That’s when Kellen volunteered to go after her and bring Arista back to the water. They all agreed and Nerida sent him to find an object he could keep with him at all times. He returned with a flat metal bracelet. Nerida made small incisions on her palms and grasped the bracelet in both hands. Blood trickled down the sides before slowly dissolving into the surrounding water. The bracelet emitted a soft light and Nerida asked Kellen to place his hand through its open center.
His wrist trembled as the magic surged through him. Nerida uttered quiet words of magic under her breath and Kellen felt the new power tighten inside him and merge with his own. Nerida released her hold on the bracelet and held her fist over the metal circle. She carefully released three drops of blood across the top while chanting. As the third drop broke across the surface of the bracelet, a warm tingle passed through Kellen's wrist. A ball of light appeared where that last drop fell.
Nerida explained that the light would travel across the bracelet and grow stronger or fainter depending on his proximity to Arista. As long as the bracelet continued to glow, he would know she was still alive. He said his farewells to his family and left to find Arista.
As soon as he broke through the surface of the water, an intense pain coursed through the length of his fin up through his waist. He cried out in agony as he was torn in half. His lower body split into two and finally the pain became so great he blacked out.
When he awoke, he found himself sinking through the water. He panicked and took a breath before realizing he couldn’t breathe underwater anymore. He kicked and clawed his way through the water until he reached the surface once more. His chest heaved as he gasped and sucked air into his lungs. As he calmed down, he looked at his wrist and felt a sense of relief as he saw the soft light gleaming from the core of the bracelet to the surface of the metal.
His sense of relief at knowing Arista was still alive quickly gave way to a heated anger. Although he cared for Arista, he hated chasing her to the surface. As much as she tried to hide it, people and their life on the surface had always fascinated her. He didn’t understand why she and the rest of her family thought people were so interesting. He didn’t see how anyone could care at all about people, let alone someone whose father had been murdered by them.
He knew Arista had felt alone when her mother left and he tried hard to be there for her. But it was increasingly difficult to support her decisions. He couldn’t believe what she had done to come to the surface in the first place. Then, when he finally tracked her down, she continued to make terrible choices. Now they were stuck with this horrible group of humans.
He fumed as he paced back and forth across the basement. The cool subterranean air did little to calm his temper. Things had only gotten worse since arriving at the witch’s house. His blood boiled thinking about her and the way she treated him. Arista claimed they were different from other humans, but he knew they were playing the two of them for fools. He couldn’t believe that, even after the witch had cast those spells on him, Arista still wanted to be there with them.
He slumped down on the battered chair in the corner of the room. He was exhausted and all he wanted was to go home to his family. He laid his head against the top of the cushioned chair and shut his eyes. He squirmed around trying to get comfortable. The nightmares had been making it hard to sleep and he was looking forward to some rest.
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{ Chapter 22 }
Clarissa and Valerie spent the better part of their drive in awkward silence. As much as Clarissa wanted Valerie to open up and talk to her, she knew Valerie wouldn’t be interested. Aside from debating the merits of taking certain roads to get there, they mostly kept company with their own thoughts.
Little more than a day had passed since Gavin first brought Arista to see her, and already it felt like her whole life was upside down. Clarissa leaned her head against the seat and closed her eyes. They had been moving nonstop since then and she was worn out. Hopefully the Oracle could give them answers and everything would end soon.
Valerie glanced at her from behind the wheel of the car. “We should start thinking of our questions.”
“What do you mean?” Clarissa asked, reopening her eyes.
“For the Oracle. We’ll get to ask her three questions. One that clarifies something that happened in the past, one about something occurring, and one that will give us insight into the future.”
Clarissa furrowed her brow. “I’ve never heard of those restrictions. Are you sure?”
“Positive,” Valerie answered without looking over. Clarissa frowned as she recognized that Valerie was holding something back. She decided against pushing the topic for the time being. She laid her head back again as she pondered the questions.
“I suppose ‘present’ should deal with how to stop Salazar, right?”
Valerie nodded thoughtfully. “We’ll have to phrase it in a way for the Oracle to give us the best answer. What about severing the nexus spell he has on Arista? We could use that for the ‘past.’ If we know how he created the nexus, it may help us break it.”
“What about the ‘future?’” Valerie asked.
“I’m not sure. Maybe we should decide that there. If we don’t get a clear answer to a question or we don’t understand an answer, we could use it for that. If we get everything we need, then, I don’t know… maybe we can help Arista find her mother.”
Clarissa nodded in agreement. “I like that idea, I think she’d appreciate it.” She glanced at Valerie. “It’s nice you’re thinking of her.”
“I just understand what she’s going through. It’s hard to be without your mother, and she has a chance to find her.”
Clarissa knew Valerie held both she and Gavin at least partly responsible for her parents’ deaths. Clarissa was glad Valerie didn’t know how correct she was — that it was indeed her fault the Paynes had been killed.
…
It wasn’t long before Clarissa and Valerie pulled up in front of an old, Victorian-style house. The black-shingled roof featured several turrets lined with white gable trim over windows shaded with dark blue curtains. A chill rolled down Valerie’s spine as she saw a curtain fall back into place as someone stepped out of sight.
