Chapter Seventy-Two
Skylar Cathal
Tap, tap… Tap, tap.
“What… What’s happening?” I groaned, unfolding my arm from my face.
I gasped, mesmerized by the breathtaking beauty that surrounded me.
Vibrant, colorful flowers dotted a canvas of soft green grass, while willows swayed gracefully in the warm, gentle breeze.
Beyond this clearing, the forest seemed to stretch on for eternity, a never-ending array of pines and birch with vivacious greenery interwoven between the trees.
My fingers gripped strands of grass, digging into the soil beneath me as a serene sense of peace encased me in a cloud of comfort.
The magical sound of elegant music filled my soul. The harmonious melody of string instruments flowed like the rushing waters of the nearby translucent turquoise river.
This forest was alive, unlike anything I could have ever dreamed.
“Get up,” a voice commanded.
I turned to see a male no older than myself sitting back in the soft grass.
“You don’t have time to waste lying around, Alpha.”
I blinked rapidly at the shifter beside me, sensing a connection to him that spanned through space and time. A saccharine grin stretched across his clean-shaven face as he tilted his head and looked me over.
“Who are you?” I asked.
He remained silent, much to my dismay.
“Who are you?” I asked once more, using a dash of power through my alpha command.
He shook his blond, almost white, mesh of hair, feeling the magic in my words. “It’s easier if I show you.”
Reaching down, he rolled up the sleeve of his left arm to reveal the outline of three eight-pointed stars. The mark of the shifter champion.
“Stark?”
His grin returned as he moved backward, his magic rising to the surface. In a green flash, an owl with feathers matching a fresh snowfall stared at me with striking golden eyes.
“Where are we?” I asked, although I was pretty sure I knew the answer.
The owl tilted its head once more before spinning around and calling out into the forest. It turned its large eyes back toward me, flapping its wings as it hopped closer.
“Do you want me to follow you?”
A hoot and nod of its head was a clear sign.
“All right,” I said, rising to my feet. “Lead the way.”
The owl flew into the endless darkening sky above. The setting sun cast an array of pink and gold that made it difficult to turn away. Stark swooped over my head and circled me from above before diving past my shoulder and flying toward the river.
I didn’t feel like I was walking; it was more like I was gliding, drifting across the land toward the soothing sound of the flowing river. The air had a sweetness to it, my steps felt weightless, and there was no trace of the nightmares, fears, or pain that once haunted me.
I felt at peace.
As we continued forward, the former champion as my guide, we approached a small cluster of boulders resting on the edge of the riverbed. The white fog around the bank began to clear, and I could see the outline of someone sitting along the water’s edge.
“Hello, Skylar.”
I skidded to a halt and gasped. My eyes widened as tears of joy flowed wildly down my cheeks. “J-Julia?” I clutched my chest, desperate to hear her voice again.
The fog parted as the darkened curls and tawny freckled face of my aunt came into view. “Julia!” I screamed, running as fast as my feet could carry me to her open arms.
I scooped Julia up off her feet, spinning her around and clutching her tight to my chest. The smell of warm spices from our kitchen in Solace filled my senses as she clutched onto my waist, laughing as I twirled.
When I stopped, Julia cupped my face, kissing my cheeks and brow as I openly cried in her arms.
“There, there, love,” Julia said softly. “Everything is going to be all right.”
“No, no, it’s not, Julia,” I cried as memories of my last moments flashed inside my mind. The memory of Daxton’s mournful cry and the looks of dread on Shaw and Castor’s faces. Gods, I’d hurt them. Lied and deceived them. But I didn’t have any other choice. They would have tried to stop me.
“Come here,” Julia said as she grasped my wrist. “I want to show you something.” Her gentle touch guided me toward the river. “Place your hand in the water and take a drink. There are things you need to know.”
“What is this?”
“It’s the waters of the great crossing, Sky.”
I looked across the divide, realizing that this was the crossing to the afterlife. “Is it true that… that those who cross and are burdened by their sinful actions in their life sink to the bottom of the endless river and never reach peace?”
“Yes,” Julia said somberly. “You’ve met one of these beings. I believe you made a bargain with it.”
I stilled, swallowing heavily.
“But that’s not what I wish to talk about,” my aunt said as she knelt. “This water also holds memories, and you must see all that has happened to lead you here before you continue.”
