House of Leights (Secret Keepers, #3)(60)

Star stepped forward from where she had been standing back with Jero, both of them silent bystanders. “I have this to help you out.” She held something square in her hand, about the size of a large picture frame.

Once she handed it to Lexen, she returned to Jero’s side. My parents and Brad gave me a wave, then moved closer to Star, leaving just the seven of us in a rough circle.

“We need to hold hands,” Daniel said, and I shuffled around so that I was in between Chase and Callie. We reached for each other at the same time, and the moment my hands were in theirs, my stomach did a flip. It was like the “Chase feeling” – intense, but less … sexual. Which was definitely a good thing. It wasn’t that I had any problem with the poly lifestyle, but in this case, I was a one-man sort of woman.

Once the seven of us were joined, the energy running through my hands grew stronger. It felt like tingles that built up and then calmed down in waves. “The network exists beneath our feet,” Chase explained. “It’s a grid of energy; you can picture it as long lines of light, spanning Overworld, crisscrossing each other.”

Lexen nodded. “Exactly. These lines connect all around our world. Even into Earth, somewhat. You can use the lights to find something or someone. If you know what you’re looking for.

“We send coded messages to each other,” Chase jumped in, “because we are familiar with the energy of our friends and family. Now we just have to find the light that leads to the last secret keeper.”

Callie interrupted: “She’s going to be on Earth, right? Lexen said the network stretches somewhat into Earth, but will it be far enough?”

There was a beat of silence, and then Daniel said, “It’s not common knowledge, but since we set up the permanent transporter, our network crosses further into Earth’s energy. We’ve kept it from the people because too much network use on Earth could throw the balance off. But … desperate times.”

The council must have taken the same risk with the balance, which clearly turned out okay.

“Jero, we need your help now,” Lexen called out to his brother. The solemn male crossed over to our group, ducking under his brother and Emma’s clasped hands. He shook his head, body visibly shivering as he straightened.

“The energy you’re sharing right now is intense.” He sounded surprised. “For a moment, I wasn’t sure it was going to let me cross.”

“Lucky we aren’t intentionally trying to keep you out, isn’t it?” Daniel said with a grin. “Then you’d probably be peeling yourself off the mountain.” He inclined his head toward a nearby rock face.

Jero actually cracked a smile, and it changed his face so much. The difference was mesmerizing. He reached down and grabbed up the square frame that Star had brought with her, the thing that was supposed to help us connect. Jero held it up in front of Emma.

“Hey!” she exclaimed. “I loved these things when I was a kid.”

Immediately I wanted to know what it was, but since I couldn’t move I’d have to patiently wait until it was my turn.

“You need to let your eyes adjust, just like you did as a kid,” Jero explained. “Once you see the lines, let them extend out of the image until they reach the ground. Follow them down. You’ll understand once your mind is connected.”

“I’ll help you,” Lexen added. “Guide you along the lines of energy.”

Emma didn’t say anything, she focused her attention on the square Jero held. The rest of us were left to deal with tingling hands while watching Emma’s face go from interested to confused to frustrated, back to confused, before eventually landing on devastated.

“I can’t see it,” she wailed, tipping her head toward Lexen. “I tried everything I could to see the different image, but there’s nothing there.”

She sounded extremely upset; her eyes were watery. Lexen leaned down and kissed her on the lips, startling her, but also bringing a much happier expression to her face.

“You’re pushing too hard,” he said. “The key is to let your mind relax. Don’t force it. Try to remember that you have been in the network before. It’s the only way your secret keeper’s abilities could work. The only way the four of you could be linked the way you are. When you were born, your souls touched the network. The imprinting from that remains within you.”

Emma sucked in a loud breath. “I can do this,” she murmured, to no one in particular. “I will not let Laous beat us.”

I felt her statement deep in my soul. The truth of it. We could do this.





18





It took Emma thirteen minutes to master the mystery picture. I was pretty excited for it to get around to me, but also nervous, because I had no idea what to expect. Callie was next, and while I had a side view of what looked like a dark blue pattern sprinkled through with lights, the image was angled away from me, limiting my vision of it.

Instead I watched Emma, who was now staring off to the side, unfocused. I wondered what she was seeing. Was she actually in the network? It seemed that the only way to know was to go there yourself, so I’d just have to work on my patience.

“This is insane,” Callie snarled, breathing deeply, until eventually her face relaxed. “I just need to calm down, I just need to focus.” She started murmuring to herself. “I can do this.”