Chapter Fourteen
CHAPTER
FOURTEEN
Heading out of the castle courtyard on foot, Scarlett and Beni followed Manon to a path at the edge of the tree line that marked the beginning of the forest beyond the castle walls.
As they walked, Scarlett marveled at how well Manon was getting along with her cane.
She seemed to grow stronger by the hour.
“I can’t tell you how much it has weighed on me over the years that you two were unable to experience this,” said Manon. “I’m over the moon you’re meeting your lights. And I mean both of you, Beni.”
“I know.” Beni smiled at Manon. “Thank you.”
“Are there wraiths in these woods?” asked Scarlett, too distracted by nerves to respond to the heartfelt sentiment.
Manon frowned. “Wraiths? How’d you hear about those?”
“Um, Brayden mentioned them.” Scarlett avoided her grandmother’s gaze.
“Oh, don’t worry,” said Manon, missing her evasiveness. “The path is charmed. Besides, they don’t come out in the daylight, typically.”
Scarlett sighed in relief. “That’s good.”
The ever-present clouds cloaked the Clair de Lune sky, as usual. The air was crisp with the smell of fresh pine and wet dirt as they walked. The trees and bushes surrounding them grew so close together it would have been a struggle to leave the path.
After about twenty minutes of walking, the path abruptly ended in an enormous clearing, revealing a stunning building that had been hidden from view by the forest. Scarlett was in awe as she glimpsed the Forest Temple for the first time.
It looked ancient—far older than anything else she’d seen so far in Clair de Lune.
A worn-looking set of stone steps led to the entrance.
Six columns dominated the building’s facade.
Illegible words were carved into the entablature lying horizontally across the six off-white columns.
“Who built this?” she asked.
“It was here before Clair de Lune became a proper country,” said Manon. “The priestesses believe it was built by the Goddess herself or her ancient disciples.”
Scarlett stared at the temple. “This is the first building ever erected in Clair de Lune?”
“Strong start, wasn’t it?” Manon stared up at the building too. “It hasn’t changed at all since I was young.”
Manon led the way up the steps. The double doors at the top of the staircase were painted a deep blue and stood open, but there was no one in sight.
They walked into the main chamber, which was illuminated by ensconced torches lining the walls. The stone floor was pristine, and the white walls looked freshly plastered. A marble statue of a woman peering into a pewter cauldron dominated the room.
“Who is that?” asked Beni, pointing toward the statue.
“Cerridwen, the Goddess of Rebirth,” said Manon. “When someone from Clair de Lune thanks the Goddess, this is typically who they’re thanking.”
In Soleil, “thank the Goddess” was more of a colloquial expression than a saying with religious undertones. At least, that was the case with the people Scarlett knew personally.
“Why is she in front of a cauldron?” asked Scarlett. Witch imagery was exactly the kind of thing people from Soleil found strange about Clair de Lune. Cerridwen could be making a potion to steal children’s souls or something equally awful.
“That’s her mirror of the soul,” said Manon.
A mirror of the soul sounded slightly less sinister than what she’d imagined, but the cauldron was definitely a bit weird to Scarlett. Pushing her trepidation aside, she decided to trust her grandmother, but she couldn’t help but ask, “What’s a mirror of the soul?”
“It’s where the soul lights come from. There’s a longer myth about her and her children, but I forget the details of it.”
As Manon spoke, a woman in a green dress emerged from one of the doorways, her brown hair swaying behind her back as she walked toward them. Manon pivoted toward her.
“Hello. I don’t think we’ve met before. I’m Manon Bedivere.”
The woman smiled. “My name is Gwen. Lovely to meet you.”
Manon took the priestess’s outstretched hand and then gestured to Scarlett and Beni. “These are my grandchildren, visiting from Soleil. As you can see, these two haven’t yet met their soul lights, and we’re hoping to remedy that today.”
Scarlett shook Gwen’s hand next. “I’m Scarlett Heroux. This is my brother, Beaufort. We call him Beni.”
“Please don’t call me Beaufort,” grumbled Beni, and the woman laughed.
“Welcome to the Forest Temple,” said Gwen. “I’d be delighted to help you meet your soul lights.”
Manon’s eyes lit with excitement as she rested a hand on Gwen’s arm. “If it’s not too much, Scarlett would like to manifest her valor today as well.”
Gwen patted Manon’s hand. “Of course. What an exciting day for you, Scarlett.”
