Chapter 44

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

FRANKIE

You've said that to me before. The moment his eyes met mine, I knew I'd seen this man before. I saw the memory vividly in my mind. He had long, wild red hair with metallic beads wrapped around some of the strands. His glowing orange eyes had an energy that felt like pure wildness. I remembered the sharp jawline and cheekbones . . . and the pointed ears. He wore the same crown made of tree branches with dark-pink flowers on it and strings of turquoise leaves and glowing twinkle lights. Only his outfit was different, but seeing as he wore no shirt or shoes, all I had to go on was the olive-green pair of pants that cut off above the knee.

I know you.

And you know that.

"What is interesting?" a female voice said from right behind me, so close I felt her breath on my neck.

I gasped and spun around, and my magic shot right at her. "Sorry?—"

"That's fun." She giggled and caught my blue flames just like he had. "I like the way it tingles a bit."

My pulse quickened. It was her , the same woman from my vision that first night in the infirmary. There was no forgetting their faces, not as beautiful as they were, but there was something particularly mesmerizing about her . Yet again, I could only stare. She still had wild hair that varied in shades of blue, purple, and turquoise. Her skin was still lusciously tan. Her eyes met mine, and I heard myself gasp. Again. They were unlike anything I'd ever seen. Her eyes held a galaxy of colors that glittered just like the Milky Way. Her outfit was basically giant green leaves that covered her lady bits that were connected by flowered vines, which were strapped all around her torso, chest, and limbs.

"Francelina, I'd like you to meet the new rulers of Seelie." Myrtle gestured to the intoxicating woman. "This is Princess Sage."

SAGE. Dammit. I knew that. I knew that name.

What is happening?

"And this is Prince Thorne, my soulmate." Her voice had softened when she said his name.

A massive wolf lunged from behind that bed. It was blacker than night itself and seemed to be made of smoke and shadow. My heart stopped. I knew that dog. It wasn't a wolf at all. I'd seen it. Its paws and tail weren't solid in form. That wasn't something a person forgot. Nor were the creepy eyes. One was glowing gold, the other sparkling red. I know you!

"You're Spot, " I whispered. Those mismatched eyes snapped right to me. His tail of smoke swished back and forth. He lunged for me, melting into a puddle of shadow and smoke at my feet. But when I reached down, I found his body to be solid and furry like a normal dog. I was so confused. "What the hell is happening here, Spot? Can you explain it?" I said to the dog as I rubbed his spooky smoky ears.

"Spooky Clifford!" Savannah yelled in a high-pitched voice that only an animal lover could make.

Spot's face snapped in every direction until he spotted Savannah. When he did, he let out a little howl and then vanished into thin air—reappearing on top of Savannah and pinning her to the ground. Everyone moved toward her, but she threw her hands up.

"If this the hill I'm gon' die on, then I'm gon' die on it," she yelled. "Lea'me'lone!"

We all chuckled. Cooper closed his eyes and shook his head.

Thorne looked around our group. "My, my, so many of you. Hold on." He flicked his wrist.

Vines shot up from the ground and swirled together until they formed not one, but two, grand-looking thrones. Thorne and Sage sat immediately.

"Thorne—"

"Give it a second, my love," he said with a wicked sparkle in his eyes.

Sage rolled her purple eyes. "Must we always humor you?"

Thorne arched one fiery eyebrow at her. "The kraken? The giant paralyzing snail you told Henry about?—"

"Really, brother, shall we list your track record?"

Jackson raised his hand. "Wait a bloody minute! That wanker of a snail was your idea?"

"I KNEW IT!" a girl yelled from above us.

By the time I looked up, I spotted a girl with hair an even brighter-red than Thorne's floating down to us on wings that seemed to be made of stars. She was a tiny little thing with huge lavender eyes and a wide grin. Like Myrtle, she had gold lines on her face, and the lines of her soulmate mark were also gold instead of black. The crystal on her chest and hand were aquamarine. I was fairly certain Madge explained that color to mean old love, which I did not understand for this girl who definitely looked my age.

