32. Chapter 32
Chapter 32
Lea
" O f fucking course it was Eudora. It’s always that bit—hey!" Janelle hissed as Erik jabbed her in the side of the ribs, and he gave her an apologetic grimace.
"What do you mean, Eudora helped him?" Gray asked, and Evangeline rubbed her forehead between her eyes. Something she seemed to be doing more often, and Lea wondered if it was pain that caused her to repeat the gesture again and again.
Evangeline’s eyebrows scrunched. "Well, I think it was Eudora. It felt like her, at least," she said.
A wave of confusion crashed over Lea. Evangeline and Eudora had met before. Surely she would know what she looks like. "Start at the beginning. What did you see?" Lea urged, her mind reeling. There were very few things that Lea felt she knew about Eudora with complete certainty, but the one thing she felt wholly confident about was that she would never betray Tanad. That only he held her loyalty.
"Alaric closed the door and locked everyone away in the church. He was happy. Thrilled, actually. But something was wrong with him. He looked ill—felt weakened. His face was gaunt and pale, and his skin looked like it was sliding down his bones with veins like black spiderwebs creeping across his skin."
Lea shivered. Alaric was terrifying enough without his veins turning black and his skin sagging. But if he was weakened, maybe taking his magic would be easier.
Evangeline continued. "Then, when he got to the stream, well, I wasn't sure at first what was happening. But he was waiting for something. Looking to the sky."
"Eudora?"
Evangeline nodded. "I think so. It felt like her. Had the same energy. But she looked completely different. Much younger. Beautiful and vibrant."
Lea's brain spun. She remembered thinking on more than one occasion that Eudora had characteristics of a woman far younger than she was. The way she’d climbed the stairs in her tower. The smooth skin on her hands that Lea had thought she imagined just before Eudora had poured a vial into her tea. The potion Lea had swiped from her that very day but hadn’t tested, not knowing what it was or what it would do. Lea’s fire flickered in her chest, furious that she hadn’t put the pieces together sooner.
"If she makes herself older, frail and aged, it would make sense," Gray said. "She can get people to underestimate her, and they'll be far less likely to push back against her wishes."
"You're absolutely sure it was her?" Lea asked, hoping to the gods Evangeline was wrong. If they didn’t know Eudora’s true appearance, she could be anywhere. She could have been in their army, gathering information without their knowledge. She could be pretending to be anyone .
"My magic felt her. The magic Eudora gifted me. It recognized its own blood." Evangeline nodded firmly. "Yes, I’m certain. It’s the only explanation," she said.
"What did she do once she saw Alaric?" Lea asked. "Did he recognize her?"
"He did. He’s clearly known her for some time. It was like they were lovers. She caressed his chest, trailed a finger down his cheek."
Lea pushed down a wave of nausea. "Why? Why would she do this? How does this make any sense at all? She caressed his chest and then disappeared? To where? And why would she help him at all when she claims to love Tanad?"
"Because Tanad sent her away. It could be revenge," Erik suggested.
"Because she’s a vindictive bitch," Janelle said at the same time.
Lea lowered her eyebrows, her jaw clenching. "Tanad didn’t banish her until a few days ago. What if this was her plan all along? What if she wants power, just like Alaric? She can help him defeat us. With her seeing abilities, she'll know our every move. Can warn him if we’re coming, or give away our location if he decides to come after us."
Gray rubbed a hand across his scruffy chin as he paced. "There must be something we can do," he said, his shadows trailing out in all directions. "The goddess said Lea can defeat him. There has to be a way around this."
"We can confuse her visions," Evangeline said, her voice soft. Gray froze, and Lea’s stomach twisted.
"Eudora will be watching you and Lea closely, I suspect. Neither of you can be the ones to make decisions. Not the same ones, at least. Not together. There must be too many possibilities for her to be certain of the outcome."
"You're saying if we don't have a concrete plan, she won't know which possibilities are our actual intentions?" Lea asked.
"Exactly. If everyone is acting independently, if decisions are never settled upon as a group, her visions will show all the possible outcomes. It's only once the choice has been made that those of us with the sight can see what the actual outcome of the future will be."
