Fated

Chapter 26

W e entered a large room adorned with floor-to-ceiling windows, revealing breathtaking views of the city beyond. My feet itched to carry me closer to where I could stand and drink in the sights, eager to soak in every angle, every intricate detail of Luminessa. But my gaze fell to the dark mahogany table in the center of the room. Greyson and Shae were already seated, quietly working on paperwork.

Ash led me to two chairs across from them. Noticing our arrival, Greyson set his pen down and straightened in his chair. Shae, however, remained focused on her paperwork, not tearing her eyes away from what she was doing.

“Xanth is waiting for your mother. I guess she wasn’t too thrilled about being summoned to the castle for an urgent matter without an explanation,” Greyson said with a grin.

“That sounds like Mom.” Ash chuckled, shaking his head.

On the table in front of Greyson was a thin rectangular piece of glass framed by a sleek silver border.

“Is that what our phones look like these days?”Ash asked.

“Tessa designed this model herself,” Greyson replied, handing the phone to Ash.

Ash tapped the glass, and a picture instantly appeared—a photo of Ash, Calyx, and Greyson. The three of them sat side by side on the deck of Ash’s boat. Their wet hair glistened under the sun and all three held drinks, grinning like carefree boys. Calyx wore his signature smirk, but his eyes, strikingly blue, stood out to me. I had thought Calyx was handsome already, but with those ocean-blue eyes, he was undeniably a heartthrob. All three of them looked as though they could be models, the sheer level of attractiveness between them seeming almost unfair.

Ash stared at the picture for a long moment before speaking. “Reize took this picture a couple of years before we went to Astern. It was us three, Shae, and Reize. It was her birthday, and she’d been begging me for months to take her out on the yacht. She refused to get in the water with us, so right after she made us take this picture, Calyx picked her up and jumped into the river with her.” Ash chuckled. “She was so pissed.”

“Calyx spent the rest of the week groveling, catering to Reize’s every whim,” Greyson added, laughing along with Ash.

I chuckled too, glancing over at Shae and although she was still staring intently at the papers in front of her, a hint of a smile played on her lips.

Ash handed the phone back to Greyson, who hesitated, his brow furrowing.

“Calyx, is he—?”

Ash nodded, his voice firm and reassuring. “He’s ok, and we are bringing him home as soon as I can talk to Tessa.”

Surprise flashed over Greyson’s eyes, but before he could respond, he glanced toward the door.“Speaking of Tessa …”

I followed his gaze and saw a pretty, petite girl entering the room. She had short brown hair and striking blue eyes that seemed to simmer with intelligence. She wore a crisp button-down shirt tucked into a black knee-length skirt. She held her phone to her ear, her expression focused as she spoke quickly to someone on the other end. Her eyes swept over the room briefly as she set her bag on the table.

Suddenly, her body stiffened, as if she’d just realized who she was looking at.

Her eyes went wide, and in an instant, she dropped the phone to the ground. Her hands flew to her mouth, and with a deep bow, she stammered, “Your Majesty.”

Ash jumped out of his chair and strode over to where the girl stood, smiling warmly.

“Get up, Tess, and how many times have I told you? Call me Sebastian—it’s been a hundred years.”

Tessa looked up at him, her eyes wide with surprise, then immediately threw her arms around him. Standing well over a foot and a half shorter than him, she squeezed his chest as Ash leaned down, hugging her back.

“I missed you too, Tess,” he said.

Tessa pulled away, her eyes bright with emotion. “I knew it! I knew you were alive. I tracked your bike all over Astern,” she said before her excitement faded into a more somber tone. “If there had been any way I could have made contact, anything I could have done …”

“I know, Tess. You would have.” Ash smiled reassuringly before his expression lit up, and he grabbed her hand, nearly dragging her to where I sat.

“Tess, this is Areya,” he said, placing his hand on my back. “She’s the reason I’m here.”

Tessa glanced between us, her smile bright and welcoming. “It’s an honor to meet you, Areya,” she said, extending her small hand toward me.

“The pleasure is mine, Tessa. Ash has told me how important you are here.”

I’d never seen anyone’s blush rival my own, but Tessa’s face turned crimson. She quickly shifted the conversation. “I’ll have the latest models of phones set up for both of you right away,” she said. “Areya, I’ll add my number in case you ever need to talk.”

She glanced at Ash. “You know, another girl.”

Just then, a woman’s voice echoed from the hallway, full of mild frustration. “I don’t understand what was so urgent you couldn’t tell me over the phone, Xanth. I’ve been in the garden all day; you could at least have let me clean up—and why are we using the west wing?”

Tessa gave a polite smile before quietly returning to her seat.

“Mom don’t freak out, but you might want to take a seat when you get inside,” Xanth said.

“What in Gardonia, Xanth Zachariah …” The voice trailed off as a beautiful woman with sparkling emerald eyes and shoulder-length brown hair appeared in the doorway. She wore a long floral sundress and a gardening hat, dirt smudges smeared on her dress from the garden.

She stopped abruptly in the doorway, her expression instantly pinched with confusion.

