Page 90 of Shrine of Fire

Hashir grunted and stood up. “Should we move her?”

Nova gave a happy sigh and rolled over.

“We can.” Kalahar shifted, and Hashir picked Nova up. The rest of us trailed behind him into a bedroom. The bed was massive, with crisp white linens and fluffy pillows. Small lights dotted the room and fireflies seemed to glow.

Hashir set Nova on the bed and looked around. “It looks like a nest.”

“Does your domain always look like a nest?” Stefan looked tired, drained. The energy around him was erratic, like he was at war with himself.

Something was holding him back, and we were out of time to figure out what.

“It doesn’t.” Kalahar smiled. “My domain usually looks like this, but it also changes to be what I need.”

“Good.” Hashir crawled into bed next to Nova, and she settled. “I don’t know why I’m tired, but I feel like I could sleep a hundred years.”

“Sleep, all of you.” Kalahar nodded. “Time passes differently here. Rest will help acclimate you to the spirit realm. I will begin my research.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m fine.”

“Show off.” Cuan muttered, climbing into bed. Stefan hesitated until Nova muttered his name.

For a minute they created such a cozy picture I longed to be with them.

I shook my head. I couldn’t. I was still broken inside, and I was resolved not to hurt Nova. Better to keep my distance.

I went into the other room and began looking through the books.

Kalahar followed me, brewing some tea and sitting on the floor.

I flipped through them slowly, scanning the words. I even found some on sealing ancient spirits away, but it spoke of finding the spirit’s Shadow, and using that to bind it away. It made the shadow sound like its own nature, used against the Spirit, but when I searched a dozen other books to cross reference ‘shadow’, nothing turned up.

“The new shaman seems to be taking well to the spirit realm,” I said.

“He does.”

“Do you know what a spirit’s shadow is?” I held up the book.

Kalahar sat across from me. His energy was soft and mellow, and I could almost ignore the gaping wound in his side. It had healed considerably, and I wondered if his connection to Nova and Cuan had helped with that.

“It is the spirit’s Other Self.”

I held up the other book I’d pulled out. “I got that. But what is that exactly?”

Kalahar sighed. “We tried to use Hella Mora’s Shadow against her. But it was like trying to find love and joy in an endless void.”

I frowned.

Kalahar cocked his head. “We didn’t do such a good job of keeping our distance, did we?”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “No. We didn’t.”

“She pulls me to her. It is everything I can do to resist bonding her now.”

At least that solved the bonding of the Shrine problem.

“She would wait. If you die and it takes ten years to return, she will wait for you.”

Kalahar looked down. “It’s not fair to her.”

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