Chapter 17
Irolled across the plush rug, shoulders colliding into a scrollshelf. I was instantly back on my feet, flying over the banister at full speed.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Isandra racing across the clouds. Then a billowy tendril shot out, latched around her ankle, and tossed her back into her bedchamber.
A shift of the clouds below snagged my attention. Cloudy hands started reaching for me. I angled my body and began flying upward. The clouds caught me anyway.
The billowy hand wrapped around my ankles, yanked me down, then flung me back into my bedchamber. I shot to my feet, threw myself over the banister and collided into an invisible wall between the archways so hard I thought I felt something snap.
I threw myself again. I ran into the wall between the archways once more. I couldn’t go further. I was trapped in this infernal bedchamber.
I floated back, landing on the rug. There were no windows or doors between rooms, so I couldn’t go to Ellabeth to see what all was happening on her side. I thought about the rest of Seventh Choir and how they were faring.
Panic. This was meant to throw me in a panic.
I smelled the food, but I blocked it out. This was a battle of mental will and I would win. I wasn’t about to throw an entire millennia worth of work down the drain because of food.
I paced across the room, thinking of what to do. It was still high dawn, so going to sleep was out of the question. Especially since whatever Zara gave me had me fully awake. I was starving so I couldn’t keep using up energy I didn’t really have.
“Special kind of Hèls indeed, Ellie,” I whispered to myself.
I shook away the distracting thought. This was Temple Efysis for Infinite’s sake. If I couldn’t face this, I wasn’t worthy of joining Granmanmi and my Matriarchs. Stars.
Granmanmi.
How I wish I could ask her what the point of all of this was. I kept bouncing on my feet, going back and forth, until finally settling for digging into the scrollmap.
Grabbing my belongings from Sanctuary, I planted myself at the gilded desk facing the outside. An outside I was trapped from flying to. Relaxing my wings, I crossed my legs beneath my thighs, opened the map, and let the scenery unfold.
I loved playing around with scrollmaps. Once they were opened, they vividly portrayed what you wanted to see.
The fun of it was going in to the scrollmap and flying around it as if you were in the location in real time.
I drug the scenery around with a finger, moving away from Temple Efysis.
I shrunk the view to see what all was around geographically.
From this view, I saw the entire Efysis islet.
There was the Temple, at the very center.
To the west was the Citadel—an enormous city on the islet built for the Farasees and their families to have enjoyment and a sense of living without having to return to the main islands.
To the east there seemed to be nothing but a collection of pools, and further beyond were waterfalls.
The islet itself was held up by a large, strong mountain base with caves within all around.
Intrigued, I began digging around, trying to see what I could find. I leaned over the scrollmap and decided to physically go inside of it and explore.
Tucking my wings into my spine, I zoomed in on the Citadel. I flew from my cloudchair and magically entered into the scrollmap. I flew all throughout the islet. There was no telling how much time I spent moving around in the scrollmap.
A resounding click sounded from inside my bedchamber. Without waiting, I flew out of the scrollmap and returned to my room, finding the door wide open. I blinked at it, unsure if it was another trick.
“The temple is messing with us,” I mumbled to myself.
I flew out of my room, waving my sandals over, slipping them on. Quazar’s shadow barrier was gone. The Talons unit stood wide-legged, arms crossed, glaring at Seventh Choir.
When I flew out of my chamber, they all turned to glower at me. Quazar’s eyes snagged on my freshly washed hair. Then onto my body-clinging gown. The feral look in his eyes made me pause. Then his eyes hardened as he erected a wall over his features. I scowled, turning to Seventh Choir.
“How many times did you keep trying?” I asked Daelun.
“I stopped counting after eighty-seven.”
Ellabeth and I laughed.
“I quit after the third time. I got slammed into the floor.” I laughed.
Omarion’s shoulders shook as he laughed along. “I can see it.”
“I’m starved,” Isandra drawled.
