18. Raven

EIGHTEEN

RAVEN

Ibarely make it over the threshold before Brax kicks the door shut with a bang, effectively blocking us off from the rest of the campus. I drop my backpack on the closest sofa and heave a heavy sigh as I plant my hands on my hips.

Today has been a whirlwind, and it’s barely lunchtime.

“We need to act sooner rather than later,” Brax states, speaking my thoughts out loud, and I nod. “We can’t keep waiting around.”

“I agree. After today, fuck, this morning, we need to get this moving along. Now.”

Glancing in his direction, I catch his nod, his stance a replica of mine. Silence descends over us as we stare at one another, chests rising and falling rapidly from the comedown of another run-in with Erikel. Or whoever the fuck he is.

I’m exhausted from trying to figure that out, nevermind any of the actual physical strain we’re under. Refusing to weaken or lose sight of what’s important, I give myself one second longer to gather myself before I set into motion.

Digging into my bag, I find the binder Sebastian gave me earlier this morning. It’s weighed down my backpack since the moment it came into my possession. Now, with the opportunity to actually delve inside the pages, it’s lighter. Like knowing of its presence added to its weight when I couldn’t actually get my hands on it.

“Let’s see if this has anything to offer.”

Brax eliminates the distance between us, engulfing my waist with his huge hands. I’m off my feet before I can process it, clutching the binder to my chest. My back ends up pressed against his chest as he lowers to sit on the sofa. “If not, I get full permission to off Sebastian with no repercussions,” he breathes against the shell of my ear.

A shiver runs down my spine as I glance over my shoulder at him with a quirked eyebrow. It takes everything in me to ignore the feel of his steel thighs beneath me, the outline of his cock that sits prominently between my ass cheeks. All the while, the smirk on his face doesn’t falter.

“And if I say no?”

The darkness deepens in his eyes as his smirk grows. “You’re assuming I’m asking for permission.”

My jaw grows slack as I gape at him, too stunned to find any kind of response before he reaches for the binder, perusing the pages without another word.

Fucker.

Our attention is quickly drawn to the sheets of paper and the cursive text that awaits us. Shuffling in Brax’s lap, we both gain a better view of the text. I reach out, glossing my fingertip over the aged pages.

It’s overwhelming at first, and to add to that, it’s as though the language is… different. Everything makes sense but with an extra E here and there or an unnecessary ST at the end of a word.

The first four sheets mean nothing at all. I can’t even decipher what the words are referring to. The frown on Brax’s face makes me assume he feels the same. Turning to the next page, I still when all that greets us is a charcoal handprint.

No words.

No gibberish.

Nothing but the hand.

Every detail is noted in the press of fingerprints and the crook to the middle finger. Somehow filling the image with… pain.

I can’t help but run my finger over it, and the first slither of contact makes me gasp.

“Raven?” Brax murmurs, concern echoing in my ears.

“I’m okay,” I whisper, my gaze locked on the image that’s causing a stir inside me.

Creeping more of my hand over the image, I can feel every callous and imperfect inch of the paper. I hover, my fingertips aligned with those marked, my heart racing with the urge to press my palm against it.

It’s like the decision is taken from me as my hand falls flat against the parchment. Anguish consumes me, and my eyelids fall closed as my lips part.

“What once was mine was taken as yours. What once was pure was tainted with pain. What once was the heavenly divine of the afterlife was broken, tattered, and torn. What once was the Realm of Eternity became the Realm of Shadows. What once was broken will be no more.”

I gasp, yanking my hand back as I blink at Brax.

“Did—”

“I heard it,” he murmurs, and my shoulders relax with relief while my body still trembles from the surprise of the woman’s voice that played in the air.

“I can’t… I… what?” I ramble, pinching the bridge of my nose.

“I’m not going to lie, that sounds like the kind of prophecy shit Eldon would tell me about from one of his visions.”

I nod in agreement before taking a deep breath. “What are we supposed to make of it?” I ask, repeating the words in my head.

