He coughed, but it sounded a little stronger. “Yes?”
“How do I glow?”
“I’m trying, just need a second.” He cursed. There was a lot of cracking and popping.
“No, how do I glow? I did it at the beach. Tell me how to do it on command like you do, and I’ll come to you.”
“Um…I’ve never had to explain it, since no one else could do it.” His voice was strained, like it took a lot of energy to speak. “But…it’s kind of the same way you summon a wave. Just reach down inside you and call it. You’ll feel energy. Tap into it.”
I nodded then remembered he couldn’t see me. “Okay, I’ll try.” I took a few deep breaths to calm myself down. Energy. Feel for energy. I closed my eyes and focused on the tingling in my stomach. It was warm and electric, sizzling like a power cord.
“Yes, that’s it,” Tennessee whispered. “Now push it out, away from you.”
The sound of his voice gave me a rush of confidence. I clenched my teeth and pushed with my mind. That warm sensation spread from my stomach out into my limbs. I opened my eyes and looked down at myself. My legs shimmered like pearls. My arms and hands, despite the little cuts, glowed like moonlight. I grinned. I did it.
“You’re beautiful,” Tennessee whispered.
My cheeks filled with a different kind of warmth. He thinks I’m beautiful. “Where are you? I need to come to you.”
“Directly to your right a few feet.”
I nodded and gave him two thumbs up. He chuckled and it sent butterflies into my stomach.
“Here I come.” I probably could’ve stood up and walked over, but something about the utter blackness around us made me feel unsafe. So, I crawled on all fours until my hand touched something soft and hot. I gasped and raised my glowing hand a little to light up what I touched. The Roman numeral IV set on tan, smooth skin met my gaze. I slid my hand up his arm and across his shoulder and then pressed my palm against his chest. His heart pounded under my fingers. Nice and strong. With my other hand, I raised it to light up his face.
He smiled. “Hi.”
I giggled. “Hi. I found you.”
“You sure did.” His voice sounded like gravel.
“Are you okay?” I brushed his long hair out of his face. “How the tables have turned.”
He laughed and it made him cough. “What, let you have all the fun?”
“What can I do to help you?”
He swallowed. “Place both of your palms on my chest. Then, just like you did to make yourself glow…push your energy into me.”
I nodded and closed my eyes. The tingling, warm sensation lingered inside me, waiting to be called on. Okay, let’s give some back to him. I pushed as hard as I could. In seconds, bright light pierced through my eyelids.
“Stop,” Tennessee said, back in his normal velvety voice.
I opened my eyes and found his body glowing brighter than mine. “You gave me more before…”
He sat up. Our faces were inches apart. He shook his head. “You were zapped of power. I just needed a little bump. We need to save what we have so we can get out of here.”
I nodded. His eyes sparkled in the glow of our bodies. He licked his lips, and my gaze tracked the movement. I leaned forward so I could breathe in his fresh rain smell. Kiss me. He leaned forward and tilted his head, his eyes locked on my mouth. But then he pulled back and rubbed his face with his palms. He cleared his throat and got to his feet.
He looked around then back down at me. “We have to find the locket.”
I sighed. He was right. Could’ve kissed me first. Just sayin’. “How? We can’t see a thing.”
“From what I know of this quest in generations past, the locket is always in a difficult location. The quest to find it is designed to test the Cards chosen.” He twirled the hilt of his sword in his hand and used the tip to scratch his back. “The Goddess chose you and me. We both have powers of the Water element. We also both glow. So, it has to be within our means of finding it.”
“Okay. If we use our bodies like flashlights, we should find it, or a way to light up the cavern itself. I’ll search the ground since I’m already down here.”
“I’ll find the walls.”
“Don’t go far,” I blurted before I could stop myself.
“I won’t.” He winked then took a few steps forward with his non-sword hand out in front of him. “By the way, we’re looking for a chest. In case I failed to mention it before.”
I frowned. Did he tell me before? I shrugged. “Okay. We’re just standard pirates searching for booty inside a treasure chest.”