"SAFFIE!" everyone in my group yelled in chorus.

She landed with a squeal and a clap of her hands. "YOU'RE HERE!"

And then they tackled her. I couldn't see her, but I heard her giggles. My pulse quickened. I recognized her too. In my vision, she'd called Thorne her father. I closed my eyes. This is fine. Everything is cool. You know more now than you did that night. You know Everest and his tricks. You know that vision wasn't just a dream.

"Francelina?"

I jumped and opened my eyes to find the petite redhead right in front of me. I blinked. "You're Saraphina, his daughter?" I pointed to Thorne.

She grinned. "Yes, and Myrtle is my mother. You can call me Saffie."

I exhaled in a rush. "This is too much."

"Spot, for the love of all that is holy, you're a damned hellhound not a golden retriever. Get off of Savannah's face."

My stomach tightened into knots. I knew that voice. I wasn't even surprised to be hearing it since the others were here. Yet still, seeing the two gorgeous blond guys from the vision tipped my sanity toward the edge.

"Francelina?"

"Frankie," I whispered back automatically. "They're . . . you're . . . you have all the names?—"

"That is true. We do have many names." The guy with the long hair smiled, his golden eyes sparkling. "I am Riah and Zabkiel?—"

"Your hair was blond? Now it's white?"

"Ah, I see." Riah walked over and pressed his palm to my forehead. Silver mist swirled around me and then my thoughts became lighter and smoother. "Is that better?"

I licked my lips and nodded. "Yes? Thank you?"

"My hair is whiter when I am in Seelie," he answered, which I was impressed he remembered. "And this is my brother, Malachi, or Raziel."

The other one walked up, the one with the short hair but the same gold eyes. He gave me a small smile. "You shouldn't be here, lita toah. "

That did it. My patience snapped. I pointed to Riah. "That was HIS line."

Malachi chuckled. " Teamwork makes the dreamwork, lita toah ? — "

"What does that mean?" I shouted and pushed my hair back. " Lita toah. That's what you called me. What does it mean?"

Riah pursed his lips. "Perhaps you dreamed that part?"

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Perhaps you're gaslighting me in an attempt to not answer me."

Malachi threw his head back and cackled. When his brother looked to him, he lost it even more, bending over to rest his hands on his knees.

Riah looked to me and blinked. "I've never been accused of gaslighting before. It feels weird?—"

"Oh, THAT feels weird?" I gestured to each of the people I'd seen before. "You were all in my dream, and I want to know why. Or, vision, whatever you wanna call it. How were you in my head?"

"We weren't," Riah said softly.

"Excuse you?—"

"Okay, okay. Riah, may I?" Thorne gestured to me. "I can see she has rattled your poor, innocent little golden heart with the gaslighting comment, so let someone whose heart is colder handle this?"

"I wasn't gaslighting?—"

"Intentionally." Malachi walked over and gripped his brother's shoulder. "What Thorne means to say is, perhaps let someone less inclined to follow the rules handle this?"

Sage snickered.

Saffie shrugged up at him. "He has a point?"

Riah threw his hands up. "Where's Tegan? She'd understand this mutiny."

Tenn snort-laughed.

I narrowed my eyes on Thorne. "Well? Someone start talking."

Thorne cocked his head to the side like a confused puppy. "What did Everest say about it?"

I gasped. My eyes widened. "I never said Everest was there. How did you know?—"

"Because we were there, darling." Thorne crossed one knee over the other and leaned back in his throne made of vines. "That was no dream or vision. We were all there that night in the park."

"What? No. How?" I turned to my friends but none of them had been there except for Tenn, who'd been around the next day and after. " Archie? "

He grimaced. "Some of what you were experiencing were dreams of some sort. That is not a lie. Whether they were clairvoyant dreams as Esther thinks or just dreams, I don't know. But that night . . . that was different?—"

"They said I was lucid dreaming!"

