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  “However, even with the risks, this is the best option. It is the only option which has the lowest chance of disaster. I will need all of you focused and prepared to react to a surge of energy you’ve never imagined. Elders, though we may not all agree on the paradox, we agree the circumstances are dire. I expect everyone to fight to their last breath to make this work.”

  “Does the girl know how to harness her energy?” Titus questioned.

  “Liam is going to explain now,” Jacque said pleasantly.

  With his chronic snarl plastered on his face, Liam stepped forward, and I felt Finn’s hand squeeze mine protectively.

  “If Ama truly wishes to have you harness dark energy, you must focus on the opposite of light. You must allow yourself to unleash the negative within and the darkness will soon follow. It will threaten to take you; you will feel the pain of your fears, anger, sadness magnify ten-fold, but you must never give in, or all will be lost.

  “If you are truly as powerful as Jacque hopes,” Liam continued, his voice low enough no one but Finn and I could hear, “then now is the time to prove it. If you fail, you kill us all.”

  The elder leaned back, his green eyes glowering down his nose. All the strength and confidence seemed to seep out of my body, and I wanted nothing more than to run and hide. Each person standing in the room was depending on me reaching some energy I’d never tapped into in my life. Jacque had never mentioned how the darkness of the Wander could devour Tala. Finn wrapped a supporting arm around my shoulders, as if he sensed my weakening resolve.

  “Young lady,” Jacque said. “When you enter the Wander, you will need to surge your energy into the Noctis flame. The flame will be simple enough to find. Its power will pull to you. The flame will bring the imps to the Wander, and as it drags them in, the Wander will then seek your energy at the same moment. This is when you must release the dark energy and seek to find the light we will be using to pull you out. The Lux stone should help. When you feel our power, accept it, or you will be lost in the Wander. Does this make sense? It is very important.”

  “I go in focusing all my thoughts on negativity to muster up dark energy, and then in a single moment I have to release it and focus on the light or I’ll be trapped forever,” I repeated, my voice trembling. I wondered if the head elder realized how insane this plan was sounding.

  “Exactly. Then let us begin,” Jacque said simply. “Ednis, if you would be so kind.”

  Finn’s eyes widened. “Ednis is the elder who discovered the dark energy vein in the human realm. He is the harshest of them all.”

  A plump man, who seemed unthreatening with his three flapping chins, and narrow eyes stepped forward. His sausage-like fingers raised above his head as he hummed a smooth sound from deep in his throat.

  “Wait, the Wander is here?” I hissed, glancing up at Finn.

  “The Wander is everywhere,” Jacque answered instead.

  A blast of terrifying energy encompassed the room. Immediately I felt the temperature drop at least twenty degrees. The burning candles flickering happily along the walls extinguished eerily, and before me was an ominous, gaping black hole. The power beckoned me onward, causing me to feel it was the only answer to my dreadful, depressing life. I was a girl without a father. I’d created Armageddon for humanity, and I was falling in love with a man who I couldn’t have. My heart sunk as the enticing darkness seemed to seep into my soul.

  Jacque’s voice cut through the chilling despair. “It is strong, everyone must resist. Take your places and be prepared to pull her out.”

  Ednis reached back, tearing my hand from Finn’s grasp. I looked over my shoulder, his eyes doused in torment as he stood back, joining hands with the Talan villagers and elders.

  “Focus your energy, find the flame,” Ednis snarled before his thick, squishy palms shoved me from behind, thrusting me into the icy mouth of the Wander.

  Chapter 25

  The tower’s entrance was engulfed in misty blackness the moment I passed through the shroud, concealing everyone from my sight. Silence was all around. Silence so heavy it was deafening. My body trembled from the icy chill. As I pressed on I shuddered at the groans and howls of tormented beings of darkness. If there were gates of Hell, I’d most certainly passed through.

  My mind was foggy as the crushing depression pummeled my mind. I had the fervent desire to curl up and simply stop trying. There was no point. But slowly a burning desire to find the Noctis flame trudged my steps onward.

