Chapter 51
Vega watched as Bridger’s chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. Night had come and gone, and by the clock on the wall, Vega knew the sun had already risen and Vincere would be a buzz of movement outside the bedroom walls.
Unable to sleep, Vega crawled over Bridger, who didn’t budge when the mattress moved. She slid into her boots and closed the bedroom door behind her quietly. When she turned around, she nearly bumped into one of Bridger’s soldiers.
“Gods, I’m sorry,” she sputtered, glancing over her shoulder. “If you’re here for Bridger, he’s still sleeping.”
The young boy with copper hair shook his head. “No, ma’am.”
Well, that made her feel old. She held in her comment, reminding herself that it was how the people in Bridger’s army were taught to show respect to the leaders above them.
“I came for you. Octavia Fera has arrived and asked to talk to you, Khort, and Arlet.”
Octavia had sent word late last night that a few of the kids had fallen ill and she’d chosen to let them rest at a safe house until the sun came up.
Vega took the stairs to Bridger’s office two at a time, skipping the elevator altogether.
She thrust the door open, colliding with Khort, who circled his niece like a hawk, checking her for any visible injuries. “Are you alright? How are the kids?” He barely noticed Vega had run into him. “Have you heard anything about Delori?”
Tilie curled up by the fire burning in the corner of the room, paying no mind to the conversation unfolding.
“I’m fine. The kids are fine. They came down with a flu of some sort. Rest will do them good,” she said, nodding. “Marlena locked Aeris down. No one can get in or out. I haven’t heard anything from a single shifter.”
Arlet leaned against Bridger’s desk. “Then how do you know about Aeris?”
Vega noticed the way she dragged her eyes up Octavia’s dark clothing.
“The shifters are gone, not the Solum-born with bonded animals,” she told them, motioning to Tilie snoozing by the fire. “I still have contact with Tolevarre’s animals, and they get messages out pretty quickly.”
Vega hadn’t spent much time around anyone with the ability to bond with an animal. It didn’t allow them to communicate with all animals, but they didn’t need to when their bonded could do it for them.
“Khort, stop. I’m good.” She held her hand out and stopped the manic circling. Octavia glanced at Arlet, her eyes pleading for help.
“Seriously, you need to chill.” Arlet reached out and grabbed his wrist, forcing him away from Octavia, who sighed a breath of relief.
“What happened in Ardor?” Octavia asked, worry creasing her forehead.
“Marlena killed General Ignis… Bridger’s best friend,” Arlet told her, a moment of silence following.
“The animals whispered of Marlena’s meltdown when she returned to Aeris… What did you take this time?” Octavia asked quietly.
Her best friends’ attention snapped to her. She’d left that part out when filling the two in about what happened leading up to Meyer’s death.
“Vega,” Arlet said with a shaky breath. “Who?”
“Sorry.” Octavia winced.
Vega bit the inside of her lip, drawing out the inevitable. There was no sense in hiding it… “Venus.” The goddess of Amora and of love and beauty.
Arlet went pale.
Khort dropped to the couch behind him.
The room stayed quiet for what felt like an eternity until Arlet broke the silence. “Her original ability is gone?”
“One of them, yes.” Vega nodded. She still had her wind…
It was why Marlena retaliated in the way she had—that and because Vega hadn’t given her fire back.
Vega hadn’t known if she’d even be able to do it when she told Marlena she’d give it back. It was clear the second she touched her the fire wasn’t going anywhere—and not because Vega didn’t try… but because Vulcan didn’t want to.
Death hadn’t been happy at the thought of dragging his soul up from the bottom of the pit either.
“Gods damn it.” Khort sighed, slumping back against the plush couch and running a hand through his untied shoulder-length hair.
“Did you get any sleep last night?" Arlet asked. “Or are you afraid of the nightmares?” The second question wasn’t asked like she wanted to know the answer. Arlet asked like she was testing if Vega would lie to her again. “You think just because we don’t get to be inside your head like Bridger, we don’t know when you’re lying? ”
Vega had wanted to keep the details from them, but she knew it wouldn’t last long. Arlet knew her too well.
“For all we know, it could have just been a one-time thing.” Vega decided to dig herself deeper into the hole she’d jumped in, certainly not ready to reveal all of the details she was hiding.
“After all, Marlena’s favorite power would be the loudest if I were to guess. ” But that was all it was… a guess.
“And you think the one she’s had honed to perfection since she was nine won’t be worse?” Arlet asked, although no one needed to answer.
