Lost Seraphine (The Seraphine Trilogy #2) (13 page)

“I smell dung all over this proposal. You’re just itching to give me a reason to use my cool newbie powers. Oh gosh, I almost forgot. They’re the ones the Seraphine king gave me. It’s such a good life.” She beams a smile at Gia, loving every second of gloating at my girlfriend’s expense.

“Let’s go,” I say to Gia, taking her hand as we step around Paige and move on down the hallway.

“Don’t do this,” Gia says as we head toward the class we share. “I know what you’re trying to do.”

“Really? Can you fill me in? ‘Cause I don’t have a clue about what I’m doing or who I am or what the hell group my father belongs to,” I answer truthfully. I can see I’m not helping matters, so I try to play down the facts of what I’ve agreed to with a dude who’s more slippery than an oil spot. “Thorne asked me to help him stage a fight. There’s no harm in that.”

“But Erica’s back. And Paige. Do you really think Thorne asking for your help after those two just happened to pop back into our lives is a coincidence?”

“I don’t believe in twists of fate.”

Well, there you go. “I—I don’t know, but I don’t trust this. It feels wrong. Why does Thorne need to throw a match? He’s a certifiable champion. A brutal one, too. I went with him to a couple of fights last year. He doesn’t hold back.”

“Geez. Thanks for the reminder that my girlfriend was another dude’s girl before she was mine.”

She releases a long sigh, looking tired. The dark circles under her eyes seem to be getting worse. I can’t help wondering what might be keeping her up at night. I feel like a wall is being built between us and I’m not even sure Gia realizes it. “I’m just saying. There are way too many strange things going on.”

“Like…?” I ask.

“I—I can’t really say right now, but I will tell you later.” She’s holding something back… again.

“Wait a sec. Haven’t we had this conversation before? And was that you who just got mad at me for holding out on some things? Does it even matter that’s all you ever seem to do to me?” Yeah, I know. I’m being an ass again, however it hurts that she always keeps me on the outside, never letting me into her head, her heart. I need to feel like I’m useful to her in some way, like I’m good enough to be the daughter of a sea king’s boyfriend. Those are some pretty big ass shoes to fill and my feet aren’t all that small, either.

“That’s not fair. You know I can’t take you to the safe house just yet.”

“Are you ashamed of me? Don’t want your friends to see the lowly human you gave up your power for?”

“I won’t feed your sarcasm. I hate to say this, but I agree with the witch. I’m getting all kinds of weird nipping feelings in my chest when I think about you doing this.” I keep walking. She grabs my arm and spins me around. “Are you even listening to me?”

“I can’t pull out; I made a bet, so both you and the witch will just have to deal.” I turn and walk into the class, mostly because I can’t stand the hurt look in Gia’s eyes, but mainly because I have the gut awful suspicion she’s right on point with the thoughts causing the sting in her chest.

Gia

“How do you know this will work?” I ask Cori. She’s planning on using her ability to travel the veil to take me along on a quest to find the Seraphine’s mythical Seer; one of the exiled mystics who disguises herself as an old woman living somewhere in New Orleans and the only person, other than the Council members, who would know what happened to Caleb’s real father.

Long ago, the stories say she betrayed Father in some way, causing him a lot of stress as he worked to fix the things she did, further weakening the relationship between the Melusine and Seraphine leaders and destroying the peace he’d worked so hard to keep between the fallen and the water races.

Some of my people say she knows the history of my parents; my real mother, a woman I could never get Father to talk about. He has kept secrets from me for a long time now and our house leader, Mabry, is dedicated to the Royal Order.

Whatever secrets the Seers wrote about in our history annals long ago will stay within his great mind. The Alchemists have even been taught how to withstand torture. Not that I’m thinking of hurting Mabry, but they’re tolerance to pain amazes me. I definitely won’t be getting any answers from him.

This trip will hopefully give us some insight as to what Father doesn’t want me to know about Caleb. I can handle losing my ability to Change. I’ve even accepted the human world as my new home. At some point, I’m even thinking the guilt I’m feeling over losing my brother will ease up a bit and the ghostly visions of Raze will stop. Caleb’s belief in what we have assures me of this.

Yet, too many strange things have happened; Bernael’s visit, Erica showing herself to Caleb, Paige’s pardon by the Seraphine Council and most of all, this fight Thorne has talked Caleb into participating in on Friday night. It all frightens me.

I hate feeling helpless this way. It has never been in my nature to stand aside and let my friends suffer. I refuse to sit around and wait for the bluebird dream to come true.

Getting the chance to find the Seer took a bit of bribery to get Cori to agree to use her knowledge of the veil. Mabry has forbidden any of the fledglings here to travel by flight. If he catches us, things won’t turn out so good for either one of us.

