Chapter 14 Elodie
ELODIE
Iread the words once, twice, a thousand times, my mind racing with every pass of my eyes.
But even as the words try to sink in, my thoughts drift back to the riddle that brought me here; sopping wet in the basement of Institute One.
Only those who drink without thirst may find me. Where the water meets the shore, the darkness you shall see. Four elements circle as one. But in your eyes shall they be gone. Look deep inside, and the book shall no longer defy.
It was always about me, a scythe.
Only those who drink without thirst may find me.
It’s not a vampire, it’s a scythe drinking someone else’s energy. But the rest, I’m still not quite there. A slip of paper falling into my lap is not the Fractured Book of Souls.
Regardless, this is progress. Now I can see it more clearly than ever. I can react to the new riddle before me with more certainty. Although, is it even a riddle, or just some ridiculous equation I don’t have the ability to figure out?
Home is where the heart is, but your origin is where you breathe.
Come find us, descendent. Find your true home, and breathe again.
Begin at forty-nine, and step back one seventh, then simply let one hundred thirty-four thousandths fade away. Now you’re half way there.
Restart at two and a half, and step back one sixth, then let five thousandths disappear to know you are near.
“Elodie,” Rion murmurs, breaking the silence that envelops each of us, and it finally snaps my attention from the piece of paper in my hand.
He nods at it and I offer it toward him, certain the words are cemented in my mind, but before he can grab it, Thorne beats him to it, swooping in at the last second, earning a withering look from the wolf in question.
“They’re coordinates,” Thorne murmurs, his gaze cutting back to mine, and I gulp, blinking at him in disbelief as he solves it so effortlessly.
Before I can find the words to understand, everything becomes a blur around me.
Rion inches closer, slipping one hand under my knees while circling the other around my back as he cradles me against his chest, despite how wet I am.
My hands instinctively wrap around his neck as I suck in a breath when Thorne explains further.
“We’re looking at coordinates of forty-eight point eight-six-four-two-six, and two point three-two-seven-seven-zero,” he explains, like that makes any sense at all, but I repeat them over and over again in my mind in fear of forgetting.
“Then let’s get the fuck out of here,” Rion declares, and nausea burns in the pit of my stomach a moment later as Rion pins me against his chest while using his speed to get me back to Institute Thirteen in no time.
Despite the fact that I’m still drenched, he places me on the edge of his bed the second we arrive back at their room. A telltale breeze ghosts across my skin as he disappears, but before I can think too much of it, he reappears with a towel in his hand.
He drapes the fluffiness around my shoulders before the door clicks shut, the lock turning in place, and less than a moment later, Rion reappears before me. Understanding quickly settles in my stomach as I see him with a fresh pile of my clothes from his closet.
Without a word, he tugs me to my feet, stripping me of my damp clothes before drying me off and redressing me. As a strong, defiant, and independent woman, it blows my mind that his tenderness leaves me so weak.
When he’s satisfied that I’m warm and dry, he cups my cheek, crowding my space as he peers down at me. “Are you ready to find your way home, Petal?” he asks, and despite the lump in my throat, I nod, just as a knock comes from his bedroom door.
He reaches for my hand first, pressing a delicate kiss against my knuckles before answering it, revealing Ocean on the other side.
“Ready?” she asks, eyes wide as she stares at me expectantly, and I nod, slowly coming to realize that they’re right by my side, ready to take action.
My mind swirls over the fact there’s no pause, they’re just ready to help, regardless.
Emotions clog in my throat. Emotions I don’t think I’ve experienced before. But as much as I’m willing to accept them, now isn’t the time. There are apparently more pressing matters to attend to.
Clearing my throat, I muster a confident smile. “How are we going to leave The Vale?” I ask, the coordinates fluttering in my mind once again. “The Sanctum has been too quiet for my liking already,” I state, pushing my sopping wet hair back off my face as the random thought makes itself known.
Ocean cuts the distance between us, whispering under her breath as she flutters her fingers across my wet hair, touching each strand before they fall in loose waves around my face.
“Thank you.”
“You're welcome,” she beams with a broad smile as she plants her hands on her hips. “Now back to your concerns,” she states as we head out into the lounge, where Thorne is waiting too.
