AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“We can trust this spirit,” I say. It’s the first time I’ve spoken since Issy woke up, but it’s also the first time I felt like I had something of value to say.
An apology wouldn’t mean anything, and neither would my regret.
But this… this is something that changes things.
Jasper raises a brow. “And why do you suddenly trust this spirit? So far, all we’ve learned in the past hour is that a witch was trapped by the patriarchs, just like they have been for Gods know how long, and something changed her into a manifestation spirit. Which are unpredictable and dangerous, by the sounds of it.”
He wasn’t wrong about any of that, but this spirit could most definitely be trusted.
“Show him,” I say while still looking at Jasper. He reminds me of a predator, and if I look away, he will pounce and I’ll be dead in a matter of seconds. Perhaps he’s held off this long because he doesn’t want to hurt our mate by risking what’ll happen to her if I die, but instincts don’t think things through like that.
Zy pulls the silver chain from beneath his shirt. It’s the one he always wears and the symbol icon dangling from it is small, but it has a noticeable design.
One that matches the mark on Issy’s wrist.
“This was our mother’s,” Zy explains. “One of her friends told me that she treated it like prayer beads. Although there was no goddess represented by this icon, she didn’t care. She prayed to it anyway.”
“A prayer that came true,” I clarify. “That’s how the three of us were born.”
It wasn’t a goddess.
It was a manifestation spirit that created us from our mother’s plea.
There is no way it’s a coincidence that this spirit found a way to bring Issy to the death plane and marked her.
My mind spirals with all of the possibilities. Everything is connected.
Our mother. Our birth and our magic. Our fated mate.
And our destiny to destroy her enemies once and for all.
Issy wrinkles her nose. “Manifestation spirits aren’t gods. They don’t respond to prayers.”
Jasper presses his lips against her hair as he seems to think. “Doesn’t manifestation magic work through belief and willpower? Maybe our mother wanted us so desperately that she manifested the will on her own.”
Issy purses her lips. “I suppose that’s possible. It takes an incredible amount of magic and willpower for a supernatural to turn into a manifestation spirit. I’d never met one before, or even heard of one documented in history, but I have read ancient transcripts in dead languages about them. If your mother was on the cusp of becoming a manifestation spirit, she could have had enough of that magic to reach out to Jewel.”
I presume that’s the name of the spirit she met in the death plane. “Fate has been behind the scenes, driving events, but this puts everything in our court. Fate set the stage. Now it’s time to execute the play.”
Zy scoffs. “There are only two endings in the script. One where we kill all of our enemies.”
“Or another where we fail, and we all die,” Jasper adds darkly.
Issy blows out a breath. “I know which one has my vote.” She winces when she tries to move.
Jasper shushes her and wraps his arms around her middle, securing him closer to her. “We’ll talk more about this plan of yours, little witchling, but you can’t save the world if you can’t even move.”
Her breath comes in sharp pants now and my guilt returns tenfold at seeing her in pain.
“Maybe… maybe if all of you touch me, I can heal faster. The death magic you have helps, but it’s just taking the edge off.”
Jasper glowers at Zy, then gives me a murderous look. “They’re never touching you again, Issy. Not if I have a say in the matter.”
“You don’t,” I counter, and not just because I want to touch Issy.
Fuck. I want to apologize with my tongue. I’ll gladly go on my knees for hours,days, to show her how sorry I am.
But this is about getting her out of pain, and if my touch can do that, then I will push the matter.
