by Skye Horn
Thea tried not to think about how wrong that relationship must have been in modern terms, because perhaps there was a difference with Goddesses, but the hatred in Morrigan’s voice sent a shiver of fear beneath her skin.
“That’s why I’m going to take away the ones who worship her. I’m going to make sure no one remembers her name.”
Thea swallowed hard, realizing she really was stuck in a war between two Goddesses, and that she’d just given her word to join one of them when called upon in exchange for the truth. However, she still didn’t have the answer to her question.
“Even if all of that was true, why does Ainé need me? Why gift me with the elements? Why mess with my love life?” Thea’s voice sounded frantic, even to her own ears. She’d already been here for a long time. What was this doing to her in the real world? It wasn’t like they’d done any testing before trying this crazy stunt.
“She intended to use you to break her out of the prison realm. When my sister realized I intended to take away all her little worshippers, she locked me away. The only problem was that to keep me there, she bound herself to the magic that imprisoned me. That was why I needed your blood to set me free. You are a direct descendent of Gabriel and my sister through your mother’s side. Powerful magic already runs through your veins. By ensuring that you stayed clear of dark magic, my sister kept you out of my grips, but she never intended to keep you away forever.
“That’s why she needed you to have a soul bond—it’s a powerful magic that my sister has perfected over the centuries, which draws two people to each other no matter the cost. Pathetic, since you could have fallen in love all on your own, but now you have no choice.”
Thea almost thought she heard sadness in Morrigan’s voice, but if it was there, the Goddess hid it well.
“You would have scoured the worlds to find each other without ever realizing you were doing it,” she said shaking her hair over her shoulder. “Your kind make me out to be evil, and perhaps I am, but I wasn’t always. I only seek the revenge I deserve for the death of the man I once loved.”
“What good will that do you though?”
“I will be at peace.”
“And the rest of us will be dead.” Thea glared, but Morrigan only shrugged. “You really care that little about the race of people you not only once loved but also helped create? What about your descendants?”
“My descendant betrayed me,” Morrigan said matter-of-factly. “Tell me, how is Kieran managing the darkness within himself?”
This time it was Thea’s turn to be surprised. She stared at Morrigan, allowing the ancient darkness that swelled within the Goddess to bore into her fragile soul. She feared the day that she would have to let that darkness into herself, but even more so, she wondered about what the Goddess was telling her.
“Declan said you cursed your son with a magic that would consume every first-born son… Are you saying that Kieran is from that line?” Panic rose in Thea’s voice, but Morrigan continued on as if she hadn’t spoken.
“My sister used you and the rest of your kind, but all you care about is protecting a man she forced you to love.”
“They don’t deserve to die for your sister’s crimes against you,” Thea breathed, her mind spinning with the recent information she’d gained. “You know that.”
Of course the Goddess knew; she just no longer cared. After centuries of imprisonment, Morrigan had grown cold. She’d become the Goddess that the Fae had made her out to be, that her own sister had made her out to be.
“If I free Ainé, she will help us stop you,” Thea said, her voice wavering in the slightest. She was walking a dangerous line.
“Perhaps, or perhaps she has other plans for you, little princess.”
There was the hint of information behind those words, but Thea doubted Morrigan would tell her what those other plans were. She also doubted Morrigan was lying.
“She’s kept you alive this long. I wonder how she’ll use you next,” the Goddess continued.
Thea could sense the conversation ending, but she still had a million other questions buzzing through her head. Morrigan had told her a story she’d never have believed before today, but now, it all made sense. Ainé needed Thea to get out of the prison just as much as Morrigan did, which left Thea with one burning question on her tongue that could not wait.
“How did you stop Ainé from escaping when Malachi performed the spell?”
Morrigan glanced up with a wicked smile.
“Now you’re asking the right questions,” she said. “The prison world is built for two. Your father took my place, but Ainé needs a replacement so she can leave.”
