I held the unwieldy key in my palm and admired the intricate metal work. I was dying to know what they were for. They gave off a very powerful, ominous vibe that intrigued to me. It was as if they had their own presence.
“You said that every tri-goddess has keys like these, but where do they come from?” I queried.
“Each key is cut from the same piece of metal - whether that be gold, silver, or bronze.
They’re all interconnected and they’re all identical,” she provided, and then promptly changed the subject. “The compass is also made of metal, but it will only work during a vision. It will follow you into the vision and you will be able to use it.”
“So I can decide what I want to have a vision about?”
“You can guide the vision in the right direction…what you see may or may not be exactly what you were looking for, however,” she explained cryptically. “Now what I want you to do is lay back and close your eyes.”
“Is this dangerous in any way?” Dad asked Zara, his anxiety showing on his pinched features.
“Not at all,” she comforted him, and then diverted her attention back to me. “Certain events have more…energy than others, making them easier to access. For example, it would be extremely difficult for you to prompt a vision about your dinner a week from now. But it’d be much easier to prompt a vision about your Epiphany ceremony. Make sense?”
“I think so,” I cracked open one eye. “Is it anything like prompting a reverie? I’m good at that.” I heard Finn snicker and Zara smiled as well.
“Oddly enough, reveries are much more difficult,” she confirmed for me. “Visions are more like…falling asleep. You just have to remember which way is up.”
I dug up some of the times I’d had unprompted visions, and realized that most of the time the world would tilt and I would just black out. Is that what she meant? Is that what the compass was going to do? Help me find ‘up’?
“I feel like Alice in Wonderland,” I muttered, eliciting laughter from Carmen and Willow.
“For this lesson, I want you to choose a specific event that you’d like to see in your vision.
You’ll need to envision yourself there; concentrate on the smells, sounds, and people. You’ll know it’s working when you feel yourself start to spin.”
I closed my eyes and became lost in what I envisioned my Epiphany ceremony would be like.
Since I had no idea where it was held or who would attend, I tried to think about the traditional white dress I would have to wear - the lavish feel of its many layers, and the way it made me feel like I was a part of something bigger. I thought about my friends all sitting nearby, along with Finn, my Dad, and Zara. I pictured the Nereids standing around the perimeter of the room, like they had in the circle of the courtyard at the Spiti of Achilles.
“You’ll feel a light tugging on your soul, and then you’ll feel yourself begin to spin. That when you know…” Her voice trailed off as the world shifted drastically sideways and I held my breath. A mass of colors whirled in front of my eyes, and at one point I thought I was going to throw up. It was a merry-go-round from hell. Just when I thought I couldn’t take it any longer, everything stopped and the world went dark.
Chapter 35
The stone path beneath my bare feet chilled me to the bone while the night air swirled around me, filling my senses with the unrefined, earthy smell of witch hazel. I was positioned on a stone path, lit by the moon above and surrounded by a garden wilted by the early morning frost. To my left, the path wound down to a small cottage. To my right sat a large sprawling beach house with several lights on. Why was I standing on a path in the middle of the night? Shouldn’t I be inside the cottage?
Something in my hand caught my attention and I looked down to discover that I was holding the compass from my valise. Why in the world? Zara. Training. Visions. My mind quickly put the pieces together and my memory came crashing down on me.
I was having a vision! I’d done it! But…this was definitely not my Epiphany ceremony.
Apparently I earned a big F in directing my visions. I studied the compass to see if it had magically begun to work. The face had completely changed, and I squinted in the pale moonlight to read it.
There were actually four needles on the compass; each pointing in a different direction, but I couldn’t quite make out the small writing on the face. One needle looked like it was pointing to A.M.? That would make sense, considering I assumed it was in the early hours of morning. Maybe that’s what the compass did for you: tell you not so much ‘where’ you are, but ‘when’ you are. Interesting.
A sound near the larger house caught my attention, and I froze as a figure stepped up to a side door and knocked. The awning she stood under drenched her in shadow, rendering it impossible for me to figure out she was. I crept forward to get a better view. She tilted her head slightly as if she heard a noise and I ducked down. When a single moonbeam lit her profile, I felt my heart seize in my chest. Keto.
After I collected my jaw from off of the ground and convinced my heart to stop racing, I quickly scooted up the path. Suddenly, the door opened and a cheerful Zara greeted her.
“Welcome, Keto!” she received her warmly. “Please, come in so we can chat.” The first thing I noticed was that her accent had dissolved. The southern drawl I’d become accustomed to was no more. As Keto stepped inside, Zara probed the side yard with paranoid eyes before shutting the door. I had to find a way to hear what they were ‘chatting’ about. Channeling my inner Cat woman, I scurried up beneath one of the lit windows. I couldn’t see them, but I could hear the murmur of voices inside. Nadia had been telling the truth! Zara was definitely hiding something.
If Selene hadn’t been able to see me during my vision of the essence ritual at the prison, maybe they wouldn’t be able to see me either. I cowered in misery as the phrase ‘biting my lip’ turned painfully literal. With my heart in my throat and the taste of blood on my lips, I stepped up to the side door and tried the knob. It gave under the pressure of my grip and I painstakingly twisted it the rest of the way and pushed the door open. I cringed and suffered a small heart attack when the movement elicited a hair-raising creaking sound from the hinges. Mental note - always bring WD-40 to visions.
I cracked open the door just far enough so that I could squeeze my body in and slide through.
I tip-toed down the hallway several paces, and then peeked in the doorway that led to an adjacent room. I snapped my head back and flattened against the wall when I realized that they were mere feet away.
“I can’t tell you how pleased I am,” Zara approved, her voice still void of any accent.
“I suppose it was only time,” Keto agreed grudgingly.
“Have you had word from Selene?” Zara asked casually. I peeked around the corner and discovered that they had shifted away from the doorway.
“No,” Keto sighed, “I don’t suppose I will for some time to come.”
“I believe it is for the best,” Zara replied. “She will come around.”
“I’ve never understood her extreme views regarding the Auras, but I suppose she is entitled to protect her descendents.”