"Then how do we move forward? How do we know where to go next if Gray and I can’t decide?" Lea asked.
Evangeline bit her lip. "I saw a place. But I'm hesitant to even describe it to you. Even that could tip her off that we're coming."
"Do you know where it is?" Erik asked, scrunching his brows, and Lea had the urge to ask what he was planning.
Evangeline shook her head. "No. I can only describe it."
"If you don’t know where it is, and you can’t tell us what it looks like without tipping off Eudora, how are we supposed to get there?" Gray asked, every word brimming with tension.
"I don’t believe Eudora will be watching me. At least, it’s far less likely than her searching for you all. She’ll expect me to stay behind. I can’t fight. I can’t even see. I’m a liability in battle. And let us be honest. After years with the Black King, I would bet she’s counting on Gray not trusting me to be near Lea until he can be certain of where my loyalties lie."
"She has a good point," Gray said under his breath before turning to face Evangeline. "How do we know you’re telling the truth?"
Evangeline lifted her chin, shaking her head slightly. "You don’t. But all the bad things I’ve done, any help I gave the king, it was to keep your mate, my daughter, alive. That is all I have cared about from the moment she was born. I don’t regret the choices I made to keep her safe. I can’t ."
Lea’s eyes burned, and her face turned red. Her mind flashed back to when she had saved Evangeline in the womb. To the twisted threads of fate that had ripped them apart and pushed them back together. The goddess herself had told Lea to save the baby. Maybe it was all leading them here, to this moment. "I trust her," Lea said, realizing as she spoke the words that it was true. Even if there was lingering anger and resentment over the choices Evangeline had made, it was obvious she loved her. That she truly had only wanted to protect her.
Gray looked into Lea’s eyes for a long moment before nodding. "What do you suggest?" Gray asked Evangeline.
"I think I can start us in the right direction," she said. "The geography is typical of—" she stopped herself, taking a deep breath. "Let's prepare to leave. I will get us as close as I’m able before I tell you more. Even if Eudora sees you coming, maybe this will allow us to make some headway. The more ground we can cover before they flee, the stronger the trail should be when we arrive."
"It's worth a try," Lea said, looking to Gray. "The only other option is to—"
"Separate," he finished for her, his eyes darkening. "Absolutely not."
Erik stepped forward, placing a hand on Gray’s shoulder. "Let's feed and water the horses. And ourselves. I’ll describe some towns and landmarks to Evangeline. Maybe it will help her get us closer without needing to give us more information."
"Do you think this will work?" Lea asked Evangeline honestly.
"Your guess is as good as mine. But I’m certain it's less likely she'll be focusing on me in her visions. She'll be far more focused on you two. Maybe your friends. The more possibilities, the better. I’d like you all to consider what you think the best plans are. What towns you would have us travel toward. Focus on them; make them a reality in your mind."
"You decide when we leave, Evangeline. The rest of us will follow behind you. Close enough to track, but far enough that we’re not all together. Maybe not deciding to leave until the last moment will give us even more time.
Evangeline nodded, rubbing her forehead again.
"Are you okay?" Lea asked.
"Just fine," she said.
"You seem like you're in pain," Lea prodded, moving closer.
"Truly, it’s nothing." Evangeline waved her off. "Just a headache. When I use Eudora and the Seraphine’s powers, it’s… uncomfortable. But it's nothing I can't handle."
Lea swallowed, not sure how to respond. She didn’t believe Evangeline for a second. She knew pain, had seen far more of it than anyone should ever have to see.
"I promise, I'm fine," Evangeline said, once again reading Lea's mind. "Don't worry about me. You need to rest and focus on yourself. On what must be done."
"That’s all I’ve focused on since I returned," Lea said, a bit more harshly than she’d intended.
"I know, my dear girl. But even if the future isn’t written in stone, one thing is certain. Finding Alaric is of no use unless you learn to take his magic. I've seen his strength. And it only grows. With Eudora at his side…"
Evangeline trailed off, but Lea didn’t need her to finish her thought. She already knew. With Eudora at his side, this war just had just become a lot more difficult. And certainly, far more deadly.