Unfortunately, they didn’t have any better options.
“Is there anything in them about the evil magic?”
Skye furrowed her brow as she slowly translated the glyphs. “Hard to say. The language is old enough to be different from modern fey, and it looks like there’s a lot of mumbo jumbo mixed in.” She silently mouthed the words, nearly reaching the bottom of the page when she abruptly stiffened. “Wait. This one mentions a corruption.”
“Read it to me,” Maya commanded.
Skye leaned over the book, clearly struggling to make out the words.
“‘When the corruption bubbles in the bowels of the ground and violence spreads throughout the land, the heart of darkness will strike from beyond the prison walls. Those too blind to see will drown in the evil while the watchers will be devoured by fire. To survive, you must stand steady against the unseen traitor.’”
“The watchers? That might refer to Joe.” Maya clicked her tongue. “But the rest of it makes no sense. How do you stand steady against an unseen traitor? And are we going to be devoured by fire or the corruption? Typical prophecy nonsense.”
Skye straightened, her face pale. Clearly she was disturbed by the oracle’s vision. “Don’t glare at me. I’m a seer, not a prophet.”
Maya waved an impatient hand. “You’re the only one to glare at.”
“True.” Skye tapped her finger against the book. “I know it sounds like gibberish, but I think we should share this with Joe.”
Maya grimaced, recalling her glimpse of Joe through Tia’s mind. He’d been covered from head to toe by the green, slimy magic.
“He’s a little preoccupied and this vision doesn’t really offer much clarity.”
“If Adelle showed it to us, it has to be important,” Skye stubbornly insisted. “And since Joe is the Watcher, this might mean something to him even if it sounds like nonsense to us. Maybe he’s heard another prophecy that’s similar to this one.”
“Okay. You’re right,” Maya conceded with a small sigh of defeat, reaching for the book. “I’ll take this back to Tia. She can share the prophecy with Joe.”
“Hurry.”
Maya stared at her friend, a strange unease creeping down her spine. There was a sharp urgency in Skye’s voice that hadn’t been there before.
“Did you see something?”
Skye shook her head, her curls bouncing. “Not a vision. But a feeling. Here.” She pressed her hand over her heart. “Having you back in New York and close to Tia suddenly feels...important.”
“She’s in danger?”
“Yes.”
“Now?”
“Yes.”
“I need to warn her.” Maya closed her eyes, ignoring the heavy press of magic that made it difficult to breathe as she tried to tap into her mental connection with the older mage. Immediately, she realized that it was going to be impossible. There was a familiar buzzing sound that echoed in her ears, and a thick mist repelled her efforts tobreak through. “I can’t reach her.” Maya opened her eyes, her frustration reaching a boiling point. Dammit, couldn’t one thing be easy? “There’s an interference that comes from being so close to that evil sludge.”
“Then you have to go to her, Maya,” Skye insisted. “I’ll have Micha’s jet ready and waiting at the airport.”
Maya gave a slow nod. “You’re right. So much for my plans to stay the night and catch up.”
Skye moved forward to give Maya a quick hug. “Next time,” she promised.
“Considering how often we’re facing the end of the world, I assume I’ll be here next week,” Maya said dryly.
Skye offered a faint smile. “True. In the meantime, I’ll continue to search for answers on how to stop the corruption.”
“Call if you find something.”
Chapter 17
