Clouds rolled in and blanketed the city in their shadows. Thunder rumbled above. Wind sang as it rushed past my ears. The wand’s crystals glowed bright blue, and the three colors of my magic sparkled in our wake.
Fae and half-blood stopped walking in the streets, stared up at us, and pointed.
“What are you planning?” Julian asked as a giant house on the tallest hill in the city came into view.
The house was actually multiple buildings connected together. The base was a tall, strong marble platform, and columns surrounded the outside of it, like a fortress. There was a covered area that must have held living spaces, gardens, and a multi-level courtyard. A grand temple towered in the center of it all.
Empress Sorcha, Princess Ciera, and Prince Devyn waited at the bottom of the wide steps that led to the temple’s entrance. Guards surrounded the building. Fae guards.
They knew we were coming. Of course they did. Prince Devyn saw everything.
The knowing smile he gave me as he looked up and met my eyes angered me further, and lightning danced between the clouds.
I held out the wand and aimed the crystal down at the dome. “Brace yourself,” I said to Julian. “I’m going to try something.”
Magic poured out of the wand and collided with the dome right above the Empress’s house. The beam must have been twenty feet wide, and lightning crackled through it along with my glittering magic.
I focused only on that section. In less than a minute, the magic burned through the dome, like when I used to use magnifying glasses to burn holes through leaves.
The rest of the dome remained intact. Since the hole was on the top, there was no risk of zombies getting through.
“There’s our way in,” I said, and the pegasus flew through the hole, landing gracefully in front of Prince Devyn, Princess Ciera, and the Empress.
Princess Ciera refused to look at Julian, and she scowled at me. Prince Devyn and the Empress were as calm as ever. All three of them wore fae finery decorated with delicate patterns of woven silver and gold. They looked ready for a banquet—not for a battle.
Julian hopped off the pegasus, faced the Empress, and bowed his head. “Your Highness,” he said.
She nodded in approval.
It took all of my effort not to roll my eyes. The plague had overrun most of the Otherworld, fae zombies were an immediate threat to the city, yet the Empress still cared about formalities?
Apparently so, since she stared at me with her big child-like eyes, waiting.
In times of crisis, order must be kept to prevent chaos, I could practically hear my mother’s voice in my head.
So I hopped off the pegasus, faced the Empress, and lowered my eyes. Her nearly white hair was styled like a beehive on top of her head, and a diamond crown circled around it. “Your Highness,” I said.
“Champions,” she replied, and I moved my gaze back up to meet hers. “Congratulations on locating and retrieving the Holy Wand.”
I nearly said thank you, but I bit my tongue to stop myself.
It was a hard habit to break.
“The journey was difficult,” Julian said. “But we were determined to succeed.”
“I see that,” she said. “The wand is beautiful. As is your pegasus. They’re quite rare outside of the city. Where, may I ask, did you acquire him?”
I glanced to Prince Devyn, positive he’d give us away.
He didn’t meet my eyes, and he said nothing.
Perhaps the protection spell around the Sanctuary blocked his omniscient sight? It was strong enough to block the Roman gods, so it could be possible.
I rested my free hand on the pegasus’s neck. “He was a gift,” I said. “From the gods.”
“Hm.” The Empress frowned. “Which god?”
“I’m afraid I do not know.” I lowered my eyes, grateful that unlike the fae, I was able to lie.
“Well,” the Empress said, and her frown disappeared, replaced by her usual serene look. “I look forward to hearing all about your journey. But for now, follow us into the temple, where you’ll face the gods and learn your fate.”
51
Selena
Learn our fate?
That sounded ominous.
What if Juno had changed her new rule? What if she added another rule to make this even harder? The gods were unpredictable. I needed to expect the unexpected.
But no matter what happened, I had the Holy Wand.
It might not be able to destroy the zombie fae. But could it take down a god?
Empress Sorcha raised an eyebrow. “Is there a problem?” she asked.
“No.” I turned to the pegasus, placed a hand on his neck, and he let out a sad huff. “Thanks for bringing us back here,” I said softly. “Hopefully we’ll see you soon.”
He nuzzled his nose into my neck. Then he lifted his wings, raised his front legs, and took off through the hole in the dome.
I watched sadly as he flew away. But he’d make it home to the Sanctuary. I knew it in my heart.
He flew out of view, and I turned back to the three fae solemnly staring at me. “Please, lead the way,” I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt.
The Empress spun on her heel and headed up the stairs. Prince Devyn and Princess Ciera did the same.
Julian took my hand and squeezed it. “You blasted a hole in a boundary dome created by the most powerful fae in the Otherworld,” he murmured. “You’ve got this.”
I nodded, and together, we followed the three fae up the stairs.
I gazed up at the looming building as I walked. The row of columns supported a marble triangular pediment, and they were massive. They must have been fifty feet tall.
Julian and I joined the three fae at the top of the stairs, and the huge wooden double doors opened on their own.
Golden orbs zoomed out of them and circled around us, buzzing annoyingly as they captured us from every angle.
How had I gotten used to them in the Games? After so long without them, they were like giant insects I couldn’t swat away.
