The side of Cal’s mouth quirked up. “It wasn’t just for guilt. I wanted to see you again just as much as I wanted to tell you I was sorry.”
Her stomach was composed of butterflies. “I’m glad you invited me.”
Cal’s hand flexed beneath hers and she withdrew it thinking she had been too forward. He quickly reached out, threading his hand through hers, and looked at her with an openness she doubted many people saw from him.
“Why do you trust me so much?” he asked.
It was hard to think outside of the pressure of his hand against hers, but she tried for a small smile. “I think– It’s hard to explain. There are some things that are just instinct. Like a knowing inside your soul. Have you ever felt that?”
Despite how airy and silly it sounded, Cal’s face sobered. “Yeah. It’s how I feel about knowing you are the vessel.”
It was something Ara hadn’t had time to process. What it would truly mean to be the vessel and carry on that legacy? Witches and wizards had been lost to their magic and the world a mass of chaos and destruction underneath their feral touch. When the vessel appeared, she brought order and drew them out of their magic enough to be able to thrive. Civilization was built on her direction and the Founder’s age began. When she died, her legacy was secure and order maintained though everyone mourned her loss. Without the vessel, the witches and wizards' humanity began to slip, but another vessel appeared as a young human woman with an inexplicable affinity for magic. She was brought forward and it was decided she would split her time between the humans, wizards, and witches. Whenever she was with one, they thrived and the Age of Unity began. The world mourned her loss when she went missing, but five hundred years later no other vessel appeared and many questioned if there ever was such a thing.
“Ara?” Cal’s voice cut through her thoughts.
Ara shook her head, dispelling the heavy thoughts. “It’s just that if I were the vessel . . . that would be a lot of responsibility. I could do more for witches than any imperial witch ever had, but I don’t know.”
Cal frowned and withdrew his hand, retreating into his lonely shell. He had hoped she would believe him and that they would work together.
“That’s not what I’m saying, Cal. I believe you, and I will help you,” Ara said.
Cal’s eyes widened and searched hers. “How did you know that was what I was thinking?”
Ara gave a small chuckle. “You aren’t all that mysterious.”
He relaxed a fraction, but there was still an unease in him as if he didn’t quite believe her. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a small leatherbound book, but even as Ara watched, it grew five times its size. Ara’s breath shook as he set it down before them. Whatever lingering doubt she had was lost to the powerful magical item before her.
“A year ago I overheard my uncle talking to Sinclair about how if my father was alive he would have believed one of her new rarities was the vessel. Sinclair shut down the conversation before anything else was said, but it was enough for me. I began looking for the grimoire and researching the history of the vessel. The grimoire and the omnis stone were gifted to the vessel during the age of unity and it amplified her power so it made sense the answer would be in there somewhere. I went to the Mistral Hall’s library and even though I had been there a thousand times before, I felt it. It was as if it called to me, hidden among other books as if it had revealed itself. The moment I opened it I felt the book’s power. In it, Atlas had left a note and all it said was ‘Calami’.”
Ara’s fingers trembled as she lifted them to the book. Its power pulsated beneath her fingers and a rage she had never known filled her. It leaked into her bones and made her want to scream in agony. It was as if something precious had been taken from her and she was lost in a vast sea. She jerked her fingers back as if burned, her breath coming too quickly.
Cal reached for her and ran a hand along her cheek. “Ara? What is it?”
Her voice shook. “Do you not feel it? Something dark and powerful.”
Cal’s eyebrows furrowed as he studied her. “No. Sometimes it’s testy and it seems to have a mind of its own, but I’ve had it for nearly a year, and I’ve never felt anything like that from it.”
A shiver racked her body. “It’s like it wants out.”
Cal reached for the book and placed it back in his pocket as it shrunk down once more, the heaviness in the air dispelling and making it possible to breathe again. Despite her unease, she heard Cal clearly.
“I don’t know what it means either.”
Silence stretched between them and Ara let the ill feelings the book had inspired float on the wind around them.
“Ara, I didn’t say anything,” Cal said slowly.
Ara turned to face him. “Yes, you did. You weren’t sure what my reaction to the book meant.”
Cal swallowed, his throat bobbing. “I only thought that, Ara. I never said a word out loud.”
It was as if ice fell over her. She stood abruptly, knocking over the tea she set next to her. Anxiety bloomed in her stomach as she held a hand to it. “What do you mean?”
Cal stood quickly and reached for her hand once more. “Hey. It’s okay.”
Ara couldn’t see how he could be so calm when she had just read his mind. “How is this okay? Have you ever heard of this?”
His shrug was born of casualness. “No, but it only makes me certain that you are the vessel.”
