On three, we drink together, Tegan said into my mind.
I nodded and licked my lips.
One.
Two.
Three.
We tipped the chalice and let the glowing water fall into our mouths. I had no words to describe what it tasted like. It was warm and cold. Soothing and stimulating. Sweet and sour. My eyes rolled. Pain shot through my head and down my spine. It was like the worst case of brain freeze I’d ever experienced. My vision blurred until everything went white. I couldn’t see what was around us, couldn’t feel the ground under my feet. All I felt was Tegan’s hand in mine.
Let it in, Tenn. Stop fighting it.
I frowned at Tegan’s words. I hadn’t realized I was fighting something. Am I? The white energy burned. I just wanted to shield my eyes from the intensity, but I couldn’t feel my body.
Tennessee. Take a deep breath.
I did as she asked. Then I felt it. I was fighting something. There was a barrier between me and the white energy. I took another deep breath then exhaled everything. Let it in, I told myself and pulled back on my magic. The brightness faded slowly until I found Tegan kneeling in front of me.
She smiled wide. “Hi.”
“Hi,” I whispered back. I blinked and looked around. We were in the same place, crouched at the bottom of a staircase in the middle of the Lake of Holy Water inside the Garden of Eden. Except now I saw something I hadn’t before. “Do you see that?”
“Where only Eden and the chalice knows,” Tegan said softly. She stood and took a step forward. “I think this is going to lead us to the next step.”
This was a silver glitter path that started under the chalice and spread up the staircase. I stood and walked to the edge of the stairs. “Well, let’s not waste any more time.” I gripped her hand and took the first step.
“Take it with you,” a voice whispered in my mind.
I froze. My pulse quickened. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up.
“Tennessee…”
“Please tell me you heard that too,” I said without moving or looking back.
Tegan sighed. She squeezed my hand. “It’s a test.”
“Yes.” I glanced over my shoulder at her pretty face. “I think I’ve seen enough of the Garden of Eden. You?”
She nodded and ran up the stairs, dragging me along with her. When we got to the top, the water surged around us. It rose up and trapped us in the middle of a tunnel of water. I pulled Tegan to my chest. Her bare skin pressed against mine and sent a wave of heat through me. For the first time that I could remember, fear simmered below the surface. I wasn’t used to not being in control of water. Gabriel said nothing would harm us unless we drank from the wrong chalice, but I couldn’t help but wonder…what if we drank from the wrong one?
Tegan squeezed me tight. She kissed my chest, right over the glyph that bound us.
And then it was gone. The Holy Water was nowhere in sight. Above us, the sky was a glorious, cloudless blue. We stood on green grass. In front of us…was the waterfall.
“Let’s go save the world,” Tegan said with a wide grin. She stepped forward.
I yanked her back. “Maybe we should put our shirts on first?”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Tegan
Oh my God. My shirt. Heat burned my cheeks. Tennessee grinned and slid my black shirt over my head. I put my arms through while smiling up at him. Most guys would’ve tried something or made me feel uncomfortable. But not Tennessee. I’d been in front of him in only my black bra for hours and hours, yet I’d managed to forget. It was a testament to his love and respect for me, or the way Uncle Kessler raised him—or probably both. And he was all mine. Out of all the guys that could’ve been my soulmate, I really won the lottery.
He tipped my chin up. “What are you thinking about?”
My smile widened. I no longer had to lie or pretend with him. As long as no one else heard, I could be honest and tell him what I was feeling. “I was just thinking how lucky I am to have you as mine.”
His mismatched eyes twinkled. He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine then pulled away far too soon. He took my hands in his and squeezed. “I love you.”
My pulse skipped a few beats. I’d never get used to hearing it. “I love you, too.”
“I wish we could announce it to the world.”
I nodded and stepped back, letting distance pull my fingers from his hands. “But we can’t. And we have a job to do.”
Several jobs, actually. Rescue Henley, close the Gap in Salem before Samhain, and fight the Coven leaders on their stupid no-dating rule. For now, that last one would have to wait. Once we proved ourselves, they’d have to give in. Right? Right.
