Chapter 71 Wake up
ZORA
"Zora!!!"
I groaned and turned on the bed. I needed more sleep.
"Wake up, Zora! Are you okay?"
I opened my eyes gradually to meet Marissa's panicked face peering at me.
"What?" I asked groggily, desperate to go back to sleep.
She slapped my arm, relief flooding her features.
"You're quite good at giving me a scare."
"I was just sleeping!" I protested.
"Yet, you're bleeding. Were you having a nightmare? I made sure the lights were on."
"Bleeding? Where?" I questioned, grabbing my bedside mirror. My nose was a mess.
"What kind of nightmare was it?"
"I summoned Semya?"
She frowned, "Semya?"
"The very first sylunthys, but before that, I saw Grace. She looked scared, afraid, and kept saying something." I sat up.
"What did she say?"
I shrugged, "I didn't hear her."
She took out a handkerchief to clean my nose, where blood was trickling out from,
"Either way, was Semya able to help?"
I shook my head negatively, "I'll summon her again."
Marissa gave me a warning look, "You can't. I think it's the strain that caused you to bleed. Your body isn't accommodating your power usage."
"There's no time. Semya said I'm running out of time. I'm going to go back to sleep and summon Semya again. All the old lady did was give me a warning, nothing helpful."
"Are you sure?"
I nodded, "Just keep the children away from me for a while. If I don't wake up in, let's say, five hours, and the bleeding is worse, wake me then."
"Okay." She patted my shoulders, "I'll make sure you're okay here."
I smiled my thanks at her and closed my eyes tightly, imagining the face of Semya.
There she was, sitting on a branch with a bored expression on.
"What now, Zora?"
I folded my hands across my chest and glared at her, "I asked for your help. You didn't help,"
"I can't help you. I have things I'm busy with, too."
"You do realize you're dead, right?"
She scoffed, "There are businesses in the afterlife too."
"More important than helping me rid the world of the evil?"
"I'm trying to do my part here, too. Helping in whatever little way I can?"
"How?"
She flicked her wrist at me, "You wouldn't understand. Just make sure you practice as much as you can. Know your strengths and weaknesses."
I gaped at her, "Are you serious right now?!"
"I might be of help later on, but definitely not now. You have everything you need to practice. Trust me, you don't need me,"
"If I had everything, I wouldn't be here," I snapped back.
She stared at me a second too long and shrugged, "Someone else is eager to help. The other one with access to your dreams. I'll help when I can. Go to her."
She didn't mean Grace, right?
"Is that what you call her? Grace? That's a pretty nice name. I look forward to seeing how much powerful you'd get. Don't summon me again unless it's really important."
"You are supposed to help as my predecessor."
"That I will. It is just not yet time." She grinned, "And practice like the world depends on it, because it does. Don't forget, it's either you or no one."
I gulped and fixed her a glare.
Anyone needs an ancestor? Mine is available for a swap.
I woke up, drenched with my sweat.
I wasn't bleeding, thankfully.
Marissa wasn't beside me when I turned, but I could hear her talking in hushed tones by the door.
I almost stood up out of curiosity to know who she was talking about and what they were talking about.
But I trusted her.
So I went back to sleep, focusing on Grace this time.
It worked!
It was dark and the dim light above her didn't move past where she's seated.
"Why's it dark here?" I asked, my voice echoing.
"I don't know, you tell me. It's your dream, I have no control over it. You called me here"
"How do I make it normal then? Like how a dream would be?"
"You’re in control, so just picture whatever it is you want to be in your dream. Envision it and concentrate on it."
I did as she suggested.
It flickered and disappeared.
Envisioning it wasn’t hard, getting it to stay was.
After five unsuccessful tries, I got a hang of it.
"So your room, huh?"
I shrugged, "soo..."
"I remember this room," she said wistfully, "used to be where I keep my old things."
I glared at her, "Seriously? I should have known this was going to be a mistake and what was all that earlier with your silent screams?"
"Nothing to worry about since you're here," she grinned.
I fixed her an angry stare. What the heck is wrong with the dead women in my life?!
"So, you need my help with your powers,"
"Yes, I do. You can help me practice, yeah?"
"Just guide you well."
"So you're actually not going to help?"
She shook her head, "Not as much as you want me too. However, your mother's grimoire would help."
"The book?" I asked, unable to keep the surprise off my voice.
"Exactly, the grimoire."
"How do I get it then for you to help?"
"This is your dream," she shrugged, "This is your room. The book should be somewhere, just look for it."
"Are you saying-"
"Yes," she nodded, "Would only work if you picture everything down to the details."
I groaned inwardly.
This is becoming too difficult even for me.
How the heck am I supposed to do that?
As expected, where I kept the box physically was empty.
I groaned in frustration.
Did that mean I'll have to start all over again?
I don't have that time, not with this dream of a thing, having a strain on my body physically.
Grace was looking at me curiously, a hint of amusement in her eyes.
The irony of it all.
Of course the universe would deem it worthy to work with someone who's supposed to be my archenemy.
Well, she's an eternal thorn on my sides, bonus points to her.
She pointed to the shelf behind me, "Is that what you're looking for?"
I turned around.
It was!
The grimoire.
I didn't bother asking what she did. it's better to focus on other things.
The grimoire was heavy in my hands. The air also seemed different.
My fingers trembled slightly as they hovered over it. It was one of the very few things my mother left for me.
"Well?" Grace snapped, "Are you going to stare at it all day?"
I glared at her and returned my gaze to the book.
The words were not written with ink, or maybe they were, I couldn’t tell, but there were faint engravings of silver around each letter.
They shimmered,
Like my powers, the threads.
"You're holding it wrong."
"Huh?" I frowned at her.
She glanced at the grimoire, then back at me, "You're holding it wrong," she repeated, irritation in her voice.
I shot her a look sharp, "It's a book, Grace. Not a bloody sword."
"Yet, you’re reading it like a child who stole sweets and doesn’t want to get caught."
"Better than you, who probably can’t even read this," I snapped, flipping the page. "It’s sylunthys, not wolf-lore. I wonder how you're going even help when there's a language barrier. You're the last person to ask for help from"
"Yet you're here, needing my help."
I scoffed, "That because I need to get away from your crazed mate,"
"He's your mate too."
"Did he kill you because he couldn't bear your overbearing attitude?"
Grace stepped closer, her eyes cold. Even though this is my domain, I was a teeny bit scared of her.
"Don’t annoy me, Zora. It would be in your best interest not to. The only reason I’m here is because you can’t figure out how to use your powers without killing someone. And if it weren't for Ryker, I would never have even come to you. I won't stand here and listen to you insult him."
"What killed you, though?" I asked in a much softer tone.
"None of your business." She snapped.
I rolled my eyes, sat down and read the grimoire, ignoring Grace’s glare.
I might have gone too far....... maybe.
I flipped the pages of the grimoire, taking in diagrams of the silver thread in patterns. Some patterns clearly meant for siphoning, others for shielding. One looked almost like a net of silver, meant to catch something instead of kill.
Healing, it's what I'm most focused on.
I closed my eyes and inhaled.
"Control," I murmured, repeating the word I had read earlier. The grimoire had instructed that the thread don't always answer to rage but also to will.
I just have to will it.