After I explained how Father chose a Melusine witch to guard my boyfriend until his eighteenth birthday and that the Dark Seraphine has decided to show her face back here in New Bern, Cori agreed to help me with no further hesitation. I suspect she started thinking about the way her sister was murdered last year.

“This won’t hurt you, right?” I ask. The last time she had used her traveling ability was when she escaped Bernael’s lair, a place none of the Council will admit to knowing how to find and Cori can’t remember because someone placed a wipe on her memory.

Most of the other fledglings have finally accepted her without feeling as though she’ll lead a raid and have us all murdered during the night. I feel terrible asking her to do this, but since she so willingly agreed after hearing about Paige and Erica, then I feel a little less guilty, anyway.

“Everything’s good with me. You’re the one I’m worried about. It’s been awhile since you took flight.” She has a concerned look on her face. I guess I hadn’t thought about the possibility of traveling the veil and hurting the sensitive skin on my new human body.

“I’ll be fine. A little magical air isn’t going to stop me,” I tell her while clenching my sweaty palms. “I’m more worried about getting you into trouble.”

“Right. The sea witch murdered my sister. I want to feel like I’ve done something to get even. I have to. I’ve screwed up the whole time I’ve been gone. Got caught by the fallen, got used for information to go against my king. I’m a failure,” she confesses, her brown eyes clouded by a sadness I understand more than she could ever know.

“Bernael hurt you. This war has divided our people. Not you,” I assure her. “One day, the humans, celestials and water races will all be able to go back home. You’ll see.”

“That’s a pretty huge dream, Gia. What about you? Will you go back? Somebody has to take the white throne? Aquardia has no queen. What will you do if, you know? What happens if we lose Poseidon like the prophecy says?”

Something hitches inside my chest the way it always does when someone asks me how I feel about my situation. A slight smile plays across my lips. “You know what the humans say, I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it. For now, I’ll take the trail I’ve been given. Gotta start somewhere. Now let’s get ready before I lose all my nerve, okay?”

Cori nods and finishes adjusting her bracelets made of amethyst and a ring of galena — a metal that runs along the circumference of the circle. The jewels were a gift from her parents who died when she and Lelo were babies.

Throughout the ages, the Seraphines have assisted one another with traveling along the veil by using energy radiated from the center of our magical point — a line that runs from the top of the head down to our abdomens. It’s similar to what humans call the twelve chakras, or points of positive energy.

With her family’s grounding stone attached to her arms and my aquamarine necklace working together, our traveling spirits will combine, merging our bodies into one. Sounds easy enough, right?

Stepping over to where I’m standing beside her bed, she stops directly in front of me and wraps her hands around each one of my wrists. I inhale a shaky breath. I’ve never been outside the area of the ocean around New Bern before. My heart’s pumping. My brain races with a crazy energy, giving me the feeling of having more guts than I think I have right now.

You’re doing this for Caleb, so get focused and stay calm.

“Close your eyes, Princess Gia.”

Clenching my fists, I close my eyes and wait. Nothing. My heart speeds up a bit. Cori chants in the ancient language, her voice becoming more passionate with each syllable she whispers.

“It’s not going to work, is it?” I ask, opening my eyes and feeling uneasy. Father doesn’t want me to leave the boundaries of the safe house for some reason. He must’ve placed a pretty strong spell over my body. A sinking feeling starts to wind its way through me. I’m shaking my head and admiring Cori for the effort she’s putting into creating the veil.

“Don’t you dare give up on me, Princess!” Cori says in between the words of the chants, her eyes shut tight.

Just as I’m about to tell her to quit—attempting the flight process tires out even the most experienced of Seraphine—a familiar jolt of electricity courses over my body. My words vanish. The adrenaline I’ve felt each time I traveled back and forth to see Caleb rushes through my muscles for the first time in months, strengthening them.

I begin reciting the ancient passage, the phrase asking the goddess of flight for protection and permission. Cori’s chanting pauses only for a short moment. She opens her eyes, glances around and then just as quickly squeezes them shut again. The scent of roses mixed with lavender fills the room. The smells represent the essence of both mine and Cori’s auras. Warm air swirls around our bodies as the room blurs.

“Ha! We did it!” I yell over the wind, making sure to keep a firm grip on Cori’s wrists.

“That’s right. We’re bad asses!” Cori says and tucks her lips in. She reminds me of a kid caught stealing a pack of gum. “What? Being around humans rubs off on you after awhile.”

“I didn’t say a word. I’m too excited!”

