Page 4 of Gift from the Source (Source of Elementra #5)

My breathing hitches as I stare at a never-ending hallway that seems to stretch on for days and my feet move without command. Each step forward, the ground beneath us slopes, leading us below the foundation of the mansion.

When the ground levels out, and we stop walking, I can finally see the end.

Though it isn’t a dead end or a door.

A single figure stands behind a sparkling veil .

Behind me, Tillman begins to speak, but I can’t hear his words as my eyes gloss over and my mind takes me moments into the future.

“Ry, Lyker, Trex, on me. We’ll scout ahead. The rest follow our steps,” Tillman orders, leaning down to give me a kiss on the forehead as he goes to move around me.

His slow, measured steps are followed precisely by the men he called forth with him and the rest of us hold our breaths while we wait.

Four steps in, a clicking mechanism echoes around them, and Tillman raises his fist, commanding them to halt. There’s a beat of silence and stillness as they wait to see what’s about to happen, but when nothing does, he takes another step forward, setting off the first trap.

The four of them are blasted back through the opening in the door, knocking all of us over like mere bowling pins. Their screams penetrate my ears, making my heart bellow in agony as I catch sight of them covered in some sort of slime that’s burning their skin.

Time rewinds.

This time, it shows me, taking three steps in the open threshold and dropping five drops of my blood on the tile at my feet. That same clicking sounds around me, but instead of a blast, the hallway vibrates and the illusion of an empty hall falls away, revealing the first relic we’ll encounter.

Then the next.

And the final one before the ward at the end.

Each step I need to take is laid out precisely, but any wrong move will trigger the relics. Resulting in the chaos they have the power to unload.

Blinking rapidly, my mind rushes to catch up with me, just as Tillman’s voice fades out. The gentle touch of his lips to my forehead spurs me into a panic, and I grip his arm with the strength of my dragon. I snatch his giant ass behind me, gasping for breath as the reality of how close of a call that was slaps me in the face.

“Will—”

“Don’t step on the floor. It’s a trap, illusion…fuck, I’m not sure what but don’t walk in there,” I pant, searching his eyes, running my hands all along his arms, just to convince myself he’s fine.

Why is it always my gentle giant?

He studies my face and wild eyes for a moment before understanding crosses his features. “Breathe, little warrior. Catch your breath and tell us what you saw.”

Doing as he says, I follow the steady rise and fall of his chest, mimicking the inhales and exhales until my lungs thank me for the relief. With a nod to him, I recount everything I just witnessed in the vision and all heads turn to Trex, hoping for an explanation.

“You sure you’ve revealed the room? I can’t, none of us can actually, see anyone standing at the end of the hall,” Trex says calculatingly, staring in the direction I’m pointing.

“I’m positive. And the disguise of what’s a few steps in front of us fell away seconds after my blood hit the ground.”

“The only explanation would be that each relic is covered with a triggering mechanism. X most certainly could’ve set the illusion to hide them and if it’s not disarmed properly, everything will stay hidden, even after the relic is activated. But still, all I see is a plain brick hallway.”

Everyone voices their agreements to that. I’m the only one who sees the lone figure who hasn’t moved, which makes me believe that’s the final illusion at the end of the hall. Why my revealing spell isn’t working on that, I have no clue, but I can only assume their purpose was to scare any off before they could trigger and destroy the relics.

“There are many things you will only be able to see because of your sight. Even things you can’t reveal to others. Look through the illusions, Willow,” CC says, startling me.

“How do I see through illusions?”

“Call forth your sight. It’ll guide you,” he says and then his presence is gone just as quickly as it came.

I grit my teeth at the minimal instructions, then force the words out of my mouth as I relay the message to the others. I’d like to believe that my gift and I have been working better together thanks to the amplifier room, but truthfully, it’s still very much in control. It only listens to my requests when it wants to or it’s absolutely necessary.

“Focus. Call it to the forefront, above all others, and set your intentions to show you what’s in front of you, not a vision. Be stern but grateful. You may not control it, but it’ll come when it knows it’s needed. You know it as well as I do,” Caspian says matter-of-factly, basically repeating what I was mentally thinking. His no-nonsense tone has me straightening my shoulders and shaking my head.

“You have more faith in it than I do.”

“And there lies the issue. Trust yourself and it, Primary,” he orders.

I have no choice but to listen to him. He’s more aligned with his gift than anyone else I know. The companionship he relied on with his gift has made him trust it entirely and those shadows aren’t like a second skin or an extension. They are him and they obey him like no other.

“You’re right,” I breathe.

