I hover my hand over the orb and think of Nina. It lights up and shows her to me, asleep in a bed.
‘Okay,’ I say, staring up at Cerridwen, Valkrim and Ogrun. I summon a teapot and teacups, filling each cup with sweet tea. ‘Drink this. It will make you all fall asleep for a short while. I will bring you into my dream to talk and interact with Nina. I will dream of our Celestial world so we will be here in a dream state as well as physically.’
They reach for the tea cups and drink. Within a minute, their eyes close, and their heads tilt down. I close my eyes and bring Cerridwen, Ogrun and Valkrim into my dream.
‘Is something meant to happen?’ Cerridwen asks, opening her eyes. ‘I’m still waiting to fall asleep,’ she says.
I laugh and smile at her, ‘You’re already asleep and inside my dream,’ I say to her.
‘Are you sure?’ she asks and punches Valkrim in the shoulder.
‘Ow! What was that for?’ he says, rubbing his arm.
‘I’m checking if we’re in a dream,’ she replies.
‘You’re asleep and, in my dream, but you did just physically punch Valkrim in your sleep next to you,’ I laugh.
‘Oh!’ she looks at Valkrim and laughs nervously, ‘Sorry!’ she says.
‘Mhmm,’ he grizzles.
‘So, what now?’ she asks.
‘Now, I must enter Nina’s sleep and bring her into this dream.’
I focus my mind and bring Nina into my dream of the celestial world with us in it. Once I find her, she finally appears in my dream on the violet grass in the celestial world.
Snowbelle greets her and rubs her face against Nina’s shin.
‘This is the second time I’m having this dream,’ Nina says to Snowbelle. ‘It’s so strange because it feels so real. The grass under my feet and even when I pat you,’ she says.
Nina looks up at the glimmering night sky.
‘Nina,’ I whisper
‘Is someone there?’ she asks, turning.
‘Nina,’ I say again and then begin to hum.
Finally, Nina begins to follow the sound of my voice, reaching the front of my castle made from crystal. I use my mind to make the doors open for her. She enters and admires the moving paintings on the wall
As she comes to the end of the corridor, I again use my mind to open the two large crystal blue doors that lead to the grand hall we are in.
Nina looks up to see Cerridwen, Ogrun and Valkrim sitting at the table and then gazes at me as my smile widens at her arrival.
‘Nina, we have been waiting for you,’ I say to her.
‘Where am I? Who are you?’ she asks, stepping closer.
I extend my hand towards the table, ‘Please, take a seat, and all will be explained,’ I reply.
I return to my seat as Nina cautiously approaches and sits between Ogrun and Valkrim.
‘What is this place?’ she asks.
‘This is the Celestial world where deities reside. Even though it looks identical to the real place, you are in my dream that envisions it. It’s the only way we can communicate due to the veil being closed,’ I say to her.
‘Wait! The Celestial world? The veil to Mysteria?’ she says.
I nod. ‘You’re the moon goddess?’ she squeals in disbelief.
I nod again, and she jumps up from her seat. ‘If you’re the moon goddess, Selene, then you must be Ogrun?’ she says, pointing at him. He nods and salutes, and then she turns to Valkrim. ‘And you would be Valkrim, and you, Cerridwen?’ she says now, pointing across the table.
‘Pleasure to meet you, Nina,’ Valkrim grins.
‘Yes, a pleasure for sure,’ Cerridwen smiles.
‘Now that the introductions are out of the way, we can focus on why we have summoned you here in my dream. We know what is happening in Mysteria. Unfortunately, my sister, Atlanta, released Thypon and told him about Mysteria. He entered not long before the veil closed.’
‘Is there a way you can all stop Thypon from here in the celestial world?’ Nina asks.
I meet her hopeful gaze and look away with guilt. ‘Unfortunately, we cannot stop Thypon unless we enter Mysteria, which we cannot for quite some time, as you already know,’ I reply.
Nina leans back and sinks a little in her chair in disappointment.
‘There is some good news, though,’ I say to her.
Nina tilts her head and narrows her eyes in curiosity, ‘I’m listening,’ she says contently.
‘Before the veil closed. We summoned the sceptre of divine power, and I dropped it through the veil. I saw mountains, but there are many in Mysteria. I was… disrupted during the moment and couldn’t focus on exactly which mountain it landed in.’
