“The Foreseer that saw the vision was a close friend of Stephan’s,” he whispered, his breath hot against my cheek. “And they’ve worked really hard to keep it a secret from the rest of the Foreseers so let’s not ruin it now by talking about it, okay?”
“But they might already now,” I pointed out. “Since the Death Walkers do.”
“They might, but they might not. And let’s hope they don’t because it will make it a lot harder to get you out of here if they do know.”
I rubbed my aching wrist, considering the idea of being trapped down here. Yes, the place was beautiful, but it was also creepy. And empty—I hadn’t seen a single person yet. And then, of course, there was Nicholas. He heightened the creepy factor, like, a billion notches.
“Did you hurt yourself?” Alex asked, eyeballing my wrist.
I shrugged. “It’s not a big deal. When I landed, I fell and my wrist popped.”
“Here, let me look at it.” He reached for my wrist, pausing before gently taking hold of it. My first instinct was to jerk back and tell him not to touch me. Oh yeah, I might have been standing in the City of Crystal, waiting to see if the Foreseers would let me leave or not, but that didn’t mean I’d forgotten about the lies, secrets, and constant fighting that had gone on between us. Still, and I don’t know why—I guess I had a weak moment or something—I let him take my wrist in his hand and examine it over, sparks lighting up like lightening during a thunderstorm.
“Really, it’s not that bad,” I told him, flinching as my wrist let out another pop.
“Sorry,” Alex apologized, tracing his finger lightly along the inside of my wrist. It tickled to the point that I had to bite my lip to keep from giggling. “I don’t think it’s broken or anything. You probably just popped it out of place.” He let go of my wrist. “If it still hurts when we get back to the house, I can wrap it up.”
I nodded, cradling my wrist in my hand.”Okay.” If I ever get back to the house.
“How about your stitches?” he asked. “How are they doing? There not coming loose, are they?”
I shrugged. “I don’t think so.”
He stared at me incredulously. “You haven’t check on them?”
“I glanced at them after I went into the vision and face planted it on the ground,” I said. “Everything seemed to look okay, I guess.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “You guess.”
“Well, since I’ve never had stitches before, I’m not sure what qualifies them as looking okay and what doesn’t. But they don’t really hurt or anything.”
“They could have loosened up when you fell. Or they could be getting infected. You never know.” He moved his hand toward the bottom of my shirt.
I backed away. “What are you doing?”
He looked at me like I was an idiot. “Checking to make sure your stitches are okay.”
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”
“So you’d rather get an infection and end up in a hospital.”
“No.” I sighed, inching into his reach. “Fine, go ahead.”
I held my breath as he raised the corner of my shirt, peeled back the gauze, and peered underneath it. The way his fingertips kept grazing my skin tickled. Man, life could be so unfair sometimes. There should be some kind of law or something banning Alex’s touch to feel this good. It was practically torture.
“So what’s the symbol on Nicholas’s wrist mean?” I asked in a pathetic attempt to distract myself.
“It’s the mark of a Foreseer.” His fingers worked their way along my skin.
I tensed as he touched a tender spot on my ribs. “Then why don’t I have one?”
“I’m not sure…Things seem to work differently with you. You might get one and you might not.” His fingers linger on my skin for an instant longer before he pressed the gauze back into place and tugged the corner of my shirt back down. “There good. Completely intact and infection free.”
“Good,” I said. And then, being the polite girl that I was, added, “Thanks for making sure.”
“Whoa. Hold on.” He smiled, cupping his hand around his ear. “Did I seriously just hear you say thanks?”
“I’ve said thanks to you before,” I said.
He raised his eyebrows accusingly.
“Well, maybe not to you per se, but I’ve said the word before.”
“Oh yeah.” He laughed. “Is that so?”
I nodded. “But I only say it when I truly mean it, so it doesn’t come out a whole lot.”
He laughed again, and I felt my own smile breaking through.
