by Meg Anne
“You’re not coming?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I need to go back and collect the others. Besides, I was not the one who was summoned. No one invites themselves to one of the Triumvirates meetings. Protocol, remember?”
Effie made a face. It wasn’t that she feared the Triumvirate. Not really. Her conversations with Smoke had shown her that they could be kind, but she’d gotten used to Lucian’s steady presence beside her.
“Something wrong?” Lucian asked, picking up on her unease.
Feigning a breeziness she didn’t feel, Effie smiled. “No, nothing. I’ll see you when you get back?”
“You’re bound to eventually,” he said.
Effie’s eyes narrowed at the non-committal answer. “You’re as good at giving vague non-answers as they are.”
“Guess it was bound to rub off on me after centuries of being amongst them,” he said, a small smirk ghosting his lips.
Effie sighed. “One of your less attractive qualities, to be sure.”
“Your statement implies you find some of my qualities quite attractive.”
Effie could feel the heat creeping into her cheeks. “Don’t you have somewhere to be?”
“Don’t you? You’re the one standing here stalling and telling me how attractive you think I am.”
“I did not say anything resembling that.”
Lucian ran his knuckle over her burning cheek. “Sure you did, fledgling.”
Her heart sped up at the touch and any half-hearted protest died in her throat.
“I’ll see you later, Effie,” he murmured before wandering back down the hall.
“Bye,” she whispered to his retreating back.
Alone once more, Effie faced the arched doors with a grimace. She couldn’t put this off any longer. Steeling her shoulders, she took a deep breath and walked inside.
“Daughter.”
Effie gave the two robed figures a little wave. “Just the two of you?”
Mirror One tilted his head. “Does that bother you?”
She gave a quick shake of her head. “No, I just thought all three of you would be here. So which one of you is absent? Smoke?”
She guessed his name, only because he had a tendency to stand front and center whenever he was with the others, while the Mirrors always stood side by side. It was hardly a perfect science, but it helped her when she could pretend she knew which of them she spoke with.
The odd rush of wind she’d come to associate with their amusement flowed through the chamber.
“With the telepathic link we share, the three of us are always present no matter how many physical forms you see before you.”
“That must be . . . loud,” Effie said, trying to imagine her mind being constantly invaded by others’ thoughts. “So, you can hear everything . . . all the time?”
Was anything she’d said to Smoke kept between them or had the Mirrors been listening in the entire time? The thought stung.
The Mirrors shrugged, avoiding the question. She really should know better than bothering to ask direct questions by now.
“It is convenient.”
“And allows us to go where needed.”
“Of course,” she murmured. “So I suppose you wanted to ask me about our findings?”
“We know about the Shadow-touched.”
Effie straightened at the unfamiliar term. Are they referring to the land . . . or what happened to Tinka? They didn’t give her time to ask.
“You had another vision,” Mirror Two prompted.
“I did.” Let’s see how they like it.
“Care to discuss it?”
The question was a courtesy. They weren’t actually asking.
Effie shuddered as the memory of hands tearing her apart filled her mind. Any futile desire she might have had to try and fight against telling them what they wanted to know fled. The two men standing before her might be the only people in all of Elysia who knew what her vision meant.
“Before I do, may I ask you a question?”
“You may always ask, Daughter.”
“Can you at least promise to try to answer this one?” she pleaded, trying to keep any note of aggression from her voice. This was a genuine request; she didn’t want them to ignore it out of hand.
The Mirrors nodded in unison.
“Is it true that Keepers never have visions about themselves?”
“Never in our history.”
“Then why is it I keep seeing myself in my visions?”
“Seeing yourself how?”
“You’re familiar with my last few visions.” It was a statement because she knew that they would have Seen everything when Smoke pulled the visions from her mind. “The objects in my visions are continuing to interact with me personally.”
“Yes, but the visions are not about you.”
“They have been warnings about the Shadows.”
Effie shook her head. “That’s not how it feels. Especially this most recent one. The Shadows weren’t just attacking me. They tore me apart. I was falling through the sky until I landed in glass, shattering it. The shards filled the sky, reflecting thousands of terrible images—each one of them mine. Then they fell, shredding me and leaving me blind as I drowned in a pool of my own blood. How is that not personal?”
“Our visions come to us in metaphor.”
“You need to seek out the truth trapped within.”
Maybe that was the case for most visions, but this time Effie was certain they were wrong. Today’s vision wasn’t about the Shadow attacks, or at least it wasn’t just about the attacks. The images it contained might very well be metaphors, but somehow they directly related to her. There was no other subject contained within her vision outside of the faceless monsters that destroyed her.
“With all due respect, I’m telling you my truth. This is what I sense when I replay the images from my vision.”
The robed figures remained silent for several heartbeats while they considered her words. As the silence continued to stretch, Effie wondered if they were carrying on a private conversation.
Mirror One held up his hand, the navy rune in its center standing out in sharp contrast to the pale skin. “Perhaps if you showed us?”
