Born By Moonlight by Krista Street

Chapter 16

~ AVERY ~

I hovered above the blazing fire. Chanting from the robed figures hummed all around me, filling the air with vibrations that chimed with magic.

Pain coursed behind my eyes, and I winced. I tried to blink, to soothe the ache in my skull, but my lids wouldn’t move. I was ensnared by some invisible force that held me above the flames, my spectral form a slave to an unseen entity.

With quickened breaths, I tried again to move, to soar away, but it was as though my body wasn’t mine.

It was theirs.

The robed figures’ chants grew stronger as they raised their arms above their heads, their magic fusing and growing as they worked in unison.

Panic hit my bloodstream. I needed to get away from here. Now!

But I couldn’t.

The circled figures looked skyward, their faces shrouded in darkness, but I still saw their smiles. Their wretched coiling smiles tinged with a giddy awareness that finally it had begun.

“No!” I screamed and bolted upright in bed. Sweat dripped down my face, pooling around my collarbone and soaking through my shirt. I lay in a sea of sheets. Heat rose from them, making my skin hot and damp.

“Oh my.” A withered-looking woman sat on a chair beside me, her eyes milky and unseeing.

I startled, turning left and right. I lay in a huge bed, a gauzy canopy above, a stone floor at its feet.

“Who are you? Where am I?” I shot off the bed, but my legs buckled beneath me. I fell to the stone floor, the cold rock slamming into my knees as the chilled surface felt like ice beneath my palms.

Panting, I remained there as dizziness swam through me.

Padding feet rounded the end of the bed, then the bent and old woman crouched down awkwardly onto all fours. She shuffled closer to me. Despite her blind eyes, she seemed to sense where I was. “Avery, don’t be afraid. I’m here to help you.”

My chest heaved as I took in the unfamiliar surroundings. “Where am I? Where’s Wyatt and Nicholas?”

“You’re in your chambers in the Bulgarian libraries. Wyatt and Nicholas are searching the great tomes. You have nothing to fear. You only need to rest as they work.” Her gentle words lilted with an accent, hinting at her origins being Slovakian or perhaps Hungarian.

I brought a hand to my forehead. Dizziness again swept through me. “But I didn’t come here to rest. I came here to work, to search for a way to stop—” My words fizzled out. An aching sense of doom filled me. “Why can’t I remember how I got in here?”

The old woman sat back on her haunches. “You fell unconscious several hours ago. I gave you a brew to help you rest while your wolf and Nicholas left to search for your cure.”

My heart squeezed when I pictured Wyatt—my wolf, my mate.

And I knew then that I wasn’t just Wyatt’s mate. He was mine too. It explained everything, from the moment we’d spotted each other as teenagers and had been drawn to one another, to how we’d both been magnetically attracted to each other once again when I came to the SF.

Oh Gods, and we’ve only just made things right between us.

Blurry memories surfaced of Nicholas traipsing down the halls, guiding Wyatt and me to our chambers as I’d marveled at the monstrous columns and aged paintings adorning the walls.

I made a move to stand, then remembered Nicholas had specifically stated that we weren’t allowed to travel outside of the chambers unaccompanied. So what did that mean? That I was stuck here? A prisoner?

“Can you take me to them?” I asked the woman. “To whatever library Wyatt and Nicholas are in?”

Her thin lips lifted in an apologetic smile, revealing several missing teeth. “I’m afraid not. You need to rest. And you should eat. I will ring for refreshments.”

“But I don’t want to rest. I don’t have much time!”

Her demeanor softened, and she shuffled closer, her bony knees peeking out from her long woolen dress. She placed a dry, cool hand on my arm, and a rush of magic washed through me. Some of the dizziness abated.

After she let go, my head felt clearer, and the rising panic in me slowed. “You’re a healer?”

“For many years. Now, let’s get you something to eat—” She groaned when she tried to lift herself to a stand, using the bed post for leverage.

I hurried up to help her, and amazingly, I felt okay. The dizziness had completely vanished, and that numbing fatigue that had started after the portal transfer had dimmed.

“What’s your name?” I asked, once the healer was fully standing. She still hunched over. Age hadn’t been kind to her spine.

She gently patted my hand, then began shuffling toward the door. “I’m Hana. I work here in the libraries, assisting the other staff members with their ailments.” She reached a bell by the door and rang it. A tray of food instantly appeared on the table beside it.

My eyes popped. To conjure food from thin air took immense magic.

As if sensing my surprise, Hana laughed softly. “The food is merely transferred from the kitchen. I’m not an alchemist.”

“Still,” I mumbled. To portal transfer food like that instantaneously took a ton of magic. I could only fathom the number of sorcerers and witches that were employed by the libraries to keep an institution like this running so seamlessly.

Hana hobbled toward the small table near the fireplace while carrying the tray. The dishes clattered when she set them down.

Two wingback chairs sat alongside the table, and she pulled one out, motioning for me to sit in the other. For being blind, she was remarkably adept at getting around.

“I can sense where things are,” she said, as if reading my mind.

I frowned. “You’re more than just a healing witch.”

“A seer too.”

Ah, that explained it. Since I knew I was stuck in this room for the time being, I joined her.

My mouth watered when I beheld the feast on the small tray.

