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“I think that should be a red flag, Wolf,” I said the second I was sure we were out of earshot of the innkeeper.
“It definitely should be.” Atlas gave me a lopsided grin before shoving the key into the lock and twisting.
As we stepped into the room, the fireplace surged to life. Shifting closer, I held my hands out to warm them as the wooden floor creaked beneath my steps. It wasn’t a massive room by any means, but there was a level of comfort in the simple furnishings covered in busy floral print.
“Let me ask you something,” Atlas said as the door clicked behind him. “You traveled here but didn’t secure a place to sleep. You are clearly staying at least one night, but you don’t have a single bag with you. You watch the door as closely as you study a room. What are you here for?”
The magic surged faster than I could have been prepared for. Doubling over, I stepped away from the fire, pushing it down, urging it to let me have control.
He had to ask. He had to fucking ask. And the magic knew. Like a being, pacing and waiting until it was called forward.
Atlas stepped toward me, reaching as if he could help. But it wasn’t me that needed help.
“Holy shit, Marley. Your eyes are glowing.”
He stumbled backward, knocking a lamp to the floor before slamming into the door.
A voice that was not my own ripped from me as I lifted from the ground, the magic fully consuming me. “Atlas Firepelt, you have been marked by the goddess for change.”
“This is not exactly what I had in mind, Frostbite. What’s going on? Actually, no, scratch that. I don’t want to know. I take back my questions.”
The power could not hear him.
“Listen carefully, witch. On three of the next five nights, upon the stroke of midnight, three Spirits will visit you. Past, Present, and Future will damn your soul to eternity if you choose to keep your heart sealed from this world. This is your only chance for salvation. Heed this warning and be wary.”
The echo of a threat rattled around the room as the magic vanished, leaving a terrified man standing at the door, and me, sullen and sorry.
Atlas held up a shaking hand between us, as if he could build a wall there. “What the fuck was that?”
I moved to him, but he jerked his head backward, repulsed.
Studying the grain within the planks of the floor, refusing to look at his face, I whispered, “You will not allow yourself to love another, though you have a heart worthy of it. The goddess has selected you for redemption or disaster. Something… someone… is going to come to you at night. You’ll understand then. What you need to do to save yourself.”
“This is… You’re wrong. I’m fine.”
My chest tightened. “Atlas, please listen.”
“No. You just stay the hell away from me.”
He yanked the door open and stormed out of the room, leaving me standing with my head hanging. It was always the same. Denial. But as the clock struck eleven, I silently wished him well, knowing I would probably never see that beautiful face again.
3
Three ghostly, hooded figures lingered above my bed, bony translucent fingers protruding from threadbare, graying robes as they pointed at me in unison. All three choosing to be hidden within the shadows of their oversized hoods.
“You called?” Present asked, her voice like sharpened gravel.
“Almost an hour ago,” I grumbled, peeling down the blankets on the bed, so I could finally crawl inside. “Nice of you to promptly answer.”
“You should have more fear, Marley Stormborn.” Past moved to the sweeping curtains, staring up at the clear night sky.
I cut a glance to Future, the only one of them I would ever hold my tongue for. If not for the ominous shadows that billowed beneath her, then perhaps because I’d never seen her eyes, and there was always danger behind the mysteries of this world.
Noticing my wary glance, Past laughed, the sound like fingernails scraping down a schoolhouse chalkboard. “There is fear in this one, Future. You just have to know how to see it.”
“He’s been warned,” I said, ignoring them. “The magic has begun. He has five days.”
“We’ve been doing this for longer than you’ve been alive, girl. We’re perfectly aware of how many days there are until Solstice.”
