Chapter 6

By the time Zorander and Adele arrived, I was going mad from the itching, Tavion catching my hands every time they drifted down to scratch. "You're growing new skin, my love. Sometimes that part's worse than the pain," he patiently reminded me for the hundredth time.

"Tell me something I don't know," I muttered, digging my heels into the settee. I was getting my bearings back, though the past few hours were still a muddled fog.

Adele had taken one look at my injuries and settled into an old chair in a shadowed corner, her arms hugged around her knees, pale eyes shining like faelights from the darkness. I couldn't tell if her expression was fear.

Or disappointment.

Zor stalked straight to me, cupped my chin, and gave me a fierce, desperate kiss. "I could have killed Tavion when he rode away with you, Anaria. But he got you here in time." Then he turned his attention on poor Bexley. "How much longer must she suffer like this?" Zor's jaw flexed when he stared down at my ravaged legs. The skin was twisted and raw, but the deep gashes had knit together, forming puckered scars.

Zor, already caught up on the Reaper, had let out a curse fouler than anything I'd ever heard before. Now he was determined to mother hen me to death.

"A few more hours if you want her wounds to heal with as little scarring as possible," Bexley apologized, probably tired of being threatened with death every time he turned around. "I could quit now, but the skin wouldn't regrow smoothly. There would be permanent marks."

"Ignore them. Thank you for saving me. You've done more than I ever could have asked, Bexley." I cut off whatever insults Zor and Tavion were about to hurl at Bexley as the mage sent another wave of healing magic over my legs.

"Take as long as you need. This actually isn't that bad. See?" I said brightly, even though all I wanted to do was dig my nails in and scratch.

"Besides." I glanced over at Torin and Simon huddled together on an oversized chair, Zorander following my gaze with single-minded intensity. "Now that you're here, these two are finally ready to share some vital information we could have used months ago." I couldn't keep the sarcastic bitterness from my tone.

Tristan and Tavion stood side by side with their backs to the fire, Zor remained close, and Raziel hadn't left my side. Bexley was at my feet, his magic never ceasing.

We were quite the group, blood splattered and dirty, exhausted…starving.

Now that I wasn't dying, I was painfully aware how hungry I was. When had I last eaten? When had any of us? A silent Adele hung back in the shadows, Tavion's cloak wrapped around her like a shield. Out of us all, my mother was the weakest, physically. If she didn't eat soon, she'd collapse.

"Food. We have to eat," I told Raziel softly. "Is there anything left from the last time we were here?"

Raz shook his head. "We did a quick search and turned up nothing."

"Tavion could hunt," I suggested tentatively, already calculating how long that would take until we were actually eating. Too long. "Or Tristan. There has to be game in the forest." Regret left a sour taste in my mouth at the idea of killing some poor, helpless creature, but I kept quiet, knowing how that would go over with these hardened warriors.

"We'll hunt. Shouldn't take more than an hour or two." Tavion got to his feet, eager to finally do something, but Bexley's derisive snort stopped him.

"Just…dear gods, are you all truly so pathetic?" Silence echoed through the room.

"How have any of you survived this long without learning to use magic properly? It's seriously a wonder you are still alive. Here." The mage waved his hand and a veritable feast of dried meats, bread, and plump apples appeared on a blanket before the fire. "I swear to the gods, you lot are absolutely hopeless except when it comes to killing things."

Zorander poked at the bounty spread out over the low table by the fire. The food…looked real.

I sniffed the air and saliva coated my mouth. It smelled real.

"You can make food out of magic?" I blinked to make sure I wasn't imagining things. From the way everyone else's mouths hung open, they were every bit as amazed.

"Of course not," the mage snapped. "This came from my workshop. An entire week's emergency rations, I'll have you know. The magic was a simple matter of transporting everything from there to here."

Okay, that made more sense.

"While we eat, you can tell us how long you've known who our real enemies are, Torin." Raziel's voice turned cold as the grave. "Or perhaps Simon should, since he's the one doing all the fucking talking."

Since Raziel looked like he was about to throw down with the owl shifter before we got a chance to eat, I craned my neck to get a better view of my choices. "Could you bring me some of that meat? And a piece of bread? Oh, and an apple? Is there any water?"

