Wildwood

14. The Witch and the Devil-3

“And Asher thinks this mortal is Spera?” I ask, trying to solidify one fact at a time.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“The veil itself is a living thing. It would not allow for a way to be destroyed for the simple act of harvesting Tenix. That throws off the law of balance. The price your world would pay would be too great, what Unseens would gain would be too great. There’s no way to rebalance the scales. It would need something truly spectacular, something… once in an immortal lifetime.”

“And what would that be?” I ask slowly.

“An immortal birth. There are only two laws in the Unseen world that not even Asher can break. The law of balance, and the law of permanency. Unseens cannot die naturally, except at Asher’s hand. Likewise, no Unseen can give birth to real, new life. We can only temporarily mimic it with creations made from Tenix.” She reaches into a bottle. When she withdraws her hand, her fingertips glow gold with Tenix. She pinches the water and draws it upright, and then makes a bulb shape with her hand. When she opens her fingers, two roses appear, one white, and one black.

“Why would Asher care about…” my voice fades away, and the flowers blur in my vision. Asher fell in love with a mortal woman. And whether it’s out of that love, or out of desire to be above an unbreakable law, Asher wants a child.

“Yes,” she confirms, reading my mind. “Asher has declared that he alone will sire the one immortal birth in all of history.”

“And he thinks Spera has to be the mother,” I murmur, recalling how agitated he became, the words he used: do you remember anything yet? “Vanessa says you think Asher killed Spera, though.”

“I said Asher loved Spera. I never said Spera loved him in return.”

“So he killed her?” I ask, my eyes opening wide.

“You can’t force a prophecy into being just as you can’t force love. Spera would have to want to open the veil and deliver his child. If she didn’t want it, he couldn’t have it. But, because of the law of balance, one person can’t hold all the cards. Asher has found a way around Spera’s reluctance. Long before her time, he learned how to mark and reincarnate mortal souls. I believe when Spera refused him, he ended her life in hopes that she would return in the future in a more agreeable form.”

“Me.” The pieces fall into place all at once, and I can hardly breathe.

“You.”

“There has to be another way,” I whisper in a rush. “If there really is a law of balance, my option can’t be to either open the veil or die and come back until I am willing to open the veil.”

“Very good.” She raises an eyebrow. “The veil can also be sealed, the door never to open.”

“What would happen then?” I ask.

“Unseen creatures will never be able to cross into your world ever again. All the Unseens living in your world will be pulled through the veil and trapped on the Unseen side, permanently.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad,” I say.

“There is no change in the Unseen World; no birth, no death, no seasons. It is the land of sea and stone. Can you fathom what it would be like to live for eternity and wake to the same day, the same room, over and over, with no chance for change in sight? Can you imagine how much power Asher wields, as the only creature who can end the life of another Unseen in our world?”

“That’s not really our problem, is it?” I ask tentatively. “This is our world. You have yours. Isn’t that the way it should be?”

“Each mortal life is a blink of an eye in comparison to an eternity. Most Unseens don’t believe Seen creatures deserve the access to what you have. They believe that you squander what we could use to create so much more.”

“Whose side are you on?” I ask, suddenly wary.

“Neither. Both,” she answers. “I want the veil to remain in place. I want to keep Unseens in check, yet the Seen world available.”

“What did Spera want? Why didn’t she seal the veil?” I wonder aloud.

“Regardless of what she wanted to do, she first had to find the door in the veil. There’s only one small place in this entire world where a mortal can pass through with a choice in her heart. No one yet knows where that door is. And if they were to find it, the price of closing the door is the permanent death of the Vessel. Sealing the veil will cost your eternal life. If you choose to open the veil, you will become as immortal as Asher, untouchable, for all of time. This choice is not simple.”

“How could Asher kill Spera if he truly loved her? How could he put her in that position at all? If he loved her, wouldn’t she be enough?” I ask softly. I think of how my father loved my mother, wholly and unquestioning. He let her keep her secrets. He let her have her window. She shone even brighter when in his presence. He was the charcoal storm, and with him behind her, she was the brilliant garden.

“No one knows for sure what happened. But there might be a way you can see it, Tanzy. You might be able to find answers for us all,” she says, leaning toward me.

“How?”

