SWNOVELS Chapter Chapter Forty-three
Amethyst’s Pov:
“I am sorry, her future self?” I asked, confused by the turn of events.
“It would seem Celine is an incredibly powerful witch indeed. Although she doesn’t have the gift of foresight, however it would seem she has inherited your gift of time not being linear. Her future self sent back a warning to us as a vision. And along with it, she added a message to us. Something the Celine of our current time knew nothing about,” the Woman sighed.
“Amelia attempted dark magic on Celine during training. Which the future Celine used to her advantage. Not only did this repel Amelia’s attack, but we also now have an advantage. We know Amelia’s future plan and can prepare for it,” the Woman stated.
“We know at some point Amelia will leave here and align with Silverlight. From what we gather from Celine’s vision, Amelia plans to turn the tides in favor of Silverlight. I should have listened to Timothy,” she sighed.
“Surely, we can stop it now, can’t we?” I implored the Goddess. “We are. Celine will take over your title. She is dedicated and fierce in competition. With my training and whatever blessing my companion gave her, she will be unstoppable,” the Woman beamed.
“That’s not what I mean. Kill Amelia,” I yelled with more force than I intended. The Woman only smiled as she pulled me into a hug, and held me in her embrace for a long time.
“We cannot. There was a time I might have been able to, but that time has passed. Would you kill Celine because she walked a path you did not plan or wish for her? Amelia is of me, and I love her. While I hate what she has become, it doesn’t change my love for her,” the Woman confessed, breaking our embrace.
“I am sorry Goddess, as I spoke out of turn,” I whispered. Ashamed, I did not think of them loving Amelia as I loved Celine.
She took my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, a sign she forgave all, but it didn’t quell the heaviness in my heart. Celine’s best friend will betray her, someone who she loved as a sister.
The bright, warm light faded as I stood in the quarters I shared with my child. The air was electric, causing me to carefully open Celine’s bedroom door and peek in.
“Noah?” she screamed in her sleep as she thrashed about. “Noah?” she whimpered once more before she stilled.
Celine’s Pov:
“Noah?” I cried, sensing Amelia’s hand in my hair while she dragged me. Suddenly, Amelia was on my mother’s throne and shot me a smile from my post as Beta. Timothy was giving a speech about the newest Gamma. Out of nowhere, a man wrapped his arms around me, sending sparks racing up my spine.
Only these were not the sparks I remembered. The hairs on the back of my neck rose as I turned to look at the man whose arms were around me. To my horror, he looked nothing like the blurred memory of Noah.
“You are not Noah,” I growled, pulling away from the imposter mate.
“Noah? Who is he?” the man growled.
“There is no Noah in the pack Celine, please remain quiet,” Timothy scolded.
“You,” I pointed to Amelia. “What in the Goddesses’ name did you do with him?” I spat. All I wanted to do was make her pay for harming my mate and trying to trick me into believing this vision.
“Celine,” The Woman’s voice drew my attention as the world faded to the warm, brilliant white light. “Celine, you need to stop fighting this vision,” she scolded.
“But, but…” I cried.
The Woman sighed in frustration as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “Fine,” she growled, walking away, leaving me alone in the nothingness.
Overwhelmed by recent events, I broke down and fell to my knees. “Celine?” a familiar voice cried out with concern. “You left only a moment ago to see Celeste. What happened?” the voice asked, filled with concern as his arms wrapped around me.
With tears still streaming down my face, I glanced up and instantly recognized his blue eyes. “Noah,” I whispered. Relieved, I threw my arms around his neck and held him tightly to me. Something was not right. The sparks of our bond were not there.
“Celine, I need a moment with Noah please,” the Woman demanded. Noah’s arms retracted from me as he stood. He seemed to be every bit as confused as I was. As the Goddess spoke to Noah out of my earshot, he kept glancing in my direction. After what seemed like forever, he walked back to me with a sympathetic smile on his face.
Noah offered me his hand and pulled me close to him. I tried not to panic at the lack of sparks. Thankfully, something in his calm demeanor helped me to keep my cool. My hand was still in his as he brought my hand to his lips, kissing it softly before speaking. “Celine, the Goddess told me about your vision. The battle you saw happened a few days ago. As you can see, I am fine. We are fine. You can’t sense the sparks yet as I am not yet your mate. You must take over as the High Priestess first, but I know you will. Right now, I need you to allow the vision the Goddesses want you to remember to take over and forget for now about me. It’s the only way. Can you do that for me, please?”
“But why?” I snapped.