  “Just find the flame, Laney,” I told myself, my voice echoing like I was in a cave. “Find the flame for Finn, for Mom, for Tyler.”

  I held my palms outstretched searching for something I couldn’t see. A presence was with me, an unseen force seemed to direct my footsteps. My heart pounded wildly, creating an energizing heat inside my chest. The Wander’s abyss was crushing, and the further I traveled, the heavier my steps became, and the harder it was to breathe. Panic settled in. What if I couldn’t find the flames? This hellish place was called the Wander for a reason. I would be trapped. Unescapable fear crippled me.

  I dropped to my knees, coughing against the suffocating darkness wrapping around my throat like a frigid, skeletal hand, squeezing every ounce of confidence I had from my body. Suddenly, a strange warmth surged through my palms, filtering down to my shoulders, and across the surface of my body. Opening my eyes, I saw the silver flutters of a wickless fire floating like a ghostly presence above a large, floating basin which gleamed in the darkness.

  The Noctis flame. My mind whirled trying to remember what I was supposed to do. I appealed to the energy within, restoring the sensation I wasn’t alone. If this is what I was meant to do, then I needed help more than ever. A chilling power filled my body as images of night slithered into my sights. The horrible well, which had nearly claimed my life. I shivered against the memories of the terrible darkness, the frosty night creeping along the stone walls, wrapping me in a panic unlike anything I’d experienced.

  The Noctis flame burned brighter.

  Suddenly, a woman appeared, standing in the distance. She was dressed in black, and her pain emitted deep into my heart as I inched closer.

  “Mom?” I gasped, as my mother’s features filtered through the darkness. Her sad eyes lifted to mine, and a single tear escaped the corner of her eye.

  “You chose this Laney. You left us alone. How could you? After losing your father, now I’ve lost you. You chose him over your family.”

  Her wretched sobs created a searing anxiety as my rapid breaths pushed through the suffocating blanket of darkness.

  “Mom, please, I didn’t choose anyone over you. I’m doing this for you…and Tyler!”

  My mother covered her face, falling to the ground, sobbing violently, I reached my hand out, but she slapped it away.

  “Mom please, I’m sorry,” I whimpered.

  Her bloodshot eyes burned through the Wander, her anger piercing my soul. “No! It’s too late, you are lost to me. I can never forgive you.”

  The thick darkness wrapped around my mother’s shoulders, pulling her away from me. I chased after her, dragging my lead feet along though a force pulled me back. My cheeks were soaked with tears. I was selfish, leaving my mother and brother with no explanation after all my family had been through. I’d abandoned them to play the hero.

  A hand on my shoulder whirled me around. Finn towered over me, clasping my shoulder tightly. I wrapped my arms tightly around his waist, sobbing against his chest. “You came,” I said gratefully. “I need to leave, I can’t do this, Finn.”

  With more force than I liked, he shoved me off him. “You started this, so you must finish this. I never would have been in this predicament if it weren’t for you.”

  I backed away, running a hand under my nose. “You don’t mean that. This isn’t you.”

  His eyes flashed with anger. “This is me! You tried to change me. Talans cannot be with humans. We are far superior. I can’t believe you ever thought this partner
ship was more. You are the paradox; some even call you an abomination. Perhaps they’re right.”

  “Stop!” I cried, covering my ears.

  Bleak anguish surrounded me, dragging me down. I could feel the energy building as my mind welcomed the darkest thoughts, but somehow I knew it wasn’t enough. The Wander was forcing me to live my fears, but it wanted more of me, and I trembled as I reached out for the silvery flame, fighting back my tears.

  The Noctis flame reacted to the dark energy flowing in my veins, and the black shroud seemed to spin around me as the flames tied my hand in place with the silvery strands. It wasn’t painful, but seemed more like tiny sparks were dancing along my skin.

  In a moment, the smell of metallic blood burned my nose as my hand inched closer to the center of the basin. I heard the sirens blaring in the night. Road flares igniting, marking the sight of the accident. My darkest thought, memory, and emotion was playing out in front of me.

  As if I had entered my own memory, the Wander faded, and I stepped into a chaotic scene. People cried on the sidewalks as first responders urged the growing spectators away from the scene.

