“The real reason?” Van asked. “You mean, my Anchoress bloodline?”
Uxa turned until she was face-to-face with Van. “Being the Anchoress allows you to connect to the power of the moon, the Elemental part of your blood, and your ancestral line to create magic. The Coin amplifies this power. The Coin does not carry the power. You do.”
Van gulped. “That’s a lot of power.” And a responsibility she did not feel ready to handle.
“For your own protection,” Uxa warned, “we must keep your identity a secret from the Balish until you are fully trained. There are many Balish in Salus Valde right now. Your retrieval of the Coin confirmed the existence of our Anchoress. The Balish Counsil will send assassins to kill you. The Moors will hunt you. They will seek revenge for the death of Solana. The safest place for you is to remain hidden on Providence Island.”
“I’m not afraid of the Moors,” Van said. “Or any Bale.”
Uxa’s eyes darkened. “The Balish are not the only reason it is unsafe for you to stay.”
Van could feel the other reason in her bones. “It’s because of that—that shadow-wolf, isn’t it?” That creature, she did fear.
“It is called the Quasher,” Uxa said, unnerved. “The Alignment is the only time of year you are protected from the beast. During this thirty-day window, the Quasher is unable to track or find the Anchoress anywhere in this world. With the Alignment over, although you are safe from the beast in Salus Valde, it is not worth the risk having you here.”
Van trembled, thinking about the Quasher. “Why does it want me?”
“The Anchoress has the highest percentage of Elemental blood of any Lodian, making you close to the divine, yet still mortal. Your inner Light shines more brightly than any other. Light attracts Darkness. The Quasher is your natural opposing force, formed by nature the same time you were created. Nature balances every positive force with a destructive one.”
Van shuddered. She didn’t like that rule of nature.
Uxa continued. “The Elementals immediately contained the Quasher upon its creation, giving the Anchoress protection during the full year. The Elementals removed this safeguard during Amaryl’s time. I instructed you to return by midnight, not solely because of the Elemental ruling but because the Alignment is the only time when the Quasher is contained.”
Van understood.
The Elementals had released the Quasher as Amaryl’s punishment for breaking the purity of the Anchoress bloodline by having a child with the Balish Prince Goustav. This act would affect all Anchoresses-in-Waiting to come. Amaryl had been warned to protect the purity of the Anchoress bloodline and had failed. Van’s ancestor had been rash and immature, which led to her corruption by the Coin. Van’s mother had been fool-hearted, too. She had done the same thing as Amaryl—had a baby with someone of Balish blood. Van’s mother’s punishment for diluting the Anchoress bloodline was reactivation of the curse, which caused her to die in childbirth. The brunt of their reckless behavior fell directly on Van.
She grasped why it was important for her return to Providence Island. But Uxa seemed to have already decided that Van was destined to be irresponsible, acting with the same irrationality as her mother and Amaryl.
“You will not be able to safely return here until the next Alignment,” Uxa said, a welcome interruption to Van’s thoughts. “I suggest you use the time in between wisely. Build your skills, absorb your power. Much rests on your shoulders now that you have come out of waiting.”
Van worried that Uxa was right about her inability to live up to the Anchoress’s duties. She had fallen for Brux and remained unsure whether she had misused the Coin to kill Solana. Van confessed the latter worry to Uxa.
“Solana attached to her dark Self and therefore could not handle the high vibration of the Coin,” Uxa said. “The path she chose for herself rendered her unworthy. That is what destroyed her, not you. Stopping Solana stopped the Escalation and prevented Dishora. As the Anchoress, you did your job.”
Van hoped Uxa was right. Now, it was time for Van to complete her mission. She had one more difficult task to do: Give up the Coin.
She wasn’t sure if Uxa could be trusted, but she heeded Amaryl’s and Manik’s warnings about holding onto the Coin after being done using it. Van couldn’t risk not following the rules. The Celestial Tower was a holding place for the Coin; it would be safe there.
Van pulled out the Coin, took a deep breath, and then, using all of her will, placed the Coin in the fingers of Gaea Mater.