I crawled on the ground, scanning every inch of the hard surface for clues. Tennessee did the same behind me, while whistling the song “A Pirate’s Life For Me.” I smiled.
I wasn’t sure how much time passed, but it seemed like hours before I stumbled upon little etchings in the cavern floor. I narrowed my eyes and brought my hand closer. There was a circle drawn in black. A line with an arrow curved out of the circle and pointed to a Roman numeral II inside a smaller circle. My eyes widened. I looked down at my left arm to make sure I wasn’t mistaken. But I wasn’t. It was the same number etched into my skin. Please be a real clue. This circle also had a line coming out of it. I held my hand down and followed it until I found a pentagram…with IV inside of it.
I gasped. “Tennessee. Come here.”
The water around me pulsed as he came near. The glow from his body overpowered mine, and I was thankful for it. He squatted down beside me. “What did you find?”
“Look.” I pointed to the first circle, then traced my finger along the lines to where the II and IV were drawn. I glanced over my shoulder at him. “Like you said, us. This has to mean us.”
His eyes widened. “Holy shit. Is there more to this?” He knelt next to me, and our knees brushed.
I ignored the rush of heat through my body. We were finally onto something. I think. I hope. Together, we followed the line leading out of the IV pentagram. It was drawn in small segments, each ending with an arrow. The lines combined in order made a string of circles.
“This is the clue. We just have to decipher it.” He tapped his left pointer finger on the line, his silver ring glistening like glass. “I don’t think it’s a path. The curves don’t make sense.”
What is it telling us? “Wait, didn’t you say The Goddess designs this quest to test our powers?”
“Yes.” He narrowed his eyes and cocked his head to the side. “Clearly, she only intended for you and me to be down here, so it has to involve our elements.”
“I don’t think mine are the key here. Look, my number is drawn in a circle, but yours is drawn inside a pentagram. Your elements are Water…”
“Earth and Air.” He traced the circular lines. “What’s with the circle pattern, though?”
“No idea.” I sat back on my heels and stared at the drawing on the cavern floor. After a few minutes of staring, I realized belatedly that the ground wasn’t sand. It was hard and solid, and shimmered if light hit it the right way. “Tennessee, what is this cavern made of?”
He made a fist and knocked on the ground. “Looks like crushed sand and abalone shell, something that would’ve taken centuries to harden. Why?”
“Because it reflects the light off our bodies.” I waved my hand over the surface to demonstrate. “Can you channel your Earth element and…”
“Light this whole place up?” He laughed in one short burst. “You are brilliant.”
I bit my bottom lip and tried to rein in my excitement in case it didn’t work. Tennessee got back to his feet and walked to the edge of the cavern a few yards away from me. The wall shimmered under his glow. This has to work. He traced the wall to the left until he reached a corner, then he spun to face me.
With a hand on each wall, he gazed at me. “Here goes nothing.” He closed his eyes.
The muscles in his arms flexed. The walls ignited with light, spreading out from his hands and swirling around the
cavern. Within seconds, the entire place was aglow with glistening swirls of blues and greens. Just like his eyes. The water around us had a glittery effect. I craned my neck back and looked up. The light didn’t reach the opening of the cavern, but I was secretly glad. I didn’t want to see just how far down we were.
“Tegan…look.”
“I know. I see it.” I grinned and shook my head. “You’re incredible. This is why Royce doesn’t think you’re human.”
“No, Tegan. Look.”
I frowned and looked over at him. He pointed to the other side of the cavern. I followed his finger, not sure what I was searching for, when my gaze landed on a wooden chest.
I gasped. “The chest. Do you think?”
“Let’s find out.”
Tennessee dropped to his knees beside me and held his hand out. Little waves left his outstretched fingers. The chest went flying through the water, headed straight toward us. It slid into our knees then bounced back.
I stared at it in silence. Is this it? The chest was only about a foot long, a foot wide, and stood about a foot and a half tall. The lid had the same material as the cavern walls attached to the wood. There were gold and silver patches, aligned in some strange pattern on top.
