“Is there any praesidium lying around?” she asks.
I’m alert of the absence of power in my veins. “It’s not that.” I circle around Nicholas, biting at my thumbnail. “It’s something with him; something about him is blocking me.”
“Maybe he has praesidium on him?” She shrugs.
I raise my eyebrows. “You want to do the honors?” She shakes her head and I sigh. I squat down and pat his pockets. “Nothing. But there’s…” The current zaps me like a finger to an outlet. I’m joggled back and I bash my tailbone against the crystal ground. Snakes crawl over my skin or underneath my skin. I can’t tell.
“Get them off me!” I scream, clawing at my skin. “Aislin! Help!”
Aislin’s eyes snap wide and she stutters, “Gemma, get what off you? I can’t tell what you’re looking at.”
I throw up my arms, showing her the lines slithering under my skin. “I hate snakes! Please!” I thrust my legs. “Get them off!”
She gapes, baffled, her arms hanging to the side. “Gemma, there’s nothing on you.”
I scrape at my skin and droplets of red drip onto the crystal below.
Aislin seizes my hands and crouches down. “Stop scratching. There’s nothing there. Something’s just making you hallucinate. Now, relax and try again.”
Snakes are everywhere, sucking on my blood. But I shut my eyes, forcing past the crawling sensation. Again, I picture the castle, the lake, the trees, the cars. I breathe deep, pushing my mind through the block. A pop. We’re falling not to the castle, but into darkness, a suffocating hole with no bottom in sight.
We’re falling into the unknown.
Chapter 9
The first time I was sucked into a vision, I touched a crystal ball and fell down a spiraling tunnel bursting with light. Ultimately, I discovered that my Foreseer power was unique and that I didn’t require a crystal ball to use it. All I had to do was close my eyes, sense the energy, and I was there; in the past, present, or future.
It’s like I’ve relapsed to the past when I had no control over my power. Aislin and Nicholas are nowhere to be seen. Just cold and darkness, the air thick like death. My hands are flared to my side as I hunt for something to grab onto.
“Aislin!” I holler, detecting the end approaching. “Aislin, can you hear me—” My body hits the bottom, like a bag of bricks tumbling off a cliff. The force sends shockwaves through my bones. Bracing myself, I stagger sideways.
“Gemma!” Aislin’s panicked voice rains down as she crashes to the bottom. A moment later, a loud thump as Nicholas hits.
“Are you okay?” I feel around, struggling to get my bearings.
“Nice job.” Nicholas moans. “You know this is exactly what they wanted. And it proves that you’re very predictable, Gemma Lucas.”
“What are you talking about?” The toe of my sneakers bumps into him. “Who are they?”
He shifts away from my foot. “The Foreseers. And I had my doubts—honestly I figured you’d be done asking for my help. Yet, you always show up, begging me for it.”
“How did they know…” I drift off. “They read the visions, didn’t they?”
“Nope, not this time,” he says. “This time you were betrayed by your own family. Ever heard of a little thing called memoria tea?"
“Memory tea?” I wonder. “Does that mean—”
Aislin claps her hands animatedly. “Oh my gosh, you got one right.” A pause of awkward silence. “My excitement was a little inappropriate for this situation, isn’t it?”
“A little,” I reply, stewing over what Nicholas said. “And the translation was kind of obvious… You say I was betrayed by my family and that my memory was tampered with.”
“Not your memory. Your mind.” His footsteps pad closer. “Your Aunt Nalina slipped you some memoria tea so that the Foreseers could have direct access into your mind and your thoughts.
“She did what?!” I knew the tea was bad news.
He gives a low chuckle. “So for the last day or so, they’ve seen your decisions—your thoughts.”
“All of them?” I cringe at the awareness of the Foreseers viewing some of my private thoughts, especially current ones about a certain faerie/Foreseer.
“What’s the matter, Gemma? Worried they might have seen some personal thoughts?”
“Why did they do it?” I ask, changing the subject. “So they could find out if I am trying to free my father?”
“Applause for the genius mind over here,” Nicholas hoots, applauding his hands. “She figured an answer out all on her own.”