Raziel dove at the food and arranged an assortment of dried meat and bread in one big, calloused palm before heading over to me and handing me a red, juicy apple. Up close, the meat looked suspicious enough I stuck to the apple, while Raz blew dust out of a glass before filling it with water from his canteen.

Delicious. I closed my eyes and tried not to moan out loud when my teeth sank into the tart skin then the sweet flesh below, sweet juices flooding my mouth.

Tavion took an assortment of food to my mother, poured her a glass, and set the cup beside her. Her pale eyes darted over each of us in turn, her face a blank mask against the shadows. My mother hadn't said a word so far. I wondered if she was too frightened.

"You were saying…about Solarys and Anaria's power?" Tavion prodded, popping a chunk of dried meat into his mouth, his eyes bulging the second he chewed.

He met my gaze ruefully and I had to smile. At least I'd made the right call.

Torin dragged a chair closer. "There is as much magic in Solarys as in Caladrius, but it's contained differently. Here, the magic was slowly siphoned off by the king and the Fae population constantly drawing from it until there was nothing left.

"In Solarys, the magic is still there, trapped inside the earth by a layer of iron-enriched soil." Torin nibbled on some blackberries. "That has been our working theory for centuries."

Bexley sent another wave of magic over my legs, but he was listening intently to every word. I took another bite of apple, then another, my stomach rumbling. In gratitude or protest, I wasn't sure; it was too early to tell.

Part of me wondered why Torin hadn't sent the healer away, but I was thankful, because with every pass, the hideous wounds smoothed over, my head clearing as the itching began to fade.

"Slow down, Anaria, or you'll be sick." Raziel snatched my apple away and nudged the glass of water closer.

"I'm quite capable of feeding myself, thank you," I groused, though I was secretly delighted by their fussing. When Raz just lifted a brow, I sighed and took a sip of water. "There? Are you happy now?"

"I'll be happy when you're completely healed up and safe at Nightcairn." And it was that fear, shining deep in his eyes, that had me running my fingers down the side of his face, just so I could watch worry bleed into a relieved smile.

"What does that mean, exactly, that there's magic in Solarys?" Raziel turned his full attention on the seer. "I've lived there a hundred fucking years and besides a few rare cases, me included, there are few magic wielders."

"Once, Valarian was a united realm with no magical wards dividing us into three separate regions. When Anaria unlocked the magic, the rebirth did not extend past either border wall. Those wards contained the magic to Caladrius."

"How can you be sure?" Zorander asked softly.

"I flew from the western edge of Caladrius to the eastern one as soon as I could get airborne." Simon lay his hands on Torin's shoulders. "The regrowth of the forest and the resurgence of magic stops at both wards, like someone drew a line."

I plucked the apple from Raziel's fingers and took another bite. "How could something created by the Fae King stop the wild magic? We saw the resurgence with our own eyes…That wave crushed everything in its path."

Simon shook his head. "Carex was at the height of his power when he made those wards. Believe me or not, the wards are still intact. That wave didn't get past either one." He and Torin exchanged another meaningful look. "Which brings us back to our theory."

"What theory is that?" Zor settled on my other side, the settee creaking under his weight, and Torin stiffened.

"If we remove the Shadow King, his death frees the people of Solarys from a ruthless despot. Then, once he's gone, with the help of a simple spell, we can unlock the Solarys magic." Torin's eyes lingered on me for a moment too long. "Like in Caladrius, we believe that ancient power would answer to Anaria."

I took a sip of water to make Raz happy, trying to stop my guts from heaving.

"Without that magic under her control, the Oracle is weak. Vulnerable. Perhaps…killable."

I barked out a laugh. "Weak? Clearly, you haven't seen her lately. She's anything but weak."

But Torin was right about one thing. The magic had answered to me. Not that I knew what to do with all that wild power, except…the forest had listened that day. Helped free our friends.

"The alternative is to let the Oracle kill the king and take the Solarys magic. We'll never stand a chance at ridding the world of her. Or her brother."

"Sounds like bullshite to me." Tavion stuffed a hunk of bread in his mouth. "I'm all for killing Serpens, but if this is another one of your ploys to get us to do your dirty work, Torin, you can count us out. All of us."

Bexley, head bowed, glanced over to Torin, fear gleaming in his dull brown eyes.

"That ward separates the realms and the wild magic. Once Serpens is dead, the same ritual the Oracle performed can be recreated for the magic to be unlocked. Imagine all that power united once the wall is gone. Imagine how strong Anaria will become once that happens. She will be invincible."

