Page 155 of Barbi and the Villain

“What about our deal, Priestess?” Nykander stands up, his energy changing.

The High Priestess chuckles.

“I am aware you have been looking for me for thousands of years. But did you never stop to wonder why you found me now? Why she came to Akkaya and ended up in the place as you? Why she knew the clue when no one else does? Did it never occur to you that the timing of it all is rather…coincidental?”

“What are you talking about? That clue was not that hard. Everyone knows about Akkaya’s flower.” I frown.

“And yet, no one has been able to find the Sanctuary with that clue. Why would that be?”

Nykander presses his lips together, his stare murderous.

“You lured us in on purpose,” he says.

“What?” I look up at him. “Why would she lure us here?”

The High Priestess smiles.

“That is for you to figure out. My task here is done,” she says as she rises from the table, turning her back to us and heading toward the wall with the hidden door.

Nykander clenches his fists by his sides, his anger palpable.

Knowing how much this means to him, I scramble to my feet.

“Stop!” I call out, hoping to deter her from leaving. If she does… I doubt we’ll meet her again.

Yet the moment I utter the word, a wave of energy blasts forward, sending the High Priestess flying against the wall.

W-what…

“Barbs,” Nykander whispers my name in shock.

“What did you do, Nykander? She’s not going to help us if we hurt her,” I chastise him.

“Me?” He chuckles. “Oh, that did not come from me. Look down, sweetheart,” he murmurs, slowly coming toward me.

I glance down at my body, and my eyes widen in disbelief as I note a lavender mist surrounding me. It’s almost like a second layer, creating both a shield and a weapon out of my body.

“What’s happening?” I whisper, freaking out. “What did you do, Herwa?” I grit out. Yet the moment my tone goes up, another wave of energy blasts through the room, this time destroying the beautiful carvings and the gilded decorations.

The High Priestess rises to her feet, wiping the blood coming out of her mouth and nose with the back of her hand.

“How lovely. You know my name.” She chuckles. “I shouldn’t have expected anything less of you.” She shakes her head, an amused smile gracing her lips. “She told me once that you would recognize me. I did not believe her. How could you know something like that without your powers?” She laughs to herself. “But you know things. Just like she did.”

“What powers? I don’t understand. What the hell is happening?” I ask in frustration. Yet that’s another mistake.

The ground shakes under my feet, and it dawns on me that every outburst of emotion causes waves of energy to disperse around me—destructive waves of energy that I don’t know how to control.

The High Priestess wobbles on her feet as she comes forward.

“Light purple,” she muses quietly as she touches the particles of lavender mist surrounding me. “The mix of both worlds.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You are your mother’s daughter, Barbi.” She smiles. “She would be proud of you—she will be proud of you. When you see her, please give her my regards. Tell her… I miss her. And I will see her in another life.”

With that, she turns to leave.

“What about the artifact?” Nykander asks in a rough voice.

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