AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The old wound opened a little, making Fen's voice crack, "The gods were my home. Now, I'm not sure where I belong."
"Maybe in this place, you will find your answers," Khan replied, pushing another cedar wood door open.
Inside was a winding stone staircase lit by torches, the walls on either side of them rough rock. The air was warm and moist, and Fen felt like she was entering some dark, sacred place with every step. The hair on her arms and neck rose as the energy charged with an ancient presence.
"Do you feel that?" she whispered.
"I do. This is Ea's most sacred sanctuary because it is where his presence is felt the strongest," he said. They reached the end of the stairs where a cavern opened out around them. "Welcome to the House of the Watery Deep."
More lanterns were burning on stands and hanging from stalagmites; candles flickered near small pools where magi meditated, and everywhere was the soft hum of magic.
"How do they know which pool to drink from?" Fen asked, keeping her voice low.
"A magi goes off his or her intuition. Ea guides them to the pool they are meant to drink from."
"How many are they?"
"Thousands. Let's go this way," Khan said, pointing down one of the cavern's many smaller caves.
The tingle of magic under Fen's skin grew stronger with each step, her pulse beating swifter in her throat.
Why does a wolf seek a god?A voice whispered in Fen's ear. She turned quickly, but there was no one behind her. She stopped walking.
"That one," she said, staring at a small pool glowing softly with iridescent light.
"How do you know?" Khan asked, pausing to examine it.
"Can you not see how it glows?"
He shook his head. "No, but I believe you do."
They sat next to the small pool, and Khan lit a stub of a candle, pressing it to the edge of the pool.
"Do I need to do anything in particular? Say any prayers or special words?" she asked, staring into the water.
"Not unless you want to. I'll watch over you and bring you back if you swim out too deep."
Fen gnawed on her bottom lip. "Aren't you drinking too?"
Khan's gaze caught hers, his eyes soft. "I already know the answer to my question. I don't need to harass Ea this year."
Fen's heart squeezed dangerously. She knew he would follow her into the mire of her own mind if he needed to. He had already done it. Fen never thought she would trust someone to do it the first time, let alone a second.
"What do I need to do?" she asked, swallowing the lump in her throat.
"Think of your question." Khan pressed two fingers to her brow. "Hold it here in your mind until you can see it and nothing else. Until you feel it in your bones. When you become the question, you drink the water. The rest is up to Ea."
Fen nodded and closed her eyes. She'd had many questions since the night she was taken and all that had happened. Should she ask about whether or not she should convince Khan to take back his throne? No, that was only somethinghecould answer.
Fen turned her thoughts to the vision that Khan had of Freya and Odin and the All-Father's words… "You know what runs in her veins, and I would have her be under our influence."
That only left her with one question:What runs in my veins?
Before she could hesitate, she scooped up a handful of water and drank.
* * *
Fen stood in a dim cavern with the walls made of water. Tentatively, she reached out and stroked her fingers against it to see if it was real, and they came away soaked.
