The Black Lotus | Vol.1, The Eldenarian Artifacts ✓

36.

The ground rushed toward Makaela like an old friend. Her surroundings faded back into view as she emerged from the shadows beneath her feet. She stumbled forward, falling onto her hands and knees.

She waited for her breath to return. Staring down at her hands, she couldn't help but smile.

I did it. I actually did it.

Castle Braexus and the harsh forests of Romania had been swapped for a quaint, tiny village in Monaco. Sat atop white cliffs overlooking a black ocean were sandy-colored buildings with red-tiled rooftops. A belltower rose above the hills, stretching toward the night sky. Moonlight glinted off the bell as it hung motionlessly. Forests leading down to beaches surrounded the base of the sleeping town.

Dusting pebbles from her stinging palms, Makaela climbed back to her feet.

She wasn't sure how she managed to shadowjump successfully on her first go, but she wasn't complaining. The Shades were a distant memory now. She and her friends were safe.

"That was amazing." She turned, expecting to see Remy and Olivier behind her.

A desolate brick road met her eyes. Streetlamps doused the nearby buildings with amber light.

She was alone.

This can't be happening.

They should've been right behind her. She did everything Sebastian told her to. She envisioned the place, she called upon the shadows. Remy and Olivier were supposed to be right with her. She could still feel their hands in her grasp.

Something pressed against her chest. Fighting to breathe, she staggered forward. Her panicked eyes scoured the alleyways branching off on either side of her. They were only met with shadows and hisses from stray cats.

Where were they?

Her eyes widened.

Sebastian and the others were nowhere to be found either. Had he managed to follow her to Monaco? What if he couldn't? What if he was still stuck in Castle Braexus? Hundreds of anxiety-inducing theories swirled around her head. Taking a few deep breaths, she attempted to calm her nerves.

Everything was going to be fine. They likely got separated. After all, it was her first time shadowjumping. Something was bound to go wrong. She just had to find them.

She faced the street ahead of her. It was barren. With a rueful shake of her head, she began her journey through the sleeping town.

❁

Roanoît hadn't changed at all since the last time she was there. The bakery that sold fresh bread in the mornings was still there. It even boasted the same colorful posters on its windows. The bookstore across from it still had its help wanted sign up. Not a thing had changed.

That was ten years ago.

After the attack on House Lumai's palace in southern France, Olivier brought them there to hide. While being an ordinaire settlement, the town was known to house Solairs. According to Olivier, it wasn't on the council's radar at all. That meant Thorian didn't know it existed.

It was the perfect haven, albeit, temporary.

Sometimes Makaela wished they stayed. But she knew they couldn't. The Order would've eventually found them there, the same way they discovered their hideout in Montreal. There was nowhere on Earth they could hide from them.

She winced as her feet walked along the hard cobblestone. Every step drained her. Both her energy and vitalae levels were critically low. She wouldn't be performing any magic anytime soon. If she got ambushed, that would be the end for her. Gritting her teeth, she soldiered on in search of her group. She just had to find them.