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Chapter 29
“Nayome?”
Nayome jumped at the sound of her name, disorientated. Spinning around so the tree was to her back, she glanced frantically left to right, looking for the source of the voice. Adrenaline still spiked from Agent Smith’s approach, she felt her heart beating double time in her chest, residual pulsing echo’s from her necklace seeming to spur it on.
“Who’s there?” She asked, squinting into the dark space in the dense woods beyond the clearing, voice cracking with tension.
“Over here,” the voice called, and Nayome calmed down a bit. The lilting voice didn’t sound threatening, and was coming from her right just within the tree line. Wandering in that direction, a figure became clear as she approached. Bent over, the girl looked hunched over something, hands buried deep in the earth at the base of a tree.
“Sorry, I’m almost done here,” the girl said. “I cannae break the flow of energy until the cycle completes.”
Nayome didn’t say anything, not knowing how she could respond to such a strange comment. But shehadjust appeared out of thin air, so who was she to judge what was strange anymore? Nayome recognized the girl now that she was close enough to distinguish features. Her red hair cascaded down her back, falling in her face and catching the odd spark of light as she knelt forward, hands buried deep in the rich black earth.
“I’ve seen you before,” Nayome said, feeling a bit like a fish out of water.
“Yes, I am Ceana. But please, call me Ce”
“Ce. You’re…you’re Bal’s sister, aren’t you?”
Ce beamed up at her for a moment, before her attention was recaptured by whatever she was doing in the ground. Nayome could have sworn she felt actual warmth on her cheeks, as if she had been touched by a ray of sunlight in the brief moment Ce had been smiling up at her.Woah.
Ce breathed out, seeming to deflate as she finally wriggled her hands free of the dirt. Nayome caught a glimpse of what she had been hovering over. A cluster of mushrooms, stark white appeared to reflect the sunlight, standing out against the trunk of the old tree they clung to the base of. Squinting to adjust her eyes, Nayome had the fleeting thought that they must be glowing, since no sunlight could reach them shaded by the trees. Her thought was interrupted as Ce pulled herself up to her full diminutive height. Nayome watched warily as Ce’s attention turned to her, eyes raking over Nayome with curiosity shining plainly in their light.
“You can tap into the earth’s magic,” Ce said, her voice gentle.
Nayome nodded. No point trying to deny it at this point, and Ce had seen her appear as if from thin air.
“It all makes so much more sense now.”
Nayome raised her eyebrows at that. Nothing had made any sense for weeks, as far as she was concerned, and she wasn’t sure how much Ce might know about any of it.
Ce snapped out of her reverie, glancing around Nayome. “I suppose you came here alone, then?” Brows crumpled down as she looked concerned for a moment. “I dinnae what the boys were up to in America, but I knew there has been trouble. Is everything alright?”
“I don’t know, to be honest. I was being held. I think Bal and Gabe were working to get me out, but now I’m here…”
“Well then,” Ce announced, grabbing Nayome’s arm. “Ye must be special to end up here, in this sacred place. No denying that. Come home with me and I’ll fix you a cup of tea while we figure this out.”
“Thank you,” Nayome said, wishing she could say something more. She was feeling the aftereffects of the energy zipping through her veins, as though she was walking through fog. Mind hazy, she followed the slight figure of Ce as she gracefully weaved her way through the forest. She should be more cautious, wary, but Ce radiated so much warmth Nayome couldn’t help but trust her. And she didn’t have the energy reserve to figure out any other options.
* * *
Nayome clutched the warm mug of tea in both hands as she watched Ceana rustle through a backpack that was hung on a little wooden peg by the front door. They were in a house, similar to Gabe’s, but much smaller. The open concept gave the place a warm, homey feeling. Nayome sat at the breakfast bar, perched on a carved wooden stool as she watched Ce flit around, looking for her phone. Unlike Gabe’s house, which had been undeniably beautiful in a grand sense, Ce’s place looked lived in. Not a wall or surface was unadorned, knick-knacks and art pieces cluttering every available space. The effect was charming, if not a bit chaotic.
“Ah, found it!” Ce exclaimed, looking triumphant as she pulled a phone out from deep in the recesses of the pack.
Nayome had realized shortly after arriving that she had brought nothing with her. Her small purse, filled with her essentials—namely her phone—had been left behind in the FBI safe house in New York. If it hadn’t been for Ceana, she would probably still be stranded in the woods.
“Bal!” Ce’s voice lilted up like she was about to break into a song in her excitement. “Yes, yes, she’s here. Here.” Ce passed the phone to Nayome, who fumbled to set down her mug and grip the cell to her ear.
“Bal?”
“You’re alright?”
“Yes, I mean I think so. God, I screwed up, they will have caught everything on camera, me disappearing, the fireflies…”
“It’s alright, Gabe and Felix can take care of all that. Its for the best that you got out of there.”
“Am I safe?” Nayome cast a covert glance over at Ce, who was pretending to give her some privacy while she puttered around in the kitchen.