"You are capable of doing such," Malachi said with a chuckle. "Ten out of ten do not recommend though."

"I don't know. Sometimes it's fun." Deacon shrugged.

Cooper chuckled softly. "I would have to concur with the father of the year over there and not Deacon."

I frowned and looked to Thorne.

He gasped like I'd offended him. "He was not referring to me."

"Yeah, don't throw rocks in a glass house, Father." Saffie winked to him.

Riah threw his head back and laughed. "That is the gift that keeps on giving, my brother."

Malachi crossed his arms over his chest and scoffed. "Whatever, you're welcome. You'd all still be in 1692?—"

"I'm never going to live that down," Thorne said with a grimace.

Tenn, Cooper, Deacon, and Royce all pointed to him with warnings in their eyes.

"Seeing as it nearly killed me, I would say not." Deacon wrapped his arm around Myrtle's shoulders. "Your soulmate and your daughter, on the other hand, get all the credit for spending three centuries fixing your shit."

"This is fun." Sage leaned back and grinned. "You should come visit more often."

"CAN WE FOCUS?" I groaned. "I'm at my wit's end here."

"You were astral projecting, my dear Francelina," Thorne said gently. "So, you weren't fully there, but you were there."

My face fell. I had no idea what to say to that. I just shook my head. There were too many questions.

Riah turned his golden eyes to me. "That is what I meant by you shouldn't be here , because astral projection is too dangerous for the untrained."

"Right, darkling?" Malachi arched one eyebrow in Savannah's direction.

"Ma'am, this ain't ‘bout me."

He shrugged. "You need to be careful."

"Look, I Googled who gives a shit and my name didn't pop up in the results." She gestured to herself. "I'm new here, ma'am. Pick on the regulars."

"Speaking of . . ." Jackson cleared his throat. "Where's Chloe?"

Malachi was still shaking his head and laughing at Savannah. "Your sister is investigating the hall of doors at Oxford with your father and Millie-Anne. Your mother and Cassandra are with them."

"So . . . uh . . ." Lily looked around. "Where is your mother?"

"Out looking for her sisters with my ex-girlfriend."

Myrtle gave Thorne the side-eye. "Who happens to be your mother's soulmate."

"See, this is why I said I need to make some family trees," Savannah grumbled.

"I'm with Savannah, this ain't ‘bout me ." Thorne grinned and drew a halo over his head. "All my schemes are acted out."

"Which is how you forgot to release those spirits you stationed in Hidden Kingdom to protect your daughter." Sage stared at him.

Thorne sighed. "Fine, that one might be on me."

I cursed. "This is like wrangling five-year-olds. What's the deal with this astral projection that I did without knowing I could do it?"

Myrtle walked over and squeezed my shoulders. "Devon Bishop would be the one to talk to about it, that is her specialty, but she is not yet conscious. However, you and Savannah could get some help from the dreamwalker behind you. And if Cooper is not comfortable with that, Tegan fears nothing. Have her look in the Book of Shadows."

I nodded.

"And when you're ready, come to me on Crone Island and I will help you." She tucked my hair behind my ears, and it was such a maternal, loving gesture that I almost cried. "These four are angels, bound by the laws of Heaven on what they are, and are not, permitted to reveal to you. They are just too old to remember empathy for the anxiety of a mortal mind."

"Oh." I frowned. "They're not just being asshats?"

"They are, for sure, but not without reason. Luckily, I am mortal and arcana, so I am not bound by the same bindings." She smiled. "I'm sure by now Haven has informed Tegan that you will be asking for her assistance, and she is already looking for answers for you. In this Coven, you just have to ask, and help will be there."

I glanced around to my Coven-mates and found nothing but warm, encouraging smiles. Tenn nodded. I smiled, then looked back to this relative of mine. "Thank you, Myrtle."

