Page 23 of Darkening Truth
“I think I might be offended,” I say with a grin, so he knows that I’m not being serious.
He chuckles and pulls me close, kissing me once, as he says, “Don’t be. I love it.”
I grin, “Smooth, nicely done.”
He shrugs, “I thought so.” Becoming serious again, he adds, “Just be careful, please.”
“Don’t worry, I have no intention of going through everything that I did, only to die in my own dream,” I say seriously.
He nods and watches me with even more worry than before as I move back over to the door. Maybe reminding him of my most recent near-death experience wasn’t the best idea.
It seems like kissing him in the woods unlocked his affection, and I really hope that he carries on kissing me at every opportunity when we’re awake too. I also kind of hope that it prompts the others to do the same, because apparently I’m greedy, and I want all the kisses from all of them.
And more.
But for now, I’ll settle on kisses.
Refocusing, I reach my magic toward the door. I try to convey through my magic that I’m not a threat, and I just want to learn what happened here. It surprises me when the magic guarding the door reaches for me as well, and it doesn’t attack like I assumed it was going to.
It seems to be studying me and my magic intensely, trying to determine if my intentions are pure.
It’s strange, but there is something familiar about the feeling of it, and even stranger, a part of me seems to recognise it. It takes me a moment, but I think I know why it feels familiar. The magic feels like my house, the one in the Shadowlands that I’m restoring. At least, I think that’s where I recognise the magic from.
I’m guessing that means that this castle might be sentient.
Without me having to pull any of the spells apart, they simply retreat, and the sound of the door lock clicking open echoes around us.
“Wow, that was quick,” Zev grins, looking slightly surprised.
I shake my head, “I didn’t have to pull any of the magic apart, it just opened for me.”
“That’s odd.”
“It’s been alone for a long time, I think it’s possible that it just wants some company,” I say, as I put my hand on the door handle.
“You’re speaking as if it’s sentient,” Zev says as the door swings open without me doing anything. “Never mind, I think that answers my unspoken question. This place definitely appears to be sentient.”
As we step inside, all of the lights come on, lighting up the space in front of us, and the four fireplaces, two on either side of this huge entryway, burst to life.
“Yeah, I don’t know to what extent, but I’m pretty sure that there’s magic still left in the castle,” I reply needlessly. Looking around, I add, “Thank you for allowing us entry.”
Nothing happens, but I know that it heard me. It’s always important to say thank you when magic is involved.
Unless you’re dealing with certain types of Fae, but that’s a whole other issue.
It is strange to me that this place feels like the house in the Shadowlands to me, but maybe that’s part of the dream. Even if this isn’t a typical dream, like Zev said, I might still be pulling things from my awake life and transferring them here.
That’s going to be my theory until proven otherwise, anyway.
“There aren’t any piles of bones,” Zev says with a frown as we move further into the massive space.
Everything is covered in a thick layer of dust and grime, but he’s right, there aren’t any bones. There’s no sign of a fight at all, nothing is damaged.
“You’re right,” I start, and then freeze.
A boy, around the age of twelve, suddenly appears in front of me. His edges are wispy, and if I didn’t know any better, then I would say that he is very clearly a ghost.
“Hello, miss,” he greets me with a warm smile.