  I saw a distraught old man in a blue cap and blue jacket sitting on the steps of the bus, his hands waving wildly as he described the incident to the police officer. Everything seemed to slow as I rounded the ambulance, my eyes landing on the mangled car and the paramedics rushing to give aid.

  It was as if I were a spirit, since no one seemed to notice me as I knelt next to my father. The strong hands of the paramedic compressed his chest, and people shouted commands for oxygen and gurneys. My stomach twisted. I couldn’t see this again, but then my father’s eyes lifted to mine. They were vibrant, and playful as I remembered. He wasn’t the dying man I’d once seen in my child’s mind. His lips pulled into a loving smile, and tears fell down my cheeks as he reached for my hand.

  “I’m so sorry, Dad,” I cried. “I should have protected you. Please forgive me.”

  My gentle father smiled, though I knew deep in the back of my mind, he wasn’t there. “I love you, Lane. You are special, and I will always be there. I believe in you. Now, finish what you’ve started, you can do this because you are strong.”

  I fell onto his chest, sobbing for the years we’d missed. Someone had ripped them from our lives. They’d taken him from me, and a rage filled my heart as I held my father one last time. The accident faded from my sights as I sobbed on the icy ground of the Wander. I screamed my pain into the blackness, embracing the darkness surging through my blood.

  I reached my hand toward the brilliant flame, the weight of what was happening piling on my trembling shoulders. Fire had never seemed so pure, so perfect, as it did in the gilded basin. The heat from the flames beckoned me onward. This burden was mine to bear, and mine alone. I was prepared to bring those who had caused such pain in the lives of many to justice. I thought of my father. I would avenge him in this moment whether I survived or was lost.

  My eyes focused without blinking on the silvery flames flickering like mystic phantoms in the dim light. Surely, this was right. So many people would be protected by my sacrifice. The people I loved would be safe.

  Once my hand fell to the bottom of the basin and the flame encased my hand completely, a whirling torrent of dark energy swirled through my body and blasted a wave of power throughout the Wander. I focused my rage on the imps. They deserved to be locked away. They’d nearly destroyed my life and my family. As far as I was concerned, they were as guilty for my father’s death as the person who had stolen his life.

  My legs trembled as the energy surge sucked my strength, but I held firm, allowing the flames to devour my hand with their brightness. Flashes of light struck me at every angle, like brilliant, golden lightning erupting from the Wander’s atmosphere. Each bolt connected with my skin like the slice of knife, burning and searing my body as the surges connected with a deeper power nestled in my core. I knew I screamed, though the storm circling me drowned my cries as I lowered to my knees, keeping my hand in the floating basin.

  All around me the furious darkness surged, seeming to crush my lungs as my breathing grew shallow. Shrieks and cries of creatures called into the black Wander, as I felt the jaws open. Blasts of wind swirled around me, as impish howls and energy surged through my body as if their spirits were required to pass through my own.

  My mind fought to stay present, though it was as if the power was drying up any energy I had left. The Wander was claiming me for its own. As the dark power grew stronger, I opened my eyes for one last glimpse of life. In the distance was a faint light glimmering down a distant tunnel. I fought against the shackles of the Wander to reach for it. It’s what someone was supposed to do when they died, right—reach for the light? Something urged me release the flames, and my hand flopped to my side. I saw the flicker of burning light far away, and I desperately wanted to embrace it, but my lungs screamed for air, and my body fell limp like an iron weight. There was heat around my neck, which pummeled against the foreboding darkness, attempting to create a blanket of peace around me. As I rolled onto one side, the milky stone dangling from its chain crossed my vision field. The Lux stone gleamed like a glowing diamond, warming me against the icy fingers of the Wander. With a weak grasp the stone fit in my palm, sending a warmth to my hand like a mug of cocoa on a winter’s day.

  With my strength gone, every second passing seemed more desperate to reach the light in the distance as it inched closer. A frigid blast of hopelessness passed by me, as if another living being were joining me in my suffering. With great effort, I lifted my head from the frosty earth. My heart froze from fear as a hooded, reaper-like figure loomed over me.

