Chapter Fourteen #2
“Can you let go of your own insecurities, or will you forever serve the happiness of others? You’ve lied for years, to yourself and to those closest to you.” The accusatory voice jabbed right at the most sensitive part of her soul. “How can you connect with the divine if you can’t be honest?”
Scarlett tried to follow Beni, but she was frozen in place as if the voice had taken control of her body. She began to panic. Beni had moved out of sight. He was alone. She was totally alone.
“Answer me.”
“I want to be honest,” she said out loud, terror coursing through her. “I regret lying to make other people comfortable.”
“Really? Then speak the truth. Or I’ll not let you go forward.”
She could hear the pounding of her own blood in her ears. “I… I don’t want to go back to Soleil, but I’m obligated to return and finish what my father started. Is it lying if I return to help others?”
“Self-sacrifice for the good of others is holy, but you must not lie to yourself. That was a good truth. Speak another one.”
“I’m afraid my love for Brayden is unrequited.” She’d never used the word “love.” In the context of friendship, sure, but never like that. Not even in her own mind. It terrified her to cross that line, but deep down it was true.
He hadn’t even wanted to kiss her, and she was in love with him.
“Remember, unconditional love expects nothing in return.” The voice had softened again.
Scarlett fell forward as she regained movement, landing on her hands and knees. What the actual fuck was that? She scrambled to her feet and ran out of the archway, looking for Beni.
She found him in the next room, standing in front of an enormous gilt mirror covering the far wall.
The room was the grandest of them all, with a domed ceiling covered in filigree and frescoes.
Scarlett halted when she saw a man with dark hair in the mirror.
Two balls of blue light orbited his head.
Scarlett stood there uncertain she wanted to go on, her heart racing.
She squinted, and her breath caught. The man in the mirror was…
Brayden? She took a couple of steps forward.
He looked different from the Brayden she’d seen earlier.
Older, maybe? The man in the mirror beamed at her, and—yep, it was Brayden. She’d know that smile anywhere.
For the first time since entering the catacombs, fear and anxiety left Scarlett as she hurried toward him.
Was this what Beni was seeing? She tore her gaze from Brayden and looked at her brother. He’d approached another part of the mirror, to the right of Brayden, and had both hands pressed to the glass as he stared, transfixed, but Scarlett couldn’t see anyone there.
Halting in front of the mirror, she stared at Brayden.
Longing to touch him unfurled deep inside her, and her breaths became shallow.
She took one last step forward, and when her foot hit the bottom of the mirror, her shoulders slumped as she touched the glass.
She couldn’t go any further, no matter how badly she wanted to.
It reminded her of all the years she’d spent talking to Brayden through the glass.
This Brayden gave her a crooked grin and stepped as close to her as he could.
He put his palm up against hers. His messy brown hair and his warm brown eyes made her ache.
This Brayden had a scar splitting his left eyebrow and laughter lines around his eyes.
His eyes raked over her, the hunger in his expression mirroring hers.
“My beautiful Scarlett,” he said, his deep voice full of adoration.
She searched his face for answers. “Are you real? You can’t be.
I know you’re back at the castle, but you look…
” She sighed as she took in his broad chest, covered in a black cotton shirt that emphasized how deliciously defined his arms and his chest were.
But it was the way he looked at her that made her desperate.
He looked at her like she was his love. Scarlett wanted to travel to whatever multiverse this version of Brayden existed in and run into his arms.
He grinned at her in that cocky way she knew so well.
“I’m real. I don’t live in this mirror—I’m just visiting from a different moment in time.
I don’t want to get metaphysical with you, because that’s not why you’re here, but time isn’t linear, you know.
I’m here because the universe knows we belong together, and so we are. ”
“That’s…” whispered Scarlett, her cheeks heating. “How do you know? We’ve never even…”
He let out a throaty chuckle. “We will, Scar. We have, like, thousands of times in my timeline. Never doubt that I want you as much as you want me.”
His words thrilled her. She was overcome with the desire to run back to the castle—to the Brayden she could touch. She wanted to give and receive the unconditional love the voice had promised.
“How do I make sure I’m on your timeline?” If she didn’t end up in this version of the future, she’d be so disappointed.
“Bet on us, and you’ll win every time. Always choose us. Not every path ends happily, but if you do that, we’ll find our way.” He looked over his shoulder at something she couldn’t see. “Now, it’s an honor to introduce you to your soul light. Scarlett, this is Nori.”
