Blood Oath (A Gabby Girls Adventure Novel, Book Two) (39 page)

I looked at him sadly, now truly understanding that he was not just talking about Justice, but about him and the sacrifices he had had to make. We continued walking through the gardens, reaching the courtyard silently. He stopped and looked at me with varied emotions clouding his gray eyes. Then it was gone, just like that, his eyes turning frosty.

"Be on time tomorrow,
Neophyte
." Then he abruptly walked away.

I stood there looking at him until he disappeared into the castle. Complicated. That’s exactly what he and every
Ares
Warrior was, just plain old complicated. I still didn’t get him, but at least I now had a new respect for him. He was struggling internally, just like everyone else, and this was an eye-opener that filled me with relief that I wasn’t alone.

I actually walked back to the dorms with a little bounce in my step, when a sharp pain in my head made me double over. My forehead was slick with sweet. I tried to stand up, and doubled over again, my body trembling uncontrollably. I looked around at the deserted courtyard; something was wrong, very wrong.

Then the whispers started, first low, then loud. I still could not understand what they were saying, but I sensed that they were agitated. A slow burning sensation spread through my body, causing me to writhe in pain. I closed my eyes. It was just unbearable.

Then I heard her voice, smooth, melodic. It was Goddess Ananke. She was walking toward me with tufts of white smoke clinging to her lovingly. My convulsions slowed. She held out her hand, pulling me up quickly. Instantly, my pain disappeared.

"Akasha, there is trouble, and you must act quickly."

She guided me through drifts of smoke that quivered and separated as we walked through.

"It’s Grandma Celeste? She’s sick." I looked at her with fear.

"Celeste is the least of your worries, Akasha. Trouble is brewing, and the
Eternals
will be severed forever." She stopped, looking at me impatiently when she realized that I was focused on Grandma Celeste. "A very dark spell has been cast, and Celeste cannot be saved."

"Grandma Celeste means everything to me. She is all that I have." I looked at her angrily. "Don’t give me that garbage about not being able to save her. You are a powerful goddess, and you can save her if you want. So save her." I knew that I was being rude to, of all things, a powerful goddess who could wipe me off the face of the earth with a flick of her pinkie, but I didn’t care right now. I would do anything to save Grandma Celeste.

She examined me closely as she cupped my face. Her eyes conveyed that she understood my pain, felt it to the core. "I cannot turn the tides, Akasha. We do not interfere with the will of the tides. This is the ultimate goddess law."

I tried to pull back angrily, but her eyes held me immobile, her touch radiating throughout my body, lulling me into calm.

"In the wake of war, death is expected and welcomed. For what is the life of one in comparison to the life of many?" Her voice resonated through the air.

Faceless whispers ricocheted throughout the air. The power of air embraced me like a warm blanket. The whispers that had once scared me now somehow felt comforting, friendly.

"What are those whispers?" I asked cautiously.

Her lips spread into a small, knowing smile. "The ever-glowing Makos."

She released my face, opening her wings like a glorious eagle preparing for flight. Tufts of white smoke dripped from them like icicles, shimmering like twinkling holiday lights, then separated into tiny floating, glowing orbs. They hung in the air, then streamed downward, morphing into four bodies of girls who looked no older than thirteen. They smiled mischievously as their white dresses flowed around their slim bodies. Each had flaming red hair, piercing apple green eyes, and skin that was pale as freshly dropped snow.

My eyes widened as they smiled, walking toward me slowly.

"Hello, Akasha reincarnated. We have waited for centuries for this moment." They spoke softly in unison.

These were the faceless whispers. What were they? Their faces looked young, but their eyes were filled with knowledge that could only be gained from years, maybe centuries, of knowledge.

"We are your guides, assigned to you from the day you were born," they responded.

"You mean, like, as in angels?" I asked nervously.

Ananke looked at me solemnly. "No, not angels, they are spirits that have been around since the dawn of time. They can guide you through your journey, but they do not have any influence over the choices you make. That is very important to understand."

This whole thing was truly blowing my mind. Guiding spirits? Assigned to me?

"I think I get it. They can advise me, like point things out, but it’s up to me to do or not do it."

The Makos shimmered excitedly as they laughed. It was a tinkling, joyous sound. "Yes, Akasha, that is correct. This is very important that you understand the rules, for the waters ahead are very troubling."

"The
Elementi
and
Eternals
are in serious trouble, Akasha. The natural balance of life is swaying off path. Our hands are tied to stop it, and we cannot influence the path. This is your duty, your journey, Akasha. Navigate it wisely, for the decisions you make influence not only your, but the survival of the entire planet," Ananke whispered.

Great. More pressure.

"How in the world am I supposed to save the world? What about Grandma Celeste?" I looked at her nervously.

Ananke touched my arm softly. "Celeste cannot be saved—at least not until all of the pieces have been put into play. Do not try to circumvent the process, Akasha."

"What pieces?" This was getting crazier by the second.

Ananke circled me slowly as the air around her whipped into a frenzied storm. "Search for the talismans. Your journey begins with them."

My thoughts instantly went to the blond guy for some strange reason. I looked at the Makos hesitantly. "After I had that dream with the blond guy, you said something about the talismans and
Darealist
. What does it mean?"

They looked at each other slyly. "That was not a dream, but a memory of the beginning."

"Beginning of what?"

The Makos lifted into the air, holding hands as they quickly circled me, charging the air with energy. "Go to her. She needs to speak to you, Akasha." They paused, smiling softly. "We will be near. We are always near."

