“I have to say, I never would have expected something like this to happen in a million years,” I declared with a chuckle.
“And the fire tipped swords? Nice touch.” Cameron curled his lips into a respectful smirk.
Then, little by little, the hoard began to click their tongues together again. The crystal woman bowed, standing stately in front of them. As soon as she stood back up, the tongue clicking ceased. All was silent and confusing once again.
“Come,” the woman said, turning around to look at us with a roll of her wrist, beckoning us to follow her.
I exchanged a wary glance with Ayden, Cameron and Blaze, but Sophia stepped forward as if questioning the crystal woman wasn’t even on her radar.
“Where are we going?” Ayden was the one to verbally pose the question we all wanted to ask.
“Inside the cave entrance just there.” The crystal woman pointed.
I inhaled sharply. “Well, here we go.”
Cameron looked a little ghostly, Blaze was pale. Ayden scowled, but nevertheless put one foot in front of the other. Soon, we walked through the curved opening and into the tall cave.
My jaw dropped, practically unhinged, as soon as I stepped foot inside.
The cave seemed to expand as soon as we entered it. The ceilings were colossal, stretching at least fifteen feet above us. The space was ample and spread out. I couldn’t believe how enormous it was.
“What…is this place?” Sophia wandered in a slow, absentminded circle. Her eyes panned the walls, the ceilings, everything, with intrigue.
“This is my home,” the crystal woman said, smiling proudly.
“You live here?” Ayden asked as if he needed to hear the crystal woman recite it again. Surely, she was joking.
“I do.” The woman nodded, standing in front of us and looking patient with a serene smile.
Plush furniture sat around an open hearth. Lavish crystals and gold-plated figurines were on full display on elegant shelves. Rich paintings adorned the walls, the epitome of modern art. Crystal chandeliers sparkled overhead, lit with candles that glowed in soft yellow hues against the walls. The rooms were large, but the environment was inviting and cozy.
It looked like an enchanted fortress. “Welcome to my cave castle,” the crystal woman said.
“A welcome indeed.” Sophia nodded and smiled at the woman. “You have a beautiful home.”
The woman cast her a slight bow. “Thank you very much.” Then she made eye contact with each of us. “I just wanted you to know that you are my honored guests, and every one of my people will treat you as such.”
“Your people?” I asked.
The woman focused her attention on me. “Yes.” She didn’t elaborate. She seemed to get a kick out of leaving us hanging, thirsty for more information.
“Oh. Okay,” I said, looking to the floor.
“You all can get settled into your rooms for the night, as I have some business to attend to with my generals and captains.”
“Those people are your army?” Ayden pointed over his shoulder toward the exit.
“My army of shifters, yes.” The woman nodded.
“Are you the leader of this army?” I asked.
The woman gave me a kind smile, but her eyes were unreadable. “The truth will always be perceived in the eyes of the wonderer,” she stated ambiguously.
“Huh?” I asked and looked at my friends, who shrugged with mutual bafflement.
“Your rooms are down in the guest quarters. Just follow that hallway and you should see them on the left and right.” The woman pointed in the direction she intended us to go, but she didn’t lead us there.
Instead, fluttered away like a whimsical mystery, disappearing around a hallway corner and leaving us even more befuddled than before.
31
Sophia
When I woke up the next morning in a cozy bed with a plush mattress and warm sheets tucked over my body, I felt relaxed and well-rested. Long gone were the restless nights spent in crippling anxiety and fear over what kinds of terrors or monsters might be lurking in the shadows.
I yawned and stretched and moved at a snail-like pace getting out of the bed. Then I heard what sounded like the noise of a crowd gathering outside. I stepped into the hallway and cocked my head to the side to hear better.
Blaze stepped out of his room, looking as perplexed as I felt. “Do you hear that?”
I nodded. “I do. It sounds like a crowd outside.”
“Should we check it out?” he asked.
“I don’t know if it’s a good idea,” Ayden said, wandering out of his own stately room that was next to mine.
We didn’t bunk together, the guys and I, because the rooms, although they were quaint and cozy, were not big enough to house the five of us. The beds were only twin sized, and each guy barely fit on them. Comfortable or not, the quarters were tight.
I still rested with the assurance of knowing that they were only a few steps away from me in case of an emergency. They wouldn’t be far away and could reach me in seconds.
Cameron came out of his room next, yawning and scratching the top of his unruly hair. He moved his hand over his beard next, rubbing it with a ponderous expression.
“What’s that?”
“We are still trying to determine,” Blaze said.
“Good morning.” James was the last to emerge. “What’s with the hallway gathering? Did I miss something?”
“We hear commotion outside,” I explained. “We’re discussing whether we should go check it out or not.”
“Maybe we should go to the crystal woman first,” Ayden said and eyed me as if I knew what the answer should be.
“Perhaps we should,” I said.
“I think she beat you to the punch,” James said and nudged his chin in the direction of the exit to the hallway. He crossed his muscular arms over his chest, and I marveled at how his massive biceps bulged.
I followed his gaze down the hallway, and sure enough, I saw the crystal woman drifting toward us.
