33. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

I t was far too quiet when Elaine crawled out of bed and slowly dragged herself downstairs. Despite the lingering ache in her bones, energy slowly seeped back into her body. She had slept enough and there wasn't time to waste, so she padded her way down the hallway until she found Tobias creeping out of his room. He froze, then placed two fingers to her lips before he gestured to the door behind him. With a wry smile, he gestured for her to follow, and they walked along until they met Sabra further down.

"I thought I heard you two creeping about like a pair of naughty children," Sabra drawled, arms folded across her chest. "I don't suppose either of your lovelies know where you are?"

Elaine's cheeks warmed remembering the argument, but Tobias answered, saving her from having to speak.

"Alexios needs sleep. I can deal with his grouchy ass later," Tobias said with a wave of his hand. "For now, however, I am starving. "

"I imagine so. Both of you having been so dramatic lately," Sabra replied as she turned and gestured for them to follow. "Luckily, there's a little food left, and Nora was already ordering more. Aya came in as well to speak with her."

Elaine bit her lip until blood welled in her mouth. She quickly swallowed and pressed her mouth into a thin line, refusing to speak. It was fine. They'd had an argument, but it wasn't the end of their bond. She would do whatever she had to in order to earn back Aya's trust.

Lost to her own thoughts, she didn't realize how far they'd moved until Sabra was pushing open a door and leading them into Nora's office. The table at one side of the room was piled with a few platters of food. A young woman was scooping up the empty platters and carrying them away. She offered Elaine a little smile before continuing on her way.

Elaine blinked, and realized Nora wasn't alone in the room. Aya was with her. The pair went silent as her attention fell upon them, and they rose, moving over. Whatever Aya might say of Nora, how different she claimed they were, the pair walked with an awareness of the other. Neither letting the other stray behind and with just enough distance between them no one might mistake it for something truly familial.

Nora sat down first, whilst Aya moved to Elaine.

"How are you feeling?"

So, they were pretending like they hadn't just been snarling at each other and Aya had stalked out of the room?

"Hungry," she managed and quickly sat before Aya could say anything else or touch her.

A little frown furrowed Aya's brow, her mouth a thin line, as she sat beside Elaine. Before she could stop her, Aya was already piling some of her favorite food onto the plate. A little fruit pie, some boiled eggs already peeled, a couple slices of bread she silently buttered.

Elaine dug in quickly, feeling it was safer than the words bubbling up her throat. All the while, Aya shot her several lingering looks, in between nibbling at her own meal. Tension seemed to thicken with every bite she swallowed down.

"We need to talk about the ceremony," Aya said, pushing her plate away. "After I spoke with my mother, I know of a way I can figure out who was brought back. From there, we can use that person to learn who was the third party with Honoria."

Elaine leaned forward and toyed with the remaining pie on her plate. "I would be more interested in this person's connection to Aurora. Clearly someone wanted to bring them back because of the link there."

"And yet Aurora is not freed," said Nora archly.

Tobias snorted. "Could be because they know where she is, they simply can't get to her yet—or how to break the chains."

"Which they needed a strong witch for—one with a connection to Aurora, which they had with Yrene," Nora replied. "Those like her are few and far between."

Elaine couldn't stop the question before it came out. "D-did Aurora speak with her?"

Nora hesitated then spoke softly, her gaze shuttered. "Yrene claimed that Aurora did; in dreams, and visions, though they were never clear and never with words. It happened for a few weeks around Alantorei but ceased after. It was the closest we ever came…and after that, she became distant with us. I thought it was out of this new love she had with Ryker's son, but clearly Honoria had some part in it too."

So, Aurora had tried with another witch but failed.

"Why do you ask?" Nora inquired.

It might've only been a split second but Aya cut her a look, measured and steady—it bore no judgement, but the push she needed. Elaine cleared her throat.

A fist squeezed her heart. Elaine dared to face the room, even as blood roared in her ears, and she barely heard the words as they fell from her lips. "Because Aurora has been speaking to me."

