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“Not always,” Elian said. “When I focus, I can sense where things are and at times make out what I think it is going to be. However there are so many hidden treasures in this town it is kind of messing with my senses. Once we get to a more open space, I should be able to narrow it down more.”

They followed the badger to the edge of town. The streets thinned, opening up to a port overlooking the ocean. Brick turned to sand and towering buildings became an impenetrable cliff, trapping them along the shore. A warm breeze ruffled Thicket’s hair, heated by the remnants of sunlight captured by the sea. It was almost as comforting as the steady lap of waves, the foam tips pulsing with a ghostly light.

The beach curved away from the town until they could no longer see the buildings beyond the limestone cliffs. Elian’s badger approached a small dip in the rock face. Astromeia vines clung to the edges, their buds glowing faintly in the moonlight. The badger propped its front paws up on the cliff, sniffing the air. It angled its head to glance at Elian.

“A dead end?” Thicket asked.

Elian shook his head. “It’s here.” He approached the cliff, feeling around the rough surface. His arm sunk through a cluster of vines. With one last look at Thicket and Lotta, Elian parted the curtain to reveal a small alcove. “Looks like we found it.” He swept a hand towards the entrance. “Ladies first.”

His badger trotted inside first.

Lotta stepped up to the alcove, peering into the darkness that could have been mistaken for just another one of the cliff’s shadows.

“Lamiyr.” Lotta’s panther sprang from the fading light sprawled across the beach. Ivory light bloomed against the walls as it padded after Elian’s badger. “Now, we may enter.”

Thicket and Elian followed her inside. The alcove was tight, the rocky edges scraping against Thicket’s shoulders as they wound deeper. At the end of the tunnel, turquoise light trickled in. And then, the walls opened up, revealing a secluded area closed in on all sides by tall, pale stone walls. Moss and vines clung to the sides, softening the jagged edges. In the center, a brilliant full moon beamed down at them, spilling silver light onto the shimmering pool in front of them. Pale pink and purple lights flickered in the depths of the water, shifting and twirling.

Not lights. Jellyfish.

This was everything she had been envisioning and more.

The Lost Soul Lagoon…

“It’s beautiful,” Thicket breathed.

“I can see why Bern was so animated about it,” Elian agreed. “She is going to kill us when she realizes we came without her.”

Thicket winced, able to envision the outrage on her friend’s face too clearly.

Lotta crouched beside the pool. “I have never seen jellyfish up close like this before,” she said.

“Do they have any abilities?” Thicket asked. She knew fish didn’t, but if she remembered correctly, jellyfish were different.

Lotta nodded. “However, unlike most animals, jellyfish don’t possess magical energy. Instead, they take it from others.” She swirled her finger into the turquoise water. The movement captured the moonlight, forming iridescent crescents against the rippling surface. “They secrete a venom that relaxes the bodies of its victims, allowing them to feed on their magical energy. The venom also causes hallucinations. Jellyfish can read the emotions and desires of those it paralyzes, so while they drink your magical energy, they show people visions of an alternate reality. Some believe it relaxes the mind’s natural barriers, allowing them to come to terms with who they truly are without social constructs getting in the way. Others believe the jellyfish show them what they want to see. Most agree it is somewhere in the middle, a balance between the harsh truth and the shimmering fantasy of what could be.”

“Doctors in Dymree would buy the venom from fishermen who go out deep into Sea Glass Ocean to use on patients who have to undergo surgeries,” Elian said.

Kind of like anesthesia! Thicket was about to blurt, then remembered that it was the magic stripped version from the Dream World.

“However its use is strictly regulated,” Elian added.

“Why?” Thicket asked.

“People like the high of having a glimpse into something better than their average lives. Some become addicted and seek it out. There are smugglers, most notably from the Firenest Reef in the Desert Kingdom, but the asking price is exponential. If they are desperate enough, they try to get it from the source. But letting a jellyfish feed off you directly is dangerous.”

“How so?”

“In order to feed properly, jellyfish pull their victims underwater. Not long enough for them to drown, but to the point where it can cause hysteria within the victims. Jellyfish generally use enough venom to relax the victim, but if they start to thrash and struggle, jellyfish will increase the level of toxins to fully paralyze them, making them unable to swim to the surface. It’s said those who drown are buried beneath the sand and are reincarnated as jellyfish, just another lost soul damned by their lack of faith to help guide others to their heart’s desires.”

“Why would anyone risk doing such a thing?”

Lotta shrugged. “People would die for even a glimpse at a perfect life. For a fragment of hope that something better awaited them.”

Thicket understood that. The longing so deep it felt great enough to curb the fear of death itself.

Since Lavender had exposed her secret and she had lost her people’s faith, Thicket had been looking for something to give her an edge. Something to guarantee her a place in this world.

The cat had told her not to worry about the prophecy. She had thought to get her Aneuma back, but that plan had failed. She hadn’t changed enough.