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I slowly looked around at each of them, my heart thumping so loudly in my ears that I only just heard Zeke’s words. Because it did make a difference. They hadn’t seen it yet, but it was all so abruptly clear to me that I almost laughed, even as my heart ached.
Reaching out, I gently slid the third stone out of Liam’s grip. He gave me a questioning look, but his trust in me meant that he easily let it go, giving my fingers a gentle squeeze.
“The stones will light the way,” I said, interrupting the debate that I hadn’t even realised they were having around me.
They all looked at me as they fell silent, confusion and worry on their faces.
“It doesn’t make any difference,” I continued with a forced calm. “Whatever the prophecy says, the path is the same. The reason is the same. We need to win.”
In a quick, unexpected move, I threw the third stone towards Zeke, trusting him to impulsively catch it. He didn’t let me down, his hand snapping out to snatch it from the air and, in doing so, uniting the three crystals in his palm.
The guys’ hands shot up to cover their eyes as a dazzling light erupted from Zeke’s fist, dropping to the floor as he quickly let them go and backed away from the force of it. My gaze, however, was immediately transfixed, following the stones’ path as they tumbled to the rocky ground between our feet.
I faintly heard the guys calling my name, but the deep hum of energy coming from the crystals echoed louder in my ears and drowned out all other noise. My world lightened as a sharp pain lanced through my skull, the glow whiting out my vision and blinding me as I felt my body hunch over in agony. My skin burned and my ears rang as my mouth stretched wide in a scream that I couldn’t hear.
I hung on desperately to the knowledge of what this was as the pain stole away my consciousness. Trying not to fight the pain, I welcomed the familiar flash of light that ripped my mind away from my physical body.
I had plenty to say to the being waiting for me.
The white light cleared rapidly as my awareness returned. Blinking in surprise, I examined the grey, misty landscape around me. Unlike the blank whiteness of last time, I seemed to be standing on a rough, rocky plateau, a sharp wind wrapping around my shoulders as my fists clenched repeatedly. It was odd to feel my body with me, knowing it wasn’t real even as the breeze whipped tendrils of hair around my face.
A thick, unmoving mist surrounded me on all sides, leaving me standing in a flat, barren space of roughly fifty feet across, the air fresh and cold in my lungs. My skin prickled with the chill, but I ignored it as a tall, cloaked figure stepped out of the fog in front of me.
“Hello again, little warrior.”
I stayed quiet as he approached, feeling the strength emanating from him even at a distance. Last time we had spoken, when he had pulled me here after discovering the prophecy at South Stones, he hadn’t shown me his face. I recognised him from Noah’s description, though, as well as the familiar feel of his power, and I knew that I was once again facing the Great Wolf God.
His mouth lay in a flat line as he stopped just out of arm’s reach, though his gaze was warm and welcoming as I tipped up my face to maintain eye-contact. The hood of his cloak was down, laying against broad shoulders and allowing his long, white hair to hang loose, his eyes pitch black and fathomless as they drank me in.
I tilted my head as I looked him over, a frown flashing across his face at my obvious confusion.
“What is it, child?”
“Noah said you were blond. And young,” I answered, momentarily forgetting the reason we were here as I examined the deep lines of age in his face.
He sighed softly, glancing up at the grey sky before nodding. “Yes, I was. I interfered directly by giving your mate his life, and I paid the price.”
I quirked a brow at him. “Huh, you had to actually pay a price for something yourself. How’d that feel?”
His eyes snapped back to mine and narrowed at my sassy attitude. “I would be careful, child.”
I rolled my eyes at him, my anger flaring again as everything that was waiting for me back in my reality came crashing back into focus.
“What? You have us doing all the hard work. Dealing with all the pain and suffering while you just watch. You’re agod, for fuck’s sake, why are you leaving this to me?!”
Anger flashed hot in his gaze, his fists clenching in a mirror image of how I stood. “Trust me, Cordelia, if I could wreak justice on your mother myself, I would have done so long ago.”
I huffed a disbelieving laugh at him but he shook his head at me, his shoulders sagging a little.
“These things are beyond your understanding. I’m sorry, but that is all I can say. You are the only hope now.”
I clenched my jaw, glaring at him as I forced myself to drag in a deep breath. I knew I wouldn’t win this argument, it wouldn’t change anything, so I needed to work with what I had.
He stayed silent as he watched the emotions cross my face, waiting patiently for me to speak again as the mist rolled around us.
“I’ve read the true prophecy,” I said simply. “The stones aren’t in it, are they?”
He gave me a flat smile and shook his head. “I created the crystal stones to guide you on the path. They were a conduit to bring you to this point, nothing more.”