Thea’s mouth went dry. She recalled the dream where Ainé had begged her to come to save her, but here was the catch. If Thea saved Ainé, someone else would have to take her place.
“My father is alive,” Thea whispered.
“Yes, trapped in a world where he cannot die, surrounded by some of the most evil creatures the realms have ever seen. Fitting, isn’t it?” Morrigan laughed now, and Thea’s stomach twisted itself into nauseated knots. She had no love for her father, but to be trapped for all eternity seemed like a fate crueler than death. “And by the look on your face, I see you’ve put the rest of the puzzle together.
“For Ainé to be free, someone must take her place. So, tell me again, how will you be setting my sister free to stop me?”
A row of pointed teeth smiled at Thea then, as the trees and lake blurred. Thea was losing her grip on this vision.
“Don’t forget your promise, little princess. I’ll be waiting for you and my Son of Darkness.”
And then the world around them faded to black.
When Thea awoke, she was back in Declan’s bedroom with four sets of eyes staring down at her with concern.
She blinked up at them all slowly, taking in each of their faces with gratitude, but it was Kieran whose face she lingered on the longest. Worry flooded his features with a mixture of pain and regret she was growing to recognize.
“You’re back,” he breathed, as if the words were difficult to push out between his lips.
“I’m back,” Thea replied, but her voice cracked.
Declan handed her a glass of water, which she downed as soon as she’d pushed herself into a seated position.
“Tell us what happened,” Haven demanded, eyes scanning Thea for any sign of dark magic.
Thea knew she wouldn’t see anything. She felt back to normal. The anger and hatred that had filled her before had faded away, replaced by a desperate need to protect them from the truth—but she couldn’t do that. She needed to tell them exactly what Morrigan had told her, but first, she needed to gather her own thoughts.
“I made a deal with the devil,” Thea murmured, meeting Kieran’s worried gaze. “But that’s not even the craziest part.”
“Thea, you’re going to have to explain better than that,” Amara said, gazing at Thea with a look of timid apprehension. Thea’s guilt over what she’d said to them all settled on her, but it was nothing compared to the guilt she saw on Kieran’s face.
It’s okay, she wanted to tell him, but she couldn’t. He’d spoken all of her deepest fears aloud and all she could think was that he was right.
“I didn’t mean it,” Kieran whispered as he lifted her up from the ground to her feet. She felt her legs shaking beneath her and realized that using the dark magic had taken every ounce of energy within her. Kieran lifted her into his arms, which was a strange feeling now that she had wings, and laid her on Declan’s bed with a deepening frown.
“I know,” Thea replied, although she didn’t really know. She wanted to allow herself to believe he really hadn’t meant all the things he’d said, but her guilt wouldn’t let her do that. Blame was a hard noose to escape. “There are more important things to talk about right now.”
They all gathered around the bed as Kieran propped Thea up. All she wanted to do was go to sleep, but she needed to tell them the entire story. S
he needed to tell them about the lies they’d grown up hearing, but how could she tell them that all the legends were twisted versions of the truth? How could she explain that the Goddess they’d put all of their faith in was a lying, manipulative bitch who’d betrayed her own sister?
The words felt foreign on her tongue, but eventually they came. She started with the minute she woke up at Lake Wysteria and watched as their eyes widened at the unveiling of truth.
Chapter 23
When Thea’s story concluded, her friends stared at her with expressions that ranged from confusion, to anger, to absolute disbelief. She felt as if she’d just run a marathon, and collapsed back against the burned pillow to close her eyes, but sleep didn’t come—only silence. Each of her companions was likely trying to contrive a scenario in which Morrigan was the liar, just like Thea had, but they hadn’t been there. They hadn’t seen the memories haunting Morrigan’s eyes or the emotions flickering across her face as she’d talked about Ainé and Gabriel. Thea had, though, and any doubts of verities had faded away with each new bit of information she’d learned.
Kieran was the first person to speak. “Do you believe her?”