“So what was up with the snake thing?” Aislin sounds undaunted. “And what is this place?”
“This is what the Foreseers refer to as the holding cell,” he answers. “And the snake thing was from the Serpent’s Mark on my back.”
“You act like you enjoy having this particular mark,” I say. “That makes me instantly not like it.”
“The Serpent’s Mark gave me the lovely gift of making you think snakes were crawling all over you,” he explains with hilarity. “It also is what hindered your power and took us all down here. It was a gift, you know, from a very important person.”
“I’m not going to even try to guess who,” I say. “Because I’m sure you won’t tell me.”
He chortles lowly, a deep grumble that puts me on edge. “You’re getting smarter by the second, well except for the fact that you ended up down here.”
“You know, it kind of seems like a silly way of doing things,” Aislin tells him. “Now you’re stuck in here with us too.”
I sigh exhaustedly. “How long does our imprisonment last?”
“For eternity and beyond, wah ha ha,” Nicholas jokes, then subdues his humor. “I’m not really sure. Until they find us, I guess.”
“Find us?” Darkness smothers my lungs. Claustrophobia creeps in. “If they put us here, then they should know we’re here.”
“Oh, they know we’re here,” he reveals. “It just depends on when they feel like freeing us. You’ve pissed a lot of them off with your nosing around and unlawful plans to free your father. Dyvinius is really upset. And since he’s the man with the power, you could be here indefinitely.”
“Indefinitely?” Aislin and I say, harmonized.
Stillness engulfs us. I sit down on the semi-soft ground and cross my legs, easing back on my arms. I hear Aislin shift as she takes a seat. Nicholas remains immobile.
“So have you heard of any recent events of a Lost Soul wandering around, possessing human bodies?” I opt to throw it out there.
Nicholas' silence says it all.
“When was it?” I ask. “And who did it happen to?” The edge of his finger touches mine. I freeze, willing my hand to stay in place.
“It’s a secret amongst the dead Faerie World.” His tone is passive. “If I share it, The Queen of the Afterlife might kill me.”
I’m torn. Urge him to tell me? Or let him be?
“Once a year she bends the laws and sends a handful up. It’s only a few, so they sneak under the radar,” he starts, surprising me. “She does it, looking for the one who will free her—the Lost Soul. “
“But The Lost Souls and the Queen were banished I thought.”
“They were,” Aislin chimes in. “With the sigillum cristallum.”
“That’s why the world will always have problems,” Nicholas spats grudgingly. “The Keepers always think they can force otherworldly creatures to stay out of the Human World. But there are always loopholes.” He nudges me in the ribs with his elbow. “Gemma knows that way too well.”
I incline away from him. “So what’s the Queen’s loophole? How does she get up here without the Keepers knowing?”
“Well, currently the Keepers are a rare breed, thanks to Stephan and his Death Walker army,” Nicholas reminds us. “So breaking the rules is easier for everyone. However, the Queen herself can’t come up… yet. That’s what she’s looking for—her loophole.”
“Through a Los
t Soul?” I question. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Not the Lost Soul of the dead,” he clarifies. “The Lost Soul of the living.”
I swallow the rock size lump in my throat. “And what’s the definition of a living Lost Soul?”
“A soul that is broken.” He pauses. “It's a soul that’s not completely one’s own. A soul that perhaps belongs to another. And if she takes possession of this soul, she can roam the Human World, feeding off innocent souls.”
My heart stops. I’m taken back to my journey to The Afterlife, when the Queen bargained for my soul. No wonder she was so desperate to get it. And when she lost it due to Annabella, she threw a tantrum.
“But she’d have to take both of our souls,” I speak quietly. “No one can take Alex or mine’s soul without taking both. It’s why we were freed from death, why our souls were given back to us.”
“Who said the Queen was just after yours,” Nicholas asks.
I place a hand over my heart, searching for a cut. “I don’t feel possessed.”
“Maybe she hasn’t gotten to you yet,” Aislin says encouragingly. “In fact, from the way Alex is acting, I’d say you’re not.”
