“We’ll figure it out,” she responded, more kindly, “but first, you need to hear the rest.” She proceeded to tell them everything Tristan had told her.
“How do you know he’s not lying?” Piper ventured when she was finished.
“I don’t think he is.” It was that simple.
“What’s the plan, Quinn?” Daniel asked, sensing that she had already devised a course of action.
“It hasn’t changed. I’m going after the crystals.”
“I still don’t think that’s a good idea. Charlotte will gather an army against you, particularly now that you’ve warned her you’re coming.”
For the first time, Quinn smiled. “I’m counting on it.” Not waiting for an answer, she continued. “How many of you have your crystals with you?”
A few curious looks was all the answer she got and Piper shifted in her chair. As a gesture of good faith, Quinn withdrew the sapphire from her pocket and placed it on the table before her. A gasp of astonishment ran through the Guardian ranks as they laid eyes on the crystal which had once belonged to Isaiah, but Quinn ignored them. “The time for secrecy is gone. Now, it is time for us to trust one another – to do what needs to be done to protect the wards who remain. I ask that you trust me now, as you did Isaiah.” The Slayer sword, sheathed behind her back, seemed to pulse as she spoke, with the true conviction of the Slayer.
Daniel eyed her curiously, recalling Isaiah’s words. Isaiah had said that Quinn would change everything; that she would bring about the end of the war. Daniel hadn’t believed it and he still had his doubts, but if ever there was a moment he might be convinced, it was now. Quinn’s striking tanzanite eyes glowed with the courage of her own conviction and Daniel felt himself beginning to believe. Drawing his own crystal, he placed it beside hers. Everyone gazed in wonder at the almost flawless diamond, the size of a large gull’s egg. It was roughly hexagonal in shape, but the clarity of the gem was mesmerising.
“Well, it’s a good thing Tristan never laid eyes on that,” Avery scoffed, breaking the tension. “He probably would’ve hocked it to buy himself a new Porsche.”
Quinn couldn’t help herself and she burst out laughing. Daniel joined in and even Avery smiled at the reaction to her own words. The ice was broken, and, one by one, the other Guardians followed suit, starting with Braddon and the onyx, laying their crystals down until ten stones formed a rudimentary circle on the dark wood. Quinn watched with disbelief. She had expected to send them out to retrieve their stones.
“Isaiah told us to fetch them,” Piper answered her unspoken question, “a few weeks ago. He asked us to get them and to keep them close. We didn’t know why, but... well, I’m guessing it was for this reason?”
Quinn pressed her lips together, her face burning. Isaiah had known. He had prepared everyone and saved Quinn a lot of trouble. Her eyes prickled but she smiled through the tears, gazing down at the crystals on the table.
“Don’t forget this,” Monique leaned forward and placed the Hawkstone in the centre. The sight of the sacred stone sobered everyone.
“Two are missing,” Quinn murmured. “Only two crystals stand between us opening the Rose Gate and releasing Wintyr from the temple. When we release the Fae’s magic our friends will have a fighting chance against the vampires. Wintyr will restore the City and we can return to our home.” Saying them out loud the words sounded so simple, so attainable, but, in reality, the task she was undertaking was monumental.
“How will we get them back?” Piper asked. “If the vampires have those crystals we don’t stand a chance.”
“Yes we do,” Quinn replied evenly. It was time to tell them how she proposed to defeat Charlotte. “All this time we’ve been fighting at a disadvantage. Now I’m going to use the most powerful weapon we have against them.” She paused as all eyes were drawn to her sword, and she felt once again the burden of her responsibility, but she corrected them quickly. “As powerful as the Slayer is, I am not our greatest weapon.”
“Then what is?” Austin asked, his gun at his waist. Quinn allowed herself a small smile before replying.
“The sun.”
“Tell us what you want us to do,” Daniel instructed, when the room had quietened down again after another outburst.
