Page 74 of Gift from the Nexus

She chose me.

She knew what was to come from Franklin and she chose me.

“Sounds like the dragon’s egg didn’t roll far from the nest, sweetness. You’re a badass too,” Draken says cheerfully, completely happy and supportive on my behalf.

“The sigil you described is the Mark of a Nexus. It’s long since died out, many, many centuries ago. Many believed with the rapid decline in true Primaries, the meaning behind the mark faded as well because it would no longer stick to the skin. It hasn’t been seen in at least a millennium. Maybe it has something to do with bloodline rather than the Nexus itself,” San comments as we all take a seat around the table on the patio.

“Well, should I try it? If my mom can do it, surely I can, right?” I ask the table timidly.

There’s a tense quietness and my men’s displeasure at the thought of me cutting myself is palpable, but they don’t immediately shout out no. I see no harm in it. The worst that will happen is it hurts, and we have a healer here who can fix that right up.

“Go on, Primary,” Caspian commands.

Excitement and nervousness thrum through my veins as I hop out of my seat, everyone following suit, and I move out to the grass in the back lawn. I have no clue what I’ll do if this does work, but it’s worth a shot. We need any and all the help we can get right now.

Kneeling, I partially shift my finger into a claw and close my eyes for a moment to ground myself, thinking about exactly how my mother felt in that moment, what she said, her precise cuts and movements. I try my best to imitate everything.

A hiss falls from my lips as my sharp claw easily tears through my skin, and I sense the guys take a step closer to me, but I don’t break my concentration. Carefully and methodically, I craft the same exact design, sigil, that my mother did, and once I finish all five, I lay my hand to the ground.

My blood pours out over the ground, highlighting the green tips of grass red as I say aloud,“Locus datus ab essentia mei esse. Per tempus et per spatium, libera me in desideratum locum.”

When my points meet, for a brief, exhilarating second, small sparks flare to life before they die out, and my blood seeps into the earth. Disappointment floods me as I turn my hand over, watching as my palm knits itself back together like I never even did anything.

“Well, that sucked.” I huff, deflating where I sit.

“Nothing about that sucked, princess. Something happened,” Corentin reasons, to which I roll my eyes.

Honestly, though, I’m not even sure what I wanted to happen or what was supposed to happen. I can only assume a portal would’ve opened had it worked like it did for my mom, but maybe that isn’t possible for me. Maybe that’s only something Elementra allowed since she wanted her back here. Since I’m already here, I have no reason to leave.

“Gaster, San, do either of you know the meanings of the words I’m saying? It’sElema Lingua Vetus, but I don’t know if it was just words I wasn’t taught or if it’s something Elementra’s removed from the vocabulary.”

“Something removed. I’ve never heard or read an incantation like that,” San immediately answers.

“I agree. So that must mean it has no meaning anymore. Elementra must have wanted to show you what transpired with your mother and that was a part of it,” Gaster says tenderly, no doubt sensing the ever-rising disappointment.

Continuing to stare into his baby blues, I remember what I learned this morning from Franklin and my eyes mist. The sweet, grandfatherly look he’s giving me warms every part of my soul because it’s so genuine. He has no clue that centuries before I was born, he was trying to take care of me, protect me.

“Thank you, Gaster.” I whisper.

“For what, child?”

“For being you,” I say with a watery smile. I don’t know when or if I’ll tell him what I know. I don’t know if the answer willplease him or upset him, so one day, I’ll tell him I know the truth and it’ll be up to him if he wants me to share or not.

“Oh, you don’t need to thank me for that, Willow. I’m marvelous, so why wouldn’t I share that with you all? Now, let’s get busy working on your new gift, shall we? I’d also like to practice our mind connection. I just know we will have one. I won’t accept anything else,” he says smiling, reaching his hand out to pull me up.

Snorting, shaking my head, I slide my hand into his warm palm and allow him to pull me up. “I have no doubt we do, Gaster.”

Twelve

Caspian

I swear the maddening little Primary is trying to kill us all.

Immortals, my ass.

We’re all one more catastrophe away from dying of heart attacks.

Elementra must realize that she hasn’t just handed us our Primary, but the literal being of our existence. You’d think for an all-powerful and all-knowing creator, she’d start giving us warnings when things like that are to occur, so we don’t go ona destructive war path that could cause this realm to crumble every time something odd happens with our Primary.

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