Page 12

Evelina

A small tunnel ran along the insides of the temple. It was mostly empty save for the spiders that spun their webs. Like much of the glade, it’d been here since long before Evelina—even before her mother and her mother’s mother.

No one knew who built Eurydice’s temple all those years ago. Perhaps it was the moon goddess herself. That was partly the reason the tunnels were a mystery, for the only key to opening it was the blood of a Manor.

The front entrance would be far easier to go through, but that would increase the chance of them being seen—and caught. Evelina led Annora and Aldric to a back gate, one that was often abandoned and unused.

Evelina had seen the obscenely ornate building more times than she could count, the height of it imposing in the forest. She glanced up, her eyes running along the triangular tip of the temple. The walls of it were grooved and covered in ivy, tiny white flowers blooming from the green stems.

Priestesses milled about as they always did, sprinkling freshly picked lily petals onto the ground—the flower of the moon goddess. They ensured the tributes were always prepared properly, stoking the burning herbs from the Nox and prodding at the coals the Aegis burned on a never-ending flame, resting atop the pillars that sat on either side of the entrance. They also kept the natural springs of water clear so it would reflect the temple on its surface—the Undine gift. Last, they tended to the flowers the Woodland brought to be placed in the gardens.

Evelina slipped past the priestesses, smiling and saying her blessings to Eurydice. They nodded to her, their eyes shimmering with a knowing only the priestesses could possess. While they were loyal to the crown, they honored Eurydice’s blessing above all else, and a soulbond was the most precious of blessings the moon goddess could give.

Still, they needed to be careful until the ceremony was complete. The Woodland queen had a sixth sense for what was happening in her realm, and she wouldn’t look kindly upon their covert ceremony.

At a stone door carved into a small alcove on the back half of the temple, Evelina stopped, turning around to face Annora and Aldric as they trailed behind her.

“Are you sure about this?” Evelina asked, her first show of hesitation.

Aldric wrapped an arm around Annora’s waist, tugging her in close and giving her a kiss on the top of her head. Evelina’s heart squeezed in her chest at how well he cared for her friend. Aldric might not have been considered a match for Annora, but no one could be her equal in the way he could.

But still… To be wrong about this was to prevent them from ever finding their true soulbonded. They only had one chance, and they had to be certain.

“There’s no one else I would rather do this with,” Annora reassured her, tears shining in her eyes. Aldric gave her a grateful smile.

Evelina turned back to the door and took a steadying breath. Trailing roots had overgrown across the stone, encasing the entrance so tightly it was hard to make out where it was. But Evelina could feel it in her bones, her blood that sang out to the ancient magic of the temple.

She pulled out the small blade she brought with her, running it along her palm until blood rose to the surface. With a steady reach, she wiggled her hand through the thick roots until her palm was flat against the cool stone. The wound from her blade stung as it met the door, but she could feel magic coursing through her already.

It was different than when she helped with the bonding ceremonies. It was as if the magic here was slower, a rusty hinge that needed a tug before it would open.

Annora shifted in Evelina’s periphery. “Why isn’t it?—”

Like a broken instrument coming to life, the door groaned and creaked, opening of its own accord until it was cracked enough for Evelina to push. With her knife, she cut through the thick roots still blocking their path and pushed the door to reveal the tunnels beyond. She turned around to face Annora and Aldric, a mischievous grin on her face.

“Letting me do all the hard work?” she teased to lighten the mood. She could feel their heaviness and nerves lift like a blanket being pulled off of them.

Annora placed a hand on Evelina’s shoulder with a soft grin. “You know that we’re indebted to you for this.”

Evelina waved them off, ignoring the tears welling in her eyes. “Thank me when it’s over.”

She squeezed through the small tunnel, praying to the goddess that no one other than the priestesses decided to come back here. It was unlikely anyone would know who Aldric was, but Annora would be recognized immediately, almost as quickly as Evelina.

Icy drops of water slid down the walls and pooled onto the ground, slicking their path and causing her steps to slow as she led them through the tunnels. She was careful to pause every few steps with her ears straining to find something on the path ahead, but it was empty .

They crept through the dark tunnel until Evelina was certain she was just behind the wooden altar that sat on the other side of the wall.

She stopped at a small cutout in the wall. It was boarded up, slants of light filtering through the cracks. But she knew of the loose board that would swing out far enough for someone to squeeze through. She and Lyria had found it after trying to sneak in when they were children.

They paused, straining to listen. Silence met them and they all relaxed simultaneously.

“Through here and into the ceremony room you go,” she whispered.

Annora looked to Aldric, her face unreadable in the dimly lit tunnel. “What if the Sacred won’t do it?”

Evelina pushed the board open for them. “We all know the Sacred isn’t going to question those that have the call to be mated. We’ve heard the stories of how she can sense a bond.”

With a final push in the direction of the boards, Aldric crouched down to slide through.

Before Annora followed him, she turned to Evelina, gripping her shoulders. “Promise me you’ll stay to watch so I know we aren’t alone.”

Evelina pulled her into a hug, whispering into her ear, “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

The board thumped back into place after Annora made it to the other side. With the cracks so small, Evelina searched for a way to watch. She blindly reached her hand out and pressed it to the wall. Her fingers caught on the jagged stone, her fingertips becoming numb from the frosty bite of cold. She ran her hand along the wall until she found what she was looking for—a single loose stone in the center. Once she slid the stone from its resting place, she was offered a front-row seat to the ceremony.

An orange flicker danced against the opening, and she leaned in until her face was level with it. Inside the temple, she saw Annora and Aldric, their hands clasped tightly and their eyes sparkling with delight, the hesitation gone.

Their luck resided in the fact that the Sacred didn’t question those who came to her—it wasn’t her job to. She was nothing more than a conduit for Eurydice to speak through, both an empty vessel and a temporary house for the Goddess of the Moon.

Evelina drew in a sharp breath, her solace in staying hidden within the thick stone walls. The only time she’d been in front of the Sacred was when she was given her affinities. It was the only time she’d ever spoken to the goddess directly.

Being in that room felt like a vortex. A person’s focus was on nothing but the Sacred and the goddess. Even with fae hearing, senses were dulled within the blessed walls. That was how younger fae had gotten away with spying on temple readings for so long. Even if it was a known rite of passage, no one tried to stop it from happening.

“The goddess has agreed to see you tonight,” the haunting voice of the Sacred said. Her white hair shone and the hollow blue ring on her forehead glowed brighter than the torches around the room. From where she was hidden, Evelina couldn’t see her haunting eyes, but she shivered at the thought of them.

A rock skidding across the tunnel floor caught Evelina’s attention. She froze. Her pointed ears twitched as a hushed whisper floated toward her. Someone else was here.

She stiffened against the wall and attempted to press herself into it. There was no use in trying to run, because there was nowhere else to go. That was the risk of entering the tunnels—there was one way in and one way out…and she had left the door wide open.