I didn’t know exactly where we were going or who we were about to meet, only that this was the start of a new beginning. Or perhaps it was the continuation of the start I had run from when I needed to learn to breathe again.
It might seem odd for me to so blindly trust Alura after everything that had happened. But then again, when I truly thought about it, it didn’t. I knew Alura was a Wielder and someone that Rosamond trusted. I had almost sacrificed everything to find Rosamond after the Obscurité knight and his Negs had taken her, and I would still do whatever I could to help her.
I trusted her because her mere presence demanded it. She’d saved me, even if I hadn’t known it at the time. It had been a year since I saw any of the others. Nearly a full three hundred and sixty-five days, yet I could still feel the connection that I had to Rhodes and even Rosamond.
I rubbed my hand on my chest, annoyed with myself for even thinking about that connection to Rhodes. Because it wasn’t really true, was it?
Maybe it was because the others thought I was the prophesied Spirit Priestess. Something I was beginning to believe myself. That could have been why I’d felt such a strong pull towards Rhodes at the beginning. And maybe that was why I felt like I could truly trust and be friends with Rosamond.
Before I found out about any of the world beyond mine, I had been inexplicably pulled to Rosamond. Emory and Braelynn had been ready to move on with the rest of their lives. They had made choices about colleges and majors that had nothing to do with me. And I had understood that. Because growing up meant making the hard choices and figuring out who you were as an adult.
But I hadn’t figured out what path I needed to be on. Until I discovered that there was a darkness beneath my skin—and perhaps a lightness, as well. I hadn’t truly found my path until I found out that I wasn’t who I thought I was. And, yes, I had run from that also, but it was because I had been forced into it. No, that wasn’t right. I ran because I was scared. Because I needed time. And I wasn’t going to get that time sitting in a realm that I wasn’t sure even wanted me.
Oh, they may say that they wanted the Spirit Priestess to save the day, but what did that really even mean?
Did they really want change to happen?
Because the knight of the Obscurité Kingdom hadn’t wanted me to help anyone. He’d wanted the power for himself. Lore had threatened the entire realm because of his greed and his anger towards everyone that he thought had slighted him. He had stolen the Wielding power from those he thought weaker. He’d either killed them or forced them to become weaker shells of themselves until they couldn’t fight back.
Thinking about him, thinking about what he’d stood for, I wasn’t sure that anybody really wanted me to come back and save the world.
I huffed out a laugh, shaking my head.
Save the world? Sometimes, I wasn’t even sure I could save myself. I couldn’t do it when that sword had slid into my belly, and I had seen the horror in Easton’s and Rhodes’ gazes. They had tried to keep me from sliding down onto that blade, kept it from cutting even deeper. But I had been impaled against the stone wall behind me because of Lore’s Wielding.
It had been Rhodes who kept me still, and Easton who had slid the sword back out with a fire so hot that it scorched both of us as he pulled the blade from my skin.
Both Rhodes and Easton had tried to save me, but it hadn’t been enough.
I wasn’t Rhodes’ soulmate, that much I now knew. Because if I had been, he would have been able to heal my mortal wound. That was what soulmates did, after all. At least one of the many things they did according to myths and legends.
But he hadn’t been able to do it.
Nobody had.
I had been alone until the Spirit Wielders had connected to me from wherever they were on whatever realm and found a way to heal me. They had brought me back, and even though I was weak, we had found a way to save the realm. If even for a day.
Lore was no more. The knight had faded into the darkness.
Now, Easton was the King of Obscurité, and Rhodes was gone.
When I woke up with Braelynn biting at my hair, I had known that things would be different.
But I trusted Rosamond. I put my faith in her because she was a Seer and had never led me astray. And maybe that was stupid. Perhaps I was just naïve. But I needed to trust in something. Because if I didn’t, I wasn’t sure I could take any of the next steps that I needed to.
So, I let out a breath and packed my bags again, ensuring that I had everything I might need.
