Emotions clog in my throat. Emotions I don’t think I’ve experienced before. But as much as I’m willing to accept them, now isn’t the time. There are apparently more pressing matters to attend to.
Clearing my throat, I muster a confident smile. “How are we going to leave The Vale?” I ask, thecoordinates fluttering in my mind once again. “The Sanctum has been too quiet for my liking already,” I state, pushing my sopping wet hair back off my face as the random thought makes itself known.
Ocean cuts the distance between us, whispering under her breath as she flutters her fingers across my wet hair, touching each strand before they fall in loose waves around my face.
“Thank you.”
“You're welcome,” she beams with a broad smile as she plants her hands on her hips. “Now back to your concerns,” she states as we head out into the lounge, where Thorne is waiting too.
“The Sanctum has been too quiet,” I repeat, my mind reeling over the fact that I’m only just thinking about it, but opening that can of worms leads to them all spilling out. “There has been no mention of the games, which means one is pending at any given moment, and if we leave, what if that's when The Rebels show up, and Kael needs us more than ever?”
Ocean smiles at me in understanding, but it's Thorne who speaks.
“We're going to be able to leave The Vale because I'm going to infuse my magic deeper into theirs to make it seem as though we've never left atall. They usually have a screening in place that tracks and acknowledges who is and isn't present. I should be able to override that, but it just means I won't be the one guiding us when we get there,” he explains, tilting his attention to Ocean, who nods, confirming that she will take the lead.
“The games, The Rebellion, Kael?” I rattle off, and Rion plants a hand on my shoulder.
“It's a chance worth taking.”
My pulse quickens at his words, but I swallow my nerves down and nod, accepting the truth to his statement as the numbers from the new riddle reoccupy my mind.
Determined to get there and back as quickly as we can, I roll my shoulders out and stand tall. “Any guesses on where we need to begin with the coordinates? I can't say this is my area of expertise,” I admit, and Thorne offers me a rare half smile.
“We haven’t narrowed down the finer details, but are you ready for another trip to Paris?”
Stepping through the portal and out into the quaint and pretty Paris streets offers a sense of familiarity that lightens my chest.
It’s understated, timeless, and softly romantic with the way the buildings seamlessly blend into one another while keeping true to themselves in a way I’ve never seen anywhere else before.
Not that I’ve been to many places, but that’s beside the point.
The last time I was here feels like a million years ago, and it’s almost poetic how the search for the Fractured Book of Souls brings me back here once again.
It’s like it was always meant to be.
I was always supposed to go beyond the trailer park.
I was always meant to experience this.
The faint smell of fresh bread in the air as the first rays of the morning sun spill over the horizon and bathe the city in golden light. A stark contrast to the dusk we left behind us.
Time zones are a major thing that I never thought I would get to experience, but as much as I want to bathe in the Parisian atmosphere, we have pressing matters to attend to, and a world I hate to return to.
I give myself a few more seconds to absorb the surrealness that comes with knowing somewhere like Paris offers a familiarity, a feeling of warmth,and home, before I latch my attention on the plan.
My gaze cuts to Ocean, who looks ready to lead, while Rion is right by my side, leaving Thorne to bring up the rear. His head is downcast, his eyes pits of black with his fingers curled at his sides, while tendrils of black smoke curl and wrap around his fingers as he continues to work the magic back in The Vale.
Taking a deep breath, I turn to Ocean, who nods and starts off through the quiet streets of Paris. Everyone's silent as we move, each row of buildings separated by a parallel road, blurring into one another until my breath falters.
I think I recognize where we are.
The line of houses across the road to the right don’t look much different than the other buildings we’ve been past, or the ones I’m sure are to come, but the door dead center…
I know it.
Standing across from it, my feet root me to the spot as I cast my gaze to my right, peering back at Thorne to find him already looking at me.
His jaw is tense, his eyes blacker than ever, but the tiniest curl to the corner of his mouth tells me I'm right. Hefeels it too.
