Blind Magic: The Sanctuary Chronicles Read online

  “It’s impossible, I’ve seen him, alive and well, in the future. A vision. Please, you have to believe me.”

  Apollo shook his head as Sera turned again toward the lifeless werewolf as Artemis crouched by his side.

  The goddess smiled at Sera and invited her to come closer. “He may be gone, my niece, but one of my many animals are wolves. Pray with me. Let’s sooth his passing and your weary soul, child.”

  Going to her would be like admitting there wasn’t hope anymore. That all was locked and set. Torn between her vision and reality, Sera crawled back beside Ian and took his hand, cradling it between both of hers against her chest. Apollo knelt beside her, silent and weaved his fingers in prayer. Bowing her head, Sera closed her eyes. Tired, depleted of her magic and hope, she offered one last prayer to the universe and simply waited, unable to break contact with the man who meant the world to her, who made her realize that she had great strength and love inside her.

  “How strange.”

  Artemis’ soft-spoken words made Sera open her eyes. Nothing had changed. Ian was still dead. The frown on the goddess’s forehead was puzzling.

  Apollo inched forward, first looking at his sister, and then at Ian.

  “You’re right, sister.”

  “Care to tell me what’s going on? You’re freaking me out.”

  Artemis didn’t look at her for a long moment, as if lost in her thoughts. Sera recognized the expression as one of being in a vision. Or something similar.

  When she turned to Apollo, he had a similar expression on his face. What was going on?

  A minute passed before Artemis shook herself. Now her silvery gaze swirled over her, questioning.

  “His soul is hovering nearby, unable to leave. As if attached or linked to you.”

  Sera gaped. “To me? How come? I didn’t do any enchantment of that sort on him.”

  This time, it was Apollo who answered. “It’s not magic. Well, not witch magic. It’s shifter magic that I feel on him. You mated with him.”

  It took a couple of seconds for Sera to understand the words and she shook her head. “No, he already had a mate, but she died. We said the words, but it was more of a symbol.”

  The goddess nodded. “I see. But somehow, a thread has appeared between you, making it impossible for his soul to depart.”

  Sera’s brain buzzed, but all was blank. “What? I need to cut it somehow? I have no clue how!”

  Artemis lifted her hand in an appeasing gesture. “Calm down. I have one question for you. Answer not with despair, but with truth and heart. Do you understand, niece?”

  Lost, Sera took a deep breath and acquiesced.

  “Do you love him? And I mean, enough to lose something precious to you.”

  It was an easy answer that tumbled out of her. “I would give my life for him.”

  A quick glance between Artemis and her father told her that she may have hit the nail right on the head.

  “You may give it in the end, but what I was referring to is your divinity. As gods, we have the capacity of bringing back to life animated beings, but we have to be very quick, which doesn’t happen often. In your case, as a half-goddess, you can’t simply do that. You have to relinquish it.”

  “My divinity?”

  Artemis nodded. “Yes. But what I’m telling you, this possibility, nobody before you had ever accomplished. I don’t know what would happen to you, to your mortal body, or even to your mind and soul. You were conceived as a half-goddess... I don’t know if it can be undone. Or even if you succeed, if it will bring your wolf back.”

  A possibility. Sera was giddy with relief, elated by an option that wasn’t there a second before.

  “How can it be done?”

  Apollo put a hand on hers, making her turn to him. “Be sure of your choice, child. We can’t be sure of how it will work, or of the consequences.”

  Sera smiled. “The best that can happen is for Ian to come back. The worst that can happen is for me to die trying. The choice is easy.”

  The god smiled at her and kissed her forehead. “You have courage. And incredible faith. I’m in awe of you, daughter.”

  Instinctively, Sera took this father she had never known in her arms. He wasn’t that bad after all. Surprisingly, he returned her hug. “Whatever happens, you will remain my child, Sera Dover, daughter of Apollo. There is divinity in you, in your very soul, and that can never be erased.”

