Chapter 33
Chapter thirty-three
Cassia
The fire crackled like bones snapping beneath booted feet.
Cassia didn’t flinch. She stood just outside the circle of heat, arms folded.
She let the icy wind bite at her cheeks.
It grounded her and cleared her head. She didn’t even bother to listen to Delphine’s attempt at a calming speech as she watched her father and Cade argue by the horses.
She’d awoken to shouts and blasts of magic, unsure if she was still dreaming or not.
When she’d run out of the musty old tavern, the entire camp had been thrust into chaos.
And still remained that way. Cassia glanced at Archer and Castor trying to revive Finn.
He was breathing, they hadn’t been able to wake him. Blood dripped down his face.
Across the clearing, her father and Cade continued to bellow. Chest twisting, she hoped Cade listened to reason. The closer he was to Cavamyne, the more danger he was in. The more danger they were all in. If he died there, an evil they couldn’t comprehend would be unleashed.
An evil she was technically connected to.
Cassia pulled her gloves back on. The more she thought about the Sanguis and Vega and Druids, the less controlled she felt. Ever since she’d searched Bridget’s memories, it was like the inside of her skin yearned for the power again. For magic.
“Don’t you see? This was the vision all along.
If you go to Cavamyne, you will die,” their father hissed, his voice low and blistering.
“It’s a suicide mission. I don’t care if you think you’re doing it in the name of love, or whatever bullshit you want to encourage yourself with, your death will unleash a power you don’t understand. As king, I can’t—”
“And what about as my father?” Cade shot back. The air between them crackled. “But I assume you don’t have an answer for that. You haven’t prioritized that role in a very long time. I’m going. Whether you like it or not.”
Cassia didn’t bother stepping between them.
Not yet. She was too busy watching Cade.
His shoulders were tense and his eyes were alight with a mad fury.
He wasn’t hearing anything. At least not the things that mattered.
And she’d seen that look on his face before.
It was the same one he wore the day he’d left for the human realm.
And again, when their father had surprised him with Bridget at the start of the tournament, after months of searching.
“Mark my words, I won’t let you leave here,” their father growled, lifting his hand. A flicker of magic shimmered in his palm.
But Cade was faster. He caught their father’s wrist and flung it to the side with a brutal snap. “I don’t have time to fight with you right now. Believe me, I would win. But right now, you’re not worth wasting the energy.”
Cassia stepped forward to intervene. She’d never seen her father’s face so purple. But Delphine’s hand on her forearm stopped her. Cassia jerked away instinctively. Even that small touch seemed to stir magic under her skin.
Delphine didn’t seem to notice. Her gaze was locked on the argument still transpiring. “He wants me to take him there now,” Delphine whispered, voice barely audible. “To Cavamyne. I don’t know how to say no. You should grab Castor and leave now so you’re ahead of the others.”
“Can you do that?” Cassia asked. She didn’t know what she was more surprised about… Delphine actually willing to use her powers, despite the clear reluctance that had hindered her for months. Or the fact she was suggesting she go with Castor without her.
“We’ve already been there. We’re close enough it wouldn’t hurt too much,” Delphine replied with a slight tremble. “I could do it.”
Cassia shook her head. “He needs us as backup. Especially Stellan.”
Turning toward the tree line, Cassia let her gaze find Stellan.
He stood still as stone, leaning against a particularly snowy tree with arms crossed.
At a glance, he looked bored. But Cassia knew better.
There was a stiffness to his shoulders and a subtle flare of energy under his skin that was unmistakable.
He was just as anxious as the rest of them.
“You have to stall him,” Cassia demanded. “Stellan may be able to follow, but if something happens and we’re not there in time…”
She couldn’t even finish the sentence. A blinding pain killed the words in her throat.
Delphine’s expression broke. Her dark eyes reflected a truth Cassia already understood. “You know I won’t be able to,” she said.
The stupid knot tightened again. Cassia tried to swallow it down. Eventually, she muttered, “I know.”
The only person who could possibly convince Cade not to go to Cavamyne… was the one already gone. She’d already almost drowned in his emotions when Nylah had been taken. With Bridget gone… there would be no stopping him.
As if reading her thoughts, Delphine added, “Bridget doesn’t have much time left. I saw a glimpse of her, when he connected with my mind.” A shudder pulsed through her body. “There was already so much blood.”
The words hung in the air like ash.
