Chapter 20
FRANKIE
My days and nights are a cold, empty void without you, and I am drowning in my need for you.
Everest’s words haunted my dreams. Even now, awake and lying in my bed, I heard them whisper in the wind outside my window.
Last night, those words had healed a part of my soul that ached even while that didn’t make logical sense to me. I hadn’t known him long enough for either of us to feel that deeply for one another. But maybe that was a soulmate thing, maybe that was just how powerful it was supposed to feel. Last night I’d been convinced I’d dreamt the whole thing, however as I watched the mid-day sun shine into my room, I realized it being a dream did not mean it hadn’t happened. It didn’t mean Everest hadn’t been here, hadn’t said the words . . . hadn’t held me. In all of my experience with him so far, he’d always been there. I may not have understood how he moved through my dreams as he did, but he’d done it time and time again. I had no reason to doubt his presence in my dreams now , so I wasn’t going to.
My days and nights are a cold, empty void without you, and I am drowning in my need for you. Those words were the lifejacket I clung to as the waves crashed into me relentlessly. I needed him here with me. Every hour he didn’t walk through the front door to stand at my side in this war, my foundation fractured more and more.
But then another set of words popped into my mind, unwelcome and uninvited. I heard Leyka’s voice in my head, reminding me of his note that said, “ And you have to do these things before Mr. Winter Frost Mountain can step into the light.”
My stomach tightened into knots so abruptly I curled into a ball and breathed heavily. Everest was waiting on me. I had to complete these potions before he could leave his mother’s army. Which meant I needed to pull myself out of this bed and get to work. With a groan, I climbed out from under my blankets and waddled over to my new closet. I wasn’t sure when or how they’d gotten all my clothes in here, but it was appreciated. My first instinct was to reach for my white sweater, but I stopped myself. We kept rushing into battle, so wearing white was a terrible idea. Plus, it reminded me of Avolire too much. With a shake of my head and those knots re-forming in my stomach, I threw on a black sweater and my black leggings with the pocket on the side. My black and white Vans were all beat-up and scuffed, and those were definitely bloodstains, but I wasn’t going to fret over them.
Once I was dressed, I clicked my thigh holsters into place, then slid my sais into their snug home. I was getting quite used to always having them strapped to me. It was comforting. With my phone slipped into my side pocket, I grabbed two hair ties and headed out the door. I heard voices carrying up the stairwell, but their words weren’t clear. Anxiety rippled through me. Stay calm, Frankie. Everest is waiting on you. I took a deep breath, then started tying my hair back into two French braids, both to help calm my anxiety but also to secure my hair out of my way.
The second my feet hit the bottom step, I heard Easton’s boisterous voice yell out, “Morning, Frankie!”
I smiled and waved to everyone who was gathered in the open living room-dining area combo. Yet it was who didn’t greet me that made me frown. I glanced around in confusion, scanning the now secured outdoor area for them.
Bentley cleared his throat. “Downstairs with the others, all curled around Chutney.”
“That’s convenient sometimes,” I said with a chuckle as I turned to find him sitting in the chair by the front window. He was suspiciously close to Emersyn who sat on the ledge in front of the hearth. “Chutney’s condition change or they just like to be near her?”
“They like to be near her, but when the vibes are in shambles, it makes them gravitate toward her even more.” He gave me a small smile. “I wouldn’t be offended. It’s a side effect of The Fool Card.”
“Oh, I’m not upset. If someone needs them for emotional support, then I’m glad they’re here.” With that, I turned to get a proper look at the vibe of the house. In shambles looked about right. I cleared my throat. “How’s everyone doing today?”
A chorus of groans, grumbles, and growls echoed around the room.
There were no smiles. No sparkling or mischievous eyes. No one was talking. No one seemed to even be looking at anyone else, though not because they were angry. The sharpness in the air was panic and despair. Tenn sat in his seat at the head of the long wooden dinner table, his back to the bay window behind him. His white angel wings popped out and that golden armor appeared. His long, disheveled black hair was suddenly braided back on the top almost like a Viking would wear. The gold bands on his arm were flashing. As the light went out, so did his angelic appearance— that appearance really looked more like a Haven than a Tennessee. Yet he didn’t notice. He sat there staring ahead while those mismatched eyes saw nothing. His gaze was locked on nothing and somewhat blank. In his hands he held the wooden puzzle pig. His fingertips looked a little raw and red, like he’d been working on our puzzle for hours.
I must’ve made a face because Mona glanced up from her book at me, then followed my gaze toward her soon-to-be stepson and scowled as he swapped back and forth between Tennessee and Haven every other blink of an eye. His hair kept falling into his face. She stood and walked over, then gripped his shoulder and yanked him to lean back against the seat. He didn’t flinch, didn’t stop working on the puzzle, nor did his gaze sharpen on anything around him. Not even while Mona began to braid the top strands of his hair back for real.
Images of Kessler taking that hit for his son replayed in my mind. I cringed. Half the Bishop family was down or severely injured. Maybe Kessler was the target.
Everyone gasped and looked toward me.