“Oh good,” she said with an ethereal smile. “You all are up. Just in time for the ceremonies to begin.”
Ayden pitched a cynical eyebrow. “I’m sorry? The ceremonies?”
“Yes.” The crystal woman nodded matter-of-factly. “That is correct.”
“What ceremonies?” I asked. She had not mentioned anything of the sort to me before, although it did sound intriguing.
“Just follow me,” the crystal woman said with a beckoning roll of her wrist.
I diligently began to follow the woman, putting full trust in her, but the others weren’t as easy to get moving. I glanced over my shoulder at the guys who remained rooted to the floor where they stood in the hallway.
I cleared my throat to capture the crystal woman’s attention. She spun around with an expectant and dreamy gaze.
“They aren’t coming,” I mentioned, stating the obvious.
The crystal woman glanced past me. “Hmm.”
“What ceremonies?” Ayden folded his arms over his chest and stared at the woman as if he weren’t going to budge an inch until he had the answers he was looking for.
“The welcoming ceremonies, of course.” The crystal woman’s laughter sounded like a wind chime tinkling in a dancing breeze.
“Welcoming ceremonies?” I shifted my focus back on her.
“Yes.” The woman’s eyes were kind. There was nothing to fear inside of them.
A couple of her guards, attired in armor, approached and stood at her side with diplomatic stares straight ahead.
“Everyone is ready and waiting,” the taller of the pair announced.
“Do you hear that?” The crystal woman declared and extended her arms at her sides as if she was getting ready to perform a spectacle. “Everyone is ready and waiting.”
“Will we be harmed?” The words burst from my mouth.
I felt my cheeks blush in shame for doubting her, but the skepticism from the guys was pulling me back.
The woman reached out and stroked my cheek with her right hand. “No one will be hurt dear, especially not you.” The twinkle in her eye let me know I was one of the special ones without her even verbalizing it.
“Follow me and these handsome fellows.” The woman chuckled. “We will bring you to where you need to be.”
I glanced at the guys and gave them a gentle smile to nudge them along. It appeared as if my coaxing was working, at least for now. They begrudgingly strolled ahead.
When we got outside, I could feel the energy of the guys’ reluctance, but they followed instructions.
“Stand up here,” one of the soldiers in uniform ordered, pointing to a little makeshift stage that was nothing more than a giant flattened rock hovering a few feet above the ground.
There were stone steps leading up to it, and I took them cautiously one at a time.
There were lieutenants at the top who directed each of us to stand in a straight line. We were met with an army of fellow shifters on the ground a few inches below us who were cheering and raising their arms over their heads in celebration.
I felt slightly more at ease by the fact that most of them, aside from the soldier guards by the crystal woman, had friendly and welcoming smiles on their faces.
The crystal woman lit a smudge stick. The smell of sage began to immediately waft through the air, giving me a sense of calming peace.
“I recognize that,” I whispered to the guys flanking me and pointed to the stick. “She uses it for incantations and spiritual cleansing.”
Most of them, especially Ayden, appeared to be cynical and frowning, but Cameron seemed to be taking the ritual seriously. He was watching her with alert attentiveness as if he cared about her movements and actions, as if they harbored depth and meaning to him.
“Lie down,” one of the lieutenants commanded.
“Here?” I stared between him and the floor, feeling confused.
“Yes.” He wouldn’t make eye contact with us as he pointed his gloved finger downward.
“All of us?” Ayden sounded appalled.
“Yes.” He wouldn’t offer any explanation as to why.
Meanwhile, the crystal woman ethereally floated around the stage area in front of us, waving the smudge stick in the air and leaving a trail of white smoke behind her.
“We just have to trust her,” I whispered as a reminder to the guys.
They were hesitant, but each of them got on their knees and crouched to the ground, then slowly crept into an upward-facing, supine position. I followed suit, doing the same.
I felt my breath exhaling out of my throat shallowly, but I looked up at the sky and did my best to remain calm. I heard the crystal woman begin to mutter and whisper her incantations in a hushed and ceremonious tone.
Even though I couldn’t understand a word of it, I somehow felt my entire body going limp and being holistically cleansed from the inside out. It was fascinating to me, how her magical capabilities could have that trance-like effect over us, without us putting forth any effort whatsoever.
I glanced at the crowd in my peripheral vision. They were still roaring with excitement. Then, one by one, the crystal woman leaned down in front of each of us and placed lime-colored stones atop our foreheads in a single row.
“What is this?” Blaze asked worriedly.
I wished I could tell him, but she hadn’t taught me about this particular stone yet. “I am not sure,” I answered honestly.
As soon as the stones were impeccably placed in the centers of our foreheads, I noticed that the crowd had gone silent and begun bowing down in front of us.
The woman fluttered around us, raising her hands over us as she chanted words in a different language. I felt a sensation of tranquility rush over me as if I was floating, weightless in the ocean. I felt my lips curl into a sensational smile.
Then, the woman halted in her tracks and stopped speaking. She hovered over us, delicately removing each stone as gently as possible before tucking them back away into a black velvet bag.
“Now what?” James asked on the other side of me.
