Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 147891 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 739(@200wpm)___ 592(@250wpm)___ 493(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147891 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 739(@200wpm)___ 592(@250wpm)___ 493(@300wpm)
“Oh.” My eyes flicker to Rowan and Killian, and then to Maeve and Juniper. They all stare at each other, then glance back at Alora and her guard, Proll, who stand near the gate a distance away.
“Are you saying she needs to be naked?” Maeve demands.
“Not entirely naked, but the less garments she wears, the better.” Beatrix pops open a purple vial and sprinkles some of the liquid onto the ground. “Their bodies must touch consistently throughout the process with minimal barriers. He’s already shirtless, so I suggest removing your shirt too, Willow.”
Maeve and Juniper look at me with sympathetic gazes, while Killian and Rowan glance at each other a fleeting moment before focusing on their mother.
“Is there no other way?” Maeve tries again.
I look down at my cloak and shirt. I’ll be freezing my ass off, but…this is for Caz. “It’s fine. I’ll do it,” I tell them.
Killian and Rowan turn away immediately, facing the opposite direction. I don’t look to see what anyone else does as I slide out of the cloak and pull the shirt over my head. I unbutton my pants next, sliding them down and stepping out of them. Standing in just a bra and panties, I wince as the cold bites my skin, and a breeze wraps around me. I put my focus on Caz’s pale body on the ground. This is for him. For us.
“Okay, now I need you to lie on top of him.” Beatrix has a book open and is flipping through the pages. As she does, I lie on top of Caz’s body. He doesn’t make a sound, and I swear it terrifies me. That, and his body being like a block of ice is disheartening, but I cling to him and rest my ear on his chest. His heart still beats, a solid thu-thunk, thu-thunk. I find relief in that.
“Now, for everyone else, I need you to leave. If I can manage this, the portal will be powerful. It will suck anyone and anything into it who is in a certain range, and there’s no guarantee you’ll end up in the same place as the Tethered. There are so many universes—thousands. It’s a risk I’m sure none of you want to take.”
“Right. Fine,” Maeve mutters reluctantly.
“Here.” Rowan’s voice is near, and he walks up to me with a black handgun in hand. His eyes are everywhere and on me all at once. “Take this with you. Caz won’t like being in another place without a gun.”
I take the gun and place it between us. “Thanks, Rowan.”
He nods then turns away just as quickly as he had before, jogging away with Killian.
“We’ll do everything we can to find a way for you two to be free from Mournwrath!” Juniper yells as Maeve takes her hand. “We promise!”
I smile, watching as Maeve tugs her away. Juniper looks back once more with a helpless stare as Alora approaches.
“Come to the fields when you’re done, Beatrix,” Alora commands. “There are still pressing matters to discuss.”
“If I make it out alive,” Beatrix mutters.
When everyone is gone, Beatrix draws in a breath then exhales. She places the thick book on the ground then picks up a clear vial. Removing the cork lid, she pours a powder out of it to outline our bodies.
“Beatrix?” I call, and her eyes lower to mine. “Thank you for doing this.”
She looks at me, perplexed, then asks, “How can you thank me? I betrayed you. Alora will probably have my head if I make it out alive.”
“You’re making up for your mistake now,” I murmur.
Her eyes glisten in the dark. She then clears her throat, blinking the tears away and stepping back.
Putting the lid back on the bottle, she says, “Think of somewhere on Earth that is safe for you, and it will take you there.”
“Okay.”
After setting the bottle aside, she spreads her hands apart and begins a chant:
When worlds collide, they bring rebirth
Vakeeli tides be carried to Earth
Where tethered bonds shall not arise
And wicked souls will have no worth
Take thine power and give to thee
These hopeless souls who are in need
The first time Beatrix says the chant, an iridescent purple light surrounds my and Caz’s body. The second time, our bodies are lifted off the ground. I hold on to him tighter, squeezing my eyes shut, bracing for what’s to come. The third time, we spin in the air, slowly at first, then fast—so fast I should be dizzy.
Beatrix screams the chant and I hear pain in her voice, but she doesn’t stop, not until purple light beams in the sky like a signal. The air vibrates around us, and when I look down, the ground crumbles. Beatrix is on her knees, purple flames surrounding her. She doesn’t stop chanting, despite her expressions of pain. She raises her hands in the air, gesturing to us, and I hear her yell the words, “Regal tether, break thy bond! Send them to a land beyond!”