Chapter 28 #2
“However, there was one thing that we found very interesting. It was a partial tale that someone decided to write down after hundreds and thousands of years of it being told by word of mouth.”
“Can you get to the fucking point, Edris?” Kieran growled. “We have shit to do and don’t have all night.”
Zarina sneered at Kieran, making a move to stand when Edris lifted his hand to stop her.
“I’m not trying to waste your precious time here, Kieran.
This story has a point. One that I think you will find interesting—that all of us will find interesting.
” Edris slid his gaze to me, giving me a pointed look, emphasizing his last statement.
“Now, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted.
The story was fragmented, with parts missing as it was passed down from generation to generation.
However, what was written said that there was a beautiful female with eyes like golden flame, whose gleaming hair shone so bright as if it were made from pure gold.
She had wings of fire and could soar through the highest of clouds.
“This beautiful maiden, however, was stolen away, kept against her will. The male who kidnapped her believed she could make him rich beyond his wildest imagination. He threatened her, forcing her into a bargain that would keep her by his side or else he would kill off every member of her family. Heartbroken and full of despair, the young maiden agreed to his bargain to protect those whom she loved. Yet, once the bargain was completed, she found the marks broken and unfinished. As time went on, the male began to spiral, losing control of his mind until one day, the mark of the bargain disappeared, and the maiden was able to escape back to her family.”
“Well?” Samian pushed. “Did it say how she was able to break the bargain?”
“Nope,” Edris shrugged. “That was the end of the story.”
“You fucking bastard,” Kieran hissed, standing from his chair to lean over the table. The muscles in his arm flexed under his weight as he planted his hands on the wooden surface. “You told us you had something useful to help us. How the hell is that story useful? We don’t even know if it’s true.”
Edris let out a heavy sigh, his eyes focusing on Vivi, waiting for her to speak.
Vivi’s brows furrowed as she stared at the table, whispering silently to herself, going over the story again in her mind.
Coming to a realization, she gasped, her head snapping to Edris.
A slow smile rose on Edris’ lips, giving her a slight nod.
Looking between Samian and Kieran, Vivi’s thoughts came tumbling out. “The story of a female with eyes of golden flame and wings of fire!”
“And?” Kieran asked, scowling impatiently.
“She was a phoenix! There’s only one type of being that has golden eyes, hair, and fiery wings. She was a phoenix!” Vivi looked back to Edris, her eyes wide in disbelief. “Did you ask Solaris what she knew?”
“We did,” Edris exhaled, grimacing. “She confirmed it was a phoenix. She even confirmed that she knew who that phoenix was. But she refused to tell us anything more than that. Instead, she requested to speak to our little Sybil here.” Edris looked back at me, giving me a soft smile.
“She won’t give any information unless it’s to you and to you only.
We know you won’t be able to go tonight.
However, we want to take you to the Seelie Court to learn more. Is that okay with you?”
Blinking, I dared to sneak a glance at Samian and Kieran, hoping I could sense what they thought about my visiting the Seelie Court.
“No,” Edris murmured to me. “It’s not up to them. It’s up to you. Only you can make that decision.”
Swallowing, I pulled on the edges of my jacket, my mark itching underneath.
If I could find out how to break this bargain, I could stop Ambrose.
I could help Queen Cassia and maybe survive this.
I wouldn’t have to die. Warmth bloomed in my chest, a hope that I hadn’t felt in so long, reviving and growing.
“I’ll go. I'll go to Solaris and speak with her.”
Edris nodded, his gaze burning with triumph. When I looked at Zarina, her chin lifted in the air, her head tilting to the side, making the charms along her horns sway.
“There is one more thing that we learned during our search,” Zarina said calmly, her tone conflicting with the emotionless look on her face.
Warning bells rang in my mind at the sight.
“Of all the bargains that failed, it was because of a power imbalance. Meaning, the one creating the bargain was weaker than the one making it. From the few stories we found, most suggested that it was usually some arrogant Fae attempting to trap a god, though there were one or two stories of the power imbalance being between two Fae. We found this information quite interesting. What do you think about this?”
“Don’t say anything,” Samian warned, his voice strained. My heart jumped at his sudden comment, apprehension tingling down my spine.
Edris’s head snapped to Samian’s, and I straightened in my seat, the blood leaving my face.
“I don’t enjoy secrets being kept from me, soul-meander,” Edris drawled, his face hard. “I know Sybil is different and that her bloodline remains unknown. Cassia had kept that information to herself and had somehow stopped me from seeing it.”
“We don’t know either,” I said, hoping the half-truth was enough to convince Edris. “Queen Cassia hasn’t really been open about a lot of things. With Samian or with me.”
Edris released a heavy sigh and leaned back in his chair, his head turning to meet Zarina’s annoyed glare. Her long nails tapped against the table, her body twitching with impatience. Edris frowned at her for a moment before looking back at the group.
“I was afraid of that. No matter. We will leave you to your night and will await word for when you will visit the Seelie Court.” Edris inclined his head before disappearing, though Zarina’s narrowed eyes slid to Ivara, lingering on her until she met Zarina’s gaze with a glare of her own.
When both Zarina and Edris disappeared, a collective sigh whispered through the room. The thickened air lightened, and everyone slumped back in their chairs.
“I may have faced endless battles and the mountains between our court and theirs, but nothing terrifies me more than the water goddess.” Ezra’s throat bobbed; his face was pallid.
“Edris is no joke either,” Orin said weakly, grimacing.
“They’re both assholes that will ignore you until they need something,” Kieran growled, his eyes boring into the table. “We need to start Sybil’s training.”