  Her heart in her throat, Sera pulled back, looking one last time at this surprising father.

  “What do I do now?”

  Apollo took her hand and helped her stand. Artemis made her straddle Ian’s legs, facing him, as both she and Apollo each stood to the side. “As a witch, you must be acquainted with the particular kind of power flowing through you, one not linked to your magical powers. That’s the one you must tap into.”

  “And then what?”

  “Redirect it in him. Until there is none. For that, you must be at full power, otherwise the energy might regenerate before you become completely empty.”

  “Simple enough...”

  Artemis touched her hand. “Simple enough, but once you start, you must finish, that’s the trick. If you don’t transfer all of it inside of him, it won’t work.”

  “And what about our thread, what still links us together?”

  “Most certainly, the thread will be broken when he comes back to life, imagine it as a reset.”

  And that’s when Sera knew that it would all work out. With this reset, Ian would be able to find a woman, a mate to his wolf, thus what she saw in her vision. At the thought, peace descended on her, slowing her heart and calming her mind.

  Sera forced her head down where Ian was lying. It was her next step, it was not a certainty deep down in her belly and she closed her eyes. It was easy for her to find the familiar flow of divine energy. Redirecting it as she was told, Sera connected with Ian. It was an empty connection, as if trying to resuscitate a hard rock. Ignoring the discomfort, she pushed the power, increasing it until it was painful, until her body was clenching in spasms and every nerve ending was inflamed and raw. And still she pushed. Pain would only be for a moment, she told herself. Now at full power, pushing her divine energy into the lifeless body of Ian. What if it didn’t work? What if she was wrong and her seeing Ian alive was simply wishful thinking? It would be so easy to listen to those voices in her head, or to her body begging her to stop, but she had to try. She had to succeed.

  When her power started to wane, a wave of pain tore through her body, bringing her to her knees. Her hands made contact with Ian’s leg and she held onto it when her muscle spasmed in agony. From a distance, she recognized the voices of Apollo and Artemis but was unable to focus on the words. Instead, she forced herself, with every cell in her body, to push ever forward. Bile rose in her throat, but she didn’t renege. Hunched down, trembling and moaning, Sera continued to push until there was nothing inside her. Her magic, trying to protect her, kept her upright and conscious, disabling her power before she could tap into her life force.

  Sweat pouring off her body, eyes burning, her arms and legs trembled under the simple efforts of breathing. Her world was slowly closing in on her, her vision wavering. Another sacrifice, but she didn’t care. Maybe not seeing was not so bad as she was terrified to look at the werewolf. If his chest didn’t move, all would have been for nothing. Sera took a moment to check that none of her divine energy was left and was reassured, and a little sad, to see that void inside her. Gone were her divine powers and, most probably, her visions.

  “Daughter?”

  Swallowing hard, she shook herself with Apollo by her side, his arms around her. Gathering the last of her strength, she opened her mouth, but only a sob came out.

  “He’s breathing, daughter. Your wolf is alive.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Sera cursed as her little toe hit the corner of the coffee table. After several weeks inside Soren’s cabin, she should have known the place of
each piece of furniture by now. But it was difficult for her mind to focus, although it improved with every passing day.

  She tried to remember how long since that day when Ian came back to life and she lost her sight again. If she was not mistaken, 74 days, but she wasn’t counting.

  Letting herself fall on the couch, she rubbed her toe and was relieved to find that nothing was broken. A good thing her bones were strong, with the number of times she lost focus in a day.

  Her body felt like lead, her energy still trying to figure out what happened. Not in the mood for fighting it, she stretched out on the sofa and sighed. Obviously, sleep would evade her again, so she let her mind wander as usual. No surprise, as her memories flowed back to that fateful day, the last time she had seen Ian, both with her eyes and with her heart.

  There wasn’t any relief comparable to the one she felt when Apollo told her that Ian was breathing again. He was breathing. Her vision had been right. Well, on that point at least, as she didn’t die as she initially thought.

