Mortal Love

By Morgan J. Manns

“Emily, I’m probably dead or the next thing to it. Please, my Love, don’t wait for me. They’ll kill you—”

A stuttering breath escapes me, and I drop my phone. Looking down, I stare dumbfounded at the black arrow piercing my shoulder, its tip gleaming from my blood.

The library’s high, vaulted ceilings close in as I stumble backward, numb from the shock.

He’s found me.

Inevitability sharpens my focus, and I reach down to retrieve my phone. I must warn Emily before

“We meet again, Paul.”

I spin, wincing at the tightness in my shoulder.

A silhouetted figure strides down the library’s red carpet toward me, his muscular torso bearing sleek, obsidian feathered wings resembling a bird of prey. He clutches a bow strung with a resplendent, golden string. Strapped to his back, a quiver of black arrows.

“Eros, it seems your aim has improved,” I shout through the vast, darkened space. “Unless your target was my heart.”

His growl reverberates through the desolate stacks. “I never miss. You know this.”

I wince, remembering the last time he shot me, millennia ago. He destroyed everything I ever cared about…

Eros steps into the lantern light, and I catch his expression—a triumphant grin.

Memories claw to the surface and my temper erupts through the cracks. “This lifetime was supposed to be mine, away from your influence! This arrow had better kill me, because I’m not going back. I’ll die before I leave Emily!”

He stops, his raven-dark wings flaring outward. “Choosing a mortal life for a human? Believe me, I’d love for you to die…” He forms his hand into a fist. “But the gods have other plans. They want you to come home and have asked me for help.”

Pain explodes from my wound. Falling to my knees, I struggle to keep my gaze on him. Maybe if he gets close enough, I can grab his bow and…

“Before you think of doing anything foolish, perhaps you’d like to see who I’ve brought with me.” Eros steps to the side.

Through the double doors at the end of the aisle, a familiar figure emerges, radiating a light of her own.

I swallow hard. “It can’t be…” The pain in my shoulder ebbs as I watch the woman stride forward with graceful steps. It must be Eros’s arrow, making me hallucinate. I tear my gaze away from the illusion, searching the floor around me for my phone. Emily needs to be warned. They’ll kill her, just to spite—

“Apollo, is that truly you?” The lilting voice pierces deeper than the arrow, igniting old wounds. Trembling, I look up.

“Daphne?” My voice breaks. She’s here, and she’s real. She must be. No illusion could be so beautiful. No! I think, desperately. Emily is my Love! I requited my love for Daphne long ago, when it was clear she would never love me back—or so I thought.

A striking blue dress drapes across Daphne’s lithe form, gleaming like moonlight on water. A laurel broach secures the fabric at the shoulder just above a rounded scar. She’s beautiful.

Regret wells up and an apology bursts from my lips. “I’m sorry for how I acted all those years ago. You must know it was Eros’s fault. I never meant to be so bold.”

The black demon snickers from the bookshelves on which he leans. I ignore him, continuing the speech I’ve rehearsed a million times.

“He forced me to pursue you. Forgive me, please, Daphne.” Tears stream down my face, falling to the carpeted floor.

“Oh, dear sweet Apollo, I know.” She’s before me now, kneeling, tipping my chin up toward her. “And I forgive you.”

Her kind eyes peer into mine, not a hint of trepidation on her ageless features.

The pain in my shoulder becomes a low throb, barely there.

“You… You do?”

“Of course.” Her grin warms my soul.

Taking her hand in mine, she helps me to my feet.

Wasn’t there a wound in my shoulder? Am I not supposed to be in pain? Where’s… My mind feels like a puzzle I can’t put together.

A sudden question emerges, and I have to ask. “A millennia ago, Eros caused your hatred of me. Why the sudden change of heart after all these years?”

Her grin falls into a thoughtful sigh, and she looks away. “When Eros shot us both, fear flooded my heart. I couldn’t trust you anymore.” Her lip quivers. “But, when Father helped me hide, I had time to think. The magic from Eros’s arrow slowly dissipated and I came to a revelation.”

“What?” My question comes out in a whisper.

Her eyes meet mine again and she rubs her shoulder. “We loved each other before Eros struck us with his arrows. I know this now without a shadow of doubt. My heart yearns for you.”

Her hand tightens around mine and my heart leaps in my chest. Did she just say she loved me? How long have I waited to hear those words…

The world fades. Only she and I exist.

I crease my eyebrows. Wasn’t there something I had to do? Someone I needed to see… A shy smile graces her lips and my mind goes blank, like the sky before the stars emerge.

“Daphne…” I lean toward her, my lips parting.

“Not here, Apollo. We need to go home. Will you come with me?”

I nod, feeling like I’m floating on air, but something stirs within my mind. I look down. There’s a frayed hole in my shirt. I rub the spot. I’ll have to get that fixed.

“Are you coming, Sweetheart?”

“I’m coming, Love.”

A glow from a discarded phone lights up the floor as we walk arm in arm. I ignore it, wrapping my arm around Daphne as we walk down the carpeted aisle. At the same time a dark shape moves about the stacks, but it’s no matter. I’m with my Love.

I’ll die before I leave my Daphne.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Morgan J. Manns is a speculative fiction writer who firmly believes that the world needs more stories filled with magic and wonder. Captivated by the realm of intricate world-building since composing her first fantasy tale at the age of ten, she now ventures beneath the endless Canadian prairie sky with her supportive husband and two hobbit children, all while eagerly contemplating her next literary creation. While her current occupation is that of an elementary school teacher, her dream job will always be dragon rider, soaring through the skies of her imaginings.

---

More Stories | Instagram