Sapphire Spells

Chapter 37

I clear my mind.

At least I try to.

My butt hurts from sitting cross-legged on the ground for probably a few hours now. The little glass figurine that belonged to the previous Fairy King is in my palm. My fingers curl around it and squeeze the damn thing as if holding it any tighter would help me connect to the spirit.

With a deep inhale, my lungs expand and I focus on that sensation. Refusing to let thoughts wonder for the hundredth time. When I exhale and my fingers relax their hold on the figurine. Darkness surrounds me in my mind. I focus on that quiet blackness like Phiona had instructed me to so many times in the past.

On the next inhale, I allow myself to simply exist without thought.

The exhale melts with the tension from my shoulders, and I become more comfortable in this position of stillness.

I simply breathe.

In and out.

A strange calm sensation moves over me with every breath, shifting like an ocean tide, yet never leaving. It surprises me that with the turmoil within I have been able to command this control. Is this calm always within me? I clear my mind of the thought, focusing on the peace.

I am surrounded by darkness, and I find strange security within it, as if the dark is protective and safe.

Inhale, the ocean wave moves over me.

Exhale. It pulls at me with a gentle current, taking with it the muck that has been stuck to me for so long, leaving my soul bare.

The rush of freedom I feel is intoxicating. My chest fills with the warmth of it.

It is as if my consciousness moves into a different realm, a place where my horrible situation does not exist. I find relief in it. Within that space, my mind silences further, requiring less intentional focus on my part.

My butt no longer hurts, for it feels as though I am floating.

In and out, I breathe.

Time does not exist.

In and out.

There is something here, a cord as thin as silk from a spider's web. Is it connected to something I am holding? Internally, I follow the thread without physically moving. The deeper I seek, the colder I feel.

Fairy. It's him on the other side of this cord.

My memories come crashing back in, and I sever the connection, letting the figurine slip from my fingers and fall into the dirt.

A rush of excitement and apprehension collide within.

I did it.

Well, I didn't fully connect with the Fairy King, but I found him. I don't know whether to be thrilled or upset. It only took me becoming a captive for me to figure out how to finally move through the spirit realm like Phiona had been trying to teach me.

My eyes slide open, and I take in the forest surrounding me. I am just far enough into the wooded area that I can not see the house that is my prison nor the trees that mark the perimeter in the unnatural row.

Do they really think this false sense of freedom to roam the grounds will make me hate them any less? I am still a captive. Hiding in the woods does nothing to ease the sensation of the foreign magic burrowed into my neck.

If I have to guess, Amber probably is connected to that row of trees with her magic somehow and will know if I step a foot past them. Plus, if I ever vanish, the Fairies could zap me through my collar and incapacitate me completely. I'm sure my screams would be loud enough for them to find me easily.