Chapter 36
Jessiah
Our second journey to Pericius couldn’t have been more different from our first. We didn’t argue. Rummy wasn’t attacked, she wasn’t fighting for her life. We didn’t have the allure of the rebellion to distract us from our reality.
We traveled in silence. A silence that weighed heavier than any words possibly could.
Rummy and I were heading to Pericius to kill the king. I never could have predicted this when we first made this journey. Back then, I’d assumed we would arrive, assess the situation, and then immediately send word back to Scarlata. Within days, our soldiers would have arrived, ready to fight.
But now? We’d fight for the rebels. Not against them. With any luck, the citizens of Pericius would soon get their lives back.
We spent an entire day on horseback, not speaking at all. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable. Not in the least. Rummy’s horse followed tightly behind mine, the rhythmic sound of hooves on the compact dirt mixing with the rustling of the leaves and the chirping of the birds in the thick, lush forest.
Rummy had a lot to think about, and I was in no rush to break her concentration. But eventually, when we made camp before nightfall and settled round the glowing embers of our small fire, she broke the silence.
“I never knew you had magic,” she whispered. “I mean, I knew you had angel magic—basic stuff—but I didn’t know you had a gift.”
I poked the embers with a thick stick until they glowed brighter and sizzled. “I rarely talk about it. How is the power of emotion helpful to a kingdom?”
I didn’t mean for the words to sound bitter, but it was ingrained in me, I supposed. My father despised soft gifts like mine. He preferred warriors. Fighters.
I was strong in combat and in basic magic, yes, but when I realized that I could feel the emotions of others, I kept that to myself. I trained myself to shut off at will. If I hadn’t, I never would have survived in The Golden City.
I couldn’t have handled all the pain I’d have been exposed to. If I’d let it all in, it would have crushed me.
There were times, of course, when my shields would crack. When I would have no choice but to feel.
Like in the early days with Rummy. Later too. All this time, I’d felt the agony she held deep inside. I’d sensed the darkness, the void, the lack. It was damn near crippling at times, but she would simply smile, flip her hair, and pretend like nothing bothered her.
And it wasn’t my place to confront her about the lies.
“You could have told me,” she said.
I bit my cheek to stop from smiling. “Just like you could have told me about your gift?”
With a roll of her eyes, she shifted and faced the fire. “Right.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked after a few quiet moments. “It wasn’t that long ago that you were against traveling to Pericius at all.”
Her lips turned down. “That was before. Now… I don’t know. I feel connected to this mission now, like I must be the one to end it. And that damn riddle talking about our destinies? It feels too important to ignore.”
I nodded. I sensed it, too—a pull, urging me to return to that kingdom. Drawing me back toward the fight. Toward the rebellion.
“A force both dark and light,” I mumbled. “Do you think that’s referring to us? To our magic?”
Her gaze was sharp as it cut to me. “I’d be lying if I said the thought hasn’t crossed my mind.”
It was all too damn convenient. Could the goddess know that we would be traveling back to Pericius together? Was the power that Rummy now possessed even strong enough to defeat Cornelius?
I ran my free hand down my face, trying my best to calm my thoughts.
And failing.
Now was not the time to doubt. This was the plan, and we had no choice but to follow through.
If Cornelius really was stealing powers from the citizens of Pericius, he’d likely gotten stronger since our last visit. He would continue getting stronger every chance he got. Now was our best chance to stop him.
“I’ll be okay,” she said, interrupting my spiraling thoughts. “I know you think you need to protect me, but it’ll all be okay. I can feel it in here.” She pointed to the center of her chest. “I’ve never been so sure about anything in my life.”
I scoffed. “Maybe that’s all that new badass magic coursing through your veins.”
She cracked a smile—just barely. “Maybe. But either way, I can do this. I’ll walk back into the kingdom tomorrow and insist that you and Xavier dragged me away, swearing I came back because I want to work with Cornelius.
He told me I was part of his destiny, so there’s no way he’ll miss a chance to take me back. ”
My jaw ached from grinding my teeth so hard. “I don’t like him. I don’t trust him. And I hate that you have to go in there alone.”
“He doesn’t trust you either,” she replied. “Not after we took off the way we did. But this is our best chance.”
She was right, but it still killed me to let her march back in there alone. I wouldn’t be far, lingering just outside the walls of the castle in case she needed me, but the idea of being anywhere but at her side tortured me.
When silence fell over us again, I didn’t fight it. The crackling embers became the only sound for miles as I draped an arm over her shoulders and soaked in these last few moments of peace.