19. Chapter Nineteen #2
I spin around, looking for whoever's behind me.
Then, I realize I'm looking for someone with no face, only eyes and the ability to speak directly into my mind.
Get a grip, I chastise myself silently, then wonder if she can hear me–whoever she is.
I force myself to focus on the trough again, desperately hoping my lack of sleep is making me hallucinate.
But no, those luminous eyes are still there, narrowing at me when I plunge my hand into the icy water to make sure there's nothing lurking under the surface. "Are you quite finished?" the voice asks wryly, and I flush with embarrassment.
"Me?" I whisper, drying my hand to rub my thumping temple.
"Yes, you. Who else would I be talking to?
Unless you're hiding someone under that lovely cloak?
" The amount of snark she manages to cram into those last few words is honestly impressive.
I pull the fabric tighter around myself.
Guess that confirms whoever the voice belongs to can also somehow see me.
"Ah, sorry, who are you? And how is it possible you can see me?
" Thankfully the head-splitting ache has faded to a dull throb.
The frustrated sigh I'm met with is so loud, I swear, it could strip the bark off the trees in the forest behind us. "My name is Varistia, and I have been trying to reach you for a very long time."
What the fuck? Maybe I actually did go back to sleep and now I'm having some kind of nightmare.
I look to Aven, who's watching on with interest, staying surprisingly silent.
"I don't know what you did to finally open a connection after all this time," she continues, as if this is the most normal thing in the world.
"But we need to be quick in case it doesn't last long.
I cannot afford to wait another eight years. "
"What do you mean I opened a connection? I didn't do anything." I shake my head, as if that's going to make any of this any clearer. "I think you might have the wrong person."
"I assure you, I do not, Alyxia Reyaal,” comes the exasperated reply. "As I said, there isn't time to explain everything right now, not like this." I obviously do a lousy job of keeping the surprise off my face, because I hear a dry chuckle, loud and clear.
"Trust me, I know a lot more than your name, girl. This wasn't meant to come as such a shock, I thought I'd have plenty of chances to tell you everything you need to know. Something clearly went wrong, and I haven't been able to reach you. Now, we're running out of time."
"Running out of time to do what? How are we even talking right now?" How do I ask how the hell she knows my name without it sounding impudent?
"You tell me. You're the one who made it possible after blocking me out for years."
"How could I block you out? I have no idea who you are," I hiss, caring less and less if I come across rude with every passing minute. "And if I did, how is it you can reach me now?"
Another long sigh. "That is a very good question. Where are you? The connection feels strained, so you're clearly not at a reflection pool like you're supposed to be."
Why would I be anywhere near a reflection pool? "We're heading into the mountains." I probably shouldn’t be telling our plans to a complete stranger. The silence is unbearably loud, and I wonder if she's gone. No such luck—the eyes are still there, staring up at me, unblinking.
"Why? What finally made you leave your realm?" Now it's my turn to stay silent. That's a question I definitely won't be answering. The eyes narrow again. "Dangerous place for a mortal without a drop of magic to venture."
Ice crystals fill my veins, freezing me in place. What do I say to that? I turn to look at Aven, thinking down that mental path between us and hoping whoever she is can't hear. "This is completely normal to you? You don't have anything to contribute?"
"Not yet, I don't, now pay attention," is all he says.
I look back to Varistia, not bothering to waste time denying the truth.
"How could you possibly know?" I ask quietly, desperately hoping it's not because she can read my mind or hear my thoughts.
I don't think I could handle the embarrassment of someone having a front row seat to everything that goes on inside my head.
"What happened on the day of your Ritual to make you change your mind? Why did you not choose Shield magic as you intended?"
"What do you mean? I always planned to choose the Remedies."
"Is that so? Funny; I remember differently," she growls, and the surface of the water starts to swirl.
The world flips, and I'm looking up at my distorted reflection, only I think it's me at twenty, chestnut hair falling over my shoulders as I stare down into what has to be the pool in the Grotto and whisper, "Shields.
" Confusion and heartbreak barrel through me as I look up at that girl, so fearful of letting people down and yet so certain in that choice to follow her heart anyway.
How is it I'm seeing any of this? The water swirls again, and Varistia returns. "Are you the Sage?" I demand the second she comes back into view. It's the only thing that makes sense.
"Do I look remotely mortal to you?" comes the disgusted scoff.
It takes all my willpower not to snap that she looks like little more than two big circles to me.
That's when I remember the purple and silver orbs beneath the water that day.
I had thought they were caused by the sunlight, but now, the memory becomes clearer, and I realize they were eyes. "You were there? Why?"
"I can't get into it all like this. It drains me too much."
"If you're not here to tell me what's going on, then what do you want? I'm assuming there's a reason you're taunting me with my greatest failure?" When the reply comes, it knocks the breath from my lungs like a punch to the stomach.
"Because it wasn't your failure, Alyxia. It was mine."