Well, I could destroy them with my lightning. Technically. If I needed to.
But right now, that was the last thing I needed to do.
So with one hand holding Julian’s and the other holding the wand, I raised my chin and followed the Empress through the doors. No guards followed us in. The doors shut behind us before they could.
At the opposite side of the long, narrow building, Juno sat in her lavish peacock feathered throne. In her full glory, she was more than twice our height. Bacchus lounged in a chaise on her right, idly sipping from a goblet of wine. A tall, darker skinned god with hair down to his shoulders stood on her left. He wore full body armor and had a sword strapped to his back.
Mars, perhaps?
All three of them stared at Julian and me. Their heavy gazes were weights on my chest.
I took a deep breath, and the wand radiated warmth through my body.
I can do this.
The gold floor tiles shined so much that I feared I’d slip, but I stepped onto them, relieved when they had more traction than I’d expected. Colorful rose petals fluttered down from the ceiling, like walking down the aisle at a wedding. They continued falling until we stood a few feet away from the towering gods.
The Empress, Prince Devyn, and Princess Ciera stayed off to the side.
Juno gave us a polite smile. “Welcome back,” she said. “The gods have been betting on whether you’d survive or not. I’m glad to see I’m on the winning side.”
Bacchus snarled, hatred shining in his eyes.
He must have bet that we’d lose. I smirked, happy to get a bit of vengeance after the hell he’d put us through.
“Relax, Bacchus,” Juno said. “You hardly have it as bad as Neptune.”
“What did Neptune bet?” I asked.
“He was so sure you’d lose that he was willing to be sent to Earth with his memories erased for a year if you proved him wrong,” she said. “His first day is
tomorrow. This will be so entertaining to watch.”
She smiled, and I shook my head. The gods were entertained by some strange stuff.
The strong, tough-looking god on Juno’s other side cleared his throat. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” he said. “I still need to make sure the wand isn’t a forgery.”
“You must be Vulcan,” Julian said.
“Very astute.” Juno nodded at Julian in respect. “May I introduce my son, Vulcan, the master of craftsmanship. Hand him the wand so he can inspect it.”
I swallowed, feeling as small as ever as I looked up at the muscular, stoic, unfriendly-looking god.
The Holy Wand is the real deal, I reminded myself. I have nothing to worry about. At least, not yet.
I stepped forward, held out the wand horizontally with both hands, and offered it to him.
He shrank down to normal size—which, for him, was nearly seven feet tall—and took the wand. He ran his hands over it and turned it every which way, examining every detail and saying the occasional, “hm,” as he looked it over.
Annoyance rushed through me, growing by the second. I hated not having the wand by my side. It was mine. Seeing him hold it made me ache for it like a missing appendage.
Finally, Vulcan held the wand back out to me. “This is the Holy Wand that belonged to the First Queen of the Otherworld, Gloriana,” he said.
I couldn’t take it back from him fast enough.
The crystals glowed, like the wand was also happy to be back in my hands.
“Of course it is,” I said. “We wouldn’t have brought back anything else.”
“I believe my work here is done,” he said, and flames erupted around him, their heat nearly burning my face.
They quickly died out, and he was gone.
Juno pursed her lips at where he stood, then turned back to us. “My son isn’t one for idle chitchat,” she said. “But he gets his jobs done.”
Bacchus took a long sip of wine from his goblet and smacked his lips together. “Vulcan has no fun with anything, if you ask me,” he said.
“Good thing no one asked you.” Juno didn’t bother looking at him. Her hard gaze remained set on Julian and me. “Congratulations on finding and retrieving the Holy Wand,” she said. “Now, hand it over to the one who sent you to find it. Your Empress, Sorcha.”
52
Selena
“No,” I said, and the big crystal on the top of the wand glowed brighter.
Juno’s eyes narrowed, and my hand trembled around the wand. The orbs buzzed excitedly around me.
Please don’t smite me on the spot, I prayed.
That would force me to attack with the Holy Wand. And I really didn’t want to have to do that, since I had no idea if the wand’s magic was strong enough to fight a god.
Plus, this was supposed to be the easy part of the plan.
Juno looked to the Empress. “Sorcha,” she addressed her casually. “Come stand beside me.”
The Empress didn’t look at me as she walked to stand in Vulcan’s abandoned spot. She was so small next to Juno. When she turned to face me, her expression was as serene and unemotional as ever.
Juno sat on the edge of her throne and stared down at us like she was a predator and we were her prey. “You have the Holy Wand,” she said to me. “You’re on the precipice of being the first duo to win the Faerie Games. Why do you insult your Empress by refusing to complete your quest?”
Julian stepped up, not looking intimidated by Juno in the slightest. “We cannot refuse to complete that which we’ve already won,” he said.
“You haven’t won yet.” Juno sat back slightly, and then turned to the Empress. “You dare let your subjects defy you like this?”
The Empress barely glanced at Juno. She remained focused on us, and said, “I’d like to hear what they have to say.”
Juno made a disapproving sound and straightened. “Very well,” she said. “Champions. Explain yourselves.”
