Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
QUINN
“ B e careful with that,” I warn Fern for the third time since her arrival. I don’t know what it is about that girl, but she has a knack for finding the sharpest bits of stone amongst the rubble. She shouldn’t even be doing this.
“She’s fine,” Tess tells me with a soft laugh.
“I don’t want her to get hurt.” It’s all new to her, and she wants to touch everything. I get it, but I can’t keep swivelling my head in every direction to keep an eye on her.
“If she does, she’ll learn a valuable lesson. The Gods know it took you more than a few scrapes to learn it, and you were a lot harder to keep tabs on.”
“I was not,” I lie. I absolutely was, and somehow Tess could always keep up with me. She was always there to patch me up if I climbed a tree a little too high or got a bit too ballsy with a sword. “Be honest. How was the journey here?”
I try to focus on Tess’s answer while still monitoring Fern. She’s finally abandoned her pile of rubble and made her way to the water’s edge. I’m not even sure if she knows how to swim.
“Uneventful, but tiring. We could all use a wash.” If Fern doesn’t take a step back from the ledge, she might just be the first to get one. Now I’m not even sure if I was worse as a child. At least I knew better than to lean over large bodies of water. “What’s wrong?”
I must have been silent for too long because the softness of her features have tightened and she’s giving me the same look she always gives me when she knows there’s something on my mind.
I can’t lie to her even if I want to, but I can omit as many details as possible. “You didn’t run into any trouble on your way here, did you? There were no Guardians, or…”
“ Or ?”
Shit, I shouldn’t have hesitated. I steel myself. “Veil wraiths.”
A noticeable chill runs through her. “No, nothing like that. Kaylee said we were on a ‘safe path,’ whatever that means. Sometimes I feel like it’s harder to get information out of her than it is getting it out of you. I take it you had some trouble?”
“You could say that.”
I keep my eyes on Fern as she leans even further over the water. And then she falls. “Fern!” I move to run to her, but Tess’s hand clasps around my wrist.
Fern’s head pops out of the water, but she’s not alone. There’s another child with her; a siren boy who looks to be about her age. He splashes her, and she splashes him right back. She almost looks like she belongs here, and she just might. Some of Rosewood’s people came from Marein. For all I know, Fern’s parents may have been sirens. More than that, even Tess might be a siren, though I feel like she would have told me that before I left.
Wouldn’t she? I don’t even know anymore. I’ve lost track of all the secrets and lies, and it’s gotten to where very little makes sense.
Tess moves so that I have to bring my attention back to her. “Tell me what happened.”
I shake my head. “Not today. We have a lot of work to do to get enough beds set up.” Truthfully, I’d already cleared out five buildings myself over the last week to pass the time and we could easily fit six to ten cots in each—at least until we get the rest of these islands resembling something of their former glory.
“Veil wraiths are nasty creatures. Who did you see?”
This woman knows me far too well. I have to answer her, but I can’t tell her everything. Not if I mean to keep this from Abby a little while longer. “Mom…and Evan.”
“Oh, you poor boy,” she says, stroking a warm hand over my back. “They weren’t real. You know that, right?”
“Yeah,” I answer gruffly, even though I know Evan was. I see his face in my dreams every night, just as I do the wraiths. His lips move silently, but whatever message he has for me gets lost in their screams.
A wave of panic slams into me and I double over, clutching my stomach as if someone just landed a punch to my gut. I struggle to suck in a breath as ripples of terror course through me, originating from somewhere a hundred feet below me.
Tess’s hands are on me, easing me upright, and there’s nothing but concern in her eyes. “What is it? Are you hurt?”
I’m already moving away from her when I call back in answer. “Something’s wrong. Stay here!”
I weave through my people, dodging them and the stones they carry as best I can as I sprint for the bridge that leads to the center island. ‘ Abby, talk to me. What’s happening?’
Her voice is laced with fear as it flits through my mind. ‘It’s Jade! He’s… I don’t know!’ Her words are muffled and broken, as if there’s some kind of interference messing with our ability to speak to one another. That alone has me moving faster.
