Page 47 of Crossing Between
In the sudden silence, I became aware of a presence in the room, one that hadn't been there a moment before. I turned my head slowly toward the far corner of the room.
A soul hovered there, translucent and faded around the edges. I hadn't summoned it. It had come on its own, something that had never happened before.
The soul looked ancient, worn thin by time. Itsform wavered like a candle flame in a draft. Its mouth opened, and a whisper reached me, barely audible:
"The mask is cracking."
Before I could respond, before I could even process what it meant, the soul vanished, not fading gradually as souls usually did, but blinking out of existence as if it had never been there at all.
I stared at the empty space, a chill running down my spine. What mask? Whose mask? And why had a soul I'd never called appeared to deliver this cryptic message?
The urgent tugging sensation from my magic intensified, like invisible fingers plucking at strings tied to my very core. Though the well of my power remained empty, a hollow, echoing space where my abilities should have flourished, I couldn't ignore the persistent pull. It wasn't painful exactly, more like the nagging awareness of something important I'd forgotten.
Something was wrong. Something beyond my understanding was happening, a warning my depleted senses couldn't fully comprehend. The sensation whispered of dangers I couldn't name, mysteries I wasn't equipped to solve in my current state. I pressed my palm against my sternum, as if I could physically touch the source of this strange connection, but found only the thin hospital gown and my racing pulse beneath.
I was still pondering this when the door opened about an hour later. Kenji burst in first, his large frame filling the doorway, followed by Elias and Varon.
"Look who's finally awake!" Kenji's booming voice filled the room as he approached my bed, holding up a paper bag that smelled deliciously of grilled meat. "I brought hamburgers and vanilla shakes. Hospital foodis the worst."
My stomach growled in response, and I realized I was starving.
Elias approached more quietly, a soft smile on his face. He held out a book, a well-worn copy of Norse mythology. "I thought you might be bored," he explained. "And since we were talking about the similarities between kraken and Norse sea monsters last week, I thought you might enjoy this."
"Thank you," I was genuinely touched by his thoughtfulness. Our fingers brushed as I took the book and that familiar electric current passed between us.
Varon was the last to approach. His dark eyes assessed me, taking in every detail of my appearance with that intense gaze that always made my heart beat faster.
"You look better." Then he leaned down and pressed a soft, brief kiss to my lips. When he pulled back, he placed a bag on the edge of the bed. "Your clothes, from your home. I thought you might prefer your own things to hospital gowns."
"You went to my house?" I couldn't mask my surprise.
"We all did," Kenji was already unpacking the food. "Checked on Ruth too. She's fine, by the way. Tough old lady."
"She threatened Kenji with a frying pan," Elias added with a smirk.
"She thought I was breaking in!" Kenji defended himself, handing me a wrapped burger. "How was I supposed to know the front door sticks?"
Their banter continued as they settled around my bed, Kenji dragging in extra chairs from the hallway. The room felt warmer, brighter with them in it. The strange encounter with the soul and its cryptic message faded to the back of my mind as I unwrapped my burger.
For a moment, watching these three powerful men who had somehow become central to my life, I felt somethingclose to contentment. It was strange how quickly they'd woven themselves into the fabric of my existence.
Kenji with his boisterous laughter and surprising thoughtfulness, Elias with his quiet wisdom and gentle touches, and Varon with his intensity and unexpected tenderness.
The hospital room transformed with their presence, the sterile white walls and antiseptic smell fading to background noise against their vibrant energy. Despite the dull ache in my body, the looming shadow of danger we still faced, the mystery of the soul's cryptic warning about masks, I found myself surrendering to this moment of peace.
The warmth of connection spread through me like honey, slow and sweet, temporarily pushing aside my questions and fears. I was happy to be alive and with them, savoring hamburgers and conversation as if we were normal people with normal problems, not warriors against forces I was only beginning to understand.
But beneath that happiness, my magic continued to pulse with that strange, urgent rhythm. A warning I couldn't yet understand.
Chapter 32: Zoey
The next morning, a doctor came in early to check my vitals and, apparently satisfied with my recovery, signed my discharge papers. The relief I felt was immense. Hospitals always made me feel trapped, even fancy private ones.
"Are you sure you're ready to leave?" Varon stood in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest, his expression stern but eyes betraying concern.
"More than ready," I was already pulling on the bright yellow t-shirt he'd brought from my apartment. "I've spent enough time lying down."
I winced slightly as I bent to tie my shoes, my body still aching in places I didn't know could ache. Using my magic so intensely had left me feeling like I'd run a marathon while being beaten with sticks.