“Are you ready?” Alura asked, stepping into my bedroom. I was on the top floor, my bedroom still looking like it had throughout high school. With white drapes and a huge duvet, delicate furniture, and books that I had read before but hadn’t picked up since I came back. I’d focused on what I could learn about the other part of myself and the classes I knew I wouldn’t be going back to.
I held back a shiver as I looked at the bed. I’d had so many nightmares here, I couldn’t even count them all. The dreams had to be because of who I was, but no one had ever been able to explain them to me. And believe me, I had asked.
I had written to Rosamond, asking her why I had the dreams, why they seemed to torture me, but she hadn’t given me any details I could use. She hadn’t said much of anything, so I didn’t know if she actually knew. She’d told me before that sometimes being a Seer meant knowing things and determining when to tell others about them.
Lore had even been able to slice into one of my dreams at one point, and he had burned Rhodes in the process because Rhodes had been sleeping next to me in a tent at the time.
The dreams had to mean something, but nobody would tell me what.
Either they didn’t know, or they didn’t think I should know.
Because Rosamond was a Seer, I had a feeling it was the latter. And since Alura seemed to like being mysterious and didn’t like telling me things, that made them not wanting me to know ring true even more. The dreams had to mean something, that much I knew. They had rattled my entire being while I slept in this room and when I’d been fully human—or at least thought I was—but I hadn’t known that there was anything more to them.
“Where am I going?” I had asked this before, and I wanted the answer. Just saying, “the Maison realm,” fractured as it was, wasn’t really helpful. I knew that there was an entryway near my house up in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. That would get me into the southern Spirit territory. I had only ever been there, and to the Fire and Earth territories. I hadn’t ventured into the Lumiére Kingdom at all, nor had I ever been to the northern Spirit territory.
I had spent most of my time in the Earth territory. Because between the actual pirates that had kidnapped us, and the Lord and Lady of Earth’s sentries and guards, I had been on multiple journeys across the whole territory. I had seen so much of it and had even fallen in love with parts because of the sheer beauty of the place. It hadn’t mattered that my feet were sore, or that I had blisters on my blisters, it had still felt like I was part of something. I had only been in the border territories for a little bit, and in the Fire territory for an even shorter period of time. We hadn’t had to walk long distances, not like we did in the Earth territory. Others’ Wieldings had brought us from one place to the other.
I didn’t think I would be able to use Wielding like that anytime soon, not until I trained more. And maybe not ever since I knew that not everyone could do that.
So, wherever I was going, I knew I would have to walk. A lot.
Thankfully, I had been training. I was far stronger than I had been the first time I walked into the Maison realm, but that didn’t really mean much since I hadn’t known what I was facing then. And for some reason, I felt like I had no idea what I would be facing now.
“We’re going where you need to go.” Alura held Braelynn in her arms, scratching beneath my cat’s chin.
“So, are we going to the same place that I went last time?” I slid the bag over my shoulders, making sure the weight was evenly distributed so I could keep up with any pace that I needed to with it on. I had learned how to do that better when I was in the other realm. So, hopefully, I wouldn’t tire out too quickly wherever I was going.
“You’ll be going into the southern Spirit territory. Same place that you went before.”
Surprised, I blinked and took a step back. It was very unlike Alura to actually straight out tell me details. That probably meant she was keeping other secrets. Because as much as Rosamond had told me to trust her—and I did—it was kind of hard sometimes to truly understand what Alura wanted me to do.
I had no idea what kind of Wielder she was, and I really didn’t know her on a personal level despite the fact that I considered her a friend. But I knew there had to be a reason she was here. Maybe it was because I was all alone and didn’t have anyone else. Anyone except for Braelynn.
My cat looked at me as if she knew I hadn’t immediately thought of her, and I closed my eyes for a moment.
