by Allison West
Lil sat up, realizing she was wearing a white chiffon dress. She didn't wear gowns or dresses. Whose reality was this anyhow? She stood. "I do. I want to go home," Lil said, "to my world."
"You are home," the voice answered with a hint of satisfaction. "Yet, you wish to leave." She could hear the Mystics' thoughts. She nodded. "All right, but know that what one desires is what the springs provide. The first desire, not the second. All Nightbloods have but one gift."
"I don't understand." Lil frowned. "I want to go home."
"You desire many things, Willow." The Mystics used her given name. "You want to go home. That can be your destiny. Your power to travel from Orenda to your world. You may pass through to the springs, but be careful, for if you desire something more than home—your deepest truth will be revealed."
"There's nothing I want more," Lil said, walking through the colored fog. It vanished behind her. She walked to the edge of the spring and bent down, reaching her fingers toward the water, but she didn't disturb the surface just yet. She hesitated. The water sparkled and glowed. The power illuminated the surface, urging her to choose her desire and for it to become real. She stared down at her reflection, the Mystics' words echoing in her head. What could she want more than to go home?
"Willow!" Jamie's scream startled her. Lil pulled her hand back, and the light from the spring vanished in an instant.
Turning around, she caught sight of Jamie lying motionless on the ground. "Jamie!" she screamed in horror. A pool of red seeped through his shirt. She rushed to his side, bending down to his level. "Who did this to you?" The words caught in her throat. He blinked once, twice, and when she pulled back from him, she found his hand soaked and crimson.
"Eilith," he said, choking on his own blood.
"No. No!" she shouted, shaking her head in denial. She'd heard his scream, but she hadn't been able to save him. "Hang on. Just, hang on, please, Jamie." Tears fell as she rushed back through the stone oracle. It seemed as if an eternity passed before she reached the springs. She dove in, the warmth of the water bubbling and sizzling around her until the springs lit up.
"Jamie!" She could hear Willow's scream.
Lil pushed herself out of the springs, dripping from head to toe. "Healing," she said loud and clear. "You wanted to know my most desired power, what I want above all else—healing. I need to save Jamie." It wasn't a question; it was what she needed to do.
Lil jogged back toward him with her gown dripping wet. The weight slowed her down, but she ignored it. She felt the power spreading through her like fire under her skin. There would be no smoke and no sizzle, just intense flames. "Let me help him!" Lil shouted as she approached. Willow was bent down, cradling him, rocking his lifeless body in her arms. Tears stained her cheeks and soaked her shirt. Lil gently pushed Willow away. "I can save him!" It went against every reason for why they'd come, but she had no other choice.
"Let her try." Rawlie pulled Willow back.
The ground vibrated and the steam of the springs inched toward them. "Eilith," Hudson said, turning. With his back to Lil and Jamie, he tried to protect them. He drew the dagger from his side, holding it steady in his hands.
A dark, sinister laugh filled the air, along with thick, black smoke. Willow coughed. Rawlie stood beside her, raising his weapon. "I know you're there," he called out to Eilith. "Don't be a coward. Show yourself!"
Eilith's laughter stopped. The smoke coalesced in one area before it turned into a vortex and she appeared. The haze she'd brought dissipated. "Seems I ruined your plans." She grinned, proud of her accomplishments. "Can't let anyone else have the ability to travel between worlds. Didn't the Mystics warn you I was coming?" she taunted. "Guess they're not as high and mighty as they pretend to be."
Lil didn't answer. Her hands rested over the blood on Jamie's body. Her mind was in a meditative state, doing everything possible to heal him. It was slow and exhausting, but it was working. She didn't have room for distractions. Though Eilith was there, her voice seemed distant, like a memory from another time, another life.
Hudson lunged forward, dagger in hand, trying his best to cut Eilith. With every step he took forward, he found himself shrouded in mist, her body nowhere in sight. She appeared behind him on the third swing. "I could have killed you, boy," she hissed. Her magic was a reminder that she held the cards and almost all the power.
"You won't kill me." Willow took the sword that Lil had sported and wielded it in one hand. Though it was heavy, she showed no signs of struggle.