“Tegan?”
I frowned and looked around. Tennessee wasn’t in front of me anymore. He stood over in front of the waterfall, waiting to rejoin our friends. I walked over to him, but I had to take one last glance at the majestic sight that was the Garden of Eden. There was no reason to believe I’d ever see it again.
“Are you okay?”
No, I don’t think so. Something happened to me here, and I wasn’t sure what. It shook me to my core. I had a feeling I would have nightmares about it. There would come a point in time when I’d need to talk about it, but it wasn’t that day yet. I cleared my throat. My eyes were glued to the ocean twinkling in the distance. “What happened in the Garden of Eden…”
“Stays in the Garden of Eden. It’s between us.” He pressed his finger to my jaw and forced me to look at him. The kiss he gave me was soft and sweet, but full of passion and conviction. “I promise.”
“Thank you. Now, let’s go find our friends.” I wrapped my hands around his forearm and held on tight. There was no way I was risking getting separated.
When he nodded, we stepped through the waterfall together. A blast of cold air brushed over me, and then we were back in the place we’d left our friends.
No one noticed our arrival. Willow and Chutney were propped up against the stone on the far side of the little space with their eyes closed. Royce sat beside them with his head between his knees while he tugged at the long black strands of his hair. Deacon and Cooper were lounged in the middle on the dirt ground sharing a bag of chips. Emersyn was off to the side with her back to me, braiding her long hair.
Deacon picked up a new bag of chips and started to open it. “What’s the next line of the prophecy?”
“Between the balefire, the runes shall dance,” I answered.
Potato chips exploded into the air. Deacon cursed and grabbed his chest. “Don’t do that.”
Cooper spun around with wide eyes. He looked back and forth between Tenn and me. “You’re back?”
Emersyn jumped to her feet and captured me in a bear hug. She squeezed me tighter than I thought was possible for her. “That was the longest five minutes ever.” She stepped back and smiled.
“Five minutes?” Tennessee repeated.
Cooper scratched his head. “Em was counting since our watches don’t work.”
I looked up at Tennessee, but the scowl on his face told me he was as surprised as I was. How is that possible? So much happened inside, too much for only five minutes. We’d watched the sun set, even. The images popped into my mind, and I panicked to make them go away. Except then I remembered what I saw in the dark, and my body turned to ice. I shivered and looked back to Tennessee. His eyes were already on me. There was too much emotion in them with other people around. I forced myself to look at the ground. The silver glittery path stretched out across the little nook we were in.
“Well, it was a lot longer than that for us.” Tennessee’s voice was low and rough. He cleared his throat. “But it doesn’t matter. We have to keep moving now.”
“Wait, did you find the chalice?” Emersyn asked. She slid my leather jacket off her shoulders and handed it to me. “Well?”
I took my jacket and put it on, trying to decide how best to answer the question. They deserved to know most
of the truth. “Yes, we found the chalice. It is guiding us with this glittery pathway here.”
They all frowned. Royce and the two younger girls had joined us.
“Tegan, they didn’t drink from the chalice, so they can’t see it,” Tennessee whispered to me. He held his hands out, and his magic pulsed through the air. His sword and dagger flew from their spot on the dirt into his palms. He stuffed the dagger in his left boot and slid the sword into the holster on his hip. “You guys are going to have to trust us on this.”
I reached into my jacket pockets and pulled out my two daggers then slid them into the holsters on my thighs. We had no idea what we were going to find, so we had to be ready. I followed the glittery path to the same narrow gap between the stone slates that we’d entered through and paused. I glanced over my shoulder. “Stay together. Be prepared for anything.”
I didn’t hesitate another moment. There were too many thoughts and questions in my mind to stand still. I had to keep moving. We had a job to do. I followed the glittery path between the slates that reminded me now of the clay cavern in the Garden—
Let’s stop that train of thought right now, m’kay? I refocused on the path under my feet. Once we emerged into the little clearing Lonan had dropped us in, the path curved to the right and dipped between two towering pine trees. It appeared we were going back into the forest.
