What is happening?
I scream out in agony, needing, pleading,beggingfor it to cease. 306 says something that doesn’t register, muffled and indistinguishable, like he’s talking behind a closed door, miles away.
My body locks up as I’m flung onto my back, jaw clenching with the burning sensation swimming through my veins. It feels like my body is attacking itself, combating some foreign entity that has inhabited my bloodstream. I manage to pry one eye open and see the stranger looking at me with concern. I don’t need his pity. I just need it to fuckingstop.
There’s a moment, before the all too familiar needle prick pierces my flesh, that I think I’ve seen him before. My eyes bounce over his features, shuffling through what few faces I remember. And then it clicks. The lonely solitude, the earth magic, the scar running down the side of his neck.
Atticus.
Atticus was with my little fighter. He knows where she went, and now…so do I.
TWENTY
Kallie
Sconces light the previously darkened hallway, showcasing symbols engraved into the stone walls. Only a few light up at a time, leaving holes in whatever story they’re trying to convey.
“This way,” Aslan instructs, breaking the silence. As she heads into the unknown—well, unknown to me—the flames begin moving with her, quickly dimming the entrance with each of her steps. Odeyssa follows without a word, and against my better judgment, so do I.
The retreating light only allows me to catch glimpses as I brush past, the passageway giving me bits and pieces of a tale I don’t understand. I don’t know whether I’m looking at the beginning, middle, or the end. However, something calls me to listen, devour the images, trace the grooves of the engravings with all my senses and become one.
But there’s no time.
A set of stairs waits for us at the end of the passageway, leadingus farther down into the dungeon. I watch Odeyssa’s and Aslan’s retreating forms disappear down with the light as I fight with myself to stay upright. To keep breathing—moving. Ultimately, I’m out of options, and the only thing for me to do is follow them down, even though my mind screams at me to leave.
The damp air clings to my lungs, suffocating, as I near the bottom. I’m close to catching up with them, but as I round the corner, my steps falter. A soft, ethereal blue glow bathes the space. The flames from the sconces are long gone, replaced by a wall of flowing, cobalt water, molecules dancing in the air like living creatures. At the center of the cave, a stone pillar stands, supporting a floating orb—a beacon of blissful beauty, its light pulsing with a rhythm of its own.
“What is this place?” My question comes out breathlessly, but still, it echoes off the empty space.
“This is where all the answers stay hidden,” Aslan states ominously. Her stride doesn’t slow until she’s standing on the other side of the mysterious sphere. She looks up at us expectantly, beckoning us to do the same. Odeyssa’s eyes meet mine as we both give each other a sideways glance. However, where hers are entranced—wide-eyed and full of excitement—mine scream at her with uncertainty. I follow a few paces behind her, noting my surroundings suspiciously, like an invisible dome will pop out of the ground any second, trapping us in here where no one would hear our cries. A shudder courses through me at the thought.
“Answers to what exactly?” I ask hesitantly.
“To whatever it is you’ve been searching for.” Her hands begin moving over the top of the orb, eyes rolling to the back of her head, only the whites showing between her lids. It looks like something ancient and unholy has taken root inside her. The globe pulses with light, turning stark white, until suddenly, scenes flash inside.
They play out like a movie on fast forward, blinking in and out, only allowing me to track a few images here and there. Familiar faces come and go—mine being one of them—and for a single moment, the orb zooms in on my chest, giving a very brief—but detailed—look at my necklace. Instinctively, my hand reaches up to grasp the same one that’s always dangling just past my collarbone. But it’s not there. In fact, with the shit show that’s been my life, I don’t even remember the last time I saw it.
Odeyssa’s face comes into view, but she stays silent, and the show comes to an end after a few more wisps of pictures play out. But the last scene it leaves us with is the face that haunted my dreams—literally—for years. Callum.
His face is achingly close—too close—and time fractures. Slows. Like the world itself wants to make sure I see him before it rips him away again. A cruel trick. One last, lingering look burned into my mind, whether I want it or not. The glow suddenly fades, leaving the unspoken truth hidden inside the images. Even as Aslan’s shoulders roll forward, and she releases a sigh with relief, and the story has been told, I’m unable to tear my gaze away. Something pulls at me to see more,knowmore, even though I wasn’t told anything at all.
What was it saying? What does it all mean? Finally, I rip my eyes away, looking first at Aslan, who looks like she just went through Hell, then at Odeyssa, whose grin stretches from ear to ear, as if she completely understands what we just witnessed, and I’m the only one being left in the dark.
“Well, that was quite interesting,” Aslan croons.
“Care to share with the class, because I’m lost.” My tone is a bit snippy, but I’m sick and tired of everyone else knowing what’s going on around here and being the last to know—if I ever find out at all. “What was all of that?”
“I’m an oracle. Andthatwas the gods and goddesses telling me what needs to happen next.” She explains it like it’s the mostnormal thing in the world. To her, it probably is. But she has to know this looks—and sounds—completely insane.
“So, what you’re telling me is not only did you understand whatever it said, but it also has something to do with what we’re doing here?”
“Precisely.”
“And you just so happen to know why we stumbled here in the first place?” I cross my arms across my chest, disbelief coating my words.
“It would be safe to assume I know…everything.” She gives me a pointed look, and all the color drains from my face. I stare at her, unbelieving. There’s no way she could—thatseems impossible.
“I think we have some things to discuss.”
