The sorcerer, taking in the situation with a quick glance, reaches out to me, but a radiant white light surrounds my hand and knocks everyone near me back a pace, until I’m standing alone, staring at my glowing hand.
I’m shaking so hard, I expect my knees to give out at any moment, because this surely means that I’m about to catch fire. I thought it was over, thought I was safe, and—
A voice like a cascade of temple bells rings inside my mind, drowning out my frenzied terror. A wave of light, heat, and energy crests through me.
Youaresafe, child.
“I … What?” I stare wildly around, whipping my head from right to left. “Who said that?”
A feeling of gentle amusement brushes the inside of my mind.
I am She. Artemisen. You hold my amulet, the first to do so and live in many long years.
I fall to my knees, careful to take the box with me, afraid to take my hand or the amulet out of it. “I’m sorry! I’m not worthy, but they made me do it,” I babble, feeling hot tears falling down my cheeks.
Hush. And tell this vicious king and the rest of these people this story. But mind you, remember it well.
Before I can say or ask anything else, the goddess is putting the words in my mind and channeling them with my voice. I don’t understand how, let alone why, but I learn quickly that when a goddess wants you to do something, you don’t question it.
You certainly don’t refuse.
“The … the goddess Artemisen says,” I begin in a near whisper, trying to pretend my courage is greater than my fear.
Louder, child.
“The goddess Artemisen bids me tell you this,” I say, raising my voice to carry throughout the room, but it’s not my voice that comes out.
It’sHers.
“People of Altarra, you have tried for nine and ninety years to free me from my sister’s cruel captivity. If you fail to reach me before the calendar reaches one hundred years, at the summer solstice precisely, my imprisonment will become permanent and the people of Altarra will suffer for eternity.”
The sorcerer slowly sinks to her knees, and the rest of the roomfollows her. Only the king and Prince Kaelen remain standing, both staring at me in shocked disbelief.
I want to say something, but Artemisen has other ideas. She uses my voice to continue.
“When all was nearly lost, I stole a handful of moments to ensure that only a rescuer with a pure heart and undeniable inner strength could retrieve the keys to my prison. This would keep any with evil intent from destroying them.”
“But Lil,” I rasp out against the goddess’s takeover of my mouth.
Regretfully, the child would never have been strong enough, she says in my mind, and I realize I can hate both a goddess and a king.
You threw her away, I think as fiercely as I can, since she won’t let me speak again.
The Air Touched half raises her hand and interrupts my inner debate. “But the amulet … Isn’t that the key?”
“It is one key, sorcerer. The ultimate key. But in order to use it and release me from captivity, you must find two more. I hid them to prevent my sister’s evil creations from finding them, but her armies have ranged far since then.”
“The Fell,” the king says, but he flinches when Artemisen looks at him through my eyes. The Fell comprise Corvynne’s horrible army—creatures made when the goddess crossed humans with predatory animals.
“The Zhagarn,” the prince says, naming the officers bound to Corvynne who lead the Fell. I/we turn to face him, but Kaelen doesn’t flinch. He actually takes a step toward me. “Soli? Are you all right?”
I can almost feel the goddess’s interest snap to the prince.
Tell him you are well, little one.
I try to speak and feel a rush of relief when my voice works. “I’m … fine? I’m not harmed,” I amend, not sure “fine” describes anything I’m currently feeling.
He studies my face and then nods. “We need to find two more keys, my lady? Where are they?”
