“Ingenious, isn’t it?” Tamil said with a grin. She placed her boot on the first step, which started to rise, pushing her effortlessly toward the top of the mountain. “We call it the ice-calator. Saves a lot of time.”
Einar and I exchanged dubious glances, but we stepped onto the moving staircase, not wanting to be left behind. I had to hold my skirts in my hand to keep them from getting caught between the moving steps, but this was still a lot better than trying to climb a mountain in this outfit.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Einar and I both kept our eyes locked on the mountain peak, our hands laced together. The platform rose higher, still, and I had to make a genuine effort not to look down as we stepped off, for fear of seeing the dizzying drop beneath our feet.
The path to the cave was wide and welcoming, lined with chunks of ice that were clear as crystal. The sun rays struck them, creating a kaleidoscope of light on the ground before us, and I felt like I was walking across a bridge made of rainbows. Tamil led the way, to the entrance, then paused, gesturing for us to go first. Einar sucked in a sharp breath as he took the first step forward, and I kept pace with him, one hand still in his, the other holding my skirts so I wouldn’t trip.
The entrance was simple, the walls of ice arching over us like a tunnel with intricate loops and spirals carved into them. Ice crystals grew overhead, dripping down from the ceiling like stalactites. They exaggerated the kaleidoscope effect of the sunlight filtering through the ice.
A wide staircase brought us down from the entrance into the temple, which had to have taken years to carve. The floor mimicked the same spiral patterns seen in the tunnel, but on a grand, intricate scale with never-repeating individual snowflake patterns woven into the spiral from the center that I admired upon our descent. From the ceiling hung an ice chandelier with geometric crystals containing twinkling lights in violet, cerulean, and white. The cool light illuminated a series of ice sculptures in the shapes of bears, elk, and foxes, all of which stood regally along either side of the temple, like frozen guardians forever bound to protect this sacred place.
A tall fae clad in ice-blue robes stood in the center of the main hall, surrounded by half a dozen white-robed acolytes. Her bluish-white hair was bound into a mass of tiny braids and gathered at her nape into a queue, and her regal features were marked by tiny snowflake tattoos, starting from one end of her brow to the other, almost like a tiara made of stars.
“Welcome, Adara,” she said, her serene voice echoing through the temple. “My name is Tuliana, and I am the priestess of this temple. It’s an honor to have you here.”
“The honor is mine,” I said, bowing my head. “I’m indebted to you for agreeing to perform the ritual with me on such short notice.” My heart beat faster with anticipation—after almost two weeks of fasting, interspersed with political battles and assassination attempts, this was finally happening.
The priestess laughed, the sound like ice crystals tinkling in the wind. “My dear child,” she said warmly, stepping forward to take my hand. “You are the girl who was promised by the spirits themselves to save us from this curse of darkness. I assure you, it is my honor to be the one to empower you, to give you the weapons you need to fight back against these shadow demons who are so intent on destroying our home. Now come,” she said, before I can argue. “There is much to do.”
She led me into the temple’s inner sanctum, leaving the others to wait behind. I cast one last anxious look at Einar, who gave me a reassuring smile, before the doors shut behind me, sealing me into the chamber with the priestess and her acolytes.
I expected to see some kind of altar or slab, but instead, a circle of ice crystals awaited me, each of them lit from within by a different color on the light spectrum. The rays of light fractured and bounced off the walls, creating a kaleidoscopic rainbow that seemed to swirl around the room. I stood there for a long moment, transfixed by the colors, before Tuliana tugged on my sleeve, drawing me toward the circle.
“You must enter the circle alone,” she instructed me in a gentle voice.
I did as she said at once, not wanting her to doubt my readiness. The moment I stepped within the ice crystal circle, vibrations traveled through my body, from the soles of my bare feet all the way to the top of my skull. It was as though I couldfeelthe lights emanating from the crystals, as if their wave lengths had taken on a tangible form.
A floor pillow awaited me in the center of the circle, along with a small, steaming cup of tea. I sat down on the cushion and took the cup in both hands, inhaling the fragrant steam. The scent was like nothing I’d smelled before—it reminded me of dreams and starlight and wide open spaces, as if the tea leaves themselves held all the endless possibilities of the world.