She groaned to herself as she turned off the car. She had hoped to never return to this place.
“Are you ready for this?” she asked Clarissa, trying to calm her own nerves.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Clarissa answered.
The two women stepped out of the car and walked up the sidewalk to the porch that wrapped around the front of the house. Before they reached the door, a young woman stepped outside. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a simple braid and she wore an unadorned white dress that whispered against the ground as she walked. Although she appeared to be little older than twenty, she carried herself with a maturity well beyond her years.
“Welcome,” she said, clasping her hands in front of her waist. “The Oracle has been expecting you.”
“When can we see her?” Valerie asked.
“Soon,” the girl answered. “Preparations are being made now. You may wait inside.” She turned around and walked back through the doorway.
Valerie and Clarissa exchanged nervous glances before following the Oracle’s handmaiden into the house. She led them to a sitting room near the rear of the house, where they both took a seat on a red floral-printed sofa. The young woman excused herself and left Clarissa and Valerie alone.
Valerie was overwhelmed the first time she sat in that very room. She decided it wasn’t any better the second time. Wildly patterned wallpaper covered every inch of the room, featuring deep maroon orchids and flitting birds. It was hard to even make out the pattern at first glance, because paintings and framed photographs of every shape and size overlaid the paper. The surrounding tables and bookshelves were crammed full of knickknacks and trinkets, from diminutive glass elephants to oversized Russian nesting dolls and even old Pez dispensers. The room was an unsettling blend of fl
ea market finds and pricey tchotchkes. Out of the corner of her eye, she looked at Clarissa, who was curiously peering around the bizarre room. She was about to ask her a question when the young woman returned.
“The Oracle will see you now.”
Valerie took a deep breath, fighting the urge to run before it was too late to leave. The handmaiden stopped in front of a closed door and stepped to the side, gesturing for them to go ahead. Clarissa reached out and put her hand on the tarnished brass doorknob. Valerie grabbed her elbow to stop her and leaned in close, whispering in her ear.
“Whatever you do, try not to lose control. Stepping in there will be like nothing you have experienced before; it’s disorienting and unnerving. She wants only those worthy of answers to get any, so she’ll attempt to test us and trick us. Remember to stay calm and think before you speak. She’ll try to lure you into wasting questions. We only get one chance.”
Clarissa nodded and reached out with one hand to hold Valerie’s in hers, while turning the doorknob with the other. Side by side, the pair stepped into the pitch-black room. The door swung shut behind them, plunging them into the engulfing darkness.
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{ Chapter 23 }
Clarissa’s white-knuckled grip on Valerie’s hand tightened as their hearts pounded in the oppressive darkness. Valerie winced as her blood raced from her head down to her fingertips. Somewhere in the darkness the Oracle was waiting — and watching.
Valerie squeezed Clarissa’s hand in return, silently willing their nerves to remain in check. This was only the beginning. She interlocked her fingers with Clarissa’s, relieved that at least this time she wasn’t alone.
A deep-throated cackle from the other end of the room broke the silence.
“One new, one old… each has secrets to be told.”
Valerie shut her eyes, squishing her eyelids against each other. Even though the room was steeped in shadows, it gave her some semblance of control to envelop herself in her own personal darkness. She wouldn’t allow the Oracle to repeat what happened last time.
The voice slid from across the room to behind the women. Valerie shuddered as a hot breath of air trailed across the back of her neck. She stifled a gasp by biting down on her lower lip, drawing a drop of blood to its surface.
“Most know better than to come here once… yet, here you are again. No one comes to see Pythia twice… no one but you.”
Valerie winced as the voice continued its singsong cackle. “Is that smart, is that wise? Why would you trust what you despise?”
Valerie sensed the Oracle had moved on from her to Clarissa. Valerie tightened her hold on Clarissa’s hand, hoping it would help keep her calm.
“Tasty, tasty… Pythia has not seen the likes of you for some time. See with your heart, not with your eyes. But alas, no courage to see the truth. Sad to see talent go to waste, with it your life will be erased.”
Clarissa dug her nails deep into the flesh on the back of Valerie’s hand. She winced and took a slow, deep breath; they still had a long way to go. They heard rustling as the Oracle returned to the other side of the room. The women each took a step closer to the other.
“You’ve been here before?” Clarissa whispered.
“Yes,” Valerie hissed. “Can we talk about that later?”
Orange flames with an eerie green inner core shot up from the ground in the middle of the room, tearing through the darkness. Clarissa and Valerie each took a step back, blinking as their eyes adjusted to the sudden light. The Oracle sat in a chair across from them on the other side of the flames. Loose tendrils of soft blonde hair framed her wrinkled face, a low knot gathered the rest of her hair behind her neck. One of her thin hands held a long walking staff topped with a white crystal, while the other gripped an arm of the chair. She cackled as she watched the pair from across the fiery wall.
“No whispers here. You can’t keep secrets from me,” she said with another raspy laugh.
