Filed to story: Tangled in Moonlight Unshifted Novel by Lenaleia
It takes only a few minutes before I’m back at the book, necklace in hand. “At the apartment, I touched this once, and it had this same feeling on my fingers. I was shocked. I didn’t know that it was magic at the time.”
When it activated. Selene sounds excited, then dubious. But unlike then, there’s no scent of activation
“Is there a scent?”
There was then, is her answer.
So, she doesn’t know..
I don’t spend that much time around magicians, Ava.
“Sorry sorry.”
The amethyst pendant gleams in the light, its silver chain cool against my fingertips, much like the clasp holding the book closed.
And yet there’s warmth emanating from its pages.
It’s an odd sensation, like it’s alive, pulsing with an energy I can’t quite understand.
Selene watches me intently, her blue eyes fixed on the necklace. What are you thinking?
“I’m thinking that I have to try.”
Taking a deep breath, I place the pendant on the blank page. For a moment, the world seems to freeze. The air grows heavy, thick with anticipation. Even the dust motes hanging in the sunbeams streaming through the window appear suspended, as if time itself is holding its breath.
I wait, my pulse pounding in my ears. One second. Two. Three.
And…
Nothing.
Disappointment threatens to suck me under the waves of anticipation, holding me deep in its depths.
Slumping back, I rest my hands on the ground behind me and stare at the ceiling. I was so sure they were related somehow, that the necklace would be the answer.
But no.
Just a whole lot of nothing.
Marcus, who had been standing as still as a statue in the corner, suddenly exhales. The sound draws my attention, and I glance over at him, at the way his brow relaxes
“Seriously?” I scowl in his direction. “You’re an absolute rock over anything else, but the possibility of magic turns you into a nervous wreck?”
He meets my gaze, his face an impassive mask. “Magic is against the natural order of the world.”
A soft snort. “Says the guy who turns into a giant wolf.”
He has a point, Selene chimes in, her tone amused. Shifters are a part of nature. Magic… I don’t know. It may pull from the elements, but it doesn’t seem very natural to have that much power.
Of course they feel that way. They’re shifters. To them, their abilities are as natural as breathing. I open my mouth to argue, but a sudden flicker catches my eye. Frowning, I lean closer to the book. Did the page just… move?
No, that’s impossible. There’s no breeze in here, no reason for the paper to shift. And yet, as I watch, the page ripples, as if wind has swept across its surface.
a gust of
My breath catches in my throat. “Selene, are you seeing this?”
Seeing what? She pads over, her nails clicking on the hardwood floor. The page is blank, Ava.
But it’s not. Not anymore. As I stare, transfixed, inky lines manifest. At first just a hint of their existence, until they darken, swirling and twisting like living things. They coalesce into shapes, into symbols I’ve never seen before. Ancient runes, perhaps, or some longforgotten language.
A magical language?
The tingling in my fingers intensifies, spreading up my arms and into my chest. It’s like the book is calling to me, reaching out with tendrils of power that wrap around my soul.
I’m dimly aware of Marcus shifting uneasily behind me, of Selene’s worried whine. But they seem distant, unimportant compared to the revelation unfolding before my eyes.
The symbols glow, pulsing with an inner light. They’re beautiful, mesmerizing. I can’t look away. Can’t move. Can’t breathe,
And then, with a flash of blinding white, the world falls away, and I’m falling.
Traveling like this is nothing like appearing in Sister Miriam’s home. O
It’s just a rush of white and nothing.
A lack of sound.
There’s no wind. No air to breathe. And yet I don’t suffocate in its absence, almost as if I don’t need to breathe at all.
Even so, I’m falling.
I can feel it deep in my soul.
Until I crash into a nebulous something and the world coalesces around me again.
The world blinks into focus, and I find myself somewhere… else. Somewhere decidedly not my room at the lodge.
I spin slowly, taking in my new surroundings. Towering rock cliffs encircle me, their jagged peaks reaching into an impossibly blue sky, uninterrupted by even a wisp of cloud. The air carries a crisp, clean scent, untainted by the usual odors of civilization. It fills my lungs with a refreshing coolness that I’ve never felt before, Something I may never experience again.
In the center of this hidden vale, a crystalline pond sparkles, its aqua waters more vivid than any I’ve seen before. The surface is still, like a polished mirror reflecting the heavens above. I’m drawn to it, my feet moving of their own accord until I stand at the water’s edge.
As
Stare into the mesmerizing depths, a thought drifts through mindthat this place is imbued with magic. It’s a strange notion, but one that feels undeniably true. The very air seems to hum with an unseen energy, making my skin tingle.
“That’s because it is,” a melodic voice says from behind me. “It’s the magic within your soul.”
Startled, I whirl around to face the speaker. A woman stands before me, her beauty almost ethereal. Silver hair spills over her shoulders, puddling against the ground. And yet there’s no frizz. Not a single hair out of place. Impossible, with that length.
And her eyes? Bright and colorless. Inhuman. And yet somehow kind.
She regards me with eyes that seem to hold the secrets of the universe, a gentle smile playing on her lips.
“Who are you?” I ask, my voice sounding small in the vastness of this place. “Where am I?”
The woman takes a step closer, her movements fluid and graceful. “I am known by many names,” she says, her voice like a soothing lullaby. “But you may call me Selena. And this,” she gestures to our surroundings, “is a reflection of your inner self.”
I frown, trying to make sense of her words. “My inner self? I don’t understand.”
Selena’s smile widens. “You are a being of great power, Ava Grey. The magic that flows through your veins is ancient and potent. This place is a manifestation of that magic, a sanctuary created by your own soul. This world has been screaming in drought, without its children to bring life.”
Her words make no sense at all. “What drought? The world is thriving.” At least, that’s what the news says.
“Is it? I suppose that would be how humans perceive it.”
She extends a hand towards me, palm up in invitation. I hesitate, my mind reeling. But something deep within me, a part of myself I’ve always known existed but never fully acknowledged, draws me toward her.
The identity of this woman is no secret.
There’s only one person she can be in this world.
Slowly, I reach out and place my hand in hers. Her skin is warm and smooth, and a tingling sensation spreads up my arm at the contact. Selena smiles, her eyes sparkling with otherworldly light.
“Come,” she says, gently tugging me towards the pond. “Let me show you the depths of your own power.”
As we approach the water’s edge, I catch a glimpse of my reflection in the still surface. But instead of my usual self, I see a glowing figure, radiant with an inner light. Selena’s reflection stands beside mine, her own form shimmering. She’s a vast light, contained and still.
Mine? My glow is wild, like a living fire in the water.
The difference between a master and student.