by Ashley Meira
Charlotte nodded. “I showed pictures of the wreath to the locals, but none of them could recognize the flowers it was comprised of, and further examination of the island revealed they weren’t native. Olivia and Edward are good friends, and they’re very experienced with herbs and flowers. I thought they might be able to identify them.”
“Olivia said it was beautiful,” I said.
“It is.” She pulled a picture from her pocket. “I couldn’t stop staring at it.”
Adam eyed the offering warily. After things had settled down, he seemed to remember he wasn’t comfortable around Charlotte and had resumed treating her like she had the plague. I knew he wanted to make amends, but her presence unnerved him, and I didn’t miss the way his eyes would dart to her, trace over the scar, then dart away again.
I took the picture. Seraphine taught me what kind of chaos a pretty piece of jewelry could hold, causing my aversion to shiny accessories to grow. Even so, I could see why Olivia and Charlotte found the wreath so enchanting.
A variety of exotic looking flowers were circled around each other in a blend of pinks, purples, and soft blues. Smaller white flowers were dotted between them, and even through a picture, it was clear they shined like diamonds. The sharp-looking leaves were a green so vibrant they seemed fake. They weaved together under the flowers, revealing bits of white wood underneath. Olivia said these plants were from Arcadia, and looking at them now, I believed her. They seemed far too magical to be from our world.
“It’s kind of small for a wreath. Looks more like a crown,” I said, my heart clenching at the memory of my dream. Diana and I had been making flower crowns before danger hit, though they paled in comparison to this one.
“It is,” Bane said sharply, eyeing the photo with distaste. “And if you have any sense at all, you’ll burn it on sight.”
“See? This is what I mean.” Charlotte crossed her arms. “You told me nothing except to destroy that crown, then you tried to take it away and do it yourself.”
He rolled his eyes. “It’s dangerous.”
“It’s a piece of history and belongs in a museum — or returned to the fae if it truly belongs to them. Either way, I have to get it back.”
Bane scoffed. “It’s your insistence on putting that thing in a high security vault that caused me to return it to you, though we see how that turned out. As for the fae, they buried that thing for a reason. And note they chose to do so in another world.”
“Getting robbed was not my fault,” she huffed. “And since you’re so chatty, tell me what the deal with this wreath is.”
I watched the two of them glare daggers at each other and wondered if this was what it was like to watch me fight with Fiona. “Why did the fae bury it?”
“Because they don’t want it, obviously,” he drawled. “And they’re too afraid to destroy it.”
“Why?” Adam asked tiredly, leaning back against the seat. He seemed as anxious to get Charlotte home as I was, though not for the same reasons.
“They don’t want to anger a self-declared god.” Bane shrugged, his long nose wrinkling in distaste. “Besides, powerful fae aren’t fond of hard work, and destroying that wreath requires a great deal of effort.”
“Magic, you mean,” Charlotte said with a heavy sigh. She ran a tan hand down her face, pausing to scratch the scar on her chin. Adam tensed beside me, and I took his hand. “Is that why that guy wanted the wreath? To destroy it? Or was he trying to keep it safe?”
Bane arched a brow. “Why are you asking me?”
“Okay.” Adam sat up again, his eyes focused. “You found a wreath and wanted to identify the plants. That led you here. How did you go from here to having your wreath stolen by some guy?”
Bane sighed and rolled his eyes again, pouring himself another cup of tea. He might not enjoy company, but he did like putting on a show.
Charlotte gave Bane an unimpressed look. “After getting nothing useful but ‘it’s a witch, burn it at the stake—’”
Bane narrowed his eyes. “I will feed you to the dragons, child.”
“He—” she jutted a thumb at him “—walked me to the exit so none of the dragons would jump me. It’s their birthing season, so they’re extra territorial. When we reached the exit, a man leapt through the barrier and attacked us. We retreated, but not before he managed to rip the wreath away from me.”
“She wanted to go after him,” Bane said, disapproval drenching his tone.