"Thank you, my love," Thorne beamed down at her. But then he turned his gaze back to us and all the joking vanished in his eyes. "Now, I suspect you are here on Coven business, or you would not have brought everyone without warning."

"Well, you never did have that ball we discussed."

"Sage, please." His face turned sharp. "When Sweyn is dead, I shall celebrate. Not a day sooner."

"Well, at least we can agree on that." I wrapped my arms around my waist.

Tennessee nodded. "You're right. We are here on Coven business. It's about the Unseelie."

Thorne, Sage, Malachi, Riah, and Saffie all snarled.

Tenn smirked. "I do not disagree, but I do believe we've got our hands full with this one, and we do not know as much as we need to know to destroy them."

Saffie twirled her long red hair around her fingers. "Aunt Sage did say they were going to be your next battle."

When Tenn turned wide eyes to her, she just shrugged. "Don't blame me for praying we'd have more time. We've all been looking for answers to the same questions."

"Yes, but you lured Tegan to a squadron of them in Salem before Samhain."

"I did not think crazy pants would follow me alone. " Sage rolled her eyes. "You were all with her. But I digress, I merely saw they came through, and because we had not yet revealed our true allegiance, I was not at liberty to vocalize. So, I had to make it look like a trap."

Tenn nodded. "Fair. What else can you tell us about your counterparts?"

"Well . . ." Saffie took a deep breath."Unseelies have black eyes and purple blood. They CAN come out in the sunlight but only if they are on the fey lines and only for a few minutes. Otherwise, it kills them as it does vampires. They wear fake hair with their helmets to make themselves look Seelie."

Thorne nodded. His gaze was sharp and pensive. "Do not use all your tricks at the same time. They will learn how to protect themselves from it by the time you next see them."

Riah looked to Tenn. "Meaning your glorious work drowning them will no longer be a strategy you should hope to use again. You will now never be able to drown them. I assure you that."

"Survival is their main skill," Sage added. She gripped the armrests of her throne like she wished she was fighting something. "They will always evolve."

Malachi scratched his jaw, then his eyes turned to me. "Oh, and that mostly only worked because Everest put holy water in those potions Frankie made."

Myrtle shook her head. " Malachi. "

He shrugged.

" That's what that was?" I rubbed my temples as I saw that memory with new light.

Myrtle frowned at nothing, then refocused on Tenn. "Haven, was there a new prophecy given? Is that why you're here?"

"Bentley did come through with you before abandoning you." Thorne looked to Sage. "Did you?—"

"Yes, I did. Bentley knows what he's doing."

"Right, so, Valathame sent us a quest. We know it's referring to the Unseelie and how they've been getting through the holes in the fey lines." Tenn glanced around to us. "We also know we're going to be collecting tools, but we have to do so secretly so Sweyn does not beat us to them."

"That is a crucial part of this quest," Sage said with a snarl.

"As is the part you're not telling us," Bentley said as he stepped out from behind some trees. He walked over and held his arm out so they could see the lines of the prophecy. "Recover his book that tells the tale, to part two worlds on forever's scale."

Thorne grimaced. "Seelie and Unseelie used to be one. A long, long time ago—before Sage and I were born—our father managed to win the civil war between our kinds and locked them out of Seelie. Permanently."

"Well, apparently there's a book that'll tell us how to do this, and it should be here."

Thorne frowned at me. "Here? Are you sure?"

" Brother, Thy first stop comes with ease, That price was paid in family trees— that's definitely us." Sage tapped on her chin as she thought. " By hand of magic, strength in deed, Honor's Court can play with speed . . . This suggests that this book is something we can use our magic to retrieve quickly."

"But where is it? What were the final lines?" Thorne snapped his fingers in Bentley's direction. "Your arm?"

"Buried deep, lost to the rubble," Myrtle read softly. " A Tower's stone calls to trouble. Daughter of mine, what might you know about a stone?"