"Why wouldn't I? I just killed your brother to keep Lil from using the Mystics to get home!" Eilith bellowed, flashing her double set of razor-sharp teeth. "I have everything I need from you and Bray. Your blood, mixed with Mystic water and dirt from Bray's world, on his shoes, compiled into a potion has given me access to the other world. Maybe I made a deal with Bray, but he's returned home. It's no longer binding." She charged at Hudson, snapping her teeth at him like a wild beast in the night, attacking her prey.
Hudson jumped back to avoid her bite, his arm striking out to stab her with the dagger. He couldn't pierce her without feeling her teeth against his flesh.
"Do you really think you have a fighting chance?" Eilith's right hand shot up, her nails sparking bolts of lightning, shooting electricity at Willow.
The first bolt missed Willow, but the second bounced off the sword and into Arianna's necklace, turning it to ash and burning her flesh with heat. Arianna's eyes widened in shock.
Willow jumped to her feet and dodged two more bolts of lightning, somersaulting out of the way. She kept away from her brother, letting Lil try to save him. Eilith didn't let up. With the sword in hand, Willow pushed back at Eilith, causing her to duck and disappear as she went in for the kill. "I will make you pay for this!" Willow shouted at the mist in front of her.
Eilith rematerialized behind Willow. "Is that so?" She gripped Willow by the neck and lifted her off the ground. Willow dropped the sword, her feet kicking at air as she clawed at Eilith's grip, her lungs gasping for breath. Both hands came up to Eilith's, trying to pry them away.
"Let her go!" Arianna plunged the dagger into Eilith's back.
Willow's body hit the ground with a thud, and she coughed and heaved until she could breathe normally again. "Where'd she go?" The mist evaporated, and when the air cleared, there was no sign of Eilith anywhere.
Arianna stood over Willow, shaking her head. "Probably back to the castle. She's got my dagger," she said, remembering how she'd shoved it into Eilith's back. It wouldn't have killed her, but it slowed her down.
Rawlie smiled. "Remind me to get you a new one." He bent down to Willow, brushing the hair out of her eyes. "Are you okay?"
Willow stood and walked through the darkness toward the two figures on the ground. "Jamie?" Her voice caught in her throat.
"Willow?" he asked, confused.
"Oh, Jamie!" She bent down, grateful he was breathing. She squeezed him tightly, and his arms encircled her. "Thank you," she said to Lil.
Lil nodded, pushing herself up off the ground. It was a welcome feeling to know he was alive, breathing with a beating heart. Lil's white dress was covered in mud, dirt, and blood. It was disgusting. She glanced down before looking up at Hudson and found him staring at her.
"When did you have time to change?" He gave her a weak smile. "What you did back there was brave."
"Or stupid." She didn't regret saving Jamie's life, but she had no idea how she was ever going to get back home.
"I might be able to help," Jamie said. "I haven't jumped into the spring yet."
Willow laughed, ruffling the hair atop Jamie's head. "Usually, you don't go swimming in the spring. You can put your hand in the water." She kissed his cheek.
Jamie walked through the pillars, and the Mystics did not stop him. He wondered why his entrance was different from Lil's, but he didn't ask. Jamie bent down and ran his hand through the water, smiling as the slight blue and purple ripple flowed from the water through h
is arm. He stared at the surface, his eyes widening when he saw a young girl with open eyes, holding her breath. A few bubbles slipped past her lips. She didn't open her mouth, but he could hear her words. "Run!"
The words startled him, not only their tone but the voice. It was Arianna's; he was certain of it. He blinked, the vision fading quickly before his eyes. "I don't understand." He glanced at his sister and friends a few yards away. He walked through the pillars back to the others. "What do you think I can do?"
"I've no idea," Hudson said. "I still don't know what my gift is."
Jamie reached out to touch Lil. "I want to send her home." He ran his hand over and across Lil's arm, imitating his sister's actions. Nothing happened. Lil hadn't moved between dimensions. He was slightly disappointed.
Willow walked over, placing a hand on her brother's back. "I don't think that's your gift. It has to be something you want above all else."
"Oh," Jamie said. A part of him didn't want Lil to leave. He was growing to love her almost as much as Willow. "I miss Mom and Dad," he confessed as he walked toward the spring.