Thea opened her eyes to meet his confused gaze, nodding her head slowly.
She heard the sharp intake of a breath just before Haven swung her hand into the wall with a painful crack. A loud string of curses spilled from her lips as Thea winced from the sudden impact. However, she didn’t look away from Kieran. Declan and Amara stared at Haven, but she was pacing the room, avoiding them all.
“I know she’s a pathological liar, but there was something about her story that made sense,” Thea tried to explain. She wished Haven would stand still. “Ainé is in control of soul bonds, right? She proved that by creating our impossible relationship—so how unlikely is it she would also make Gabriel her soulmate?”
“Or that Morrigan would spin you a web of lies so you don’t go after Ainé,” Haven snapped, her eyes focusing on Thea.
“It’s possible that Morrigan is lying,” Declan said. “But it’s just as possible that Ainé is lying too. We only know what we’ve been told our entire lives…” He placed his head into his hands then, cutting off any way for Thea to read his expression.
Thea knew Declan relied on the knowledge he’d learned from books. She wanted to tell him that his books were right about the stories of Morrigan also being a mother of the Fae, but she needed to talk to Kieran before she brought that up and didn’t plan on doing that in front of the rest of them.
“If Thea believes Morrigan, then so do I.” Kieran’s voice was the steady rock that Thea needed. He reached out to squeeze her hand, despite the tension that still existed there, as a reminder that he would always trust her judgement. It made the butterflies that had long lain dormant flutter deep within her.
“That’s because you’re soulmates, and you have to do whatever she says,” Haven mumbled, but Thea shook her head.
“We all know that isn’t true.” Her voice quivered, and Kieran’s eyes darkened at the meaning behind her words, but neither of them let go of the other’s hand. It was like a lifeline holding Thea above the dark depths of water that wanted to swallow her whole.
“I can’t force any of you to believe me, but I can tell you I believe Morrigan was telling the truth. She didn’t deny being the monster we all know her to be, but she told me why she became that monster. If the only information we have on Ainé is passed down from the generations before us, then how can we know to trust her? It’s possible that centuries of captivity with her sister changed her. Maybe she isn’t evil, but as a Goddess, her intentions are her own—regardless of how many of us get hurt along the way.”
Thea knew she was rambling, because the truth terrified her. They had been counting on Ainé to save the day, but it looked like they were on their own.
“What about Father?” Amara asked. It was the first time she’d spoken since Thea woke up, and her eyes were wide with concern. She looked younger in this moment. “He… he’s not dead?”
Thea felt a pang of guilt. Although she hadn’t known Malachi, she’d still felt loss in his death. What had that been like for Amara, though? She’d thought Amara would rejoice that their abusive father was gone, but by the look on her face, she still saw him as her dad. She still hoped that they could save him. Thea didn’t share that hope, but she pitied her half-sister for it.
“If what Morrigan is saying is true, then yes, our father is alive. He took Morrigan’s spot in the prison realm in the same way that Ainé intends for me to take her spot. But, Amara… I don’t know how we can save him from that.” She met Amara’s gaze with sympathy. “Not even he deserves an eternity alone… but this is an ancient magic…”
“So what are we supposed to do, then? Leave Ainé locked up while her sister destroys us all?” Declan rejoined the conversation, but his face was pale with worry and exhaustion. “You can’t exactly go to the prison world knowing that one of you will have to stay behind.”
“I know.” Thea frowned, watching the concern on Declan’s face. He was proving to be a lot less egotistic than everyone had claimed he was. Sure, he had his moments, but overall, he seemed to care a lot more than he let the world know.
“Then what is the new plan?” Haven asked through tight lips. “How do we stop the Goddesses from destroying us all in the middle of their bloodbath?”
That was the problem. Thea was stuck between a rock and a hard place. She couldn’t stop Morrigan on her own, and it appeared Morrigan had no intention of letting go of her hate for her sister. However, she also couldn’t release Ainé, because then not only would she be trapped in the prison realm herself, but who knew what the rest of the Goddess’ plan for Faerie would be? It was likely she’d kill anyone who knew the truth and continue her vain search for loyal worshippers.
