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My mate exchanged a glance with his familiar.
Renth's words filled our heads.
This place is… Interesting. The energy flows in but is constricted in places. Do you see, Soren? Over there and… Here.
My mate joined the lecanifer, who was now standing closer to the window.
“Yes, there is something strange going on in here.” Soren put a hand on the beast’s back and made a flicking gesture with his fingers.
The heaviness in the atmosphere, that I hadn't even realized was there until now, eased.
Lark whirled and stared at him. “Wow! Whatever you did, do it again. The energy seems lighter, but something is still wrong.”
I started to walk over to the other spot Renth had pointed out, but paused in the middle of the room, turning slowly. Something else was off. Something that had nothing to do with gate energy. I took a step towards the desk and then shook my head. No. Not the desk. Scanning that area of the room, I caught sight of the bookshelf to the left of it, hidden in an alcove.
Whatever it was, it was calling me. Specifically me. I slowly went over to it, not sure what I would find. The two men watched me, both ready to step in if needed.
Renth's voice, though, whispered into my mind. Careful, Lily. You don’t want to trigger it. I am not sure we can—
I waved a hand at him to shush him. This I had seen before. Well, not experienced myself, but I had read about it. It had been in one of the oracle books I had studied while in Delphi.
The bookcase was empty, no books on its shelves. The wood was old with gouges and grooves in it, as if it had been around for a very long time. I didn’t recall ever seeing it in our house, though, so it must have been my mother’s. Perhaps she had brought it here from her childhood home?
Pushing a lock of hair behind my ear, I studied it. While doing so, I sensed Soren moving over to where Renth was standing, correcting the energy knot in that spot. The house sounded almost like it was exhaling, the relief great.
I smiled, glad we could give it some relief. Soren was a great witch, and he was even better with Renth by his side.
Finally, I spotted what I had been looking for. A picture frame laid face down on the top shelf, the front hidden. I reached out to pick it up, stopping with my hand hovering over it.
I wasn’t a witch or a gatekeeper, but I could feel some things. And this felt to me like my dream world. I wondered how my mother had gotten a piece of that place given she wasn't an oracle, but then I let that thought drift away. It wasn’t important right now.
I picked it up gently and gazed at the picture in front of me. The family—our family—were all standing together, smiling at the camera. It must have been when Konner, Lark, and I were around eight. Dad had been normal then—it had been before he had gone crazy—and the pool still existed since we were posing in front of it. There was no sign of the gate that stood over it, except the slightest of shimmer over Lark's shoulder.
Then the energy imbued in the frame was triggered, it reaching out and tugging at my mind. I fell into the darkness.
“Lily!” Soren cried out my name, his anguish clear, but there was nothing I could do. I was no longer in my house.
No, I was in something like my dream world, except this place was older and rawer than mine was. The winds were wild, whipping around my body, tossing me back and forth until I got my feet firmly underneath me. I crouched down lower to the unseen surface, making myself a lesser target to its rage.
And then I looked.
This was a space for an oracle. One that had lived and—so it appeared—died but had left a part of him or her in place. I tried to unravel what had driven the person insane, but it was trying to hide its secrets. I could only get a fragmented glimpse of their memories.
A raven called and I glanced up.
Soren.
Somehow, he had followed me to this place. I raised one hand high and I heard the flutter of his wings. Lowering my hand a bit, I lifted my elbow so that my forearm was parallel to the surface I was crouched on. A dark shadow streaked down from above, the talons grasping my arm and digging in as the winds battered against him.
I flinched slightly as he flapped his wings to regain his balance, his weight heavy on my arm, those claws puncturing my skin. And yet, there was a comfort that went along with the pain.
“Soren.” I breathed. While I was glad he was here with me, I also wished he wasn’t. How would we both escape this place?
A chuff sounded behind me and I twisted partly around, staring into the darkness. The raven preened my hair, trying to soothe me as an enormous cat-like beast padded out and bumped me gently with his gigantic head. Renth. The lecanifer had followed his witch.
With these two supporting me, I now had time to figure out what secrets were hidden here. Why I was brought to this place. I stood up, lifting the raven on my arm with ease. Being a lycanthrope, Soren's weight meant nothing to me. Renth leaned against me, his body grounding me.
I mentally reached, searching for answers to where we were, who brought us here, and how to get back.