From across the clearing, Stellan’s gaze snapped to them. His stare locked on Cassia, unreadable. Something tightened in his expression.
Beside her, Delphine swallowed audibly. “I think he wants to talk to you,” she murmured. “I should be helping with Finn anyway. I just… thought you looked like you needed someone.”
Cassia used all her strength to keep her mouth from falling open. The observation hit her harder than she expected. It had been a long time since anyone had taken the time to see her. Really see her. Besides Castor, she wasn’t sure anyone ever had.
She rolled her lips together, fighting the sudden prick of tears. Her voice came out steadier than she felt. “Thank you.”
Delphine gave a single nod, then turned and jogged toward Finn’s unconscious form near the tavern. Cassia exhaled slowly and closed her eyes. When she finally opened them, Stellan was standing directly in front of her.
“Was that necessary?” Cassia snapped, rubbing her temple. The pound of her heartbeat fueled the growing ache in her head. Especially since her father hadn’t stopped berating Cade. Her brother ignored his rageful remarks as he strode off to join the others with Finn.
Cassia’s patience, already paper-thin, ripped.
“Why don’t you stop them?” she hissed. “It’s just like in his study. You could probably overpower them both but you choose not to.”
The accusation burned hotter than she intended. But deep down, part of her meant it. He could stop this. Knock them out or freeze them. He was Tuathan. Weren’t they supposed to be more powerful than any of them combined?
Stellan didn’t flinch. His voice was maddeningly calm. “My interference would only make things worse.” His resigned gaze drifted toward the campfire, toward Cade. “Besides, it’s time.”
Cassia’s heart stopped. “Time for what?”
He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he just stood there, strangely still. “Time for the moment I’ve spent five hundred years dreading,” he finally said. “I thought I could stop it. Once.” His mouth curled into a broken smile. “Everything I did only made it worse.”
He wasn’t looking at her anymore. His eyes had locked onto Cade, who now whispered something to Delphine, his whole body practically vibrating with barely restrained urgency.
“What we are,” Stellan murmured, “is a blessing and a curse. I know he’s frustrated he doesn’t have his full abilities yet, but he should consider himself lucky he doesn’t see what I do.”
The urge to ask him just what he saw overwhelmed Cassia, but for once, no remarks formed in her mouth. There was such a heavy weight in his eyes. For a split-second, she was afraid of carrying it too. Of knowing exactly what the future held and being unable to stop it.
After a moment, Stellan added, “And you should consider yourself lucky too.”
“What do you mean?” Cassia asked, blood running cold.
Stellan turned his full attention to her, and the shift in his expression made her stomach tighten. “I spent a long time trying to figure out your existence too,” Stellan admitted. “You’re an anomaly. You were born when you shouldn’t have been. Cade was never a twin. Why would he be reborn as one?”
Cassia had no idea. Magic had been the bane of her existence for so many years. Because of that, she’d deliberately avoided most books about it. She’d tuned out every conversation that might have been worthwhile to her now.
“And then I began to realize…” Stellan continued. “Magic loves balance.”
“I don’t feel very balanced.” Cassia couldn’t help but snap. What ran through her veins felt anything but. Her skin felt like a live wire desperate for power.
Stellan’s lips twisted, just slightly. “Vega… she disrupted everything. Her pursuit for power broke entire lands. I think nature wanted a way to put things right.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper.
“That’s why I think you’re the only one who can do this.
Blood magic won’t affect you like everyone else. ”
Cassia refused to take it from his hand. “What’s that?”
“It’s the curse Bridget used to send the crown away.
At least, the part Vega told her, apparently,” he said, still holding it up for her, like he knew she would eventually take it.
“But it should be enough. And it won’t take that much blood if you channel something else just as strong.
.. Like the site of three life changing curses. ”
Air evaporated from her lungs. Cavamyne.
She couldn’t feel her body as she slowly took the paper from him.
Once it was in her fingers, Cassia recognized the notebook paper.
Bridget’s handwriting was a scribble, but it was enough.
Her brain couldn’t imagine actually doing what he implied.
She couldn’t comprehend using the curse in her hand on herself and willingly jumping through time for an object.
“Why are you giving this to me?” Cassia asked, despite already knowing the answer. If that’s what he wanted her to do, then she wanted to hear it. Loud and clear.
“Maybe it’s time for you to embrace your fate, too.”