Moist cuts of fileted beef—swimming in wine sauce—sat on a bed of julienne carrots, pearl onions, and baby potatoes. A separate bowl contained a fragrant creamed soup with bits of asparagus and herbs. Beside that was a basket of steaming rolls, as if they’d just been popped from the oven. Under a domed tray was a miniature chocolate cake, just the right size for two people. Two glasses, filled with cool iced tea, sat near the edge of the tray.

“The tea will help with your fatigue and dizziness. We enchant all of our tea here.” Hana felt along the tray, her fingers stumbling over the utensils. “It’s best that we eat while it’s hot.”

“May I dish a plate for you?”

Her wrinkled cheeks brightened when she smiled. “Yes, thank you.”

I grabbed the plates and utensils, setting our places before I spooned portions from every dish. When done, I grabbed the basket of rolls, slathering each piece in a thick layer of butter.

My stomach growled with every second that passed, and I realized I was starving.

Once done, Hana felt around for her utensils. After she found them, she managed well enough.

I dug into the beef. “I can’t believe how hungry I am.”

She bit into a roll, her old teeth sawing through it. “It’s my magic that’s creating your hunger. Healing takes energy from the recipient.”

I chewed the mouthful of beef, then realized I didn’t have to. It melted like butter on my tongue, so tender it fell apart. I closed my eyes in bliss when the rich flavors burst through my senses.

Hana cackled when I moaned in delight. “The pixies that cook these meals are some of the best chefs in all of Europe. Some can’t believe that those of us employed by the library choose to spend our existence underground, but that’s because they haven’t tasted the food.”

I laughed and forked a potato. With each bite, I closed my eyes and savored the rich textures and tastes. Hana wasn’t kidding. This food was good enough to give up daylight for.

I was so caught up in the meal, that it was only as I licked my fork clean from the last bite of chocolate cake, that I remembered I hadn’t spoken to my parents in hours.

“Oh shit!” I exclaimed and dropped my fork.

Hana startled. “What is it?”

“My parents were coming to Bulgaria. They’re probably wondering where I am. I need to contact them. Do cell phones work down here?”

Hana swished her hand. “Of course, they do. We may be underground, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have magically enchanted cell phone towers.”

I cocked my head at how bizarre her statement sounded, then pushed back from the table and grabbed my bag. At least when I stood, while my legs didn’t feel strong, they felt steady. Hana was right. Her healing magic and the tea had helped immensely.

I fished out my phone, then groaned. Three missed calls and half a dozen missed text messages waited from my parents. “They got here three hours ago. How long was I asleep?” I asked as I sent them a quick message telling them I was fine and apologizing for not being in contact sooner.

Hana lifted a gnarled finger. “There’s a clock on that wall. What does it say?”

But I realized that I didn’t have to look at the wall since my phone held the time at the top. It was just past seven in the morning. Gods, I slept for hours.

Laughter bubbled up in me. I’d just had a dinner meal for breakfast, even though technically it could be counted as a late dinner in Idaho time. I opened my mouth to comment on that when a key sounded in the lock, and the door swung open.

The laughter on my lips died when Wyatt appeared in the doorway.

He came to an abrupt stop, his eyes widening when he beheld me standing by our bags. Disheveled hair stood up on his head, and another day’s worth of beard coated his cheeks. The fear that had been filling his eyes lessened, but before I could get a greeting out, he’d crossed the room and was lifting me in a crushing embrace.

“Thank the Gods,” he whispered, his entire body pressing into mine. “You’re awake.”

I wrapped my arms around his neck, my breath stopping at the terror coating his words. “Hana said I passed out.”

His grip tightened, fear rising from him like a mist. “How do you feel?” He loosened me enough to scan my face.

I shrugged. “Okay. I was dizzy when I woke up, but Hana helped. She used her healing magic.”

Wyatt threw a thankful glance her way, then glowered. “You were supposed to notify me when she woke up.”

“And I was going to, just as soon as she had something to eat.” Hana pushed to a stand and picked up the empty tray of food. Stooped forward, she started shuffling toward the small table by the door, the dishes rattling. It looked as though she could topple over at any moment.

Wyatt hurried to take the tray from her, then helped her back to her seat. Once Hana no longer looked in danger of falling, Wyatt was in front of me again, brushing the hair from my face.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of a figure standing in the doorway. I jolted. Nicholas watched us, completely still and utterly quiet, like a living statue. He dipped his head in greeting when he realized I’d spotted him, but his expression was impossible to read.

Wyatt tenderly traced his fingers across my cheek, pulling my attention back to him. The gentle touch elicited a tingle in my belly. I still couldn’t believe that only twenty-four hours had passed since he’d returned from the fae lands. Only two days ago, I’d been readying for my final test, convinced I’d never see him again. And now I was standing in the subterranean Bulgarian libraries, with my life slipping away from me, while my parents waited in a hotel on the earth’s surface.

Wyatt palmed my cheek, and I covered his hand with mine. “Hana said you were already searching in the library?”

He nodded, a deep glow haloing his irises. “We found a few things.”

My heart leaped. “You did? Already? What?”

He relayed the lines of text from some ancient scrolls the gargoyles had uncovered, something about starlight, fate, being born again by the moon, and how it all sounded like an ancient prophecy.

“What the hell does that mean?” I grumbled.

Wyatt let out an irritated sigh. “I don’t know, but the gargoyles are awake now. Three of them have been assigned to this case. With any luck, by nightfall, we’ll know how to cure you.”