“I’m not sure yet,” I said.
Immediately after the stones were removed, the crowd began to chant the name ‘Queen Aurora,’ over and over, standing once again as they raised their arms over their heads.
“Who is Queen Aurora?” I heard Ayden ask, his voice drifting through the noise.
My heart skipped a beat. “I think it’s her. I think it’s the crystal woman. She is their queen.”
“This is unbelievable,” Ayden responded. “She’s a…queen?”
“Apparently so.” Blaze nodded as if he no longer doubted her.
I still had so many unanswered questions blazing a trail through my mind.
“You may stand now,” Queen Aurora announced and raised her hands in a motion for us to move forward with the task.
I stood up, feeling stiff and exposed, but otherwise curious about the events that had just taken place. I couldn’t explain it. It was like I was born again. I felt refreshed, as if a cloud of darkness had been lifted off my shoulders at long last.
I couldn’t stop smiling. The guys still seemed a little apprehensive, exchanging cautious glances with each other, all except for Cameron. He was practically glowing and had a beaming smile on his face. He scratched at his scruffy beard as if he wanted to start skipping across the stage at any given moment.
“Exit this way,” one of the soldiers directed, motioning with his hand for us to descend the same set of rock stairs we had used to lift ourselves onto the shelf in the first place.
I edged my way down the slope and Cameron rushed by my side.
“Hey,” he said with an enormous smile and a twinkle in his eyes. He looked incredibly innocent and handsome at the same time.
“Hi.” I returned his infectious grin, feeling his radiating charm.
“That was…incredible, wasn’t it?” He searched my eyes, clearly looking for return acknowledgement of the same.
“Profound,” I nodded in agreement.
“I want to go talk to the crystal woman.” He cleared his throat as if he had made a terrible mistake. “Err… I mean, Queen Aurora.”
“Me too. I want to find out what just happened and what that welcoming ceremony was all about.”
We were back on solid, flat ground once again. Cameron took my arm and held it tightly, but not aggressively. He looked me dead in the eyes and didn’t blink.
“That’s not what I mean,” he said.
I matched his stare. “What are you talking about then?”
“I want to ask her if she can lift my werewolf curse. I want to ask her if she has the magical ability to heal me.”
I read the years of tremendous pain and suffering as they flickered in Cameron’s eyes. I took his hands in mine and squeezed. I felt enormous empathy for him in that moment and knew I had to help him.
“Let’s go then,” I said and tugged on him a little to beckon him. “If she can help you, let us find out now rather than later.”
Cameron gave me an encouraged smile. “Thank you for believing in the inexplicable.”
I managed a tender smile. If only I could believe in myself, too.
32
Cameron
Sophia tossed me a pensive glance as we walked down the hallway together, in hopes of finding Queen Aurora in her private quarters of the castle cave.
“What are you thinking about?” I asked her.
She smiled. “Doesn’t it seem like this place is enormous?”
I chuckled. “Yeah. Absolutely.” I glanced overhead and in front of me. “It’s almost as if half the mountain has been blown out to create this place.”
“The ceilings are bigger than I’ve ever seen,” Sophia admitted. “Even huger than in the Master castles.”
I nodded. “You’re right.” My heart drummed nervously as if it were trying to escape my chest.
“You look a little pale,” Sophia said, breaking throug
h my thoughts.
“I do?” I chuckled, trying not to appear as intensely rattled as I felt inside.
Sophia squeezed my hand. “It’s going to be all right. You know her. She won’t make you feel uncomfortable.”
“She’s still an odd duck,” I said with a laugh.
Sophia cast me a gentle smile. “I’m an odd duck.”
“No.” I diligently shook my head. “You are a beautiful swan.”
Sophia’s features beamed brightly. “And you sir, are very charming.”
“Hopefully I’ll be charming and normal,” I said. “If the crystal woman, I mean…um, Queen Aurora, can fix me and my long list of shifter issues.”
Sophia smiled. “I am having to get used to her name too. And by the way, being normal is boring.”
I laughed. She was a pleasant distraction as we continued to walk down the extensive hallway. I wiped the sweat off my forehead, suddenly feeling as if I had too much hair. “Is it hot in here to you?”
Sophia shrugged. “Maybe a little.”
“Doesn’t it seem like we have been going down this corridor forever?”
Sophia laughed and patted my back. “Try not to worry about something that hasn’t even happened yet.”
I exhaled deeply. “Perhaps I’m pitting my brain against myself and brewing up too much energy into already assuming I’ll fail. I just don’t know how I’ll crushed I’ll feel if she denies me the opportunity to even pose the question.”
Sophia looked optimistic. “The only way she would deny you is if she isn’t able to lift the curse. I don’t think that she would purposefully hold back that healing from you unless there was a viable reason for it.”
I nodded and took another deep breath. “Hopefully, you’re right.”
“I know that she seems like a wandering soul, but maybe that’s a good thing?” Sophia asked.
“You haven’t been wrong about her yet,” I admitted.
She gave me a satisfied smile and pointed to a room with the door partially ajar and the soft yellow glow of a lantern flickering inside.
“We are here.”
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