Her eyes narrowed as she scanned the room, her body stiffening when her gaze landed on Ash. Her eyes widened as if she couldn’t quite believe what she was seeing, and her hand slowly rose to her throat. She let out a strangled cry, frozen in place as though the moment was too overwhelming to process. Xanth hovered near her, as if ready to catch her if need be.

Ash walked over to his mother and wrapped his arms around her.

She remained frozen, her face scrunched up with raw emotion as sobs broke free from her trembling lips. Tears were welling up behind my own eyes and across the table, Tessa was discreetly wiping her eyes with a tissue.

Ash’s mother pulled back slightly, her hands trembling as she cupped his face. She tried to steady her expression as though attempting to speak, but more sobs overtook her.

“It’s ok, Mom. I’m here. I’m ok,” Ash whispered, wiping his eyes.

She shook her head in disbelief, barely able to form words. “How?” she choked out.

Xanth stepped in, his voice calm but firm. “That’s what we are all here to find out, Mom.”

She nodded, not taking her eyes off Ash.

Ash turned to me, motioning for me to come to him. For the first time since arriving at the castle, I felt a flutter of nerves. I stood up and slowly walked over to him, my steps hesitant.

Ash reached for my hand, pulling me to his side.

“Mom, this is Areya,” he said, his voice full of warmth. “She is very important to me, and she saved my life.”

Her face softened as she smiled at me through her tears. “Areya. What a beautiful name.”

I offered her a shy smile in return.

“My name is Nadia,” she continued, her voice tender as she sniffled, placing a gentle hand on my arm. “Thank you for saving my son.”

Before I could respond, Xanth cleared his throat. “All right, Mom, I know we are all beyond relieved to see Sebastian, but time is not on our side. We need to catch up on the last sixteen years and figure out how we’re going to handle everything.”

Nadia nodded, her eyes shifting between Ash and me. Despite the tears still streaming down her face, she gave us one more smile before quietly taking her seat.

Ash and I returned to our seats as Xanth began to speak, his tone serious.

“The last time we were all together, we had just received grim news from King Edwin of Astern. One of his servants had witnessed the murder of his eldest son. King Edwin had been led to believe he had a sixth child named Agidius, secretly mothered by Cynthia, the Queen of Ellington, the Dark Kingdom. Edwin believed Agidius was responsible for the deaths of his other children in pursuit of the heir power. King Edwin called on Ambrosia for aid in finding Cynthia, who was believed to be hiding among his people in her shapeshifter form.

“Our own King Sebastian, along with princess Reize and high commander Calyx, immediately left for Astern. Shortly after, we received word from Madam Pearl of Cresinthia that a new curse had been released, similar to the one plaguing the Dark Kingdom, but worse. This one was designed to steal the memories of the cursed. We had learned that Sebastian had fought the curse long enough to relay a message to Madam Pearl.”

Xanth looked around, then continued. “She told us Cynthia admitted to murdering Edwin’s late wife, hiding her body, and impersonating her long enough to give birth to a son—Agidius. King Sebastian’s last order came through Madam Pearl to activate the blood wards, sealing us all in Astern. Since then, we have been in the dark about the ongoings of the outside world.”

Xanth turned to Ash. “Now, Sebastian will fill us in on where he’s been for the last sixteen years and on any news he has regarding Astern.”

Ash stood up, his voice steady as he began, “I ordered the activation of the blood wards to protect the citizens of Ambrosia from the spread of the curse, and I had Pearl send a warning to the King of Titan to raise his wards as well. King Edwin’s suspicions regarding Cynthia were, in fact, true.

“I succeeded in finding Cynthia in the form of the very servant who had come forward with news of witnessing Agidius and Cynthia murder Prince Arthur. She had revealed herself deliberately, setting a trap to lure me to Astern. After I captured her, she knew Agidius was about to release the curse, so she confessed her plan—one she had set in motion many years ago.

“We all know the story of the Dark Kingdom—how Cynthia had been fated to the first King of Ellington, how she murdered him before they had any heirs, and how, being fated, she received the heir power. We had believed our original kings had trapped her and her kingdom behind a wall, but she revealed to me that she had never been trapped. Instead, she had portals hidden all over Gardonia that she used to come and go as she pleased.”

The room was heavy with tension as Ash continued. “She let three thousand years pass to allow the heir powers in our world to grow and mature through the generations. King Edwin and I were the only two people who knew of a portal existing in Astern, leading to a human world. But Cynthia informed me she had portals open to seven exclusively human worlds. Over the years, she used these worlds as blood farms, taking just enough people from each one to maintain her control over her kingdom, without ever threatening the population of these worlds.

“After killing King Edwin’s wife, Ansel, Cynthia used her transformative magic to impersonate her and become pregnant with Agidius. She returned to Ellington to raise him, and twenty-two years later, they both returned to Astern. Using her abilities, she aided Agidius in systematically killing off every heir of King Edwin in a matter of days, leaving only the king and his middle son, Cam. She wanted Agidius to inherit the heir power of Astern.

