Chapter 22
Chapter twenty-two
“So this is where you lived while you were competing in the tournament?” Nylah asked, pulling on Bridget’s sleeve as they entered the contestant apartments on the east end of the palace.
It was exactly as she remembered. The rustic staircase hadn’t changed and the scent of chocolate muffins still lingered in the air.
“Yeah, my room was right up those stairs and to the left,” Bridget said, eyeing the closed door beside her old room. Months before, Quinn had slept there. She wondered if anyone had been inside since then and if any of her belongings were left.
“What a thrilling tour. What’s next, a patch of grass where you saw a flower that reminded you of Cade?”
Alexia’s deadpanned voice behind them tensed her muscles. For a moment, Nylah’s excitement had almost made Bridget forget the other girl followed behind them. Upon her sister’s insistence, of course. Apparently, she’d made it her personal responsibility to supervise Alexia at all times.
Nylah scowled at her. “No one asked for your opinion. I like hearing about what I missed. But maybe that’s because I actually have people that I—”
“Speaking of things you’re missing,” Bridget said, cutting her off. She grabbed Nylah by the shoulders and pushed her toward the gym. “Are you okay?”
“What do you mean?” Nylah frowned. “Of course, I am.”
The pure ignorance in her sister’s gaze tore at Bridget’s chest. Taking her on a tour of the palace was the last thing she ever expected to do with her. “Don’t you miss school?”
“Are you crazy? Reading about magic and forcing this one to follow me everywhere definitely beats sitting behind a kid who hasn’t discovered deodorant while trying to learn pre-algebra,” Nylah said, wrinkling her nose.
“What about your friends?”
Nylah shrugged. “I can make friends anywhere. It’s not that difficult. It starts with hello and then you keep asking questions until you eventually get to know them.”
“But it’s not the same.”
Elyria wasn’t Manhattan or Boston. She’d hardly seen any other kids around the palace. And when they did, Nylah ignored them. Since they’d arrived, she’d spent most of her time with Alexia. The last person she needed to get to know.
Nylah whirled on her. “Why are you trying to convince me that I shouldn’t be happy to be here? We’re finally all together again. And we’re about to go on a boat. Stop worrying about me. I’m fine.”
Her tight, dark curls bounced as she shoved the door to the gym open. Bridget gaped at her. Those pre-teen years were coming on quick.
“Looks like I did you a favor,” Alexia whispered in her ear. “She actually wants to be here.”
“Shut the hell up.”
Bridget pushed her into the gym. The clang of weights smashing together echoed through the room. In the corner, Delphine pressed her legs against a black sheet of metal. Sweat dripped down her face as she scrunched her eyes in concentration.
“Delly!” Nylah squealed, zig zagging through the machines to reach her.
Delphine dropped her legs and twisted around on the seat. She wrapped her arms around Nylah, who’d thrust herself on top of her. “You’re still sticking with that nickname, huh?”
“Bridget’s taking me on a tour of all the places she used to go.”
“Is that right? Then this is the perfect place. I actually taught her how to use this machine.”
Nylah grinned. “I think I read that in her notebook.”
“What are you doing here?” Bridget asked. Delphine raised a brow. “Well, besides the obvious.”
Delphine stood up and wiped her forehead with her sleeve. “I like coming in here. It’s peaceful and no one ever bothers me.”
Crossing her arms, Bridget didn’t fail to notice the quiver in her voice or the way she was avoiding her gaze. Bumping Nylah with her hip, she nodded at the treadmill across the room. “Didn’t you learn how to use one of those?”
Nylah’s brows furrowed as she followed her gaze. When she spotted the machine, it only took a second for a conspiratorial gleam to take over her features. With a sly smile, she nodded.
“Why don’t you show Alexia how?” Bridget suggested.
“If you insist.”
Alexia blanched. “I don’t think that’s—”
Her protests faded as Nylah dragged her across the room.
Bridget rolled her lips together. She almost wished she had a camera.
Before she had a chance to turn to Delphine, the gym door opened again.
This time, Hai and Brynley strode through the door.
Their laughter died the moment they spotted her with Delphine.
For a second, Bridget felt transported back to five months ago.
She’d almost forgotten Cade had told her the tournament had restarted and that the other girls were still living in the palace.
She wondered where Alette was. Not that she wanted to run into her.
