Page 6 of Tethered Magick

Just understand there’s no going back if you choose to do this,Dason added, picking up on our conversation from my thoughts, his voice drowning out Jolon’s, making it sound farther away.You can tell him no, or I can do it for you if you’d rather, unless you actually want to go through with this,he offered gently, letting me know he’d support whatever decision I made. He’d shut this down and take me home if I asked. When it came to his pack, Dason was possessive and protective. He wouldn’t let me feel pressured into this choice.

I took a breath.

Did I still want answers? I wasn’t so sure. Sometimes ignorance was bliss, but then again, I’d never been one to back down from a challenge, and even if I didn’t like what I learned, maybe there’d be freedom in knowing what had happened to me, to my mother, and why I was left on the Kentwell’s doorstep.

“Okay. If you think you can help.” I took Ashkii’s proffered hand and let him pull me from my chair.

“I have the rather unique ability of divination,” the elder informed me, his aged voice warm. “Unfortunately, I can only see what the spirits grant me access to, and I can only view things you yourself were present for, but I’m hopeful I’ll be able to perceive enough of your past to divine answers to your questions. Usually I take a drop of blood, but that may not be a wise choice with so many unmated males nearby. Can you let the tears in your eyes fall, dear?”

I sniffled and blinked a few times, letting the water that had gathered in my eyes drip down my cheeks. Ashkii swiped his finger along the curve of my face and captured the droplets. “I just need a bit of your DNA,” the elder said. “This should do nicely.”

In a swift move, he flipped my hand over, dropped the tears into my palm, and let them pool in the center. His eyes turned white between one blink and the next as the liquid spread along my lifelines.

Ashkii’s white magick appeared between us, hovering and swirling in the air like smoke.

“Only you and I will be able to see the pictures in the magick. The others will see my magick as it is now. Nondescript,” he explained. “Now blink, child.”

I did as he said, gasping when the color bled from my vision, turning the world black, white, and gray. Only my tears remained in color, taking on a bluish hue as they ran along each line of my palm.

The magick crackled and spit, and then the wisps began to take shape, showing us pieces of my past like an old VHS tape on rewind. It didn’t take long until I was a kid, then a toddler, and then a baby. I saw the moment Carlisle found me on his doorstep, the person who placed me there just out of reach. All I could catch was a set of masculine hands I didn’t recognize.

And then the picture shifted once more.

“There.” Ashkii hummed happily, slowing down the hazy memory. “Do you see her?”

A woman’s figure emerged within the eddy of magick. Her hair was plastered to her beautiful face, and her eyes were tired yet bright with happiness. Her lips moved, but the memory, the vision, was silent.

“This is the first memory in your consciousness. That’s your mother.”

A speechless breath escaped from my lips. “Mom?”

Slowly, so fucking slowly, I watched the life bleed out of her eyes and read the last words she ever spoke.I love you.

The memory turned into a flurry of movement, and a deep sadness stole through my chest as the magick faded, leaving me standing before the regular, colorful world once more.

I stumbled backward, and Jolon caught me. “Lorn! Baby. You’re alright. I’ve got you, firecracker.”

He’d used the endearment to remind me of my strength and sass, but nothing could erase the reality I’d just faced.

My heart was like a lake with no water, empty and alone, though I was surrounded by people on all sides.

“No.” My voice was airy and breathless, and my head ached from the memories Ashkii had pulled from it.

“You were correct.” Ashkii nodded soberly to his counterpart while I leaned into Jolon, happy to let him support me.

Elan tensely stared into the shadowy forest while downing the rest of his drink. “My mate died giving birth to a child she never should have been carrying,” he stated in disgust.

Dason growled unhappily as he shifted forward, letting Elan know he’d crossed a line. It warmed my heart and helped to ease a bit of the sadness.

You’ve got us,nizhóni. You’re not alone, Chayton reminded me gently, always my rock.

“I can’t change the past, as much as I wish I could. Watching my mother die was like a dagger to the heart, but in the brief moment we had together, I know she loved me. Whatever happened to her, I could tell she didn’t regret me.” I met Elan’s hardened gaze that, for a moment, held nothing but contempt and sorrow.

“Of course not, child. I completely agree with you. She loved you very much, right until the very end,” Ashkii soothed, his hand rubbing the outside of my arm before he turned and went back to his seat.

Elan continued to stare until Tye surprisingly barked, “Dad, enough.” Only then did his expression morph back to the professional mask he wore as an elder.

I relaxed marginally and let Jolon pull me down onto his lap as he retook his seat.

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