Page 250 of The Ascended
This was something else.
The gray thread seemed to pulse, and I felt a pull deep in my chest—a calling that bypassed thought and went straight to instinct. My hand reached toward it before I'd consciously decided to move.
Thais?Thatcher's concern rippled through our bond.What are you doing?
There's another thread. Tangled with ours.I showed him what I was seeing.But it's not... it doesn't belong to anyone here.
Don't touch it,he warned.
The storm gray thread wove between others, never quite touching them except where it bound with ours. I followed its path through the Tapestry.
I was so focused on following it that I didn't realize where it was leading until I stood before a barrier of pure power.
The inner sanctum.
The thread continued through the barrier, disappearing into whatever lay beyond. Our only hope of untangling it led straight into forbidden territory.
No. I forced myself to turn away. Whatever that thread was, whatever answers it promised, they weren't worth dying for. I needed to find another way.
"Goingsomewhere?"
I spun to find Vance standing behind me. He smiled, but there was nothing friendly in it.
"Following me?" I asked, taking a step back. "I’m afraid this section is restricted, unfortunately. Now leave me the fuck alone."
"You're right. We can't enter." His smile widened. "But you can."
He moved faster than I could react, shoving me hard.
“Payment for nearly getting me killed in Memorica.”
I stumbled backward, my arms windmilling as I tried to catch my balance.
The barrier was right behind me?—
And then I fell through it.
The last thing I saw was the contestant's satisfied smirk before the barrier solidified into stone.
I was trapped in the one place we'd been warned never to go.
Chapter 59
When Fate Unravels
I scrambled to my feet,spinning toward the door, but it had vanished. Where the entrance should have been, only seamless stone remained.
Thais!Thatcher's mental voice was threaded with panic.What happened?
I'm in the sanctum.I tried to keep my own fear from bleeding through our connection.Vance pushed me in. The door's gone.
Hold on. I'll find a way?—
No!The last thing I needed was him getting killed trying to rescue me.Stay with the threads. Find a way to separate them. I'll figure this out.
His reluctance pulsed through our bond, but he knew I was right.Be careful.
The gray thread continued past me.