“Tenn, Chutney? Care to join me up front?” I paused just outside the tree line. It was daylight still, so the sun shone through the trees enough to see, but I wanted to be safe.
The burn in my chest flared a little hotter, and then I smelled his fresh rain scent. A split second later, Tennessee walked by me. His fingertips brushed over my hip just enough to make my heart flutter and my thoughts muddled.
He paused just in front of me and turned around to face us. “Chutney, this time stand behind Tegan. I need her to make sure we stay on the path. Coop, you still good to hold up the caboose?”
“You got it.”
“Wait!” Emersyn dug into her jeans pocket, then pulled out a blueish crystal. She held her hand out, and the stone dangled from her fingers. “Don’t forget George.”
Tennessee smiled and took his pendulum from my sister. He quickly slipped it into his pocket then turned and waved us along. I followed in line right behind him, but after a few steps, we were side by side. It felt weird to not hold his hand, but there were too many eyes on us. Save the world, then break the law.
No one spoke as we walked through the forest so that Chutney could hear if something was coming. Although I suspected everyone’s nerves were a little on edge. Mine were shot.
The forest thrived all around us. The trees towered so high above us I couldn’t even see the tops. Little bits of blue sky poked through the branches and leaves. Streams of sunshine looked like spotlights. The air was warm and fresh. I sighed and let earth’s energy calm me down with every deep breath. I closed my eyes. Wait. My eyes flew open. I remembered feeling that same kind of peace inside the Garden of Eden. I didn’t know if this was more of the same magic, or if I was just on edge and paranoid. Either way, I forced my eyes to lock on the glittery walkway the chalice had given us.
Time and distance ceased to exist for a while. We walked up and down steep hills, curved around stone mountainsides, and climbed over fallen trees. The weird thing was my body didn’t hurt like it had before the Garden of Eden. My magic sang in my veins, waiting patiently for me to call on it. My legs didn’t burn, and my feet didn’t throb. I didn’t look back at anyone else, but their ragged breathing told me they were struggling. Yet I wasn’t. Tennessee never did. I wondered if drinking the Holy Water had given me strength? If so, how long would it last?
“Heads up, guys,” Tennessee whispered through the silent wilderness. “We’ve got another steep decline. There’s a cliff on the right, so use it.”
I turned and pressed my back into the cold rocky mountainside, then shimmied down the pathway. Emersyn cursed and it was enough to make me look. She’d slipped but Deacon caught her. She smiled and her cheeks flushed as she clung to his arm and continued down. I smiled. Deacon had a long road ahead of him with my sister, and it had nothing to do with the law, yet every day he seemed to make her smile at least once. So I prayed there was hope for them.
Something sparkled above me. When I looked, I found a blue dome hanging over and around us. Willow? I looked back, and sure enough, the same blue-colored smoke swirled around her fingers. So that’s why we haven’t seen any wildlife. I chuckled and turned to refocus my sights on the glittery path, then gasped.
“Willow, drop the dome,” I whispered. Please let this be an illusion.
But it wasn’t. Willow’s blue dome faded away, and I faced the same thing I saw a moment before. Utter blackness. The glittery path was the only thing I could see, and it disappeared a few feet ahead. My pulse quickened. Adrenaline rushed through my body. I’d seen darkness like this before. I took a step closer. There was a wild energy around us, like static electricity waiting for something to spark it to life.
“Tegan, wait.”
At the sound of Tennessee’s voice, I froze, though I hadn’t realized I’d moved forward. I blinked and licked my lips. We couldn’t wait. Henley was in another dimension being tortured by demons. We didn’t have a moment to lose.
I raised my hands and willed my arms to glow. White light shined around me. I spun in a slow circle until I spotted a pillar standing just off the glittery path. I hurried over, anxious to get to the next step. My eyes widened. A torch?
I raised my hand and summoned my magic. Heat bloomed in my stomach. A ball of fire flickered to life in my palm. I shot my fire forward. The torch surged with flames. That electric energy tingled with awareness, biting at my fingertips.
“Emersyn, come up here,” I said.
