Chapter 33 #2
“I know that now, but when we first met, I didn’t. You told me to get Tristen out of here, but then we roped him in. I didn’t want my other siblings to be caught in the crossfire. Especially with Sable lurking around.”
My tongue scrapes my inner cheek, desperate for moisture, but nothing comes. I can’t gulp, so I just nod. “I understand. Really, I do. You have to protect your family.”
“You are part of my family now,” Titus presses, his voice dropping, commanding me to listen.
Titus offers me more details, “They were raised with us. We’ve always been together; however, Galen sent a lot of his troops to Lunestra when the war ended.
Following the instructions, our family went there, and Tristen and I went to Blackthorn.
We couldn’t understand why Galen sent them to Lunestra.
If the war ended, why send your army to conquer more fae lands? ”
“Galen would be a fool to provoke the night court.”
“Court or kingdom?” Tristen’s brows arch in honest curiosity.
I lower my voice, fearing that just speaking the Night Court’s name will bring a bad omen upon us.
I look over my shoulder, ensuring Tristen’s shadows conceal us.
“Those beyond our borders refer to our lands as the two kingdoms of the fae. You have my father’s kingdom of Solaria and the kingdom of Lunestra, whose king or queen isn’t known.
But before we started adopting your titles of kingdoms and crowns, the fae lands were divided into two courts.
“Solaria is the Day Court. Lunestra, the Night Court, is sheltered by the mountains, The Cradle of Darkness. Their peaks are tall enough to block out the clouds. Beyond the mountains lies a magical veil. For none can enter and those inside rarely leave. If they do they can never return home. The veil stops everything.”
“What are they hiding?” Titus inquires, furrowing his brow in thought.
I tilt my head. “Many things. Or so I was told as a child. I heard they protect the gifts and tools the gods left. Their land is one of peculiar, magical beauty. I heard their trees make music; they communicate. Their flowers glow at night. The fae there are thought to have different origins of magic, strange powers, because they eat from the lands rich with god magic. But these are stories; I do not know what truly is held there. All I know is there is no way inside that veil.”
“Dragon eggs?” Tristen offers. You can practically see the money in his eyes. If a dragon egg were found, he would be richer than most kings.
I shrug. “That is one rumor since many of the fae and dragon riders had relations. However, that rumor is centuries old; who knows if dragons existed? There are no dragon bones.”
“That’s because dragon bones disintegrate once the dragon dies,” Tristen argues. He sounds like an excited boy who wishes to go on an adventure.
“Or clever words spun to hide the fact there were never dragons,” I argue.
“I’m going to assume everything we thought was a fairytale was once true,” Tristen responds with a gleam in his eyes.
“I… I would agree,” I answer. “It’s hard to change how we think.”
“Did Galen ever mention Lunestra to you?” Titus asks.
I shake my head. “I think it is safe to assume Tristen’s idea is correct. Galen placed his army there as a precaution to help Sable. Above all, Galen always expects something in return. He’s warning her that he’s close enough to strike if she betrays him.”
“I’ve told you what I know.” I look at Tristen. “Now tell me what you found in the library,” I demand. With all the puzzle pieces, we can plan to seize Galen’s kingdom and prevent Sable from obtaining the runes.
Tristen runs a hand through his hair, paints on a handsome grin, and then performs as he retells.
I don’t know what is longer, the facts or his comments about this old vampire’s aged appearance.
A few weeks ago I would have pulled out my dagger and told him to cut to the chase.
The new mated me, however, looks at her mate’s brother and smiles, even laughs at times.
But then, as Tristen reveals more, my amusement is doused out.
Titus holds me as I endure all the hidden facts that the world has forgotten. I absorb everything about Torin and the Vitalis, including how a new rune can be created, as well as the God’s Sword.
I’ve been here in Caldara all along. I just need to find the old castle hidden under the mountain.
The truth—how the dots have connected—is so astoundingly beautiful and complicated. I wonder how Everett managed it. To plant so many seeds, knowing some would perish and others would flourish. How many outcomes did he have to sew in order to protect the final vision for which he died?
“But now we have one huge problem,” I blurt out.
“Only one?” Titus answers, a smirk playing on his lips. I want to see his smile when it’s free of stress.
“We need Sable. Only death magic can get the book out of Torin’s cage. Sable’s rot can choke Torin’s power.” My head drops in defeat. “Sable just slipped free. Even if we find this old entrance into Caldera’s castle and we find the book, we can’t touch it.”
My eyes meet Titus’s. It’s the same grief and frustration as locating my mate, but I cannot have him.
“Maybe Sable doesn’t know about the location yet,” Tristen offers.
My stomach rumbles. “She knows. She’s been sneaky since we arrived in Blackthorn. Building relationships and searching for facts. She was looking for the entrance,” I state with confidence. “She’s coming back, and she’ll have an army when she arrives to get the book.”
“Then it’s easy.” Tristen claps his hands. His shadows vibrate with excitement. “We play the waiting game. Wait for Sable to come, lead us straight to the book, and then we steal it from her.”
“That’s what you consider easy?” I snort, leaning into a shadow. We’re going to need a lot of magic for this. We’ll need a god on our side, but the gods abandoned us long ago.
Tristen and Titus both share a long look. “It’s the three of us versus two armies,” Titus states. He turns, trying to hide his eyes from me, to mask any doubt.
Pressing elbows to knees, I lean in. “Soon you’ll have an army.”
“Killing Galen will be easy compared to trying to convince his kingdom to follow me,” Titus murmurs. His words are nearly lost in Tristen’s shadows.
“They see you as a hero,” I remind him, my voice firm and resolute. Why can't you see yourself as one, Titus?
“Because I ended a war. Now I must start a new one.”
“I have to have faith that Everett knew this and planted seeds.”
“Let’s hope flowers grow instead of weeds,” Tristen grunts. “Okay, we have a semi-formed plan.” Tristen nods with a showman’s grin. “There is one other problem we will have to solve. Titus has a big head, all the men in my family do,” he winks at me, barely containing his chuckle.
“Why is that a problem?” I ask, playing into his banter.
“We’re gonna need to resize the crown.”
“I’m not wearing a crown, idiot.” Titus shoves his brother. “If you have such a big head, why don’t you think before you speak?”
“Never gotten complaints. Just more requests for my large unfiltered charm,” Tristen laughs.
“Shut it.” Titus ruffles Tristen’s hair.
“So we steal a book, master runes, keep it safe, and save the world,” Tristen grins. “Then you both live happily ever after—stuck with me and the rest of the fam, of course.”
I wish I could smile at the picture Tristen painted. But instead, I hear the fate Everett spoke of.
“How do we steal the Vitalis from Sable?” Titus asks. I sense their eyes on me, awaiting a reply.
We’d need… “Time!” I gasp. Everett, you gave us all the ingredients! Heck, you even gave us the recipe. We just had to figure out how to bake the cake and ensure it didn’t burn. The clarity of everything has my feet jolting up.
Titus’s reaction is that of a defensive soldier. Tristen’s shadows deepen as he stands. He scans through them, then nods at Titus, telling him we are still clear and safe beyond his walls.
“Time,” I repeat as I grab Titus’s hands. “Once Sable has the book, all you need to do is wrap us in a time bubble and snatch the book from her hands. By the gods! Everett truly thought of everything! That’s why he gave you his magic. It was the only way we could get the book out of Sable’s hands.”