It was just so like a cat to make me feel guilty, and, for some reason, Braelynn was acting more cat-like than human these days. Or maybe I was just losing my mind because it had been a year since I’d had any contact with anyone beyond the letters we exchanged. Maybe that was why I clung to Alura, this woman that I didn’t really know.
“Did you work the spell that you needed to with my parents?” I asked, my throat a little dry. She had explained to me that there was a way we could make it so my parents would forget that I even existed. She had assured me it could be temporary, though. It was similar to the memory spell that Easton had used to ensure that they didn’t notice that I was gone for as long as I had been in the other realm. The last time, my parents had sent out police cruisers and even made a stack of flyers with my face on it to let everyone know that I was missing and that they were looking for me. Braelynn’s and Emory’s families had done the same, although from what Alura had told me, Emory’s parents really hadn’t put much effort into it.
That saddened me, but I pushed those thoughts away, trying not to think about Emory at all. It hurt no matter what I thought of.
But, somehow, the memory spell had erased all evidence of what had occurred when I was gone. No one had known to miss me or put in a police report. Anyone who had seen it on a flyer or screen or anywhere else had simply forgotten about it.
I knew that was strong Wielding, forceful magic. So much that I wasn’t sure that anyone else could have done it. But the King of Obscurité had the power.
I didn’t know if it was his Fire or Earth Wielding that could do it. Maybe it was just something inherent in all Maisons. Some things weren’t elemental. Some things just seemed to be Maison.
Perhaps keeping the Maisons a secret from the human realm was the strongest magic of all.
I had read something about that in the book that Rosamond had given me. About how the Maisons were forced to stay secret because the humans wouldn’t understand. The fact that I had understood that at all when everything had first happened told me that there was a purpose. Or maybe I had just been reaching for something because I didn’t feel like I belonged. Braelynn had been the same way, but Emory had been the one to back away. Emory hadn’t wanted to believe.
In the end, she had been forced to believe. Had been compelled to feel the magic running through her veins. I didn’t know where she was or how she felt, but I knew it had to be different for her now. As if she were a completely different person.
Once again, I put those thoughts from my mind, knowing that I didn’t have time.
“So, are you coming with me?” I asked, unsure what I wanted the answer to be.
Alura shook her head, and I immediately felt disappointment, though not as much as I should have. Maybe it was because I really didn’t know her well, or perhaps it was just that she sometimes freaked me out, even with the trust we’d built.
“You’ll be bringing Braelynn with you, though,” Alura said. “She needs to be back in the realm because she can’t…no, I’d better not say anything.”
I moved forward, pulling Braelynn into my arms. She purred against my neck and then looked over at Alura with what I could only guess was an accusatory stare. Braelynn seemed to give those often. Then again, she was a cat. I really did like cats, but it was strange to talk to my best friend as one.
“I thought I was going to have to leave her behind.” I didn’t have the same disappointment I had before. Instead, I felt a little elated. I would be bringing Brae with me. She wouldn’t be alone here in a place that didn’t know who she really was, and I wouldn’t be alone in the Maison realm. Even though I knew I likely wouldn’t be alone there because someone had to be meeting me. Because if Alura were telling me it was time to go, there had to be someone waiting for me on the other side. It was probably Rosamond. Maybe even Rhodes.
I ignored the clutch in my belly at the thought of him. It had to be them. Nobody else would be there for me.
“She’s going with you, and I’m going to attach this little carrier to your bag so she doesn’t have to walk the whole way. It’ll be like she’s a parrot on your shoulder with her little head out and her little paws.” I just shook my head, laughing a bit as Alura righted the pack with Braelynn’s little section.
“On the other side, we’ll attach the things she needs, but I’m sure when you’re there, there’ll be enough supplies for the both of you. Now, we must be going.”
“But my parents? You finished with that part, too?” I knew I was jumping all over the place, but I was really worried. I had been waiting for this day for a year, sitting in place as if everything were just in stasis, on pause as my life tumbled out of control.