“As you know, that power comes with a gift, allowing the bearer to transfer a king’s heir power if both parties are willing, and if both parties have settled. That’s where the upgrade to Cynthia’s curse came into play. While I was under the curse, I had no memory of my past life; nothing mattered except for serving Agidius, my sire. Had the curse spread to Titan, as Cynthia had planned, King Aldo and I would have willingly handed over our powers.

“Cynthia’s plan was to eventually transfer her own heir power to Agidius, allowing him to hold every heir power in our world. He would have become strong enough to conquer any world, in any galaxy. This new curse spread rapidly, carried through the air in a magical mist.

“But her plan for the curse to affect all of Gardonia was halted when Titan and Ambrosia activated the blood wards, effectively sealing out the cursed mist.

“Had she succeeded, every divine on this planet would have become cursed, transforming them into Agidius’ loyal, blood-fed army. Humans, unaffected by the curse, would have been quickly wiped out by the cursed ones—or ‘rippers’ as they are called now.

“While under the curse, I was aware of the executions of two individuals. I now realize they were King Edwin and his middle son, Prince Cam. With their death, the heir power would have gone directly to Agidius, the last remaining heir. But something changed, for reasons I still don’t fully understand. Instead of following through with his plan to take my heir power, Agidius had me spend the last sixteen years searching for Areya, Edwin’s only other living descendant and last known healer, aside from Agidius himself. His focus on finding her became his obsession, her capture before she settled becoming his top priority.”

Ash paused a moment, his gaze softening as it rested on me.

“I succeeded in finding her. Areya is an incredibly powerful healer. Before she even settled, she was able to restore enough of my memories to break the sire bond between Agidius and me. Together, Areya and I escaped to Cresinthia, where we’ve spent the last week seeking answers.”

Ash’s voice grew more emotional as he spoke the next words.

“Even with my fragmented memories, Areya pulled me out of the darkness. She made me want to search for the truth, to fight for the life I had forgotten.”

Every pair of eyes in the room seemed to be on me, but I kept my focus on Ash. He turned back to the rest of the room, continuing, “After Areya settled, she used the full force of her power to break my curse, fully restoring me to my former self. Now that she’s here in Ambrosia, our goal is to have our brilliant team of scientists and doctors work together to create a cure from her blood—something we could potentially mass distribute to the cursed ones.

“I am concerned though …” Ash’s expression darkened slightly. “We don’t know why Areya is vital to Agidius. She can cure a ripper, yes, but not on a grand scale. This shouldn’t have been a threat to Cynthia and Agidius’ plan. She only recently settled, so she wasn’t even a contender for the heir power until now. Had Agidius not sought her out, she could have lived her entire life in the human world, unaware of Gardonia. What we also don’t know is how Agidius even knew where to look for Areya—or why he tasked me with finding her, risking the very heir power he sought. We do know that Areya is the daughter of King Edwin’s late daughter, Everleigh, and that someone purposely hid her in the human world, whose portal resides in Astern.

“I suspect King Edwin himself was involved in hiding Areya unless there was someone else who knew about that portal.”

He paused, glancing around the room, his gaze hardening with determination. “What I do know is that Agidius will stop at nothing to get his hands on her—and I will never allow that to happen.”

Ash turned to Tessa. “Tessa, I need you to track down the location of Calyx’s bike as soon as possible and get the exact coordinates to me.”

Tessa nodded sharply, already reaching for her tablet.

“As soon as I have that location—hopefully, tomorrow—I plan on taking a team consisting of Xanth, Greyson, myself, and Areya to rescue and cure Calyx. His abilities will be vital when he and I sneak back into Astern to gather information on Agidius and bring my sister home.”

Before he could continue, Xanth stood abruptly.

“Like hell are you going back there without me.”

Ash met his brother’s fierce gaze with a calm resolve. “It’s been decided, brother; I need you here to keep things running smoothly and to keep our people calm.”

Xanth didn’t look very pleased with this plan, and I felt the same way. The tension in the room was palpable, especially from Nadia, who looked sick with worry at the idea of Ash returning to Astern and the possibility of her daughter being brought home.

Ash turned to Tessa again. “Tessa, alert every possible media platform that urgent news will be broadcast from the castle in approximately two hours.”

She nodded again.

“As it has always been in Ambrosia, the people will know the truth,” Ash continued. “I will address the kingdom myself.”

He then turned to Xanth. “Until then, I need every servant, guard, and castle personnel with whom Areya and I come in contact to be sworn to secrecy regarding our presence here.”

He paused. “I’d also like to arrange for a feast tonight. Invite every person in this castle—family, servant, everyone.” He glanced at the others before adding, “So I may spend time with all of you—my dear friends and family—and this castle can celebrate the first victory in the war against Agidius. Until then, Areya and I need to get ready and prepare for the speech tonight.”

My heart nearly stopped. Was he implying I was going to be a part of this speech?

A heavy weight pressed down on my chest, and Ash must have noticed the shift in me because he reached for my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

Xanth stood up and walked toward the door. “I have a dozen castle guards waiting outside this door to accompany you and Areya to your quarters unseen.”

“Thank you, brother,” Ash said, standing up and keeping my hand firmly in his. As we headed toward the door, he patted his mother on the back in a silent gesture of comfort.