Effie shrank back. Knowing that the member of the Triumvirate that touched her could relive every experience she’d ever had left her feeling vulnerable in a way she didn’t like. Some memories were too personal to share. Especially some of the more recent ones.
She didn’t feel as comfortable with the other two members of the Triumvirate touching her. It didn’t matter if Smoke could telecast her every thought to the others as he was experiencing it, or however their connection worked. At least with Smoke it didn’t feel like an invasion when she opened herself up to him. Maybe it was because he made a point to speak to her directly, and it had created some sort of bond between them. Whatever the reason, the other two felt like strangers by comparison.
Unsure how she could express her reservation, especially after allowing this very thing on multiple other occasions, Effie glanced between them.
“Daughter?” Mirror One prompted as his hand started to fall.
“What don’t you want us to See?” Mirror Two asked.
“It’s not that I’m hiding anything, I promise. I would just feel more comfortable if Smoke was the one to access my vision, if you really feel it’s necessary.”
There was a rustle of fabric as Mirror Two stepped forward. “I’m right here,” he said, switching to the smoke and campfire voice that was uniquely Smoke’s.
“Why did you let me believe—” Effie trailed off, realizing it didn’t matter. It had been her assumption that Smoke wasn’t among them. No one had misled her except herself. “Well there go the nicknames,” she said with a little sigh.
He stepped off the dais, closing the distance between them until Effie could no longer see Mirror One behind Smoke’s hooded frame.
“May I?” he asked.
Taking a deep breath, Effie
dipped her chin in a nod. She closed her eyes as he lifted his hand, but before he could touch her, the door crashed open. Kieran stumbled in, long hair wild and his eyes bloodshot.
“You dare set foot in our sanctum uninvited?”
A loud crack of thunder shook the room, punctuating the accusation and underscoring the speaker’s anger.
Effie didn’t know which member of the Triumvirate spoke, but she’d never heard any of the Triumvirate use such a darkly menacing voice. It was thrilling in a way that confused her.
“Pardon the interruption, but this couldn’t wait. I’ve had a dream.”
Effie gaped at Kieran, his earlier misdeeds forgotten in the face of his obvious fear.
“What did you See?”
Visible shudders racked Kieran’s body as he struggled to catch his breath. “There’s been another attack.”
“Where?”
“In the jungle. I—I can’t make sense of it. There’s so much blood.”
“Did you See what happened?”
“No, just the aftermath.”
“Could you find your way there?”
Kieran nodded. “Yes, I think so. It happened near the waterfall.”
“So close,” Effie whispered, dread pooling in her belly.
Kieran didn’t so much as look at her. His attention was wholly focused on the Triumvirate.
“You will take the Guardians there.”
“Of course.”
“What can I do?” Effie asked.
“Go with them. See if it triggers anything from your visions.”
Swallowing, she nodded. “I need to grab my weapons.”
“I’ll meet you in the portal room,” Kieran said.
“The others will be back soon. Wait for them.”
Effie nodded absently, her mind already filled with what could be out there. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, urging her to act. If the attack had just happened, then the source of the corruption could still be out there. This might be their chance to get some answers.
Smoke grasped Effie’s wrist, pulling her attention back to his hooded face. “I mean it, Daughter. Do not leave without the others. Stay by their side. No one is to wander off on their own.”
Effie detected a note of fear in his voice. “Did you See something like this in a vision? Have you been waiting for this to happen?” she asked, trying to guess what could make one of the Triumvirate afraid.
Not even with the situation in Sylverlands had they expressed any outward sign of agitation.
“It is only a matter of time before more of the markers come to pass.”
“How do you know this will be a marker?”
“I don’t.”
“Then why . . .” Effie trailed off, eyes narrowing in concern.
“It is a suspicion. One I sorely hope is unfounded.”
Effie nodded. “Alright. I will make sure we stick together.”
Finally, Smoke let go of her, and Effie started to race out of the room.
“Daughter—”
Skidding to a stop, she glanced back over her shoulder.
“Be careful.”
The finality of the words and the heaviness with which he uttered them made Effie shiver with apprehension. Why did she have the feeling he knew exactly what awaited them, and that there was a chance not all of them were going to make it back?
Chapter 14
Somehow she was the last to arrive.
“Sorry,” Effie murmured, moving to stand beside Ronan.
“Do you know what this is about?” he asked in a low voice.
“There’s been another attack,” she whispered.
“Here?”
Effie nodded.
“Something about this doesn’t sit right.” Deep lines bracketed Ronan’s mouth as he frowned. “If it’s the Shadows, there’s no sense to their movement. At first, it seemed like they were moving out from Vyruul in a wave, which is in line with the other attack sites and is keeping with the theory that they were fleeing. Why would they double back now?”
“To cause as much chaos as possible?” Effie guessed.
“Perhaps,” Ronan murmured, eyes troubled.
If anything, Ronan echoing Smoke’s warnings had Effie more on edge. Needing to see if Lucian was giving off any outward sign of concern, Effie moved her eyes to where he was standing with Kael and Kieran. None of them were smiling, but of the three, only Kieran seemed afraid.