“But he pulled me back.” She gave him a smug grin. “Because he’s a big softy who didn’t want me to get hurt.”
He glared at her. “The first part is true.”
“Seriously—” I leaned over to whisper in Adam’s ear “—is this what it’s like between me and Fiona?”
“This is what it’s like with you and most people.”
I glared at him. “Next time, I’m letting the dragon eat you.”
“Letting?”
“Get yourself killed for the wreath at your leisure,” Bane said. “But not while the dragons are rearing their newborns. You’re liable to get the entire sanctuary set ablaze. Some of us still intend on living here when you leave.”
“Okay.” Adam sighed. “So, if we get the wreath back, you’ll come home?”
Charlotte met his eyes, then dropped her gaze. “Yeah. I haven’t been ignoring Dad on purpose. I lost my communication charm in the struggle, and Bane doesn’t have a phone.”
“Let’s get you home first,” I said. “Then, we’ll look for this guy. If he’s a mage, we can track his magic from wherever he is.”
She nibbled on her lip. “I guess. What if he’s still here, though?”
“Tell us about him,” Adam said, still playing eye tag with her. The urge to grip their chins and force them to look at each other struck me, but I clenched my cup instead. “What did he look like? Were you able to grab something off him?”
“Um….” She gave us a sheepish look. “I didn’t really get a good look at him. He just rushed me.”
“About five ten with sunken cheeks and sallow skin,” Bane began with a sigh. “Greasy black hair with an equally disheveled trench coat. I couldn’t see his eyes, but he had a square jaw and long nose. His magic reeked of stale beer, dirt, and blood.”
We stared at him in awed silence.
“What?”
Charlotte puffed out her cheeks. “If you had time to see all that, you could have stopped him from stealing the wreath!”
“Killed. I could have killed him,” Bane said. I was beginning to think he always sounded put out. “Just as I could have killed all of you.”
She smacked a hand on his mouth and shushed him. “They’re going to think you’re one of those evil Fireborn.”
Bane’s eyes widened at her action. A second later, they narrowed, and he pried her hand away with a sharp glare. “Yes. Obviously. Because I live here, completely surrounded by mages that I keep around for the sole purpose of draining.” He waved his arms around the room. “Look, they’re taking up so much room I can hardly breathe.”
“To be fair, this place is big enough to have a dungeon,” she said.
“Because you have so much experience with these things.”
I did, but I was too put off by Bane’s description of the attacker to think of a reply. He sounded exactly like…. No, he was dead. “Adam, do you have that photo from the Black Citadel on your phone?”
My mention of the prison drew Bane and Charlotte’s attention, and they turned to us. Adam’s face told me he had the same person in mind. He fished out his phone and flipped through it, showing them a picture the Council had sent him two months ago.
“Oh!” Charlotte pointed at the phone with one hand and smacked Bane’s arm with the other. “That’s him! Isn’t that him?”
“Stop that,” he said firmly, scooting away from her. “Yes, that’s him.”
I frowned as Adam handed me the phone. The last time I saw this man, he was trying to kill me.
Cyrus.
Chapter Fourteen
Thoughts raced through my mind. None of them were particularly good, and even less were coherent. Cyrus was still alive? How was that possible? I’d been less than five feet away when Diana said she was going to kill him. Sure, I’d been beaten within an inch of my life, but I was sure I hadn’t misheard.
Had I?
“Sophia,” Adam said calmly, his hand squeezing mine. “Didn’t you tell me Cyrus was dead?”
I nodded, trying to recall Diana’s exact words. “‘He’d have died too soon. It needs to be after the ritual.’ That’s what Diana said. She had no intention of letting him leave that mountain alive.”
“She told you that?”
“No, she was on comms with Nicholas.” I ran a hand down my face, trying to figure out what my potentially evil twin could have meant if she hadn’t planned on killing Cyrus. “He was a pawn they were using to steal the Heart. They had no use for him after he delivered it. Why keep him alive?”
