The Spirit’s shoulders shifted as though it laughed, yet no sound came from it. “Today, the veil between us is the thinnest as you Ascend. Yes, I was present within you when that child challenged you. Did you not enjoy the taste of your enemy’s blood?”
I gritted my teeth to keep from making a face of disgust. No, I didn’t particularly enjoy that part.
I shifted the conversation. “Tell me what I need to do.”
“Ariana.” The Spirit said my name without my giving it. “You are on a path that is very much your own now. It will bring you great pain, but it may also bring you and those you care for peace. Some have been placed in your path to help you on this journey. You must never lose the trust you have in yourself. Trust in your choices, and the path you are set on may be less painful.”
“Path I have been set on? You make it seem like I have no choices, at least not really.”
“Somechoices are now out of your hands.”
“Are they in yours?” I asked, wondering if the Spirit had set me on the path.
“No, they no longer are.”
“But they used to be?” It made no sense. The Spirit was a god. How could anything be outside of its control?
“Many things are at work here. Your ties to the Spirit realm are strong; do not fear using those ties. Pull on the power, draw it intoyou. But know, the power will not be able to protect you from everything.” The Spirit was alluding to my conjuring, for that was what tied me to its realm.
“What is it I need protection from?” I asked. Did the Spirit not just imply that the Lysians could be trusted?
“You will soon know the answer to that.”
“You do not wish to give the answer yourself?”
The Spirit seemed to smile, though I still could not make out its features. “You remind me much of your mother.”
My breath caught. “You knew her?” My mother never ascended to Leader Superior. She could not have even been in a realm such as the one I was now in. Of course, the Spirit oversaw everything and thus knew her in some way.
“I must go. Time has gotten away from us,” the Spirit suddenly announced, and I felt my chance at obtaining any answers slip through my fingers.
“Wait. There is still so much I don’t understand. Can I truly trust the Lysians? Are the Sidhe behind the disappearance of conjurors from our lands? Will Bavadrins be injured if I free myself? What about the broken treaty and the curse?” I found myself rattling off several questions to which I desperately wanted answers.
“I will answer one question. Ask wisely, for some of which you asked may offer information that is of no true use to you.”
“The treaty. Did the curse die with Fraser’s death, or is there something else I could do to free the Bavadrins?”
“No, the curse did not die with your father’s death, and there is nothing you can do, for it was your birth that was the curse,” it answered plainly, and my heart nearly stopped in my chest.
“What—what do you mean?”
“I will leave you with one more bit of knowledge. There is one other on a path that will cross with yours several times. It is a conjuror of illumination. You will need their help. The two of youare drawn towards one another, for your futures are intertwined.” The Spirit then moved till it stood directly before me. I looked up at it and still could not make out a face or features. It was as if darkness clung to the shadows created by its hood, hiding the face behind it. “Those you have met in your brief life are lucky to have you in theirs.”
Conjuror of illumination? Did the Spirit mean fire? Was it speaking of Erik? I should have questioned it, but instead, I found myself asking, “How are they lucky if I am cursed?”
“I never said you were cursed. We have waited a long time for you.” The Spirit tilted its head as if looking down at something. “Your left hand, don’t drop it.”
Those were the last words said before it vanished altogether.
I woke up in the temple.
Gone was the mystical entity and the otherworldly feeling of its presence. Thankfully, so were the nausea and the cold in my bones. Though I was far from back to my usual self.
We have waited a long time for you.Who was thiswe? The Spirit and others have been waiting for me? I did not understand.
Rising to my feet too quickly caused the world to spin, and I sat back down as my body slowly adjusted to the change in position. After a moment, I tried again. My head protested. The floor was unsteady underneath my feet, but I managed one small step after another.
Your left hand.I looked at my hand to find nothing out of the ordinary.Don’t drop it.I then looked at the ground, seeing nothing. Slowly I shuffled my feet, moving around the stone altar to the other side. There was a rolled-up piece of paper on the ground.
