Divination (Spells and Sins)

Chapter 16

Chapter

Sixteen

"Beware the power you summon, for it may ask more than you offer."

Lunara

T he stones seemed to have disappeared, at least from my vantage point, but as Elysia continually called my name, I realized she couldn’t see beyond that wall to where I now stood. “I’m okay,” I called, watching terror turn to panic as her hands pressed against the stones between us.

Stretching out my arms, I reached for her hands, but there was no way back through. An impenetrable force field seemed to have emerged between us. If I didn’t know better, I’d think that Morgana had something to do with this, trying to keep us apart.

Elysia grew more panicked, moving her hands from side to side along the wall as she seemingly searched for a path through, but something kept us separated; her in that long, mysterious tunnel and me now trapped in a tomb of sorts.

Why was this small room hidden and how did I pass through, but Elysia was still trapped on the other side? The only way to find the answers was to search, but Elysia was quickly crumbling into hysterics and everything in me wanted to burst back through that wall to console her.

“It’s okay, Elysia. I’m okay.” Even though I shouted the words, it was obvious she didn’t hear any of it.

Tears streamed down her face as she crumpled to the floor. “Please be okay, Lunara. I don’t think I can help the coven without you.” As she said the words, the ball of light she’d created to illuminate our path slowly dissipated, leaving us in almost complete darkness.

I hated that she had so little faith in herself, but there was nothing I could do to help her right now. I had to keep my wits about me so I could discover why I ended up passing through alone and how to get out of this crypt.

There was little light around me. What I could see was thanks to the magic that still hadn’t settled against my skin. Once that soft shimmer sank into my body, I’d be in utter darkness. When that happened, I’d have some hysterics of my own. I’d never liked completely dark spaces. I was used to the moon, stars, and lightning bugs adding a subtle glow to my world when the sun set.

With little time to investigate my surroundings, I got to work, feeling the walls, searching for sigils, trying to find another way out.

“Lunara.” I turned to face Elysia, expecting to find she’d finally found her way through the stone wall, but she was still cowering on the other side of the wall.

As I spun around to survey the space, I heard my name called again.

“Who’s there?” There was barely enough room for me, so I wasn’t sure where this other person was hiding.

As I continued to spin around, searching for the other party in question, the woman’s voice spoke again. “The face you seek will not appear. My words remain, but I’m not here.”

“Riddles? Really?” I groaned, turning to study Elysia’s trembling figure as she continued to sit on the floor with her knees to her chest, arms wrapped around her legs.

“Your derision seeks to destroy.” At least her words didn’t come in some stupid rhyme this time.

I sank to the cold ground, leaning against the wall that divided Elysia and I. I needed to be close to her, even if I couldn’t console her myself. Turning my head upward, I asked the darkness, “Who are you?”

“I am who I am.”

My hands flew to my scalp and I grabbed onto my hair. “Oh my gods. If you don’t start explaining yourself soon, I’m going to lose my shit.” It was bad enough being separated from Elysia so soon after joining our magic, but to have to deal with so many cryptid messages at the same time was suffocating.

“The answers you seek will not be found here. You must first calm yourself. I will not share my wisdom with an errant child.”

As my ire swirled around in my chest, I forced a few deep breaths, struggling to bury the anger I felt rising up within me. While I wasn’t exactly apologetic for my attitude, I needed to at least pretend to be so I could get some answers and maybe make my way back to Elysia. “I’m sorry. Please continue.”

“Very well.”

I breathed a sigh of relief, satisfied that I’d convinced her I was actually sorry.

“The Orb you seek lies in a place where time itself trembles, where the veil between worlds is thin. You will not find it easily, for its heart is not yours to claim.”

“Then why did the elders send me here?” Nothing made sense anymore.

“I do not speak for the elders, but know this, child of two worlds: the blood you carry is both a gift and a curse. The Orb will not be swayed by your human desires, nor will it bend to your fae blood’s whims. Should you reach for it, there will be a reckoning. The price may not come at once, but when it does, it will be a debt of more than just blood.”

“Are you saying they sent me here to die?” Why else would they send a half-breed to search for an artifact that might squelch my light?

“Do not ask me of the elders again. I only speak of what I know, so listen carefully. The path you walk is winding, and those who have sought it before you have paid the cost in ways they did not foresee. Your fate is not written in the stars, but in the ripples of your choices. Choose carefully, for the Orb will see through you—its gaze will pierce your soul, and you will never be the same.”

