Page 49 of Crossing Between

Quilith's arm around my shoulder tightened slightly. When I looked over, there was something different in their expression, a formality and gravitas I hadn't seen before.

"Zoey," they were suddenly solemn again, "I have kept certain things from you because I wasn't sure if you were ready."

A knot formed in my stomach. "More secrets? Haven't we had enough of those?"

"This isn't a secret, exactly. More of an opportunity. I have received permission from the dragon council to take you somewhere special."

I raised an eyebrow. "Somewhere special?"

Quilith's lips curved into a smile. "Yes."

I pulled my feet from the water, drawing my knees up to my chest. "And where exactly do they want you to take me?"

"There is a sanctuary," Quilith's voice dropped to almost a whisper.

"Hidden beneath the city. In ancient times, when dragons walked freely among humans, young dragonlings would go there to connect with their ancestral magic.

It houses what we call the soulfire. A sacred flame created by the ancients. "

I frowned. "A sanctuary? How has nobody found it?"

"Dragons are very good at hiding things they don't want found, darling," Quilith winked. "The sanctuary exists in a pocket between dimensions. Only those with dragon blood can even perceive its entrance."

"And what happens at this sanctuary?"

Quilith's eyes seemed to glow brighter. "Young dragons would enter the soulfire when they were deemed ready.

It would cleanse them, awaken their dormant powers completely.

" They paused, studying my reaction. "With your particular heritage, I believe it may help you gain greater control over your Soulbinder magic. "

My heart skipped a beat. "Greater control? You mean I could learn to use it properly? Maybe even save Ryan if he's been corrupted?"

"Possibly," Quilith cautioned, holding up a slender hand.

"At the very least it may point you in the direction you need to go.

But I must warn you. The trial is not mentally easy.

The soulfire forces you to confront your own worst memories, your deepest regrets.

It strips away illusions until only truth remains. "

A chill ran down my spine despite the warm morning sun. "That sounds intense."

"It is. Some do not survive the experience." Quilith frowned. "But those who do emerge stronger, more complete."

"And since I'm part dragon, you think I could do it?"

"Your dragon blood gives you the opportunity to try. Your strength of character will determine if you succeed."

I stood up, water dripping from my feet onto the warm tile. The thought of confronting my worst memories was terrifying. I had plenty I'd rather forget. My parents' death, the times I'd failed Ryan while trying to raise him alone, all the moments of doubt and fear I'd pushed down to appear strong.

But then I thought of Ryan, possibly corrupted by the Essencefeaster. I thought of the souls at the police station, how souls suffered. If I could learn to control my power better, maybe I could save them all.

I took a deep breath. "When do we leave?"

"We can go now, if you're ready." Quilith stood in a fluid motion, their silk garments flowing around them like water. "Or you can take time to prepare yourself mentally."

I thought about telling Varon, Elias, and Kenji where I was going, but I knew what would happen. They'd want to come, to protect me. This time, though, they couldn't follow. This was something I had to face alone.

"Now. Let's go now, before I lose my nerve." Before the guys learned our plans.

Quilith nodded approvingly. "Very well. Follow me."

They led me away from the pool to an empty space a little further away. With a graceful gesture, they called their portal. The space between us shimmered, warping like heat rising from pavement, then split open to reveal a swirling vortex of colors.

"Step through with me."

I slipped my hand into Quilith's cool grasp and together we stepped into the swirling colors. The world twisted around us, my stomach lurching as reality bent. For a dizzying moment, I felt like I was everywhere and nowhere at once.

Then my feet touched solid ground and I gasped.

We stood in the most incredible cavern I'd ever seen.

Towering walls stretched up so high that the ceiling was lost in shadow.

The entire space glowed with light that seemed to come from within the very rock itself.

A rainbow of crystals jutted from every surface.

Massive columns of crystal rose from floor to ceiling, some as thick as redwood trees, all pulsing with inner light that shifted through every color imaginable.

"Oh my god," my whisper echoed slightly in the vast space.

The floor beneath us was smooth, polished stone inlaid with intricate patterns that glowed with a soft blue light. The patterns seemed to shift when I wasn't looking directly at them, forming different symbols and shapes.

But what drew my eye was at the center of the cavern.

There, on a raised dais, stood a massive bowl carved from some black stone that seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it.

The bowl was perched atop an elaborate stand of twisted metal that reminded me of intertwining dragons.

And inside the bowl, dancing and twisting with hypnotic movement, was fire unlike any I'd ever seen.

Red, purple, and pink flames leapt and spun together, occasionally shooting up higher before receding. Unlike normal fire, these flames seemed liquid-like in their movement, and they made no sound at all, no crackle or hiss, just silent dancing light.

Even from a distance, I could feel power emanating from it, a pressure against my skin that made the hairs on my arms stand on end.

"The soulfire," Quilith waved at the center of the room. "Created by the first dragons to walk this earth, maintained through millennia by the magic that runs through this place."

I noticed now that the entire cavern hummed with energy. Not a sound, exactly, but a vibration I could feel in my bones, my teeth, my very core. It felt ancient and alive, as if the earth was breathing around us.

"What is this place?" I managed, unable to tear my eyes from the mesmerizing flame. "I know you said it's a sanctuary, but it has to be more than that."

"A nexus point," Quilith grinned at me, looking proud. "A place where the boundaries between dimensions grow thin. Dragon magic and earth magic mingle here, creating something greater together than apart."

We walked forward, our footsteps echoing slightly despite the vastness of the space. As we approached the dais, I noticed intricate carvings around its base. Dragons in flight, dragons breathing fire, dragons transforming between human and beast forms.

"This is your heritage, Zoey," Quilith touched my shoulder. "Part of it, at least."

We stopped at the base of the dais. From here, I could feel heat from the soulfire, though not the scorching heat of normal flame. This was a warmth that seemed to penetrate beyond skin, reaching something deeper inside me.

"I cannot go further with you," Quilith apologized. "This is yours alone to face."

My mouth suddenly felt dry. "What exactly do I do?"

"Place your arm into the flame. If you are accepted, the soulfire will take you."

"Take me where?" My voice felt small.

"Into yourself," Quilith's answer was cryptic. "And beyond."

The flames danced, hypnotic and beautiful. I tried to swallow my fear.

"Will it hurt?"

"Not physically. But some pains go deeper than flesh." Quilith gave me a hug and stepped back.

I nodded, understanding. My deepest regrets. My worst memories. Not exactly a fun trip down memory lane.

"If I succeed, will I be able to save Ryan?"

Quilith's ancient eyes softened. "I can't promise that. But you will have a better chance than you do now."

That was enough for me. I squared my shoulders and looked up at the fire. "How will I get back?"

"If you succeed, the soulfire will return you here."

"And if I fail?"

Quilith didn't answer, which was answer enough.

I took a deep breath and climbed the few steps to the top of the dais.

The soulfire danced before me, red, purple, and pink flames twining around each other in an eternal dance.

Up close, I could see there was something inside the fire, a darkness at its core that wasn't the absence of light but something deeper, like looking into a void.

"Quilith," I didn't look back. "Thank you for bringing me here."

"You are stronger than you know, Zoey. Trust that strength."

Before I could reconsider, I extended my arm and plunged it into the soulfire.

The sensations hit me all at once. Warmth that quickly became heat that morphed and became something scorching inside of me.

The flames didn't burn; instead, they seemed to flow into me, through me, becoming me.

My vision filled with swirling colors, and I felt myself being pulled inward, a vertiginous sensation like falling into my own center.

My last conscious thought was wondering if I'd made a terrible mistake.

Then there was a flash of light so brilliant it consumed everything, and I disappeared from the cavern.