I drum my fingers some more. She’s so full of shit. There’s a hidden trap in here, I know it. “I find that hard to believe.”
Sakura starts pouring us each a cup of steaming tea. “This is what I believe. You’ll inhale the vapor of this tea and see what came to pass between Connor and me. After that, I’ll give Lincoln a chance to fix everything. That is his test. Will he be wise enough to pass?” She sets a teacup before each of us. “Go ahead. Inhale the vapor.”
I pick up the small ceramic cup set before me and eye the contents carefully. The liquid inside is crimson in color and has a thick consistency. My tail makes a no-no motion by my shoulder. “This is blood, not tea. I’m not getting anywhere near it.”
Sakura tilts her head. A high-pitched tinkling sounds from the many bangles in her elaborate hairstyle. “And what if I insist? Will you kill me like you did the Mantis?”
I set down my teacup. “The thought did cross my mind.”
“Suppose I cast a compulsion on myself?” asks Sakura. “The spell will ensure that no harm will come to either of you.”
Lincoln and I share a long look, and there’s an entire conversation hidden in our stare. Bottom line, it’s worth seeing her cast the compulsion spell, especially if it ends with giving us the truth about Connor. That kind of information could make the difference between life and death on this mission.
“Alright,” says Lincoln. “Cast the spell.”
Sakura circles her own teacup by her chest. A long stream of vapor rises from the liquid, swirling and churning until it takes the form of a woman’s face made of thick red mist. A band of silk is tied over the apparition’s eyes. Sakura inhales deeply, and the mist-spell enters her lungs. “I will not harm Lincoln or Myla while I show them my memory of Connor, nor afterward when I offer Lincoln the chance to fix his father’s mistake.” She exhales, and the mist-face appears in her breath, only this time it’s smiling.
“The compulsion is cast,” says Sakura.
I turn my attention to Lincoln. I haven’t seen half as many spell castings as my guy has, so I’ll take his call on this one.
“That’s satisfactory.” He gently rests his hand on my forearm. “I’ll go first.”
Normally, I’d fight him on this, just on principle. No warrior lets someone else walk into danger first without at least trying to take their place. It’s like the unwritten code of badassdom. But in this case, I’ll let Lincoln take the lead. If there’s something phony about the spell, he’ll have a much better chance to catch it than I will.
I pat Lincoln’s hand gently. “Be careful.”
“I intend to.”
Lincoln raises his teacup near his face. Red vapor rises, taking the form of a pair of slender hands wrapped in long bands of crimson silk. The vaporous fingertips enter Lincoln’s mouth.
A pang of panic thrums through my chest. What in blazes is that spell anyway?
Minutes pass before Lincoln turns to me. I scan his face carefully. Nothing seems obviously strange.
“Go ahead, Myla. It’s all right.”
“Fine.” I raise the teacup. “Here’s to nothing.”
I draw the teacup close to my mouth. The same misty hands rise up from the surface of the blood. I breathe in deeply. The red, misty fingertips gently pry my lips open and slip inside.
After that, the world around me changes utterly. Within the blink of an eye, Sakura, Lincoln and I no longer sit inside the pagoda. Instead, we stand in the heart of a topical jungle. Green plants are everywhere. Tall winding trees tower above us, their branches ending in a high canopy of leaves. Insects buzz through the air.
“I’ve seen this place before,” I say slowly. “Does that sound crazy?”
Lincoln shakes his head. “Actually, I was having the same feeling myself.”
A familiar voice echoes through the underbrush. “Come on, lads. I’m over here!”
I’d know that tone anywhere. It’s Connor.
A memory comes rushing back to me. Standing in the Elder’s Chamber as Faustina cast a Looking Glass of this exact stretch of jungle. What were her words again?
I know who lives in that jungle. Sakura, the blood witch.
Connor’s voice sounds again. “Over here, patrol! I’m in the clearing.”
Lincoln steels his shoulders. “Let’s get this over with.” He gestures to a particular stretch of jungle. “His voice is coming from that direction.”
“I’ll be right behind you,” says Sakura.
As I follow Lincoln through the undergrowth, I realize that my personal hell focused on my fears for Maxon being tortured. Lincoln’s personal hell seems to be centered around both Maxon and Connor. A bitter taste of worry enters my mouth.
My husband is a level-headed guy, except for one particular area: anything to do with his father. And Sakura offered to give Lincoln a chance to undo everything his father did wrong? My heart sinks.
We may be in deep trouble.
# # #