  The black hole where its face should be was instead an empty abyss. Slowly it reached for me, the thick, black cloak concealing its hand. I wanted to scream but every sound, every breath, seemed to be locked deep inside. In a single moment, a puff of air twisted around the spectral, causing the frightening figure to disintegrate all at once. Bits of dust and dark earth slithered in a snake-like pattern toward me. I braced myself for the spirit to overtake my body, but instead it passed by, seeming to take any last hope from my heart as it disappeared from the gaping mouth of the Wander.

  As soon as it had come, the shadowy evil left me to die alone. In one last effort to reach for the light and save myself I held up my shaking hand, but soon the darkness gave way, and everything faded to black.

  Chapter 26

  Throbbing pain pounded against my head, dragging me from a groggy sleep. Bright light seeped into the space, and open windows welcomed the sweet songs of chirping birds. I shot up, realizing I was in a soft, luxurious bed draped with silk comforters and plush pillows stacked supporting my back.

  The room was circular, like the room where Finn had kissed me. Finn. Where was Finn? I threw the blankets off my body, gasping when I realized I was dressed in a long, flowing nightgown. My hair was braided down my neck, and my lips were sticky with a fruity tasting coloring.

  “Oh, you’re awake. I’m so relieved.”

  I snapped my eyes toward the furthest window. Anna was embroidering something across a large towel as she stood. Her brown hair fell in soft curls along her smooth face, and her eyes seemed to sparkle with relief.

  “Where am I? What happened?”

  She gently clasped my hands. “You are in my quarters in the tower. I thought you might be more comfortable in another woman’s room. All is well, but I know you must be exhausted after what a struggle you endured.”

  “Did it work?” I asked rubbing my head and sitting back onto the soft bed. My eyes begged to close again, but I fought against them, desperate to know.

  Anna smiled, pouring me a cup of greenish-brown tea. “Here, this will help ease the fatigue. When energy clashes as it did, it can be fatal. I’ve never sensed such deep surges as I did when we retrieved you from the Wander. You must have experienced a great deal.”

  I thought back to the darkness. I thought of the terrible i
mages which flashed through my mind as the Wander tried to break me. A chilling memory of the phantom evil which had slithered next to me caused my heart to pound like a beating drum inside my chest as I sipped the strong drink. The tea warmed my soul, chasing the images away.

  “But Anna, did it work? What happened to the imps?”

  She stroked my cheek like a mother might her child. “Yes, my dear. The imps have been sealed away for all time. Ednis and Titus are repairing the breach in the vein of Ama now. No one will be able to penetrate the darkness from your world again.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief when a knock came to the door. Jacque stepped into the room, beaming brightly.

  “I sensed you had woken. Anna, would you mind if I speak with Laney alone for a moment?” he asked, using my name for the first time.

  Anna nodded and stepped from the room, winking kindly before closing the door. Jacque helped himself to a cup of tea and joined me on the edge of the bed.

  “You’ve been through quite an ordeal. How are you feeling?”

  “Very tired,” I admitted. “It feels as if I’ve run two marathons in a row.”

  Jacque chuckled, but I could see in his eyes he didn’t grasp the analogy. “I’m pleased you are safe. I’ve never battled against such a strong dark energy before. The Wander desperately wanted to keep you, but with the help of everyone you are safe.”

  “Thank you for not giving up on me,” I said, giving him a small smile.

  “I’m curious what you saw inside the Wander,” he pressed. “As I said, it was incredibly difficult to pull you from the darkness. You must have gone somewhere very frightening to conjure so much dark energy.”

  I sighed wishing never to relive what I’d seen. “It was strange. It was as if the Wander was showing me things which weren’t true, or things which could happen if I didn’t succeed. I saw the pain of my mother if I never came home. I watched…Finn give up and leave me trapped inside.” I waited to see if Jacque would react against my feelings for a Talan, but his face remained placid as he waited for me to continue. “And then, I saw my father’s death, but he…spoke to me. He encouraged me to continue when I wanted to give up.”