"I don't think even the Mystics have that power," Willow said, kissing her brother's cheek. There was no moonlight and few stars bright enough to shine on them.
A single tear trickled down Jamie's cheek. "Not even for one day?"
"I'm sorry." Willow wrapped her arms around him.
"We should go now, before Eilith returns," Hudson said.
Rawlie drove hard on the road, whipping around turns and doing his best to get them to the safety of their home before Eilith spotted their car. Dawn broke hours ago. Willow and Hudson managed a few hours of sleep on the drive back. Lil, however, was exhausted.
The top of the convertible was up. They were crammed inside, but the car offered them minimal protection. The sky filled with low hanging scarlet clouds, so close, it was as if the passengers could almost touch them. "It's going to rain," Rawlie said, the vein bulging on his forehead from frustration.
Lil glanced beside her in the backseat at Hudson. "Rain?" She didn't see the big deal in a little weather.
"There's rain, and then there's weather brought on by Eilith," Hudson said. He gazed out the window. "If we're lucky, it's just a little drizzle. At least we're not in the forest anymore with the weather moving in so soon."
The rest of the drive was silent. Rawlie concentrated on the road and the incoming storm. The wind was kicking up when he pulled into the academy by the main doors. Everyone climbed out while Hudson unlocked the doors, granting access just as the first drops of red fell from the sky. It looked like blood.
"What the hell was that?" Lil asked, wide-eyed. Hudson secured the door and led them through the protected hallway past another set of doors and into the main area of the academy.
"A storm brought on by Eilith," Hudson said.
"The one Rawlie worried about earlier?" Lil guessed.
He nodded. He didn't have to say anything else; by now, Lil figured Eilith spent her waking moments tormenting them.
Lil headed to the training arena to put the sword and sheath away before glancing at Hudson and the others standing around the academy. "I think I'm going to head up to bed for a nap." Lil pointed to the stairs.
"You're not the only one." Rawlie struggled to keep his eyes open.
Lil headed up the staircase for her room.
"Wait up." She heard Hudson's voice and spun around to see him climbing up after her. "I know it's entirely selfish, but I'm glad you're still here."
"It's not entirely selfish," Lil said, smiling weakly at him. "Do you want to stay the night?" She wasn't sure how long she'd be in Orenda or what they were.
"I do, but there's something I need to do first. Promise me you won't open the windows, no matter what."
Lil frowned. That was the last thing she expected to hear from him. "I wasn't planning on it. It's raining blood outside."
"I'm serious," Hudson said. He gently gripped her arm. "Eilith has ways of getting to people. During these types of storms, she searches them out, hunts them. It's when she's strongest. She's gaining power, and I don't want to see anything happen to you."
Lil smiled faintly, grateful he did care about her. She knew he did, but it still felt nice to hear. "Thank you. I'll be careful."
Willow glanced at the doorway of the library as Hudson walked into the room. "Admit it. You're glad she's still here," she said. Willow kept her arm around Jamie, not wanting to let him out of her sight. Now that he was alive again, she vowed not to let anything ever happen to him again. Even if it meant keeping him under lock and key.
"Aren't you?" Hudson asked.
"I am grateful. We'll find a way to get her home. Somehow." Willow had no conceivable thought on how it was possible. She'd lost her own abilities, and the doorway that Bray had come through was a one-way ticket.
Hudson sat down on the sofa. "What if I don't want her to leave?"
"Why wouldn't you want her to go home?" Willow asked, glancing up at him, interested. "Did something happen between the two of you?"
"I like her, okay." Hudson rolled his eyes. "It's not a big deal, Willow. Don't make it into one." His cheeks burned.
"Why? Because she looks like me?" Willow teased him. "Oh my. Please don't tell me you two…" her eyes widened at the thought of her best friend and doppelganger doing the nasty.
"Not that it's any of your business, but she's different, nicer. I don't see any bit of her in you."
Willow rested a hand over her heart. "Ouch."
Jamie climbed out of Willow's arms and came to sit down on the sofa beside Hudson. "I like her too, as a sister."
"How about we go into the kitchen and start making a nice lunch, so when she wakes up, she'll feel at home?" Hudson said.
