35. Adelaide

35

ADELAIDE

Nestled between my four guys, I smirk at Zephyr. "So. Can we talk about Malachar now?"

He groans and rubs his hand over his face. "If we must."

"Yes, we must. You have to admit, it's weird. He wouldn't say that unless he had no intention of hurting her."

"Okay, I can't deny that it is a little bit strange, but they imprisoned her once before. Why all of a sudden would he change his mind?"

"Unless he hasn't. Maybe we are looking at this entire thing wrong. Maybe it was Randall who has been rogue all this time."

"You mean the other elders wanted her free?" Corvus ventures with more caution than I've heard from him so far.

"Maybe?" I shrug. "It's a theory."

"What does she have to say about all this?" Zaiah asks, moving across the room to pick up the soggy book and glare at it in annoyance.

"She isn't here."

"Oh?" Ignatius raises an eyebrow. "Just me, or does anyone else think that's suss as fuck?"

I snort. "Our bond, our fate, is too much for her. She can't handle it."

The guys exchange wary glances at my words.

"What do you mean, she can't handle it?" Zephyr asks carefully.

I shrug. "Our connection, the power we generate together - it's too much for her."

"And you're sure about this?" Corvus presses. "She's not just lying low, waiting for an opportunity?"

I hesitate. Am I sure? The truth is, I'm not entirely certain of anything when it comes to Crimson. But I have to trust my instincts.

"I'm as sure as I can be," I say finally. "Look, I know it sounds crazy, but I think our bond - this fate that ties us all together - it's stronger than Crimson. It's stronger than the NetherRealm's influence."

Zaiah's white eyes glow faintly as he considers this. "We have started the ritual," he states. "We need to continue this. Now."

"I agree. We need to get to the stone circle."

"But what about the book?" Corvus asks, running a hand through his hair as he stands up and bends to retrieve his clothes.

"Let me try something," Ignatius says, climbing off the bed and going to Zaiah. He holds his hand out for the book. Zaiah slaps it against his palm. We all watch in anticipation as Ignatius holds his hand up over the book, and a heat haze descends over it.

"Careful," I warn, wincing as I expect it to set on fire.

The heat haze intensifies around the book, but miraculously, it doesn't burst into flames. Instead, the pages begin to dry, the water evaporating off them in wisps of steam.

"Holy shit," Zephyr mutters, leaning in for a closer look. "It's actually working."

After a few tense moments, Ignatius lowers his hand, a satisfied smirk on his face. "There. Good as new."

I scramble off the bed, nearly tripping over the tangled sheets in my haste to examine the book. To my amazement, the pages are completely dry, and the ink is now clear and legible.

"Ignatius, you're a fucking genius," I breathe, flipping through the pages. "How?"

He shrugs. "Fire elemental, remember? I can do more than just burn things."

I go up on my tiptoes to kiss him softly. "You are perfect."

He grins. "So what do we do now, then?" He looks back at Zaiah for instruction.

Zaiah takes the book from me, flips through it, and finds the page he is looking for. "First off, we need to gather some ingredients for this ritual."

We all gather around Zaiah as he reads from the book. His white eyes scan the page intently, his brow furrowing as he processes the information.

"Okay," he says finally, looking up at us. "We need several key ingredients for this ritual to work properly."

"Like what?" I ask, leaning in to peek at the page.

Zaiah runs his finger down the list. "We need water from the sacred spring in the Whispering Woods, a rare herb called Moonshade that grows only in the deepest part of the forest, ash from a phoenix feather, and... blood from each of us."

"Well, the blood part's easy enough," Corvus quips, his fangs dropping slightly.

Ignatius frowns. "Phoenix feather ash? Where the hell are we supposed to get that?"

"I think I know," Zephyr says, his expression thoughtful as he exchanges a glance with me. "Remember the aviary from the scavenger hunt?"

I nod. "Yeah, I remember. Okay, so we need to split up to gather everything quickly. Time's not exactly on our side here."

"Agreed," Zaiah says, closing the book. "We should pair off. It'll be safer that way, especially with those shadow creatures still lurking about."

"I'll go with Zaiah to get the Moonshade," Ignatius says. "My fire might come in handy in the deeper parts of the forest."

Zephyr nods. "Corvus and I can handle the phoenix ash. We're probably the best equipped to deal with any complications at the sanctuary."

That leaves me to get the water from the sacred spring. I take a deep breath, steeling myself for what's to come. "I'll go to the Whispering Woods for the water."

"Alone?" Corvus asks, concern evident in his voice.

I shake my head. "No, I'll take one of Crimson's shadow creatures with me. They seem to respond to me now, and it'll be good backup if anything goes wrong."

The guys exchange worried glances, but they know I can handle myself.

"Yeah, I'm not loving that idea. You will come with us, and then we will all go to the spring and meet at the stone circle." Zephyr says, his tone serious.

We all nod in agreement. The reality of this situation moving ahead settles over us like a heavy cloak.

"Everyone be careful," I say.

After getting dressed in my leggings and tee that Ig kindly dried using his heat haze thing, we all head downstairs. Ignatius and Zaiah set off towards the depths of the forest, while Zephyr, Corvus and I make our way towards the edge of campus, my hands clammy with nerves.