One of the balls of blue-white light that had been fluttering around his head passed through the glass and floated toward Scarlett. She took a step backward as the light hovered in front of her face.
“Nori?”
“I’ve been waiting for you.”
Scarlett jumped as the light spoke. Nori’s musical voice was distinct from Scarlett’s own inner voice.
“It’s wonderful to meet you,” Scarlett said. She had no idea whether she was supposed to talk to Nori out loud or in her mind. She turned back to the mirror, wanting to share her delight with Brayden. But he was gone.
Beni let out a loud laugh, distracting her. Was he brushing away tears? A light identical to her own floated beside him.
Noticing his sister’s attention, Beni pointed to his light. “His name is Riley.”
Sensing he might need comfort, Scarlett wrapped her arm around her brother’s shoulders. “Mine’s called Nori. Who did you see in the mirror?”
Beni’s face crumpled, and he leaned into her. “It was Daddy.” He hadn’t called Jules that in years.
Scarlett’s eyes filled with tears. She held Beni for a long moment, until he eventually pulled away.
“Was it nice to see him again?”
Beni wiped his eyes. “He seemed happy. It was… it was good.”
Longing for her father stirred in her chest, but she was happy for her brother. “I’m so glad you have a new happy memory of him.”
Beni sniffed as he ran his hand through his shaggy hair, but his eyes were filled with wonder as he stared at his light. “Yeah, me too. Who did you see?”
Scarlett hesitated, but Beni had just told her about seeing their dead father. “Brayden.”
Beni’s brow furrowed in confusion. “But he’s not dead. How does that work?”
“It was a future version of him, I think. A possible future version, anyway. It was surreal.” She wasn’t ready to share all the details. Maybe she never would be.
“What are you?” asked Beni as he sat on the marble floor.
“What?” Scarlett joined him, folding herself into a cross-legged position. The mirror room was resplendent, and she was in no rush to go back through that archway.
“I’m asking Riley,” said Beni.
“I’ll answer too,” said Nori. “I’ve been with you since you were born, talking to you in your dreams and planting happy and helpful thoughts in your subconscious. I’m pure divine energy, and I’m here to help you through your life in any way I can.”
Scarlett glanced over at Beni. He was studying Riley intently, and she assumed he was in a similar mind-to-mind conversation. She focused on Nori.
How does this work? Can you see the future? asked Scarlett.
“Time isn’t linear for me. I see all the possible outcomes you could bring to fruition from this point onward.”
Scarlett cocked her head to one side. What, like Manon’s oculus ability?
“Not exactly. I see more than she does, but I can reveal less, as I’m here to guide you, not to help you cheat at the game of life and personal growth. I’m also most attuned to your timelines, whereas her valor allows her to see the timelines of others.”
A limited ability to see the future. Scarlett sighed. A desire to think something snarky rose in her, but not wanting to offend Nori, she moved on.
Can you tell me something about my most likely future?
“In all your timelines, you’ve got lifelong connections to the Maddox family,” offered Nori.
Am I going to marry Brayden someday? The embarrassing question had been in her heart since she’d spoken to mirror Brayden.
“What do you think?” asked Nori.
I think I’m excited to find out.
“I’m excited too.”
Scarlett held out her palm in invitation to the ball of light. Nori obliged, moving to hover directly over it. The light answered her unasked question as Nori moved through Scarlett’s hand. There was a tiny amount of heat radiating from Nori, but that was it. She was a light without a body.
“What was that voice I heard in the archway?” Scarlett asked.
“The spirit of the Forest Temple speaks through the arch. The spirit is a vessel of the Goddess. Not to worry—you won’t be held up on the way out.”
She shuddered as she remembered the sensation of being frozen in place. It’d be more than fine if she never encountered that spirit again.
“Did you hear singing in the archway?” Beni asked Scarlett. “That’s what I heard.”
“No. A voice talked to me about unconditional love,” she answered hesitantly.
“That sounds… boring. Are you going to be able to help me charge my phone?” was Beni’s next question for his light.
Scarlett snorted.
Nori laughed at Beni’s question, the sound like small bells tinkling. “Yes, I can help you charge electronics. The universe is made of energy, and now I’ll be able to help you harness it.”