Chapter 167

Chapter 167
“Ellie,” Rae said gently. “You’re somewhere else again.”
I blinked. “Sorry. I was just thinking.”
“About what?” Claire asked softly.
I hesitated, looking down at my hands. “About something I haven’t told you.”
That got their attention immediately. Rae sat forward. Claire set her glass aside.
“When I told you about the dreams before,” I began, “I left part of it out. Alaric took me somewhere last week-a chamber in the old wing of the packhouse. He said it used to belong to my mother.”
“Your birth mother?” Claire asked.
I nodded. “He said she had a connection to the goddess. That the Moonstone
bloodline carries something… different. He showed me a crystal made of moonstone, the one she used to communicate with the divine.”
Rae’s eyes widened. “And?”
I swallowed, my heart thudding faster. “When I touched it, I saw her. My mother. She spoke to me. She said balance had to be restored-and that danger is coming.”
The room fell utterly silent. Even the soft patter of rain outside seemed to fade. Claire was the first to speak, her voice steady but reverent. “You really saw her?” “Yes.” My throat tightened. “It wasn’t like a dream. It was real. I could feel her, hear her voice. I think… I think the goddess was there too.”
Rae exhaled slowly. “And you think the dreams are connected?”
“I know they are,” I said. “Ever since that night, everything feels sharper The air, the moon, even people’s emotions. It’s like I’m walking with one foot in another world.”
Neither of them laughed. Neither doubted.
I wish they did. I wished they would crack a joke and break this moment. It was too much for me, all of this. I was cut out for it, but it seemed like that didn’t matter.
Claire reached across the table and took my hand. “Then maybe you’re not just hearing her. Maybe you’re meant to carry her message.”
I met her gaze. “You think the goddess is speaking through me?”
Claire smiled faintly. “Why not? If anyone could bear her voice, Ellie, it’s you.”
Rae nodded, her expression soft but fierce. “Whatever it means, you’re not alone in it. We’re here. Always.”
The promise in her voice normally would have steadied me. But not now. Not with this.
I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed. “Why me? I’m not religious. It’s not like
I’ve been praying for a sign. I don’t understand any of this.”
“Well, maybe you should ask for help,” Rae offered.
I frowned. “I did, I talked to Alaric.”
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Chapter 167
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“I’m sure that he helped as much as he could, but I meant from a religious leader. Maybe you should talk to a priestess?”
The air around us hummed faintly-maybe from the storm still lingering outside, or maybe from something older, something unseen. For a long moment, we sat together in the half-light, three women bound by something stronger than friendship.
I thought of my mother’s face in the vision, of her final words: Balance must be restored.
“A priestess,” I said softly. Something in my chest seemed to hum at the thought. I hated the idea, but it was probably the best option. “I’m afraid of what they’d tell me.”
“Afraid?” Claire said softly. “What are you afraid that they’ll say, Ellie?”
“I think,” I said softly, “that the goddess isn’t warning me. She’s preparing me. I’m afraid that something awful is coming.’
The words hung heavy around us. It was a confession that I’d been keeping locked inside for a long time. Saying it out loud didn’t bring relief; it just made the fear feel more real. The silence didn’t help. I looked at Rae, feeling almost desperate for
reassurance.
As usual, she offered me that warm smile that helped steady me. She reached out and I gratefully took her hand.
Rae squeezed my hand. “Then we’ll be ready.”
Claire smiled. “Together.”
Outside, the rain had stopped. The moon broke through the clouds, silver light spilling across the apartment floor, touching the edges of the room like a blessing.
And in that moment, surrounded by warmth and quiet laughter and people I loved, I felt it-the faint pulse of something greater than fear or fate.
The goddess was listening. Just like she always was.
But right now, with my boys sleeping safely nearby and my friends holding me up, I didn’t mind as much.
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