Page 44 of Inked in Emeralds (Inkbound #3)

T he mausoleum melted away, and in its place stood a single podium carved from gray stone. On it sat two crystal balls, each glowing softly. A delicate hourglass stood between them, grains of sand already trickling down.

“This is a test of courage. Not leading with head or heart but being brave enough to make the hard decision when it matters most.” The sphinx’s voice rang out, its strange, shifting tones filling me with unease as it spoke a single word of direction. “Choose.”

My chest tightened as I stepped closer. In front of the first crystal ball, there was a detailed depiction of a human heart, complete with veins and arteries, etched into the stone podium. In front of the other, a brain, its grooves and folds so lifelike I could almost see it pulsing.

“What do you see?” Billy murmured from a little way behind me.

I took a shuddering breath and peered into the first crystal ball. Fog swirled, but then images appeared, sharp and clear.

Me, standing on a battlefield, magic roaring around me in waves.

Almira’s forces lay scattered and broken.

Almira herself knelt before me, defeated, eyes wide with fear.

The others—Hook, Duncan, Billy—all standing strong and safe at my side.

All of C’an Saas free, the world restored.

I felt a surge of triumph, tasting the victory I’d fought long and hard for.

It was everything I’d dreamed of all within my grasp.

Heart pounding, I forced myself to step away and peer into the second sphere. The foggy images shifted and then became clear.

Billy stood laughing, her face lit with pure joy. Four men surrounded her, eyes alight with mischief. Paddy, Scotty, Jacob, and Andrew. Her brothers were whole and human again, alive and free of Almira’s cruel spell.

Tears filled her eyes as she embraced them, the pain she’d carried for years finally lifting.

My stomach twisted into a knot as nausea threatened to overwhelm me. I wanted to scream, to throw the spheres to the ground and shatter them both into a million pieces.

A sure victory over Almira, or give Billy back the family she'd lost?

Choose.

Bile rose in my throat as the sand in the hourglass continued to trickle, the sound growing louder with each grain.

“What is it?” Billy called again. “What do you see?”

My throat was dry, my tongue like a wad of cotton as I tried to force the words out.

“A choice,” I finally managed as I turned to face her. “The one on the right is sentimental. Saving a few lives, and letting the chips fall where they may. The other is logical. The power to defeat Almira and save thousands.”

Billy exhaled, shoulders relaxing. “Great. This one’s easy, Princess.

I’ve said it from the start; your soft heart will get you killed if you don’t toughen up.

Grab the left orb and let’s get the hell out of here.

” She turned away, already walking toward the spot where we’d entered.

“Honestly, I don’t even know why I’m here for this one. It’s a no brainer.”

I shook my head, unable to move as surely as if my feet were rooted in place. “It’s not so simple.”

Billy stopped mid-step, then turned, the confusion plain on her face. “Sure it is.”

“These lives might be few, but they are precious.” My voice wavered and broke as I choked back tears.

Billy froze, eyes widening, dread creeping over her face. “H-how many lives, exactly?”

I forced myself to hold her gaze even as my stomach churned.

“Four.”

I saw the second the truth penetrated. Her face crumpled as she shouldered past me to the podium and stared down into the glass sphere.

“I don’t see them. I don’t see anything…”

The sound of the trickling sand grew louder…faster, and she wheeled around and held up both hands.

“No. No, wait! Let’s think for a second here.

Nora said not to be hasty.” Panic rose in her voice, and she pressed her hands together as if in prayer.

“I know it sounds bad—but if I have my brothers back,” she swallowed, choking back sobs, “if Paddy and Scotty and the others are with me, nothing can stop us. You won’t just have me at your side.

You’ll have all the O’Donnellys fighting for you!

And you’ve never seen fighters like us. Please, Harmony… ”

I stood in silence, swaying on my feet, tears spilling silently down my cheeks.

Billy let out a cry as she wheeled around and made a dive for the sphere, only to pass straight through it and crash to the stone floor.

She rolled and leapt back to her feet, nose bloodied, wild-eyed as I shot a glance to the hourglass.

We were out of time. I’d let my heart lead us before, nearly killing us all in the process. Billy had said it herself. This was a war, and a soft heart wouldn’t win it.

“No!” Billy pleaded, stumbling to intercept me. “Please don’t?—”

Black threads appeared from nowhere, piercing her lips and stitching them shut. She clawed at her face, eyes wide in panic, tearing the stitches away. Blood trickled down her chin, but the stitches returned before she could speak again, only made of wire this time.

And still, she pleaded, a muffled cry, eyes burning with desperation as she dropped to her knees before me.

I reached out, my fingers outstretched, every nerve in my body screaming at me to be brave, and make the hard choice. The right choice…

And yet?—

As the final grain of sand fell, my hand changed course.

Billy’s stitches vanished and she gasped, opening her mouth to speak. Before a single word could escape, she disappeared like smoke, leaving me utterly alone.

A golden glow filled the air, and the sphinx’s form writhed and shifted until a woman stood before me. Tall and graceful, with black hair tumbling over her shoulders, and eyes the color of warm honey. I knew her instantly, even though I’d never seen her before in my life.

My voice trembled. “Mother?”

Her gentle smile warmed me, and she reached toward my cheek. I leaned in, desperate to feel the touch I’d dreamed of forever, but her fingertips passed through me, no more solid than mist.

“My beautiful daughter, you’ve finally come,” she whispered, her voice rich and full of emotion.

“I’m so sorry for the pain I’ve caused, though it was a necessary evil.

I wish I had more time to explain, but the last of my stored magic needed to be used to start the trials.

With it, the protective wards around Emerald City are gone.

Almira knows you’re here and she is surely coming.

You need to get to the palace and retrieve the prophecy. ”

I drew back, swaying in place.

“I…I passed?”

Marin’s eyes dimmed as a shadow passed over her face.

“No. You failed the third trial. You were meant to choose the win. Instead, you chose Billy over the greater good.” Before I could speak, she shook her head, eyes softening.

“But your heart might be the very thing that changes the course of every path I’ve seen.

Besides, courage is forged in the heat of battle.

Remember that lesson when the moment comes again. And it will come again.”

I swallowed hard, her words sinking in. “I won’t forget.”

“And remember, you aren’t alone. You have your guardians to help.

Don’t judge Billy too harshly. The test was yours and yours alone, and she will prove to be invaluable in battle.

They all have a part to play…especially James.

” Sadness clouded her face, and I wanted desperately to ask why, but her form was already blurring at the edges, going hazy.

“I’m proud of you, my daughter. Proud of the witch you’ve become, and of the woman before me.

I will see you again someday, but not too soon, Gods willing. ”

She placed her palm flat against my chest and while I couldn’t feel the weight of her hand, something warm surged within me, filling every cell. Magic rippled through my veins, a tidal wave of power and possibility.

“My magic. You’re giving it back to me,” I whispered, voice breaking.

“No, child. It was within you all along. I just removed the doubt and fear in your heart so you could see it clearly again.” Marin’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears, determination hardening her face.

“Go to the wizard now. He has the prophecy, and a gift that will help you get to C’an Saas.

Go now. I can already sense her coming!”

Her words echoed in the mausoleum as she vanished, leaving only the faint golden glow of magic behind.