Tavion shot to his feet.

"Well, fuck doing this sober. I need something stronger than water if I'm expected to listen to this drivel." Tavion strode to the cabinet and flung the doors open, yanked out a bottle of liquor, then popped the cork and sniffed. "If this is true, then why is Serpens still alive? The Oracle could have killed him long ago and taken over that entire realm."

"The Oracle doesn't know why there is no magic in Solarys," Simon said softly. "Nobody does. Everyone thinks the wild magic was used up over the past millennium, like in Caladrius."

The room went quiet except for the sound of Tavion aggressively filling up glasses. "Well, somebody must have figured it out since you're spouting this theory of yours. Or is this bullshite, like everything else that comes out of your mouth?"

Simon lunged for Tavion. "You watch your fucking mouth, wolf." Torin stopped him with a look. One look and the male halted, chest heaving in rage.

Torin tipped up her chin, looking every bit as queenly as she had the first time I'd seen her in the throne room. "The person who figured this out…his name is Cosimo, and he was…is a brilliant astrologer."

"You're telling me some astrologer figured out there's magic in Solarys, locked beneath a layer of iron, when nobody, not even the Oracle, knows?" Raziel picked up one the glasses and threw back a mouthful of liquor, shuddering before he plunked his glass back down, nodding for Tavion to fill him back up.

"Like Tav said, sounds like a bunch of bullshite."

Torin shrugged. "What can I say, Coz was…is fucking brilliant."

"Is? Or was?" Tavion asked. "He's either dead or he's not. Trust me, there's no in between."

"Cosimo isn't just an astrologer, he's a celestial astrologer. Along with about twenty other specialties in the arcane and astral arts. He's also the fucking smartest person I've ever known." Simon's cold smile matched Tavion's perfectly. "Present company definitely included."

Simon slung his arm around Torin's waist, and for the first time, I looked—really, really looked—at them.

There was a jaded bitterness to them, as if they'd seen their share of battles, as if they'd been through the fire. Exhaustion painted fine lines around their eyes, dark shadows in their faces, like they'd seen too much death and grown used to the sight.

Something softened inside me, watching how protectively Simon acted around her. After all this time, they still had each other's backs.

I respected their loyalty, even if it didn't extend to the rest of us.

"Then where is Cosimo now?" I asked. "If he figured all this out, why isn't he here, explaining this to us, instead of you?"

"Because the Oracle's holding him hostage. Leverage over Simon and me, to force us to do her bidding." Torin heaved a rough breath, Simon tenderly cupping her chin as he wiped tears away. "She's held him prisoner for over three hundred years."

"I'm…sorry," I said awkwardly. "How long has it been since you've seen him?"

"Three hundred years. Since the night she trapped him in a pendant. Simon and I have worked every day since to get him free."

"I saw that pendant, the day I first saw the Oracle when I came to Tempeste. You were there that day, remember?" I met Torin's gaze. "A silver pendant with a glowing red stone."

Torin nodded. "She would always wear that necklace, but not since the day you left Caladrius…" Her throat bobbed. "We haven't seen it since."

"How do you know he's still alive if you haven't seen him in…three hundred years?"

"We know," Torin retorted stubbornly. "Cosimo's alive. Still trapped in the stone. We just have to find where she's hidden it."

"Which could be anywhere," Zorander pointed out, not unkindly. "And there are plenty of uncharted territories outside the three realms where she could hide such a thing."

Zor and I traded a glance. He, like me, was thinking of Corvus's horrid cave.

"A valid point, which brings us to our next sticking point. I'm calling in my first favor, Princess." My heart sank as Torin's gaze fixed on me with preternatural intensity.

"What's she talking about?" Tavion hissed, prowling closer, bottle in hand.

"I owe her two favors. One for rescuing me from Corvus's cave, and one for taking me back to Tempeste to save you from the Mistress." Her lip curled slightly, but what shone in her eyes was anything but triumph.

That was hope.

"So you somehow expect me to not only find this pendant, but free Cosimo?" I shook my head. "Sorry, Torin. You haven't seen the Oracle since the magic returned. She's stronger than ever. Going up against her would be suicide."

"Not the pendant. At least, not yet." Torin's blooming smile sent shivers down my spine. "I have a different target in mind."