Page 61 of A Touch Enchanted

Our feet hit a metal grate composed of black and gold bars that separated that spanned the width of the pool. Water flowed through into a basin the size of a small lake on the other side. A thick, tar-like substance churned within the open pit. At the center, a ball of golden light released long threads that curled outward toward the granite lip of the basin, which was rimmed with symbols depicting night and day.

“That’s not water,” Violet said.

No, it definitely wasn’t. Water flowed into it, but what stirred within those murky depths smelled of metal and rot. It flowed in a clockwise motion, and every so often a face would appear in the muddy surface, eyes wide and lips parted as if trapped mid-scream.

I glanced up to a stone ledge above our heads. It went past the grate, around the pit, and to the mouth of the cave. From there we’d have clear water and open ocean. “Looks like the way out is still up.”

We climbed the grate, pulling ourselves up onto the ledge. Peering down, the black tar below us continued to churn in slow motion, broken up by the sunlit tendrils illuminating the ghostly faces that rose to the surface. This wasn’t a trap for spirits unable to move on, and these weren’t faces of the dead. They were friends and neighbors. Residents of the island.

I squinted at the center light, trying to make sense of it, when Violet’s face rose to the surface. The shock of it sent me stumbling backward.

Violet grabbed my arm to steady me. “I’m right here. That’s not me.”

I looked closer. She was right. It wasn’t her face as it was now, but as it had been when she was eighteen. I recognized her expression, though. That was exactly how she’d looked when I told her I didn’t love her and that I was leaving the island. Her pain was so clear, so visceral, it was like a punch to the gut.

“What the hell is this place?” I asked.

“The Well of Rebirth.”

Violet and I both jumped at the sound of the unfamiliar voice.

The man I’d seen on the beach, the one with the forked tongue, approached us. Nirah. He walked in stops and starts, like half his bones were broken, yet they still managed to support him. Dark smoke swirled in his eyes. He smiled, but there was nothing friendly in his dead-eyed gaze. His smile was one of madness and death.

Instinctively, I moved Violet behind me.

Nirah paused and cocked his head. “You protect her now, but that wasn’t always the case, was it? The Well of Rebirth holds that memory.”

“This is yours? This well?” If I could keep him talking, maybe we could distract him enough to push him in and make a run for it.

“It was mine to care for once.” He looked down at the thick, muddy substance. “Soon the dark will be eternal. The curse will have your souls. When the well turns black, the island will tumble into the sea.”

A translucent gray mist flowed in through the archway to the ocean. The echo of a scream bounced off the stone walls. A thick black web from the Well of Rebirth pulled the scream into the abyss. Betsy Newcomb’s face rose to the surface, then dipped below again and a tendril of light flickered out. The fear and despair caused by the curse disrupted the natural flow of the well. It threw off the balance of sadness and joy, letting the dark consume the light.

Violet stepped out from behind me and reached out a hand, as if she wanted to offer comfort to this monster before us. “We know about Ceti. How terrible your loss must’ve been. She didn’t want this for you. She tried to save you.”

“Her name is not yours to speak!” His roar echoed off the cavern walls. The smoke cleared from his eyes, revealing warm tawny irises. “I am beyond saving now. The only thing that can end me is drowning in the water from the River of Life.” He nodded to the gold-flecked pool we had emerged from. “But the curse won’t allow me near it.”

“We’d be happy to push you in,” I said.

“Fool.” The smoke returned to his eyes. “Only those who have consented may touch those waters. It must be done willingly.”

Angry, raised voices floated into the cave on a gray mist and were once again caught in the black web from the well. The ghostly faces of two of the town’s residents rose to the surface before being swallowed by the dark. Another golden thread of light flickered out.

The ground began to rumble, shaking the rock walls of the cave. The flat surface of the gold-flecked pool began to tremble. Violet and I clung to each other to keep from going over the edge. A faint screeching whispered through the tunnel we’d come through.

“That’s what’s lowering the golden gate,” I said. “The fear, anger, and sorrow of the residents are overpowering the light. The curse isn’t feeding off their dark emotions, it’s encouraging and fueling them.”

Nirah’s eyes cleared again, etching deep lines of pain and misery into his face. “Once the River of Life stops flowing, it will take two moon cycles for the basin to empty. With that, goes your last hope of defeating the curse. I was a willing host, so it dies with me.”

Nirah turned his sad tawny eyes to the water below. Violet took his distraction as an opportunity to push him into the pool, but he rebounded away from the edge. Like he’d hit an invisible wall. He couldn’t go over. Smoke once again clouded his irises. Rage pinched his features and he raised a hand to strike her.

I darted forward and grabbed his wrist, shattering the bone. He cried out in pain and backed away. Because I’d touched him. Thora said it made him weak.

I took another step toward him. “Attempt to touch her again and I’ll crush your skull.”

He laughed. It was a hollow, broken sound that sent chills racing up my spine. “So brave when your healers aren’t here to save you.”

A funnel of smoke swirled around him, rising higher. I didn’t hesitate. Grabbing Violet’s hand, I raced past him for the entrance to the ocean. “Don’t look behind you.”

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