Nicholas laughs giddily. “A Lost Soul possessed Alex. Wow, this is turning out to be a great day.”
Through the dark, I locate his wrist and dig my fingernails into his skin. “Tell me how to get the Lost Soul out.”
“Why? It doesn’t matter. Now that she’s figured out where the Lost Soul is that will free her, she’ll stop at nothing to get it.” He snakes his hand around mine.
“Just tell me,” I coax. “No matter what, I’ll always save him, even if I have to do it a million times.”
“And what happens when she gets you?”
“Then he’ll save me.”
“What kind of delusional Shakespearean world do you two live in?”
“A kind you’ll never know if you keep acting the way you do.” I recoil hand from his. “Now will you please just tell me?”
“I’ll tell you,” he says slyly. “But I want one favor in return. And I’m not going to tell you what. Just know that I will collect it eventually.”
Aislin leans toward me, keeping her voice hushed. “You know it’s going to be bad, right? In fact, he’s probably already got something in his head.”
“I know,” I whisper. “But I have to.”
“Since I don’t have my knife to make a Blood Promise,” Nicholas rustles around, “I’ll have to take your word. But if you try to back out, I promise you’ll regret it. I’ve got more connections then you can ever dream of.”
The threatening Nicholas is kind of scary.
“Okay, you have my word. I owe you one favor.” I might as well be making a deal with the devil.
His mood converts from sullen to cheerful. “To free a Lost Soul from a human body, you have to force the human to regain control. You have to put them in a situation so intense—so powerful that their emotions consume the Lost Soul and force it from their body.”
“So that’s the key—emotion?” I sense my own emotions, very much alive even after years of being dead.
“Isn’t that the key to everything?” He takes a jab at me.
“Are you sure there isn’t just a magic spell or something?” Aislin interjects. “It would be so much easier if there was.”
“If everything was easy, then problems wouldn’t exist.” Nicholas’ fingers brush my collarbone. I wasn’t aware he was so close. My muscles spasm with surprise. “And life would be boring.”
I open my mouth, but a pale spotlight gleams above our heads and circles us in a halo of white. We jump to our feet, shielding our eyes and blinking up.
“Do you see anyone up there?” Aislin whispers, ducking out of the light.
“I don’t know.” I spin to Nicholas “Alright Mr. Know-it-all, who is it…” I pause, my fingers hunting for him. “Damn it. I think he’s gone.”
Aislin turns in a circle. “Where could he have gone? There’s nothing here, Gemma.”
I rub my temples, wishing I was back at the castle, cuddled up with an unpossessed Alex. “Who knows? He probably had a way out of here the whole time and was just messing with our heads.”
“Gemma Lucas.” A deep voice bellows. “I hereby declare you a risk to the Foreseers and all that we stand for. The rules state that under no circumstances will a Foreseer aid to another Foreseer’s banishment to the Room of Forbidden. A plot or act to giving them their freedom breaks the law, therefore resulting in punishment.”
“Dyvinius, is that you?” I gaze through the light, protecting my eyes with my hand. “I know it is. You need to listen to me. My dad’s no longer guilty. I fixed his mistakes.”
They ignore me. “The punishment will result as follows: One, the offender will be expelled from the City of Crystal.”
“Such a bummer,” Aislin mumbles contemptuously, giving a dramatic stomp of her foot and swing of her arm.
The voice loudens. “Number two, the right to use the power of the Divination Crystal is revoked. You will no longer be able to use the power to see or travel through time. This also includes your unique gift that doesn't require the aid of a crystal ball.”
“What?!” Aislin and I exclaim.
He talks over us. “And three, your Foreseer mark will be erased.”
The back of my neck sizzles, heat erupting down my shoulder blade and spine. I hunch over, choking and clasping my neck. “You can’t do this!” If he does, then I’ll never free my father. “Dyvinius—” Tripping over my feet, I tumble for the ground. “Aislin are you…”
I sink to the ground and it swallows me.
Chapter 10
“Gemma, can you hear me?” Aislin asks, concern lacing her tone. “Open your eyes, please. You’re freaking me out.”