“Why invite him to the ritual at all?” Adam said. “Originally, I thought he could have been a sacrifice, but if he’s still alive….”
Bane cleared his throat. “What on earth are you two whispering about? What Heart, and what ritual?”
“It’s not really whispering if you can hear them,” Charlotte said, though she looked just as confused. “Besides, I thought you weren’t interested in the outside world?”
He looked down at her. “Children should be seen, not heard.”
“Cyrus is a thief,” I said. “He was hired to steal an artifact called the Heart of Gaia. I was hired to retrieve it and discovered he and his accomplices were going to use it as part of an unknown ritual.”
“Based on the way you worded that, I’m assuming you failed to stop them?” Bane said, his brows raised in an unimpressed manner. I was beginning to think his face was frozen that way, and he could only vaguely shift his features into other expressions of disapproval.
“What’s the Heart of Gaia?” Charlotte asked, curiosity sparking in her eyes. “It sounds old.”
“And belonging in a museum?” Bane said dryly.
“It was part of my brother’s gallery,” Adam said.
“Was that the break-in from two months ago?” she asked.
Adam’s brow furrowed. “How do you know about that?”
“Damien told me,” she said meekly. “He mentioned something had been stolen, but he didn’t say what.”
The lines on Adam’s forehead grew deeper, and I knew he wanted to press her for more information. But there were more urgent matters to handle.
“Edward said you were knowledgable about many things,” I told Bane. “Do you know anything about the Heart of Gaia, or what their ritual could have been for?”
He regarded me carefully, as if trying to decide whether or not I was worthy of the information. I didn’t take it personally — Bane seemed to find everyone an equal waste of his time. When he finally did speak, it was with a heavy sigh.
“Gadot.”
Silence filtered into the room as we waited for him to elaborate. But all he did was rub his temples wearily and rest his head on his palm. It was rather anti-climatic compared to the story we’d told him — or the adventure we’d gone through — but his reaction spoke volumes. I felt a heavy curtain of unease drape across my shoulders, and I waited a few more seconds before asking him what Gadot was.
“Who,” he said. “Gadot was a man who lived thousands, of years ago. He found Gaia wandering the deserts of Egypt, drained from her escape and lost amongst the sands. He took her in and cared for her as best he could for an earth mage with no semblance of healing magic. Slowly, Gaia began to heal.”
“He healed a god?” Charlotte asked.
“Of course not.” Bane rolled his eyes as he poured himself another cup of tea. “She healed naturally, but he provided her the shelter under which to do so. Not to mention the effect of having one so attuned to the earth near her. When she recovered, he remained by her side to take care of her. I don’t know the details of what happened after that, but they eventually became lovers.”
“Guess that rumor was true,” I told Adam.
“Damien will be interested to know that,” he said. “What happened next?”
“She taught him magic, bestowing upon her lover the spells she herself used.”
“That’s nice,” Charlotte said. “Too nice. I’m guessing this story doesn’t have a happy ending.”
“Good for you,” Bane said. “There’s that college education at work.”
She glared at him and raised a fist.
“You’ll miss,” he warned, but quickly continued his story. “Humans rarely handle power well, especially when it comes suddenly — and from a god. Or titan. Whichever you prefer.” He shrugged. “Gadot ended up going mad. He craved more power with each passing day, until Gaia finally cut him off. So, he conjured demons who told him he could have all the magical power he desired if he feasted upon Gaia’s soul.”
“Gross.” I shuddered, trying to understand how someone could do that to the one they loved. Was that my destiny? To grow so power hungry that I’d kill the people I loved most? I squeezed Adam’s hand as his grip tightened around mine, and I let our synchronized movements calm me for the moment. “Did she find out what he was planning?”
“Certainly. The moment he killed her, she knew he was a traitor.”
“Thanks,” I said flatly.
