Chapter Eighteen #3
“Oh, Gods,” I wailed, covering my face. “That was humiliating.”
Merrick, of course, busted out laughing. I peeked through my fingers, giving him a scowl, and then couldn’t help but pinch his side.
His smile slowly fell, and he hauled me into a hug. “I’m sorry I never said anything,” he said quietly. “It feels like an intrusion knowing what everyone feels all the time. It puts me in an awful position.”
I squeezed him tighter. “I know,” I whispered.
We stayed like that a moment longer. “I want you, Era.”
My heart sped up, and I pulled back, gazing into his charcoal eyes.
“He loves her, you love me…”
I knew Merrick was powerful, and that in a lot of ways, Mages had an advantage over humans.
But I also knew Silas’s capacity for brutality.
I didn’t want to risk either of them being harmed when our group was still traveling together.
Sure, maybe Silas loved Lena, which was wild to think, considering they’d only known each other for a few months.
Then again, I loved Merrick and had known him for the same amount of time.
But Silas still had love for me, too. And I wasn’t ready for the repercussions that would follow when he discovered what I’d done behind his back, not for my sake…but for Merrick’s.
I couldn’t bear the thought of him getting hurt.
“Not yet,” I whispered. “I…I just can’t, Merrick.”
His face fell, and he released a pained sigh.
“Yeah. Fine. Whatever,” he muttered, then stormed out of the room, leaving me alone, feeling sick to my stomach.
Merrick and I didn’t speak the next day, which I felt awful about. Nor did Silas and I, as we slept beside each other.
What a damn mess this all was.
The half-day journey it took to trek to Temple Tithara only heightened the distance between us. Didn’t he understand I was worried for his safety if the truth came out?
Kismet would glance at us but said nothing. For that, I was grateful. There was no way she hadn’t connected the dots.
“The Chamber is beneath the temple—underwater. There is a passage beneath that will take us there,” Kismet explained as our group stepped into the temple.
We were led down to the altar room, Merrick's hand nervously tightening around the strap of his crossbow as we ventured into new territory.
Every few seconds, his eyes would land on mine, but no words were exchanged.
“Do all the temples have hidden passageways?” Elowen asked, her hand clasped with Edmund’s carbonado one as we ventured through a hallway in the altar room.
“All the temples look alike, but they all have their own unique features,” Valter clarified from up ahead. “Passageways, perhaps not. But there is something special about them all.”
My mouth dropped open as we continued onward, the walls surrounding us transforming into glass, offering an incredible view of the ocean and numerous fish.
“Oh, wow,” Dani breathed. “Amazing…”
We all gawked at the view until we finally reached our destination—a massive, circular room. A violet, glowing pentagram design was engraved in the floor.
Dani frowned at Kismet. “A pentagram?”
Her answering smile was kind. “Is it such a surprise one would be here?”
Lena shifted her attention to Valter. “I'm confused. You seemed surprised by my ability to utilize Warlock magic yesterday.”
My brows pinched together. They must’ve had a private conversation about that.
Kismet looked between the two in confusion. “You can utilize Warlock magic?”
The copper-haired Supreme gestured to the pentagram. “Uh, yes? Pentagrams, incantations—all that jazz.”
“The pentagram belongs to the Mages,” Valter stated. “But the Titharan language…we've never known how to decipher it or speak it.”
“So, this Chamber doesn't utilize a spoken word spell?” Dani asked, blue brow arched.
“No,” Kismet said, crossing her thin arms. “It requires a charge…and a memento.”
“The memento is the tether…” Lena murmured, then fetched Igon’s compass from her bag. Her stare flicked to the statues on either side of the rounded room. “As are the relics. An incantation isn't needed.”
Dani stepped forward, investigating the symbols above the statues. “Give us an object of value,” she read, then walked over to the other relic. “And the truth shall set you free.”
“What does the pentagram say, Dani?” Viola asked.
The Warlock knelt, sliding her hands along the text engraved into the concrete. “Show me another time.”
“How does this work, exactly?” Merrick asked Kismet, who was staring at Dani with wide eyes.
“You place a memento in the center of the pentagram, and the clerics will surge in their illusion magic. It will provide you with visions.”
Dani's brows pinched as she got to her feet. “I think…I think if we speak the incantation, it will be more than just visions.” Her pupilless, blue eyes studied this underwater room. “This room isn't made of glass, is it?”
“It is,” a cleric replied. “Glass infused with clear quartz.”
Dani swore, then apologized for her language. “Clear quartz is a master crystal, one that amplifies energy.” She turned to Lena. “I believe the incantation won't just provide visions. I believe it will bounce off the quartz and show us the visions as if we were actually there.”
“That's ludicrous,” Kismet began, but after glancing at the mysterious language on the pentagram, she sighed. “Very well. We can try it, so long as the clerics are okay with it.”
“You speak Tithara's language,” one of the clerics said to Dani. “Words that have been lost to us Mages. If this works, we ask you to teach us.”
Dani nodded her head. “Of course.”
Lena kneeled before the pentagram, placing the compass in the center, and her body went still. “Silas,” she breathed, glancing over her shoulder at him. Then she eyed the clerics. “Can more than one memento be used?”
One of them nodded. “Certainly. If any of the memories coincide, they will play together. Otherwise, it will play in a timeline.”
My brows pinched as she gazed at the telepath. Torrin glanced at Silas, whose golden eyes widened, shifting over to Lena.
What was going on?
A few moments passed, and Lena said, “I have something. Queen Ryia's necklace.”
What? Why the hell did Lena have the Otacian Queen’s jewelry?
My eyes darted to Silas, who avoided looking at me. Did he know this whole time? Why was he okay with it?
“This was the Queen of Otacia's?” Valter asked.
“It was.”
“How long has it been in your possession?” another cleric asked her.
“Over five years,” she replied, holding the jewelry in her palms.
“That likely means you also imprint this memento,” the cleric warned. “Which means that some of your memories may play as well, things you may not want the group to see.”
Her nervous gaze went to Silas, and when he gave her a nod, a wave of dread overcame me.
What the fuck?
“If it will tell us what happened to the Queen, then it’ll be worth it,” Lena said quietly. Dani placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
I crossed my arms as Lena placed the silver and sapphire necklace in the center of the shining pentagram. Our group stood inside the design, with the clerics surrounding the perimeter.
“We will supply the circle with our magic as you speak the incantations, Warlock.”
Dani took a deep breath. “Ostende mihi aliud tempus. Ostende mihi aliud tempus. Ostende mihi aliud tempus.”
The glow around us grew, shifting our surroundings.
And nothing could’ve prepared me for what I would learn.