“Because I—” I stopped, unsure how to explain. “I just know. My feelings are real.”
“Love is a complex emotion,” Elder Calaxos said gently. “It can be difficult to distinguish from enchantment, particularly when siren magic is involved. That is the nature of their power.”
“Then test me,” I pleaded. “There must be some way to prove it.”
The Council members exchanged glances again, some kind of silent communication passing between them.
“There is,” Elder Calaxos finally said. “But it is not pleasant.”
Another Elder, this one a male witch with dark hair and glowing amber eyes, rose from his seat. “We can perform the Ritual of Clarity. It will strip away any external magical influence affecting your mind or emotions.”
“Do it,” I said immediately. “Please.”
“You should understand,” the Elder continued, “that if you are under enchantment, breaking it will be... painful. Not physically, but emotionally. The false feelings will shatter, and the emptiness left behind can be devastating.” He paused, looking me over. “It is not uncommon for those stripped of falselove to attempt to take their own life. So you will be placed under constant surveillance, for months if necessary.”
“And if I’m not enchanted?” I asked, hope rising in my chest.
“Then the ritual will have no effect,” Elder Calaxos answered. “Your feelings will remain unchanged.”
“I consent,” I said firmly. “Do whatever you need to do.”
The Elders formed a circle around me, their white robes brushing against the stone floor. Elder Calaxos approached with a small silver bowl containing what looked like clear water.
“Drink,” she instructed. “Once you do, you will enter a dreamlike state similar to astral projection. There you’ll be met by a guide who will take you on a spiritual journey through your life and the magic effecting you.” She held the bowl in front of me, her brows knitted together. “You may learn many truths you never wanted to know along the way. Are you willing to take that chance?”
“Is there any other choice?” I asked, staring at the bowl and the clear fluid inside.
“We can modify your memory and remove all knowledge of Nerion from your mind. That could also break?—”
I took the bowl before she even finished, draining it in a matter of seconds. The liquid burned all the way down my throat, settling in my stomach like a tiny inferno just waiting to consume me.
“No,” I said, tossing the bowl aside. “I trust Nerion. He would never enchant me. And when I come out of this with that proof, I expect your support in getting him back.”
Elder Calaxos nodded. “So be it. Should you find this love to be true, I will help you in any way that I can.”
The burning in my stomach intensified, spreading through my limbs like wildfire. I gasped as my knees buckled, and I would have collapsed if not for Elder Calaxos catching me by the shoulders.
“Easy now,” she murmured, guiding me to the center of their circle. “Let yourself fall into the vision. Don’t fight it.”
The white chamber began to blur around me, the faces of the Elders stretching and distorting like reflections in rippling water. I tried to speak, to ask what was happening, but my tongue felt too heavy in my mouth. The burning sensation reached my head, and suddenly it was as if my skull had been split open, exposing my brain to pure light.
I screamed, or thought I did, though no sound emerged from my throat. The world dissolved completely, leaving me floating in a void of swirling colors and fragments of memories.
Then, standing before me was a figure cloaked in shifting blues and greens, their face obscured by what looked like flowing water.
“Theodore Voss,” the figure spoke, their voice neither male nor female but somehow both at once. “Welcome to the Dream.”
Chapter 26
Teddy
Istared at the figure in the flowing cloak, unable to see a face within the hooded darkness.
“I am your guide through the Dream, through the waters of truth,” it said, the voice filling the space around me unnaturally. “Are you prepared to see what lies beneath the surface of your mind?”
“Yes,” I managed, though I wasn’t sure if I was speaking aloud or merely thinking the words. “Show me the truth about Nerion. Show me if I’m really enchanted.”
“There is much to see,” the guide said, reaching out a ghostly white hand. “We’ll start at the beginning.”