Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

" O kay, we need to prioritize our tasks. And it feels more urgent that we find a way to save Shannon. My gut tells me Eve's spell won't keep her alive for much longer. So, any grand ideas on how to reunite Shannon's soul with her body while we embark on our escapade after a god and his troublesome progeny?" I asked as I leaned against a weathered pillar.

It was hard to grasp that we were having this conversation in the heart of Apollo's sanctuary. There were moments when the absurdity of my new life would make me question my sanity all over again. And this was one of those times.

The priest assisting us furrowed his brow. His gaze drifting upward to the vaulted ceiling as he sought to retrieve fragments of memory from the depths of his mind. "There might be something," he said. His voice was a low rumble that reverberated through the sanctum's sacred silence. "I vaguely recall a conversation I once had with a fellow priest about souls..."

Shaking his head, he walked away abruptly. We stood there watching as he approached another cleric. They spoke to each other for a couple of seconds before he brought his friend to join our gathering. The newcomer was clad in robes of deep azure and felt like an older soul.

The new priest smiled at us when he stopped a few feet away. "What's this about souls?" In contrast to the first one who had helped us, this one's voice was a soft melody that resonated with kindness.

The first priest gestured for him to take a seat at the table with us. I met his smile and inclined my head. "Thank you for helping us. We have a friend that Miletus hurt. He took her soul and plans to use it in his ritual to take over the world. We need a way to return her soul where it belongs," I explained.

The second priest's brow furrowed in contemplation while his gaze drifted over the five of us. "Souls are a tricky element. In the vast tapestry of myth and legend, the soul is often depicted as the essence of one's being, the very essence that defines their existence. And that is not something to be trifled with. Doing so is often on the dark end of the spectrum."

I nodded in agreement. That much I had gathered from hunting Miletus these past weeks. Telling us that was so not helpful at the moment. I had to bite back my frustration and the desire to wrap my hands around his throat. It wouldn't encourage him to tell us anything new. "What course of action do you propose we take to retrieve Shannon's soul and put it back into her?" I asked.

The second priest's lips curved into a pensive frown as he pondered the question. His gaze went distant, and I prayed he was sifting through the annals of myth and lore to give us what we needed. I held my breath, waiting for him to respond. Finally, he focused on me.

"I know of books you can reference to find information. The one piece of information I should warn you about is that you should have an artifact that would serve as a bastion against the encroaching darkness and shield her soul from harm while it is outside her body. She is entirely vulnerable right now," he replied. He was far more fluent in English than the first one we'd worked with. It was a relief.

His words registered and my heart started pounding. "Will she be the same after we save her? Could Miletus infect her with his evil?"

The first priest's eyes darkened. "It is entirely possible, but your friend sounds as if she has more strength than the average human. Artemis would not have selected her if she was weak. She can fight the darkness. I will show you to the books that might help."

The two priests were up and turning a corner before we managed to get out of our chairs. We scurried to follow and were surprised to find them two aisles over pulling books off shelves and putting them on a nearby table. "Start with these," the priest instructed us.

Eve slid one to me and smiled at the priests. "Your assistance is helping us stop a madman."

My hand ran down the cover of one of the weathered tomes. Scanning what they'd selected, I noted that each was bound in cracked leather and adorned with faded symbols. Fingers crossed there was something in here that would give us the knowledge we needed to save Shannon and stop Miletus. The latter was a bonus. My main focus was on bringing Shannon back to us.

With a mixture of caution and curiosity, I flipped the book open. Its pages were yellowed with age and bore the marks of countless fingers. The soft whisper of parchment filled the chamber as my friends selected their own and we delicately flipped through the ancient texts. I focused on the one I had and was happy to note it was in English. I wasn't surprised to note how the words on the page thrummed with a life of their own. Everything in the place did that.

I fell into a lull as I read through the book in front of me. My fatigue returned and I had to force my eyes to stay open several times. Faith's voice sent my heart into my throat when she called out sometime later. Her excitement was palpable over the discovery she thought she had made. "Look what I found!" she exclaimed. Her finger traced the faded text on the page. "It speaks of the strength of a person's soul like he was talking about. It suggests that the strongest hold the key to unlocking many powers. I bet that's how Artemis was able to make you guys her hunters in the first place."

Eve gasped and looked over Faith's shoulder. "I'd been wondering how she pulled it off. She didn't have priestesses performing rituals to give her an opening into this world and shouldn't have had enough power to do it."

I had never even considered how she'd created us. It made me feel better to think that my strength had been a part of why I was what I was. "How does this help us find her soul?" I asked.

Faith pursed her lips and lifted a shoulder. "I haven't gotten that far. Maybe the purity and strength of her soul can guide us in our search and help us bring her back to us."

"I don't think that's going to help if we don't know how to do that," Tegan replied. "I stumbled upon something about necromancers." She tapped the pages in front of her. "From what I can tell they're experts on the subject. I bet they might have the knowledge we seek to restore Shannon's soul to her body."

The mention of necromancers sent a shiver down my spine. My mind conjured images of dark rituals and forbidden magic done by evil creatures. "Necromancers?" I echoed incredulously. "Are we truly considering delving into the realm of raising the dead? That doesn't seem right."

The priests exchanged a solemn glance. Their expressions reflected the gravity of the situation and didn't help alleviate my queasy stomach. "Necromancers possess a deep understanding of the forces of death and the manipulation of souls," the second one explained solemnly. "I believe they hold the key to reuniting Shannon's soul with her body. They can instruct you how to do it safely and without risking injury to her. "

This was the lead we needed. I was close to giving up on helping Shannon first and moving to our search for Apollo. "Where can we find a necromancer?" I asked with a smile.

