Chapter 23 #2
Tenn, who’d been a menacing silent statue in the back of the room, finally pushed forward.
“So let me get this straight…we need siren tears but the Unseelies killed all of the sirens before we got there. We need fallen angel blood but those bastards know it and wear armor we can’t penetrate.
We need blood from an innocent victim taken unwillingly, y’all thought that meant Sam but now Sam is currently Lilith so that’s out.
And now we need flowers that no longer exist. Yeah, I’d say we’re fucked. ”
Lennox pursed her lips. “Well blood from a fallen angel is still possible, just much more difficult.”
“Yeah, and…” Henley snapped her fingers. “There was nothing saying the other blood had to be Sam—”
“You’re right!” Tegan pulled a dagger out of literal thin air and sliced the blade down Tenn’s arm.
“BABE?”
“What?” She shrugged. “Blood unwillingly taken—”
“That’s not how that works, babe—”
“How do you know that?”
“Well he’s not a soul forsaken to start.” I laughed.
Tegan opened her mouth then shut it. “Oh. Sorry, babe.”
Tim glanced around the room then to me and Everest. “What do we do now?”
“The fun part.”
We all jumped and spun around at the sound of Aunt Val’s voice behind us.
She strolled in looking like literal starlight as usual. “Thanks for playing my little game.”
My stomach sank. “Aunt Val…what did you do?”
“I have been very open and honest in that I’m not taking any chances this time around. Lucifer and I are breaking rules and we don’t care. We want to win, and not only for this realm but for all the others Lilith has destroyed before Earth and what she’ll destroy after Earth. We must end her.”
Everest sighed. “Don’t tease me.”
She smirked at him. “The truth is…that tome isn’t exactly what you think it is, but I won’t spoil that surprise just yet.”
“Aunt Val, what are you saying?”
“I’m saying I knew which ingredients you’d need to remove the barrier.”
Tegan gasped. “THAT’S what they’ve been doing!”
Aunt Val grinned and nodded. “I do apologize, in order for this scheme to work I had to use you all as bait…which meant you had to be ignorant of what I was doing.”
Tegan was bouncing up and down and clapping her hands.
Aunt Val walked over to the hearth where a cauldron was ready and waiting for all the ingredients we hadn’t collected. Then she snapped her fingers. “The Unseelie may have been one step ahead of you but we were several steps ahead of them.”
“That makes no sense,” Warner mumbled.
The Seelie Tunnel opened up on the side of the hearth. Saffie hopped out with a huge grin and holding two big glass vials filled with shimmery silver liquid. “A healthy serving of siren tears for you.”
My eyes widened. I grabbed Everest’s arm.
“Where’s Lancaster?” Sage asked as she emerged from the tunnel. When she spotted Jackson she held up a little pouch. “Remember when you judged me for taking some of Leviathan’s blood that night?”
Jackson’s jaw dropped. “Fuck me.”
She pursed her lips. “Let me know if Bettina is into that.”
Jackson’s whole face turned bright red.
“Sister, please.” Thorne came out next shaking his head. “He’s the nice one.”
Everest scowled. “What do you have there?”
Thorne held up a clear vial filled with red liquid. “Blood belonging to one Braison Parker after Sweyn murdered him in the Land of the Lore.”
Braison gasped. “How do you have that?”
Everest cursed. “I hadn’t even thought to keep some.”
“No worries, weirdo did.” Thorne winked to Tegan.
Tegan shrugged. “I have a tiny hoarding problem, it’s fine.”
Tenn snort laughed and scrubbed his face with his hands. While Thorne and Sage poured the two blood samples into the cauldron together, a very familiar curly head of blond hair came out of the tunnel.
I rolled my eyes. “Oh my God.” It hit me. I knew what he’d have and I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it.
Tenn pointed to my father. “If you have what I think you do—”
“Don’t hate the playa, hate the game,” dad said with a wag of his eyebrows. He held up the last black lotus flower that existed in this realm. “Some of us have been playing the long game.”
“And some of us were here the last time that book was used against the Unseelie.” Aunt Val glared at the cauldron as the lotus flower sank into its depth. Then she held her hand over the top and rainbow magic sparkled into the liquid. “If anyone asks, Tegan did that.”
Tegan cackled.
“Tegan, the tome?”
She hurried over to the heath beside Aunt Val and pulled the tome from within the interior pocket of her leather jacket. “Here you go.”
“Everest, come.” Aunt Val waved him forward. When he stopped beside Tegan, Aunt Val turned and smiled. “By heir and aether.”
Everest and Tegan gripped the tome together then slowly lowered it into the cauldron. Black smoke and embers shot into the air. Magic sparkled and flashed like fireworks. A golden glow radiated from within the cauldron.
“Haven?”
Tenn flinched but he hurried over. “Yes?”
“Reach in and pull the tome out, please.”
The confused scowl on his face was actually adorable.
But he didn’t hesitate, he reached right into the potion.
His white angel wings popped out and the gold bands on his arm glowed bright.
But he only paused to glance up at Aunt Val.
When she nodded encouragingly he shrugged and reached farther in.
He pulled his hand out and sitting clutched in his grip was the Unseelie tome except now it held a shimmery gold glow to it.
“Open it, Haven.”
Tenn swallowed roughly. His fingers even seemed to shake a little as he reached for the corner of the cover. Those mismatched eyes glanced around the room like he was worried we’d be attacked again…then cursed and flipped the front cover open.
Nothing.
Nothing happened.
No magic. No smoke. No Unseelies attacking. Just ancient parchment and the smell of an old book.
“What?” Aunt Val chuckled. “It’s just a book. It’s what you’ll find inside that we need.”
Tenn groaned and stumbled back until his legs hit the couch then he plopped down with the book in his lap. “That was a fucked up yet brilliant scheme. I hated it. Good job.”
Cooper leaned over Tenn’s shoulder to look at the book. “Now if only we could freeze time so the Unseelies couldn’t get ahead of us again that would be great.”
The new guy scowled and looked around. “Where’s your Void?”
Everyone frowned.
“Void?”
“What’s that?”
“Is it a weapon?”
“Maybe it’s a spell?”
But it was Tegan who grinned. “Finally.”
Bentley squeezed the Hierophant’s locket. “Welcome back.”
“Excuse me?” Tenn held his hand up. “Care to share with the class, babe?”
Tegan gestured to the new guy. “There’s something y’all didn’t know…there used to always be twenty-two members of The Coven.”
Silence.
Tim pinched the bridge of his nose. “What?”
The guy scowled. “Are you saying you don’t have The Void Card today?”
“I’m saying we do now.” Tegan flicked her wrist and his sleeve lifted up until it revealed the XXII Mark in bold black Roman numerals. “The Void is the Card whose magic affects time. Problem is, the last one went into the Old Lands in 1712 and only just now returned.”
Bentley walked over and wrapped his arm around his shoulders. “Welcome home, you’re about to feel confused as fuck.”