“I think it’s a promise of exactly what Sebastian mentioned, it just doesn’t tell us how to make it happen,” Brax offers, reaching around me to turn the page.

The handwriting turns from cursive and elegant to jagged and sharp.

When green arches hold delicate reds, all that is needed is a touch of darkness, a promise of change, and an unwavering belief.

I read it again, and again, and again, before flipping the page, but there’s nothing except blank sheets. One after another, after another.

“What does that mean?” I grumble, flipping back to the start of the binder with no success.

“When green arches hold delicate reds, all that is needed is a touch of darkness, a promise of change, and an unwavering belief.” He reads the passage out loud, offering no bright moment of realization.

“I need a drink,” I murmur, tapping on his arm to release his hold on me. I head to the kitchen with a stomp, swinging the fridge open to grab two bottles of water before turning back toward the couch.

“It’s still amusing that you don’t just use your magic,” Brax states as I throw a bottle toward him. He catches it with ease and I shrug.

“Sometimes, I like the simplicity of doing something mundane. It can help me clear my mind,” I explain, and he looks as bewildered as before, a smirk quirking the corner of his mouth at my expense.

Rolling my eyes, I turn away from him and look out at the afternoon views. The water looks still in the distance, even though the trees on the coast move with the wind.

Maybe stepping outside, getting some fresh air, and soaking in the earth beneath me might help me think. With my mind made up, I move toward the patio doors but pause after taking only two steps.

Backtracking, I frown at Creed’s bedroom door. The confusion only deepens the longer I look.

“Brax?”

“Shadow.”

“Has there always been a green glow coming from Creed’s room?”

I can feel his eyes roll even though my back is to him. “No, why?”

“Because there is now.”

Moving toward the beacon shimmering beneath the door, I hear Brax’s footsteps rushing toward me.

“What the fuck?” he whispers as I reach for the door handle, but before I can grasp it, Brax kicks the wood with his heavy boot, splintering the door frame in the process.

It’s on the tip of my tongue to berate him, spew some shit about not being such a brute, but it falls short when the reason for the green glow comes into view.

“Raven,” Brax says, not turning to look at me, and I step in beside him, lacing my fingers through his.

“Is that…”

“Yeah,” Brax answers, pulling me a step closer to the shimmering green jewels of the emerald gate. The emerald gate that leads to the Realm of Shadows. The same gate that disappeared back in the caves. Now it stands before us.

“I guess it’s found a better place,” I breathe, still in complete disbelief.

“I guess so.”

“What do we do now?” I ask, knowing the answer but wanting to hear him say it.

His thumb runs over my knuckles as he exhales slowly. A flicker of understanding and excitement dances in his eyes when his gaze meets mine.

“It’s time we figured out how to do exactly what the prophecy declared.”

A shiver runsthrough me as I step through the emerald gate, still completely stunned by the fact that it appeared in our home. I’m taking it as a sign that the Realm of Shadows trusts us to be what it needs. Or is it the Realm of Eternity? I’m still all tangled up on the prophecy; the intricacies of it leave me confused.

The dim light from Creed’s room is quickly replaced with the marbled effect of grays, from almost white to coal black. My hand remains engulfed in Brax’s as his childhood home comes into view. However, the clear path that we usually have to the wraparound porch is obscured by silhouettes and shadows.

Gulping, I feel the energy shift around us. “What’s going on?” I ask Brax, not pulling my eyes from the obstruction.

“Ask them,” he mutters, instantly reminding me of Erikel’s bullshit comment about me not being able to speak with the shadows even though I’m a necromancer.

“I don’t know how,” I remind him, my body tingling with anticipation from the vulnerability I know they will likely sense.

Brax’s thumb caresses my knuckles again. “You just have to take your time, Raven. Feel it inside.”

I recall the fact that he has been able to do this. I don’t know how, but it worked. He managed to get the shadows to bring me here in my sleep. I want to give him some smart remark about thinking he’s a pro now, but compared to me, he just might be, so I keep my mouth shut instead.