“Why is fire my thing?” my twin whispered as she joined me, though I doubted anyone else heard her. She narrowed her eyes on the lit torch like it had spread a nasty rumor about her through school. Before I could ask what was wrong, she stepped up to the torch and blew on it.
The torch exploded like a firework. Little balls of fire the size of golf balls soared through the air, splitting through the darkness. They fell to the ground, and flames shot up over our heads. My breath left me in a rush. The fire spread out ahead of us as far as I could see. I looked down at the glittery path and found it stretched a few feet into the flames before vanishing. Our pathway was in the middle of a fire tunnel.
“We are not walking through that, are we?” Chutney whispered from close by.
Then it hit me. “Between the balefire, the runes shall dance.”
Tennessee sighed. “It’s as bad as I thought it would be. Let’s get it over with.”
I nodded. “Emersyn, why don’t you take the lead since you’re our fire breather. I’ll be right behind you.”
Emersyn bit her bottom lip. The flames reflected in her wide eyes. Then she nodded and pushed her shoulders back. She took one deep breath then charged forward. I followed behind her. The glittery path was gone. We were on our own. The ground, sky, and everything around us was blacker than night. All I knew was darkness and fire. The flames swayed like palm trees in a storm. Little sparks flickered on the ground. Red glowing mist seeped out of nothingness all around us. I glanced left and right, but it surrounded us. It grew taller than a person, then swirled and shifted until it made shapes. No, not shapes. Runes.
“The runes shall dance,” Tennessee whispered. His voice was loud, but it felt far away.
The runes wiggled and swayed, moving around the flames like people dancing around a bonfire. It reminded me of The Gathering. It also reminded me of the spell Tennessee and I had performed by the lake back at home. The energy between the balefire was dark and ancient.
“Tegan!” Tennessee yelled.
I spun toward the sound of my name, but his voice was too far away. Emersyn still stomped ahead in front of me with her arms stretched out like she was petting the fi
re. To my right, Cooper and Royce were frowning and looking side to side.
Where is he? A shadow passed in front of my face. I gasped and moved toward it, but it ran between the flames. It looked and moved like a person. It moved like my soulmate. No one moved like him. Tennessee? I had no idea what he was doing over there.
The shadow spun around and waved its arms over its head frantically. “Tegan! Over here!” His voice was high and clipped, a tone I’d never heard from him.
I sprinted toward him. I’d never seen him panic, and it sent a wave of fear rushing through my body like ice. Flames popped up from the ground in front of my path. I cursed and leapt around it, barely missing the fire. The shadow jumped and waved me on, but when I took another step, it vanished. I gasped and skidded to a stop. It was gone.
“Tennessee?” I shouted.
No one answered. I spun around to ask my friends if they could see him and choked on a gasp. They weren’t there. No one was. Sweat dripped down my neck. My hair clung to my skin. My heart pounded so hard in my chest I thought it might break out. I turned in circles, searching for any sign of my friends, but all I found was fire and darkness.
Chapter Thirty
Tegan
No. No, no. This isn’t happening. I stumbled forward in the direction I thought I’d come from, though there was no way to be sure. It didn’t make any sense. One second I was surrounded by my friends, and the next they were gone. Or maybe I was gone. Maybe when I stepped off the pathway— Oh no.
That was why we needed the binding spell. Kenneth told us if we got separated, we might not ever be found again. The realization brought tears to my eyes and pain to my chest. But I wouldn’t cry. I had to fight my way out of whatever this was. If I was worthy enough to enter the Garden of Eden, I had to be capable of beating it.
I pushed my hair out of my face and off my neck. I kept moving forward, praying I was headed in the right direction. With every step I took, more voices whispered through the darkness. I froze at each one, except none of them were Tennessee. They weren’t any voices I recognized. Male and female voices screamed through the darkness, calling out names. I kept moving. They cried out for help, but I couldn’t see any of them. I looked and looked as I walked, yet still, there was nothing. I didn’t know what this place was, but I knew if I didn’t find my way out now, I would be another invisible voice begging for help that would never come.
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