I hesitated.
“Don’t worry.” Julia chuckled as she cupped her hands and drank from the churning water. “You’re already dead. What else could go wrong?”
Her playful wink relaxed me as I huffed a laugh.
“That’s true,” I replied, following her lead.
I cupped the cold water and gently brought it to my lips. As the liquid trickled past my tongue, I saw it all—the truth about the memories stolen, Minaeve’s scheme to infiltrate and destroy the inner Kingdom. Their plan.
I coughed as I leaned forward. My mind raced with everything I had learned, “Minaeve… Minaeve and Istar, the human king’s lead mage, are—”
“Twins,” Julia said with a furrowed brow, “their unique bond links them together despite time or distance. Minaeve can siphon magic and lifespans, and, in return, Istar holds the ability to boost the magic of those around him, similar to the Heart. They’ve been working in unison since the humans first arrived in Valdor.
Plotting and planning the demise of our world to take it for themselves. ”
That was how they survived all this time.
“But… But why?” I asked.
“Power,” Julia answered plainly. “They were born with only a fraction of what they believed they deserved and sought more.”
“They killed their parents,” I heaved, sitting backward along the riverbank. “And, and a dragon—”
“I know.” Julia softly patted my arm, tracing over my champion mark with the three stars now shaded crimson. “Not all of us have the strength in our hearts to do what must be done, Skylar.”
“Gods, the High Fae,” I stammered with a wave of sorrow crashing into me. “Even our ancestors…”
“Yes.” Julia nodded, her lips pressed into a thin line and a narrowed brow.
Her serious face, Neera and I named it from our childhood.
“Our ancestors did not flee the Inner Kingdom. Our alpha sent us away to lead the fight against the corrupt human forces on the mainland. We were divided when the Heart was stolen. The veil was created by shifter and fae magic, but the memories of our elders were not spared in Minaeve’s scheme. ”
“I can’t even imagine how lost they were, how confused and defenseless—”
“Skylar,” Julia interrupted. “Shifters are never defenseless. We are the guardians of the Heart of Valdor. Strong, dependable, and above all, brave. Our alpha, your direct ancestor, overcame Minaeve’s magic with the help of his animal and then bravely sacrificed his own life to ensure it was locked away. ”
“Until a shifter—”
“Until a shifter clever enough, strong enough, and brave enough was able to find it.”
I sat in silence, allowing the trickling sounds of the river to help me sift through my winding thoughts.
“Thankfully,” Julia added, “not all humans are cursed with such evil in their hearts.” My aunt beamed and stretched to cup my cheek. “Your mother Dawn, is one example of the truth in this.”
“My, my—” I frantically spun around, searching. I’d never known her name.
“She’s across the river,” Julia said, motioning toward the opposing side. “Once your mother passed, Emery was here waiting for her, and then, they crossed over together.”
Knowing that my father waited for my mother confirmed my suspicion that they were a mated pair, bringing warmth to my heart.
“All right, so this side of the river is some type of staging area? We aren’t in the afterlife yet?”
“More or less,” Julia answered. “It’s a place for those not yet ready to cross over. A place where we can wait.”
I swallowed heavily as my eyes threatened to release another stream of tears. I knew why Julia was here. She was waiting for Magnus. “How long?”
“As long as it takes,” Julia said with a kind smile. “It’s beautiful here, and we can watch over all those we love. It’s not absolute peace, but…” Julia paused as she adjusted her knees beneath her. “Without your uncle, I’ll never truly be at peace. A part of me will always be searching for him.”
I cast my gaze away, tears stinging the backs of my eyes at the depth of love my aunt and uncle shared.
“Then I’ll be waiting with you.”
“Oh really?” Julia chuckled, covering her mouth. “You don’t say?” she teased, lightly grasping my shoulder. “Daxton.”
I nodded, my entire body trembling at the thought of my mate and how desperately I wanted to see him, hear his laugh, or feel the touch of his hand on my cheek—just one more time.
“That doesn’t surprise me, Skylar,” Julia said with an all-too-knowing grin. “He may be immortal, but I could see it. I told Magnus as such the day he brought you back to Solace. Daxton fell for you long before you even thought a pairing between you could be a reality.”
“Was it that obvious?”
“Yes.” Julia laughed.