“Am I to drink this?” I asked Tuliana. She and the other acolytes had settled into cross-legged, seated positions around the edge of the circle, forming a protective barrier around me. The sight was somehow both unnerving and comforting. I was still unused to such focused scrutiny from a large number of people, but at the same time, it was nice to know that I wouldn’t be alone in this.
“Yes. The tea will put you into a special trance that will open your mind, allowing you to see the threads that connect you to the rest of the universe. This will enable you to find the inner beast that lurks within you, so she can awaken.” The priestess held out her hands to either side of her, and she and all the acolytes joined hands, sealing the circle. “While you are doing so, we will chant the ritual hymn. The words will guide you, but there’s no need to focus on them too much—simply let the hymn flow through you, and your mind will follow.”
Nodding, I swallowed back my nerves, then lifted the cup to my lips and downed the tea in one go. The hot liquid was bittersweet, and as it slid down my throat and into my stomach, my skin began to tingle.
The priestess and her acolytes began their hymn, and I did as she asked, closing my eyes and allowing the words to drift through my mind. The hymn was in the ancient fae language, so I couldn’t understand it. But I felt something within me unfurl, as if the map of my life was opening up to show me a glimpse of the future.
The tingles that spread throughout my body shifted, fading away in some places while intensifying in others, like myriad tiny hands tugging my body in different directions. I opened my eyes, and nearly gasped aloud at the sight of dozens of glowing strings emanating from different points in my body—an ankle here, a knuckle there, the crook of my elbow, the tip of my ear. They seemed to disappear into infinity, but when I focused on the one tugging at my pinky, the others faded away. An image coalesced out of the kaleidoscope of colors bouncing around the room—a dragon male and a fae female holding hands and staring at me, love brimming from their eyes.
“We’re so proud of you,” they said, their voices echoing in the ice chamber.
“Mom. Dad.” There was no doubt in my mind it was them. I’d never seen a picture of Daryan, but the cuff clasped around the wrist of the male was identical to the one wrapped around my bicep. The female was a dead ringer for the girl whose portrait hung in my room, her curves filled out, the softness in her face given way to high cheekbones and a sharp yet feminine jaw. I reached out to touch them, but the moment my fingers made contact, they dissipated into a cloud of smoke, and the other strings winked back into existence.
Disappointment welled inside me, but the feeling drifted away on the melodic refrain of the hymn, replaced by a natural curiosity. One by one, I mentally reached for the other strings, looking to see where they led to. Each one conjured visions of people and places—some obvious, like Mother and Mavlyn and Fenwood Village, while others belonged to people and places I didn’t recognize. I wish I knew whether they were from my past or my future, but the universe didn’t seem to differentiate between different points on the timeline.
I supposed the truth would reveal itself to me, in time. If I even remembered all of this when it was over.
Looked down at my palm, I noticed there was another string, this one not attached like the others, but laying contentedly in my palm, as if waiting for me to tie it to myself. I lifted my head as I followed its ember glow, and sucked in a sharp breath at the sight of a flaming red and gold dragon hovering before me. Our eyes met, and my heart sang in recognition. This was the metaphysical incarnation of Einar’s soul, and the string that flowed from the tip of his fiery tail into the palm of my hand was the representation of our bond. It wasn’t connected to me, not yet. But it could be, if I wanted it to.
I closed my hand around the thread, and a comforting pulse of warmth traveled up my arm and into my heart. Smiling, I tucked the thread into my pocket for later, when the time was right.
And then I reached for the thread that was tied to my chest.
The moment I touched it, a bluish-white orb appeared in front of me, emanating a light so fierce I had to squint my eyes against it. Tears blurred my vision as the orb unfurled into a long, sinuous shape, and when I blinked them away, I found myself staring at another dragon.
But this wasn’t the fiery spirit I’d seen earlier. This dragon was carved out of ice—it shimmered in the rows of crystal scales that flowed over her muscular form, glinted sharply in the icicle-like spikes jutting from her spine. Her cornflower-blue eyes glowed with an inner flame that called to something within me, and I knew in an instant that she was me, and I was her.
This was the spiritual manifestation of my beast.