“Why is the valor only for Scarlett?” asked Beni.
Gwen gave him an apologetic smile. “Young people are too changeable for valor magic, so you have to be eighteen to receive your valor.”
“Oh.” Beni’s brow furrowed.
“Manon, unless you have any questions, you can leave us to it for now and come back in a couple of hours.”
“I’ll go back to the castle in the meantime,” Manon said to Gwen. “Good luck, you two.” With a wave, she was gone.
Gwen’s eyes were luminous. She had the air of an excited teacher about to chaperone a school trip, but her enthusiasm put Scarlett on edge. “Ready?”
They both nodded.
“Wonderful.”
She led them down a long hallway, speaking to them as they walked. “We typically do a soul-light ceremony once a month for all the children in Clair de Lune and Evory who’ve recently turned ten, kind of like a birthday party. The young ones enjoy coming together.”
“Sounds fun,” said Beni.
“I feel better knowing most people are ten when they do this,” said Scarlett.
Gwen came to a halt and shot Scarlett a dubious look over her shoulder. “Sometimes adults have a tougher time, but you never know until you try.”
Scarlett stared at her, annoyed at the vague answer. “Why is it harder for adults?”
“Emotional baggage,” said Gwen in a singsong voice.
Scarlett frowned but left it at that. She had so many questions, but she didn’t want to ask Gwen any of them if she was going to get cryptic responses back. Had anyone ever walked away from the temple empty-handed?
Her internal worries were silenced as they came to an ancient-looking staircase at the end of the hallway.
They descended behind Gwen to a circular door, which Gwen yanked open.
On the other side was a torchlit room. Several large oil paintings were on the far wall, and a balustrade lined a ramp up to another doorway on the left side of the room.
It looked harmless, yet the windowless room gave off an ominous feeling.
Gwen stood to the side. “Good luck, you two!”
“Thanks, Gwen.” Beni walked through the door without a backward glance.
“On you go,” said Gwen to Scarlett, who was still hesitating as she worried about all the things that could go wrong.
Scarlett steeled herself. She could do this.
She jogged to catch up to Beni, who’d already stopped to look at a painting.
The air was colder inside, and an old, earthy smell hit her as she halted next to her brother, her jaw dropping as she looked at the painting.
It wasn’t just a striking image of the Forest Temple and Mont Noir; there were people in the paintings who appeared to be moving as if they were alive.
The little figures glowed like they were exuding moonlight.
The people in the largest painting of the Forest Temple were dressed in tunics and laurels similar to what Scarlett had worn for her graduation months ago.
“These must be ancient,” Scarlett said, full of awe.
“Hello,” said Beni. He stood as close as he could to the Forest Temple painting without actually touching it. Several of the figures turned to look at him. A couple of them moved toward Beni and Scarlett, and to Scarlett’s shock, they became clearer and larger as they approached.
The painting unsettled her. “Come on, Beni. Let’s keep moving.” She grabbed Beni’s arm. “Let’s get to the mirror.”
“Sorry—I have to go.” Beni waved farewell to the painting as Scarlett hurried them up the ramp toward the door. The figures ceased their approach and waved back at him.
Scarlett let out a bemused laugh at the ease with which Beni moved through the ancient space. She was glad he didn’t seem nervous. Was this what Gwen had meant about this being harder for adults? But her laughter faded as they moved into the next room.
The only way forward appeared to be through an archway hung with streamers of tattered beige cloth—so many she wouldn’t be able to avoid touching them. The fabric moved as if there were a breeze coming from the other side, but of course there couldn’t be a breeze. They were underground.
She only had to walk a few feet forward to get beyond the archway, but Scarlett was overcome with dread. Beni didn’t hesitate before stepping into the arch. His footsteps slowed, and Scarlett began to panic as he halted halfway through the passageway.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
“I’m fine… but I can hear a voice,” said Beni.
Concern for her brother overcame her fear, and Scarlett hurried forward. The air around her was electric as she joined him in the arch.
“True love is unconditional. Don’t lie, even for love. Serve me through your love. I choose your desires for you.”
She halted as the words touched a nerve. Her mind flashed to her father. Her father and Alastair. The two most important men from her past whose love had always seemed entirely conditional.
“Stop striving for love that is conditional and give love unconditionally,” the voice replied. “Unconditional love is your birthright. To give and to receive.”
Scarlett forced herself forward as her mind raced. Whose voice was that? And how had it—or they—cut right to the darkest fears of her heart?