Our bodies lift higher, taking us along the edge of the skyline, sweeping us through an array of colors. It’s like we’re swimming inside a watercolor painting, only the colors live and breathe and swoosh around us, creating a barrier of magic and floral scents. I’ve forgotten what it was like to do this. Now that I’ve tasted it again, I don’t ever want to lose the feeling.

At once, the air around us changes, a chill replacing the warmth of the sun’s rays. A strange odor surrounds us, overpowering the comforting scent of our auras. This new place we’re about to see feels cold and reeks of death. The rings of light swirling around us darken to bands of gray, black and brown. It’s nighttime. Our bodies lower. Cori and I lock gazes, our eyes projecting the words our lips aren’t able to speak. Then, our feet touch solid ground.

We land outside of a house located near a swamp, a monstrously ugly structure with small, dark windows and a black door. The moon’s silvery glow highlights the chipped brown paint on the boards and the plants filled with thorns and weeds look like something out of a horror movie. Forests surround the area similar to a wall made of mangled trees covered in Spanish Moss. There isn’t a sign of life or another house anywhere. Cori and I are completely alone out here.

“Are we in the right place?” I ask, my heart thudding as I take in our surroundings, the chill in the air caressing my skin with a crudeness almost as terrifying as the rotten smell lingering in the air. It’s so strong I’m afraid to open my mouth out of fear of swallowing the fumes. I thought we would’ve landed in the French Quarters or near a haunted house, even a cemetery would’ve been good over this place. This is a dreary picture of what the oceans will look like if Bernael has his way.

“The stones never do me wrong,” Cori answers, glancing at her bracelets as though they’ll confirm our fears.

In the distance, something hoots and screeches at the same time; a noise to chill you to the bone when you’re standing inside of a swamp; a place where Seraphine travel to and then disappear from all the time.

It’s only an owl. Don’t worry. Yeah, sure.

Cori and I exchange nervous glances, holding on to the other one’s forearm as we stroll toward six steps that don’t look as if the wood will hold our weight.

“Stop right there,” a gruff female’s voice says. We both freeze and glance up at the doorway shrouded in darkness, a gaping hole, the mouth of a monster ready to devour us, yet there’s no monster’s tongue lolling its hunger toward us.

Instead, the barrel of a sawed off shot gun is aimed at our heads.

Gia

“Keep a standin’ there, lasses, and I won’t be responsible for yer missin’ heads once they go a rollin’,” the voice warns. The tone is stern like our math teacher, Mrs. McGonnell, a woman who can scare you with a single glance, but there’s a gruffness to this person’s words that implies she means what she says about shooting us.

A woman emerges from inside the dark doorway and stops on the porch, a shotgun hiked up to a point that’s level with her eyes. She’s wearing a drab, coffee colored dress that blends in with her russet hair, which is done into a beehive hairdo that’s piled high on top of her head.

“Who’s there? I smell the stench of a Seraphine. Show yer stinkin’ faces.”

I step forward and speak first. This was my idea.

“Gia, no!” Cori cries out behind me. I lock gazes with the woman who I assume is the Seer, my heart thrashing in my chest.

“I am Gia, the daughter of Poseidon, heiress to the White Throne.” Somehow, I manage to control the quiver in my voice. It feels really good to use my title this way.

The woman lowers her gun at once, her face still shrouded in shadows cast by the moonlight. I can tell she’s studying me, considering my words. A long, uncomfortable silence surrounds us.

Then she starts laughing, a cackling noise from a faceless entity shrouded in darkness. “Why didn’t you say so from the get go? Wait ‘til I pull my gun on yer scrawny bodies. Ridiculous child. Get yerselves into this here house. There are things waitin’ in these woods; creatures that love pretty young girls comin’ ‘round here pollutin’ our lands with their nosey ways. No matter if the blood be royal or no. All of it tastes the same goin’ down.”

“Please, Mistress Seer, we’ve come to—”

“I know ‘xactly why you be a standin’ on my porch… Giancarella.”

Does everybody know my name?

“Not everybody, thank the goddess for yer sake, lass. But ya keep on a throwin’ yer namesake around like it means nothin’. What do ye expect?” she answers as though she heard my thoughts.

An ear shattering screech sounds inside the woods.

“Get yerselves into the house. Yer magic’s attractin’ the shadow creatures.” She turns around and disappears into the dark doorway.

“No way, I’m going in there.” Cori comes to my side and grips my arm until I cry out. “Sorry, Princess.”

“Focus. Remember who you’re doing this for,” I remind her. She swallows hard and glances at the doorway.

Another screech slices the air, this time a lot closer to where we’re standing. We both rush through the dark doorway.

As soon as we step inside, the scenery changes. Bright light floods the hallways of what appears to be a log cabin. The interior contains polished wood beams, lighter than the chipped, dirty boards we found on the outside. There are four doorways, two on either side of the hall that’s
too long to be considered a part of the house we found outside. A winding stairway sits at the end of the hall.