And with that, I was abruptly pushed back into the reality of the courtyard with Priscilla looking at me with concerned eyes.

"Gabrielle! I was looking for you." She hugged me tightly.

I pulled away from her quickly. "What’s wrong with Grandma Celeste?"

Priscilla shook her head with dismay. "We don’t know. She just suddenly fell ill."

I looked around frantically. "Where is she? I need to go to her."

"Follow me."

We swiftly walked through the castle, ending up at the other side.

There was a mob of
Circles
standing in the hallway, looking around with confused expressions.

A
Circle
strode up to Priscilla. "There’s trouble, big trouble."

Priscilla looked at her questioningly. "I know, Celeste is sick. We’re going to see her now."

The
Circle
looked at her, puzzled. "Celeste is sick?"

Priscilla looked around quickly. "What are you talking about? What’s going on?"

"We just got word that the queens were attacked by the
Banished
. They found Nemesis alive but injured, and Harmonia is missing and feared dead. The portals are flooded from
Eternals
streaming in from all over the world, and they’re screaming for revenge."

Priscilla nudged me toward a door. "
Circle
Aceso is in there with Celeste. I’ll be right back; I need to figure out what in tarnation is going on."

I quickly walked in, gasping at Grandma Celeste, who was lying on the bed, totally lifeless. The only way I could tell that she was alive was by her shallow breathing.

"How’s she doing?"

Aceso looked at me glumly. "We don’t know. One minute she was perfectly fine and organizing the upcoming voting event, the next she was out cold on the floor." Her hands were frantically sweeping over Grandma Celeste’s forehead as bright sparks of light shot through her fingers like she was trying to pump the life back into her.

I instinctively grabbed Grandma Celeste’s hand, which was icy cold.
Think, Gabrielle, think
. I quickly looked over at Aceso. "Can you leave us alone for a minute?"

She smiled somberly. "Sure, call me when you’re ready." She walked out of the room quickly.

I sat there quietly, concentrating, sending a message to Veda. Then I waited impatiently. I didn’t have to wait long; Veda burst into the room, clucking like a mother hen when she saw the tears streaming down my face.

"There’s no time for crying,
Neophyte
. Celeste needs you right now." Veda pressed her hand against Celeste’s scarlet pendant, then snatched it away like she had been burnt by fire. She looked at her hand with amazement. Strands of dark, pulsating, threadlike light clung to it greedily. She quickly flung it off in the air.

I looked at her quickly. "What was that?"

"Remnants of darkness. Someone has cast a very nasty dark spell on her soul. I have never seen such powerful dark energy." Veda brushed her fingers along Celeste’s forehead, shaking her head solemnly. "She’s already trapped between realms, the living and dead. I can feel her thoughts, but they are very faint."

"So? Get one of the
Circles
to take it off!" I screamed hysterically.

"Removing a dark spell is not so simple. The only known remedy that I know of is written in the
Book of Eternals
."

"Okay, so let’s get it," I screamed.

Priscilla walked in, slamming the door. "Gabrielle, you have to calm down. I can hear you all the way down the hall." She ran her fingers through her hair tensely. "Oh, blessed be. It’s total madness out there. We need Celeste, and we need her now!"

I gave her a pitiful look. "I have to help her; she needs me. I can feel it."

Veda quickly pressed her hands back and forth from her forehead to Celeste’s. Delicate golden threads flickered as they connected and disconnected.

"My gifts are strong, but our connection is weak." She quickly grabbed my hand, holding it until a bright spark flickered, then exploded. "But your connection is stronger." She gasped with shock. "You’re a necromancer? That’s impossible; there has never been a necromancer among the
Eternals
." Her eyes widened. "You have the gift to summon and communicate with the dead. Use it now to communicate with her before she crosses into Hallowed Eternity."

Priscilla looked at me with sheer panic. "She’s a necromancer? This is not good. She will never be safe. We need to get Celeste back now. "

Veda looked at me encouragingly. And all I felt like doing was throwing up from sheer panic. This was too much, and way too soon.

Veda touched my face softly. "Gabrielle, you can talk to her. Just focus your gift and get all the information you can from her. We are going to need to know everything in order to save her life."

I wiped the tears from my eyes. I was stronger than this. There was no way I was going to let it beat me. Never.

"Just tell me what to do."

"You’re going to need to meditate in order to slip between realms. That’s the only way to communicate with her." She looked at me quickly. "One important thing, if you encounter Achlys, the spirit mist of death, do not be afraid. Just steady your courage."

She instructed me to lie down next to Grandma Celeste, breathing in deeply to clear my mind. My eyes fluttered closed and my body relaxed when I focused my thoughts on the feeling of walking through the lush gardens at Gaia’s sanctuary. I heard a faint sound, and I strained my ears to hear it. I could still feel Veda’s cool fingers pressing lightly against my temples, using all her energy to keep me focused. I heard the sound again, this time a little louder. I felt myself floating, my body and mind light.

"So, you finally learned to focus on something else besides candy?"

"Grandma Celeste, where are you?"

I couldn’t see her; I walked along further into the death mist as it clung to my body painfully.

"Don’t worry about seeing me. Just listen to me carefully." Her voice faded, then came back strong. "Time is of the essence, and I need you to work quickly."

I looked around blindly. "Who did this to you?"

"Gabi, that’s not important right now. What’s important is to make sure that the
Book of Eternals
is protected. I fear that is what the Underworld is after."