I’m suddenly on my feet. “How do I do it?” I demand.
Abigail’s expression is grim as she says, “Your soul must leave your body to follow after him.”
“So, how is that any different from what I’ve been doing? Astral projection and all that. Hell, what I just did—” I start.
“It is not the same. You leave this plane of existence entirely to enter the realm of the dead. There’s only one way to do that,” she says, frowning.
My fingers curl into fists as I glare at her. “Would you spit it out already? We’re running out of time.”
“It’s not your consciousness that travels with this. It’s your soul. Should you go there, you risk not coming back,” she says, setting her jaw. “It takes a strong will to return to the living without an anchor on this side.”
“So, be my anchor,” I say, as if the answer to the question was completely obvious.
She shakes her head. “I cannot. I’m not of this plane. I’m somewhere between.”
“Great, just…great,” I say, walking away from her and nodding to myself. “Well, looks like I have no other choice. It’s now or never.”
“Autumn,” she says, the warning lingering in my name.
I wave a hand, dismissing her worry. “Hey, I’ve done it once, right? Why not go two for two?”
She inhales sharply. “This is not a game, child.”
“Then I guess I better get to work.” Determination settles around me and I know she feels it. “Are you going to help me get this started?”
Abigail paces for a moment, wringing her hands. If she could be any more pale, I would swear she had lost a little more color. But finally, she tips her head. “I will do what I can. But the rest will be unto you.”
“Deal,” I say, nodding.
She returns the gesture, setting her concerned gaze on me. “Do you remember how it felt to be at the veil’s edge?”
“Yes,” I whisper.
“Good,” she tips her chin. “Go there again. When you arrive, cross the threshold. But brace yourself. That will be the moment when your soul will disentangle itself.”
“What should I expect?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.
She shakes her head. “Of that I do not know.“ Her arms sweep out, suggesting to herself.
“Oh, right.”
“You should contact someone. A living relative or—”
“No, absolutely not. There’s no time,” I say, cutting her off. “So, here goes nothing.”
For some reason, I’m compelled to lie down, so I do so. Resting next to Dominic, I reach out, grabbing hold of his hand, hoping it will act as a divining rod of sorts once I cross into the realm of the dead.
Anxiety and fears erupt in the middle of my solar plexus, but I push them down, refusing to give them space in my head. If I do, I know I’ll change my mind and everything will be lost.
Closing my eyes, I allow my body to relax until it feels as though it’s sinking into the dirt beneath me. Suddenly, I’m traveling beyond the confines of the resurrection chamber—whirling through the dense fog of the aether.
I follow the trail of Dominic’s silver string to the point where it disappears into nothingness. For a moment, I wait, staring into the utter blackness beyond. This is the mystery of the ages—scholars and philosophers the world over have wanted to know what’s on the other side, and here I am, about to go through with no desire to share any of it with the world.
I just want my friend back.
Settling into my conviction, I push myself beyond the edge of the known and into the darkness. Everything about who I am and why I’m here is ripped from me as I plummet through the gloom. Who I am, all that I was, feels like it’s compressed and the pressure of it is beyond excruciating.
Almost as if my body was sucked down a drain and spat back out, I find myself somewhere else entirely. At first, nothing makes sense. There’s screaming coming from somewhere—and everywhere. One moment I’m in a dark tunnel, blood dripping from the walls. The next moment, I’m in the middle of a large field full of tiny blue flowers.
Then I’m back within a dark cavern space and gruesome figures cling to the walls, fighting with restraints only they can see.
Everything is dizzying and I can’t seem to find my bearings in this place.
I stumble backward as a man with half a face crawls out of the darkness. His bony, half-decomposed hand reaches out for me, clutching at my leg. I hop back, struggling to get out of his reach, only to realize he’s no longer there.
Groping at my chest, I take a deep breath, but it’s solely out of habit—because somewhere in the back of my perception, I realize I’m no longer in my body. I’m alive, but…not.
What does that make me?
The thought is a curious one, and I contemplate it for a moment, trying to remember what it was that brought me to this place.
Music plays somewhere, and I’m suddenly walking down a well-lit, open hallway toward it. It calls me at such a deep level, and the concept of it widens until it’s the only thing in the entire universe.
Drawn to it at such a deep level, I can’t imagine being anywhere where this music doesn’t exist. The simple thought of that makes my soul ache.
Soul.
It’s such a simple thought—a simple word, but it sparks something inside me and I look around. A faint silver string captures my attention and I reach for it. It vibrates softly in my hand and information is passed through it straight into my consciousness.
I’m meant to follow it.
Curiosity burns inside my awareness and with the string resting gently across my fingertips, I move forward, allowing it to guide me. The dark and gruesome images subside, giving way to a large wooded area. The trees are enormous and lush, some draping their branches across the ground as they sway lightly in the breeze.
The trees open up, revealing a small pond. Steam rises from it, catching the sun’s rays in its search for the sky. Far out on the other side, swans gracefully settle into the water, making me smile.
I edge closer, wanting to see them more clearly. As I do, an old dock extends outward like a boardwalk to infinity. Without thought, I step onto, walking out as far as I dare.
