Chosen

With no Phoebe in it.

Deciding that I needed to get my hearing checked, I could only assume it had been the wrong hallway. I made my way back out to the main hall in hopes of finding her.

“Phoebe?” My voice came back to me three times louder as it echoed off of the stone walls and raced through the empty hallways. I listened closely for a reply, and my heart hurdled into my throat when I heard no one else’s footsteps. No talking. Not even any breathing. I had an awful feeling something was wrong. I was completely alone.

Chapter 37

“Where’d ya’ll go?” I shouted in response to the deafening silence. The only answer I heard was my own echo once again. “Hello?”

My heart kicked into overdrive and a cold sweat broke out on my brow as I continued down the long hallway, peeking into different rooms for any sign of them. They couldn’t have just vanished - they had to be here somewhere! I noticed that the light at the end of the main hallway was steadily growing brighter as I forged ahead. I forced myself to stop walking and took a deep breath.

There was no reason to panic. I was more powerful than almost all of the people that could possibly be lurking down here. ‘ Almost’ my mind reminded me. If there was anyone else down here, I had no doubt that they’d be able to hear my heart pounding against my chest. I shook out my hands, which were beginning to tingle and swell from the increase of blood flow. I spun in a circle, once again listening for any sound whatsoever. Silence. I decided that the best idea would be to go back to where we came in and get the hell out of there. There was a good possibility that everyone else had gone back upstairs, and I just didn’t hear them calling me. I listened for any footsteps above my head. Silence.

I pivoted on my heel to begin walking back when something lying on the ground up ahead made me pause. It was about two feet long, but skinny. I waited for it to bark, meow or slither away, but it did none of those things. I slowly crept towards it, ready to run away screaming at the slightest twitch. No need to be the hero here. The closer I got, the more the shadow cast by the dim lights above thinned next to the object. I could tell it was a black….flower? A rose?

My thoughts reverted to the twelve black roses Finn had given me at the Cimmerian Ball, what seemed like a lifetime ago. Was somebody trying to trick me? Lure me in by presenting me with flowers? I stood over it for at least three minutes in an effort to figure out what a black rose was doing lying on the concrete floor in the basement of an abandoned house. I knelt down and stretched my arm out to pick it up, but stopped. The risk was too great - enchanted petals, poisonous thorns, morphing into an evil ghost…the deadly options were endless, and Nadia would surely try them all. I looked farther down the hall and spotted another dark something lying on the floor up ahead.

Leaving the rose where it was I scanned the area for any evil, or even darkness, but found neither. As I walked up to the next one I realized it wasn’t just one black rose, but two. I watched the ceiling in anticipation of a net falling on me and trapping me down there. I checked the stone walls for anything suspect. And then I spotted the next couple of roses about ten paces ahead. What was going on?

I cautiously stepped over the first rose and continued along the hall. I passed pile after pile of four roses, five roses, six. I noticed the air beginning to cool, as the roar of waves swirled in my ears and tickled my heart. After a collection of eight roses, the hallway took a sharp right turn and I squinted to make sure that I was really seeing what my eyes thought I was seeing. Up ahead, the stone hallway opened up to the beach! Nine roses, ten roses, eleven, twelve. I reached the end of the passageway where the concrete met the sand, and inspected the inch gap between my feet and the beach. A cool breeze lifted my hair and I fought to run screaming to the arms of the ocean. If nothing else, I could hide out on the sea floor and wait until Nadia and Keto forgot about me. It would only be a couple of years. Five or six at the most.

Very carefully, I leaned around the stone wall and peered down the beach. All I could see were the sand dunes topped by sea grass, blowing in the wind as it came off of the ocean. The tide was low; creating a wide expanse of beach before the waves rolled into the picture. The view up the beach was much the same.

Frustration rattled my brain when I realized that I was cowering in the shadows like an injured puppy. Goddesses didn’t hide in the shadows! They commanded their presence and took control of the situation, no matter who or what was waiting for the opportunity to slaughter them.

