Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“I give willingly the essence of my being, the essence of my soul.”
—Ode to Aurora, Lyrics for Soulbinding. Sir Ronan Merik’s private quarters, Mount Telum.
Arumbling vibrated through the floor, as if the massive tree took a deep breath while I searched for any literature that might explain the death of the Lady of Tomorrow.
I didn’t know why I was back at the Living Library, but something still nagged at me, and I couldn’t push it from my mind, even with the unsettling revelations over the past day.
My stomach churned at the task ahead. Isla, Nerissa, Ronan, Vienah, and Vulcan would join me with whatever crew Queen Antares selected.
And though we spent over an hour trying to figure out how we might wiggle our way free of our deal with the queen, there was no way around my separation from Tiberius.
My chest caved in worry as I thought about the sentries stationed throughout Lotrennia, always watching.
Quit hovering, he murmured. We’ll be fine. I’m an agrippa turned caeluma. His voice hardened with a pride echoed in my heart. It will take more than a few iron bolts to bring me down.
You’re not making me feel better, I replied, my stomach churning.
We’ll still be able to communicate. Bayne and Aquila were able to cast when you were separated last winter. And you’ll be back in a few months.
If I could find it. And if we survive the deadly environment.
You will.
Tiberius’s unwavering faith did little to ease my worry about what awaited him while I was gone.
Arms full of books and scrolls, I strode through the winding shelves, making my way back to the center of the massive tree. Mind still spinning, I barely registered the soft scuffle of boots against the stacks as Khato, the old master of spells, stepped in front of me, blocking my way.
I balked at his sudden appearance, nearly dropping my haul.
“My apologies. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
Wisdom swirled in the tawny eyes that surveyed me. My stomach clenched at what had been revealed in our meeting. As if reading my thoughts, he gave me a soft, sad smile, his cloudy gray brows tilting up.
“I found something that may be of use to you in your search for information.” He nodded his head toward the books in my arms.
He extended a tightly curled scroll from the collection he carried. I made to take it from him.
He held firm and murmured, “You may find what you’re looking for on the eighth level.
” I eyed him warily, and his gaze deepened.
“Water shows us the way. I’d better get going.
The winds of the west bring a blanket of clouds this evening.
The stars tell us stories, you see, and I’d rather not miss their tale tonight. ”
I cocked my head as he swiftly stepped past me. Eighth level. I could swing by on my way out, though, I was supposed to be meeting the crew soon for last-minute planning…
But the body... Those markings... I hurried through the stacks, peeking at the tightly wound scroll Khato had given me. I slowed my gait, unfurling the scroll as rivers, valleys, and mountains spread before me. My brows pinched in confusion as I stared at a map of Lotrennia.
I stopped walking as I scanned the terrain. My eyes snagged on black ink etched near a cluster of rivers that met in the north. The elven symbol for the number eight. My eyes scanned the intricate letters, and I slowly sounded out the Elvish words they spelled.
The Waters of Ascendiel.
A three-hour flight from here, if I had to guess. I replayed the words in my head to my caeluma, who was quiet for a moment.
Bayne said the Waters gifted those who visited with the rare power of sight. The Master of Spells wants you to see something. Something he couldn’t tell you, even in the privacy of the stacks at the Living Library, Ti’s voice sounded eager in my head.
A blanket of clouds, I mused.
Under cover of darkness, Ti continued my own thought. We’d be able to slip out and return before dawn, before you have to leave.
And maybe we could find a clue to the battle Bayne saw, as well as the Lady of Tomorrow’s death. We’d need to leave soon.
I’ll meet you outside.
We flew over the trees of Ayla straight into a thick blanket of clouds, aiming for the small bay where the Evecta sat docked, making sure the sentries saw us flying west before we caught an updrift and soared north.
Isla was stoic as I’d relayed what transpired with Khato.
She listened, then shoved a pair of fur-lined leathers at me before forcing a loaf of bread in my pack, stating that even with the cloud cover, we should fly higher to be sure none of the queen’s sentries could spy us. Isla would relay everything to Bayne.
We soared in silence as the world below shifted from a thick smudge of gray clouds to smaller, sporadic wisps that gave way to the dark green ground below. The hours ticked by, and we slowly descended when the winding rivers came into view from the treetops.
Ti’s thunderous landing echoed in the mossy clearing. We’d passed the dying ground Bayne eluded to. The trees this far north were dense, the forest more overgrown and unruly, compared to the trees bordering Ayla.
We trudged through the thickness of the brush, which mottled out the distant moonlight, picking our way through ferns and lichen-covered trees and rocks.
Orange crystals lined the rocky walls forming around us, a small trail appearing in its center.
I peeled off the thick, fur-lined jacket and tied it off at my waist, as sweat trickled down my neck and between my breasts.
Tiberius’s inky coat was slick with it, white foam gathering on his chest.
This place is old, I whispered.
Nobody can hear us in here, you know, he said back, though I caught a hint of wariness in his voice.
Water showed us the way…
I kept an eye on the black river rushing east, the same direction we walked, until we finally came upon a looming dark ruin. Stone and trees rose hundreds of feet in the air, wound together, arching over a tunnel where the rushing river flowed.
I guess this is where I leave you. I couldn’t help the trepidation that had seeped into those words.
If it were a trap, he wouldn’t have spoken to you in code. This is where we should be. I feel it.
I repeated Ti’s words in my head, willing my heart to calm as I tugged off my riding boots and leathers, stepping into the edge of the river that flowed into the heart of the Waters of Ascendiel.
Cast to me.
I gave him a nod, kicking off the edge of the bank and letting the river pull me into the dark, cavernous entrance of the ruins.
My legs and arms pushed and pulled against the swell of water floating me toward the darkness, keeping my head above water.
I passed under the arch of the ruins and blinked as the darkness dissipated, replaced with a soft, foggy blue glow, as if Ganmira and Renova’s essence lived in this space.
I rode the river into a massive cavern that opened to a large, round stone structure in its center.
A narrow staircase spiraled around the stone, leading to the edge of its towering lip.
I could barely make out the arch to my right, where another river converged.
The water swelled rapidly as it met with the one I floated in on.
I kicked against the surf, aiming for the edge of the stone path that bordered the massive structure.
My hands dug in, slipping on the algae coating the smooth stones.
I pulled myself out, grateful for the vacancy of the ruin as I only bothered keeping my undergarments on.
I circled the stone structure, eyeing at least four more river entrances, when at last I found the base of the stairs. Slick with the water rushing in, I steadied myself with a hand on the wall of the stone as I began to climb.
Minutes passed, and my thighs burned, sweat mixing with the river water dripping from my body.
My feet were still soaked. I glanced down at the slippery stone and paused.
Water flowed upward, over my feet, and up the sides of the massive stone structure.
I cast to Tiberius and was met with a wave of awe and wonder.
I climbed until I finally stepped into a thick fog as I reached the top of the stone structure.
There was no lip to its edge. I counted my steps as I made my way inward, toward the center of the space, following the flow of water.
It began to deepen, slowly covering my feet, eventually reaching my knees, always flowing to the center of the circle.
The fog began to clear, that curious blue light illuminating the space before me. I stopped, the water reaching above my knees, as I took in the scene before me.
Calm waters swirled to the center of the stone landing, where it stopped and ascended into the sky above, as if it were a waterfall, its strong current hurtling upward to form a ring of solid water. A waterrise.
I kept my cast to Tiberius open as I cautiously made my way into the Waters of Ascendiel. My hand reached for the solid stream of water, sliding in. Sucking in a deep breath, I stepped into the ring of rising water.