“Hi,” Bridget said, waving her fingers. She shoved her hand behind her back when she realized how awkward the gesture looked.
Brynley almost waved back until Hai slapped her hand down and shot Bridget an annoyed glare. Red faced, she pulled Brynley out of the room. The door slammed behind them.
“Why did Hai look so peeved to see me?” Bridget asked. “I know they were told that I was back and that they wouldn’t be competing anymore... But I don’t think Cade ever even spoke to her.”
Delphine shrugged. “Who knows. Maybe she got her hopes up when the king tried to restart the tournament.”
Bridget watched her fiddle with the leg press again. “So why are you really here? Even during the competition, I don’t think I saw you this focused on any of these machines.”
Delphine’s composure broke. Her lips trembled as she lowered her gaze and stared at a speck on the floor.
“Does it have something to do with why you didn’t want to use your magic last week?” Bridget asked. “I could tell something was wrong.”
It took a long time for Delphine to answer.
“After what happened in Cavamyne… It’s like I can still feel it every time I jump.
The pain. Even with Cade’s pendant, I think I still almost got us lost in the void.
It wasn’t enough. My magic hasn’t been the same since then…
I just thought, if I could get stronger, maybe it would get better. ”
Bridget swallowed hard. Hadn’t she been doing the same thing in Boston? No matter what she did, nothing felt like it was enough. She squeezed Delphine’s hand. “You could have died. No one is going to blame you for being wary. Have the others not noticed?”
“I like to pretend they haven’t, but it’s impossible to miss the questioning stares. And the judgement practically wafts off Cassia every time I see her.” Delphine chewed on her lower lip. “I’m so sorry, Bridget. You needed me the other day and I couldn’t bring myself to help.”
“It’s okay. I shouldn’t have expected you to save Nylah for me.”
If she would’ve left with them, Quinn wouldn’t have found her.
She would be sleeping at night instead of being struck awake constantly by the thought that she might be losing her mind, just like her.
All she had done was distract Cade and waste time before Castor and Marin fixed the protection spell around the wall.
“What was Quinn even after?” Delphine asked.
It’s time for us to go.
Bile stung Bridget’s tongue. “I don’t know. The running theory is that she finally tried to get to Cade so she could take another shot at breaking the curse on the Sanguis. The Bloodstone has changed her, though… she didn’t seem stable.”
Delphine’s brows pinched. “What do you mean?”
Across the room, Bridget watched Nylah push a few buttons on the treadmill.
Alexia let out a strained huff as the incline increased.
Once the knot in her throat released her voice, she asked, “Have you ever seen anyone change because of magic? Not just go power hungry and get consumed by it, but really change… like blackout and forget who they are?”
Taking a sip of water, Delphine thought for a long moment.
“Honestly, no. I’ve always been under the assumption it would kill you before it got that far.
Obviously, I was wrong. That Wraith working for Quinn proves that.
If you think blackouts are happening to Quinn…
it has the price of blood magic, right?”
“Yeah, it must be,” Bridget said, forcing her gaze to the black matted ground. She could think of two blood magic spells that had been done to her. One had left scars on her stomach. The other had broken a centuries-old curse. Was that enough for her to pay that same price?
“Now it’s my turn for a weird question,” Delphine said. She fiddled with the top of her water bottle. A hint of pink filled her cheeks. “How did you know Cade was the one?”
The turn of conversation almost gave Bridget whiplash, but Delphine’s eager eyes told her the question had been weighing on her a long time.
“I wish I had something really eloquent to say, but… I just knew. Every time I look at him, I feel peaceful, but exhilarated at the same time. Like my heart could burst out of my chest, but I know he would be right there to catch it. I don’t know if that makes sense. ”
Delphine couldn’t hide the disappointed pinch of her face. Still, she smiled wryly. “That was more eloquent than you think.”
“Is this about Castor?” Bridget asked. Anyone with eyes could see the way Delphine looked at him. But they could also see the way he and Cassia seemed to orbit each other like magnets. Bridget wasn’t sure if they even realized it, the way they stayed in sync.
“Is it that obvious? He’s been in love with Cassia since we were ten. Everybody knows that. But for a while, I thought…” Delphine let out a hollow laugh, her voice hoarse. “I don’t know what I thought, actually. I think I let a couple of butterflies trick me into thinking it could be more.”