CH200

CH200
The room erupted in light.
The pieces fused, the dark metal turned molten gold, sealing along the edges until the crystal was fully embedded. The runes flared once more, shifting again to form a continuous circle. When the light dimmed, the object sitting before us wasn’t the same. Rather than an amulet, it had become a bracelet of woven gold shaped into intricate Nordic knots, each looped into the next in an unending pattern. The metal shimmered faintly and the crystal had been shattered and threaded into the knots like small gemstones.
Isla exhaled a nervous laugh. “Okay… so… now what?"
The bracelet pulsed once, soft as a heartbeat.
I reached toward it, but Lukas caught my wrist. “Wait. Let me...”
He frowned, but reached down. He lifted the bracelet, turning it over in his hand. The knots glimmered, shifting, tightening, and twisting, until they spiraled smaller and smaller. Lukas frowned, and before any of us could speak, the bracelet shrank, the strands of gold weaving tighter until it was no larger than a ring.
He looked at me then, the lamplight catching the pale blue in his eyes. The air between us went still. He took my hand.
My pulse tripped, racing under my skin. “Lukas—”
“Trust me,” he murmured. His thumb brushed over my knuckles, soft, grounding. “You’ve worn it before, haven’t you?”
I didn’t know what made him so certain, but I nodded anyway.
He slipped the ring onto my finger.
The moment it touched my skin, the townhouse vanished, replaced by sunlight spilling through tall windows. I blinked, disoriented, as warmth soaked through me. The air smelled like pine and smoke, like burning candles and the faint sweetness of wine. I looked down and gasped. The gown I wore was made of cream-colored silk trimmed in gold thread, the bodice embroidered with runes. My hands looked the same, but maybe older or steadier. The ring gleamed on my finger, identical to the one Lukas had just slid there, and he was standing before me.
Not as he was now, but as he had been centuries ago. His hair longer, tied at his neck; his clothes dark, formal, embroidered with symbols I recognized but couldn’t name. He looked at me the same way, though, with that unguarded tenderness that unraveled me from the inside out.
He smiled. Around us, an archway framed with white flowers stood beneath a canopy of silk. People were gathered beyond it, dressed in ancient clothes, faces glowing in the light. I realized what this was.
It was our wedding.
My heart caught in my throat.
Lukas took both my hands and lifted them to his lips, his breath warm against my skin. “For lifetimes,” he said in that same old language, voice rough with emotion. “For ages."
Tears burned behind my eyes. “Always.”
The crowd blurred into gold and light as his forehead touched mine. The runes in the ring pulsed between us, faint warmth spreading through my chest. The memory felt so real. My heart knew it even if my mind couldn’t.
When I opened my mouth, words I’d never heard in dreams slipped free, "For all time."
He answered with a whisper, "And beyond."
When the light faded again, I was back in the townhouse. My breath came in short gasps. My hand was still clasped in Lukas’s. The ring glowed faintly between our fingers.
His expression mirrored mine: surprise and wonder.
“You saw it too,” I whispered.
He nodded once, voice barely audible.
Ben was the first to break the silence. “So, what happens now? Do we leave you to your honeymoon?"
Lukas snickered. "No." He turned, but didn't let go of my hand. "I think we do homework now, snack some more, and get some rest." He looked at me. "I get the sense that there's no threat I could flicker away now."

By the next morning, we'd all settled into a sense of certainty, but there was also the question of how long it would take for them to realize they no longer had the crystal. I wish we had more time to figure out what would make the most sense, but I was oddly attached to wearing it on my hand rather than on a necklace. We got ready early to get to another observation day.
"You know if you have a magic wedding ring, shouldn't Lukas have one, too?" Ben asked.
Matteo snickered. "With our luck, it's the mirrors."
I didn't even want to think too hard about that being a real possibility. The ride was relatively quiet with us all sipping our coffees. Matteo agreed to watch our bags again, and Isla plopped down beside him. The air in the arena hummed with energy. Coaches barked instructions, skates hissed over fresh ice, and people talked enough to fill the arena with a constant murmur. The Olympic scouts sat in a cordoned section of the stands, taking notes and watching.
Boston University’s team had gathered near the far entrance. Reese was there, but Celeste was still missing. His posture was sharp, his jaw tight. Jean-Baptiste loomed a few rows up, arms crossed, his expression thunderous. I adjusted my gloves. They were black with fleece lining. I usually didn't bother, but I wanted to keep the ring hidden just in case. The last thing I needed was Reese or any of his little followers seeing it and realizing what it was. If they hadn't noticed it missing, I wasn't going to alert them.
Lukas laced up his skates beside me, calm as ever, though I could see the quiet focus in his eyes. He’d slept the whole night for the first time in weeks, and it showed in how bright and alert his eyes seemed.
Coach Avery waved us onto the rink and gave us a rundown of what he wanted. A whistle blew behind us, signaling the start of warm-ups. The other skaters flooded the rink in pairs and singles, but Lukas and I held back for a moment, watching the chaos. The scouts’ eyes followed certain competitors. Reese had that arrogant smirk on his mouth. He knew he had their attention.
“Vandelise.” Lukas’s voice drew me back. His gloved hand brushed mine. “You’re quiet.”
I smiled faintly. “Just thinking.”