I spot Merrick on one of the other bridges that cross to another island. There’s at least fifty feet of water between us, but I call to him, anyway. “Merrick!” His head snaps in my direction —thank the Gods for dragon hearing—and he shifts, launching himself into the air and closing the space between us in little more than three flaps of his massive wings. “Something’s wrong with Jade!” I shout up to him when he’s above me, and, without a word, he flips backwards and flies straight for the whirlpool. For the first time in my life, I wish I had wings.
‘I’m coming. Merrick will be there in a second.’ He’ll get there first, and hopefully that’ll be enough to handle whatever’s happening down there.
I’m on the stairs now, but Abby’s silence has gone on far too long. ‘If you don’t talk to me, I’m jumping down this hole.’ I might just break every bone in my legs, but at least it would get me there quicker.
Her answer comes swiftly. ‘Merrick’s here.’
My lungs burn with exertion, but I blow out a sigh, anyway. ‘What’s happening?’
I’m almost there. Just another minute.
‘Jade isn’t Jade.’
What the fuck does that mean? ‘I need more than that.’ I have no idea what I’m about to run into, and that goes against everything I am as a strategist. I was trained for war. Taught to know my enemy before facing them head on. Going in blind has never been part of my plan.
I burst into the room before she can answer. Abby’s eyes fly to me, and there’s nothing but absolute horror in them. Jade’s head slowly turns my way, and bright red eyes that should be green settle on me. I skid to a stop under the weight of that stare. There’s something… Godlike in it. Something that must be obeyed. I hadn’t even realized I’d drawn my sword, but now it shakes in my hand.
I force my eyes from Jade and scan the room. Merrick and Nuri stand together, while my sister and Rhett cling to each other—though Rhett looks more fearful than Kaylee. She’s probably already seen this.
“Who are you?” I ask, because everyone else is silent.
Jade laughs and it’s all wrong. The laugh is definitely female. “I don’t waste my time with humans.” Jade turns his head to Abby. I feel the urge to move to her, but my feet are locked in place by whatever power the creature possessing Jade has. “So you are Terranous’ Chosen.” Not-Jade looks her up and down.
In true Abby fashion, she takes a step forward and squares her shoulders. “I am. And what are you? An echo?”
The ghostly laugh fills the small room again. The red lines on Jade’s skin glow as if his skin is now a map of Dragoria itself.
“I have no need for such trivial magic.”
“What. Are. You?” Abby says every word slowly and forcefully.
Merrick’s voice rings clear, though there’s fear in his words. “Not what. Who .” He drops to one knee and lowers his head in a sign of respect. “Inferna.”
Nuri follows suit, but Rhett hesitates. I can tell he wants to kneel too, but Kaylee seems to urge him to stay upright.
“Regent. I’m pleased someone recognized me.”
“Forgive our arrogance,” he says, not risking eye contact with the Goddess of Destruction again. “We believed you dead.”
“Of course you did. But you will not make such a mistake again.”
Merrick’s whole body trembles as if Jade—Inferna—is doing something to him. The dragons have a connection, and Inferna is their Goddess, so it makes sense that she might share in that connection. Is she syphoning his power? If she drains him, surely it will kill him.
Abby gasps and I realize I wasn’t just thinking the words to myself, I was sharing them with her.
“What do you want with Jade?” Abby says, almost angry now.
Merrick’s body stops trembling as Inferna’s eyes flash to Abby’s. “Apologies. It seems I grew distracted. I am here as a favour to this vessel.” She gesture’s to Jade’s body her consciousness wears. “Because it seems none of you can be trusted not to kill him.”
“Why do you care?”
‘Abby,’ I warn. This is a Goddess she’s speaking to, and not one known for being friendly.
“Because he is my Chosen.”
All bowed heads snap up at that and Merrick stumbles to his feet. “Chosen? Impossible! I was outside the room when he was born. There was no Choosing.”
“Because she didn’t choose him then,” I say. It all makes sense now. The marks on Jade’s body, the marks on Abby’s. They’re different, yet the same. “You’re the reason he survived.”
“His sacrifice opened the door to my prison. In his death, I chose him. He will be the one to return me to power. To return me to life.”