I’d said goodbye as if I were going on a walk earlier, but Mom and Dad hadn’t seen me. Not really. They hadn’t seen the pain in my eyes. The knowledge that I was leaving them—this time possibly for good. I loved my parents with every ounce of my being, even if I couldn’t tell them everything that had happened. They didn’t even see Brae as a cat with wings, just a feline that I called Braelynn. They thought it was funny that I’d named my pet after my best friend. They had no idea she was my best friend.
I couldn’t tell them anything without either putting them in danger, or having them think I needed to be put in a mental institution for believing in the unbelievable.
“Your parents won’t remember you, and they won’t be staying here, either. I’m going to have them and Braelynn’s family go on vacation together, maybe even a long one where they resettle somewhere else. Just in case those who don’t want a Spirit Priestess in their world for reasons of their own come to find them.”
I swallowed hard, holding Braelynn close. “You think they would hurt my parents?” I knew that there were people out there who didn’t want me to save the Maison realm. They didn’t want me and my powers to take what they thought was theirs. Not that I was going to, but they had reasons of their own that only they understood. Or maybe, like the knight, they wanted my power for themselves. For those reasons, I was glad that others were thinking of my parents and trying to protect them. But it didn’t make any of it any easier to swallow.
“They will be fine. No one will even know where they are. I’ll do my best to make sure neither of you even know where they are.”
“As long as they’re safe.” I might not truly connect to my parents the way I should, but I loved them. And they loved me. And Braelynn’s family loved her, even if they couldn’t remember her because of the memory spell. My parents wouldn’t remember me soon either. And it was all for a reason. For a purpose. But it didn’t make it any easier. And so, with that, I brought Braelynn close, and we started on our way to the mountains. Alura drove, competent and acting as if this were an everyday occurrence. As if I weren’t walking into a realm that wasn’t the one I had been born into, one that called to me with its siren song in my dreams and during my waking hours.
This was rote for her. But for me, it wasn’t.
It couldn’t be.
Because I was the only Spirit Priestess. The one they had all been searching for. The one Rhodes and Rosamond had been looking for. And they had found me.
Others were looking for me, but it had been Rhodes and Rosamond who eventually fulfilled that part of the prophecy. Apparently, even Easton had started the search long ago, though he’d quit while trying to save his kingdom. I didn’t know how I felt about that. Then again, I didn’t know much about Easton or how I felt about him saving me or him helping me in the end when Rhodes had walked away.
I let out a shuddering breath as we got out of the car, Braelynn in a pouch on my back with her little paws perched on my shoulder. We walked towards the mountain.
I must have looked weird with a cat sitting perfectly still on my back and shoulder, but there was no one to really look at us. We made it through the place where I had fallen that first time. The area where a Neg had wrapped its spindly fingers around my ankle and tugged me down the mountainside. I had almost died, but Rosamond had saved me. And Rhodes had been the one to try and pull me back.
We passed that place without saying a word. I wasn’t out of breath. My body didn’t hurt. I had trained for this. Alura looked as if she were gliding over the trail. As if she hadn’t a care in the world. Maybe she didn’t. Perhaps this was just part of her journey.
One day, I would find out. One day, I would ask more. But this was not that day. When we made it to the crevice in the side of the mountain where I could feel the pull of the Maison realm, I knew it was time. I understood that this was why I was here. This was what I had been waiting for. I was stronger than I was before. I was smarter. I knew more.
Now it was time for me to find my other elements. I still needed Water, Fire, and Spirit.
I needed all five to fully complete who I was.
Once that was done, I could figure out what it all meant.
Because there wasn’t a direct path that I could follow, not yet. But there was at least something.
“Trust yourself, Lyric. You know more than you think you do.” Alura hugged me then, kissed the top of Braelynn’s head, and then bussed my forehead.
“But you’re not coming,” I reiterated, my voice deceptively calm.
