Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 46787 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 234(@200wpm)___ 187(@250wpm)___ 156(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46787 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 234(@200wpm)___ 187(@250wpm)___ 156(@300wpm)
“Ronan!” Finn and I said at the same time.
“Let him talk—we might learn something,” Finn added and I nodded in agreement.
“Thank you.” Whimsy made an elaborate mid-air bow that involved all four of his stick-thin arms. “Now, since at least two of you have manners, I will continue. You are presently in the Vault of Dreams, which makes you Supplicants.”
“Um, we didn’t exactly come here on purpose,” I said. “I slipped into a hole in the forest floor and slid down here by accident.”
“That is immaterial.” Whimsy waved his many arms in dismissal. “What’s important is that you get to choose a magical artifact—only one between the three of you, mind—so you must agree on which to pick.”
“Okay but how do we know which one to choose?” I looked up at the glowing golden words on the wall once more. The line about “Some bring bliss and some bring blight” seemed ominous.
Whimsy gave a mighty sigh which shook his entire, teeny-tiny body.
“Very well. Since you’re such special snowflakes, I’ll show you what each can do. Demonstrations are free of charge. You’re welcome,” he added loftily.
The words on the wall behind him rippled again, and an illusion unfolded in the air, light and sound blooming in a swirl of magic. Now the letters read:
Item 1: The Mirror of Truth
Whimsy zipped over to the nearest item lying on the moonstone pedestal—a flat, polished black glass oval about as big as a bathroom mirror you might hang over the sink. It was framed in long, curving silver thorns.
“This is The Mirror of Truth,” he squeaked. “It doesn’t show your reflection. It shows your regrets. But if you look long enough—and hard enough—it can also help you heal them.”
Without waiting, the Mirror began to emit a soft blue glow, and Ronan, as if pulled by an invisible string, stepped forward.
“Ronan, wait!” I exclaimed and Finn jumped forward to grab him by the arm but it was too late—he was already leaning over the mirror, looking in.
The wall behind the pedestal lit with a flickering vision. Finn and I stared— it seemed to be showing us what Ronan was seeing in the black glass.
We saw a slightly younger Ronan—taller than the others in his Werebear Clan, standing between Finn and another male Shifter with wild black hair that was silver at the temples, who must be Thorne. The three of them changed, Shifting into their Fur Forms, and soon there was a black bear, a brown bear, and a massive grizzly—which again, must be Thorne—roaming through the forest, obviously hunting.
“Oh,” Finn breathed. “That’s us on the last day we were all together—the last time we hunted as a Clan before the curse!”
As we watched, a gorgeous stag came into view. There was obviously something magic about it—its coat was pure white and its horns and hooves gleamed like mother-of-pearl.
“It’s beautiful!” I whispered.
But the stag didn’t last long. The three bears saw it and began to chase—running through The Blighted Wood as they hunted. At last they had it cornered in a kind of cul-de-sac made of trees.
I bit my lip as the bears launched their attack and the stag collapsed under their claws and teeth. Its red blood pumped out, staining the spotless white of its coat and the forest floor.
And then Locasta came.
Ronan flinched. We saw the moment he realized what the three of them had done.
But the vision didn’t stop there.
It showed him kneeling in front of the buck’s ruined and broken body, sobbing. It showed him carrying Finn—barely conscious—on his back for miles as Thorne—their former leader—stumbled away into the forest, stuck in his Bear form forever.
It was terrible to watch first-hand. Even though I knew the story, I now fully understood how it had affected Ronan. He felt responsible, even though it had been Thorne leading the charge. He took all the guilt for what had happened to their Clan on himself.
I thought it must be over but then the mirror shifted and started showing something new—the three of us together in the Clearing of Echoes. The way we touched each other…the pleasure we shared. And afterwards, the way we’d curled together on the soft moss, the three of us drowsy and spent and contented just to be touching.
Just watching made me throb with need all over again but then I frowned. I remembered that warmth of Ronan’s big body, bracketing mine along with Finn’s, but I hadn’t realized it meant so much to him…or that it was such a source of guilt. He really did feel bad about sharing me with his Clan mate…and yet I knew he wanted to do it again. Watching the reenactment of our sexual encounter filled him with desire—I could feel it.
This shouldn’t be so hard for him, I thought. Especially when Finn and I wanted it too. We were all consenting adults here—why should we be bound by rules and regulations made by people in the past, who had no idea what our lives were like? Who had no clue about what we needed and who we loved?