“Go away,” I mutter. My head spins like a whirlwind and my neck burns like liquid fire. “Please, just go away.”
“I can’t,” Aislin says. “Not until I know you’re okay.”
“I’m okay.” I sliver my eyelids open. Tall grass swathes my head, water soaks my shoes, and the blue sky taunts me with its cheeriness.
“It’s not the end of the world.” She bends down, her golden brown hair veiling our heads. “You hated your Foreseer power anyway.”
I sit up, my fingers refusing to leave my neck. “If someone took your Wicca power, would you be upset?”
“But you haven’t used it in a while,” she points out. “Well, except for today.”
“It’s the only thing that could free my dad,” I complain.
She dusts off her white shirt, which is still buttoned unevenly. “I know.”
I slip my black and purple sneaker off and dump the pebbles and water from it. My feet are within reach of the lake’s waves. Twigs and leaves cake my hair. I pluck a crusty leaf out and flick it to the dirt.
“I’m sorry,” I apologize. “I’m just upset. It was right within my grasp and now it’s gone. And my dad’s still stuck in the Room of Forbidden.”
“We’ll figure something out,” she vows. “We always do.”
I nod, but don’t believe her. We can’t figure out everything and were bound to run into an unfixable problem. “We should get back to the house.” I sway to my feet, tipsy from whatever Dyvinius did to me. I sweep my hair to the side, looking over my shoulder, and spot the fiery ring of the Keeper’s mark.
“It’s gone,” she states solemnly. “Your Foreseer mark isn’t there anymore. I checked.”
I sketch my thumb over the star tattooing my wrist. I’m sad my Foreseer mark is gone, but grateful the star’s still inked on my skin. “We should get back to the house.”
She agrees and we trudge over the shallow hill, away from the lake and to the castle. The cars are parked in the driveway, the hoods are down, and Laylen is missing. The front door’s cracked and smashed flower pots splinter across the steps.
My shoes crush the fragments of glass. “Is it me or does something seem a
little off?”
“It’s not just you.” A shimmer of gold conceals her palm as she charges her power. She inches the door open and we enter cautiously. Aislin sneaks a small knife from her purse sitting on the foyer table. She gives it to me, her hands still glowing. Voices flow from the library. We creep past the stairs and down the hallway. I take the lead, the knife upturned. When we arrive, I want to turn back and hide in my room forever. I’ve met Stasha only once, and it was enough. Stasha is Alex’s ex-girlfriend, who happens to possess the power of death. With a simple touch, she can kill. I know because she tried it on me. But it backfired and she only ended up temporarily scarring my hands.
She sits in one of the leather chairs. Black gloves cloak her hands and she wears a bright blue dress that matches her eyes. She flips her blonde hair, flirting with Alex, who is seated in the chair across from her. He’s grinning and his green eyes glint with something that makes my blood burn.
Laylen spots us and leaps up from the table, causing Stasha and Alex’s eyes to dart to us.
Sasha’s lips expand into a malicious smile. “Well, look who we have here.”
Laylen holds up his hands. “I did not let her in. In fact, I tried to shove her down the steps and slam the door in her face.”
Which means Alex is the guilty party. It also explains the broken flower pots on the front steps.
Alex’s eyes are guarded as he sizes up my forthcoming reaction. I tell myself it’s the Lost Soul toying with me, not him. Jealousy devours me, but I stay calm.
“I don’t have time for this. I have bigger things to worry about.” I turn my back on them and walk away, even though it kills me.
“Go check on her,” I hear Aislin say and footsteps chase after me.
“I’m fine,” I tell Laylen before he catches up. “I just need to go lie down and clear my head.”
He walks at my pace, hands tucked in the pockets of his black jeans. “Fine I’ll go with you. I need a nap anyway.”
We trot up the stairs and hide out in my room. The temperature is stifling and I crack a window, letting the cool air in. “I really am fine.” I flop down on my four-post bed. “I don’t need to be babysat.”
The Lost Soul (Fallen Soul Series, Book 1) Page 7