Okay. Time out. Were we seriously, after everything we’d been through, having a moment here. So weird. Although, I wasn’t going to lie and say that I wasn’t enjoying it. The moment gave me a brief glimpse into what things might have been like if I was normal.
However, when one of the tall, silver doors opened up, our little moment slipped away, just like that.
“He's ready for you.” Nicholas said, holding the door open. “You can come in.”
As I stepped through the doorway, I had to catch my breath. The place made the glass cave look completely ordinary. Shiny cutouts of silver and blue porcelain paved the way through green gemstones that mimicked blades of grass. The blue sky shined like a giant diamond, the cotton ball clouds floating across it like a mirage.
Alex and I followed Nicholas down the porcelain path, winding back and forth until we arrived at a silver throne perched on top of a sapphire platform. A short, plump man with curly elf shoes and dark brown hair stood beside the throne. Nicholas approached him, whispered something in his ear, and the little man nodded.
While Nicholas was distracted, Alex placed his hand on my arm and whispered, “Oh yeah. You need to be careful around Nicholas. He’s part faerie so he can’t be trusted.”
Before I could even react to the word faerie, or the combusting electricity his breath and touch brought on, a man appeared from behind the throne. He was maybe in his sixties, give or take a few years. He was tall with pale skin and grey shoulder length hair. The silver shade of the robe he wore matched the silver shade of his eyes.
He took a seat in the throne, curling his thin fingers over the edges of the armrests. “Welcome to the City of Crystal. I am Dyvinius, leader of the Foreseers.” His voice came out in slow, motionless syllables—very monotone-like. “I understand that you were able to use the Foreseers power to channel up a vision yesterday. Am I correct?”
I glanced around idiotically and then it clicked. Oh yeah, he was probably talking to me. “Umm…yeah.”
“Good.” Dyvinius tapped his fingers together, seeming pleased. “Well, I’m not sure if you know much about what a Foreseer does, or what we are, so I’ll explain. What we do is we use the energy of the Divination Crystal to see visions of either the past or the future. But mostly it’s the future. Once the vision is read, it becomes permanent. There is no changing it.”
Maybe he should explain that to the Keepers, since they seem to think differently. Most of my life had been center around trying to do just that, and here he was saying it was impossible. What if he was right, though? Would that mean there was no hope to stop the portal from opening up? That there was no hope for humanity?
Wow. Talk about slapping reality across my face. And reality seemed to be forming a giant lump in my throat that was making it super hard to swallow.
“Now from what I understand, you saw a past vision, which isn’t too uncommon of a thing to happen with beginners,” said Dyvinius.
I felt like I might cry. The vision I’d seen was from the past. Which meant what? That the woman in it couldn’t be saved?
That lump in my throat nearly doubled in size.
“When a person goes into their first vision, they usually don’t know what they’re doing,” Dyvinius continued. “However, typically the Foreseer ability is discovered in a person before they see their first vision. That way we are able to monitor them. Occasionally, someone does end up slipping
through the radar undetected. Sometimes we’re lucky enough to discover them later on, but sometimes we don’t.” His silver eyes locked on me, his expression blank. “We have a radar system that lets us know when there has been an interference with a Divination Crystal. Now it’s not necessarily a bad thing—what you did. Although I have to say, you are very lucky you were able to come out of it. Sometimes people do get stuck.” He paused. “Even though the vision you saw was from the past, it does need to be read correctly. Otherwise, it can alter the human world as we know it.” His face suddenly lit up. “And so we have brought you down here to re-see your vision and to be trained as a Foreseer.”
I casted a frantic glance at Alex.
“Is something wrong?’ Dyvinius asked me. “You look upset.”
“Umm…” I struggled.
Alex stepped forward. “I don’t think her staying here is going to be possible right now. There are certain circumstances that require her to stay with the Keepers.”
Dyvinius stared at Alex, seriousness shadowing in his silver eyes. “The Keepers…Tell me boy, what is your name?”