As much as I need Brax’s comfort and touch right now to keep me grounded, I need to focus on my magic and the shadows before me, so I release his hand and take a step toward them. I instantly want to lace my hands together, twiddle my thumbs, and sink my teeth into my lip. The need to fidget is overwhelming as fuck. But that only reveals more weaknesses I don’t want to expose. Apparently, being out of Shadowmoor for this long has softened me inside. A fact that I’m more than happy with, but for now, it’s the old me that’s needed when it comes to this war. The version of me that didn’t lower her walls for anyone. That swung her fists first and asked questions later. That’s what I need, no matter who it is I’m communicating with.

Rolling my shoulders back, I relax my hands at my sides and tilt my chin up, oozing the effortless confidence I used to own, even though it doesn’t quite sit with me the same as it once did.

“I want to understand the prophecy, the intricacies of the situation, and I feel the pain that runs deeply throughout this realm. I want to help you as much as I want to bring my family home.” The words pour from my mouth without thought, and I find each and every one of them to be true.

I mean it.

I do want to help.

That pain I felt from the binder resonates inside of me.

One shadow moves, inching toward me as it grows in size. I stand tall, refusing to falter as it drifts perfectly so the silhouette of a hand ghosts over mine.

“Darkness. Promise. Change.”

The words echo in my mind, reiterating three words from the guidance written in the binder on how to fulfill the prophecy. It feels like words of promise, words of confirmation that it’s me they believe can do it. My darkness, my desire for change.

“Raven.” I tilt my face to see Eldon step onto the porch first, and I smile, but quickly look back to the shadows as they dissipate, no longer standing between us and the house.

With a clear path, I rush toward him, leaping when I’m close enough and he catches me seamlessly. Wrapping my arms around his neck, his hands splay against my back as I breathe him in.

“Hey, Little Bird,” he murmurs against my ear, and I sink into him further.

“Hey, El,” I reply, clinging even tighter.

“Don’t hog her all to yourself,” Zane grumbles, making me grin as I lean back just enough to kiss Eldon before he lowers me back down. I’m quickly lifted off my feet again, spinning in a circle as Zane holds me just as tight. “I miss you, Dove.”

My heart aches. “I miss you too.”

If the prophecy in the binder is true, we may not have to miss each other for too much longer and that thought encourages me. As much as I want to sink into his warmth, I press my lips to his before leaning back, and he lowers me to the ground.

I need to see Creed, let his hold ground me even further, then we’ve got work to do.

Turning out of Zane’s arms I find the man I’m looking for. He smiles softly at me as he inches closer, draping his arms over me as he pins me against his chest. He’s quieter than the others, he always is, not offering a single word as he feeds me his touch just as effortlessly as he consumes me.

Lifting my chin up, I rest it against his chest before kissing his soft, full lips. Excitement zings through me, hope blossoming beyond control in my chest.

Reluctantly stepping back, I find Peta and Marieta standing on either side of Brax as they smile lovingly at him. Their gazes find mine and Marieta takes a step toward me.

“It seems they’ve seen something in you, Raven,” she says, pointing to where the shadows were a few moments ago. “Their help has been unprecedented today,” she adds, causing questions to tumble over one another on the tip of my tongue, but it’s Brax who speaks first.

“What does that mean?”

She turns back to him as Peta pats him on the back. “Cocoa?” she offers, glancing around at each of us, and I shake my head.

“Not today, thank you. We have a lot to do.”

“It sounds like you have big news too, and I noticed you came through the emerald gate,” Peta states, waving for us to enter the house, indicating that the help they’re alluding to from the shadows has led to something big as well.

“Yeah, it reappeared for us,” I manage. Creed laces his fingers with mine, encouraging me inside as everyone else does the same. Despite the lack of hot cocoa, we find ourselves seated around the dining table anyway. Creed on my left, Eldon on my right, with a grumpy Zane on the other side of him. Brax occupies the spot after him while Marieta and Peta fill the remaining seats.