The mosaic on the floor came to life. The snakes flowed in a continuous pattern of swallowing each other’s tails. The statue creaked as it turned toward the inner circle, then stopped, as did the mosaic.
Van stepped back from the Coin. She felt a pang in her heart, as though she were abandoning a member of her family.
Uxa gripped Van’s shoulders, turning her so they stood face-to-face.
“I must caution you not to speak of that which must be kept secret,” Uxa said in a low voice. “You cannot tell anyone the truth about your summer project.”
Van’s shoulders slumped. Her exhausted body felt abused and neglected, which contributed to her feeling upset. She would get no credit for overcoming incredible obstacles to retrieve the Coin of Creation, a major feat. She inwardly cringed, knowing Solana’s words had just rung true.
“Make sure neither you nor Paley discuss your mission with anyone, anywhere, at any time,” Uxa warned. “Not with your stepmother. Not with Ken. Your life depends upon it.”
Van nodded, surprised she had forgotten about Ken. Their relationship seemed like a lifetime ago. Now, he remained only as a faded memory of someone who used to be important to her.
Fynn rushed through the doorway. “The Balish Counsil members are coming!”
“Go,” Uxa urged.
Van didn’t budge. “I’ll go, but only if you promise to clear my father’s name.”
Uxa agreed.
“’Til the next Alignment, then,” Van said.
“’Til then,” Uxa said with a smile.
CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
Day 31: Return to the Earth World
Van, Fynn, and Wiglaf hurried down the winding staircase, while Uxa exited through a different door.
Her mind spinning, Van thought of everything that had happened during the last thirty days. She had been freed from the guilt of believing she had caused her mother’s death but was now burdened with the guilt of having killed Solana. Regardless of what Uxa and Brux had told her about Solana, Van feared that Solana’s death held consequences for her. Van had finally earned her place in her community, but the cost had been a piece of her soul.
Was Van’s folly part of the Anchoress curse? Amaryl had been in denial, believing her baby was her husband’s, but deep down she knew the baby was Goustav’s. Van realized this by the regret that flashed in Amaryl’s eyes the moment before her death. Amaryl knew she had unintentionally cursed Astrid, her own child, thereby cursing the entire Anchoress line.
Van’s father felt guilty that his blood had reactivated Amaryl’s ancient curse. For this sole reason, he had gone out of bounds the night his wife died, the night Van was born. Although she no longer dreamed of marrying Ken and having eight kids, she did see herself having children in the future. If she didn’t want to die while giving birth to her first child, then she needed to continue her father’s search for a counter-curse.
Fynn walked with Van and Wiglaf through the deserted Lodestar Station.
“Uxa made sure to clear the station for your departure,” he said.
Van remained in deep in thought, as Fynn took her to the portal.
By harming another person, Van had attached to her dark Self, which was amplified by using the power of the Coin. She could feel the restless pull of Darkness within her and hated facing the constant inner struggle to cling to her Light. Her gut twisted with the fear she might lose the fight and tip toward Darkness. The thought haunted her.
She found con
solation in knowing Solana had been defeated and would not cause any more trouble. Now, Van would keep an eye on Solana’s brother Ferox, the newest heir to the Balish Kingdom. When Van returned, she would watch him for a dark thread. If she saw one—
The sight of Twinkle Toes interrupted her thoughts. The stuffed animal sat on the landing by the portal, waiting for her. Van had forgotten about it. She no longer had any interest in a child’s toy. It would do nothing but clutter her bedroom.
“Keep it.” Van handed the stuffed animal to Fynn. She didn’t need a physical memento of her father’s love anymore. His love for her was now firmly rooted in her heart.
Van bent down and picked up Wiglaf, who still hovered by her feet, and hugged him to her chest.
“Bunfys don’t need to be attuned for travel,” Fynn said. “He can use his connection to nature to magically transport himself anywhere. He’ll follow you if he wants to go, but you need to put him down so I can attune you.”