“It’s not my time. It will be soon. But it’s not time yet.” I vaguely remembered her saying something similar when I first saw her talking to Rhodes and Rosamond on the street. Before everything had changed. Before I had changed. I still didn’t know what she meant, but when she gave me a little wave, I gave her a nod in return and turned towards the crevice.
The magic pulled at me, licked at my skin. This was where I needed to be. Soon, I would see my friends. Soon, I would know what path I needed to take and would stop hiding. Because the others needed me, and frankly, I needed them. So I took a step, and then another. The magic tugged at me, pulling, fraying. Braelynn purred against my neck as if she enjoyed the feeling. If I were honest with myself, maybe I was enjoying it, too. It was as if I were coming home after a long journey to something familiar and sweet.
It didn’t make any sense because I had only been here once before, yet I knew this was where I needed to be.
And as I stepped into the bright light that was the southern Spirit territory, I shielded my eyes with my hand. Braelynn leaned into me, still purring as she faced forward. I focused on the three shadows coming towards me. Three figures that didn’t feel like the dark energy of the Negs or as if they were trying to hurt me.
But they didn’t feel familiar.
When they walked into the light in my line of sight, they didn’t look like anyone I knew either.
I held up my hands, the earth beneath me rattling just a bit, and the air sliding between my fingers. I was ready to fight back if needed.
But then a man held up his hands, his deep voice rumbling. I froze. I did not know these people, but it seemed they knew me.
“Lyric? Good, Alura said you would be here.”
I didn’t know this man, but he clearly knew me. Or of me.
“Who are you?” I asked, not backing down on my Wielding. I had learned to protect myself, at least somewhat, and that was better than when I’d first stepped foot into this realm a year ago.
The woman standing beside the man who’d spoken rolled her eyes. “Really, Teagan? You’re just going to call out her name and act like we aren’t strangers?” She came forward then, her dark hair lustrous. She was absolutely stunning, but I had no idea who she was.
“Sorry for that. I’m Aerwyna, but call me Wyn. This is Teagan.” She pointed over to the bigger man who had first talked. “And this is Arwin,” she said, pointing to the smaller male who looked more like a boy than a man. But I couldn’t really tell what age anybody was. Considering that Rhodes and Easton were in their two hundreds and looked my age, I probably wouldn’t be able to.
“That doesn’t really help me,” I said, my voice terse. “Just because you know my name doesn’t mean I should know you.”
“I knew this was going to happen.” Wyn shook her head, tossing her hair back from her face. “We’re Easton’s friends. From the Obscurité Kingdom. And we’re here to take you back to the court so you can begin your training.”
Training?
“Easton?” I asked, my voice breathy, my palms going clammy.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. I was supposed to contact him if I needed him. And I hadn’t. I didn’t need him. And if I kept telling myself that, maybe I would believe it. Because contacting Easton meant that I was making a choice, and I didn’t want to do that at all. I didn’t want to decide between the two kingdoms. I wanted to save them both. I needed to help them. However I could.
But that meant that Rhodes and Rosamond hadn’t sent for me. Hadn’t wanted to help.
I swallowed hard and studied the three people in front of me. Wyn had her hair down, the strands blowing around her shoulders. Her skin was paler than mine, making the red of her lips stand out. She had huge, light blue eyes that were almost gray and seemed to be filled with knowledge and humor at the same time.
Teagan was just as large as Luken, Rhodes’ second in command and friend. He was broad, and while Luken was light and blond, Teagan had darker hair that wasn’t quite as long, though it looked like he raked it back with his fingers often. Teagan’s skin appeared tan, maybe from being outdoors often, while the other man was a bit paler with shorter hair that had designs cut into it.
Now that I looked at them, felt their Wielding, I knew they weren’t Lumiére. I could feel the Wielding of Fire and Earth on them, though I couldn’t tell which person held which magic. But these three were not of the Lumiére Kingdom.
These were Obscurité.
The other kingdom.
And not my friends.