Vega knew by her tone she was growing more agitated with Vega and her shenanigans by the second. “What other option do I have?” she asked, throwing her hands up and letting them fall back to her sides, smacking her thighs. “I didn’t trade my soul for nothing.”
Vega shrugged her shoulders when no one jumped to say anything.
“I won’t apologize for it either.” Vega looked her best friends in the eyes and took a deep breath.
“Enough, please. This isn’t about saving me.
Not anymore. You did that already. You made sure I was here to fulfill this fucked-up destiny.
It’s about saving our world now. I’m a small price to pay… ”
The door to the office slammed open, and a blur of dark curls whizzed by Vega. Nora threw herself into Octavia’s arms, who held her tightly.
Vega’s heart constricted in her chest, and she had to look away. She stared into the fire until Octavia spoke again. “Fortis is next to lock down, followed by Fraus. The people of each territory were told to run while they still could.”
Things were about to get so much worse.
“You should get in touch with Quinley, Khort. It’s not safe for her to be out anymore,” Vega said, reaching for the door handle. “We need to prepare for an influx of arrivals into Vincere and Ardor.”
“Where are you going?” Arlet asked, taking a step towards Vega.
“I just need to get some fresh air. Clear my head a little. Don’t worry… I’m not going to run away and face Marlena alone.” Not yet anyway.
She left the room, passing by a group stumbling down the hall with a bottle of liquor being passed amongst them.
People were celebrating their win at the mines yesterday—time of day no longer mattered when no one was guaranteed to survive the night. People were learning to celebrate now, not save it for later.
While the rebel side of their army celebrated, Bridger’s soldiers mourned the loss of their beloved general.
It was easy to tell the groups apart when Vega passed them in the halls or when she walked through the large common area.
The rebels chatted, laughed, and for the first time in Vega had no idea how long, they looked happy.
Bridger’s soldiers, the few she’d seen at least, were somber, drinking alone or in small groups looking as sad as the others.
The tightening feeling in her chest intensified, turning out to be Death wrapping around her like a warm blanket when a soldier with red-rimmed eyes looked up from her glass of amber liquid.
Something about Vega startled her, and she backed her chair away as Vega passed.
She glanced down to see the veins in her arms clouded with a murky black hue.
Stop that. Vega no longer had to speak the words inside her mind for it to hear her.
Death grumbled and slowly disappeared.
Vega made it to the top just in time, inhaling a breath of Ardor’s hot and dry air to calm her racing heart. She found a tree to sit under, overlooking the outdoor training arena where a group of level fives sparred.
Tucking herself into the shadows, Vega rested her head on the trunk of a tall palm tree, its fronds creating the perfect shady spot for her to be alone.
Death seemed to have gotten the hint too, snaking out of her mind and hiding in the pit where Vega could truly get a moment's peace.
With her eyes closed, Vega felt the call of sleep, despite the sun being high in the sky. She had barely slept the night before, spending most of her time wrapped up in Bridger, completely oblivious to what the coming hours would have in store.
Last night, she didn’t sleep at all.
The rustle of the tree above her head acted as the soundtrack to a white-noise machine, begging her to let sleep take over. When she felt herself dozing off, whispers of the voices somewhere inside her jarred her awake… and not a moment too soon.
A dragon-shaped shadow shot overhead, and for one second, Vega thought Death was outside of her body… until it scurried from the pit and poked its head out.
A tug Vega would know anywhere announced Arlet’s arrival. When she appeared, it seemed she came bearing gifts.
Arlet wiggled a bottle of wine in front of Vega. “Do the thing.”
Vega smiled, her eyes heavy from nearly falling asleep.
She didn’t have to focus hard on popping the cork from the bottle these days. It was as easy as breathing. When she finished, she handed the bottle back to Arlet, who took a swig.
They’d never needed glasses.
Vega took a long pull and wiped her lips with the back of her hand.
“You okay?” Arlet asked, sitting down next to Vega on the ground.
“I don’t know,” Vega answered back honestly.
The copse of trees shook, swaying as Avi settled her head as close as she could to Arlet’s leg without crushing her. “She’s been a little clingy lately since she’s living in the caves alone now.”
Avi chuffed a puff of steam at them on a long, tired-sounding breath.
The girls sat in silence for a while, passing the bottle back and forth as the sun moved across the sky slowly.
“Can I ask you something?” Vega looked over at Arlet, her arms wrapped around her legs, giving herself a chin rest.