“Moira told me.”
That made her stop cold. She straightened and stared at her sister with wide eyes. “Moira?”
“Callum sent me to the shore. He wanted me to use the stone to return to the future. But I knew it was wrong. In my gut, I knew it was wrong. I didn’t want to go and leave him. I couldn’t. I just…couldn’t. Moira was there on the shore.”
“She visited you?”
“Yes. She told me if I left, it would reset Time and all my memories of this place, of Callum, would be erased. She told mehe would die in battle if I left. That’s when she showed me how to use the keystone.”
The look on her face sent a chill through her. It was clear to Chloe that her sister was irrevocably in love with her husband, which gave a happy squeeze to her heart. And also a bit of jealousy. She wanted a love like that. She wanted to feel like that about someone, too.
“I couldn’t let him die,” she said, her voice quiet.
“Of course, you couldn’t. You love him. And he loves you.”
Then, Evie stepped a little closer and dropped her voice. “It’s blood magic, Chlo. I’m sure of it.”
She stared at her as if she’d grown another head. “Blood magic?”
“Shhh. Keep your voice down. Those that were there that night have accused me of being a witch.” She glanced around the stable to see if anyone was listening.
Chloe lifted a brow in amusement. “Are you?”
She gave her a straight face. “You’re hilarious.”
She shrugged, a grin creasing her lips. “Just asking. So, how does it work?” Chloe asked, genuinely curious.
Evie lifted her palm, the one with the burned image of the stone, and showed it to her. In the center, there was a new silvery scar she never had before. Something had slashed across her palm. She thought she understood what that meant.
“You cut yourself.”
“Moira did. She used a dagger to slice open my hand. She told me to keep the keystone in my hand and never release it. The feeling was…” she paused, shook her head, “hard to describe.”
Chloe reached for her, taking her scarred hand in hers, and squeezed it. There was a hollow look in her sister’s eyes as she remembered. It was haunting.
“Try.” She gave her an encouraging smile.
Evie took a deep breath, expelled it. “Remember that time when we were kids and that horrible thunderstorm knocked out the power? It was only out for a couple of hours, but when it came back on there was this surge through all the electronics. It fried the TV and Mom’s laptop.”
Chloe nodded. She remembered that well. Her parents were upset they had to replace so many electronics. When the power came back on, there was a pop and a flash and then the acrid smell of smoke in the house.
“Are you saying you had a power surge?” she asked.
Evie said, “I think so. It felt like a rush going all the way through me, like a…well…a surge. And suddenly I sensed what Callum was going through. I saw what would happen to him if I didn’t go to him, if I didn’t try to save him. The strangest thing of all was I projected those scenarios into his mind. Ispokeinto his mind and he heard me.”
She shuddered as she told the story as though she had relived the horror of the battle.
“There’s something else I should tell you,” she said after she paused a moment. She squeezed her hand, holding her tight. “Moira is the Goddess of the Present. One of the Triple Goddesses. When she and her two sisters shattered the stone during the Shattering, they put all their powers into each piece. They scattered the pieces throughout Scotland, only to be found when there was a need again.”
Chloe stared at her, her heart ramming hard against her chest. “And you think that time has come?”
“It’s the only explanation for it.” Evie released her and reached into her pocket, bringing out her stone. She held it up with an expectant look.
Chloe released her hand and did the same. She placed her piece against Evie’s and watched as not only the edges lined upperfectly, but also the lines of the triquetra and the circle. It was clear there was a third piece missing.
They both stared at it and then looked at each other.
“Two ancient bloodlines. One divine destiny,” Evie whispered, repeating the words of the prophecy.