  Sera also remembered the tremendous amount of strength it took her to accomplish her next step. She asked Apollo to take Ian back to Sanctuary, so he could be looked after. And to do it immediately while he was still unconscious. She didn’t want to fight with him, and it would take time for the werewolf to understand. The message she entrusted her father with was to tell him that all their links were broken. And that he was now free to take a mate as she had seen in her vision. That was his mission now. Also, she asked him to tell her friends that she was alright, but needed to be alone. When ready, she would contact them, not a moment before.

  Apollo didn’t say a word and did as she asked. When he was gone, she asked her aunt for a favor too. Sera didn’t want to go back to Easthallows or Layla. And she knew only one person away from it all. Soren. When Artemis brought her to his cabin deep in the woods, it was obvious the weredragon was less than happy to see her there, very protective of his solitude and privacy, but he accepted her presence. Sera told him that it would be temporary, a few months only. And she would then move to another place.

  The surly weredragon spent his time mostly outside, and when he came in, Sera would disappear in her room. After a while, it was as if the roles were reversed, and he was the one who rapidly tiptoed around her, coaxing her to get out of her room and eat.

  That’s when she realized she had become the surly witch after all. Not that it was in her nature, but the pain made her want to roll into a tight ball underneath the covers and never emerge. The memory of Ian’s face in her vision, happy with his little boy and his beautiful brown-haired mate was both a balm and the cruellest of torture. Deep down, she sometimes wished that giving her divinity had killed her.

  After Apollo had sent Ian back to Sanctuary, Artemis had remained close. Sera went through the motions, asking the goddess if she was sure the thread between she and Ian was broken, and cursing the fact that she was blind again. Her aunt awkwardly rubbed her shoulders, definitely not at ease comforting a human. That’s when she told her that her blindness was probably temporary, her body trying to come to terms with that energy switch. Now that it was gone, her body was again trying to cope, and her eyesight was the first thing affected.

  As she was considering taking a nap on the couch, someone was opening the door. Soren. At least her aura detection skills had come back, and she wasn’t as jumpy anymore, as it was possible to know who was in close range. And the incandescent red aura of the weredragon was easy to recognize. As she always did, she pushed up with the intention of taking that nap in her bedroom. At least she would be able to shut her mind and rest instead of being in a constant pain over what might have been.

  “Sera wait.” Valeria’s father called her out before she could reach her sanctuary. He made a quick detour by the hearth where he dropped some logs. Even if she couldn’t see him, Sera felt the usual awkwardness coming from him. He may have welcomed her in his home, but it was still uncomfortable for him. “It’s a nice day. The snow is melting and the air is not that cold. Maybe it would be a good idea to take a walk, go outside.”

  Sera scrunched her nose. “I don’t see yet, Soren. Me walking outside without knowing the layout, I would probably fall on my face, and get lost at best.”

  Another shuffling sound from the big man before her. “I wasn’t suggesting for you to go alone. I’ll go with you.”

  “Soren...”

  “You’ve been cooped up here for weeks, you need to go outside.”

  Sera licked her lips, trying to find a diplomatic way to refuse. “You don’t have to take care of me. I’m fine. I know I’ve overextended my welcome, I’ll find another place...”

  “Will you just grab your coat and take a walk outside! That’s all I’m asking for, witch! Why are people making things so complicated these days?”

  It was easy to imagine him pulling at his hair in his grumpy voice of his and that made Sera smile. “You win, Soren. I’ll go outside. Satisfied?”

  The man mumbled something incomprehensible before grabbing her coat and boots. He bundled her up like a child, a very sweet gesture, and grabbed her hand, pulling her outside.

  Immediately, Sera felt the sun and turned her face to it. Soren had been right, it was a milder day. Spring was on its way. Melting snow crunched under her feet and she hooked her arm on Soren’s as he led her on what seemed to be a narrow beaten path. Soren walked slowly, lightly pushing or pulling at her to prevent her from hitting any obstacle. His shifter energy surrounded her like a blanket, protective and warm.