Nina’s eyes widen in realisation, ‘Wait! During the solstice. I saw something small and shiny fall from the sky above the Oakpaw mountains.’
‘Good, now, when you wake up from this dream. I will need you to go there and retrieve the sceptre. We have selected you specifically to use it. Under no circumstances must you let anyone else wield it. It must always stay with you until you’re ready to activate it,’ I say to Nina.
‘What exactly does this sceptre of divine power do once it’s activated? Is it a wand that will strike him down or banish him?’ Nina asks me curiously.
‘Not exactly,’ Cerridwen says to her with a nervous laugh, she looks at Valkrim, who then gives Ogrum an odd look, and then he bites over his tusk and looks at me.
I sigh heavily and make eye contact with Nina, ‘The sceptre will turn you into a deity like us. You will become much more powerful and stop aging,’ I say to her.
We watch Nina slowly stand, ‘So, you want me to retrieve the sceptre to become a Goddess, and then I’ll become powerful enough to defeat Thypon,’ she asks.
‘Well, you won’t probably be able to defeat as in kill Thypon per se, but you will stand a chance to be able to protect everyone against him. You will use your magic to keep him back. The only way to stop him for good is to seal him away as we once did, but it usually requires more than one deity to accomplish that spell. Atlanta is the only known Goddess that has successfully cast the spell on her own.’
‘Where was Thypon sealed before he was released?’ Nina asks.
‘We had him sealed under a volcano for many centuries. It can only be removed by whoever cast the spell in the first place,’ I reply.
‘We don’t have any volcanoes in Mysteria,’ Nina says.
I look up through the transparent ceiling at the sky, ‘You will have to improvise. When you return to Mysteria, you will have to figure out the perfect place to seal him.’
Nina steps around her chair and begins to pace the hall, ‘The sealing spell. I saw it in my spell book at Emerald Island in my castle. I was going to go through the star portal to retrieve the book and learn the incantation. Since I already wield magic, and perhaps with the coven’s help, it might be enough to seal Thypon without me having to transform into a Goddess forever. There’s also the chance that even with the coven’s help, it may not be enough to seal Thypon away. Magnus is my mate, and Alec is my Blood-Flame. I don’t want them to grow old and die while I stay young and live. I want to be with them both forever, even if that means crossing over with them when the time comes,’ Nina confesses.
Valkrim clears his throat and gazes at Nina, ‘Alec is already immortal. He is a vampire. Alec will never age nor die of old age. He can still be killed by an enemy if pursued, but that would not be an easy task for anyone, and with you as a powerful Goddess by his side, he would be untouchable, therefore unkillable,’ he assures me.
‘But Magnus? He’s a werewolf and will die of old age,’ Nina sobs, realising she can live for eternity with one or die naturally with the other but can never be with both forever.
We remain silent as Nina returns to her seat, leans over the table, and cries into her arms. It’s a difficult choice she has to make.
She wipes the tears from her face, ‘I can become a deity and protect Mysteria and all those in it. Magnus and his family would grow old and eventually pass away. Or do I refuse to become a deity, and everyone dies at the hands of Thypon? My sister May, Astrid, Ryker, my coven, Maia and her baby that hasn’t even entered the world yet,’ she sobs.
I walk around and place my hand on her shoulder to console her, ‘The people of Mysteria must be saved. They deserve a better fate than the cruel ones at the hands of Thypon.’
Ogrun stands and places his hand on Nina’s other shoulder. ‘The people of Mysteria deserve to live their life and die peacefully of old age, not have short lives and die horrid deaths,’ he says to her sympathetically.
‘There has to be another way?’ Nina says, and then she straightens in her chair. ‘The book! The history of supernaturals! It opened a portal to Mysteria from the human world to allow us in. We can cast it again, and you can all enter and stop Thypon,’ she says.
We give each other a sad look before returning our gaze to her.
‘I’m sorry, Nina, but it won’t allow any God or Goddess through. The only way we can get in and out of Mysteria is through the veil, during the solstice each year,’ I inform her.
Nina stares down at the table. A tear drop falls from her cheek and lands on the table, ‘Then,’ she pauses before looking up at the aurora in the night sky, ‘I have no choice but to accept my fate and become a Goddess to save Mysteria,’ she whispers and then stands and stares at me sharply, ‘How do I activate the sceptre?’ she asks.