The knowledge helped steady her. If Lucian wasn’t worried, then perhaps things weren’t quite as bad as they seemed.
Peeling himself away from the others, Lucian moved over to her.
“Any premonitions?” he asked in a low voice.
Effie’s brows veed as she performed a mental check. Her internal warning system was oddly silent. If she was walking into danger, shouldn’t that infernal buzzing be screaming at her?
“No, nothing, but that’s a good sign, right?”
Lucian shrugged. “Maybe there’s no need for a warning when the threat is obvious.”
“I liked my theory better,” Effie murmured, feeling a little light-headed.
Her Guardian gave her shoulder a warm squeeze then turned back to the rest of their group.
“Let’s go,” Lucian called.
Kael was the first to step through the portal, Kieran right on his heels. Ronan and Reyna were next, followed by Effie and Lucian.
The jungle was eerily silent as Effie crossed the portal’s threshold. Not even those that called the jungle home were making their presence known. This was not the place she’d become used to.
The waterfall was to the far west of Bael, although portal travel turned the three-hour hike into a quick ten-minute walk. Due to its remote location, this part of the jungle was practically untouched by any external factors. There were no marked paths and no clearings of any kind. Nature had claimed this area as its own, concealing its treasure behind thick vines and sprawling trees.
Mist rolled along the jungle floor, the humidity of the day solidifying as the temperature rapidly dropped. Feeling like something was watching her, Effie cast her eyes around the shadowed ground, but it was useless. The sun had already set, casting them in almost perfect darkness. If the moon was up, the treetops were blocking its light.
“What time is it?” she whispered, the totality of the dark seemingly more attuned to the middle of the night instead of early evening.
“Can’t be more than an hour after sunset,” Kael replied, his voice low as he moved ahead.
“This way,” Lucian whispered.
Effie flinched at the sharp crackle of leaves under her boots as she crept forward. It was overly loud with no other noise to muffle it, and she worried she just announced their location to whatever might be lying in wait.
The roar of the water was the first sign they were getting close. The scent of blood was the second.
Effie gagged on the heavy metallic tang. For the stench to be that strong . . . many must have died.
Her suspicions were confirmed less than a minute later.
Through a small break in the trees, Effie could make out the spray of water in the moonlight. Water tinged red. She froze, the horror of the image—of a waterfall spurting blood—momentarily stunning her. It was macabre in a way not even a battlefield could match.
“You alright?” Lucian asked, turning back to her.
Blinking rapidly, Effie nodded, finally seeing what had already drawn the others’ attention.
The floor was littered with the corpses of well over two dozen jungle cats, all of which were predators in their own right. Effie struggled to classify them, but with their fur matted and stained with gore, it was nearly impossible to say. The graceful bodies were lying at awkward angles, the soft flesh of their bellies ripped open.
“The kills are fresh, perhaps an hour at most,” Ronan said from where he knelt beside one of the beasts.
“That would have placed the attack right around sundown,” Lucian replied.
&nbs
p; Kieran’s voice shook slightly. “That’s in keeping with what I Saw. The sky was still painted orange in my dream.”
Ronan coated a stick in the blood and held it up to his nose, lurching back in disgust after giving it a sniff. “Rancid,” he declared.
Lucian and Kael exchanged frowns.
Kieran was staring at the bodies in confusion. “How is that possible if they’ve only been dead an hour?”
“It’s the corruption,” Kael announced, his eyes turning a glittering emerald as he accessed his power.
“What could have done something like this?” Effie asked, the scene before her not making sense.
“It looks like they turned on each other,” Reyna murmured as she moved carefully around the bodies.
“No, look,” Kael said, pointing to one of the creature’s sheathed claws. “They didn’t even have a chance to defend themselves. Whatever did this attacked before they had a chance to fight back.”
“How could it have caught this many of them unaware?” Effie asked.
“Magic,” Lucian answered.
Understanding dawned. “They were asleep when they died,” Effie gasped.
Lucian nodded. “It seems so.”
Completing her circuit, Reyna returned to Ronan’s side. “So, they were put to sleep, dragged here, and then slaughtered . . . but why? That level of calculation suggests a greater purpose than mere murder.”
The shimmer in the air was their answer. Effie’s eyes snapped to the water churning beside them.
Lucian’s jaw ticked as he arrived at the same conclusion. “They wanted to poison the water supply.”
“What better way to ensure the corruption spreads far and wide,” Ronan growled.
Shock had leeched Kieran’s skin of all color. For someone who had Seen this, he looked more horrified by the implication than the rest of them.
“Is there any way to stop it?” Effie asked.
“We can burn the corpses, but if it’s already in the water . . .” Kael trailed off, his unspoken words ringing loudly in her ears.
Too late. If it was already in the water, it was too late.
Defeat made her shoulders sag. Until they found a cure, they were going to continue to run into this problem. The damage that would result in the meantime would be catastrophic.