  Everything seemed so calm. The wind barely made the trees creak and, apart from droplets of water falling to the ground and scurrying animals bouncing away from them, it was as if they were completely alone in the world. The smell of pine and fir trees made her think of Sanctuary, and her friends. And Ian. Again, as the pain invaded her heart and soul, she hoped one day to return, to be detached enough, strong enough, to walk back and be with them again. Maybe once Ian had found his mate and had his child. Seeing him happy and content would help her. Not to forget him, because she would never be able to stop loving him, but at least to find comfort in the fact that she had made the right decision.

  Suddenly, images flashed in her head. She saw Valeria laughing as Asher kissed the top of her head, then, Violet’s annoyed face came into view as she passed by and swatted at Finn laughing on the shoulder. And then she saw Ian’s little boy running in what seemed to be the Sanctuary’s vast kitchen. And Ian walked behind him, laughing. The mere sight of him, almost brought her to her knees.

  “Sera?”

  Soren’s voice made her realize that she just had an unwanted vision. A vision? Surprise dampened sadness. Shaking her head, Sera wondered how could she have a vision when she had relinquished her divinity to save Ian?

  Finally, she managed to form a coherent answer. “I’m fine... sorry about that.”

  But Soren didn’t budge. “And what was that?”

  Stubborn shifters! “A vision, it was a vision. Satisfied?”

  Again, the weredragon didn’t move. “And why are you annoyed with it?”

  “Because I told you what happened. I was sure that when I got rid of the divine energy in me, I wouldn’t have any more visions. And now...”

  Slowly, Soren resumed walking, silent for a moment. But it didn’t last long. “From what you told me, I’m not surprised.”

  That stopped Sera off her tracks. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, what you sacrificed was your possibility to be immortal, not who you are. You’re the daughter of Apollo and that comes with some... talents. Same as your mother gifted you with your magical powers. They are part of you. And will remain with you until the day you die.”

  Sera swallowed a lump in her throat. Soren made sense. And now she had to deal with another curse. She would have to contact Apollo and ask for advice to know how to control those visions. Otherwise, she would go crazy very quickly.

  “You’re making sense.”

>   The weredragon exhaled, sounding a lot like laughter. “You seem surprised. I haven’t lived so many years without picking up a few things, witch.”

  A teasing Soren was a novelty. “Well, too bad that all your decisions are gold, dragon.”

  The man snorted. “You are either courageous or completely insane to make fun of an old weredragon, and member of the High Council.”

  “I don’t know which one I am, but I’m just grateful that it’s a kind-hearted dragon who welcomed me into his home. Don’t worry, I won’t crowd you for long now.”

  Soren resumed walking. “What’s your plan, witch?”

  Good question. “I’ll find a place of my own until my eyesight can finally return.”

  “You’re going back to Easthallows?”

  “No. I want to get far away from... people. Maybe go to Europe, I guess.”

  “There are people in Europe, you know.”

  At least he got a smile from her. “Smartass. What I meant was to go someplace different. A change. I need a change.”

  “Your spirit amazes me, witch. It takes a lot of courage to still want to live after all you went through.”

  Sera didn’t answer him. His praise soothed her, but to be honest, she didn’t know if she would ever be okay.

  With a heavy heart, she continued walking, trying to ignore the lingering images of her friends and Ian in her head. She needed to focus, to move forward, to deal with the pain and find peace again. Or learn to live with it if all the rest failed.

  Movement through the snow caught her attention. It was swift, as if someone was running. An animal? Tensing, Sera turned her head, trying to locate where it came from, but it had faded already. Soren didn’t even appear disturbed by it, which was strange.

  “Did you hear that?”

  “Yes, a pack of wolves are roaming nearby. Nothing to be worried about, witch.”

  She tried to scan the area, but Soren’s aura was messing with her powers. After all, it was his place, his mountain. If he wasn’t bothered by roaming wolves, why would she? The sound of paws running into melting snow amplified, now heard from all around them. How many were there?