Page 46 of Spirit Storm

“The stones could be repaired. The key cannot be replaced.”

“Enough. Stop speaking about me as if I’m not here!”

The image blurs, and my reality snaps back to where I’m standing in the ritual chamber. Asher is holding me by the elbows to steady me. “There you are. Welcome back, baby girl.”

I blink and focus on Orion and Rowan flanking me, looking worried. “Sorry. I did it again, didn’t I?”

Orion nods. “At least this time we didn’t get attacked by a giant black demon wolf. So, big improvement there.”

Asher’s expression tightens a little around his eyes, but that’s the only reaction I see to the reminder of the brutal attack he sustained to keep me from becoming Tharuzel’s puppet.

He died for me.

Thank the Goddess Mother he was also given back to me. My soul wouldn’t be whole without him.

Orion brushes my hair off my face and smiles. “So, what did you see, Pop-Tart?"

It takes me a moment to sort through the jumble of my mind, but once I’ve got a grip on most of it, I try to relay what I saw. When I’m finished, I add what I believe is the most important part. “They said that even if the lockstones fail, they could be repaired.”

Freya blinks. “What? How?”

I force the last of the fog out of my brain and try to remember exactly what was said…

“No idea. He said, ‘The stones could be repaired. The key cannot be replaced.’ And then the vision ended.”

“So was the key sent to the New World or hidden in Europe?” Orion asks.

“I didn’t see that part.”

Everyone looks at Freya.

She shrugs. “I have no idea. Like I said, there is barely a mention of the key. I was beginning to think I was making something out of nothing, but maybe the importance was removed from the information handed down to ensure it wasn’t found.”

“But what does it do?” I ask.

Asher strides back over to the ritual circle and begins scanning the outer ring of runes. “Maybe it’s like the reset of the traps in the corridors. Maybe if we have the key, we can reset the rune circle.”

Orion chuckles. “Wouldn’t that be nice? Sadly, when have our lives ever gotten a do-over button that fixes our problems?”

I roll my eyes. “Uh… never.”

“That just about sums it up.” Still, Orion moves to the doorway and starts examining the runes carved into the outer frame of the stone there.

“Maybe the answers aren’t for just any witches to find,” Rowan says. “I mean… The Nine were powerful spirit witches, and they bound their energy and intention into this chamber. Since you three are spirit witches and descendants of The Nine, it’s possible that you have access to the breadcrumbs left behind by your ancestors. Maybe Poppy saw what she saw because the information was left for one of you to find if you ever needed it.”

Freya shares a meaningful look with Henrik and then nods. “Aye, it’s possible.”

“Then the three of you need to get touchy-feely with everything in here." Asher gestures to the chamber around us before waving me over. "The three shall caress the ancient stones, and the answers will be revealed."

I snort at the cheesy fortune teller voice he uses, but accept the task. Because, hey, in a world of demons and magical lockstones, visions left by the ancestors for those who follow isn’t the craziest idea I’ve ever heard.

“Okay, Asher, Orion, and Rowan, look for anything that could be related to a key. Think outside the box. It could be a medallion or a sword sliding into a crevice, or some kind of enchanted object. No idea is too crazy.”

Asher flashes me a wide grin and cups his fingers into a heart shape. “Now you’re speaking my love language, P. All right, prepare for a mental barrage of possibilities.”

“Emphasis on mental,” Rowan adds.

I chuckle. “And Freya, Henrik, and I will try to trigger any other visions that might’ve been left for us, either intentionally or on purpose.”