Over the next week, Luke mastered his new abilities alongside Samael and other sorcerers in Gaia. Lia practiced magic and defensive arts with Sayuri. Addison spent her days with Aryanna, meditating and clearing her mind as the time to face Aamon drew near. As she found balance within herself, the whisperings inside her became more clear until one morning, her thoughts and her actions were fluid, becoming one.
No longer did she hesitate.
No longer did she wonder about the next step or the one after that.
She was ready.
Addison entered Aryanna’s chambers and found her sitting in the middle of the room, her legs crossed, eyes closed. Without opening her eyes, Aryanna said, “Come, sit with me.”
Addison did as she asked.
Aryanna looked at Addison and said, “The time has come for you to leave this place. You are ready. But you know that already, don’t you?”
“I do. I felt it this morning. I had a few visions, and one was of you.”
Aryanna raised a brow. “Tell me, what did you see?”
“When we were sitting by the stream all those days ago, you said Aamon had tried to contact you. I’ve asked you about it a few times, but you haven’t spoken of it. I didn’t understand why you wouldn’t talk about him with me, but I do now. The day I arrived in Gaia, the strength you exuded, I could feel it. Today, it feels different. In my vision, I saw Aamon using the book of black arts, and you trying to defend against it. He’s done something to you, hasn’t he?”
“It has been several centuries since a sorcerer has set their eyes on the book of black arts. I knew of its power. I’d heard the stories. But I still believed its capabilities weren’t enough to penetrate Gaia. Aamon has made me believe otherwise.”
“What has he done?”
“He knows you’re here, and he knows why you are here. And while he remains confident he’ll defeat you in the end, he’s aware of the power of this place, and of me.”
“The book of black arts has given him the upper hand.”
“Yes, it has. He’s found a powerful spell within its pages, a way to remove the invisibility of this place, exposing it not just to him, but to all the inhabitants of the earth. I have been using everything in my power to shield against it.”
“I know you have, and it’s making you weak.”
“He can take my strength. It has been worth it to have you here in Gaia, to get you here to the place you are today—a woman ready to wage war.”
“I will defeat him, and when I do, you can become strong again, can’t you?”
“What he has taken from me, I cannot get back. Not this time.”
Addison shook her head. “It can’t be. There must be something we can do.”
Aryanna took Addison’s hand in hers. “There is something you can do. You can bring him to his knees. You can fulfill your destiny. It’s better you know the truth. For me, the sand of time is running out. My time in Gaia is almost at an end.”