“Don’t be rude. Get yerselves into the room,” the Seer’s voice says from inside an unidentified place in the house.

“Which one?” I ask, my skin prickling to the point of a discomforting itch. Cori’s fingernails will probably leave permanent marks on my skin.

The cackling laughter starts again. “If ye truly be who ye says, then findin’ the right path won’t be a problem. A warning. If ye be a lyin’ and choose the wrong one, then ye punishment will be legendary among the fallen filth of the underworlds.”

“Let’s just leave,” Cori says in a shaking voice.

“No. We didn’t come this far to back out now.” This woman is the Seer; I can tell. Only the witches of the sea dish out tests this way, little confirmations of faith and courage, a way to filter out those who prove to be worthy of the help they give.

Closing my eyes, I pull from inside the place where all Seraphine magic rests, the spot in the middle of our forehead, a thing the humans call the third eye. A rush of blood surges through me when the darkness behind my eyelids springs to life with light, highlighting the outline of the second door on the right, the one beside the stairway.

I still have the power of sight.

What other surprise abilities has Father left inside me?

The time to celebrate silly stuff comes later. For now, I need to stay focused. I open my eyes and point at the door I just saw. “That one.”

“You sure? I don’t want to get a legendary beating and I sure as heck don’t want to find out what’s screeching out there in those woods.” Cori’s gaze darts back and forth between all four doors.

“Trust me. Let’s go.” I walk with confidence toward the room I’ve just found, unsurprised to see the lock turning and the door opening on its own.

“What the...?” Cori whispers.

With our hands entwined, we step across the threshold and into a room that could only be found in the swamplands of a city as memorable as New Orleans. Above our heads, stars float inside a nighttime sky. Yeah, that’s right, the ceiling holds a fully formed skyline, ending at the edges of three walls painted a vivid blue-green, the same indescribable color of the ocean. The waters flow around us as though we’ve stepped into an underwater scene, complete with stingrays, sharks, anemones, various multicolored fish and my favorite creature, the whale.

The salt water smell floating into my nostrils feels real, as does the sand covering the floor we’re walking on. The Seraphine’s Seers have always possessed great powers, but this place—this ode to my home—almost knocks me to my knees.

“What is this place?” Cori asks.

“This here, it be a floatin’ hologram, lass. A darn good one, too, is it not?” the Seer’s voice says from inside the darkness covering the fourth wall at the far end of the room.

“Guard your thoughts,” I warn Cori.

“What do you mean?”

“Stay focused on your desire to avenge Lelo. Think of nothing else.” Cori nods, but her eyes are filled with questions. The Seers gift to those who prove themselves worthy isn’t a simple matter. Never has been.

The mystics chosen and trained by my father’s best teachers reach inside the mind of the one seeking their help, pulling out what he or she most desires. In my case, finding answers for Caleb is all I can think about. Pretty simple, right? Cori’s situation is a different story. Her grief is too new, too fresh, something a Seer—especially a slippery mind master like this one—will latch on to like a leech.

Something very similar to a fluorescent light flickers and lights up the area, revealing the fourth wall, a stunning fifteen-foot high mural that contains an exact replica of the Castle Oblique, the name Father has given my home in Aquardia.

Inhaling a shaky gasp, I stare up at the sandy colored structure illuminated by lights cast from the mythical sting rays swimming around the outside, the ancient ones who light up the sea; shy creatures that humans claim to have seen during their diving excursions under the sea.

The Gothic spires, the multiple windows framed in a blue as bright as the sky, even the arched opening that frames the window to my room; all together they create a stunning imitation of the life I left behind. This time, I’m the one grasping Cori’s arm as the flood of heat and longing threatens to overwhelm my body. Damn Father’s slippery mistresses of magic.

“Feeling homesick, lil’ one?” the Seer asks, her voice echoing all around us. A light on the wall slowly begins to expand until the beam covers everything.

Standing in the middle of the wall covered by the mural of my home, the Seer waits, her body now fully lit up and the picture of my home dimming. I take an unconscious step back. Cori does the same as my gaze locks with hers, taking in the sight of the woman, or maybe I should say the thing, that has been conversing with us.

The Seer has gray skin the color of death and a dark brown dress covering a body shaped like a human female. What I thought was a head of big hair as she stood in the doorway earlier is nothing except a mangled mass of twigs attached to a skull with a face that’s oddly human except for the dark glasses situated on her petite nose. It’s hard to believe her ruby red lips, perfect and shaped like a pouty child, are the source of the voice we’ve been listening to as we made our way inside. Small tentacles rotate out from underneath the long dress she wears.