When I reach the end, I take a seat, letting my legs dangle off the edge. Though I don’t remember taking off my shoes, my feet are bare and I dip my toes into the water. Oddly enough, I don’t feel a thing.
I stare at my feet, curious about the lack of sensation. However, my gaze moves from my feet, to the reflection in the water beyond. My red hair is wild with the wind and sun, but my face is far too young. For some reason, I can’t remember what I’m meant to look like, but I’m certain it wasn’t this.
I’m older. Right?
Twisting around on the dock, I scramble to my feet. Something isn’t right about all of this.
I’m lost…
Something glitters in the sunlight, demanding my scrutiny. I race down the dock, listening to the way my feet press upon the boards, making the most haunting music. When I reach the spot that caught my eye, I pick it up, and once again, it’s the silver string.
Had I dropped it?
Determined not to lose my focus again, I hold the string firmly between my fingers and palm, using it like a guide rope to my destination.
The string leads me to an area on the other edge of the pond and while I can see the string ends, I can’t fathom how it does so. It’s as though it vanishes into nothingness.
Stepping up to the end, I run my hand along the string to the point it no longer exists. Surprisingly, my hand pushes straight through, vanishing along with the string.
Confused, I pull my hand back and stare at it. While it seems whole and complete, there’s something in the back of my mind that tells me this isn’t how it’s supposed to be.
All of a sudden, a remarkable resolve washes over me and I pick up the string again. With it clutched in my hand, I close my eyes, walking forward into the space where the string vanished.
/> When I open my eyes, I’m no longer outside by a pond, but instead, in an enormous garage.
The space is sparsely decorated with metal shelving and storage units. Light streams in the windows, illuminating the pain in cars before me. Suddenly aware of them, I realize the space is full of vehicles of all makes and models. They’re all lined up, going down as far as the eye can see.
With the string still clutched in my hand, I follow it around to the front of the nearest vehicle. The blues and purples in the paint sparkle like a fireworks display and I bend in, mesmerized. Then, to the right, movement catches my eye, making me jump.
I nearly drop the string, but instead, clutching it tight, I race to the front of the car to get a better view. The string tugs back, pulling me forward and I practically stumble as I make my way to the front of the cars.
Gripping it tighter, I’m startled as I realize the string is attached to a body.
And not just any body, either.
Dominic leans back, resting his elbows on the hood of a bright red sports car. “We’ll it’s about damn time.”
Chapter 16
Them’s the Rules
My thoughts sputter as I try to pull them into a cohesive unit. Nothing makes sense at first, but Dominic doesn’t give me long to question it. He hops off the car and walks over to me like a man on a mission.
“I was beginning to think I overestimated your abilities,” he says, smirking at me.
I shake my head, trying to clear the confusion. “I don’t understand.”
“Look, we don’t have a whole helluva lot of time here, so let me get straight to the point. You have a lot of work to do and it means getting serious now.”
He steps forward, tapping my forehead with the tip of his middle finger.
Suddenly, everything that’s brought us to this moment comes flooding back to me with an intense clarity that makes me double over.
I blink back my surprise at how easily I was confused and led astray in this realm.
“It’s not just you,” Dominic says, clearly reading my thoughts. “This place is meant to break you down to your simplest form. Heaven, hell. It’s all here.”
“What?” I say, narrowing my gaze.
“You must have felt it—the pull through all the good and the bad. But ultimately, you end up one place or another. Your heaven or your hell, based off your soul’s experiences. Mine is clearly taking form as—this,” he says, widening his arms and twirling around. “Gotta admit, it’s not a bad place to be.”
“You can’t stay here,” I say, suddenly filled with anger. “Why wouldn’t you come back? You promised to help me.”
“And I am,” he says, cocking his head to the side. “We needed a safe space.”
“You call this safe? We’re in the realm of the dead, Dominic. Neither of us belongs here,” I sputter, panic bleeding into the very fabric of who I am. “If we don’t get back—”
The garage space around me flickers briefly, like someone trying to adjust the antenna to get a clearer picture.
His lips press into a thin line for a moment. “I know that, I do. Hell, I honestly had no idea if this was going to work for sure. I just knew it had to be done.”
“So, the whole idea of leveling up was a lie?” I sputter.
Dominic chuckles, shaking his head. “No, not at all. It wasn’t until I was here, until my abilities tapped into the universal energy, that I realized what needed to be done. You wanted me to help you, so that’s what I’m doing.”
“How in any way, shape, or form is this helping me? We could get stuck here, Dominic,” I say, shoving him in the shoulder. He just chuckles at me as if it’s the actions of a child. “Stop laughing. This is serious.”
He shakes his head, but the movement transforms into a nod. “Yes, I know. But this was the only way to pull you outside of the earshot, so to speak, of the Moirai. They’re powerful as fuck, and grounded in the land of the living. But once their job is done—meaning, once a soul has moved on—they no longer have access to it. Do you see what I’m getting at?”
“We haven’t moved on,” I say, alarmed at his flippant attitude.
He shakes his hands in front of him. “No, I know that. But for now, we’re still outside their realm. We can talk freely here.”