“The Sanctum has been too quiet,” I repeat, my mind reeling over the fact that I’m only just thinking about it, but opening that can of worms leads to them all spilling out.
“There has been no mention of the games, which means one is pending at any given moment, and if we leave, what if that's when The Rebels show up, and Kael needs us more than ever?”
Ocean smiles at me in understanding, but it's Thorne who speaks.
“We're going to be able to leave The Vale because I'm going to infuse my magic deeper into theirs to make it seem as though we've never left at all.
They usually have a screening in place that tracks and acknowledges who is and isn't present.
I should be able to override that, but it just means I won't be the one guiding us when we get there,” he explains, tilting his attention to Ocean, who nods, confirming that she will take the lead.
“The games, The Rebellion, Kael?” I rattle off, and Rion plants a hand on my shoulder.
“It's a chance worth taking.”
My pulse quickens at his words, but I swallow my nerves down and nod, accepting the truth to his statement as the numbers from the new riddle reoccupy my mind.
Determined to get there and back as quickly as we can, I roll my shoulders out and stand tall. “Any guesses on where we need to begin with the coordinates? I can't say this is my area of expertise,” I admit, and Thorne offers me a rare half smile.
“We haven’t narrowed down the finer details, but are you ready for another trip to Paris?”
Stepping through the portal and out into the quaint and pretty Paris streets offers a sense of familiarity that lightens my chest.
It’s understated, timeless, and softly romantic with the way the buildings seamlessly blend into one another while keeping true to themselves in a way I’ve never seen anywhere else before.
Not that I’ve been to many places, but that’s beside the point.
The last time I was here feels like a million years ago, and it’s almost poetic how the search for the Fractured Book of Souls brings me back here once again.
It’s like it was always meant to be.
I was always supposed to go beyond the trailer park.
I was always meant to experience this.
The faint smell of fresh bread in the air as the first rays of the morning sun spill over the horizon and bathe the city in golden light. A stark contrast to the dusk we left behind us.
Time zones are a major thing that I never thought I would get to experience, but as much as I want to bathe in the Parisian atmosphere, we have pressing matters to attend to, and a world I hate to return to.
I give myself a few more seconds to absorb the surrealness that comes with knowing somewhere like Paris offers a familiarity, a feeling of warmth, and home, before I latch my attention on the plan.
My gaze cuts to Ocean, who looks ready to lead, while Rion is right by my side, leaving Thorne to bring up the rear.
His head is downcast, his eyes pits of black with his fingers curled at his sides, while tendrils of black smoke curl and wrap around his fingers as he continues to work the magic back in The Vale.
Taking a deep breath, I turn to Ocean, who nods and starts off through the quiet streets of Paris. Everyone's silent as we move, each row of buildings separated by a parallel road, blurring into one another until my breath falters.
I think I recognize where we are.
The line of houses across the road to the right don’t look much different than the other buildings we’ve been past, or the ones I’m sure are to come, but the door dead center…
I know it.
Standing across from it, my feet root me to the spot as I cast my gaze to my right, peering back at Thorne to find him already looking at me.
His jaw is tense, his eyes blacker than ever, but the tiniest curl to the corner of his mouth tells me I'm right. He feels it too.
This is where he brought me when he saved me from Jude’s world.
Myriad emotions rattle through me as I recall that time. The anger I initially felt when I was certain he was a part of Jude’s plan was so intense, but the moment at the Eiffel Tower offers a different kind of warmth to my soul.
With a new surge of determination, I continue to follow after Ocean, everyone remaining just as quiet as we bypass the Eiffel Tower in the distance to my right, while we delve deeper into the neverending promise of Paris.
“Holy shit, that's the Louvre,” Rion blurts, pressing his palm against my back as he points up ahead.
I stare at the glass pyramid that stands framed by pretty Parisian buildings and marble statues.
This place is even prettier than I remember with the sun glossing over us, but instead of indulging further into the Louvre, Ocean turns her back to it and begins down a row of steps, drawing us away from the monument and along a statue-lined walkway.
I’m more than happy to follow her until she comes to a stop by a large pool of water. A sign stands off to the left denoting The Grand Bassin Rond.
The walkway continues in both directions around it, but she doesn't take either. Instead, she stays exactly where she is.