Read The Lost Soul (Fallen Soul Series, Book 1) for Free Online Page B

concrete floor.”
    My phone beeps. It’s Alex again and I shut off my phone. I can’t talk to him yet.
    “Is there another way?” I stuff the phone back into my pocket. “To free him from that place?”
    “You mean from his head,” she says. “It’s really not that bad of a punishment if you think about it. Locked away in your own head, being able to conjure up any surroundings you wish.”
    “But he’s stuck there against his will,” I point out, baffled by her casual attitude “All by himself. It’s lonely, I’m sure.”
    Her gaze wanders to the window. “There are punishments that are worse, like losing your power in a world full of death. Every day I sit here, never knowing if I’ll be okay. Never knowing what waits for me around the corner.”
    “Welcome to reality. We’ve been here for a while,” Laylen says and pats the table. She shoots him a glare and he shrinks back. “Sorry.”
    She gathers our mostly full cups and dumps the tea down the drain. “Whatever it is you’re looking for, I can’t help you.”
    “We’re only looking for help,” I tell her. “And my father asked you to do that for him.”
    “Well, your father doesn’t always get what he wants.” She turns the faucet on and rinses the tea down the sink. “It’s a life lesson he learned a long time ago.” She shuts off the water and wipes down the counter with a rag. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have things to do.”
    “Wait.” I jump up, bumping the chair to the floor. “Please. I need this. My mom’s dead and he’s all I have left. Well, besides Sophia. But she’s hardly around.”
    “And we’re all grateful for that,” Laylen says.
    I scowl at him, but he’s right. Despite Sophia’s apologies, her presence reminds us of a dark time, filled with soul detachments, memory tampering, and crappy grandmothering skills.
    “Please,” I beg. “I need your help.”
    Her eyes soften. “No matter what I do to help you, you’re going to need the Crystal of Limitation. Dyvinius won’t free him. My step-brother is a strict rule follower. Trust me. It’s why I ended up here.”
    “But it’s broken, split in two, right down the center.” I demonstrate by separating my hands.
    “Then you’re going to need to fix it,” she states it like it’s obvious.
    “Does that statement come with instructions?” I lift the chair back up and push it up to the table.
    She opens a drawer and removes a white business card. “There’s a man Emmelus, who’s an ædificator, someone that is very good at fixing things of the magic world.” She hands me the card. “Take the Crystal of Limitation to him.”
    I read the card over. “Can we trust him? This Emmelus guy?” She nods and I stuff the card into my back pocket. “And then after we get it fixed what do we do?”
    “You bring it back here.” She shuts the drawer and clutches the edge of the tile countertop, her knuckles whitening. “But you’re going to have to get the help of at least one other Foreseer who’s willing to break the laws. Channeling enough power is going to be hard, even for you.” She pushes away from the counter. “The Room of Forbidden is protected by the power of a thousand Foreseers. And breaking through that is nearly impossible. But we can try.”
    “I already saved the world,” I inform her. “I can get into the Room of Forbidden.”
    She smiles skeptically. “It’s nice that you have a positive attitude, but I’m old enough to know that some things work out and some things don’t.”
    Her words weigh on my shoulders. I thank her and then Laylen and I leave, unsure of my future or past. Or whether I’ll fail or succeed.
     

Chapter 7
     
     
    Laylen and I return to the castle. Stars hum a colorful melody and the full moon beams against the slate sky. An eerie fog has crept in, blanketing the trees, the lake, and the front yard. The scent of rain lingers in the air and the driveway is marked by puddles.
    “So do we go find Emmelus