Page 69 of A Clash of Embers

Irolled my eyes at Eros before I continued reading.

Some of it was gibberish that I couldn't quite understand, but then I found a page I recognized. Thesymbols, artifacts on the page, and sketches of items there I knew. They consisted of a ring, a sword, and a necklace with each one having an onyx stone embedded within them.

How curious.

The written descriptions were small but important as I could tell they were written in gold. The ring looked identical to the one I bore on my hand, and the onyx golden sword clung to my armor. The only piece out of place was the necklace.

"Where do you think the necklace is?" I asked Eros, while looking at the page.

"What necklace?" he responded.

I looked at him. "You can't see this page, can you?"

He shook his head. "No, it's blank."

I hummed slightly before I returned my attention to the page studying the three items again. As I pressed my hand into thepage, the ring on my finger started to burn, burning into my skin. But I couldn't stop looking or touching. My head snapped back before I realized what was happening. I had a vision ofsomeoneelse.

Her bright red hair was intense and muddied. She had a fierceness about her, and she was fighting against a dark mass that I hadn't seen before. Something unknown. But where was she? She seemed so close to me, yet so far. Where she was, was barred. It was guarded. Locked.

Three breaks the portcullis. Once it is broken, it cannot be sealed again.

The loud male voice that came through was loud and strong, startling me slightly. Eros's hands were on mine, gripping them as I came to. When I glanced around, Eros, Kay, and Consul Loveridge were standing near me with concern etched into their expressions.

"Are you okay?" Kay asked me.

I took a breath and said, "Yes. I think so. I know what needs to be done. We need to go to Avellino soon. There's a place that—"

The eyes of the people in this room were so focused on me, hanging on every word I said. I realized I probably wasn't making much sense, and I figured that it was something I'd need to sit with for a night before I actually shared the full spectrum of it.

"It's a place that we need to go to. It's part of the prophecy. This woman I saw, she must have the necklace. We need to get to her."

Consul Loveridge spoke up first, "Very well. Get some rest tonight, and we will construct a plan in the morning." She gestured to Kay. "We need to go back to the Beacon."

Kay nodded her head and looked back at me with a smile. "I'll see you in the morning."

I nodded and smiled back at her. "See you in the morning."

After they left the room, it was only Eros and me sitting there with the book in my hands.

I lifted my eyes to his, "What else is there? I felt you close me off. You didn't want them to know something."

He smiled, "You're very good at what you do." He stood, reaching for the book. "Let's put this back for now and go to sleep."

I handed him the book and watched as he placed it back in the chasm. Immediately it locked into place, sealing the book away.

We stood together, walking towards the door, when I heard a noise. A whisper. Something calling to me. I stopped and looked around the room, curious about if I had missed something.

"Is everything okay?" Eros asked me.

I smiled a tight lip smile. "Yes, of course."

His narrow expression told me he didn't believe me. He crossed his arms, turning to guard the door as he looked down at me. "You're not telling me the truth. What is it?"

I rolled my eyes and stood a little straighter looking at him. "I thought I heard my name being called as we were walking away."

He tilted his head, studying me further. "Who do you think it is?"

"I don't know. I think it might be the book calling to me. I— I think I need to look at it again." Without thinking, I turned, crossing the room in a few strides before I sat in the chair across from the chasm. Eros stood a few steps away from me, watching me open the table again. Reaching in, with an unsteady breath, I grabbed the book.

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