Adrift → Ace; Nancy Drew [2]

xi. the search for the lost soul

THE SEARCH FOR THE LOST SOUL
CHAPTER ELEVEN

A selection of liquid in tubs, and powders in mortars and pestles were laid out across the ancient table decorated with Temperance's mysterious occult objects and potion ingredients. Ace watched suspiciously as the Woman in White concocted a mixture of colored liquids, powders, and some herbs from a jar. How had she been so willing to help them, without demanding something in return? Ace didn't buy it. No one did, but they were willing to deal with the consequences if it meant reattaching Olivia's soul to her body.

"How are we supposed to know this isn't some kind of trap?"

"You're just going to have to trust me." A sly, Cheshire-cat smile curled Temperance's lips as she swayed a round-bottom flask in her hand, blending the ingredients together. She knew their toes were curled and their muscles were clenched. She was aware of the way she made the hairs stand on every inch of their bodies. Temperance could sense anything– she could see past their brave facades. Ace and his friends knew it too.

"How does this work exactly?" Olivia asked, arms folded over her chest. She was standing ahead of her friends, unconcerned, unbothered. Unlike her friends, she wasn't worried that her fate lay in Temperance's hands. While they chewed the insides of their cheeks apart in agitation, she stood firmly– almost bored as she watched the witch swirl the liquids in the bottle through dull eyes.

Temperance looked up from the flask in her hand, the smirk never leaving her lips even as she spoke. "It's simple, really. This potion is going to stop Ace's heart. When you take this potion, manifest where you won't find yourselves in the liminal space." She pointed to Ace and he shuddered at the grim thought of death. "You will enter the liminal space, and once you find Olivia's soul, you will contain it in this crystal."

"And then we revive him," George finished, her eyes on the floor as her brain wandered, processing Temperence's words.

"What's the catch?" Nick asked, looking at Temperence through furrowed, untrusting brows.

"After taking the first potion, Ace only has three minutes to find Olivia's soul and contain it in the crystal," the Woman in White stated and the tone of her voice didn't change even by a decibel to show care or worry.

Ace clenched his jaw. "Three minutes? How am I supposed to do all of that in three minutes?"

"Time moves a lot slower in the liminal space. You'll find that three minutes is enough."

"Can't I go with him?" Nancy voiced, looking at her friend with concern.

"You can, but Ace is the one with the connection and calling to Olivia. Only he can trap her soul in the crystal. Nancy would be simply... useless." Temperance shrugged innocently. Nancy fought the urge to bite back, but they were short on time.

"It's my soul– I'll go with him," Olivia announced. Surely, the fact that it was her soul would amount to a connection.

"It's settled, then." Temperance placed a large crystal in the center of her palm before handing it to Ace. "Keep this close to your heart." Ace pursed his lips and looked to Olivia before nodding and taking the crystal from Temperance. Olivia was what was close to his heart.