The priests exchanged another meaningful glance before speaking in unison. "Necromancers are rare and elusive beings," they explained as their words echoed through the chamber. The second one continued alone, "But if you seek one, you must journey into the fae realm. That is where the boundaries between life and death are blurred and magic flows like a river of shadows."

That was an easy one thanks to the man I was in love with. I inclined my head to the priests and thanked them for their help before turning to Damon and my friends. "Looks like we're off to the fae realm now."

Faith slapped me on the shoulder and said, "Finally, something is going our way. This should be easy."

One of my eyebrows quirked to my hairline. "Why'd you have to go and curse us?"

Eve shook her head as we left the library. "Nishi's right. When has anything ever been easy for us?"

Damon held the front door open for us. "You four wouldn't be as formidable if life hadn't given you significant challenges. Adversity tends to force you to reach deep and find new solutions rather than giving up." Another lightbulb moment. He was right. I wouldn't have been able to face what we have if that vampire had never come into the dojo and killed my sensei.

Filing that away, I fished out my phone and dialed Alex. He might even have some insight into the necromancers. I put the call on speakerphone and shivered when his husky voice came through the speaker. "Hello, beautiful."

"Hello yourself. How's it going?" I asked.

He chuckled and said, "I'm good. What is it you need?"

Heat flushed my cheeks. "Are you up for a little jaunt to your realm? "

To my surprise, Alex's response was measured and contemplative. "Why? What's going on now?"

I gave him a brief overview of what had happened since being called away from taco night at Eve's place and ended with our need to find a necromancer. Once I was done, the line went silent. If not for his breathing, I would have worried I'd lost our connection. I was surprised I had service on an island halfway across the world.

Finally, he sighed and said, "I don't know where there are any necromancers. I have always believed them extinct. I'm not saying they are because I never asked. But I believe my mother may have knowledge that could help."

"What about your father?" Faith asked. "Would he know anything? He's the king of the freaking realm."

"He might, but my mother is more in touch with the population of the realm," Alex replied.

"Will you take us there?" I asked.

"Sure. But I have to warn you that there might not be any left. Necromancers are a rare breed," he replied. "Centuries ago, they went into hiding. They feared exploitation by those who sought to harness their powers for their gain. Others began hunting them down when they disappeared from the world. From what my mother told me, dark witches sold spells and potions to help others find the necromancers. It's why I have always assumed they were extinct."

Intrigued, I was eager to hear more of Alex's insights. "Who would want to hunt down necromancers? Is it people besieged by grief and wanting to talk to their loved ones one more time?"

Alex's breath crackled through the speakerphone as we made our way back to the beach where we arrived. "From kings and conquerors to tyrants and warlords. Necromancers came in handy for raising the dead to continue their liege's fight or haunt their enemies. Most fear the dead so it's an easy way to put them off their game," he explained. "They were used as pawns in the endless power struggles of others, which was why they retreated into the shadows."

As Alex spoke, a pang of empathy for these elusive figures worked its way into my heart. I couldn't imagine being forced into seclusion by the very gift that set them apart. "Would that happen now?"

"Miletus would have used one to his advantage in this game of his. Rerek as well, so yes. Those without morals have no qualms about exploiting others," Alex replied in a voice tinged with anger.

"We've seen enough of that for twenty lifetimes," I agreed. "We should be at the pocket realm portal in about a half hour." I had to allow time to deal with Lucinda when we passed through the council chambers on our way back.

Faith stuck her head closer to the phone in my hand. "Leave now for the pocket realm portal. Since we have cell service, I'm going to use my relationship with Greyson to bypass the council chambers and Lucinda and Caton." Faith's fingers were already flying over the keyboard of her phone.

Alex chuckled warmly. "Got it. See you there in a few."

As the call ended, Eve let out a whoop of excitement. "That's a brilliant idea, Faith!"

"We're going to have to remember that more often when we can reach him," I said. "Any chance we have to avoid those imbeciles, the better."

Just then, Faith's phone buzzed with a reply message from Greyson. She opened it and read the screen. "Greyson says to activate your portal crystal," Faith told me.

I pulled the smooth stone from beneath my shirt. The oval of light sprang to life, hovering in the air before us when I wrapped my hand around the stone. "What next?"

She looked up from the phone. "He says to wait for the light to flicker before entering."

I nodded, and the five of us waited anxiously. We watched the portal closely. My stomach twisted into a knot. What if this didn't work? It could send us anywhere. Suddenly, this didn't feel so smart. It was untried and I didn't like that one bit. I sucked in a breath when there was a decisive flicker. It was time to go. Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward. The familiar pull of the portal whisked us away.

When we emerged on the other side, we were standing on the side of a two-lane road outside of Ravenholde. We were surrounded by towering trees. My heart raced as I spotted Alex standing next to his car with a wide smile spreading across his face. Thank the gods, it had worked.

Without hesitation, I rushed over to him. He was the first man I couldn't get enough of. "Alex!" I exclaimed and threw my arms around him in a tight hug. "Thank you."

His chuckle rumbled against my chest. "It's good to see you, too, love." He released me and started walking through the forest where the pocket realm entrance was located. The others trailed behind us far enough to give us a bit of space. I threaded my fingers through his and prayed the next step was as easy as Faith had said it would be.