“I know.”

Snorting at his cockiness, I close my eyes and let my smirk linger on my lips as I call my gift forth.

All right, you little sh—wonderful, gracious blessing. I’m going to trust you. Please trust me.

Come forth. Show me the illusions that stand in our way.

The stillness in response to my request has me ready to throw in the towel on my gift, then what feels like, I swear to Elementra, the vibrations of a chuckle spreads across my mind.

My eyes fly open at the tingling and the sight before me is nothing like what I witnessed moments ago.

The cloudy film across my vision lays out a blueprint from where I’m standing to the end of the hall. Not one, but two figures stand there with their hands pressed against the invisible wall between us, trapped, but they’re there.

Waiting for us.

Tearing my eyes from them, I search what we’re about to face. With the veil of the sight obscuring my vision, I can’t exactly make out colors, but I know with just a glance at the medieval design, these rooms were built to withstand massive destruction within them.

Seconds ago, the cold gray walls now reveal as bricks and cinderblocks that are thick, plastered together with black grout. It resembles a true dungeon, just waiting to keep the sounds of torture trapped in here .

Gazing down at the floor, what I thought at first, before the vision of Tillman, was hardwood is really tiled squares that are set up to trigger the relics if stepped on. The ones that are safe to cross are raised just slightly off the floor and the ones that I’m supposed to drop my blood on shine a little brighter than the rest. As if they’ve been cleaned more carefully over time.

“I see the way. Everyone just stay behind me until the illusions fall away and the triggers are gone,” I say, my feet moving before the sentence leaves my lips.

The vision I just had and my sight guide my movements. I take the three steps across the threshold, then freeze.

And wait.

When nothing explodes and I’m not shoved back or covered in blistering slime, I slice my finger once again. The five drops of my blood shine brightly where they fall on the tile and a subtle vibration in the floor has the red merging together into a small puddle.

The gentle shaking swiftly turns into trembles that rock the room and makes me sway. I go to command my air out to balance me, but just as quickly as it started, it stops.

Like a curtain falling in slow motion from the ceiling, the scene before me—everyone judging by Oakly’s and Aria’s gasps—transforms. The blueprint covering my visions falls away to the full reality of the room.

But only this room. Ahead of me, the next two are still shrouded by the haze of my sight and I assume the original layout for the others.

I couldn’t care less about how dark and daunting this square space really appears without the discoloring from my sight. What steals all my attention is the magic in the air, changing the floor’s appearance.

Right smack in front of me, maybe two feet away, a tile shifts and rising out of the new makeshift hole is a glowing green cube that’s surrounded by a smoke-like fog.

“Holy shit,” I hear the whisper, followed by some tussling, then next thing I know, Oakly’s hands are gripping my arm beside me, and her eyes are bugging out of her head as she stares at the contraption in front of us.

“What is it, Oak? ”

There’s no point in fussing at her for not waiting. It’s safe for everyone to enter now, and obviously, her curiosity slash archivist mind got the best of her.

“An Acidiate Cube. Mystara Hollow creation. It was an experiment gone wrong. They were attempting to utilize the tar that seeps from their trees to create an ever-lasting binding. It would’ve been a remarkable tool for any number of things that require sticky, stretchy texture. Or it could’ve been solidified to use as mortar for buildings. But something about their process went wrong, resulting in this green slime that basically burns and eats away at anything it touches. The supply was incredibly small, and the cube was created to hold the mishap,” she states robotically, spitting out the facts.

The proof of the recollection spell activating in her mind is obvious as she shakes her head out and the staring stupor she was in breaks. A wide smile splits out across her face before pure mortification bleeds into her features.

“You four would’ve been burned beyond repair,” she whispers, turning to look at Tillman, Ry, Lyker, and Trex, and my throat closes.

“Well, that didn’t happen, so let’s move on,” I say, lacing my fingers with hers for a second before attempting to take a step forward, only for her to yank me back.

“We can’t leave it.”

“What?” we all shout.

“It has to come with us. This can’t be left for the wrong hands to get. If replicated…” she trails off, shaking her head.

“Firecracker,” Ry growls, stepping closer to us.

“She’s right. We need to take with us any and all relics we come across. It’s too dangerous to leave behind things with such unknown power,” Gaster states, stepping up beside us. “Very good eye, my girl. Remarkable recollection. I’m so proud of you.”

The death glare Oakly was shooting Ry melts off her face as she grins under Gaster’s praise and her chest poofs up at the affirmation.

“How the hell do the two of you suppose we bring this shit back?” Ry asks .