Everyone glances at each other; Creed to Zane, Zane to Marieta, Marieta to Eldon, Eldon to Peta. It’s like they’re silently trying to decide who should speak first.

Marieta clears her throat. “Burton was here.”

“Burton? How?” Brax grunts, sitting tall.

“The shadows showed us,” Peta explains as I soak in the knowledge that he said Burton and not Erikel.

“So it’s really him,” I state, needing the confirmation, and they all nod simultaneously at Brax and me.

“It’s really him,” Creed confirms, squeezing my thigh.

Fuck.

“What happened with you guys?” Eldon asks, glancing between us, and Brax scoffs.

“That’s a loaded question if I ever heard one,” he admits, and as true as it is, his grumbling makes me smile. “Where do we even start?”

We should probably start at this morning, when we went to Lyra’s office, but I think the direction we’re heading seems more necessary.

“We’re going to combine the realms,” I blurt, almost amused by the surprise in everyone’s eyes.

“How?” Peta asks, reaching for Marieta’s hand on the table.

I look at Brax, who places the binder on the table and nudges it toward his mother. She tentatively reaches for it, dragging it along the wood between her and Peta. Opening the leather, they delve inside and Brax quickly flicks the pages to the end. I watch their eyes scan the text once, then again, and a third time for good measure.

“Where did you get this from?” Marieta asks, passing the binder to Creed to read.

Taking a deep breath, I answer her. “Sebastian.”

“Since when can we trust him?” Zane grunts, instantly defensive.

“I’m not sure he can be trusted, but if this works…” My words trail off, the hope lingering in the air, saying all that needs to be spoken.

Creed passes the binder along for Eldon and Zane to read, and once everyone has memorized the text, Brax explains the prophecy we heard when my palm touched the hand.

“What once was mine was taken as yours. What once was pure was tainted with pain. What once was the heavenly divine of the afterlife was broken, tattered, and torn. What once was the Realm of Eternity became the Realm of Shadows. What once was broken will be no more.”

“It kind of makes sense, in the cryptic way that prophecies do, but there’s still a lot of guessing here,” Eldon states, rubbing at his forehead.

“I agree, but we have to start somewhere,” I answer, and he turns to me with a soft smile. His lips part, but no words come out as a shrill sound echoes around the house.

“What’s that?” I ask with a gasp, adrenaline instantly coursing through my veins as I lurch to my feet.

“Someone or something is here,” Marieta mutters, rushing for the front door with Peta hot on her heels, sword in hand.

Holy fuck.

Turning to Eldon, my eyes still wide, I find him on edge but nowhere near as startled as I am. He must sense the confusion in my gaze because he quickly smirks, stroking a finger down my cheek.

“It sounds every time someone is near, which isn’t often, but it’s usually an indicator that you are close.”

I nod in understanding, but the uncertainty of who it may be still gets the better of me and I hurry to my feet to see what or who it is. I’m halfway down the hallway when Marieta opens the front door wide, and all that’s visible on the other side is shadow after shadow.

Rushing out onto the porch, my eyes grow wider with every passing moment, moving from one silhouette to another. If I thought there were a lot here before, that’s nothing compared to now. They must have doubled, possibly tripled. At least.

“I think they want to show us something else,” Peta says from behind me. I quickly realize that he can see them now, just as Marieta seemed to know where they had been earlier.

“You can see them?” I ask, needing the clarification to calm my racing heart, and he nods.

“It seems that when they want to reveal themselves, they will,” he offers as an explanation.

My Bishops appear behind Marieta and Peta, as intrigued as I am. I turn to the silhouettes again, feeling their energy drawing me closer. I hear the creak of the steps down the porch under my feet as I swallow down the worry threatening to rise.

One shadow stands out from the rest, just like it has before in my bedroom on more than one occasion. I don’t stop moving until I’m right in front of it, dropping to one knee.

I can’t explain what I’m doing or why, but it feels right. Placing a hand on the ground where their shadow falls, my head dips as pain emits from the touch, just like in the binder.