“You asked,” Bane said, pouring himself more tea. “He killed her slowly so he could better absorb all her power. As he did so, she left a curse upon him. Clearly not a very good one, considering how much time passed before it took effect. The man lived another five years — long enough to gain the monicker ‘Emperor of Earth’ and rain chaos upon his people. He even started a cult, though I’m certain the majority of his worshippers have died out by now.”
“Let me guess,” Adam said. “When the curse finally did take effect, he was sealed in her heart?”
Bane nodded. “She cursed him to an eternity trapped within the heart he’d broken. By the time the curse took effect, Gadot had abused his body to the point where there was barely anything human left. He was almost all earth, his form merged with the mountains themselves, Which is why anyone who summoned him would need to provide a suitable receptacle.”
Like Cyrus, I thought with dread. He was an earth mage, and he had mentioned he was about to become a god. I’d thought it was a promise Nicholas or Diana had made to gain his compliance. I never imagined things would turn out like this.
What even was this? Gadot and Seraphine…. Just how many of these creatures was Nicholas after? Did he have a plan for them, or was he going to let them roam free and cause as much destruction as they could? Based on their lack of activity, I’d guess it was the former. It was possible they were slowly amassing an army and would soon attack, but Nicholas wasn’t the type of person who enjoyed relinquishing control. He summoned these things, and he wasn’t going to let them act without his approval. In his mind, he thought he owned them.
Just like he’d owned me.
Had this plan of his been in motion since then? Was I involved in this somehow? He’d used Diana to summon Gadot and Seraphine. Did that mean he’d ordered me to do the same? Were there more of these monsters on his side, ready to kill millions of people, because I’d summoned them under his orders?
Fear’s icy fingers squeezed my heart as another thought came to mind. Nicholas told Seraphine almost six hundred years had passed since they last met. Did that mean he’d been at this since then? It was possible, but why wait so long? If these beings were as powerful as legends said, then shouldn’t taking over the world be child’s play to them?
Maybe he was having a hard time keeping them all from killing each other. Or I guess modern weaponry might cause some problems. But again, that wouldn’t have been an issue six hundred years ago. Why start doing this now? What did any of this have to do with the children he’d taken? How did Diana
, Fiona, and I fit into all this? Or were we pieces to a completely separate puzzle? Were we not important at all? Being kept the way we were, that last thought seemed the most believable.
But he wouldn’t have trained us if that were the case. Nicholas was after something specific, and we all had a part to play. I just wished I knew what those parts were.
I met Bane’s gaze. That ancient aura of his made me wonder. If it was possible for Nicholas to be over six hundred years old, couldn’t Bane be much older than he looked? I took him for far more than the twenty-six years he appeared, but could that truly be it? He certainly acted like a crotchety old man. Maybe he even knew about Nicholas, though the lack of recognition in his face at the name gave me doubt.
Before I could ask, Charlotte spoke up. “So, if Gadot is in Cyrus’ body, he was the one who stole the wreath from me. What kind of connection does an evil earth mage have to a fairy artifact?”
“So much for a peaceful retirement.” Bane sighed as wearily as he had when he first mentioned Gadot and rose. “We’re going to need more tea for that story.”
I watched him walk away, dread creeping up my spine. How was this going to get any worse?
I clenched my cup of tea, the iciness in my fingers allowing me to feel some of its heat. Steam billowed, blocking Adam’s stern expression as he stared fixedly at Bane. The three of us remained silent as we waited for Bane to speak, the severity of the situation weighing on us. But not on the other Fireborn, apparently, because he calmly sipped his tea like he wasn’t about to drop a gigantic bomb on us. Maybe he wasn’t. Maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as I was expecting.
Yeah, because things like this always worked out in my favor.
“That wreath, the one that should be destroyed,” he added, fixing Charlotte a pointed look, “is called the Wreath of Narcissus, and it contains the soul of a fairy named Trixie. Not a very threatening name, I know, but she was horrible enough that the fae buried her on Earth, far away from them.”
