Total pages in book: 194
Estimated words: 187021 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 935(@200wpm)___ 748(@250wpm)___ 623(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 187021 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 935(@200wpm)___ 748(@250wpm)___ 623(@300wpm)
“That’s charitable,” Kierse said. “What’s the catch?”
Maya laughed. “No catch.”
There was always a catch. Kierse hadn’t survived on the streets without knowing the rules. This wasn’t free, even if it would be amazing if something like Maya had described did exist.
Maya patted her forearm. “You look bone weary. I’d suggest you rest for the night, but I’ll walk you back out myself if you want to go.”
“If you want to stay,” Alex added, “we’d welcome you.”
“Thank you,” Kierse said hesitantly. She looked between their two glittering, hopeful eyes and nodded. “I’ll stay the night.”
Maya stood up and clapped her hands together. “Excellent. We’re so happy about that. We’ll be back in a few hours to see how you’re feeling.”
“It was great meeting you, Shannon,” Alex said.
“You, too,” she said.
Maya gave her a thumbs-up, and then they were both gone, and she was alone in a room inside a…charity, named after a dead tree. Everything felt perfect. Except for everything that felt glaringly wrong.
The name. The location. The cauldron.
She chewed on her bottom lip as she planned her next move. She couldn’t stay overnight. That much she knew. Even if she wanted to see how deep she could make it into this place, Graves was somewhere out in the market by now. She very much doubted that he would wait out the night before finding a way inside. He was powerful enough to break through the magic on the door. She didn’t doubt him.
The clock was ticking.
Chapter Forty
The door was unlocked, not that a lock could have kept her in. She was glad for the change of clothes that would allow her to blend in with the rest of the charity’s inhabitants. She knew where she was going—to find the source of that magical pull.
She strode down the long hallway as if she had every right to be there. She encountered a pair—a wraith and a human laughing together—and they waved at her as she passed. Seriously, what was this place?
It was a few empty, winding turns before she felt the strength of the power increase and she stopped. Large, wooden double doors stood between her and the dominating energy. They weren’t guarded. There was no magical signature around them. Besides looking like the entrance to a vast room, there was nothing to suggest these doors were anything other than ordinary.
She hesitated with her hand on the doorknob. The physical pull of the magic was making her hand shake. She needed to get herself together.
Taking the moment steadied her. She focused on that memory of opening and closing the vault, using it as a meditation. Then she pushed the door open, just a hairsbreadth, enough to peek inside. What she saw took her breath away.
A sacred tree.
It grew endlessly toward the ceiling, surrounded by grass, moss, and clover. A small pool bubbled nearby. Men and women in green robes stood in a circle with their eyes closed, chanting softly in a foreign language. The scent of lemon and pine was strongest here. Her hand went to her chest as tears sprang to her eyes. It radiated unfathomable force that made it feel timeless. As if it had been growing since the dawn of life itself. Stretching its branches toward the heavens from which it came. It had a similar energy to the Oak Throne—holy, reverent, and awe-inspiring. She didn’t want to say the name, not even in her head. Because it was not possible that this tree existed. And yet, she could not deny that the tree felt holy.
Sansara.
Could this be the tree? And if it was still alive, did that mean Cillian Ryan was as well? Did that mean he was here? Was his magic the pine-and-lemon scent she kept smelling?
As one, the chanters finished their mantra and then opened their eyes. Kierse nearly yelped in surprise, not wanting to be caught standing conspicuously in the doorway, she slipped fully inside, letting the door close behind her. Unfortunately, it didn’t close silently the way it had opened. A ringing sound echoed through the chamber and the chanters turned in unison toward her intrusion.
“Welcome,” a nymph said with a lilting laugh.
“I…think I got turned around,” Kierse lied. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“It’s okay,” a man said nearby. “You are free to join us in our meditation.”
Meditating. Right. Not chanting to a powerful magic tree.
Well, if they were going to invite her in, then maybe she could get more answers. “Sorry.” She glanced upward. “What’s with the tree?”
The nymph chuckled. “Nature promotes healing. We all come from nature. We all return to nature. It’s a calming exercise.”
“Are you new?” another woman asked, stepping away from the circle to hold out a hand to Kierse.
“Just came in,” she admitted. “I didn’t really mean to sneak out, but…”
“We all did it,” she said. “I’m Loretta. You can come sit by me if you like.”