A simple, short white dress with a single strap over her bare shoulder adorned her tall frame. A necklace made of shells hung from her neck, and her aura, filled with suspicion, pulsed toward us.
“Let me handle this.” Kole took my hand, and the second our skin touched, the realm dropped out from beneath me.
He mistphased us to the top of the stairs, appearing from thin air right before the priestess.
She stumbled back, her lips curling to reveal her small canines. “What trickery is this? You’re not Solis fae!”
“Actually,” I said pleasantly and inclined a finger toward Kole. “He kind of is.”
Before she could comment further, Kole pulled the charm from his pocket that Varkin had given us. “This is from one of your fellow Lochen fae. He said to show it to you to prove our goodwill and to prove that a royal Lochen fairy sanctioned our visit.”
Warily, she took the charm and inspected it. She held it up to the sun, her green eyes narrowing. The bright light highlighted her blond hair and brown skin. Eyes narrowing suspiciously, she tapped the charm three times. It glowed for a moment, and a symbol appeared on the charm, one I wasn’t familiar with. My eyes widened in surprise. I hadn’t known the charm could do that.
Her forehead furrowed, but some of the suspicion in her aura lessened. She handed it back to Kole. “A son of Drachu gave this to you?”
“He did.” Kole inclined his head and slipped the charm back into his pocket. “Specifically, his son Varkin.”
She scoffed. “I’ve heard of Varkin. He’s quite a disappointment to our great king.”
“Nevertheless, he’s still royal,” Kole replied, his tone respectful yet firm.
Her chin lifted. “And what is it you’re wanting from me and the Emperell Temple today?”
“We want to contact Goddess Nuleef.” I gazed at the temple. “Her mate, God Diredan, has asked me to seek her.”
As much asI wanted to believe the priestess would do us no harm, Varkin had warned us not to trust her. He said many of the priestesses used unsuspecting foreign travelers to their advantage. What advantages, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
Consequently, I insisted on a fairy bargain with the priestess beforehand, binding her to the gods to ensure her intentions were pure and she would do me no harm.
She’d been reluctant at first, and I knew I could have mentally commanded her if needed, but luckily, I didn’t have to. Varkin’s royal charm held enough importance for her to follow my request, and she eventually acquiesced.
Following that, she led me up the stairs into the temple. Fresh air continued to swirl around us, the sun shining brightly in the pale green sky outside the domed ceiling.
“Stand there.” She waved to two slots near the temple’s central symbol. As I’d suspected, it was identical to what I’d seen in Arnel’s. “Place your feet in the divots.”
I did as she said, and the moment I stepped onto the footprint-like cutouts, I could have sworn that a wash of magic tingled against my skin.
Forehead furrowed, Kole waited at the top of the stairs outside of the temple, hands on his hips. “How long do you anticipate this taking?” he asked.
A strong gust of wind ruffled my hair and brushed long strands over my shoulder.
The priestess came to face me, then glanced at Kole. “It depends upon the goddess’s mood,” she replied. “I shall summon Goddess Nuleef as you requested, but it’s likely she will ignore us. If she hasn’t answered my call within the hour, we can assume she’s not interested.”
The priestess lifted her chin, and when her gaze locked onto mine, her tone turned brusque. “Close your eyes and clear your mind, then I shall begin.”
I did as she said, focusing on my vampire nature to do so. As a vampire, it was inherent to go entirely still and feel completely empty. No racing thoughts. No need to fidget. I was dead in every sense of the word.
But vampire magic still encompassed me, and even though nothing filled my thoughts, I was still aware of the priestess’s steady heartbeat and the scent of her blood. That would likely always call to me, but since all of my focus had shifted to saving Kole, it was easier to ignore that urge than normal.
“Your mind is clear?” she asked. After I nodded, she added, “Then I shall begin.”
The priestess began to chant in a language I was unfamiliar with. The strange words prickled against my skin, holding some kind of Lochen magic I didn’t understand. Her chants grew sharper, faster, and the foreign words blended into a symphony of song.
Standing silently, I grew lost in the lull of her hypnotic words. It felt as if time slowed, and the feel of the wind on my face ceased. Even the sound of her heartbeat and the fragrance of her blood faded.
And then I was falling.
The force of it was so abrupt that I tried to whip my eyes open, but everything in me had frozen. I plummeted through space.
