Shadowed (Unbound, Book 2)

Chapter Forty Five

"Opal was my mother's dog," I said, the knowledge forming the moment I caught and held the man's gaze. A distant memory of Calin saying it to me remained close, but just out of reach. I forced my eyes to the dog, also knowing it was only part wolf, and that she would protect me with her life—or my mom. "She-she died."

"So did I." The man bowed when I looked back to him. "Zachariah, but I'm sure you'll remember that soon enough. For now, all you need to know is that I am a friend, was a mentor to your mother, and need you to read the passage from that book before we run out of time."

"Time?" I latched onto the only thing that made sense.

"Dreams do not last, Nora, and I have used a lot of energy trying to get into yours. Now, read the passage in the book. I'm not sure when we'll get the chance to meet again."

Turning, I faced the book, slowly reaching out. My hands lowered and I glanced back to Zachariah over my shoulder. He nodded. Focusing on the book, I closed my eyes and counted to three in my head. Then, with a deep breath, I blinked and grasped the book at its sides, and the air in my lungs released.

"What passage do I read?" I whispered, still looking down. Somehow, I felt like I could trust him. Besides, it was a dream, right? How much could I get hurt while I was sleeping? My body wasn't even here!

"It'll only open to what you need," he said, as though from a distance. "Hurry."

He might as well be a world away. The warmth of the book travelled up my arms to soothe my emotions, bringing fire to the cold in my heart. It felt powerful, like a stationary live wire that would zap anyone unworthy of holding it. I fingered the cover and then held it in place by the spine as I opened its pages with my other hand.

Lights danced, sparkling in the air above the book, bursting from the page as soon as it opened. When the fireworks faded, a soft glow remained, shining white and pure. Zachariah was right. It opened only to a single page and wouldn't allow me to browse through the rest, like the pages were glued together except for the one I now saw. I stared down at the blue text swirling, four lines of a single passage, with awe and confusion.

"You need to read it aloud," Zachariah said, this time speaking as though from within my head.

"You read it," I said, suddenly scared of the effect reading the passage would cause.

"It's not meant for me. Only those of your family's bloodline are able to touch it." He paused and then added, "It'll help you."

I took a deep breath and nodded, though I doubted he'd see since he was too blurry now to discern beyond a shadowed silhouette. I started to read and the words vanished as they were spoken:

"Take the harm from this charm,

And let this spell no longer dwell.

Allow my soul to make me whole,

And shine light on the shadows I fight."

I jumped back once the last word was spoken. The book slammed itself shut and faded from sight. The bubble I was in popped, misting to the floor, and Opal and Zachariah became clear. I looked up with wide eyes and met Zachariah's relieved gaze.

"What..." I swallowed hard and pushed the lump in my throat down as my heart raced. "What the hell was that?" I pointed to the podium, covered in what looked like chalk dust. "You tricked me, didn't you?"

"Perhaps," he said and smiled, "but only into helping yourself."

"Where are you going?" I stepped down from the podium, wanting to trail him when he turned to leave. If I let him disappear into the shadows, how would I get answers? He couldn't just go. I needed him to stay!

Zachariah faced me and waited until I stood directly in front of him. The dog nudged my hand with her nose and I began petting her, though I couldn't understand why I suddenly felt the need to squelch the urge to cry. I dropped my hand and the feeling went away. Opal bowed her head and returned to Zachariah's side.

"This is a dream, Nora, and all dreams end," he said. He brought his hand up to my cheek and smiled, softness in his eyes. "Your mother would be very proud of you right now."

"My mother? But—"

"It's time to wake up."

An invisible force began pulling me from behind. I tried to plant my feet, to stay and find out what Zachariah meant, but couldn't. Zachariah and Opal grew smaller and smaller. Opal ran forward, barking, but no matter how far I stretched out my arms, it was never enough. They became pin-pricks in the distance, and then everything burst from sight in an explosion of white.

*****

I jerked up to sit in my bed, one hand on my chest and the other pushing my hair off my face. A heavy sigh escaped and my mind swirled. Just a dream. It was just a dream. Onyx nudged my leg and I looked down, my vision clearing from blurry, and another sigh emerged with a smile.

"Oh, Girlie. Be glad you don't dream like I do," I said, laughing as I dropped my hands to pet her. "My imagination is the veiled kind of scary. Not good for peace of mind."

The alarm rang. I leaned over and shut it off, petting Onyx one last time before sliding out from under the covers. A wave of dizziness threatened to ground me when I stood, and I reached out, grasping the top of the night table for balance. Onyx whimpered and crawled across the bed on her stomach towards me.

"I'm fine," I told her, looking back with a smile. I waited another moment until the sensation passed, and then stood straight. "See?"

Onyx stopped moving but didn't look away. The sadness reminded me of what I felt in the dream with Opal, and I tore my gaze away. She didn't move to follow me into the bathroom, but I felt her watching me every step of the way, making my chest ache and my eyes burn. I shut the door to the bathroom to block it. The feeling escalated, turning my knees to jelly. I covered my face with both hands and let go, sliding down the door to lay crumpled on the floor as I cried.