See How She Fights (The Chronicles of Izzy #2)(59)

“See you soon.” Kennan bent over me and placed a kiss on my forehead. I lay back against the pillows and split myself apart. Aberto was right, it was time.

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CHAPTER TWENTY TWO


I stood, looking down at my still body. I looked up to find Kennan kneeling down next to my prone form with my hand tightly clasped in his. I could see the fear in his eyes more clearly than I had before. It did nothing to calm my already unsteady heart. I turned to find Aberto watching Kennan as well.

“We must go,” Aberto said, reaching for my hand.

“Before we go anywhere, I need to know what we are doing. No more vague explanations about this. No more secrets. I need everything. Now.” I would not back down from this. I refused to walk into this thing blind.

“You are going to brand the souls. You asked me before if it was possible to apply a mark just to someone’s soul. The answer is yes. Before you question why I did not do this to you, you must understand that this is a dark magic. It requires the person inflicting the marks to sacrifice a portion of their spirit. You are right in wanting to know what is coming. We are asking a great deal of you. If you go through with this, there will be unfixable damage done to your soul.”

Aberto eyed me steadily waiting for me to freak out.

“What kind of damage are we talking about? Will I end up in hell if I do this?” I could not see the God I loved so much punishing me for trying to save these girls.

“Nothing quite so dramatic. Your soul will be weakened. Part of the energy that creates you must be used to break this bond. Therefore, your soul is left open to more attacks. I strengthened your protection mark so you should not be in any immediate danger. I will also be there to make sure no harm comes to you.”

“Why can’t you do this? You seem to know everything that needs to be done. I don’t understand what you need me for.” It was something that had been bugging me since he said he would help.

“I am not like you Izzy. I have no ties to the mortal world.” He paused for a moment looking at me steadily, “That is not entirely true. I have not had ties to the mortal world for hundreds of years. Now, it seems, things are shifting.” He moved towards me slowly and put his body as close to mine as space would allow. He reached his hand up to my cheek slowly and looked down into my eyes. “If I could do this for you I would. If I could protect you from your fate, I would. The most I am permitted to do is guard you and keep you so that you may live on to fulfill your purpose. Now, we must hurry, Izzy. Take my hand.”

I was left speechless. Whatever Aberto was, he wasn’t quite human. I had known it for a long time, but hearing it confirmed from his mouth was a bit unnerving. Even though I was unsure of his motives, I knew he spoke the truth. I could count on him to keep me safe. I reached my hand out and grabbed the hand that was not still cradling my face.

“Okay,” I sighed. It was time. I glanced back to Kennan as we tunneled away into the dreaming.

The pressure built up inside my soul, causing me to feel as though I was being ripped in half. By the time we came to a stop, I fell to my knees. I had never been nauseous in the dreaming before. This was a new one for me.

“It gets easier,” Aberto promised before pulling me back to my feet. “We must find Ren and the other Seers. Once they have been marked, we can move on to Xavier.”

“Is Isadora already here? Have they gotten to her already?” I needed to prepare myself. It would be hard enough to see her looking like Ren, but to see it and not be expecting it would be unbearable.

“The sacrifices have all been completed, Izzy. That is why we must move if we hope to put a stop to this.” He stopped for a moment and conjured something from the dreaming. A stylus appeared in his hand. It looked similar to the tools he had used to mark my back. The end glowed a steady blue. I looked down at my arms and noticed the marks he had placed there were the same color.

“Why do the marks you have given me shine a different color than the runes that have shown up on my body?”

“Intent, Izzy. You will find that all things of mal intent glow a sickly reddish yellow. Marks that are meant to heal and protect will always glow blue. Now, I must show you how to make the marking. You will practice it on me.” Aberto pulled his shirt from his body. I stood gaping.

Mingled in with the sharp planes of his body were thousands and thousands of tattoos. They covered every inch of his torso and arms. They came up to form a ring just below his collar bones and stopped mid-way down his forearms. I did not recognize any of the symbols on his body, but I could feel their power. Once I had taken in the marks I noticed he had almost as many scars marring the surface of his skin. They were thick, puckered lines that gouged his sides and his chest.

“What happened to you?” I breathed barely above a whisper. I had thought Conall’s scars had been bad but they were nothing compared to Aberto’s. What had this man gone through?

“That is a story…”

“That must wait,” I interrupted, rolling my eyes.

“Yes. There will be a day when I will no longer keep things from you, Izzy. I swear it. When that day arrives you will wish you had never asked such questions. For now, you must practice making the mark so that you won’t hesitate in marking the Seers. I will show you how to make the symbol on my left arm and you will practice it afterward.” He lifted the stylus to his arm and began to carve a symbol into his forearm. He winced as the stylus dug into his arm. How was I supposed to do that to him?