Quinn turned to him gratefully. “I want you to take the wards to Austin’s grandparent’s farm. I told Charlotte I’ll meet her in three days which gives you enough time to get there. You’ll be taking the gypsies and all the civilians too – Lenora’s staff won’t be safe here anymore either. Charlotte will torture them for information. You’ll also take our vampire allies...” she trailed off as Drake’s voice boomed in her mind
No, Quinn! That is not an option!
Once more, she shut him out. It wasn’t without effort, and she took a deep breath before continuing, “Keep them safe and be ready when I call for you. If I secure the crystals, I’m going to head straight for the City. You’ll need to get there as quickly as you can.”
“We can’t leave the wards unprotected!” Piper squeaked, incredulous.
“They won’t be unprotected. Not entirely. Some of you will send your crystals with Daniel, the rest will remain behind.” The thought of handing their most treasured possessions over alarmed the others and a murmur of dissent ran through the small group.
“I asked you to trust me,” Quinn reminded gently. “I will let Daniel decide who makes the journey to Summerfeld and who stays behind with the wards.”
“Me?” Daniel blinked in confusion. “Surely I will be with you when you attack Charlotte’s men?”
“No,” Quinn corrected. “The Guardians need a leader. If I fail, a new Slayer will emerge and you will need to come up with a new plan. This is how it is,” she added, as he opened his mouth to argue. “The Guardianship is a cycle; one that will not stop. We cannot lose another Original Guardian, particularly now that the Book has been destroyed. You are too valuable, Daniel. Besides, I need you to keep those crystals safe.”
“Wouldn’t it be easier if you took them with you?” Braddon asked.
“We can’t risk it. If I fail, we can’t let Charlotte get her hands on those stones.”
“If you fail?” Braddon’s voice sounded resigned, as though he had only just realised that Quinn might not return, as though the consequences of her mission had only now occurred to him.
“I won’t fail,” Quinn forced as much confidence into her voice as possible. Thankfully, Daniel changed the subject.
“If I am to stay behind, who will go with you?” he asked. “Surely you don’t intend to go alone?”
“No,” she agreed. “I’m taking Liam,” she turned to the Hunter and he nodded his assent. Taking a deep breath, Quinn uttered the words she had been dreading, “and Monique.”
This revelation was too much for the others, who had all come to feel very protective over their youngest member and they all started to protest the decision at once. It was as though they had forgotten that Monique was in the room, listening to every word.
“Monique is practically untrained,” Daniel’s voice rose over the others. “And she’s only a child!”
“I’m a Guardian!” Monique roared suddenly. This was in such contrast to Daniel’s calm demeanour that it silenced the others’ dissent. “Stop treating me like a child! I was chosen, just as you all were. I may be young, but Eldon believed in me or I wouldn’t have been branded!” She held up her wrist as proof. “I retrieved the Hawkstone, nobody else, and I think it’s high time you started giving me the respect I deserve! I’m one of you – I’m not a child and I don’t need to be mollycoddled.”
“She’s also a dragon-rider,” Quinn added pointedly. “That’s why I need you,” she spoke directly to Monique. “I’m going to need that Orochian.”
Chapter 8
It didn’t take Quinn long to outline her plan and, while the others were shocked at her daring, they couldn’t find any obvious flaws. The plan was brilliant; if suicidal. It would either work o
r they would die. There was no in between.
“Daniel,” Quinn turned to him as the others filed out of the library to resume their preparations for departure. “It’s time we had our little chat. Should we take a walk outside?” She assumed Daniel would rather not be overheard and she was right. Daniel said nothing as they crossed the lawn and continued into the cluster of trees edging the immaculate stretch of grass. When they had walked in silence for some time, Quinn decided Daniel might need some prompting, but, as they moved out of sight of the main house, he spoke.
“Before I begin, I want you to know that I do not necessarily agree with what I am about to tell you,” Daniel began. “It was Isaiah’s theory, and I know now that he was wrong. That being said, he asked me to tell you and I can’t deny his last request.”
