The Seventh's Hand

The Seventh's Hand

Kira's POV
The child's small hand grabbed mine. A flash of light blinded me. My ears popped. My stomach flipped. The world around us disappeared.
"Hold on tight," the child whispered.
We shot through a tube of swirling colors. The figure with star-filled eyes screamed behind us, its voice fading as we moved faster and faster.
Raven's body floated beside us, the black arms still wrapped around her. I reached out and grabbed her wing, pulling her close.
"Where are we going?" I shouted over the roaring wind.
"Somewhere safe," the child answered. Her voice didn't match her looks. She sounded old, like someone who had lived for thousands of years.
We crashed onto a stone floor. I rolled, holding Raven carefully so she wouldn't get hurt more. The limbs around her disappeared like smoke.
"Raven!" I shook her gently. She didn't move. Her breathing was shallow, her feathers bent at odd angles.
I looked up. We were in a small cave lit by sparkling blue crystals. The air smelled fresh, like after a shower.
The child stood watching us. She had midnight-black eyes and silver hair that seemed to float around her head. Her skin glowed faintly in the dim light.
"Who are you?" I asked, holding Raven in my arms.
"I'm Nova," the kid said. "The seventh blend. Like you, I'm part vampire, part werewolf, part witch, and part shapeshifter." Her eyes sparkled. "But I'm also something else."
"Where are we?" I asked, looking around. "What happened to that... thing?"
"That was a Void Hunter," Nova said. "It can't reach us here. We're between worlds right now, in a pocket of reality I made."
Raven stirred in my arms, shifting back to human form. Blood dripped from her nose and ears.
"She needs help," I said quickly.
Nova knelt beside Raven and put a tiny hand on her forehead. Golden light flowed from her fingers, seeping into Raven's skin.
"The Void's touch is poison," Nova explained. "I can slow it down, but I can't cure her fully. Not here."
"What's happening?" I asked. "That thing said we were made to be sacrifices, not keys."
Nova's face darkened. "The Harbingers want you to believe that. They're trying to confuse you, to stop you from fulfilling your real mission."
"Which is what?" My heart beat. "I've been having visions about Ravenshadow City, about seven hybrids meeting. But I don't understand why."
"Because someone doesn't want you to," Nova said simply. She waved her hand, and a map appeared in the air between us. It showed the five towns, just like the one Elder Kota had shown me.
"The thrones were built to protect this world from the Void," Nova explained. "Each city has five thrones, each made for a different type of magic user. When all twenty-five thrones are filled, they form a barrier that keeps the Void out."
"But what does that have to do with us? With the seven hybrids?"
"The barrier is failing," Nova said. "It needs to be revived, but the different magical groups can't work together anymore. That's why we were made."
She touched the map, and seven points of light appeared, one in each city and two in Ravenshadow.
"We're bridges," she added. "Each of us can connect with different chair users. You, Kira, can join the shapeshifters of Moonvale with the others."
"The crack in the Ice Road," I remembered. "It was a trap, wasn't it?"
Nova nodded. "The Harbingers knew you'd try to reach Ravenshadow City. They've been watching you for years."
"Who are these Harbingers?" I asked, anger building inside me. "What do they want?"
"They serve the Void," Nova said. "They think if they sacrifice us at the right moment, when the barrier is weakest, they can open the door permanently."
Raven groaned, her eyes fluttering open. "Kira?" she whispered.
"I'm here," I said, squeezing her hand.
"We need to move," Nova said suddenly, her eyes wide with fear. "They've found us."
The walls of the cave shimmered. Cracks appeared in the air, similar to the one we'd seen in the Ice Road.
"How?" I asked. "You said we were safe here!"
"Nothing is truly safe from the Void," Nova admitted. "It exists everywhere, in the spaces between spaces."
A low hum filled the cave. The cracks widened.
"We need to get to Ravenshadow City," Nova urged. "Elara has gathered four of the crosses already. We're the last two."
"Raven can't travel," I argued. "She's too weak."
Nova bit her lip, looking unsure for the first time. "There's another way, but it's dangerous."
"What way?"
"I can send you ahead while I take Raven somewhere to heal," Nova explained. "But we'd be split. You'd have to find the others on your own."
"No," Raven croaked. "My duty is to protect Kira."
"Your duty will kill you if you try to travel now," Nova said firmly.
The humming grew louder. Black smoke leaked through the cracks, forming shapes with too many arms.
"Decide quickly," Nova urged.
I looked at Raven, then at the coming smoke. "Send me ahead," I said. "But promise you'll bring Raven when she's better."
"I promise," Nova said seriously.
She pressed her small hand against my forehead. Images filled my mind—streets made of black stone, towers that reached the clouds, a central plaza with a statue counting down.
"Find the Blood Moon Tavern," Nova directed. "Ask for Orion. He'll take you to the others."
"Orion," I repeated. "Got it."
"One more thing," Nova added, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Trust no one fully. Even Elara doesn't know everything yet."
"What do you mean?" I asked, but Nova was already moving away.
She put her hands on the stone floor. The cave shook. A circle of light appeared beneath my feet.
"Wait!" I called. "What aren't you telling me?"
Nova's eyes met mine. For a moment, they changed, becoming like windows to the night sky. "The seventh seat," she said, "can only be filled by one of us. The others must choose who."
Before I could ask what she meant, the floor opened beneath me. I fell through space, Nova and Raven vanishing above me.
I landed hard on cold cobblestones. Rain poured from a night sky. Towering buildings surrounded me, their windows sparkling with eerie light.
Ravenshadow City. I'd made it.
I stood, my legs shaky. People rushed past, some human, some clearly not. None gave me a second look.
I needed to find the Blood Moon Tavern. Find Orion. Find the other mixes.
A hand clamped on my shoulder. I spun around, ready to fight.
A man with silver eyes and a cruel smile stood before me. "Hello, third mix," he said. "Welcome to Ravenshadow."
My blood turned cold. How did he know what I was?
"Who are you?" I asked.
"A friend of Nova's," he said easily. "She sent me to find you."
"She told me to look for someone named Orion," I said carefully.
The man's smile widened. "That's me. Orion Shadowvale, at your service."
Something felt wrong. Nova had warned me to trust no one, but she'd also told me to find this man.
"Prove it," I challenged.
Orion's eyes darkened. "I don't have to prove anything." He grabbed my arm. "The others are waiting. The countdown has already begun."
As he pulled me through the wet streets, a strange feeling crawled up my spine. I glanced behind us and froze.
A child with silver hair stood in the darkness, watching us with midnight eyes.
Nova.
She shook her head slowly, a warning in her eyes.
The man holding my arm wasn't Orion.