Page 39 of The Hidden
The sound of my bare feet on the stone floor echoes around me with each assertive stride I make down the hall in search of the entryway into Vedan. I find the large sealed stone doors and hammer my fist on them. There’s no booming knock or really even much noise other than the impotent sound of my skin slapping against the rock, so I start to shout for Nadi instead. Nothing happens. There’s no darkening of the hallway or dramatic green glowing effect, and for some reason, that makes me feel a little panicked. This was the only plan that I came up with in my efforts to say fuck you and get the hell out of the Eyrie of the Hidden.
“Nadi!” I shout at the sealed doors again, my desperation clinging to the symbols etched into stone. “Your fucking essence is required!”
I step back to look around and see if there’s any other way to get in. Some of the symbols on the door are familiar. Maybe if I can just recall some of what my dad taught me before he died…
“Welcome, Daughter of the Shadows,” Nadi greets me, interrupting my thought.
Her ghostly mouth and face appear inches away from me, and I jump, releasing a surprised squeak. I grab my chest and simultaneously glare at her as I recover from the shock she just gave me.
“You did that on purpose, didn't you?” I accuse, and Nadi shrugs.
“This job gets pretty boring,” she admits casually, and I can’t help the exasperated chuckle that escapes me at the unexpected sign of her sense of humor.
The stone doors scrape open, and Nadi gestures for me to follow her in. Once again as she steps over the threshold, she loses the translucent thing she’s rocking and looks more solid. We make our way back to the overgrown gazebo, and I find myself taking in the ruins around me.
“Have you made a decision about what we talked about previously, Daughter of the Shadows?” she asks me serenely.
I pull my fascinated focus from my surroundings and sober, remembering why I sought her out.
“This whole vow breaking thing, how do I do that?” I ask.
“You have to speak it into existence,” she answers vaguely.
“Yeah, you said that before, but how does that work?” I press. “I’m assuming I can’t just announcethe vow is now brokenand it will be, right?”
“The words that shatter are lost to the Ouphe people now. You will have to find them and then speak them into existence.”
I nod in understanding. “Okay, I’ll break the vow,” I tell her. “But I think in order to do that, I need to get home. I need to get through the gate so I can look through my gran’s house. I’m positive there’s stuff there that will help me make sense of all of this,” I explain.
I see a hint of doubt in her features.Shit. My plan isn’t working.
“I had a dream this morning about my dad. I was in trouble for using my ability on some neighborhood animals. I had bonded them to me, and I completely forgot that it ever happened until now,” I divulge, as I stare at my hands and wonder just what I’m capable of. “My dad was teaching me to read your language as well as speak it, and I know he had to have books and things back at my gran’s place that will help me remember how.”
Nadi observes me silently for several beats. The quiet is borderline uncomfortable, but I bite my tongue and its need to fill the quiet with useless rambling, and wait. The longer she stares at me, the more worried I start to feel. If she can’t help me get to the gate and figure it out, I just might be screwed.
“As I said before, child, the Ouphe will assist and support you in any way possible. As they were the keepers of the gates, they would be the best source of information on how to navigate them.”
Well, shit. I was really hoping Nadi could just tell me.There’s no way I can find the Ouphe in a land I know nothing about, with threats lurking around that I’ll probably never see coming. That feels like a solid plan if my goal is getting murdered, but since I really just want to get home, this suddenly feels like a hard pass. I rub my hands over my face and heave an exasperated sigh.
“Nadi, I get lost in this castle; there is no way I will be able to just wander out into this world and hope to stumble upon the Ouphe,” I explain and immediately start thinking through what my other options might be. Maybe Tysa can help me.
“You wouldn’t need to go all the way to the Ouphe, child. I can send my essence to let them know to meet you at a rendezvous point. I would also supply you with a map so you would know exactly where you’re going.”
My head snaps up on the word map.I’m a fucking idiot.How the hell did I not think of a map?
“That could work,” I admit, my voice reflecting the shock I’m feeling.
A cream-colored cloth appears in Nadi’s grasp. “It will take half a moon cycle to get there, but when you do, a guide will be waiting for you.”
“Just like that?” I ask, suspicion bubbling up inside of me. This feels too easy.
“I can offer no guarantees about the gate and how it works, but our people will help you to acquire all that you need to be successful. Our existence depends on it,” Nadi explains.
It’s not exactly the answer I was looking for, but at this point, it’s probably my best bet. Fuck knows Zeph isn’t keeping his promise to take me home, and I’d be stupid to think he ever will. Something is going on with him and the Hidden that he’s not telling me about, and I’m just sitting here like a dodo bird, pretending I’m safe and not surrounded by self-serving assholes. It’s time to pull my head out of the sand and start making shit happen for myself.
I take the cloth from Nadi’s outstretched hand, and with that, Nadi disappears. I twirl around just to be sure she’s not behind me or something, ready to freak me out again, but she’s nowhere to be seen. Wind wraps around me like a cyclone, and I’m once again thrown out of Vedan’s doors. I crash to the floor as the stone entrance seals itself, and I go full grumpy old man and shake a closed fist at the now closed archway.
“That’s not funny, Nadi,” I shout into the empty hallway, and my anger bounces all around me, ricocheting off the stone walls.