I narrow my gaze. “All right. So, talk already.”
“Don’t give me that look. Trust me, this was the only way.”
I can’t help but maintain my skeptical stance as I arch an eyebrow.
“Look, turns out I’m not the only one here who needed to level up. You do, too,” he says. “Only you’ve already done it—you just don’t realize it.”
“What are you talking about, Dominic? We need to go.” I twist around, suggesting we go…somewhere else. Only, there’s no clear exit. It’s all just a never-ending garage.
“Dammit, Autumn, listen to me. This is prophetic. Divine intervention, even.” His face is deadly serious, but now it’s my turn to laugh.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I snicker.
“Not even a little bit,” he says, taking a deep breath and stepping forward. He rests his hands along the sides of my arms and I look down, suddenly acutely aware that everything we see here isn’t even real. Our actual bodies are somewhere else—and they’re fading. Dominic clears his throat and continues, “You have powers no necromancer has ever had because you’ve been to the other side and returned.”
“And you had to bring me here to tell me that?” I say, incredulous. “I learned that a year and a half ago. This is ridiculous.”
“No, it’s not,” he says, dead serious. “You’re not just a necromancer, Autumn. You’ve evolved, and you have to figure out how to embrace it so you can break your family’s curse. That’s what this place is telling me. It’s what everything has been pointing toward—I just couldn’t make sense of it.”
“Evolved?” I mutter, clenching my jaw. “Into what, Dominic?”
He inhales, pinching the bridge of his nose. When he looks up, his eyes plead with me as he says, “A sin-eater.”
I can’t help it, I actually snort at him. “A what?”
“I didn’t make up the name, for crying out loud,” he says, defensively. “Look, I don’t know what being a sin-eater entails, I just know you are one. And it’s how you’re going to break the curse. That is what you still want, right?”
“Of course it is,” I snap.
“Then you need to learn to harness it. Whatever you did to evolve, it happened when you were a kid. Maybe that’s the problem. You won’t listen to me…but maybe you’ll take her more seriously,” Dominic says, tipping his chin upward.
I look over my shoulder, confused. Behind me, a little girl with red hair and hazel eyes stares expectantly back at me. The girl is me—or at least, seven year old me.
I turn back to Dominic with wide eyes and a creepy sense of déjà vu taking over me.
“When I first saw you back at Windhaven Academy, I couldn’t get the words veritas vos liberabit out of my head. You know this,” Dominic says, raising a hand to the ceiling. “But here’s the thing… I didn’t know why. I just knew that you needed the message. Of course, I knew instantly who you were. I knew there were things you didn’t know and needed to uncover. But that wasn’t what it was all about. Not really.”
“What do you mean?”
“Now I understand why. It’s a helluva lot deeper than your family history. It was about you specifically. About who you really are—what you really are and what you’re capable of doing,” he says quietly.
“And this revelation only came to you because you ‘leveled up?’” I say, shooting a sideways glance toward the little girl behind me. She’s still there, waiting patiently.
“Yes,” he says, point-blank. “Now, go. Get some answers. I’ll be ready to go back when you are.”
“But what about—?” I begin.
Dominic shrugs. “Them’s the rules. You gotta get your answers before we can go back.”
I groan, unable to make sense of anything he’s saying. However, there’s a fierce sense of curiosity and truth vibrating in the energy of the space.
“Fine,” I say. Gritting my teeth, I turn back to the little girl—the younger me.
Wordlessly, she raises her right arm, extending her hand to me. With a final glance at Dominic, I take her hand.
Instantly, the world around me shifts, falling away like a virtual reality that’s been completely altered. At first, I can’t see anything. It’s like the entire space has been erased and I’m surrounded by nothing but a beautiful, white light that emanates a sense of peace beyond anything I can comprehend. Yet, I’m not alone. I can still feel the warmth of a small hand in mine.
As the white light pulls back, I’m suddenly in a small, dank cavern. Water fills much of the space and it drips from the ceiling, walls, and pools across the bottom of the enclosure. I don’t know how I can see, since there’s no light source anywhere. Yet somehow I can, but I wish I couldn’t. Along the far side of the space is a stack of bodies—all children. All are in various states of decomposition. My body included.
Memories flood back to me and I’m acutely aware of the fact that this is the place where I died.
I remember the Vodník—the way his demeanor had changed after he got me away from the manor and the safety of my parents. He’d been so nice, telling me he’d show me a place where the mermaids lived. I’d believed him because I was trusting—too trusting.
The feeling of my soul when he had ripped it from my body, burns through my insides. He had wanted to collect it, stealing it away in his jar as a prize, just as he’d done to countless others.
I hadn’t let that happen, though. Something inside me had shifted and grown more powerful by not being bound to my body. It wasn’t my time yet and somehow, I knew that. I had tapped into something primal and expanded—breaking the rules. I refused to go into his container to be a part of his collection.
In that moment of clarity, a man was at my side, entering the cavern by way of his dark, smokey portal. His silver eyes held me like a warm embrace as he took my hand, guiding my soul away from the catastrophe the Vodník had created.
Cursed Legacy: The Windhaven Witches Series Page 11