"You never offer to do that for me!" Willow said. She stood and headed for the kitchen. She wasn't tired. Not after everything that had happened. She'd also caught a few hours of sleep on the drive back. Willow walked into the kitchen and sat down on one of the stools at the counter beside Arianna.
"I've been thinking about Lil, trying to come up with how we can get her home. What if we visit Morgan?" Arianna asked.
"What about her?" Willow's head shot up and a shiver crawled through her body. She wasn't comfortable speaking of Morgan, let alone visiting her.
Jamie frowned, confused. "Who's Morgan? How can she help us?" he asked as he opened the pantry.
"She's the higher fae. The leader," Hudson said, looking at Jamie. "How does he not know this?"
"I tried to protect him, okay? He didn't have to attend the academy, so I may have kept a few things from him. Is that such a terrible thing? To protect my younger brother?" Willow's voice held a hint of annoyance with Hudson. "It's not a big deal. Arianna's right; if Morgan can help, Rawlie, Arianna, and I can go speak to her. You and Lil can stay with Jamie, watch over this place." The last thing she wanted was for Jamie to follow her to Morgan.
"What?" Hudson shook his head. "No way. You need Lil." He stared at her hard. "The power she has now, we can't just leave her here to babysit. She's valuable. If someone gets hurt, she can help more than the rest of us combined."
Willow pointed at Hudson, warning him. "Fine. She comes, but you and Jamie stay." She was not taking no for an answer. She didn't want to risk her brother's life again. Jamie had almost died by the sacred springs. The last thing she wanted was to put his life in danger again. She couldn't imagine a life without her little brother.
"I don't need a babysitter, Willow." Jamie stalked over to his sister. "I'm not a kid anymore. I'm ten! You should treat me like an adult." His eyes narrowed and he tried to look menacing.
Willow tried not to laugh at the look on his face. She reached out, pulling her brother into her arms. "I don't want anything to happen to you," she whispered, kissing his forehead. "You're growing up, but you're not quite there yet. Give it time, okay? You won't be a kid forever; enjoy it while you can." It was something she hadn't been able to do.
&n
bsp; Jamie rolled his eyes and pried himself away from Willow. "I'm not a kid." He stomped his foot, and his cheeks reddened. "I came with Hudson and Rawlie to save you. They trusted me enough to bring me with them."
Hudson cleared his throat. "That was all Lil and Arianna. I wasn't involved in Jamie joining us on the rescue mission."
"Come on," Jamie whined. "You have to let me come with you. It's not fair! I want to see the fae. I didn't even know they existed. I read about them once in a book, but I thought they all died when Eilith came to power. Can I go please, Willow?" he begged.
"Fine. At sunrise tomorrow, we'll all travel to Elfinland."
After a satisfying nap, Lil rubbed at the sleep in her eyes and pulled herself from the bed. She glanced at the window and was relieved to see the horrifying rain had ended. At least that meant they were temporarily safe, right? Would she ever find her way home again? Her gift was healing instead of moving between worlds; she'd trapped herself in Orenda. She missed her family—and Bray. Maybe her gift wouldn't be so terrible if her younger sister Jamey was around, but she had no powers back home and bringing her sister to this world, it was unthinkable.
Lil padded down the stairs, finding her way through the main foyer at the back of the academy. She could hear sizzling from the kitchen and poked her head inside to see Jamie, Arianna, Willow, and Hudson eating at the counter.
"Good afternoon," Hudson said. "We saved you a sandwich. Have a seat." He took the food from the stove, pulled out a stool, and brought her a plate with a sandwich and homemade chips on it.
"Thanks." She smiled, scooting onto the chair as she let out a heavy sigh. There was so much to get used to, but the truth was she didn't want to adjust. She wanted to find a way home. Maybe there was another way that they just hadn't considered yet? Rawlie had driven through that frightening forest, and Bray had found his way into Orenda accidentally. There had to be another point of travel, another door to send her home.
Willow was the first to interrupt the quiet. "Tomorrow, we're going to Elfinland to try to get you back to your world. We also need to find what is opening the portal to Orenda and close it, and we're hoping the fae will know something."
