Persie Merlin and the Witch Hunters - Bella Forrest Page 0,8

felt cold fingertips on my neck, brushing back my hair. I am here, my Persephone. You must calm down. Your heart is beating too fast and you have forgotten to breathe. I became vaguely aware of Leviathan behind me, his scaly arms wrapping around my waist until my back was flush to his armored chest. I am expending a great deal of energy to join you here, in this memory. You must listen before I have to go. Breathe with me. I need you to breathe, my darling.

My hands somehow held onto his forearms, my fingertips sensing every ridge and indent of his scales, as though he really were here. I… can’t. I can’t get out.

You can, and you must. Breathe with me. I felt his chest rise against my back, and instinctively took a breath to match his. I held it until he exhaled, following his example. Over and over, I copied the rhythm of his breathing, the panic subduing in my chest. I felt as though I were meditating all over again, but within my own mind, a Russian nesting doll of meditations. Now, release yourself from the memory, he said softly, and I felt the hiss of his breath against my cheek.

Lifting my finger, I pressed it into the dip behind my ear… and everything fell away. The glass shattered and the darkness erupted into light, my eyes flying open to find myself back in Victoria’s office, panting for dear life. She stood in front of me, her hands on my arms as though she had been shaking me.

“Persie, are you all right?” she gasped, paler than I had ever seen her.

I nodded uncertainly. “I got… stuck.”

“There were wisps of black smoke coming off you, but I couldn’t snap you out of it!” She sounded as panicked as I’d felt. “You were shaking and mumbling and sweat was pouring off you. I really thought you might have cracked it, but then I wasn’t able to stir you...”

I pressed the back of my hand to my forehead. Sure enough, I wiped away a slick of sweat. “There was smoke? For real?”

“There was, but… I don’t know if we should try that again.” Victoria straightened up, masking the panic with her usual brand of firm confidence. “What was the memory, if you don’t mind me asking? Perhaps it held too much emotion.”

“It was my box dream,” I admitted. I’d told her about it many times before, though I always left out the part where Leviathan spoke to me. I didn’t want her thinking that was a regular occurrence.

Victoria pursed her lips. “Let us leave it there for today. Next time, I think we ought to use a slightly less perturbing memory. Something that still sparks sadness or anger or panic, but nothing quite so volatile. I did not enjoy seeing you like that. One should never be trapped inside their own mind.” She unleashed a strained breath. “I thought I was going to have to get some of the Scholars in here to try and release you or use a spell or two of my own. But I do not like to meddle in the affairs of another’s mind.”

I nodded, getting up on unsteady legs. “I’ve got to go and clean the dojo floor anyway, but I’ll make a note of this in my monster journal so I know what to avoid next time.”

“Good idea.” Victoria leaned against her desk, gripping the edges tight. I’d evidently concerned her. It was the closest to rattled I had ever seen her, and that, in turn, rattled me. If Leviathan hadn’t managed to get me to breathe, would I really have gotten stuck in my own mind? I didn’t even want to think about it, but as I left Victoria’s office, I couldn’t help but feel a surge of gratitude toward the monster who had given me this curse.

Leviathan and I were quickly developing the epitome of a love-hate relationship. Sometimes, when I needed answers, he gave me the silent treatment or became the master of evasion tactics. But then there were times when he showed up like that, making it impossible to decide what to make of him.

For now, I chose to be thankful, until he gave me a reason to hate him again.

Three

Persie

I swept and scrubbed the dojo for a good half-hour, wiping clean every trace of my failures and the dread that my session with Victoria had left in the pit of my stomach. I wanted to start fresh