I cursed and looked away from the shattered expressions on Tenn and Mona’s faces. “Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean to say that out loud.” But as I turned, I found Bentley, Hunter, and Cooper all sitting near Emersyn at the hearth.
“What makes you say that?” Cooper asked softly but his pale-green eyes were locked on Savannah who sat on the floor beside Emersyn. “It seemed the knight was going for Tenn.”
“It probably was. I just thought . . . well, maybe it’s nothing, but Sweyn is terrified of the Bishop family.” I shrugged and gestured to what was left of them. “Wouldn’t surprise me if she gave the Unseelies orders to take all of you out. Tegan, Devon, and Kessler are down—I’m assuming Kessler’s doing as well as the others injured by their blades?”
The Bishops nodded.
Then I turned to Emersyn, only to realize suddenly there was a white bandage wrapped all the way around her head, covering her from eyebrows to the top of her nose where only her nostrils were visible. My heart sank. I turned to look for Easton and Lily, then signed ‘ Did she lose her eyes?’
Easton’s face fell. He shook his head and signed ‘ No, her eyes are still there. But something happened to them too, not just the skin around the eyes.’
‘We’re not sure the health of her eyes, but they are still in her head’ Lily added with a grimace. ‘ Savannah’s hands aren’t any better either.’
My eyes widened. I’d forgotten about Savannah’s hands. When I looked down at her again, I found both of her hands wrapped in the same white bandages. She wasn’t looking up, her eyes were locked on the book open in her lap, but I suspected that was just for show.
“Frankie!”
I flinched at the loudness in Mei-Ling’s voice as she bounced out of the kitchen holding a massive cup with a long straw poking out the top. I frowned. “Hi, you okay?”
“Yep. I mean, I got scolded for going to help fight, but I told them over my dead body was I not helping so they needed to just get on board.” She grinned and bounced over to Savannah. My heart soared with pride when I realized my best friend had gotten a giant cup with a straw for Savannah so she wouldn’t have to hold it. Mei-Ling’s bright brown eyes went back to me. “There’s a pot of soup on the stove that Katherine made for everyone to eat, but basically no one is hungry, which I tell you so you won’t feel guilty for not eating.”
That made me smirk. “So, we’re all handling this about the same. That’s almost comforting.”
“It continues to entertain me everytime y’all collect a new Pokemon and they turn out to be just as fucked-up as the rest of you.” Warner chuckled and smacked Jackson’s shoulder next to him. “Funny, innit ?”
Jackson sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “It took me years to get you to stop saying innit. How did we get back here?”
Warner shrugged. “You’ve been hella British in your sleep talking since Bettina went down. And since I’ve been on best friend duty, I’ve been hearing it.”
Jackson’s whole face scrunched up. “That’s horrific from start to finish. Let us not speak of this again.”
Lennox rolled her eyes. “Valathame does seem to have a type.” She winked to Warner, which made him blush and smile.
"How are you still awake?” Mei-Ling frowned and cocked her head to the side, watching me. “If everyone else’s wounds from the Unseelie aren’t healing, and that smoke dragon hit you, then why did it wear off on you?”
I may have been looking at my best friend, but I did not miss the way everyone else turned toward me. I decided to be honest about it. “I have no idea. I couldn’t stay awake last night, but I also couldn’t stay asleep. I just kept waking up and going back down. It was awful. And then . . . Everest showed up.”
Cooper sat on the ledge between his sister and Savannah. “He was here or in dream again?”
“I have no idea. I don’t know what he did, but he told me when I woke that their magic would be gone.” I shrugged. “He’s not always the most forthcoming with information and I wasn’t with it enough to push for more.”
They nodded.
The door beside me opened and Constance stepped out, having come from downstairs. She looked over and smiled at me. Her blue eyes were warm but tired. “Morning, Frankie. You recover well from last night?”
I nodded.
“Good. Good. Well . . .” she rubbed her hands together and cleared her throat, “I’ve now checked all the potions. All of our cauldrons are brewing and ready.”
“To drink?” Warner sat up straight.
“No.” Constance shook her head and looked to me. “We need to decode the angelic runes. Those are all we’re missing.”
“We need the bloody cheat sheet, but that wanker gave us an impossible puzzle.” Jackson roughly scrubbed his face with his hands.
Tim got up and walked over to his nephew, then forcefully yanked the puzzle pig from his hands, not that Tenn reacted in any way. He seemed to be fully zoned-out. My heart hurt for him. His soulmate had fallen to Witch’s Shock, and then his sister and father were clinging to life.
Tim fidgeted with the puzzle as he walked toward me. “We’ve all taken many turns at this thing since we got back last night. I’m starting to wonder if Jackson has a point.”
I stared at the puzzle pig in his hands for a moment, then grabbed it. “Fuck it.” I threw it straight down as hard as I could right into the hardwood floor.
Everyone jumped and gasped.
Easton made a dramatic wail. “You broke an angel’s box.”
“We don’t have time for games. We spent time trying to solve the puzzle, but I’m done playing by the rules. Lilith and Sweyn aren’t.” I pointed to the pieces of wood on the floor that surrounded a folded piece of parchment paper. “If that paper isn’t a cheat sheet for these angelic runes we need, then ya girl Leyka is about to get a visitor.”
