Page 133 of Gift from the Nexus

“I will tell you all you need to know, young one. I have waited many, many years for you to come.”

Finally. At least someone will tell me everything when I ask.

“Keeper, as you call him, is the heir to the Essemist throne. He’d not taken power before our departure but was readying to. A responsibility and task he was assigned to complete in due time before his crowning, was to travel the realms that welcomed our kind to introduce himself and fortify the good faith we had with our neighbors, continue to encourage tradeand exploration. His parents were lenient, too lenient, with him and with the time frame they allotted him to be gone because they had full faith in him.

“He has always been a man of his word, smart and powerful beyond many of our realm’s comprehension, and above all else, loved and honored his family, his duty. It was his first taste of freedom, though, and that scholarly mind of his fell in love with this realm. There was so much to learn, to discover. We spent far longer here than we should have. He hadn’t even realized that portals were closing he was so caught up in the newness, the fascination of Elementra.

“He spoke to the ruling family when the rogue vampires who didn’t abide by the new laws were being put into the forest. The rulers did not want to hear his solutions, nor did they believe he was who he claimed to be. Due to that and him having no proof that he had found his Nexus, a Nexus he would never have, he was seized and thrown into the forest. That was back when our mental link was still fully intact, so he told me to hide, and he would come for me as soon as he could. So I did, in here. It took many years, but eventually, with no physical contact with one another, our link perished. Your creator came to me sometime after that and told me all about you and the evil that would find me first. She warned me that if I didn’t cooperate with him for the time being, he’d use me to do unspeakable things and make Keeper’s life much, much harder. So I have stayed put, chained by this magical contraption as his prisoner, waiting for you.”

In this pitch-black darkness, it’s hard to see but incredibly easy to hear, and the jingle of chains draws my sight to the sound. Tears of rage and sadness well in my ghostly eyes because she’s literally chained to the fucking wall.

A lump forms in my throat as I repeat her story in my mind because based on her timeline, it was the guys’ grandma who was the ruler of the time and from what they’ve told me, itdoesn’t surprise me that he got thrown into the forest unjustly. The entire situation for both is unjust and wrong.

“The Summum-Master is a great evil and a complete psycho. He’s hunting for me. He’s threatened to come get me himself in two mornings, so that’s when we are going to the forest,” I tell her.

“You must free him.”

“I want to but…What all did he communicate to you before your link perished?” I ask.

“The vampires were beginning to go insane from their need for essence. They were still under his rule and his compulsion was still strong, but after some time, he was beginning to wane as well. I believe that is when our link began to fade.”

“His compulsion?”

“Yes. He has the power to control the vampires beneath him with just a glare.”

Well, damn, that explains a lot.

“So you know nothing of what’s happened to him since then?”

“Do not be cryptic, young one. We will speak freely to one another always,” she commands softly, earnestly.

I laugh lightly because that’s what I’ve been asking for, for so long. And now it seems the only one being completely up front with me is a being not even from my realm.

To be fair, though, I’m not trying to be cryptic. I just hate delivering bad news.

“I saw Keeper’s and the Summum-Master’s first meeting. The Summum-Master tricked Keeper into making a vow with him. He’s been using his power of manipulating blood to bind runes under the false pretenses of being released, or at least until now that’s what I thought he wanted most, but now I believe he wanted to be reunited with you. To ensure Keeper’s compliance, the Summum-Master has wrapped some sort ofcord around his neck that will cut his head off if he betrays him. That’s what’s keeping me from breaking him out of the forest.” I speak fast but firm, delivering the news like Corentin would.

And I was right to believe she’d take this hard. A mournful sound travels through her throat and pierces me right in the chest. No one wants to hear that someone they share a bond with is in this level of trouble.

“Describe the cord to me,” she pleads.

“When it formed in the Summum-Master’s hand, it looked like a slick silver whip. He slung it out and wrapped it around Keeper’s throat. It formed a necklace, then it dissolved beneath his skin,” I say softly.

By the sound of the chain dragging across the floor and the movement of her golden eyes, I know she’s pacing back and forth. I don’t know if it’s a pace of agitation or she’s thinking. Hopefully thinking.

“You possess all the elements of this realm, yes?” she asks.

“Three of the four. Air, earth, and fire.”

“That will do. You must burn the cord, then draw it out,” she says confidently.

“I’m sorry, what? He’ll never let me do that. He doesn’t know me, and he has more trust issues than even me. Plus, I don’t have the first idea of how to do that. I could potentially cut his head off.”

“He will allow you to because he will recognize you as I did. If not, you will have to convince him, and you know how to, young one.”

“But I…” I trail off, swallowing hard when the knowledge I’ve held close to my heart spears me right through the chest. “You’re right. I do. I’ll have to continue keeping this a secret from them, won’t I?” I whisper tearfully.

“Just for now. You can’t interfere with the order in which it comes to light. You’ve seen the past, the paths laid, andinstinctually know things others do not. You will have to make the ultimate decision that helps the many, not just one.”

---