Soulceress (The Mythean Arcana 2) - Page 34

She looked toward the boat and frowned. “You’re right. It took magic just to get in the entrance. I wasn’t expecting that. Well, I’ll just have to not get hurt then.”

“Doona get hurt. I can swim out of here, but if you’re too hurt to get yourself out, my dragging you across the Celtic Sea could kill you.”

“I’m tougher than I look.”

“That you are.”

Esha sauntered toward the gate, her tall form dwarfed by the pillars that surrounded the two-meter-wide expanse of otherwise unimpressive stone. When she reached it, she turned to slide down against the wall and sit with her back to it.

“It’s now or never. When my soul leaves my body, it will go with the Chairman through the gate.” She glanced at it. “Which, apparently, is just a wall. If I can’t get through, I’ll just come back. If it works, my body will stay here.”

“Will your body be alive?” He didn’t know if he could deal with standing guard over her dead body.

“Yeah, but it’ll look like I’m in a coma. Just ignore me, I’ll be fine.”

Ignore her? Not bloody likely. He’d be watching her and the gate like a soldier waiting for news from the front.

“Well, here goes nothing.”

“Wait—”

She looked at him, curiosity in her eyes.

“Doona. There’s got to be another way.”

“I’ll be fine.” She closed her eyes and reached out to touch her cat’s back. The two of them shimmered, the cat changing first to a shadowy form of his scruffy black self. Esha followed, a ghostly version of herself separating from her body and joining the cat.

With a wave to him that glimmered in the dark cave, she followed the cat’s shadow until they disappeared through the wall.

A great gust of breath escaped Warren, one that he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. What the hell was he doing, dragging ot

hers into this web of misery that had begun when Aurora had stolen his soul? He’d thought he’d do anything to get it back, but the sight of Esha slumped against the wall of the dark cave made him as sick as Aurora using his power.

He strode over to her body and sank down onto the floor next to her. Gently, he tested her pulse, his breath stuck until he felt it beating steady and true beneath his fingers. His heart clutched as he looked down at her. Though she drove him crazy, he’d been drawn by her bravery and willingness to help over the last several weeks.

He leaned his head back against the wall and stared up at the ceiling. The cold slide of sweat dripped down his temple.

Fear. Something he hadn’t felt for another in centuries.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Esha hated the feeling of having her soul sucked from her body. She had barely enough power to complete the task, and once the excruciating process of tearing each bit of her soul from her mind and limbs was over, she just felt weightless, which was vastly superior to the tearing part of the operation. The Chairman stayed close by her side as they passed through the gate that led to the howf. Without him, she’d be stuck without a body. If she ran out of power, she’d be stuck like this forever. It’d be the worst way to go. Unable to feel or talk, she’d be worse than a ghost.

“Thanks, dude,” she said, not surprised that the words had no sound. She no longer had actual vocal cords, after all.

With a deep breath and a wave to Warren, she nodded to the Chairman and they passed through the gate. It felt no different to pass through rock than it did air, which was strange in itself. But when they entered the howf, the feeling of abandonment struck her hard. She’d have gasped if she’d had a body, but instead she just felt lost. Dead, almost.

She squinted in the darkness, but was unable to see anything, so she focused on forming a ball of fire in her hand. Its unnatural brightness illuminated the space with a dim orange glow that reached all corners of the medium-sized space.

It was a meeting space, but one that had been constructed and decorated hundreds of years ago. A fireplace with no flue that would have been lit with magical smokeless fire, plush chairs, and small tables. Bookshelves and paintings covered all of the walls. And a fine layer of dust covered everything in sight.

With the Chairman following at her heels, Esha explored the room for clues. This was the only place she could think of that would tie her to another soulceress. There had to be something, but she needed to look quickly. She hadn’t mentioned to Warren that she couldn’t stay separated from her body for long without making it permanent. Only as long as her power lasted, and she barely had enough to say so.

She skimmed the titles of the books, but nothing stood out. They were primarily histories of her kind, along with histories of other types of Mytheans. Knowledge was power. The soulceresses agreed with the university on that one.

Noticeably absent were spell books, which Esha hadn’t expected to find. Those were used by the hacks who worked in covens. Soulceresses manifested their desires with a thought and power.

“Well, Chairman, I’ve got nothing,” she said soundlessly as she continued to look around. A few books were left open on the tables, along with scattered papers and a few wine glasses, as if the place had been in use and then suddenly deserted.

Tags: Linsey Hall The Mythean Arcana Paranormal
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