The twinkle in his eye tells me he thinks he’s got the two of them in a bind now, but he’s sorely wrong. I’ve already read both their thoughts. They’ve got this shit planned out to a T.

“I’ll extract the relics and place them in Gaster’s pocket dimension. He’ll encase them in a protective covering until we can get them back to Elementra and place them in a more fortified room.”

“We have a new secret room to create, girls,” Gaster says excitedly, shooting the two of us mischievous smiles before winking over at a grunting Corentin.

“Oakly, please—”

She silences Ry’s words with a finger to his mouth before pushing up on her toes and replacing the digit with her lips. “Trust me. I can do this. Everything will be okay. This is what I live for, Ry.”

A long, agonizing minute passes as he stares at her, but finally that hard mask crumbles under her doe eyes. “What can I do?”

“Gloves, please. Make sure they’re fireproof. Well, slime proof, I guess,” she says, smiling, holding her hands up for him to coat in his element.

Like they’ve practiced this a thousand times, which I know they haven’t, Oakly and Gaster step up toward the Acidiate Cube with laser focus and fascination. He opens his dimensions, while she cautiously picks it up, holding still just to make sure nothing happens.

Gaster coaches her every move, and she follows the instructions to the letter. It’s mesmerizing to watch. Petrifying yes, but I can’t begin to express the pride I feel in this moment for my best friend. She’s glowing with excitement at this discovery.

Not a part of her is scared because this is truly what she lives for.

“Very, very good, Oakly. We’ll repeat this process with each relic,” Gaster says, pulling her in for a hug once he closes his dimension.

The rest of her Nexus surround her, both praising and looking for any sign of issues, although we all just witnessed how she perfectly executed that .

“What’s next, Primary?” Caspian asks, coming to stand beside me. He’s glaring at what’s in front of him, but there’s nothing to see except the cold brick hallway.

I take a minute to explain to everyone how the rooms ahead of me look through my sight and although the coloring is off, I can map everything out just fine.

“Unlike how the cube just came out of the floor, though, the next relic is sitting out in the open.” I finish, pointing in the direction of the next obstacle.

“And you know for sure the steps you need to take so you don’t set it off?” Corentin asks, coming to my other side.

“I know. Four steps forward, then one step to the right. I’m going to assume the room will reveal as I drop my blood just like it did.”

“Be careful, princess,” he whispers, laying a kiss to my temple.

“Always.”

Exhaling sharply, we cross the room, and as everyone else stops walking at the next shimmering veil, I don’t hesitate continuing on.

Four steps in, one to the right.

Just like the first time, the room shakes violently as my blood gathers on the tile, but the magic or whatever that is swirling around me, is very, very different than I experienced a moment ago.

For a fleeting second, red tints my vision with the urge to rip someone to shreds, then it just stops.

I lay my hand against my racing heart. “What the hell?”

“That fucker,” Keeper growls, stomping past me and glaring down at the bracelet-like relic.

“What happened? What’s wrong?” Draken asks, his gaze bouncing between Keeper and me, but Keeper ignores the question as his eyes bleed crimson.

“That’s the Charm of Compulsion,” Oakly whispers.

“The what?” Draken asks.

“Most vampires do not possess the compulsion as I do. I am the only one who was blessed with it naturally. This relic has been in our family for generations, allowing us to harness that ability. It’s unsettled, angry. It’s been rigged to set off a command as though it’s being worn.”

My eyes widen as what he says makes perfect sense. “Shit. Is that why I wanted to kill someone for a second there?”

“What?” my men shout, but my eyes stay on Keeper as he growls, looking down at the relic before shaking his head out.

Air gets stuck in my lungs when he snatches the relic up and it begins to glow. His smooth accent echoes around me and the bracelet grows brighter with each word that passes his lips.

What feels like an eternity passes before his words fade out and his eyes shift back to normal. The seriousness in his expression pierces me in my place when he looks at me.

“I’m afraid so, Adored. I’d like to believe you, Draken, and I would’ve been able to fight it off, but as for everyone else…it’s incredibly powerful, and if your mental guard is not ready for it, there’s no stopping it.”

I swear the second he finishes his sentence, the tension in the room intensifies as everyone commands their magic to their minds. Their blocks were already locked tight, but with that looming possibility of a relic controlling us against our will, tight isn’t enough.

“You’ll look after this for me for now?” Keeper asks Oakly as she and Gaster step up toward him and the relic.

“Of course.” She nods.

