Page 191 of A Winding Wave of Magic
“Well, go on, then,” Caitlin said. “Let’s see what’s inside.”
Robbie looked on with interest. Jonathan, however, was staring at the thing with blazing eyes, like he was waiting for it to attack. I wasn’t sure, but I thought I could hear a low, thin growl emitting across the room.
Even through the cardboard, I could still sense the darkness. I remembered all too well the disorientation and blindness, feeling robbed of all my senses when I had touched the thing. It was a magical black hole. I didn’t want to lose myself in it again.
Caitlin came to stand beside me and hovered a hand above the box, careful to avoid touching it directly. “Well, you were right in one way. Penny constructed a void around it. Those who aren’t granted permission may touch it and never find themselves again. Smart, and dangerous too. Making the object a weapon itself.” She shook her head. “She always was a bit too fond of the dark arts.”
I looked down at the box, suddenly wanting to get as far away from it as possible. “You said those who aren’t granted permission. Can you tell who is?”
Caitlin looked up at me in surprise. “Why, you of course. You and Jonathan. Who else?”
“But—”
“You’ll fall through the hole together, Cassandra,” she clarified. “But Jonny’s got the power to See through secrets, and this thing is wrapped in them. It’s why Penny chose him. If you do it with him, you’ll come out the other side.”
I looked uneasily at the box, then at Jonathan, who looked shocked and even a little frightened.
“There’s really no time to waste on fear.” Caitlin poked him in the arm. “You’ve got to trust her and jump.”
Jonathan and I looked at each other nervously. Tentatively, he held out a hand. “That’s the thing about mates,” he said quietly. “You can’t get rid of me now. Even if you’re not entirely sure you like me.”
I took his fingers.I do like you, you know. Maybe a bit too much.
That full mouth quirked.I know. Maybe a bit too much too.
I swallowed. If only that were true.
It is, Cass. Always.
I didn’t have time to ask what he meant before we opened the box and fell into darkness together.
I couldn’t breathe.Couldn’t see. Black swallowed me, dense and thick, just like last time. Timeless, spaceless. The color and feel of ruin and hopelessness.
This time, however, I was ready.
My stomach lurched, but Gran’s words and Aoife’s song hummed in the back of my mind. Jonathan’s touch called me to him.
I’m here, Cass, he thought.Focus. Sing that song.
So I did, just as I had last night. I didn’t reach for his kiss, but just the memory of it popped something, like a needle to a balloon. Below us, a pinprick of light appeared, white and shining.
I’m here, love,Jonathan was repeating in his mind. His hand squeezed mine even more tightly.
I looked down. The pinprick grew by my feet. Until I could see Jonathan’s feet too. As the light grew, it gradually turned gold, then brown, then focused to the color of wooden floorboards, then widened some more until finally, with a cough and hack and desperate gasp, we dropped through the hole and landed back on the floor of the attic room, completely wrapped in each other’s arms.
Even in pure darkness, we always seemed to find each other.
“All right?” he asked, clutching me to him.
I nodded, seeing stars. After the horrifying dark, the room was striped with light. “I’m fine. We made it.”
Caitlin and Robbie were still standing together, watching us closely, hands clasped like they were going into battle themselves.
Jonathan offered a crooked smile. “So we did.”
We got to our feet and crept to the box, now open on the bed. I looked inside, terrified of what I might find. Was it really Pandora’s box? If we opened it, had that been the best idea?
I was deeply let down.