“Alex Avery,” Alex responded calmly.
“Any relation to Stephan Avery?” Dyvinius asked.
Alex nodded. “He’s my father.”
“Oh, I see,” Dyvinius said and it was clear he wasn’t pleased. “Tell me Alex, what are these circumstances that are keeping Gemma with the Keepers?”
“I can’t answer that,” Alex replied coolly. “As you know, like the Foreseers, Keepers have certain things they have to keep to themselves.”
“Yes, I do understand. However, there are also laws we’re all supposed to follow. I’m sure you know the law that states that if a person is able to use the crystal ball to see a vision, then they have to be trained in the City of Crystal by the Foreseers.” His mouth sagged down into what I assumed was supposed to be a frown, but seeing a frown on his expressionless face just looked creepy. “If Gemma doesn’t stay here then she could end up altering the future. Or end up getting trapped inside a vision if she tries to enter one again.”
My heart raced. Oh no. He was going to make me stay. I looked over at Alex, my eyes pleading with him to do something.
. “I understand that. I really do,” Alex said. “But there has to be something we could work out.”
It was amazing how calm Alex was being. Not me. I was freaking out. And yes, I’d started the nail biting thing again.
Dyvinius’s sliver eyes darkened, sending a chill down my spine. “Yes, maybe we could work something out… If you were to make a promise that she would never use a crystal ball again until she has been properly trained, then I don’t see why I can’t let her go back with the Keepers for awhile.” He paused. “Of course, after these circumstances that are keeping her with the Keepers are gone, she’d have to come back.”
Okay, now I was really panicking. I never wanted to come back here. Ever.
Alex stayed quiet, arms crossed, jaw set.
“Otherwise I’ll have to have her make the promise.” Dyvinius’s eyes glinted. “But I have a feeling you’d probably rather make the promise.”
Was I missing something here? Was something going to happen if the promise was broken? Something bad?
“I guess a promise could be arranged…by me.” Alex gritted through his teeth.
“Very good.” Dyvinius beamed. And I had to say, his beaming was even creepier than his frown. “You understand that you’re making that promise in the City of Crystal. And I assume you already know what the consequences are if you break this promise.”
Alex nodded slowly. “Yeah, I understand.”
Dyvinius leaned forward in the throne, his eyes glowing with eagerness. “Then I need you to say the words out loud.”
Alex glared at him. “I promise.”
Dyvinius leaned back into the throne, looking satisfied. “Good. Now that that’s been taken care of, I need just one more thing from Gemma before I let you both go back.”
Oh yippy. “Okay,” I said warily. “What do I need to do?”
“I need you to go back into the vision and correct it,” he told me.
“Correct it?” I asked. “How am I supposed to do that?”
“Well, I’m guessing that when you went in the vision either some clips’ were missing, or things might have been blurry.”
“Yeah…the peoples’ faces were blurry.”
“Good. That will make it a little easier to correct. You see Gemma, every vision has to be seen clearly,” Dyvinius explained. “Otherwise, if left unfinished, it could end up altering past or future events, and the world as we know it could shift.”
I was confused. “So how exactly do I correct it?”
“You go back inside the crystal and see the vision again.” Dyvinius looked over at Nicholas. “I’ll send you with her to make sure everything goes correctly this time.”
What!? So not only did I have to go back and suffer through the vision again, but I also had to go with a creepy half faerie—whatever that meant. I’d read books about faeries who were able to put up some kind of glamour to make themselves look human. Looking at Nicholas, I wondered if what I was seeing was real or not. Was his blond hair and golden eyes just an illusion? A trick of the eye?
Catching me staring at him, Nicholas flashed me a sly smile and winked.
I blasted him with a fiery glare.
“Well, let’s get started then.” Dyvinius snapped his fingers and the chubby little man with elf shoes ran up to the throne. He was carrying a crystal ball identical to the one back at Adessa’s. He placed it in Dyvinius’ hands, bowed, and disappeared behind the throne.