“Show me the way. Show me the way, and I will help you the best I can. I just want my family together again,” I promise, despite hating the heroic tinge that dances over every word.

A warmth travels up my arm, almost as if it’s consoling me before it inches away.

Standing, I understand. Turning to the house, I find Marieta, Peta, Eldon, Creed, Zane, and Brax all waiting as patiently as possible for me to explain. “They’re going to show us.”

I’m not sure how, where, or even why. All I know is when; now.

“Is this a good idea?” Brax asks, furrowing his brows as he glances from me to the shadows dancing across the ground behind me. “Freeing them, I mean.”

“The shadows are just that, in this realm or another, that’s not going to change. And if they weren’t, the pain I feel for them… they want to rest, to dissolve the restlessness that consumes them. They’ve been through enough. I can’t explain it, but we have to consider the fact that they’ve chosen us to do this, to have darkness but hope for change and an unwavering belief of more, of better. They trust us to do this because we don’t want them for our own needs or cause. I just want you guys home.” My chest tightens and I tilt my face to look back at the shadows. “Returning to our world leaves them completely powerless.”

“Except at your command,” Creed states, and my nose wrinkles.

“Except that,” I grumble, aware that all necromancers before me have tried to control the shadows and create an army for a selfish war.

“And what is your command?” Marieta asks, teetering closer.

I shake my head. “I haven’t figured that part out yet. I’ve been focused on the hope that we can all be together again. The rest of the world doesn’t matter, just us.”

Eldon moves first, holding my hands in his as he peers down at me.

“Just us it is.”

My heart warms, faith almost haunting me.

Taking a deep breath, everyone steps up to the shadows with me. I kneel before them once more. “When green arches hold delicate reds, all that is needed is a touch of darkness, a promise of change, and an unwavering belief.” The words pound in my ears as I feel their weight. I know it, but I don’t understand.

“Green arches, delicate reds,” Creed murmurs from behind me, and Eldon stumbles back a step.

“Wait here. I think I might have it.”

I frown in confusion, not wanting to allow this hope to grow anymore, as I watch my fireball rush back into the house. A quick glance at everyone else tells me they have no clue either, but there isn’t much time for us to sit and consider the situation because he’s racing back to us a moment later.

He comes to a halt beside me with his fist clenched as he holds it out in my direction, slowly uncurling to reveal the Potens Ruby.

“When green arches—the emerald gates—hold delicate reds—the Potens Ruby—all that is needed is a touch of darkness—a necromancer—a promise of change—still you—and an unwavering belief—us. All of us.”

I blink at him, heat tingling along my skin from head to toe as his words click together in my head.

“But she’s been in the Realm of Shadows along with the Potens Ruby before and it hasn’t made a difference,” Peta murmurs, wincing at the dampener he threatens to put on the mood, but Brax waves his hand, interjecting.

“But the delicate red hasn’t had a touch of darkness through the green arches.” My eyebrows pinch again as I glance at him, confused as hell, and he sighs. “You’ve never touched the Potens Ruby, Raven. Not in the Elevin Realm, and certainly not in here.”

My palms instantly feel clammy as I swipe my tongue over my bottom lip, turning back to Eldon, who holds the ruby between us.

“It can’t be as simple as just touching it… can it?”

“We won’t know unless we try,” Zane murmurs, hope twinkling in his eyes.

“Hold your hand out, Little Bird,” Eldon directs, and I slowly turn my hand over to reveal my palm, lifting it toward him.

His eyes lock on mine and I can feel everyone staring at me, the attention making me falter as I exhale slowly. He poises his hand above mine, ready to drop it into my open palm but waiting for my signal.

Clearing my throat, I look him dead in the eyes. “I love you. I love all of you,” I state, words firm as I turn to look at Creed, then Zane, and finally Brax.

Emotion rises inside of me as the rest of the realm drifts into the darkness. All that exists is me and the glistening red ruby in Eldon’s hand.

“Do it.”