I finish the spiral of the rune and press my hand over the cut in my arm, stopping the blood flow. The memories of my last, most recent family flicker into my mind. My mother and father, both kind and soft-spoken, practical people. They're my real family. I don't know what to say, so I say nothing at all, and the silence drags on.
“I can show him to you,” Serus says suddenly. I snap my gaze towards him and mouth my displeasure, but he ignores me. He turns to Cleo. “Let me see your memories, and I will show your daughter her father.”
Wordlessly, Cleo closes her eyes. Her brows pinch together in concentration and Serus sits in front of her as still as a statue. My heart pounds rapidly in my chest, anxiety rushing through my veins. But then, I'm swept away from the grand chamber in the base of the pyramid, to a low, lush valley. I blink in the sudden sunlight, tasting fresh air on my tongue. I stand on a patch of hardened dirt in a doorway. Ahead of me, I see a man. Tall, lean, with dirty blond hair, pulled into a knot on his head. He grins when he sees me, spreading his arms wide as if to welcome me into them. My heart throbs painfully and I feel tears prick at my eyes at the sight of the man I see myself in. Same hair, same jaw, same even smile.
When I open my eyes again, my cheeks are wet with tears and Cleo is gone. Quickly, I wipe at my eyes, drying them. My breath is coming hard and fast, the way it does when I’m on the verge of deep, painful sobs. But then Serus’ paw brushes my knee and I feel a wave of calm. I toss him a grateful smile.
“It’s ready,” I announce, rising to my feet. I turn to face the group. Cleo and the old witch have gone, slipping out of the pyramid as silently as the phantoms that haunt it.
Altair claps Moritz on the back once before the cold, peculiar Fae retreats from the pyramid. The others gather around me, careful not to scuff the rune with their shoes. Thal holds Sadal tightly, only dragging his eyes away from the Dark God to meet mine. He dips his chin reassuringly, but he has no jovial smile or joke for me before we begin.
“One foot on the rune, carefully,” I bark as Erzur puts her foot down clumsily. “When we arrive, you may throw up.”
“Vomit?” Erzur asks, voice laced with disbelief.
I don’t answer her as I close my eyes, mustering my magic. It slinks towards me like a fog, coiling itself in my body and then around my limbs. My skin tingles with it, almost as if it’s vibrating with power. “Lanuae praesens,” I murmur as Altair’s fingers lace through mine.
To bring a group this size into the Ether, I need more than just my rune. I need a spell I learned from the Dark God himself. I hear him chuckle as the spell takes hold of us, locking us in its vice. Altair’s hand tightens around mine and then the world tips upside down.
Chapter 4
Verity
Erzur retches, doubled over on the inky ground of the Ether. Altair manages to swallow his nausea, but his skin is a sickly green color. I grimace, remembering too well my first experience with portal travel and the way the sudden influx of magic in my body made my stomach churn.
“Shit,” Thal murmurs, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. His brows are furrowed with pain.
“It will be better next time, on the way out,” I assure him.
“Gods, I hope so,” he mutters, curling his lip at the vomit by his feet.
“It’s so dark,” Altair whispers, turning in a slow circle.
As always, the portal spits us out in the portion of the Ether filled with inky darkness. A light from above illuminates us and a small area around us. Shadows pulse and writhe against the light, trying desperately to reach us. Our voices echo loudly in the Ether, the only sounds breaking the ominous silence. I look down, hoping to see a lantern nearby. One rests at my feet, warm light glowing from behind the glass.
“Your magic comes with such ease,” Sadal says. His chains rattle as he shifts. “I knew you would rival even the greatest of witches one day.”
I narrow my eyes at him. Sadal claims my victories like they were his own, but this wasn’t my magic. The lantern springs from the Ether. “I didn’t do anything,” I say curtly.
Sadal’s black eyes glimmer and he chuckles softly. “It’s so easy for you, you don’t even know you’re doing it. Remarkable.”
I ignore him, wondering if he could be right, or if he’s simply trying to goad me into trusting him with his flattering words. Erzur has recovered now, and she glares at me pointedly—as if I’m at fault for her retching. I turn my back on her too and lift the lantern into the shadows. The light presses
