THE 33 KEYS: Key 2 - ANSWER THE CALL "Listen for that Perfect Beat"

CHAPTER 89: ALWAYS TRAVEL ALONE

Now I'm wearing a brand new silver chain without anyone to show it off to. Though this time I'm not waiting around to see if the serpent appears. After all, I'm quite used to this type of abandonment, especially from the ones who make the most promises. In any event, my main concern is getting out of this maze so I can have a few moments to myself before everything collapses. But when my foot touches the step, everything disappears. The stairway. Walls. Everything.

I feel for where I last knew the walls to be but there's nothing left, proving that this is not some case of a trickster taking the lights off. To make matters worse, the stairway also abandons my feet. It is replaced by warm sands on a windy night, and the ocean's call. So now I'm nearing that most dreaded thing which has been calling to me for eons.

The first thing that welcomes me when I get there is a circle of fire. Behind it, a throne with its own electricity and someone sitting in authority. I am not sure whether it is a human or beast, because it keeps shifting in and out of form. First, a serpent; and then a serpent with four legs. Afterward, two legs. And now the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, embodying all the races I know of.

"I always knew you'd make it to this moment."

"Is that why you left me alone?" I ask, realizing that this woman is my serpent friend.

"Some trips must be taken alone."

"What is it that you want from me?" I ask drained.

"I want you to write a spell."

"A magick spell?"

"First, you'll need a circle," she replies with a taunting smile. "I believe you can draw one."

"Only, I've never written a spell before," I protest. "I always simply find one on the internet."

"Maybe if you start using your own words, you'll be able to unlock yourself much quicker."

"It's just. It's just I'm not sure I'll even know where to begin."

"How about I throw you a hint and you let intuition teach you the rest?"

"If it's that easy, why doesn't everybody do it?"

"Everybody doesn't have me standing behind them every step of the way."

"Okay. Where do I start?"

"Like I said, draw the circle. You know how to; don't you?"

"Yes, I remember," I say and start tracing one with my finger. "Draw the whole thing in?"

"You won't need to," she replies. "Now get in the centre and lie down."

On my back, I can see the night sky; and in the backdrop, the ocean, growing angrier by the second. Then the strangest things pop into my mind as I wait for my hint. Ruby and her glowing body. Meeting that hopeful in the rain. The sun that never gets to kiss my skin. This fire growing hotter and hotter. These emotions raging inside me. Ebony and her adoring fans. My conversations with the throne masters. And oh yes, the possibility of everything I touch turning to gold.

I cast all those thoughts aside and look to the sky. Its many stars the only things keeping it relevant. Then the longer I look, I tune in to the rhythm of the ocean. Really listen each time it finds the shore, and wonder just how long ago it was formed. But more than that, why I'm so drawn to it all the time.