“The scales,” Tennessee whispered. He rustled around behind him then held his hand out over the chest. In his fingers was the purple scale he’d cut off of Cota the hippocampus. It was the perfect match for the pattern on the lid. “This is it.”
“Wow. We did it.” I smiled and ran my fingers along the pattern. Tennessee went to put the scales in the position, but I stopped him. “Wait.”
“Why?”
I stared at the chest. I couldn’t tell how I knew, but it was almost like the chest whispered to me. I leaned forward. It smelled like dirt and moss, like getting lost in the mountains. “It smells like earth. Is that expected?”
He frowned and leaned forward. His nostrils flared as he inhaled. “We have to open this on land, don’t we?”
“I think so.”
“Then let’s get to land.” He winked and grabbed the handle of the chest. With his sword hand, he wrapped his arm around my waist and pushed off the ground.
I wrapped my arms around his neck. I meant it only for stability, so he could get a better hold on the chest…but once our faces were that close, all of my other thoughts disappeared. His warm breath brushed up my throat and over my jaw. His eyes twinkled from an inch away. The shimmering cavern walls passed by in a blur, and then we were drenched in darkness once again. All of my control snapped. I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his.
He made a sound of frustration mixed with satisfaction and kissed me back. The world melted away. All of my fears, my concerns. My confusion. The stress for this quest. All of it vanished when he kissed me like this. He dipped his head and deepened our kiss. I tangled my fingers in his hair, pulling him closer to me. Every time we kissed, I expected this feeling to weaken a little. I thought for sure it wouldn’t be so overwhelming each time. But if anything, it only got stronger. He was addicting and intoxicating. I feared I’d never have enough of him.
The water turned warm around us. I knew we’d made it out of the cavern and back into the open ocean, but I refused to peel my lips off of him. I didn’t want to open my eyes. I wanted to be lost in this moment, locked in his embrace with his kiss forever. More. More. More. He was peace and comfort. He sealed all of the cracks in my shell. He tasted like saltwater and blood, but it didn’t bother me.
We crashed through something hard. Crisp, cool air hit my face. Water splashed all around us. I ignored it. I gripped his face and kissed him harder. His hand slid up my back and over my shoulder to my jaw. His fingers pressed into my skin. I’d probably have bruises, but I didn’t care.
“Tennessee?”
“Tegan!”
Tennessee pulled away from me, gasping for air. He looked behind me, and his eyes widened. I frowned and glanced over my shoulder. Our sailboat floated in the water half a football field away. We’d made it to the surface. The sun had long set, leaving only a dark blue sky with twinkling stars and a crescent moon.
“Tegan?” I recognized Emersyn’s voice screaming out to me. “Tegan, is that you?”
“Tennessee?” Royce shouted.
“We’re fine,” Tennessee yelled back. He cursed and pushed away from me. “C’mon, we need to make sure the locket is in here.”
An icy chill swept over me and I shivered. I couldn’t say whether it came from the night air or Tennessee. He waved his hand, and the ocean carried us toward the deck of the boat.
What just happened?
Chapter Twenty-Three
Tennessee
They didn’t see us kissing. They didn’t. Couldn’t have.
I took a deep breath. I only saw Royce and Emersyn standing at the edge of the boat, and although Emersyn may not share, I knew Royce wouldn’t be able to stop himself. If he saw Tegan and me kissing…I was in deep shit.
I knew the second the chest came into view because Royce’s eyes widened and he shouted over his shoulder. Emersyn eyed the chest, but her attention was more concerned with Tegan.
She pushed by me and wrapped her arms around her sister. “Thank God you’re okay.”
“You have the chest,” Cooper said, drawing my attention away from Tegan. “Holy Hell, you have the chest. Is the locket in it?”
I sighed and dropped to my knees. The chest thudded against the wooden deck. It better be in here. I pulled the scales out of my pocket and held it over the chest. Everyone piled in behind me. I felt their eyes on my back, their anxious energy tingling against my spine. What would they say if this wasn’t the right chest? What would they do if I’d failed them? I hesitated with the scales in my hand. I considered pulling my pendulum out and asking if this was the right chest, then thought better of it. There were too many eyes on me.