“Shouldn’t we discuss Sybil’s trip to the Seelie Court first?” Vivi asked softly, giving me a gentle smile.
I readily returned it, easing at her soft, motherly tone. “I think I should go as soon as I can. If Solaris was told how to break this bargain, then we can stop Ambrose from taking control of the throne.”
“I agree,” Samian nodded. “The sooner the better.”
“Are you truly okay with taking her to that court?” Kieran gave Samian a pointed look, which Samian gave back.
“I am,” he stated. “If her going to that court means she can be free of Ambrose, I’ll set whatever shit I have with them aside and give her that chance. If there’s an opportunity for her freedom, I’m taking it, no matter what.”
“Fuck,” Kieran grumbled. “Alright, figure out a time when she won’t be needed in the palace, and we will all go. There’s no way in hell I’m going to let her go alone. Not with that bastard.”
Vivi gave Kieran a look of disapproval, chiding him for his name-calling, though Kieran chuckled, telling her it was a term of endearment.
Samian shook his head, his eyes rolling while the others paled even more.
Disbelief and shock mirrored on everyone’s face at Kieran’s absurd lack of propriety toward the two gods.
Even I could feel the squeamish discomfort twisting my stomach over the what-ifs of being in the same vicinity as him now.
Like the gods would come back and spite everyone in the room for it.
Sensing my unease, Samian reached behind me, slapping Kieran on the back. “We still need to discuss our plans for the execution. We also need to discuss Ambrose.”
“What about Ambrose?” Ezra frowned, his voice hard.
His hands curled into fists on the table.
Tension that wasn’t there before took over his features, his back straightening.
I watched him carefully, hoping that my face remained blank so that he wouldn’t see the curiosity I felt toward his reaction.
Ezra never spoke about what Ambrose did to him, how Ambrose forced him into the dungeon, condemning him to death for treason.
He kept that night to himself, but the intensity in his eyes and body looked more like worry for Ambrose than apprehension about what was going on in the palace.
Catching my stare, Ezra wiped the emotion from his face, his hands moving underneath the table.
“We learned he has been hearing a voice in his mind that’s causing him to lose control.
As Edris mentioned, incomplete bargains cause the bargain maker to spiral—and that’s happening to Ambrose, fast. He killed Lord Vito during a meeting this morning for questioning him.
He also severely injured Cassia and plans to kill her as well during the ball he is hosting after the execution. ”
Curses littered the room.
“Why did he attack her? He has been keeping her safe in the dungeons because of your bargain with him. Why now?” Ezra blurted, his eyes wide with shock.
My head whipped in Samian’s direction, my thoughts going back to when I woke up to Kieran and Samian in my bed. I remembered the intricate ink etched into his skin.
Samian sighed, his jaw clenching as he turned to me. “I made a bargain with him long ago to keep Cassia safe. It was when she was first put in the dungeons. I can’t harm him in exchange for his sparing Cassia.”
“But he tried to earlier,” I said, my brows knitting together. “Wouldn’t that have made the bargain react?”
“Not unless he truly believed she wouldn’t die from it. He may have felt some sort of pain, but that would be it.”
Scratching at the table, I replayed Samian’s words over in my head. “Does that mean he can have others hurt her?”
“Technically, yes,” Samian frowned. “However, he can’t know about it or plan it.”
“Why is he going against the bargain now?” Ezra asked again, his lips pressing together.
Wincing, I slouched further down in my chair.
Samian caught my movement and swallowed nervously.
After Kieren’s outburst this morning, we both knew the shitshow that was about to go down.
Clearing his throat, Samian answered warily.
“He caught Sybil talking to her. After Kieran left, Sybil went to talk to Cassia to ask if there was anything else she could give us. Cassia was beginning to tell Sybil about Ambrose when he walked up behind them. He used his ice magic on Cassia as punishment.”
Silence, thick and all-consuming, swathed the room in a sickening suspense. The pressure in the air grew charged, and every eye focused on Kieran—except for mine. I didn’t dare look at him—I couldn’t. All my strength left me, and my heart pounded hard inside my chest.
“Did he mention his plan?” Orin asked Samian carefully, his glance moving between the two males beside me, hoping to lessen the storm that was quickly brewing. “To you or to Sybil?”
“No,” I answered quietly, my body slipping further down from Kieran’s piercing gaze.
“Only that Zarina confronted him and invited herself to the ball. He only mentioned that he plans to distract Zarina long enough to slip away and kill her. That way, he can give Zarina a tour of the palace to show her that the ‘rumors’ she heard of Queen Cassia being held against her will are false.”
Kieran murmured a curse as he blew out a breath. “First, we need to finish planning how to save the servants and guards. Then we will start thinking about how to get Cassia out safely before the ball.” Kieran said, his voice oddly calm.
“Can’t we plan both?” I asked slowly, biting back my frustration. Though I’ve never been a part of a rebellion, I never imagined it would move so slowly.
Kieran’s jaw clenched. “No, we cannot. These are two major missions, and they are incredibly close together. We don’t have all the information we need to plan Cassia’s escape.
Once we complete the mission for the execution, the palace guards will work overtime to protect the palace, ensuring no one gets in or out.
We don’t have the slightest clue how Ambrose is going to react after the executions and what he will do to you and Samian.
We need to get through the executions first, and then we will start planning Cassia’s escape. ”
“Fine,” I forced out. “What have we planned so far for the execution?”
“Training first,” Kieran smirked. “Then I’ll tell you our plan for the execution.”