“I can send you back,” she whispers. “If Spera’s soul truly looks through your eyes and Spera’s blood runs through your veins, you can witness her life. You can find the answers that evade the rest of us. You can help us stop Asher from changing the veil; maybe even destroy him all together.”

“How can I go back?” I ask, wonder filling me.

“I know a way to use your blood and Tenix to create a key to send you back to your first life. You will be met by a guide, who will show you the most important decisions Spera made during her short life. Surely you will gain knowledge of how she died, and what her plans were for the veil.”

“How can we be sure I’m Spera?” I ask, my skin tingling with warning.

“The door will only work if you and Spera are one in the same. If you need some reassurance, I can check your elemental color. Hold out your hand,” she instructs, and places a small cauldron between us before lighting the contents on fire. I reach out over it, watching the trails of smoke curl around my fingers. She gathers a pinch of Tenix, and then sprinkles it over my hand. It falls through my fingers and into the little fire. The flames spit and spark, and the orange glow deepens into reddish purple, and then lavender, and the smoke turns silver. With a start, I remember it’s Lucas’s favorite color. I am the color of lightning.

“What’s an elemental color?” I ask.

“Every mortal creature has a unique blend of elements. Your color depicts this blend, and how much Tenix you require to maintain form. You have a high ratio of water to earth, and quite a bit of fire. It seems you take very little Tenix to maintain your form. Almost none. In fact, you wouldn’t be a target for your Tenix, because there would be very little to harvest if you died.”

“This is Spera’s color?”

“It’s an exact match.”

“How can you be sure?”

“I would never forget anything about Spera. The Unseen world has awaited and dreaded her return since the day she vanished. Most of us are satisfied with the worlds existing the way they do now, and we don’t want anything to change. With your return, that threat returns. You are Spera reborn. The fates of two worlds rest in your hands.”

“I want a key. I want to see her life,” I say, my heart drumming with new purpose.

“I will need a few drops of blood for the key, and then we will need to find the door to your past. That shouldn’t be too hard though. I have an idea of where to start.”

She presses the fleshy part of my palm with her thumb, and pricks it with the tip of a short dagger. It doesn’t even hurt. She turns my hand over into the cauldron and squeezes out a few drops. Then she wipes the tiny wound with the Tenix on her thumb. It glows for a full second before vanishing. My palm is smooth, as if she’d never stuck me.

I watch on in silence as she adds a few more ingredients, and then pours the smoking concoction into a little stone vial.

“Now for the door,” she says. “Hold your hands out and make a bowl.” I do as I’m told. She scoops water from her sides into my hands, and stirs it with her fingers. The water glows. Before my eyes, it turns murky brown and begins to churn, splashing over the sides of my thumbs. In the distance, I swear I hear someone scream. I jerk toward the tent door, and my hands fall.

“Did you hear that?” I say.

“It was you,” Maris answer softly. “I was there that day in the river.”

My entire being trembles, and I am transported to the river at Wildwood. I hear my own screams in my ear. I feel the hands lifting under my arms.

“You saved me,” I whisper. “You’re who mom called. You searched the river.”

“Like I said, she knows I’m more than a psychic.”

“Where is my father?” I ask, my voice breaking.

“I don’t know. I swear on my life, I don’t know,” she says gently. My chin falls to my chest, and my eyes burn with the threat of tears.

“Mom said you said he was somewhere beautiful.”

“I tried to channel his soul for her. I saw an incredible menagerie of colors and crystals, somewhere I’ve never been before. I can only imagine it’s a place where souls go when they’re finished. It was peaceful there, I can tell you that much. I hope it brings you comfort. It seemed to help your mother.”

“Thank you,” I whisper.

“Your door is in the river at Wildwood. Can you return?”

“I have to, don’t I?” I say, lifting my gaze to hers.

“If it’s knowledge you seek, then yes.” She nods, a sad smile softening the lines of her face.

Another scream echoes in the night. I sit up, alarm coursing hot through my veins.

“That wasn’t from my memory of the river,” I say.

“No, it wasn’t. Take this.” She shoves the key into my hand. “Wait for the black moon. Go to the river. Drop in the key. Jump through the door.” She rises, and hurries through the door, when Vanessa screams again.