Valerie braced herself, knowing what would happen next. Clarissa watched on in horror as the center of the Oracle’s forehead split open across a horizontal wrinkle. Her layers of skin slowly peeled themselves back to reveal a third eye. Her normal set of eyes were a light milky blue, but the third eye blinking out of the middle of her forehead was inky black with shards of red piercing through its center.
“I can see everything, you know,” she said, still laughing. “One old, one new… Once was not enough for the witch.”
“We’re not here for me this time,” Valerie spoke up. “A friend of ours is in danger.”
The Oracle scowled at them through the flames, which had grown so tall they licked the ceiling. “You should know better… Only tell Pythia the truth. You are all in grave danger.”
Valerie choked back her frustration. She hated playing these mind games. Clarissa glanced at her briefly before answering.
“We’re sorry,” she said. “We are all in danger and we’d like your help.”
The Oracle grinned, revealing a row of pearly white teeth, and turned her head to peer closely at Clarissa. Her third eye didn’t follow the rest of her face, it remained squarely on Valerie.
“You are at its center,” she said to Clarissa. “The question is: have you learned to control your selfishness? Or will you still choose to bring pain to those you claim to love?”
Clarissa’s eyes grew wider as comprehension dawned on her. Valerie watched as the flames danced in her pupils, looking wilder by the second. Before she could say anything further, Valerie pulled her close.
“Remember, don’t waste a question,” she urged.
They locked eyes and Clarissa nodded. As hard as it was to let the Oracle’s comment go, they had to remember why they came. The Oracle, dissatisfied by Valerie’s interruption, switched her focus.
“And you, still playing with fire, I see? It’s going to eat you alive,” she growled with pointed derision and contempt.
Valerie took a deep breath, focusing every ounce of her strength on remaining calm. It’s all part of her games.
“Oracle, we’ve come seeking answers to our questions. How did Salazar create the nexus connecting him to Arista?” she asked.
The Oracle chuckled to herself as she rolled her fingers across the gleaming crystal on top of her staff. “What a pity, and you warned her not to waste questions.... Past,” she said, while slamming her staff into the ground. The fire burst with a flurry of sparks in front of her, as more of the green flames shot up from the middle.
“Pythia sees Salazar, a vampire captured during the war and transformed into another. He escaped, went into hiding. Now, he hunts again and is drawn to Arista’s power. The nexus was created when he first attacked her, although not as himself.”
Valerie and Clarissa looked at each other and Valerie nodded hesitantly. She believed it was enough information to break the spell without using another question. She was trying to recall what she had heard about vampires in the war when Clarissa asked the second question.
“So how can we defeat him?”
The Oracle cackled again, drumming the fingers of one hand along the arm of the chair. “Better, but still not the right question. Present,” she said, slamming her staff into the ground a second time.
This time heavy smoke from the fire swirled around her and the Oracle took several deep breaths, inhaling the smoke. Valerie glanced down and noticed something she hadn’t the first time she had visited the Oracle. The fire was igniting from a chasm in the ground. The floor of the house had been ripped away and dirt from below crept up along the edges. The ground beneath the house was cleft in half, and it was from that crevice the fire emerged. Contemplating where that fire originated sent goosebumps rippling across her skin.
The eyelids over the Oracle’s third eye slid shut as she let the smoke wrap around her in thick swaths. Suddenly, the eye shot open and Valerie saw it had turned completely red. The Oracle looked back and forth between the two women, appearing hesitant to answer the question. Valerie frowned i
n concern. This was unusual.
“Oracle?” Valerie asked, breaking the silence.
Instead of answering, the Oracle mumbled to herself. Clarissa looked at Valerie in alarm. The Oracle’s three eyes rolled around in her head as she panted heavily. Tiny bits of foam burst from the edges of her mouth, and her head tilted downwards. A chill ran through Valerie; her first time hadn’t been like this at all. The Oracle’s head snapped up and she locked all three of her eyes on the women with a sudden ferocity.
“Great danger is looming. Not only for you, but for us all. As prophesized, Magic itself is under attack and it is up to you to save it. All of you touched by this must play a part. Five have choices to make, and your decisions must be correct or all will perish.”
The Oracle paused to ensure she had their complete attention. “Your price is steep, but not chosen by me. Each of you must live up to your task if Salazar is to be destroyed — and this is the only way he can be destroyed. But that won’t be the end of your duty. There is more.
“He serves another. His destruction is merely one mark along the path to stopping the greater evil. All five thresholds must be crossed for you to even have that chance. You will all suffer greatly. Embarking on this difficult journey is the only price Pythia can ask of you.”
Clarissa and Valerie turned to each other once more. This was far from the answer they thought they would get. Before they could discuss it, Clarissa stepped forward with their final question.
“But how will we know if we’re on the right path?”
“Future,” the Oracle intoned, slamming her staff into the ground one final time.
The flames that had been pouring forth from the ground were extinguished and the room was hurled back into total darkness. Valerie and Clarissa each held their breath, afraid of what was to come. A delicate light appeared, moving steadily towards them. The Oracle crossed the room, the crystal on top of her staff alight with a warm yellow glow. She stopped in front of Clarissa and spoke softly.
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