Thea wondered where that left them. They could tell the council what they’d discovered, but if it was hard for Thea to convince her friends of the truth, she doubted she could convince four councils of it. They could also try to fight Morrigan without Ainé’s help, but that would likely result in most of their deaths, plus Thea being locked up for the rest of her life.
There was one other option that Thea could think of, but Kieran was speaking before she could utter a single word.
“Don’t,” he said, as if reading her thoughts. She knew their connection was strong, but this was a new level of creepy. She glared at him, wanting to snap that he didn’t have a say in what she did or didn’t do, but everyone’s eyes were on her now.
“It would work,” Thea murmured, thinking about the way the dagger she’d thrown at Morrigan’s back had pierced her skin. “She’s scared; that’s why she wants to lock me up.”
Although the others looked confused at first, Haven was the first to piece together their conversation.
“We’ve already discussed that killing yourself is off the table, Princess.” She glared, but her eyes flashed with worry.
“What?” Declan gasped. “You’re not going to kill yourself!”
Amara stayed silent, but Thea imagined she’d probably take Thea’s side if she wasn’t outnumbered. None of them wanted Morrigan here, so what was her life compared to all the lives they could save?
“Giving up doesn’t make you a hero. It makes you a tragedy.” Kieran glared.
“I’m not giving up.” Thea sighed, releasing Kieran’s hand as she tucked her knees against her chest. “I’m just thinking of all the possibilities. I don’t plan to live out the rest of my life in a prison while Ainé walks free. Nor do I plan to let Morrigan destroy everything we love. So tell me how any of you would do any different.”
They met her with silence, which only confirmed what she was thinking. If it meant saving the world, they’d all sacrifice themselves in a heartbeat, but that didn’t mean anyone wanted her to die—hell, she didn’t want to die herself, but it was looking like the only option.
“Make her talk sense,” Declan demanded of Kiera
n, but Thea only rolled her eyes. Of course, now they tried to work as a team. However, Haven walked over to sit beside Thea on the bed.
“No one said that you have to be the one to take Ainé’s place in the prison world, Thea.” Haven placed her hand on top of Thea’s with a frown. “Morrigan only said that someone does.”
“I won’t ask any of you to do that, though.” Thea frowned, looking into each of their expectant eyes. She knew for a fact that Haven and Kieran would give their lives for hers in a heartbeat, but how could she live with herself if they did?
“Maybe Ainé will let us free once we make the change,” Haven mumbled. “Maybe she’ll be merciful to those who stand with her.”
“Haven’t you been listening?” Thea asked, glaring at her friend. “We can’t trust a word that Ainé says. For all we know, the moment we let her out she’ll kill us all just for knowing the truth. She took Gabriel away from Morrigan, all because she was jealous. What will she do to us if she finds out we no longer worship the ground she walks on?”
Terror was flooding Thea’s emotions, making her unstable once more, but Kieran’s hand against her cheek brought her gaze back to his.
“Focus on me,” he commanded, and she listened, focusing on his sea-green irises. She watched the golden specks of magic dance across the ocean waves in his eyes and exhaled slowly.
“I won’t let anyone else die for me.”
“We wouldn’t be dying,” Amara said. “And what if it was penance?”
Thea looked at her half-sister with a frown of confusion.
“Amara—” Kieran said, but she held up a hand to silence him.
“I’ve done some horrible things in my lifetime. I killed that human man all because Morrigan and my father told me to. I followed orders that I knew were wrong… You can’t just forgive me for that.”
Amara was right. Thea hadn’t forgiven her for her sins, but for Iris’ sake, she hadn’t locked the girl away or lashed out at her either. In fact, maybe she’d even grown to like Amara a little, despite the pain she’d caused. She was the only family Thea had left, which counted for something.
