Exaltation (Insight #11)(81)



“Raven, what did you see?”

She glanced to the side as her eyes glassed over and guilt absorbed her. “I saw someone that was sad…broken…heartbroken.”

Jamison stood. A half second later he was standing before her and lifting her chin. “You were led to him,” her eyes told him yes. “Did he say anything?”

Raven’s breath caught. “He must have known a girl with my first name. She might have kind of looked like me.”

Emery gasped ever so slightly as she pulled her hand to her mouth.

“Raven, you know that’s not true. You know he was speaking to you.” She’s not ready for this…look how terrified she is, Jamison’s thoughts warned.

Raven swallowed nervously. “And I know he’s dead. So whatever you think I should wait for is gone.”

Jamison searched her eyes rapidly, seeing that she didn’t believe her own words. “Nothing is absolute, little one. No death can fight the pull of souls made of one.”

Raven’s lip trembled. “Then why am I afraid?”

Jamison pulled her to his chest, ran his hand down her back. “Because you’re young, because he makes this real, and you don’t want it to be, not yet.”

Raven clenched her father’s back, knowing he was right, exactly on point.

“He’s not hurt, though, right?” she asked.

“No, but I want to see him. I need you to show me,” Jamison said, leaning back.

“What’s that going to solve?” Raven asked. “Are you telling me you can raise the dead?”

“I can’t, no.”

“You know someone that can?” Raven asked with a lifted brow as she felt her stomach flip.

“In a manner of speaking, but that is not the point right now. First of all I need to figure out why he’s there, and go forward from there.”

“Go where? What do you mean? What does this mean? Am I supposed to drop out of high school and get hitched to a haunt, and fight these bad people that think I’m a solution to a problem they don’t want solved? Or am I to do that in between my studies? Tell me how two weeks ago I was skating and going to school and now this?”

“Look at me,” Jamison said. “You’re not ready for this. I know you’re not because it scares you, because you’re not driven by a call within. You will be one day. We both know it, and when that day comes you will have far more answers than I, or this coven, can give you. All I want to do right now is make sure those that are meant to be with you are. I can’t solve this in one day, a week. For all I know I never will be able to, but I cannot sit idly by and ignore the signs you are trying to disregard. Twice, Raven. Twice you were shown where he was. The Creator himself led you there. We can’t ignore that.”

Raven let out a shuddering breath. “Need a shower first.”

Upstairs the twins were already in their nightclothes, the book and a notepad in hand. Matching wicked smiles came to their faces when they saw Raven.

Raven blushed and pushed past them to take a shower. She lingered in there forever. She felt like she was at a crossroad and she didn’t want to be. Her childhood was perishing before her eyes. The carefree youth that she adored was soon to be gone forever.

She wanted the boy in the Veil safe. She wanted to believe her father could do that, help him. Doubt was her enemy. She felt like she was forcing something into place that was not ready, and that was not her style, to say the least. Bliss was all she knew, let life come and go as it’s meant to.

As she got dressed the twins updated her on the next page they thought they had decoded properly.

“This word means monarchy. I know it does,” Ash said.

Raven froze as she pulled her shirt over her head.

“Bet you double or nothing the next thing you find talks about monarchs that are at war. Divided,” Raven said.

Matching quizzical looks followed.

“I think Rydell is from a warring coven. That’s why Soren and I saw Dagen move the way he did. They had to be taught the same things about vim that we were.”

“I must have missed the lesson on how to vanish,” River said, jutting her chin up.

“The whole school thing looked like what we did in The Realm, ask Soren,” Raven said, glancing at Ash. “Maybe if we practice we can figure it out. Either way you guys need to get through those books and return them.”

“You want us to return what he stole from us?” River protested. Books in general were treasure to her.

“Return them, then tell someone he has them or something. Seriously, I have a class with him. It’s not going to be good if he figures it out. I don’t trust him.”

They made no promises they would as Raven left. She was too uptight about this deal before her to argue with them.

***

Jamison and Raven walked a few blocks in the Quarter without saying a word. Raven had butterflies in her gut, a sick feeling shrouding her.

“Ready?” he asked as they turned down another street to walk back toward the lower Quarter.

Raven nodded. She didn’t need him to coach her on how to get in. The Quarter was mystical at all hours of the day, but late at night it was like another world. Easy to imagine the dead.

At first Raven even thought she had not made it past the curtain because everything looked the same, but then she heard older music, hooves on the ground.

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