Image (Insight #3)(64)

“A member of my council wasn’t trying to reach you, was he?” he thought with an impish grin across his face. I looked over my shoulder at Brady and our fathers, who were walking toward their homes.

“Nope. Apparently, you’ve managed to convince them that Drake isn’t such a bad guy,” I answered, tightening my grip on him.

I looked past him to Olivia, who was standing near the passage to the string. As I felt her intent grow stronger, I tilted my head curiously; she wanted to go and was prepared to argue her point. Landen looked back at Dane, then to the passage at Olivia. I stepped away from him and slowly approached Olivia. As I got closer, she crossed her arms and stared into my eyes; her determination was so strong, I could see it waving through her energy.

Brady passed by me and stepped in the string. As they followed Brady, Dane and Clarissa looked curiously over at Olivia, who locked eyes with Dane and tightened her jaw; she was angry at him. He held her angry stare, then pulled Clarissa into the string with him. I looked back at Landen to see if he understood what was going on between them, and I could feel a derision coming from him; he no longer thought that Dane was the one who was meant to protect me.

“Olivia, this isn’t dangerous; I’m just going to talk to him,” I said, trying to understand her determination - and fearing the worst.

She took a deep breath. “It’s my place at your side - not Dane’s,” she said calmly.

The truth echoed in every word she spoke, and her certainty was terrifying. I looked at Landen for help, and he looked sorrowfully over Olivia. He felt guilty for not trusting her before, for asking Chrispin to stay behind. Landen’s emotion was uncalled for, though, because we thought we were protecting them. I reached my hand out for his and let an emotion of peace flow through him.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered to her. “I’d take you with us, but I know Chrispin wouldn’t want you in Esterious without him.”

“He knows I’m going with you; I told him this time I wouldn’t take no for an answer, that one way or another, I’d be with you tonight,” Olivia said

Landen looked me. She believed every word she said.

“I’m the one who’s always been at your side, Willow,” she said tenderly.

“How are you so certain?” I asked, bewildered.

“I’ve always felt it - but now, my dreams...they prove that I’ve been,” she said.

“You’re dreaming of the past now?” I asked.

“My dreams move so fast, it’s hard for me to know where I am in time - but I know that we’ve always been together.”

“Did you dream something bad about tonight?” I asked.

“No,” she said, looking down.

I looked back at Landen. “What do you think?” I thought.

“We’ll take her; I just hope Chrispin doesn’t kill me for it,” he thought.

“According to her, he already knows she’ll be there,” I thought.

“Alright, I have no reason to doubt you. Come,” Landen said, stepping halfway into the string.

A smile spread across Olivia’s face, and I felt hope rise in her soul. She stepped past Landen confidently, and he let his hand rest on her back and guided her through. I followed, prepared to lead her through the darkness she’d see. When the glow of string had surrounded me and I felt the gentle current of energy, I focused my eyes on Olivia; she was staring back at me.

“You see me?” I said in an astonished tone.

As confidence consumed her, a grin grew across her beautiful face. Brady, Clarissa, and Dane surrounded us, and Dane stepped between me and Olivia. “What is this? Why is she here?” he asked in an appalled tone.

Brady raised his hand to silence Dane, then pushed him back. His eyes then raced between Olivia, Landen, and me. “You can see in here?” he asked.

Olivia breathed in and smiled. “Chrispin has managed to bring sight to me once again,” she said.

A small smile spread across my face as I remembered that it was Crispin’s love for Olivia that brought her sight back when she was taken by Drake. We’d never really acknowledged how powerful the love between Chrispin and Olivia had to be; we were too focused on saving the lives of my other friends, trying to figure out who we were.

“How?” Landen asked.

“Over the past three days, we stood in the string just in front of Pelhan’s dimension. I meditated and listened to Chrispin’s words as they created what I should see. It took time, but slowly I began to see the glow, to see him smiling proudly at me,” Olivia explained.

“You were told to stay in Pelhen’s world,” Dane said shortly.

Clarissa stepped in front of Dane with an angry scowl. “Is that where you kept disappearing to? Aora told us you were meditating – you lied to me,” she said in a tone that expressed the betrayal she was feeling.

“I didn’t lie; I just didn’t tell you where,” Olivia said shortly.

“Wait a minute,” Brady said with wide eyes. “Why do you care if she didn’t tell you? That’s not the point.” His face showed the utter amazement he felt. “The point is, she can see; that’s absolutely remarkable – do you have any idea how incredible it would be if we could teach our family to see in here?”

Clarissa rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. Olivia smiled as she took in the overwhelming sense of accomplishment she felt. She looked at me. “I told you that one way or another, Chrispin knew I’d be in Esterious,” she said.