There’s no hesitation in her or Gaster as they secure the Essemist Keep relic in his pocket dimension. It takes Keeper a few beats to settle himself down completely, but once the charm is completely out of sight, he breathes through the lingering rage.

“Last one,” I murmur, squeezing his arm as he passes by me to join the others.

Squaring my shoulders, I observe the last room that separates us from the two men waiting just on the other side. Unlike the first two rooms, this third one has objects scattered around it, but I can’t tell what they are outside of darkened blobs. I have no clue if these things are about to jump out at my ass as I cross the threshold, or they’re just stationary items stored in here .

I dare a glance up but can’t make out anything about the two figures. I know it’s Xander and Dec, waiting for this last bit of separation to crumble. Dec’s last words to us in our dream plays on repeat in my mind.

If you find her blood, you find us.

Well, my tracking dragged our asses here, so it has to be them, and they have to be guarding my blood. There’s no other explanation, nor will I accept anything else.

I tear my eyes from them and swallow down my doubt at the absence of a visible relic. I put every ounce of my faith in my sight to show me what to do.

The tiles in front of me begin to glow, showing me the steps to take, and my gaze follows the trail all the way across the room to the ward waiting at the end.

What not even two seconds ago were silhouettes is now a shining rune. The power pulsing off it thrums across my skin like the vibrations of banging on drums.

Shit.

I take my steps cautiously, turning my head from side to side with every move just to make sure the darkened blobs haven’t changed. With each foot I grow closer to the ward, though, the feeling of being crushed presses down on my shoulders.

“There’s a rune. I’m sending you an image of what it is,” I warn Oakly seconds before sending to her mind what I’m looking at.

“Fuck.”

“Don’t say fuck right now,” I scold, staring at the intricate design with even more apprehension.

In the center of the circle surrounding the rune is a large X with a line going straight through it. Right in the middle where the line and X touch is another small circle, grouping the pieces. I have no clue what the starting point or end point is. The designs just flow perfectly together.

“Sorry, sorry. Okay, everything’s fine. You haven’t touched it yet, right? You have to do it in order or it’s going to squash you.”

“Excuse me?” I ask, then shake my head. No time for freak-outs. “Of course I haven’t touched it. Whatever it is. ”

“Good. Well, this isn’t good, but in short, that’s the sigil for the strength of a giant. There’re beings in Mystara Hollow who are, well…rather small, powerless. In the past, they’ve been brutalized and enslaved for their weaknesses. The giants, on the other hand, are natural protectors and very defensive of weaker beings. The two opposites came to an agreement of sorts. Although weak, any being in Mystara Hollow can activate a rune, and the giants allowed some of them to harness their strength. It’s a mutual agreement and once the caster says their incantations, the giant would lay their hand on them. The caster’s magic would weave around the touch, and be branded with the rune, allowing them to access the strength.”

“So this is a universal rune from the giants?”

“Umm, yes and no. It’s complicated. The sigil design is always the same, but the rune and its strength will be different depending on the giant. Also, a giant had to have laid their hand on this ward. The mechanisms have obviously been altered because typically only the original caster can remove this rune, but we already know your blood is going to work. Start with the straight line, then the X, the smaller circle, finish on the large one. You got this, just do it.”

I hear the tremor in her tone—her attempt to hide her fear from me—but I push that out of my mind and focus on her straight to the point delivery and instructions.

Just do it.

Do it right and don’t get squashed like a bug.

My bloody finger touches the top of the straight line, and I force myself to stay still, although my body’s natural reaction is to snatch my hand away the second a painful shock shoots through me. I hold firm as each drag across the rune has the pins and needles intensifying, causing my arm to shake uncontrollably.

Last little bit, Willow.

Lifting my trembling hand, I trace the large circle as I exhale slowly. The second my points touch, the entire room seems to freeze. The roaring silence has the hair on the back of my neck standing on ends, but my eyes stay locked on the ward as it begins to sway .

With little warning, it crashes down like a wave hitting the shore. The force of it has my hair flying behind me, and I shield my eyes from the wind with my arm. The chaos settles seconds later, and my breath whooshes out of me on a stunned laugh when my gaze lands on Dec and Xander.

“You’re both okay,” I whisper as a smile starts to spread across my face.

My elation for our victory only lasts a fleeting moment, though, as my excitement isn’t reciprocated. Instead, I’m met with concerned, almost panicked expressions.

“Willow, don’t freak out,” Dec says, holding both of his hands up.

“What’s going—”

My sentence morphs into a gasp as the floor beneath me trembles and I see why, or rather who he was attempting to warn me about.

“Dec…that’s a fucking giant.”