“Tell me what, Daniel?” She didn’t particularly care whether Daniel agreed with Isaiah or not, she just wanted answers. She wanted the truth. She couldn’t help but feel that Isaiah had left her a message – some clue as to how she was supposed to defeat their enemies. Daniel might not know how to decipher it, but Quinn was certain she would find a hidden clue in his words. After all, she and Isaiah had shared many secrets and, of all the Guardians, he had understood her best.
Daniel seemed uncomfortable and he scuffed his boot in the dirt, sending up a flurry of dried leaves.
“Spit it out, Daniel. What was this theory?”
“In order to explain what Isaiah believed, you need to first understand the prophecy.”
“Which one?” her tone suggested he was stalling. She had studied the Sacred Book. She knew the prophecies by heart.
“This prophecy wasn’t in the Sacred Book,” Daniel replied evenly. That drew Quinn up short. It was impossible. All of Eldon’s prophecies had been transcribed.
“What do you mean, it wasn’t in the Book?”
Daniel seemed to gather himself before he continued. “The original Guardians transcribed the Book from scrolls written by Eldon himself.” Quinn recalled Isaiah mentioning this shortly before the battle of Cliffdale. She had not been paying much attention, but she did so now, because she had a dreadful feeling she knew what Daniel was going to say next.
“You better not be saying what I think you’re saying,” she warned, but Daniel didn’t flinch.
“We did what we thought was best. There were certain things we felt might cause discord in the ranks, things that might undo the fragile threads that bound us together. For the sake of all future Guardians we omitted these things.”
Quinn only just stopped herself from clapping a hand over her mouth. If Daniel was saying what she thought he was saying, it meant that the original Guardians had purposefully withheld information that was intended for all Guardians.
“Just to be clear,” Quinn tried to remain calm, “you’re saying that Eldon gave you information that you simply decided not to include in the Book?”
“I’m saying that we kept some information to ourselves, yes.” His dispassionate attitude riled Quinn.
“Eldon himself intended that information to be conveyed to all of us, not just a select few. How dare you?”
“Eldon would’ve known what we did. He didn’t correct us. And it wasn’t only my call. We took a vote - Isaiah included.” If he thought that mentioning her mentor’s name would appease her, he was wrong.
“A vote? You took a God-damned vote? Is that your excuse for everything?” Quinn could feel the heat of indignation and resentment flushing her cheeks. “You know Daniel, bad things happen when good men think they know what’s best for everyone else. It wasn’t your decision to make! None of you had the right!”
“You can tell me off all you like, Quinn, it’s not going to change anything.” He was so calm in the face of her anger that Quinn realised she would get no apology out of him.
“Just tell me what was in the scrolls,” she spat in disgust.
“Most of what they contained you have already read in the Book. We didn’t omit much...” he trailed off, gazing long and hard at her. “But there was one prophecy. One that was too dangerous to include.” Quinn waited, saying nothing, and, after a moment he continued. “Eldon prophesised the end of the war. He believed that it would fall on the shoulders of one Guardian - an exceptional Guardian - who would bring about the end of the fighting. He also predicted that this Guardian would be a woman.” Hearing that a prophecy had been withheld was a shock, but Quinn couldn’t understand why they hadn’t wanted anyone else to know.
“Why didn’t you tell us this before?”
“Can you imagine if we had?” Daniel shook his head sadly. “You know how desperate we have been to end this war - to keep the wards safe. We would have pinned false hope on every single female Guardian who ever came forward, praying she was the one. Not to mention the Guardians themselves, who would all, no doubt, have wanted to be the woman who saved us. It would have done us no good to have Guardians rushing off to play hero.”
Quinn hated to admit it, but logically, it made sense. “And Isaiah thought that I was this Guardian – this saviour?” She wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it. She had expected something profound, some secret that would save them all, and instead, she had the delusions of a man who wasn’t even here anymore to explain himself.
