AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I start to step over his body, but the oracle’s tail slips forward, blocking me. “Once paid, I must give a reading.”
Shrugging and offering my best fake smile, I stare at one of the serpent’s golden eyes. “Consider it a donation. You’re off the hook. I’m a witch. If I’m curious about the future, I’ll scry. I don’t need a fortune teller to do it for me.”
“It’s not possible. I’m sorry, but if you wish to leave, I must tell you of your future.” His head swings as he slithers around me, his body roving in circles.
Dropping my head backward, I breathe deep, closing my eyes. “Fine, let’s just get this over with. I truly don’t have the time to spare.”
“As you wish, my queen.” His body slithers faster, the friction of his scales roaring in my ears. My queen? I’m no one’s queen. I’m not even someone’s princess, though I do intend on fixing that.
The faster he circles around me, the brighter a faint green hue glows, walling off the outside world. Until finally, the cave ceases to exist and I’m staring at a dome of shimmering, emerald-tinged magic. It’s beautiful, and even though I push down the urge to skim my fingers over the smokey surface, I find my hand reaching on its accord, hovering just out of reach.
Speckles of light burn and dim, only to reappear somewhere else, and the whimsical color fades to pure black, resembling the night sky on Earth… well, in the country. On my parents’ farm, you could see for miles and make out every galaxy that kissed the night, but in the city, the view was smothered by the haze of filtered light. I turn in place, taking in sight, a view so rare I’m sure kings have killed to witness it.
“Are you ready to hear your fate?” the serpent’s voice echoes around me, even though I can’t spot his body.
“Yes.” The magic mist warps, forming a pixelated forest. A man and woman hide behind a fallen tree thick enough to drive a car through.
“This is where it’ll begin. A friendship. A feigned treachery that cuts so deep you fear the wound will never heal. This is what brings about the birth of a new world.” The sand spins, forming into that of a heart, beating in someone’s hand. The fingers are too thick and calloused-looking to be a woman’s. “But only in death can new things grow and bring life.” The image changes again, forming a field. A man with enormous wings holds another, lifting his feet from the ground until he disintegrates in the man’s hands. “But even the light cannot exist without the dark, Alice. Should either one perish, the fabrics that built this world will crumble.”
“English, please?” I watch as the image fades, along with the magic mist, until the serpent’s face sits posed toward me.
“That is all I can offer. Knowing the future has already caused you a great deal of pain. These visions weren’t meant to give you all the answers, only to guide you when the time is right. You’ll know what they mean when you get there.”
I blink, trying to focus on one of the three snakes in front of me. The cave begins to shift around me like I’m on a rolling ship, floating over choppy seas. “Well, I appreciate the fortune, even if I don’t know what to do with it. I really must be going now.”
“The effects of the magic will take a moment to wear off. I highly suggest you stay, my queen.”
I start to step over his rounded body, and this time he doesn’t block me. “If it’s simply my vision, I’m sure I can make do.”
“The smoke will deny you pure sight, and witches are more susceptible to the more risque side effects. Depending on how much you inhaled during our session, you might feel inebriated,” he says, slithering around the cave until he can face me at the stone entrance.
I was right. We aren’t near the river, we’re on the edge of it. As I step out of the mouth of the cave, my boots land on wet, round stones at the very edge of the waterline. There’s a small boulder I can climb up to get back to the sandy shoreline.
“How long?” I ask, spinning back to him.
“By night, you should be free to travel.”
Glancing up at the sun, barely rising in the East, I huff. That’s an entire day’s worth of time wasted hanging out in the company of a high flying serpent. Not to mention, I don’t know how long I’ve been here to begin with, and Luri is likely out there searching for me. Asmo could be moving to warn the High King of my efforts, and I can’t allow that to happen.
“Is this the worst of it?” I ask, holding a hand over my brow to shield my eyes from the sun.
“Mostly, but I still advise against leaving in your condition. You’re still not completely healed.”
“I can give it an hour.” My eyes lock on the spring that runs along the far side of the cave and into the forest. For the most part, it’s shielded from view. “I’ll clean myself up and rest for an hour, but if my vision hasn’t become worse, I will leave.”
“As you wish, my queen.” The oracle slithers back into the deep abyss of the cave, and I start to climb low boulders, making my way to the small spring. It doesn’t take long for the tiny stream to run red as I wet my hair and rinse my arms, face, and torso in the water.
If I’m going to travel alone, without Luri’s protection, it’s probably best I don’t reek of blood. Especially when most of the life in this forest, including the plants, crave it like a slice of fucking birthday cake. Tearing the loose shirt over my head, leaving me in my bra and pants, I wash the blood soaked fabric the best I can, then wring it out and thrust it back on. At least it will help reduce the smell, even if the rushing water is frigid and makes the fabric cling to my flesh.
For a moment, I sit near the stream’s edge, listening to the rustle of water gliding over the stones. It’s tranquil and entirely surreal. My mind floats away to what could be happening at Hell Hold. Kai, stuck in the castle with the people who matter most… Lucifer left to run amok the village surrounding the fortress I’ve called home for the last year… To what life could be like had our problems dissipated, and if secrets hadn’t been kept.
Kai and I might’ve even been married by now… Thinking about it is pointless. I know that. We can’t change history, only learn from it and prevent it from repeating.
My hand wanders to my chest, finding the rounded edge of the pocket watch strung around my neck. I lift it, skimming my thumb over the face, and feeling the rigid edge of a crack. My body stills as I slowly move on my eyes to glimpse the same line along the glass I just touched, blurred and duplicated due to the magic coursing through my veins.
“No, no, no, no, no, no,” I speak without thought, rambling the same word as I flip the golden chain over my head and look closer. “Fuck!” It must’ve broken when I tumbled down the hill. Any semblance of the magic that held the prison world together is long gone, which can only mean one thing… The castle has returned to Hell Hold.
He could’ve easily confronted his father by now. They could be duking it out for the crown as we speak. But if I know Kai, he’s not so worried about the crown as is about me being out here alone. The moment that barrier went down, the fates would have pushed him to come after me. It’s what they’ve always done–whathe’salways done–and if he finds me, there’s no way he’ll let me continue to go after Finn. He’ll drag me back and because of my bloody heart, I’ll let him. No matter how badly I want to, I can’t fight him to save my life.