I held the wand closer to my side. “Empress,” I said, surprised by the knowing way she looked at us. “Would you mind repeating the exact words of the task you asked us to complete?”
“It would be my pleasure.” She smiled. “My exact words were, ‘upon exiting the Coliseum, Julian and Selena will be exiled from the citadel. They can only return by bringing back the First Queen’s Holy Wand.’”
Juno’s brow creased, and then, realization dawned in her eyes.
“We completed the quest—and thus, won the Faerie Games—the moment we brought the Holy Wand into the citadel,” Julian said before Juno could speak. The Empress never asked us to give her the wand.”
“So I’m going to keep it,” I added.
Juno glared at us, then rotated to face the Empress. “What’s your opinion on this?” she asked.
“Julian and Selena are correct,” she said. “The quest is completed. They’ve won the Faerie Games. They’re not obligated to hand over the wand.”
Juno sucked in a deep breath and returned her focus to me. “I think it’s only right that you honor your Empress by gifting her the Holy Wand,” she said. “But your logic is sound.”
Bacchus stopped sipping his wine and held the goblet near his side. His lips were stained purple. “I can call it?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said. “Call it.”
He returned his goblet to the ether, stood, and shot purple fireworks out of his hands. Luckily, the temple was large enough to hold them, although a few sparks got dangerously close to the walls. “Congratulations Julian, the chosen champion of Mars, and Selena, the chosen champion of Jupiter,” he said, his typical bravado absent from his tone. “The official winners of this year’s Faerie Games. A ball will be held tomorrow night in your honor. Now, I wish you all goodnight, and goodbye.” He turned to the closest orb and smiled wickedly. “Until next year, of course.”
A bright purple firework exploded around him, and he disappeared, along with the chaise he’d been sitting on.
Juno stood, and panic squeezed my lungs.
“Wait!” I called to her, before she vanished as well.
She stilled. “Yes?” she asked.
Everyone was silent as they waited for me to continue. The orbs buzzed louder than ever.
I focused on the Empress’s serene eyes and tried to swallow away the dryness in my throat. She was the one I needed to speak with. The only reason I didn’t want Juno to leave was so the orbs didn’t disappear with her.
Because I wanted the entire Otherworld to hear my request.
“Now that the Faerie Games are over and Julian and I have won, we’re no longer servants in the Otherworld,” I said slowly, and the Empress nodded for me to continue. “I’m going to return to Avalon, and Julian’s coming with me. Therefore, we each require a token to take us there.”
She frowned, the calmness in her eyes replaced with an emotion I knew well.
Pity.
It isn’t going to work.
But I pushed down the butterflies going crazy in my stomach. There was no reason for her to deny our request, especially with the entire Otherworld watching. So I stood still, waiting.
Prince Devyn marched to stand beside the Empress.
Princess Ciera followed him, and she gave Julian a satisfied smirk.
All I knew about Princess Ciera was that she’d nominated Julian for the Games because she’d wanted to marry him. I’d hoped she would have come to terms with the fact that he was my soulmate by now, but apparently, she hadn’t.
I tore my gaze away from her spiteful one and continued to stand strong, waiting for a response. I’d been clear. I wasn’t going to resort to begging.
“I’m well aware that you wish to return to Avalon,” Prince Devyn finally said. “And you had every right to ask. But I’m afraid it won’t be possible.”
53
Selena
“What?” I stumbled on the word, my mind spinning as I tried to make sense of what he was saying. “But fae can’t lie. And you sa
id I could return home after winning the Games.”
“Wrong.” He grinned.
I looked to Julian, and my stomach sank at the worry in his eyes.
“What exactly did he say to you?” Julian asked.
“He said that if I won the Games, I could go home.”
“Those were his exact words?”
“Um…” I glanced down at the floor and thought back to the conversation Prince Devyn and I had when he first told me about the Faerie Games.
I’d just gotten to the Otherworld. I’d been in shock. All I could think about was getting home, to my real family.
But what exactly did he say?
“I don’t remember.” My voice trembled, and I could barely bring myself to meet Julian’s eyes.
“As I thought,” Prince Devyn said, and I hated how much his violet eyes looked like mine. “Do you want me to remind you?”
“Yes.” Electricity crackled over my skin, and I didn’t bother to control it, since my lightning magic was no secret.
He smiled and stepped forward, clearly getting joy from this. “I said that if you win the Games, you’ll be free to leave the Otherworld,” he said. “You assumed that meant you could go to Earth.”
“I did.” Heat surged through me, and I balled my hands into fists. My magic was a storm inside of me, pressing against my skin so forcefully that I didn’t think I could keep it contained for much longer.
Then Julian stepped in front of me, and that brief moment of thinking I might accidentally hurt him with my magic was enough to get me to rein it in.
He must have realized I’d regained control over my magic, because he moved back to stand next to me. “We may not be able to go to Earth,” he said calmly, focused on Prince Devyn. “But we are free to leave the Otherworld. So where, exactly, can we go?”
A loophole.
I should have thought of that.
I might have, if I hadn’t been so focused on trying to stop myself from blasting Prince Devyn to smithereens.
The Faerie Wand (Dark World: The Faerie Games Book 4) Page 22
