Nori let out her bell-tinkle laugh.“I can’t tell you how happy I am to meet you properly. If charging your electronics was the motivator to get you here, I’m glad of it.”
Scarlett found the courage to ask her most burning question. “Will I ever be alone again?”
“You’ve never been alone,” said Nori.“I’ve always been here. We’re partners, but I’m also part of you. We don’t have to talk all the time. I’m often a silent observer.”
Scarlett sent gratitude toward Nori.You’re so dazzling, she thought to her light.
“Thank you,” Nori replied, and Scarlett heard her gentle laughter.
A thought occurred to her. “Beni, should we head back? Manon might be waiting for us by now.”
Beni stood. “Yep. Let’s do it.”
They slowly began backtracking through the rooms with their lights floating along beside them. As Nori promised, Scarlett didn’t hear any voices in the archway. The pictures full of spirits were still there, but she was so focused on Nori that she barely noticed them. She was enamored with her light’s presence.
They soon arrived back at the green door, where Gwen was waiting for them. A little blue light bobbed around her head.
“Gwen, we did it!” announced Beni as they walked through the portal. “Riley is my light, and Scarlett has Nori.”
“Well done, both of you,” said Gwen as she led them out of the catacombs.
Now that Scarlett had Nori, she was much less resentful toward Gwen for being so cryptic. “That was quite the experience.”
“Yes, it always is. What questions do you have?” Gwen asked once they’d returned to the statue of the Goddess near the entrance.
“How did this soul-light ceremony come to be? Who created it?” asked Scarlett.
“Excellent question. The Goddess, Cerridwen, visited Hieratia thousands of years ago and left a seed of her divinity in the foundation of this building. She also left a seed inside one other place on the continent, which is now the temple in Zahara. Visitors to the temples are able to connect with her and realize their divine power through that seed, if she allows it.”
Divinity seeds. If you say so, Gwen…
Deciding to move on from that topic, Scarlett voiced her most burning question. “In the mirror, Beni saw our father, and I saw a friend. Our father died recently, and my relationship with my friend seemed quite different from how it is now—more developed, maybe? He looked older than he is now. Does the mirror show the past for some and the future for others?”
Gwen’s look was knowing. “Are you unsettled by who you saw?”
“No. I saw a friend I care for deeply, but I was a little surprised with how… emotionally charged the exchange was.”
The priestess’s eyes twinkled with amusement. Scarlett struggled to hide her annoyance. This had to be something she was ignorant of because she’d grown up in Soleil, and she wished the priestess would just tell her the facts.
“Right,” said Gwen with a twinkle still in her eye. “Typically, the mirror shows us someone who is the center of our world, either from the past or the future. For a younger person, it’s usually a parent, but as we move into adulthood, it’s often a dear friend or a romantic partner. We don’t get a lot of adults here for the soul-light ceremony, but I’ve seen a handful from Soleil, such as you. I think because of the rarity of it, an urban legend has sprung up that you see your true love in the mirror—but rest assured it’s not some heavenly decree that youmustbe with the person you see. You still have free will. Anything you saw in the mirror to do with the future is nothing more than a probable outcome, so don’t get too fixated on it.”
She saw Brayden’s face in her mind. How could shenotfixate on an urban legend about true love in the mirror?
“It’s a lot to take in.” Gwen studied Scarlett. “Do you have any other questions?”
Scarlett was about to ask about her valor when Brayden appeared in the doorway, followed closely by James. Both of their soul lights were hovering over their heads.
At the sight of Brayden, Scarlett’s breath caught.Goddess help me.She wasn’t prepared for seeing him so soon after that mirror experience.
Brayden looked charmingly disheveled. He hadn’t shaved and was wearing his army fatigues. Scarlett wanted to run her fingers over the stubble on his face and feel the heat of him next to her.
What would he say if she told him about her experience in the mirror? He might find it off-putting. Men didn’t like having expectations placed on them. Would he see her differently, in a bad way? She was frozen in place as he came closer.
“Stop worrying. He’s going to be happy about it,” said Nori.
Brayden waved hello to Gwen, then he beamed as he took in Scarlett and Beni and their lights. “Look at you two.”
“You’re one of us now!” said James as he clapped Beni on the back.
