Salt stained the steps and crusted the rocks jutting out of the water.
“What is this?” I asked. “An elven spa?”
She grinned, and it loosened something in my chest. I thought I’d never see that smile again. “Geothermal pools. Said to have healing properties.” Taking off her shoes, she strode to the edge and sat down, dangling her feet into the shimmering blue water. “No idea if that’s true. I just find them relaxing.”
Wasting no time, I pulled off my booties and joined her, the steam a welcome blast of heat. One toe in the water and I was melting. “This is incredible.”
“Isn’t it?” The water’s reflection shimmered in her eyes. “You lost your necklace.”
A statement so similar to ones I’d heard before, usually meant to disarm me—but when it came from her mouth it didn’t make my skin crawl like it did with Flóki or trigger an inner alarm like with Leif.
“Yeah.” I dipped my chin, my fingers curling around the empty space above my heart. “Chthonia’s cronies came after me, too. They stole it.” I forced myself to meet Olivia’s midnight stare. “Along with so many other things.”
“I’m sorry.” Remorse pinched her face. “I know that was important to you.”
“It was all I had left of her,” I said.
“Not all…”
Source pulsed through me, like a lazy cat flicking its tail.
“You mean her magic?” I snapped my gaze to the pool, leaving my hand fisted at my clavicle. “I can’t even use it without the necklace. That was my conduit.”
“You released the Álfur River. That thing’s been frozen for over a century.” The outline of Olivia’s face appeared next to mine, rippling in the water. “How do you explain that?”
I forced air out of my nose. “Honestly, I don’t know.”
“You tapped into your emotions. You allowed yourself to feel, and…?” The rest remained unspoken in the grin that softened the furrowed lines of her face.
“Listened to my heart,” I finished. This is what she’d said, what she’d been trying to achieve in our therapy sessions before she was kidnapped.
Her shoulders rose with a steady inhale. “When people pass over to the next realm, they leave behind a unique imprint of energy—particles of creation that cannot be destroyed, so they redistribute back to the environment. Or in your case, transfer.”
Butterflies whirled in my gut, the sensation ballooning into my chest, moving upwards until a lightness filled my head.
“Your mom’s necklace was an heirloom you can never replace. But it’s not the only thing channeling your powers. Sure, it helps do it faster, and with less mental strain.” In the crystal waters, she tucked a stray curl behind her ear. “But her Source, your Source, lives in your heart. That’s the biggest conduit of them all.”
For a moment, I swore another pair of eyes stared back at me from the water. Ones so much like mine, curved and curious, but also like hers—my mom’s. A piercing, flame-like blue, full of secrets. I swished my feet, the ripples shattering my reflection.
I focused on the stillness between the tiny wakes, but it was me once the water settled. Olivia shifted next to me, clearing her throat.
“I was saying, I wanted to be there for you, and I wish I could have told you all this earlier—” I bristled at the statement, but she held up a hand so I wouldn’t interrupt this time. “But after I escaped Chthonia’s clutches, I had to fake my death, or they never would’ve stopped hunting me. So, I came here.”
“Why here?”
“Same reason as you, I assume? To find Gaia.”
“Did you get detained at the lighthouse, too?” I bit back a smile.
“Surprisingly, no.” She laughed. “I was able to contact the elves before I arrived and arrange my visit…” That spark of joy slowly tapered off. “Corbin hid so much from you. I get that was his form of protection, but… I think it did the opposite.”
“Yeah.” Leaning forward, I curled my fingers around the smooth edge of the lagoon. “So, um... Are you even a real therapist?”
“Yes!” Her jaw dropped playfully as she feigned offense, hand shooting to her heart. “Licensed and insured.”
“Sorry.” I cringed. “I had to ask. Well… What do we do now?”
“It’s a good question.” She sighed, relaxing her spine. “Not in a million years did I expect you to turn up here. It changes everything.”
