we’re doing is a little shady. I mean, we should be focused on the prophecy, not holding seances or whatever it is we’re going to do.
And Zaid?
“Not Zaid,” I say with an adamant shake of my head. “No way.”
“Yes way. He’ll be able to give you some direction. He’s the most supernatural being we have here,” Rainey replies as she actually sends a text that I presume goes straight to Zaid.
My eyes are wide with astonishment. “Did you just… text Zaid?”
“Yeah, why?”
“You actually have his phone number?”
Rainey smiles. “Yes, I have his phone number. Had it for a while now. We also play Words with Friends.”
I sink back into my chair and put my hand to my forehead, sure I’m in the middle of an aneurysm. My eyes pin on Rainey. “You’re actually like… friends with him?”
“He’s a sweetie,” Rainey chirps, and I know I’m in the Twilight Zone now.
It’s not long before Zaid trots down the spiral staircase. He actually smiles at Rainey before scowling my way as he comes to the table. “So, you want to try to make contact with your sister in the Underworld?”
His words aren’t exactly warm to the idea, but he’s not shutting me down. I decide to take a confident role. Straightening, I say, “Yes. I do. I want to see if I can communicate with her. If I’m successful, she could have information that could be crucial to our quest.”
Okay, that might have been hamming up the potential for using Zora, but it was a possibility, so not exactly an untruth.
“Are you going to try to stop me?” I ask tentatively.
“No,” Zaid replies without hesitation. “But I want to make sure you’re as safe as can be or else Carrick will skin me alive. I’ll try to coach you along.”
“Have you done this before?” Rainey asks.
Zaid shakes his head. “No. Daemons don’t have those abilities, but I’ve been around a long time and seen more forms of dark magic and power than you can ever imagine. And make no mistake about it, your sister is dark.”
Rather than reassure me with his presence, I’m afraid the mere fact Zaid feels like he needs to watch over me means something bad is going to happen.
Yet, I’m determined.
“So… um… what should I do?” I ask Zaid.
He nods over to the two cushioned seats before the fireplace. It’s a set up for pleasure reading, but we rarely read over there. “Take one of those chairs. Just get relaxed.”
I do as Zaid suggests, and he follows me there. Rainey stays at the conference room table, for which I’m glad. I don’t want anyone hovering.
As if reading my mind, Zaid stands several feet away once I settle into the chair, feet planted on the floor and my hands gripping the armrests so hard I’m afraid my bones might crack.
“Relax,” Zaid barks, and I shoot him a side glare. “And pick something to focus on.”
I roll my neck, then my shoulders. Taking in a few deep breaths, I release my death grip on the chair. I stare into the cold fireplace, which I’ve never seen lit because we’ve never bothered with ambiance down here.
“Try to picture the Underworld in your mind.” Oddly, Zaid’s voice is slightly soothing, which means I’m receptive to his instruction. “The way the caves smelled as you walked through them, and how you felt when you first came out on the ledge and saw the vastness of the Caverns. Remember how you had no fear walking through the streets… and keep that confidence. Recall what Zora looked like in the mirror and be confident she’s still waiting for you somewhere in there.”
I listen carefully to every word Zaid says as I stare at the fireplace, and I can feel my focus start to become keen. The rest of the room fades away until all I see is the fireplace, and then even Zaid’s voice goes softer and softer until I can’t hear him anymore.
The fireplace is made of old red brick, empty except for soot marks leading upward along the walls. There’s not even an iron basket to hold wood, so it’s easy for me to narrow in on the black soot marks.
Black like the walls of the caves I’d walked through. Black being the color that represents darkness and all the atrocities living in the Underworld.
Black meaning evil.
There’s a feeling as if something is rushing toward me, or maybe I’m being pulled to the fireplace. The sooty back wall is right in front of