The cracks that formed in my heart since hearing about her death began stitching back together.
“What?”
“I missed you,” I replied, hugging her tightly. “That’s all.”
“Magnus isn’t the only reason I’m here, Sky,” Julia said, taking me aback. “One sip from the river doesn’t give you all the answers.” She chuckled lightly, rising to her feet.
The snow-feathered owl swooped past our heads and landed atop a nearby branch, fluttering its wings and giving us its undivided attention.
“Hello, Stark,” Julia said.
“A friend of yours?”
“He’s becoming one,” Julia replied.
“I’m happy but also saddened to see you here, Champion,” Stark said. “I know what you had to sacrifice in order to fulfill this trial of fate.”
“Why are you still on this side of the crossing?” I asked.
“I’m waiting,” Stark answered with a ruffle of his feathers. “For him, but also you. We are all waiting for you.”
The fog along the river lifted, revealing the brilliant turquoise waters with vibrant-colored pebbles scattered along the bend.
Red, blue, and even green stones lined a shallow pathway meandering across the distance to the opposing shoreline.
My gaze followed the path, almost as if a higher power was guiding me to what lay on the other side.
The world stilled as a tall, commanding figure appeared along the edge. My throat went dry as my eyes locked with the male across the way. The green Cathal eyes that I’d passed by countless times in the hall of the alphas, which I saw in Magnus and Neera, were staring back at me.
“Father?” I stammered as I sprang to my feet.
A smile turned at the corner of his mouth as his expression softened, giving me a firm nod.
He turned his head as a human female came to his side.
My father wrapped his arm around her waist as he pulled her in close.
The mating mark of a shifter visible along her neck.
The sun-kissed skin, beautiful brown eyes, and vibrant, wavy golden hair were identical to my vision of her in the Labyrinth.
“Mother?”
She looked at me with tears glistening in her gaze, a deep sense of pride and love beaming in her expression. Emery bent and tenderly kissed her brow as she leaned into his chest. My heart fluttered joyfully at the sight of them together.
“They’re proud of you, Skylar,” Julia said, touching my shoulder. “So very proud.”
I couldn’t speak to them from the other side of the crossing, but I didn’t need to.
Then, on Emery’s other side, a familiar-looking male with the same Cathal eyes stepped forward. His shoulder-length blond hair lightly turned in the breeze, and I knew in my soul that this was the alpha who sealed the Heart of Valdor away.
He met my gaze, and, in a flash, he shifted into his animal, a proud, powerful lion with a mane the color of spun gold.
He tilted his head back and released a thundering roar that reached us on the other side of the crossing.
My mother stepped from my father’s side as he shifted into his massive grizzly bear, adding to the chorus of my ancestors booming behind them.
“What does this all mean?” I asked.
“Your time among the living is not done yet, Skylar,” Julia said, coming to my side and brushing my hair over my shoulder. “You must go back.”
“What?” I shook my head in disbelief. “I’m dead. How am I supposed to go back?”
Julia grinned as a breeze played with the curls along her headband. Her dark eyes softened as she looked at me with the love only a mother could give. “You know how,” she said as she touched my heart.
In the distance, I heard a faint melody drifting along the gentle breeze. “Daxton.” I closed my eyes, feeling the pull of our mate bond trying to guide me home. “He’s… He’s still holding on.”
“Stubborn males.” Julia chuckled.
“But how? How am I supposed to—” I paused as the spark of fire from my animal kindled in my center. My soul ignited like the blazing sun, vibrant and overflowing with untapped power, finally ready to be unleashed.
I turned my gaze away from the river, hearing the song of my animal spirit.
“Go,” Julia whispered, releasing her hold as my feet guided me from the crossing. “This was always meant to be.”
I paused, glancing back one final time at my loving aunt, saying farewell. “I love you,” I said to her before my eyes traveled across the river to my ancestors, who built the mountain for me to rise and touch the sky. “I love you all. Thank you—”
My father shifted into his human form and knelt, placing a fist over his heart with a bowed head, honoring me with his recognition of me as an alpha.
My heart burst with gratitude at the pride in his expression.
My mother gently pressed her fingers to her lips, releasing them toward me as she joined my father.
“Go!” Julia yelled, giving me the final push I needed.
I pivoted and raced across the clearing, toward the song calling me home.
“Fly, Sky.”