I had to focus and get through this ceremony.
"It's time," my father said, gently nudging me forward. "The light is about to hit the water—wait for the path."
I nodded, having no godly idea what he was talking about, but hoping I wouldn't look like a fucking moron. A murmured chorus of “Princess” and “Good luck” echoed from the crowds, and even though I didn't look back, I felt a sense of happiness and pride.
I'd never been important, and here I was. It was a nice, satisfying feeling.
Another nudge from my father indicated that I needed to start moving. Stepping along the soft grass, it felt damp, especially as I closed in on the water. The ruby light grew in intensity but wasn't blinding. Instead, I felt like I was being bathed in warmth … in life. How had I lived without the rubies up until now?
As my toes touched the water, I felt an urge to turn back. To look at the crowd. To search for him.
Jacob Compass.
Crazy, because there was no way he could be here. He didn’t even know this was happening—we’d planned the damn event yesterday.
Not to mention a month in Faerie was multiple months on Earth. He'd probably moved on with his life, thinking I was never coming back.
My eyes burned, throat tight and painful as I swallowed. Again, I refused to let the tears fall and ruin my mother's hard work. This was what I’d been waiting for, my moment to bond to the gems, and I had to focus on that. Or I’d never make it through this ceremony.
Before I could hurt myself thinking this hard, the light reached its peak intensity, and just as my father had advised, a path appeared, a path of light that glittered on top of what looked like solid water.
I felt no hesitation as I stepped onto the “path,” each step smooth, as I continued across the sparkling light, until eventually the crowds grew quiet behind me and my head started to clear. The journey across the water took quite some time, and when I finally reached the land on the other side, my mind was as silent as my surroundings.
I might have achieved maximum Zen or something, because this was the calmest my thoughts had ever been.
Moving off the lake, I landed on a solid sheet of ruby that went as far as the eye could see. Throw in a few hills and crests for texture and you got the idea. "Y'all love your ruby here, don't you?" I asked out loud. It had been years since I'd fallen back onto my grams’ Southern accent, but it slipped out, and as it did, she appeared in front of me.
"Grams," I choked out.
"My littlest love," she replied, and I almost had a fucking heart attack. "You've finally made it here. To the place it began."
I swallowed hard and there was no stopping the tears this time. "How...?"
She took a step closer, and since she was kind of translucent I did not at all expect I’d feel her hug.
But I did.
"I'm always with you, and right now you need a spirit guide to take you on this journey. It's my pleasure to be that person for you one last time … if you'll have me?"
Oh God. I sobbed and sobbed, before throwing myself at her again. "Yes. I'm so happy to see you again."
She held me tightly like she used to. This woman gave the best hugs.
"You have turned into a beautiful, strong young lady," she said as she pulled away. "Makes this old grams’ heart happy."
"Damn," I sobbed. "I can't believe this. And now I've ruined my makeup."
She chuckled, the deep belly chuckle that was so familiar it was hard to believe it had been near twenty years since I’d heard it. "Your makeup is perfect," she told me, and then holding my hand, led me forward. "Let's take the first step."
Around us, rubies rose up into the air, cracking through the smooth surface. I jumped back, but Grams didn’t move, smiling as she watched the huge stone pillars form before us. Eventually we stood at the fey version of Stonehenge. There were six giant ruby rocks, each slightly different in shape and structure, and all of them towering over us. In the center was an elevated circular platform.
"Let's start, shall we?" Grams said, leading me closer to the first stone. It was the smallest of the six, but still double my height and width.
"What do I do?" I asked when we stood right before it.
"Touch it," she whispered.
Reaching out, I pressed the hand with the ring tattoo mark onto the middle. Why I used that hand, I had no idea, but maybe it was an instinct, because it started to glow, the marks shimmering much stronger than normal.
