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Both brothers had explained that the markings were actually spells that, when invoked, gave them abilities that were tied to their natures: Seraphs. He and Demos were Seraphs… gods. I was vaguely familiar with the word from books I’d read in Father’s library. Beings of light and air, who in human form appeared with massive, feathered wings. Ethereal beings that showed up in the midst of epic battles and historical events. That was the extent of my knowledge, however. Like the elementals, they were mythical figures that lived in grand tales, not creatures who walked among us.
“Remember what we talked about, Omega,” Phobius said, ignoring Demos. “Do not approach anyone. Do not make a sound. Only use your senses.”
I nodded, swallowing down my fear. They had explained what they needed me to do, but not the why.
“What am I looking for and how will I know it when I see it?”
“When I was in Goth Mor Helle,” Demos said, “Lady Lordes said she’d seen you in the In-Between. We’ll be taking you to that exact spot where she found you.”
So that had really been Lady Lordes in my vision? “Wait. Where the crying lady was?”
They shared a look, Phobius nodded and said, “Yes. And anyone who happens to be near her.”
“Who is she? And she is in this In-Between, this realm you explained before?”
“That’s what we need to find out. But first, let’s try it this way.” Phobius held out his hand, and I reluctantly took it, feeling confused again by his omissions. His hand was warm and large and surprisingly gentle, exactly like Demos, who held my other hand.
“Okay.”
I shut my eyes and waited. This part had been explained. Like the rite of Delphos, I’d be taken on an inner journey. Except for wine, the brothers would use their… spells and words, which is what I heard now as they began to speak in a musical language I’d never heard.
Warmth spread through me, starting at my hands, then swirling to my chest, where it branched out like honey being poured into my very being.
The world faded away, or rather a doorway appeared. I stepped through it. All around me was silver, a sea of space. There was no scent, no sound, no air to touch my skin, just space.
Distantly, like from another room, I could still hear Phobius and Demos, their words a humming whisper. I waited. Nothing was happening. But then a whooshing sound came from behind me, and I willed my consciousness to focus there. A sliver of undulating color broke through the empty space, like a large tear in fabric.
The tear widened. Through it I saw a floor of snow. A forest.
Step through it. It was Demos’ voice.
And so I did. As soon as my whole body had entered the space, frigid air struck me.
Use your senses. Phobius.
Cold. Wind. Snow. Frozen sap. Fresh pine. Winter air.
Crying.
There.
When I located the place the sound was coming from, I headed in that direction, ignoring the cold as much as I could. It was hard, but I remembered that it wasn’t real. This place was a creation. A thought. Once I remembered that, I stopped shivering and wondered what else I could do.
Pushing off the ground with my bare feet, I lifted a few inches, willing my body to go higher, to contract smaller, small enough to be even a butterfly.
With a smile, I zoomed toward that painful lament, and when I spied its source, all traces of joy were erased. The woman I had seen in my vision was now encased in crystal, an icy globe made of frozen tears. Even though her form was hidden from me, her crying was as real as anything, growing louder the closer I got.
Stop.
Whether Demos or Phobius, it didn’t matter. I froze midair and hovered, trying to sense what it was that had them alert. The forest around me was hauntingly beautiful and so very real. Acres of snow covered the ground, mirroring the sky above. It was peaceful, but only if you ignored the crying.
Peace was quickly shattered, though, when a grinding metallic sound grated in my ear on my left. It was a horrible sound, a sound no living creature could tolerate without going mad. I was too terrified to turn in that direction, though, so inch by inch I pulled back, my gaze still on the sad woman trapped in her crystal cocoon.
The sound grew and with it my fear. If this place wasn’t reality, my mind was not buying it. In seconds, I dropped to the snow and landed hard, my hands braced out in front of me.
“I see you. Do you see me?”
The voice, the words wrapped around me, stunning me.