My eyes widened. "You know."

She grinned. "I am Lead Crone."

"And like four hundred years old."

"Yes." She shrugged. "And the Irit family is special, so I have been aware of this treasure for centuries."

"So you know for real." I scrubbed my face with my hands.

"This is why I said to come to Crone Island so I can help you. Seelie is not a place for the magic you're using." Myrtle glanced to the angels, and when they all nodded, she looked back to me. "Those are an angel's tool."

"Well, they're how I did the astral projection. I was just holding them in my hands when suddenly they were flashing and stuff—then I was there." I pointed to the long-haired angel. "Riah told me not to use them until I spoke with Tegan, and I haven't had a chance yet."

" Buried deep, lost to the rubble, suggests this book was here and buried in the destruction that was Seelie before father died." Thorne pursed his lips and glanced around. "Though the use of the word rubble would suggest the palace ruins."

The others nodded.

" A Tower's stone calls to trouble, " Bettina whispered. She'd been quiet this whole time but now she turned to me. "Calls to trouble. I think your rune stones may act as a magical beacon to where this book is now hidden."

"Like George," Tenn said softly, his eyes distant.

My jaw dropped. "Oh. Oh. Shit. I don't have them, they're back in my room?—"

"Your hand." Tenn held his wrist up and pointed to it. He shrugged. "Tegan."

Tegan? OH! I lifted my wrist to look at the bracelet she'd put on my wrist. When I reached up to unhook the clasp, the stones flashed that neon-blue I recognized so well. Golden, glittery symbols appeared in the middle of each stone. Tegan had realized we'd need these and then found a way to give them to me discreetly.

"Incredible." I frowned. "But wait, will this affect how I use them? Was it safe to transform them like this?

"Tegan would not have transformed them if it altered their state in any way." Myrtle gave me a reassuring smile. "But carrying them around in that velvet bag is inconvenient and cumbersome, so she gave you a way to always have them."

"She's so convenient." Malachi chuckled.

"Which is why we ignore the chaos demon side of her," Cooper said with a chuckle. He turned to me. "Go ahead. Use them."

My gaze shot right to Riah because he'd told me not to use them until I spoke with Tegan. "Is that safe?"

He inclined his head. "We will not allow harm to fall upon our home or our friends."

"That means yes." Malachi rolled his eyes. "Have at it, kid."

I nodded and looked to my bracelet. My pulse quickened, and my chest grew tight. Knots formed in my stomach. They were all watching. This was super important. And I had no idea what I was doing. In the few times I'd used my rune stones, I'd been holding them in my hands and they just acted without me provoking them. Or at least without me realizing I'd provoked them. But as I stared at them . . . nothing happened.

"Frankie?"

"I'm trying. I just . . . I've never intentionally used them like this."

"She's also new here, y'all," Savannah grumbled.

Riah sighed. "We are not supposed to help."

" Use your magic ," Saffie whispered.

Myrtle nodded. "And your intention."

My magic and intention. Right. That helped. Not . I bit my bottom lip and stared at them. Okay, stones. Show me the book? Go get it—they're not a dog, Frankie.

" Meh, fuck it, " Malachi said under his breath and then he was right beside me. He reached out and took my right hand in his, then forced my hand to wrap around the bracelet. When I looked up into his golden eyes, he nodded and gave me a wink. "Close your eyes. Think about what we need. Recite the last lines of the prophecy if that helps you focus your intentions. Then push your magic into the stones. You should feel it happen. When you do, open your eyes. Okay?"

I nodded.

" I'm telling Chloe, " Jackson whispered with a chuckle.

"It's best if she gets used to me quickly." Malachi shrugged. Then he looked down to me and lifted his hand off mine. His golden eyes were calm and steady, like the moonlight reflecting off the flat ocean's surface. "At one point or another, we were all new at this, so no one is judging. Just breathe and let it rip."

"Yeah, like batting demon gnats in the school gym." Tenn grinned.