Dyvinius held his hand out, the crystal ball balanced in his palm. “Whenever you’re ready Gemma.”
Sucking in a shaky breath, I stepped up to the podium. I stared down at the crystal hesitantly, the violet ribbons dancing around inside almost tauntingly. “So I just put my hand on it?”
“To start with, yes.” Dyvinius waved his hand at Nicholas. “Nicholas, take her hand.”
Not waiting for me to say if it was okay or not, Nicholas grabbed hold of my hand. His skin still felt exceedingly warm, and it took a lot of effort for me not to cringe away from him.
“Now close your eyes and picture the vision you saw,” Dyvinius said, his silver eyes twinkling in the pale violet glow of the crystal. “Then hold the picture in your mind while you place your hand on the crystal.”
I shut my eyes and focused on the lake…the grey stone castle…the blurry faces of the people. I held the image as I reached out and let my fingertips skim the glass.
I was jerked forward.
Then I was falling.
Chapter 29
I really wanted to be done with the whole traveling-through-a-crystal-ball thing because it sucked. Big time. The falling part made my stomach churn, and don’t even get me started on the landing. We all know how well that goes for me.
My feet hit the grassy ground with a thud, and I tripped forward, rolling my ankle. “Ow!”
“Are you alright?” Nicholas asked. He stood beside me, still holding my hand. Which I guess was good, but only because it kept me from falling face first onto the ground.
“Yeah, I’m good.” I slipped my hand out of his.
The castle towered behind us, the lake rippling in front. The sight of it tugged at my memories of the last time I was here.
“So what do I do now?” I asked Nicholas.
“You wait until the vision starts,” he told me. “You’ll have to tell me when it does, though, so I can help you see things clearly.”
I gave him a funny look. “You can’t see when it starts?”
He shook his head. “It’s your vision, so only you can see it. That’s the way things work.”
I gestured around us. “So what does all of this look like to you?”
He leaned in, his shoulder bumping into mine. The smell of lilacs, forest, and rain flooded my nostrils. “Everything looks grey. There�
�s a little haze and color here and there, but everything’s distorted.”
I backed away from him and focused on the scenery. It really was a beautiful place. Well, if you liked the whole outdoorsy thing that is. Which I so don’t. Plus, there was the connection it held to the woman getting yanked away to The Underworld. That connection basically ruined any possibility of me liking the place.
A streak of purple suddenly rushed by me—the little girl.
“Okay, it’s starting,” I told Nicholas.
The little girl twirled in circles, just like she’d done the first time, her face still all hazy.
“What do you see?” Nicholas asked.
I wondered if I was allowed to tell him “Um...”
He frowned. “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what you’re seeing.”
I sighed. “I see a little girl twirling in front of a lake.”
“Can you see her face?”
I shook my head. “Nope. It’s still all blurry.”
“Then you need to focus harder,” he said, as if it were that simple.
But it wasn’t that simple. “Focus harder on what exactly?”
“Hmm…” He gave me a look that immediately put me on edge. He strolled around behind me, standing way to close for comfort. And the smell of flowers and rain was killing me. I mean, I don’t mind breathing in the smell of lilacs every once and awhile, or taking in the scent of freshly fallen rain right after a storm, but he was a guy that smelled like flowers. It was too weird.
“Right now your mind is trying to adjust to the power of the crystal, but it can’t quite figure out how to get there.” He leaned over my shoulder, breathing into my ear. “The first thing you need to do is take a deep breath. Then try to relax.”
What was it with him and invading my personal space? Maybe it was a faerie thing or something?
I took a deep breath and tried hard to ignore the flowery smell. “Okay, I’m relaxed. Now what?”
“Let your mind focus,” he said, still breathing into my ear. “The images are already there, they just haven’t connected with your mind.”
I inched away from him as casually as I could and sighed. “Yeah, I still don’t get it.”
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