we could just forget about it and never know the truth about your parentage.” He didn’t do sarcasm well.
Sighing, I snatched a pin from the holder, then sucked in a deep breath and pricked my finger, wincing at the sting. I squeezed the tip, letting a drop of blood fall onto my palm. I thought only of the globe and willed it to life. The familiar pull and tingle rushed through my body. The silver globe sprouted, and I recited the key.
Professor Attwood came around the desk and stood beside me. “Ask it to reveal your true parents.”
“Show me my real parents,” I ordered the globe.
A blurry movie played across the surface of it. The actors were Marietta and Carrig. I wanted to reach into the globe and touch my mother. She was so alive, soft brown hair tumbling around her shoulders and full lips pressed together as she stroked Carrig’s cheek.
Carrig pulled her into an embrace. “I love you.”
“I love you, as well.” A bruise shadowed the side of my mother’s face. “It’s against the laws for us to be together.”
Okay, it was more like a Lifetime movie, except her bruise bothered me.
“When you were on the verge of death,” Carrig continued, “I wanted to die me self. I cannot live without you.”
“You are all I think about, my love,” she said, tears drenching her cheeks. “I can hardly breathe when you’re not around. We’ll meet secretly, but we must be careful.”
“We will,” Carrig said, cupping her face and wiping the tears away with his thumbs.
I glanced at Professor Attwood. “Does that mean they’re my parents?”
“The globe shows the truth. It cannot lie.” He rubbed his temples. “I remember when Marietta was injured. She came out of the gateway book battered and bloodied. A hound had attacked her, and she was barely alive. Carrig did seem overly concerned about Marietta, and now I know the reason for it.”
“Guess they weren’t very careful.” I popped the globe with my fingertips.
“They were foolish. The cost would’ve been banishment to—”
“Where? Where would they send them?”
“To Somnium. There are many isolated habitats within the Somnium. It’s a place of limbo. As if being in a dream state of nothingness forever.”
“Well, that doesn’t sound so bad,” I said.
“Can you imagine nothingness? A desolate land that never changes, and where you are alone forever?”
I gulped. “That does sound bad. Where is it?”
“The entries into the habitats are in the libraries,” he said. “We know the locations of some and use them as prisons. The ones we haven’t found are like trap doors. You could come across one without knowing and it’ll pull you in.”
The traps Arik mentioned. I shuddered. “That’s creepy. I’m never going in a library again.”
“There is a way of sensing the energy around the entries of Somnium. I’ll teach you.”
“Well, that’s good. I think. But what about humans? What happens if they get sucked into the Som…the Som-thingy?”
“Somnium,” he corrected. “Humans are immune to the traps.”
That sounded legit. “So what are we going to do about me being…you know?”
He gave me a questioning look.
“The Doomsday Child…the Coming or whatever you guys call it.”
“I’m not certain, but we’ll sort it out. I need to train you posthaste so you can protect yourself. The attack on the Haven yesterday is only the beginning. I fear other tribes will fall to whatever evil is about.” He scribbled something on a notepad. “Is there anyone else who knows who your parents are?”
“Well, Carrig, of course, my Nana, Merl…and Arik.”
He placed his pen down. “I wonder why Merl didn’t tell me about you.”
I shrugged.
“You must perform a truth globe on Arik immediately. I’m going to give you a book on charms and one about the Mystiks. Study ferociously, for you will need to prepare yourself in case of an attack. Learn each Mystik species’ weaknesses.” He went over to the bookcases and searched for the books. In small ways, his movements reminded me of my mom.
I thought about Pop with Mom. If she’d really cared for him. Then I imagined Pop with my changeling and knew she couldn’t love him the way I do, although she probably would over time. Did he notice a difference between us? That she wasn’t me? I resented that she’d slipped into my safe life while my whole world spun upside down. But mostly I was sad that she had kind, loving Pop and, except for Nana, I was pretty much alone. I wanted to tell Pop I loved him, but it