CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

I was looking at my shimmering body, holding my arm in front of my eyes, when I answered. “I don’t know. We were talking, and then things got weird. Are you all right?”

He nodded, and turned to look at me. His eyebrow shot up as he cringed. “What is that?”

Proud of myself, I said, “It’s an Ivy suit. It seals in my wholesome goodness so you won’t try to eat me. I feel like I’m wearing dead people though, so I’d really like to take it off as soon as you can stand there and not eat me.”

Collin nodded, turning away. His eyes were still rimmed in fire. He leaned against the bookshelf, looking at the floor. “We have to break the bond.”

“But I told you already,” I couldn’t believe I was saying this. Again. “I didn’t do this to us. I can’t break the bond. I didn’t make it.”

The door crashed opened with a loud crack. I startled, backing away as three guys walked in. One was Jake. They didn’t see me.  I backed away faster, wishing I could shrink into the shadow and disappear as my heart lurched into my throat, gagging me. Collin’s voice brushed inside my mind, He can’t see you. The shadows that formed my Ivy suit held in my scent, and my body was hidden by the massive bookcase.  I didn’t move.

“We looked everywhere for her, but she’s gone. It’s the same as last time. And there is no sign of the painting. Are you sure...?” Jakes words were cut off. I watched in wide-eyed horror as Collin addressed him.

“I am. Keep looking for the girl. It’s not like last time—at all. Continue the search.” He glared at them. “Leave.” The three quickly left and closed the door. The roar of my pulse thundered in my ears. I shrank into the corner, as far from Collin as I could get. Collin was authoritative. It almost seemed like they were making a report.

The truth crashed into me. “You’re their leader!?”

Collin didn’t deny it. He nodded sadly. “You see the mess we’re in? You weren’t supposed to be wrapped up in a girl I wanted to keep.” He shook his head.

“Yeah,” I said. “So, you sent them to look for me?”

“I had to. When you got away from Jake, he thought there was something about you—something different. He was right. It just wasn’t what I expected.” His fingers pushed his silky hair out of his eyes.

“What’d you expect?” I folded my arms.

“I don’t know. Just—not this. Ivy, I thought you were Martis. I had no idea you were the girl in the prophecy.” His hand gestured at me.

“So, what do we do?” I shifted as I stared at him, wondering if the past twenty-four hours had been filled with lies, a complex plot to ensnare me and steal my power. He said nothing, rubbing his head in his hands. When he looked up at me, his eyes were impossibly blue. He didn’t accept what he was. Just like me.

Walking toward him, I said, “Something inside of me is—it’s wrong. It doesn’t fit. That same odd piece, it’s inside of you, too. I can feel it.” He said nothing. His eyes tracked my movements in a wolf-like manner. I started to walk over, ready to push the point, when fatigue pulled at me. I pushed it down, but a yawn escaped my mouth. I uttered, “Collin, help me… ” as I crashed onto the carpet.

This vision was as sucky as the first. The black mist swirled, reminding me of the shadows I conjured. Three figures came into focus. I emerged from the mist and moved toward them. The three were in a frantic discussion. They stood outside a stone building. It was night. As I watched myself in the vision it was clear that I was only concerned with the two people in front of me.

“We need six,” a familiar voice said. “It’s suicide with less than six to hold the circle. Even so, someone has to seal the portal.”

The other slim figure nodded. “He’s right. It has to be six.”

In the vision, I was covered in sweat, despite the chilled air. There was a gash on my cheek, and I paced in place. My hair was pulled tightly into a frizzed out ponytail, and I looked like I’d been rolling in dirt. Nervously, I shot looks at my two advisors. Julia and Eric.

I watched as the vision version of me asked, “What happens if we do nothing?”

“Then they come,” Eric said, as the wind howled louder. They were standing in the center of a storm that hadn’t formed yet. The pressure was uncomfortable. It kept shifting, making my head ache.

“And the terror begins,” Julia raised her voice, “and there’ll be no way to stop it.”

“And if we try without six?” I asked.

Julia yelled over the howling wind, “It doesn’t matter anyway. We need six to hold the circle, but there is no way to seal the portal. We don’t have what we need.” Her words unnerved my resolve. Seeing fear flash in the eyes of a totally confident woman made my stomach sink. Wind whipped through the clearing. I could almost see where we were, but I couldn’t make it out.

Al said as I matured that I could force the visions to reveal the information I wanted, but right now, the vision wasn’t cooperating. I didn’t know what had us outside during a wicked storm, where we were, or why things felt so dire. I tried to focus on the blurred area behind where I was standing, seeking some distinguishing landscape, building, or something. But there was nothing there. The blur wouldn’t lift. The main thing I noticed was that the longer I was in the vision, the more panic I absorbed from the people around me. Suddenly, I was ripped from the vision, as cold slid over my skin.

I sat up dripping. I sucked in air, shocked. “What the hell!”

Collin stood over me with a huge empty cup in his hand. Kneeling next to me, he said, “I couldn’t wake you. I tried.” His breath was choppy. Brown hair stuck to his pale face. “What happened? What was that?”

I pulled at my wet shirt and glared at him. “I’m a Seyer, Collin! You pulled me out of a vision!” I stood up, and smashed my fist into the wall, desperately fighting the urge to freak out. “I needed to see the end! Now I just saw a world of crap being thrown on me—without the ending.”

“I wouldn’t have wakened you. It looked like death tried to claim you, again. I’m sorry.”

Again? What did that mean? I shook my head, sopping wet, all the fight drained from me when I saw the terror on his face. “It’s fine. You didn’t know. Apparently I can’t see the future without fainting.” My fingers frantically pushed my hair out of my face. I sat down hard on the floor.

Collin sat next to me. “What’d you see?” I told him. But I still didn’t know what was coming. Or how to stop it. “Six is a doomsday number. The portal gets opened. Huh?” Collin’s expression was odd.

“Spill,” I insisted. “What are you talking about?”

“If you’re doing something really big, you need six people to form a circle. Everyone always thought that you—the prophecy chick—would rule the Underworld from below, not above. Maybe you called them up here?” His eyes were wide as he looked at me.  “That would suck.”

“Collin, I didn’t call them.” I shook my head. “Well, I don’t know who called them. I just know something was happening. What makes you think the Underworld was called up here?”

He shrugged, “It’s part of the prophecy. Probably not a part you heard. When the purple one rises to power, she kills me, and rises up the Valefar. Apparently, that’s literal. You call them up here.” His uncertain gaze was lingering on me, and the expression on his face told me that he didn’t totally trust me.

“Don’t look at me like that! I’m not going to kill you. Damn it! How does this happen?” I held my head in my hands. Panic wove tightly through my muscles, landing in my stomach. I wanted to run away, and leave this nightmare behind, but I couldn’t. I was trapped. Breathing deeply, I tried to steady myself. I couldn’t fall apart. I swallowed, asking a question I didn’t want answered, “What did I do, Collin? I had to do it, right?”

His blue gaze held mine. “The prophecy says you will—it doesn’t say you want to.” His words hung in the air.

“Damn.” There was nothing else to say.

Collin’s ideas about destiny didn’t mesh with Al’s. If it didn’t matter what I did, then the prophecy would just come true. But, she said visions showed paths, so I should be able to change it by choosing another path. I just needed to know how and when. Al had more details that she didn’t tell me. If she gave me the information, I could derail my future. I had to try.

I jumped up. “Get up, Collin. I have to go talk to a nun.”