I was growing tired of this woman’s riddles. It would be so much nicer if she could just tell me what I needed to know. “Fine. I should be careful with the orb. Anything else you want to ominously hint at?” There was no point in hiding my anger any longer. It’s not like she was actually giving me gems here.

“I leave you with one final warning: Do not think to turn back, for the moment you seek it, you are already bound to its will.”

“The fuck.” I stood from the ground, still staring at the ceiling. “Bound to its will? Are you serious?”

I waited for a response, but I was met with only silence.

“Hello?” I began turning in circles again, searching for something I could not see. “Hello? Are you still there?”

The voice was gone and I was alone. Worse yet, the magic that had sparkled against my skin had receded back beneath the surface, leaving me in utter darkness.

Panic clenched my chest in a vice. I didn’t want to be trapped in this pitch-black room all by myself. How was I going to find a way out when I didn’t fully understand how I’d gotten in?

My breath came in shallow gasps as I felt along the rough walls. There had to be some kind of door or mysterious tunnel I hadn’t seen earlier when I had that faint light from my skin illuminating the space.

I turned to a different wall when I found nothing on the previous one. As I reached out my hands, feeling for its surface, the darkness seemed to close in and swallow me whole. The room wasn’t that large, but as I leaned forward, expecting the wall to catch me, only air greeted me as Elysia cushioned my fall.

“Oww.” Elysia’s painful moan had me scampering off of her.

“I’m so sorry, Elysia.”

She didn’t respond. Instead, her arms wrapped around me in a crushing hug as she plastered me with kisses.

“Hey, what’s all this?” I asked, easing her back so I could get a better look at her.

Her head lowered, keeping her expression hidden. “I thought you’d passed through a portal and returned to fae.” Her soft sniffles nearly had me in tears of my own. “I didn’t know if I’d ever see you again.”

“You think I’d leave without saying goodbye?” I swiped her tears from her cheeks as I forced her to look into my eyes. “Besides, we have an orb to find.” Even if the damn thing might kill me.

With a gentle nod, she gave a half-smile and appeared to swallow down her emotions. After I gave her a moment to collect herself, I stood from the ground, then offered my hand to help her up as well.

When she was back on her feet, she asked, “If you didn’t go to faerie, where’d you go? What’d you see?” She glanced at the stone wall that had separated us for a time, her brow scrunched up in concentration.

I gave a half-hearted shrug, wondering how much I should tell her. There was a good chance if she knew that my life might be in danger because of that stupid orb, she would stop me from pursuing it. But she and her coven needed it if we were to put a stop to the impending darkness that continued to break through the veil. “Honestly, I didn’t see much. The only light came from our collective magic but…” I held out my arm, showing her that our shared magic had returned from whence it came. “...my last few moments were shrouded in darkness—literally.”

Elysia snickered. “Did you find the orb?”

I shook my head, then linked my hand with Elysia’s before I led us back towards the coffee shop. We walked in relative silence and made it past the barrier, our ears popping once more. If I thought Elysia would drop it, I was wrong.

“So, you didn’t see anything and you didn’t find the orb.” Her hand slipped from mine as she halted our progress. “Then why were you gone so long?”

I spun around to face her, anxiety trembling through my body. I couldn’t tell her. “I was trapped in there.” I took a step toward her, but she wavered as if she might put some distance between us. “I could see you and hear you, but I couldn’t make it back through no matter what I did.”

“Yet, here you are.” Her arms crossed as I felt her mentally begin to close herself off from me, putting some space between us, just not physically. She hadn’t stepped back, but I could feel her magic pull away from me, and it made my heart ache.

“When—when the room finally went black, I reached for the walls. I felt around frantically as I blindly tried to find my way around, and I—I just fell through.” I couldn’t stand the distance stretching between us and stepped forward, reaching for both of her hands, needing her to believe me. Because I feared telling her the real truth might kill us both. I gave her hands a gentle squeeze. “And that’s how I ended up on top of you.”

She shook her head, keeping it lowered. “I must say, it’s not exactly the way I figured you’d end up on top of me again.” A teasing grin emerged as she finally met my gaze again.

“If that’s what you want, then…” I backed her against the wall and pressed my mouth against hers with a fiery kiss, our magic sizzling across my skin.