Merrick looks conflicted. This might even mean that Jade outranks him now. I know very little about their beliefs, but the Regent has to come second to a Goddess and her Chosen.
“Are you to live through him, then?” Abby asks, and there’s a tremble in her voice, but it isn’t fear. That’s all been replaced now by something else entirely. The gold flowers and vines running up and down her body glow softly and her golden light melds with that of the blue and green algae.
Disgust crosses Jade’s face as Inferna scoffs. “Hardly. I am just tired of waiting and do not wish for my Chosen to be tortured by you fools any longer.”
“Tortured? Everything we’ve done was to save him.” The conviction in Abby’s words falters only slightly.
Red eyes flare brighter, filling with fire. “ I saved him. You keep him submerged. Douse his flames.”
Does she mean literally?
Abby’s face pales and I know she’s thinking the same thing I am. “The water. That’s why he woke up screaming.” It’s a good thing he’s been unconscious this entire time. Dragons shouldn’t have a problem with water, but he’s not just a dragon anymore. He’s Inferna’s Chosen, and her power is that of destruction. What destroys better than flame?
“Do not make me take this form again,” she warns. Jade’s body goes limp and submerges in the pool. There’s chaos the moment his head sinks beneath the water. Multiple people move for him—including Abby—but Merrick gets to him first. With Rhett’s help, the two of them drag him from the water and up onto the glass floor.
“Do we wake him?” Abby asks, and I don’t miss the hesitation. Even if he’s out of the water, there’s no guarantee he’ll react better. The water may have caused him pain, but the anger burning in his eyes when he stared down Abby was entirely unrelated. I could feel the threat deep in my bones, and until we understand why, I have no problem with keeping him unconscious.
“Not here,” Merrick says, apparently already set on his decision. He grabs the small bag of Morati Eternus off the small table at the back of the room and then slings Jade over his shoulder in one swift movement.
I guess we’re doing this.
Nuri follows close behind as Merrick rushes out of the room, ignoring the cries of protest from the older healer who would sooner see Jade dead. Rhett clings to my sister, his stance protective, but the longing to follow his kin is unmistakable.
“You’re needed with them. Go,” Kaylee says. I have to look away when their lips touch because that’s the last thing I need right now. Seconds later, Rhett disappears from the room.
I take Abby’s hand in mine and together we move to follow. “Are you coming?” I ask over my shoulder to Kaylee. I only just see her nod before Abby tugs me forward.
When we make it to the beach and spot Jade laid out on the sand. He’s moving, as if just starting to awaken, but he isn’t screaming. That’s already a good sign. Maybe I was wrong about his reaction to Abby. She didn’t change who she was when she gained Terranous’ powers, so why should he be any different?
Merrick tenses and holds out a hand in front of him. My stomach drops because he can’t be about to…
Flames shoot out from his hand and engulf Jade as he writhes.
“No!” Abby screams beside me. She lets go of my hand and runs for the gathering of dragons who simply watch Jade burn. She pulls a blade from the belt I gave her and runs straight for Merrick.
I move to stop her, but it seems Rhett has the same idea. “Whoa, whoa, stop,” he says, holding his hands out to catch her by the shoulders. His arms wrap around her and my insides turn hot. “It’s not what it looks like.” He says the words to her, but I doubt she hears them.
“Let me go!” She raises her blade, seemingly unafraid to cut him, but he catches her wrist in one of his much larger dragon hands and halts her strike.
“Drop the knife first.”
I reach them then and grab hold of Rhett’s shoulder. He probably doesn’t even feel my hand through his scales, so I squeeze tighter. “You may be my sister’s mate, but if you don’t take your fucking hands off mine…”
He lets go immediately, and Abby moves for Merrick again, just as his flames extinguish. Before Abby can decide to stab him anyway, her attention snaps to Jade.
He’s standing now—and entirely unharmed. The red lines on his skin have brightened and seem to flow as if full of the liquid fire known to flow through the land of the dragons.
“Jade?” She takes a step closer, and his eyes snap to her. There’s no recognition on his face. No hint of heartbreak hidden behind a cocky grin. It’s as if he doesn’t know her at all.