Tenn finally snapped to attention. In the blink of an eye, he stood across from me. He stared at what was left of the puzzle. “I’ve been dying to do that since we got it, yet I couldn’t.”
“Well, I did.” I crouched down and grabbed the paper, which looked old as hell. When I opened it, I actually wanted to cry. “Oh my Goddess, it is. These are the runes. It wasn’t a trick.”
Tenn snatched the paper from my hand, his brow scrunched in concentration. “We need Holy Water, dirt from Holy Ground, sand from Holy Ground, a holy weapon, and angel feathers.”
My eyes widened. “I’m sorry . . . what? These are like Heavenly items?”
“Yes.” Tenn was still frowning as he re-read the ingredients to himself. “I was expecting that though.”
I scoffed and threw my hands up. “Well, do you know how we get all of those things?”
“The talisman water.” Cooper jumped up and hurried over to Tenn, then gripped his arm like he was excited. “When Swords get their talismans, they dip their weapons into the pool of Holy Water?—”
“Go. Now,” Tim ordered from beside Tenn. “What else?”
“Angel feathers? Did I hear that right?” When we nodded, Jackson stood up and started patting his jean pockets. “Right, I’ll just have a chat with Mum then, yeah? She already returned as Raphael, officially, so I’ll grab two from her?”
Tenn pursed his lips. “My gut tells me we might want feathers from more than one angel. But your stepmother should be with her and should be able to clarify that for us. I’m thinking we need feathers from as many of them as we can get.”
“Right. I left my phone on Bettina’s bed, so I’ll just run down and give Mum a call.” Jackson hurried to the stairs, then paused. “I can ask Myrtle to ask her soulmate and his sister if they can spare a feather or two.”
Royce snapped his fingers, making us all look to where he stood a few feet away. He pointed over his shoulder, then patted his own chest while signing, ‘ h-o-l-y-d-i-r-t.’
Tenn nodded. “You’ll get the holy dirt from Holy Ground out back? Good call, Royce. Go ‘head.”
“What’s that leave us with?” I took the cheat sheet back. “A holy weapon and holy sand.”
“I don’t suppose we have holy sand out back?”
Tenn shook his head.
Tim scratched the back of his head. “You don’t think they want my sword back, do you?”
“No.” Tenn narrowed his eyes on the ground. “That was a gift from Michael. He wanted you to have it.”
“But not all weapons are swords and daggers, or even made of metal?—”
“Wood.” Tenn’s eyes widened on the floor, then he dropped down and scooped up a handful of the broken pieces of the puzzle pig. With his other hand, he pulled his pale-blue pendulum out of his pocket, holding it by the end of the chain so it dangled. “George, does the wood of this puzzle pig count as the holy weapon we need for the potions?”
I knew how pendulums were supposed to work at this point, but I was clueless on which motion meant yes or no. However, the way the others cheered, I knew George had said yes.
“Thanks, George.” Tenn shoved his pendulum back in his pocket, then dove down to scoop up the other pieces of wood. “Lenny, want these?”
“Gimme, gimme, gimme.” She scurried over with a silver tray that she held out for him to put all the pieces on. With an excited grin, she bounced on her toes. “Mona, have any tricks for turning this wood into dust for us?”
“Yes, yes I do.” She hurried for the stairs. “Come with me.”
Tim looked to me and Tenn. “And then there was one.”
Tenn scowled. “Holy sand. Where do we find that one?”
For a moment we were all silent as we racked our brains for an answer.
It was Savannah who looked up at me with narrowed blue eyes. “Ask your rune stones to lead you to holy sand?”
Tenn dove for his pendulum again. “George, can Frankie’s rune stones guide us to holy sand?”
It swung in the same way it had before.
“Excellent. Thanks, George.” Tenn shoved it back in his jeans’ pocket and marched for the door. “Come on, Franks. I’ll go with you.”
I hurried after him. “Are we taking a dragon?”
“No, I want them here in case they’re needed?—”
“You’re going to fly her?” Tim asked, his voice raised an octave with worry. “Haven?”
Tenn paused at the front door and half-turned to face his uncle. “I don’t want you without a way to move. I can fly fast, and unlike the dragons, I can see her magic, so it’ll go faster.”
“Haven—”
“If we get into any trouble, I just tug on this braid and Koth will find us, if Elan hasn’t already sent him out.” Tenn yanked the door open. “I’m not asking. This is what we’re doing. Call us if anything happens.”
Tim’s sigh was full of concern, but I didn’t blame him. It seemed every time we left Eden, someone got hurt. I tried to give everyone an encouraging smile and a thumbs-up, but no one smiled back. Their faces were grim and tense. When I turned back to catch up to Tenn, I found him in full Haven-mode, as I was now referring to it, with his wings and armor. Michael’s sword was gripped tightly in his left hand.
“I’m not going to drop you, Frankie. You can put that face away.”
I snort-laughed and stopped in front of him. “Honestly, I know better than to doubt you or Tegan at this point. Let’s get this over with so we can get your girl back on her feet, yeah?”