Van nodded, gave Wiglaf one last squeeze, and placed him back on the floor. “See you back home,” she said to her bunfy.
“Mweep erp!” Wiglaf responded, his ears raised and straight.
Fynn pointed to a yellow dot on the floor of the landing. “Stay in this spot,” he directed. “I’m going to the control room, so I can attune you and activate the portal.”
“Okay,” Van replied. She stood on the dot, wondering why he still kept staring at her.
“Uh, Van,” Fynn said uncomfortably. “Good job getting the Coin.” He abruptly turned and disappeared into the nearby control room.
Van knew that Fynn, her biggest critic before the journey, found it difficult to give her a compliment. She grinned and turned her attention back to the portal, waiting for it to be activated.
Things weren’t as settled as Uxa wanted Van to believe. If the spy in Lodestar wasn’t Van's father, who was it? Uxa? She had an ulterior motive for wanting the Coin—power. If Uxa was the spy, it meant she had attached to the dark part of her Self, and if she accessed the power of the Coin, it would amplify the Darkness within, causing her to become more corrupted and dangerous.
And why was it so important for Van’s father to get that necklace to Van, as one of his last acts in life? Was it solely a keepsake from her mother? Van doubted it. If that were the case, Uxa wouldn’t be so interested in it.
Genie never gave Van the necklace, but Michael had told Genie to erase all evidence that he had returned to Mt. Hope Manor. It dawned on Van that Genie had been in her father’s study before Uxa had arrived with the Grigori. The bleach smell had resulted from Genie cleaning Van’s father’s blood. The thought of Genie scrubbing the floor, removing all traces of her husband’s death, made Van queasy. This act must have confused and flustered Genie. And Genie felt jealous of Aelia, so she might have thrown out the necklace. But Genie was more ditz than anything and probably hid the necklace from Uxa, then forgot where she put it. So where was the necklace now?
Van also felt bothered by the three other statues in the Celestial Tower. Were they holders, too? For what? Translating singular and plural words was difficult in the Language of the Ancients. Manik’s text had referred to the Coin as an Item of Creation. Had Van translated the passage incorrectly? Were there other Items of Creation?
She felt determined to come back during the next Alignment for answers. In the meantime, when not training, she would search for that necklace.
A wave of light swept over Van from above. Then the portal came to life, its silvery blackness swirling. She wanted to spend more time in the Living World, but for now, leaving was the correct path.
As she transported back to Providence Island, she resolved that no matter how strong the pull toward Darkness grew inside her Self, she would cling to her inner Light. Ildiss and Uxa had both spoken about choosing between the path of Light and that of Darkness. For Van, there was no question of choice. When presented with a decision between good or evil, from now on she would always choose the good.
Her skin prickled with the feeling of unsettled Darkness moving about in the universe. The master demon that Solana had contacted using her dark magic was strong enough to help Solana carry out her evil plan. With that kind of power, why hadn’t this demon risen to the Living World yet? It wanted the Coin destroyed, which meant it must need more strength—something it would have gained from a war between the Lodians and the Balish. Thankfully, Van had saved the Coin from destruction, preventing such a war.
But the master demon had sampled the Light of the Living World through Solana’s demons and remained out there, hiding somewhere in the Earth World, waiting for another chance to rise.
It was a constant battle.
Darkness always seeks to destroy the Light.
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About the Author
A Massachusetts native, D. L. Armillei now splits her time between living in her home state and Florida. She can often be found sweating in a Zumba class, playing in the Universal and Disney parks, or hanging around tiki huts as long as they’re on white sandy beaches. Being under the impression she’s a treasure hunter, she sometimes scuba dives but usually chickens out and ends up snorkeling.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Northeastern University, and later, an associate degree in Diagnostic Medical Sonography from Community College of Rhode Island where she graduated Phi Theta Kappa.
Photo by Andrew at Andrew Laird Photography www.lairdphotography.net
Shock of Fate: A Young Adult Fantasy Adventure (Anchoress Series Book 1) Page 44