He pulled me a little closer to him, and I inhaled his scent. Even now, before he was my mate, I loved his smell of pine and the morning dew. Gently, he kissed my forehead before he whispered. “Because it will keep me safe.”
My heart leaped into my throat. Although I didn’t understand how it would keep him safe. But the conviction in his voice was enough for me to accept that if I didn’t do what he asked, he would be in danger.
“Ok,” I finally whispered. Overwhelmed by the feeling, my heart would break at the thought of losing the only memories of my mate.
“Good girl,” he smiled. “Best get back to well, your future you before you worry more than you already do. Celine, I promise we will see each other soon,” he smiled, fading away.
“Celine, training,” mother’s voice cut through a beautiful dream. For a moment, I tried to remember it. Only nothing came, just the serene spirit of love and warmth. “Celine,” my mother growled again.
“Coming,” I sighed. I hope one day my life will be more than just training.
Today, my mother and I walked together to training. Even though every priestess knew my mother was the High Priestess, they also accepted I earned my place near the top of the class. My mother gave me nothing.
“Celine, you will hold back a little from today onward in your training. Is that clear?” the Woman demanded, suddenly appearing beside me.
“Yes Goddess,” I replied.
“Good, your mother will no longer train you outside of the temple,” she continued in a sharp and definite tone.
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut, forcing me to blink back the tears welling up in my eyes. Before now, I did not realize how much I wanted to be the one who earned my mother’s title. Out of nowhere, becoming the next High priestess fueled a desire, a drive in me I never experienced before.
The Woman smiled at my distress almost as if she was enjoying it. “I will be the one training you,” she beamed. Her words sent all the despair I suffered a moment ago away, like a cool breeze on a warm day.
“Thank you, Goddess.” I grinned as excitement swelled deep inside of me. With the help from the Goddess, I stood an excellent chance.
“For now, only you and your mother can know this,” she commanded as we neared the temple.
“Celine, thank my mothers you are alright. No one would tell me what happened,” Amelia gasped, wrapping her arms around me. “I mean, we all know you had a vision, but no one said what it was about,” she continued.
For a moment, my mind went blank. For some reason, I couldn’t recall a single detail. A tingling sensation erupted at the nape of my neck. My first instinct was to fight the feeling, but a voice in the back of my mind told me to ignore it.
“Are you ok?” Amelia asked.
“Yes, I am fine. It’s just that I can’t remember the vision,” I sighed. Suddenly, my mother motioned for us to take our seats for the day’s lessons. As the day progressed, bits and pieces of what I saw returned. Amelia on my mother’s throne, a new Gamma, my mate, but as for the entire vision, I couldn’t retrieve it.
As the day concluded, Amelia dragged me to our favorite spot. The overlook, where the entire village was visible from the temple. “I need to speak to you. Celine, you are the only person I can trust with this,” Amelia linked. Fear was heavy in her voice.
“Amelia, of course. How can I help?” I link back, filled with worry. Our eyes met. For a moment she searched my soul as the Girl often did. Relief washed over her face.
“Celine, I have a plan,” she grinned. She flashed me a smile, which caused my blood to drain from its warmth.
“A plan for what?” I asked, astonished by her sudden change of demeanor.
“A wonderful plan to make sure we get all we deserve. I can’t reveal it all to you just yet, but I need you to trust me on this. Together you and I, we can… Well, I’ll explain later as you need to get to your extra training with your mother,” she beamed, vanishing from my sight.
My heart pounded as I replayed her words over and over in my mind. The more I thought about them, the more I realized this was something I needed to bring before the Goddesses.
Trying to remain calm, I rushed home for my lesson with the Woman. “Child, what weighs so heavily on your mind?” The Woman lovingly asked.
“Amelia,” I whispered, unsure if I should tell the Goddess. Worry crossed her face as she placed her hand on my shoulder.
“What about Amelia?” she demanded. In a flash of light, the Girl was at the Woman’s side, staring at me expectantly with her silver eyes turning alarmingly dark.
“She told me she needed to talk, as I am the only one she could trust, and she has a plan to get us both what we deserve. But she did not tell me what it included,” I explained, feeling horrible for betraying Amelia. There was just something in Amelia’s smile which told me this was something the Goddesses should know. For the first time in my life, I actually feared Amelia. And I feared her becoming the High Priestess.
The Goddesses exchanged an expression that did nothing to calm my fraying nerves. “I guess we will have to train a little harder than I was hoping. It would seem we are out of time,” the Woman sighed.