“The prophecy referred to a woman,” Daniel reminded her.
“Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you,” Quinn sighed, “I may be a woman, but there is nothing exceptional about me.”
“Like I said, it wasn’t my theory,” Daniel shrugged, “although I do believe you are more important than you give yourself credit for.” Quinn squirmed under his scrutiny, feeling awkward at the rare compliment.
“So Isaiah believed I was this chosen one,” she said quickly, to break the tension. “And you and I agree that I’m not. Is that it?” All this fuss over nothing, she seethed inside her head.
Daniel’s mouth pulled down at the corners, a sign that he was uncertain of his answer, or the response it might invoke.
“When Isaiah first told me of his suspicion, I doubted it was you. I never believed as Isaiah did, although these past few weeks I did start to wonder whether perhaps he had been right, after all. You were acting differently, you were more confident and self-assured, and you were certainly making difficult decisions, most of which were the right call. But then you became the Slayer and I realised Isaiah had been wrong after all.” Daniel regarded her steadily for a moment, as if trying to figure something out. “I can’t say I wasn’t disappointed. I have waited a thousand years for the chosen one to reveal herself. And for a while, I had hope.”
“I’m sorry to disappoint you,” Quinn said, sounding anything but. She agreed with Daniel whole-heartedly, but it would have been nice to have his vote of confidence.
“There is something else,” Daniel continued, unmoved by her sarcasm. “The prophecy spoke of a choice. A decision that this Guardian would have to make. One that would either save us or condemn us all.”
“What decision?”
“A simple choice,” Daniel scuffed at the ground again. “A choice between the vampires and us.”
The implication of his words hung between them. It was no secret that Quinn was close to Drake – a vampire – but to imply that she might choose him over her duties was as much of an insult as it was a warning. Quinn felt the anger rise in her chest and she bit out her next words. “I think I proved where my loyalties lie when I fought those monsters who attacked our City.”
Daniel lowered his eyes first. “Is there anything else I should know?” Quinn asked. “Anything else you’ve been keeping from the rest of us?”
“It doesn’t matter now,” Daniel replied evenly. “You’re not the one. I suspected as much, but Isaiah was insistent and his dying wish was for me to tell you. Out of respect for him, I have.”
“Then we’re in agreement. It’s not me.”
“Yes,” he nodded.
“Good.” Quinn turned to leave but something held her back. She h
esitated, knowing that she would probably feel even worse if she asked, but she had to know. “You said that when I became the Slayer you knew that Isaiah had been wrong. Why? What does my being the Slayer have to do with any of this?”
“Oh,” Daniel allowed himself a small smile. “Your blood. It makes it impossible for you to be the chosen one.”
“My blood?”
“Yes. The Slayer’s blood is lethal to vampires. So you see, you couldn’t be her, because the prophecy specifically mentions a blood bond.” Quinn stiffened, her breath catching in her throat as Daniel continued. “The chosen one will be bonded to a vampire.”
Quinn kept her expression neutral, but her mind screamed in denial and acknowledgement of the truth. She had to get away from him. She needed time to process this new information without being scrutinised. No one knew of the bond, other than Kellan and Avery, and she had to make sure it stayed that way.
“It’s not me,” she repeatedly automatically.
Daniel nodded curtly. “Are you going to tell the others?” he asked. “About the prophecy? About us keeping it from them?”
“No.” Quinn shook her head. Why would she? She was no saviour. Eldon had chosen the wrong girl. And why plant a false seed of hope when she would most likely fail them.
Chapter 9
You ready to talk, now? Drake’s voice interrupted Quinn’s thoughts the second she entered the house. She had left Daniel in the woods and she hoped he was suffering with guilt at having kept the truth from them all these years. Somehow, though, she doubted it. Daniel believed, with the utmost conviction, that he had acted in everyone’s best interests and if there was one thing Quinn had learned in her hundred years as a Guardian, it was that Daniel seldom saw his own faults.
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