varun hazily, his mouth like a lifeline – the source of air of life.