I move to her side, ready to step between them if his stoicism turns to rage. “You okay?” I ask him. I’d much rather those red-rimmed green eyes on me. “Do you know where you are?”
He looks away from us, scanning the beach. When his gaze falls upon the ocean, his face crinkles in disgust. He says nothing until he returns his attention to Abby, trailing his eyes up and down her body. “Chosen,” he says, the word little more than a growl.
“That’s right,” she says. “You and I are both Chosen.”
The anger I’d been expecting comes all at once and he charges for Abby. I move to block her, but it seems I wasn’t the only one waiting for this. The two other male dragons—Ory and Wyatt—each grab one of Jade’s arms and hold him back.
It’s no longer just us now. A crowd of sirens have gathered, their faces a collage of of fear and disgust. Only Aurelia stands out from them, a look of sadness etched into her features.
Erwyn takes a step forward. “I knew we should have put that beast down when we had the chance!”
Jade slides his gaze to the man and smiles. “You can still try.”
The two dragons holding him back struggle more against him. Jade was always strong, but what new abilities has he gained from Inferna? Even if they can hold him back, he still has powers he hasn’t even begun to use.
“You know what to do,” a soft voice says. I recognize it instantly and scan the crowd until I find my sister eyeing Aurelia intently. What would Aurelia have to do with this? Unless…
The tips of her spear glisten in the sunlight.
“Don’t!” I shout when she takes a step forward. I don’t even know why I said it. I don’t want Jade dead, but this isn’t the Jade we knew. Whatever we brought back wasn’t him. “I won’t let you kill him.”
“I do not wish for his death,” Aurelia says, undeterred by my outburst. She lowers her spear but doesn’t point it towards the dragon. Instead, she presses one of the tips against her own palm and slices deeply. Scarlet blood spills from her hand, falling to the sand in a cascade of droplets. She moves until she stands just inches from Jade, letting the blood fall freely between them. “Blood of mine, hear my words and be calm.”
Jade’s body trembles slightly, but I can tell he’s resisting her blood magic. I’ve only seen magic like this once before, and that was the night Imelda turned me into a monster.
“Blood of mine,” Aurelia repeats, her words firmer. She lays her bloodied palm against Jade’s cheek and winces as her blood bubbles and steam rises. “I know you are in there,” she says through pain-clenched teeth.
Jade stills, and then his body relaxes. Aurelia lowers her hand and steps back, nodding to the dragons. They release him, and Jade makes no move to attack. He’s breathing hard now, eyes cast down to the droplets of blood at his feet. Whatever she did to him appears to be working.
Merrick takes a cautious step forward. “Do you know who I am?”
Jade looks up and studies his face. “Regent.” The word is breathy, but it sounds more like the Jade we know.
“Not what I am. Who I am.”
Jade hesitates before answering. “I know your face, but my mind is like smoke.”
“That’s okay,” Merrick says, almost sounding reassuring, which is interesting because just a few hours ago, he was on the fence about whether or not we should allow Jade to live. “My name is Merrick. I’m your cousin.”
Jade nods slowly. “Cousins. Okay.” He looks to Aurelia. Whatever emotion I’d seen on her face earlier has been replaced with a hard stoicism that gives nothing away. “And you?” When she doesn’t answer, he looks at her hand and then again at the blood at his feet. “Witch. Blood magic. Curse.” He backs away from her, as if afraid.
“Do you remember a curse?” Merrick asks.
“Maybe. Yes.” I’ve never seen Jade so indecisive. That dragon always oozed confidence, even when he didn’t have a clue what he was talking about.
“It wasn’t her. Aurelia uses blood magic, but it wasn’t her.”
He studies her face. “Blood of mine? Who are you?”
She looks as if she won’t answer, but this time she lets out a heavy sigh.
“I am…your mother.”
My face pales. If Aurelia is Jade’s mom…if he’s the dragon baby from the journal…
Abby’s voice fills my mind, only a faint whisper making it through the shock we’re both feeling. ‘You and Jade are…’
‘Cousins.’