Tegan kneeled beside me. Her arm brushed against mine and I shivered. She leaned forward and whispered, “It’s in there. I can feel it.”
Her power was remarkable, and so was her mind. She thought of things others didn’t. The way she’d figured out so many of the clues blew me away. I wished Cassandra could’ve known her, even if briefly. They would’ve gotten along. They would’ve been an incredible duo. It was unfair they never got the chance. Cassandra was the older sister I never had, and it killed me she didn’t get to meet the girl meant to be mine. My soulmate. Not that I could’ve told her.
“Tenn?” Cooper’s hand gripped my shoulder. “You okay?”
I cleared my throat and nodded. Please be the locket. With a slight tremble in my fingers, I slid the scales into the designated cutout on the lid. Gold and silver bursts of light shot out from the chest. I winced but refused to look away. The purple scales melted into the metal. A shimmering swirl of violet mist circled the chest over and over until there was a pop, and then the lid flew open.
With my heart in my throat, I leaned over and looked into the chest. Holy hell. I exhaled in a rush. Sitting in the bottom of the black velvet-lined chest was Cassandra’s locket. The Hierophant’s locket. Cassandra always wore it around her neck, so I’d spent the last twelve years of my life inspecting it.
Cooper sighed and rested his forehead on my shoulder. Cassandra meant as much to him as she did to me. This quest was personal for us. We couldn’t let the locket die with her. We couldn’t do that to her. And we succeeded.
I reached in and pulled it out. The gold metal tingled with warmth against my palm. On the front of the round surface, a silver pentagram was inside a circle overlay of the gold. Whenever the Goddess spoke to the Hierophant, the locket under the pentagram became luminescent. I knew from experience. I flipped it over. On the back, the Roman numeral V was etched into the center. The Hierophant’s number. Just below it, two vintage keys were shown crossed over each other. One key had the sun, and the other had a crescent moon and stars.
“That’s it, right?” Royce asked from my left. “I think it loo
ks familiar.”
“I don’t remember the back,” Henley said softly. Her porcelain hand and black fingernails slid into my view. She flipped it over in my palm. “But I definitely remember the pentagram on the front.”
“This is it,” Cooper confirmed.
“It’s beautiful,” Emersyn whispered from the other side of Tegan. She was right—it was beautiful.
Tegan put her hand on my forearm and squeezed. When I looked over, she ducked to meet my eyes and smiled. “I’m sure Cassandra is really proud of you right now.”
“Thank you.” I blinked away the tears in my eyes and all the emotion threatening to spill out. There was a lump in my throat, but I had to keep myself together. I smiled at Tegan, then glanced over to the rest of our little crew. Five smiling faces—wait…five? I frowned and recounted. Cooper, Royce, Henley, Tegan, and Emersyn. We were one short. “Where’s Libby?”
Royce, Henley, and Cooper exchanged glances, and my pulse shot into overdrive.
“She’s on the bench,” Emersyn answered and pointed to the seating area in the middle of the deck. “She’s hurt.”
“What?” Tegan all but screamed. “Why didn’t you say so immediately?”
I leapt to my feet and sprinted over to the white leather benches. Libby was on her back on the widest bench. Her trademark side braid was half unraveled. Her skin was too pale, and I hated the hint of blue to it. Little beads of water covered her skin, and my stomach turned. They’d gotten out of the water hours beforehand. I scanned her body, searching for the injury. Her arms were folded over her stomach, her legs bent at the knees. If I hadn’t known better, I’d think she was sleeping. But I knew better. I knew too well.
“Libby?” My voice cracked. I knelt by her side and took her hand in mine. “Lib?”
Her eyelids fluttered a few times before her hazel eyes found mine. She smiled, but it was weak and short lasting. “Tennessee, you’re back. Did you find it?”
The Lost Witch Page 17