"Okay. I've got this." I took a deep breath, then closed my eyes as Malachi instructed.

He'd said to think about what I needed, and reciting the prophecy would help me focus, so that was what I did. Buried deep, lost to the rubble, A Tower's stone calls to trouble. Buried deep, lost to the rubble, A Tower's stone calls to trouble. Buried deep, lost to the rubble, A Tower's stone calls to trouble. The stones warmed beneath my touch. Excitement tingled through my veins. Recover his book that tells the tale, To part two worlds on forever's scale. Buried deep, lost to the rubble, A Tower's stone calls to trouble.

One by one, I felt each stone awaken with power. They pulsed with electricity in a line like someone was walking by flipping on switches. It was working. Next, I had to push my magic into them, so I took a deep breath and pictured those neon-blue and pink flames curling under like a wave pulling off the shore. I held my magic and my breath.

Recover his book that tells the tale, To part two worlds on forever's scale. Buried deep, lost to the rubble, A Tower's stone calls to trouble.

I exhaled and pushed, picturing my magic leaving my hands like waves crashing back onto the sand. Those pulses grew hot and sharp as they slid down my palms, into my fingers, then out the tips of my nails. I opened my eyes just as my magic did exactly what I'd pictured in my head. Neon-blue waves with sparkling pink flames rolled out of me in every direction. Everywhere it touched, the colors of the meadow grew bright like they'd been plugged into a socket. Malachi and Riah's gold eyes flashed white as their white angel wings popped out of their backs. Thorne and Sage's hair sparkled with color, their own white angel wings coming out.

My flames hit Bettina and gold bands sparkled from her fingers. The bands on Tenn's arm flashed so bright everyone cringed. Riah reached over and covered them with his hand and a shake of his head. White wings that matched the angels' flapped behind Tenn's back.

" Malachi," Bentley and Myrtle said at the exact same time.

"What? Fine. I gave it a little jump start." He rolled his shoulders and his wings vanished. "Whatever, Val knew I'd be here. She knew we'd help, hence the words she used. Let's just carry on and get this damn book."

I smiled up at him. "Thank you."

"Do you see anything?" Bettina hurried over, taking my wrist in her hand which made the gold bands wrapped around each of her fingers sparkle again. That was when I realized they weren't mid-rings but actual lines on her skin. Just like on Tenn's arm. "Shit, I can't see it. Can you?"

I looked down and frowned. "The stones are flashing pink one row at a time from the bottom to the top, but not all the way around. Just does that over and over."

Tenn cocked his head to the side and tapped on his chest. "When Tegan and I were in the Garden of Eden, we were guided by a pink light that flashed almost like a wave from one side to the other. It was telling us which way to go."

My eyes widened. I looked down at them with new eyes. "Okay, so we walk straight? It's kind of ambiguous in these stones though."

Bettina chanted something in the ancient language. As her words finished, pink flames billowed up from my stones and into the air above them— and formed an arrow.

I gasped. "That worked. It's an actual arrow now. Can you see it?"

They all shook their heads. Well, except the angels who were avoiding eye contact.

Sage leapt off her throne and hurried over to me. With a flick of her wrist, I lifted into the air. "All right, you just watch that arrow and tell us where to go."

A giggle slipped through my lips as I wobbled in the air. I folded my legs under me and held my arm out in front. That glowing pink arrow pointed straight ahead. "I'm only gonna watch the arrow because otherwise imma be hella distracted."

"That's fair," Saffie chuckled.

"Right, so it says to go straight." I mimicked the arrow's point.

"You know what?" Cooper held his hands up, bringing my attention up to him. "Why don't those of you who fly just follow the yellow brick road and then meet us back here?"

"Yeah, we just wanted to see this place." Royce flopped down on the turquoise grass with all the flowers surrounding him. "You don't need us."

"Yeah, we're just emotional-support Covenlings." Deacon wagged his eyebrows as he sat down beside his cousin.

