Page 154 of Wings of Lies
She choked on a chuckle. I hated the sound. By the gleam in her eyes and the twisted smile on her face, she still thought she had the upper hand.
That enraged me more. I formed two black balls of flame, and my feet became heavy.Shit.
Her glowing whips of hair hovered around her as her shoulders shook. I didn’t understand why she didn’t attack or why she continued to cackle after what I did to her leg.
I threw my two balls of flame, needing to let go of them before I passed out. They flew toward her chest as she let out an ear-piercing scream, but right before they hit her, a ball of red smoke intercepted my power, and a knife sliced into my ribs.
I gasped, clutching my side, and turning to find a pink pair of lips peeking from a cowboy hat.
Marcus smirked and took a pouch out of his pocket, scooping up a handful of black dust. “Your father’s waiting for you, Lucille. He’s been waiting for a long, long time.” Then he blew a small amount of Nerium powder into my face, sending me into a dark oblivion.
I stoodin the same shadowed space with the glowing purple-white ball hovering in the middle. It taunted me, wanting me to reach out and take hold of my power.
“Are you ready?”
She was back—the cloaked figure.
“Ready for what?”
She thrust out her hand to the ball of flashing light. “To see the bigger picture.”
I swallowed. “But the last time I touched it, it showed me…”
“A memory of your mom poisoning you.”
“Yes,” I whispered.
“The truth is better known than not known.”
I stared at the ball of images and emotions, nervous about what I’d find.
“We didn’t rescue you from The Void, so you could chicken out now. You gave your memories away, you stopped fighting, and you didn’t even know the whole truth. Now you need to dream-walk to find everything you’re missing.”
I knelt next to the purple-white light. “How do you know all this? And why’d you send me to Magda’s? Did you want Marcus to find me?”
The cloaked figure crouched next to me, tilting her face to the ground to hide from the light. “It was supposed to happen this wayfor the best outcome. Touch your Infernus.” She stood back up. “Touch it, and when you wake up, if you ever want to save Aspen, steal the bastard’s knife. Put it in your waistband and survive.” Her footsteps retreated, leaving me in this shadowed cavern with my power.
Eighty percent of me wanted to turn away and bury it all. I always wondered why some memories about myself were clear while others remained elusive. I never understood why it wasn’t a clean swipe, why only my dream-walk memories had returned and nothing else. But the part of me that yearned to escape and live freely to master my flames, the part of me that listened to Oliver’s advice and sought out Magda’s dangerous answers all stemmed from the core of my Infernus. The untamed power within my soul insisted I take charge and remember.
I touched the core of my dream-walking power. Vertigo and purple light enveloped me.
“I want friends,Mom. All I have is you. Don’t get me wrong,” I held up my hand before she could be insulted. “I love you. I’m grateful for all you’ve done for us. But you can’t keep me hidden away forever. I’m suffocating,” I pleaded.
She walked over to me with a tender expression in her jade eyes and her soft smile.
I stepped back. “Stop. Don’t.”
My lungs spasmed, trying to find air as I backed into our living room wall, knocking down a painting of a colorful chicken.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. Let me calm you down.”
I put out a hand to stop her. “No,” I heaved. “Wait.” My hand flew to my throat. “Why can’t Ibreathe?”
“Lucille, sweetheart. I’m serious. Let me help you before you pass out.”
I gave in.
She took my shoulder, easing the strain on my lungs and heart, pushing away the dizziness. “Why didn’t you tell me you depleted your amulet?” she scolded me.