“Same.” I shook my head. “Burning, same.”
“Can’t believe Ascendants died for food,” Amayah whispered.
I frowned. She was right. I thought of how they died, decayed, and just disintegrated. A horrifying way to go.
And without their spirits being filed, I knew they wouldn’t enter the Ellelights. Just like the ones Tharic killed on our way up the Starfellien Ascent.
I looked around, quickly passing over Quazar, who was still watching me in a way that unnerved me.
This time he wore loose fighting robes and leather boots like the rest of Xadari Legion, instead of that ridiculous suit he had on.
Like the rest of his Legionnaires, he was dressed for war.
I almost laughed. Where did they all think we were going?
Then I spotted the star gates.
My eyebrows rose to my hairline. Galactic light spilled out of the gates, as the travel portals swirled. I shared a look with Ellabeth.
“Guess it’s time for the real trial to start,” Daelun said, looking at the star gates.
My nostrils flared.
“So we just…go through them?” Ellabeth said, eyes glued to the star gates.
“Why are they even open? Did a Babephim come to say anything?” I asked.
“No Babephim.” Amayah shook her head. “But I’m pretty sure we are supposed to go through the star gates.”
“That’s obvious, but for what?” Omarion crossed his arms. “There’s no instructions. I’m not ending up like Fifth and Sixth.”
“Agreed.” I nodded.
“Only one way to find out.” Daelun floated towards the first gate. He stepped through. And was promptly spat back out. “What in the stars?”
“Getting rejected by a star gate is wild,” I said, my brows rising to my hairline.
“Maybe we need to go in by pairs.”
We all turned and looked at Kazemir. He shrugged, eyes on the star gates, a deep frown bowing his face.
“Define pairs.” I glared at him, not liking where this was going.
“We have new temple-mates, don’t we?” he whispered.
I glanced at Quazar. He was grinning from ear to ear, his eyes wild.
Oh no.
He wanted us to go through together. Which meant we’d be alone. And he could hurt me, kill me, without consequence. “I don’t think—”
“Daelun is right. We just have to find out.” Ellabeth lifted her chin, looking straight at Dakairi. She flew over to him, looking up into his jeweled, royal blue eyes.
“Can you handle testing the theory?”
“If you can handle not being a baboon’s rot.”
My jaw fell, unhinged. “Ellabeth, I know you’re not going to let him talk to you like that.”
I lifted my wings, already feeling my starfire flood my palms. Ellabeth turned to me smiling.
“Let him.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder floating to a star gate. Then she looked at Dakairi, her eyes turning to raging oceans. “Talking is all he can do.”
I snorted, slow clapping. “Touché.”
Ellabeth stepped into the star gate. Dakairi followed, his eyes burning. Neither of them came back.
Blessed lights.
I turned to Quazar. He was positively beaming, hands swirling with shadows.
“After you, Starling.”
My hearts raced. I drew on more starfire. Turning to the central star gate, I drew on my courage and flew through. I could sense when Quazar flew in after me. I kept my wings close as the star gate shot me through a pool of endless stars. My stomach plummeted as I felt my insides clench and twist.
A burning sensation raced through me before an icy chill flooded every limb. I couldn’t shake off the feeling that something inside of my body, inside of my spirit, was permanently changing.
“Please tell me it’s not you in my mind, Spawn of Anathelles.”
Oh! Oh no.
The star gate spat us out onto our faces on another islet I was vaguely familiar with. I turned on Quazar, jaw hanging. Did he just talk into my mind? Did crossing the star gate together seal our bond as temple-mates? There was absolutely no way—
“There is absolutely every way.” Quazar’s eyes burned like holy fire. “Your precious Temple has bonded us. But don’t worry, it won’t be for long.” He nodded toward something behind us. “I assume you won’t survive.”
Survive? Survive what?
I spun around. And screamed.
Terror flooded my body with bone-chilling cold as I looked up and stared directly into the Seal Gate.