28 - I may be in Trouble
**Amelia**
I went back the next day, and quickly grabbed the journal before he would catch me like he did before. The journal was still in the lower shelf where I had shoved it, and I sighed in relief that he hadn’t found it.
It had taken days to piece together the fragmented entries in the journal, and even now, the words swam in my head like a riddle I couldn’t solve. I sat at my desk in my lady chambers, the journal opened in front of me, my fingers tracing the faded ink as I read the passage again.
I had to excuse all the maids, and even though it was just the third day since I declared my preference for solitude in my chambers, it felt like they were beginning to get suspicious, and ask questions, which put me under more pressure to understand what was written in the journal, and fast.
"The Chosen are bound by the stone, their fates written in the threads of power it conceals. The blue obsidian shall awaken when the time comes, its disguise shattered by the hands of destiny."
The words chilled me. I didn’t know what I had expected to find in my husband’s study, but it certainly wasn’t a prophecy that felt like it had been written about my sister. I wondered if he even knew the journal existed.
My heart twisted at the thought of her. All her life, she had been special in ways none of us could explain. The bracelet she wore, with its strange blue gem, had always been a part of her. Our mother had insisted it was a gift, a charm for protection. But now, I knew the truth.
The bracelet wasn’t just a trinket. It was the stone. The blue obsidian.
And it wasn’t a coincidence that everything started to unravel the moment she stopped wearing it. I mentally face palmed, correcting myself. Since I urged her to take it off.
I closed the journal, pressing my fingers to my temples as I tried to make sense of it all. The Chosen only appeared once every thousand years, if the writings were to be believed. They were beings of immense power, tied to the balance of the world itself.
And Lysandra was one of them.
The realization left me breathless, teetering between awe and terror. My little sister, the girl who used to follow me around with wide eyes and endless questions, was now at the center of something far greater than either of us could have imagined.
But what did it mean for her? For us?
I couldn’t stop thinking about the woman who had given our mother the bracelet. She had been a stranger, her arrival unannounced, and according to mother, her departure was swift as well.
I would need to find her somehow, because I had more questions, and I needed answers.
As if my thoughts summoned her, a small, violent wind entered through the window. It smelled like cinnamon, rose and wet sand.
I stood abruptly, shoving the journal into my bag and pulling on my cloak. I was going to follow the wind. The castle halls were quiet as I made my way to the stables, my footsteps echoing softly against the stone.
I mounted my horse and rode into the night, the cold air biting at my cheeks as I pushed forward. The wind moved around like a compass, and its magical mechanism amazed me.
When I finally arrived at the edge of a dense forest, I hesitated. The trees loomed tall and dark, their branches twisting like skeletal fingers against the sky. But there was a faint light in the distance, flickering like a beacon.
I dismounted and tied my horse to a nearby tree, my heart pounding as I approached the light. It led me to a small, weathered cottage nestled among the trees. Smoke curled from the chimney, and the faint scent of herbs hung in the air.
I knocked on the door, my knuckles trembling slightly.
After a moment, the door creaked open, revealing a woman who looked both ancient and ageless. Her silver hair fell in loose waves around her shoulders, and her piercing blue eyes seemed to see straight through me.
“Amelia,” she said, her voice soft but firm. “I’ve been expecting you.”
I froze, my mind racing. How did she know my name?
“Come in,” she said, stepping aside to let me enter. “You can call me Mirath”
The inside of the cottage was warm and cluttered, filled with books, jars of herbs, and strange artifacts I couldn’t begin to name. Mirath gestured for me to sit, and I did, my hands clenched tightly in my lap.
“You’re here about Lysandra,” she said, her gaze unwavering.
“Yes,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “I need to know what’s happening to her. What the bracelet meant. What it means that she’s… chosen.”
Mirath nodded, her expression somber. “The blue obsidian is not just a stone. It is a vessel, a key to the Chosen’s power. Lysandra’s fate was sealed the moment she was born, but the stone kept her dormant, protected. When it was removed, the balance shifted.”
“What does that mean for her?” I asked, my throat tight.
“It means her power is awakening,” Mirath said. “And with it, the forces that seek to control or destroy her.”
The weight of her words settled heavily on my chest. I thought of the dragon, of the danger Lysandra was already in.
“Can she survive this?” I asked, my voice breaking.
Mirath’s expression softened, and for the first time, I saw a glimmer of hope in her eyes.
“She is stronger than you realize,” she said. “But she will need guidance. Protection. And she will need to embrace who she is, fully and without fear.”
I nodded, determination hardening in my chest. Whatever it took, I would make sure Lysandra had what she needed.
Mirath reached for a small, worn book on the table beside her, handing it to me. “This will help you understand,” she said. “But remember, the path ahead will not be easy. For any of you.”
I took the book, my hands trembling slightly. “Thank you,” I said, my voice thick with emotion.
“Go to her,” Mirath said, her gaze steady. “She will need you soon more than ever.”
“Is she in danger because of the dragon?”
“Not exactly. More accurately, she is in danger because of what she is.”
What did that even mean?
I left the cottage feeling both heavier and lighter, the weight of the truth pressing down on me. Her words about going to meet Lysa echoed in my mind, heightening my fear. I genuinely hoped she was alright.
I rushed back to the castle and grabbed a map from Andrew’s study before heading to my chambers. I would need to find a way to go to Black Mountain, so I could meet with Lysa.
As I closed the door, I almost jumped out of my skin, startled.
Andrew was fuming, his arms crossed as he glared at me. “Where have you been?”