Mom had seen a vision of her own death, but had certainly remained steady and courageous until she took her last breath. I had to get myself together and start acting like I deserved the title of Nereid. I had instinct, not one but four essences, and numerous abilities on my side. What did I have to be afraid of? Deciding that I was, in fact, strong enough and brave enough to carry the titles I was prophesized to, I stepped onto the beach with renewed confidence and determination. I centered my energy, lifted my chin, and shed the self-doubt that took pleasure in breaking me down at every chance.

The beach that sloped down to the ocean had been flattened by the tide’s gradual escape, and I zeroed in on something as it poked out of the sand. In the light of the moon and stars, I kicked off my shoes and dug my toes into the sand. The cool temperature counteracted the warmth of its energy as they both spread up my legs. Focusing my eyes on the object up ahead, I strode forward and dropped to my knees in a cloud of bewilderment lined with curiosity. The stem of a single black rose had been secured in the sand next to a weathered glass bottle about the size of a wine bottle, but with no label or writing to reveal its origin.

I wrapped my fingers around the neck of the bottle and extracted it from the soft sand. The glass beneath my skin was reminiscent of the sea glass that’s collected on beaches across the globe for its aged appearance and smooth texture. Sea glass was typically found as remnants of beer or soda bottles that the ocean had pulverized. The pieces of glass are smoothed to perfection by the powerful combination of sand and surf. This bottle was a small miracle, being that it was completely whole with no cracks or breaks.

A dingy cork ensured that nothing would get in or out of the bottle. I rolled it around in my hands, but the foggy glass wouldn’t give up its contents. With a part of the cork peeking out, I tried to free it from the bottle. Not having any luck, I tried the next most rational option; my teeth. Working like a charm, I spit the cork from my mouth, closed an eye and looked inside. Unfortunately, my eye and the moonlight weren’t able to both peer down inside the neck at the same time. I upended it and proceeded to hit the palm of my hand against the side like a Heinz Ketchup bottle that wouldn’t cooperate. After several minutes of hitting and shaking, a tightly rolled piece of paper slipped out and landed in the sand. Satisfied that nothing else was in the bottle; I set it down and focused on the paper.

Secured with a strip of white lace, I could tell that the crisp paper was very old. It crackled beneath my fingers and had been discolored by time and salt water. I tugged on the ribbon carefully, which gave way easier than I expected. Holding the end gently with one hand, I unrolled it with the other. My heart seized in my chest when the paper revealed handwritten stanzas, and it stopped beating altogether when I saw my triskellion trace displayed as a wax stamp at the top of the page.

The penmanship was elaborate, but the words had been written in English.

My breath hitched and continued to stutter, as the significance of the piece of paper in my shaking hands registered. A jolt of electricity surged through me with each line I read. My eyes forgot to blink while my jaw went slack and the sand beneath my legs quivered with energy. My heart began to seep out of my chest into a large puddle in the sand, while powerful tears seasoned with the taste of destiny splashed over onto my cheeks. After reading it three more times, I still couldn’t believe what I was looking at. My prophecy.

Our salient leader she shall be From shore, wind, and bastion sea Thy calling of a new born child Laid to rest for now, resides Her tendered soul from whence will grow Aft brazen chains a heart of woe If province warns of hallowed screams Her gifts revealed amongst her dreams When scornful deeds of power lies Death shall burn in Thetis’s eyes Her Fortunate Isle in slumber deep Lest Anastasia wake her keep From sea and brine thy secrets flow Setting ablaze her eyes to glow Her journey awaits, precluded by need Thy destiny weaving our goddess to bleed Bred wholly to lead an army of men Thy warrior claims great destine within Her sacrifice, forevermore Binds her soul to thy paramour.

Before I could read on, a clicking sound several feet away had me looking up. Blown away by the previously