CH197

CH197
"Vigdis gave me this the night I got tossed through time." He frowned. "Rather, I should say that I'm certain she gave it to me since I found it when I woke in Oslo. It was clutched in my hand when I came through.”
I stared at it. "You think this is it?" He turned it over in his hand. "You think you've had it… this whole time?"
"I think it's very likely…" he chuckled. "Vigdis was very… clever. Though I can't explain why it is gold in your dream."
I leaned close as he turned it over. The weaving lines of runes drew me in and a scream tore through my mind. The world around me turned into a vast plane covered in water. Lights flickered above. I looked up and watched the faint glow of green and blue above, as if I were seated beneath the Northern Lights. I felt the whirl of time around me, and slowly opened my eyes to find the token in my hand, glowing and spinning. It hollowed out like a bangle, and another appeared, interlocking with it before they melted and started to weave together like a Celtic knot. Then it shrank and slipped onto my finger.
My heart raced. I felt it pulsing on my hand. I looked at Lukas, who stared at me in wonder.
Ben burst into laughter. "You've had it all this time?"
"Maybe."
"We don't know how to use it or how to stop them from using their half," I grimaced. "What if they have the better half? They have the crystal."
“What are the odds that it's not the stronger half?"
I shrugged. "No idea."
Lukas frowned and offered it to me, but I pulled back, shaking my head. "I… I don't think I should touch it."
Lukas cocked an eyebrow and handed it to Ben. He turned it over in his hands. It looked the right size and everything.
My fingers itched to touch it, but something told me not yet.
“Has it ever… done anything?”
“Not that I know of,” Lukas said. “I keep it in the box, though, so perhaps I should keep it on me."
"Was it in your dorm room when you almost got pulled out?"
He shook his head.
"And you didn't have it all this time, right?" Ben hummed. "I think you should put it on a chain and wear it all the time."
He handed it back to Lukas. "We'll need to keep an eye on it. Maybe it'll tell us when they're using their half?"
"Or it reacts to the mirror?" I asked. "Maybe we can use it to take their side. Like magnets."
He nodded and grabbed a notebook, flipping to a blank page to take notes, murmuring to himself. He set the notebook down and closed the box, placing it back in the closet before pulling out a piece of twine and wrapping it around the token until he had a net. He tied it tight and slipped it over his head, tucking it beneath his shirt.
I looked back at Lukas; his gaze wasn’t on me anymore. It was fixed on the ground, something dark and distant shadowing his eyes.
“What are you thinking?” I asked.
He didn’t answer right away. Then, softly, “That maybe the reason I’m still here is because of this. And maybe the reason I might not stay… is, too.”
The words sank like stones in my chest.
“We'll figure it out, but I think… restoring it to one piece and figuring out if it reacts to anything is the best course of action right now."
He looked up at me then, a flicker of warmth returning. “You have a feeling about this?”
I nodded.
"I yield to your intuition."
Ben chuckled and backed out of the room. "I'm going to go steal some more bacon. Take your time flirting.”
I laughed and followed. By the time we got downstairs, Matteo was gone and Isla was demolishing a stack of biscuits. We ate and parted ways, heading to campus. I didn't see any of them again until lunch. The day whirled past. By the time Matteo and Isla came home that afternoon, I felt stretched thin with anticipation. Ben was taking notes and Lukas the token in his palm, staring at it.
“Alright, why urgent messages?" Matteo asked, walking into the dining area with his guitar case slung over one shoulder and a cup of espresso in the other. His hair was half-tied back, and his jacket was open. He stopped when he saw the setup. “What the hell is that?”
Isla came up behind him, rounded the table and leaned over Lukas' shoulder, squinting at it.
"So, where's the other half?"
"With them."
"When do we steal it?"
"We'd have to know where to steal it from first."
"Fair."
“No chance they're just carrying it around, and we could pickpocket them?" Isla asked.
"Probably not."
She shrugged. "I'm out of ideas. I mean, we could torture Celeste, she's still in the hospital, isn't she?"
"Let's not." At least not yet. "I think we should take it to the museum."
I told Matteo and Isla about my dream, and Matteo sank into a seat, humming.
"Any idea where the other mirror is?" Matteo held his hand out. "You mind?"
Lukas handed it to him. He flipped it over in his hand a few times and hummed. It flickered with light.
"What?"
"Don't stop!" I said. "Whatever you're doing?"
Matteo smirked and sang, "I don't think it's a magical microphone."
But his voice sent light rippling over it. The runes seemed to move just a little and the darkness of the stone lightened.
"Maybe it just needs a recharge?" Isla said. "If they've been using the other side and using up all the power, then…"
Lukas paled. I shook my head. "I don't think that's how it works."
I wasn't sure, but I got the feeling that having Matteo sing to it was still a good idea. Matteo glanced at me and kept singing.
"How long does he have to do that for?"