All at once, chaos erupted. Questions flew at once, a flock of birds startled into the sky. Shock and anger intertwined; eyes bore hurt. She sought Aya, who offered a small, kind smile and it gave a little more courage to keep speaking. To her surprise, her voice remained steady, although a little quiet.

"I didn't know it was her until the fire." Elaine released a shuddering laugh. "Then there was no doubt."

Nora was on her feet in a flash. "How long has this been happening?"

She spoke, not in anger, but in awe.

Once more, she felt like a young girl, back in the Arcan temple when new initiates met her. The way their eyes widened, regarding her with this kind of newfound interest, and she was being seen once again for what she was, rather than who she was.

A hand slid over hers.

She blinked, looked down. Aya's hand covered hers, but she was looking at Nora, a possessive gleam in those dark pools.

"Jealous?" Aya crooned.

Nora rolled her eyes. "It made sense that Aurora connected with Yrene over Alantorei. The weakened veil between realms was clearly enough to push dreams through. Now, the barrier itself is weakening, she's able to establish a stronger connection—and for some reason, it appears she has chosen you. Which does work in our favor. We can use that connection to find her."

Elaine frowned. "I don't know how to summon her. She just reaches out to me without any kind of warning and before you ask, I can't track it. The feeling is more one-sided."

"Have you tried?"

A lump caught in her throat. She looked away.

It was Aya who spoke for her. "Given that she didn't know until recently, I would say that not chasing that particular thread was wise. Now that we know, it is an option we can explore. After the ceremony. We get our hands on whoever was brought back and then we can dissect this connection Aurora has to Elaine."

The door opened and Alexios stalked in. Tobias jumped to his feet with a guilty smile.

"You're up!"

"And you didn't wake me," Alexios replied coolly as he sat down beside his mate. "We'll talk about that later. Right now, I want to know what our plan is."

Aya shook her head. "After the ceremony. Now, here's my proposal."

Back in their room, the air was heavy. Elaine moved slowly into the room, slowly grabbing the boots and cloak from the wall before she sat down to put on her shoes. Aya leaned against the door frame in the same frustratingly languid, unreadable air of late. She hated it and it only spurned the questions gnawing her mind, growing louder.

With a snarling curse, she thrust the cloak to the floor and stood. "You're not mad enough."

Aya stared back, arms crossed over her chest. "Marisol came to me."

"What?"

The interaction spilled from Aya's lips. When she finished, Elaine grew very still. It felt like an eternity before she found her voice.

"She's gone now?"

"I think with the crack widening, souls aren't lingering as they used to." Aya's gaze shuttered. "She's passed on now but that doesn't matter. Elaine, you need to know. Marisol told me what the key was to freeing the goddess."

"What?"

"It's you." Aya smiled bitterly. "That's why Aurora is connecting to you. You are the key to her escape. It's why Honoria brought you to Purgatory, why she wanted you so desperately."

Her stomach twisted. She thought she was free of being a pawn, but she was still being pushed around. A small part of her thought the goddess was reaching out because she saw an ally, someone betrayed by the gods as she had been. But that was a lie.

Was it even possible for her to withstand the onslaught of energy if the barrier fell? Or was her destiny simply to free her and burn up?

Fucking hell.

She pressed a hand to her mouth, stifling the urge to scream. Not in fear but in anger. How much longer was she to be a tool for others?

Aya appeared at her side, gently cupping her face, forcing their eyes to meet.

"We're going to beat them, Elaine," Aya vowed harshly. "We're going to make them rue the day they tried to play us for fools."

"How? How are we going to win?" Vengeance burned in Elaine's chest—a fire rivalling anything Arcan might summon—as she looked upon Aya. There she glimpsed the wicked glow in those dark, amber eyes. "What is your plan?"

"I can't tell you—not yet. I need you to trust me, just as you asked me to do the same back in the forest."