"I shall stay with them, Father." Saffie skipped over to them and sat down. She patted the grass beside her. "Sit, friends. Tell me everything while they're busy."

"Fine, but someone is carrying me ‘cause I wanna go." Bettina looked around to the winged people. "Who'll it be?"

Tenn rolled his eyes. "As if it's not always been me. Shut up and climb on."

She giggled and hopped onto his back, his wings sticking out on each side. "Okay, Franks. Lead us."

When I pointed straight ahead again, a warm breeze carried me forward. Nearly every part of me wanted to just look around, because everything here seemed to glow or sparkle. I wanted to see it in all its glory, but everyone was counting on me, and over my dead body would I be the one to screw this up. So, I kept my head down and my eyes locked on the glowing pink arrow. Whenever it changed direction, I called it out to the others.

Luckily, from The Coven, only Tenn and Bettina had come along, and they were my family. I was comfortable around them. It was like my magic knew their magic. I was also secretly glad the others had chosen to stay back. That was a lot of pressure to be under.

I made a mental note to return to Seelie when I could walk around and explore, because in my peripheral vision it was gorgeous. We seemed to be walking through a forest where the light of the moon did not quite travel. Everything was cast in dark shades of blue and green. The only light came from the little glowing, golden orbs that were everywhere.

Sage told me they were fairyflies, which were similar to fireflies but from Seelie.

All of a sudden, the arrow pointed straight down. I gasped. "STOP!"

Everyone froze.

The arrow blinked like it was really trying to make a point. "It's here. Arrow is pointing straight down."

"Interesting." Thorne walked up beside me and Sage and looked down at the ground. "Actually, I do believe this makes sense for Father."

"Every time you call him that, I want to be sick," Tenn grumbled.

"What would you like me to call him, little Michael?"

He sighed. "King Assface was thrown around before he died. We've taken to King Fuckface lately?—"

"I prefer the latter," Bettina added as she hopped off Tenn's back.

Sage snort-laughed. Riah and Malachi snickered.

Thorne pursed his lips and nodded. "I can fully support both of those."

Sage finally sat me down on my feet, so I stretched my legs and glanced around. We were still deep in a forest, but instead of grass and soil, it was stone slabs and rubble—I gasped. RUBBLE.

"Buried deep, lost to the rubble," Bettina whispered. She pointed to the stone slabs. "Was this part of his palace?"

Thorne and Sage nodded, their expressions grim. Riah and Malachi went over and put a hand on their shoulders for support. I looked to my cousins and frowned. They just shook their heads.

"Later, " Tenn signed. I hadn't even realized he'd been learning sign language, but it made me happy to know he at least knew some.

I nodded.

"By hand of magic, strength in deed, Honor's Court can play with speed." Riah looked to Thorne and squeezed his shoulder. "Last time Val sent them to you, she referred to you as a twisted Court. The verbiage change is quite sweet."

Malachi nodded, his eyes locked on the stone ruins of the palace. "I played with speed once. In the 70's. Ten out of ten do not recommend."

I wasn't sure who started it, but suddenly we were all laughing.

Riah wiped his eyes. "What is wrong with you?"

"What? I was lightening the mood. You're welcome."

"I really am disappointed I never saw the connection." Riah shook his head. "Your son is just like you."

"Yeah, but is that the chicken or the egg?" When we all frowned, he shrugged. "I mean, nature versus nurture? C'mon, we knew him before he died, and he was just a goofy?—"

"Perhaps we should focus on the task at hand so our little mortal friends can be on their way?" Sage gestured to the three of us. "They have a quest to finish before she catches on."

"Thank you, Sage." I pointed to the ground. "Which one of you two has earth magic?"

"You're a quick study, Frankie." Thorne smirked. He held his hands out in front of him. A neon-green glow billowed from his palms and shot down to the stones. "Let's get us a book that holds crucial information that would've been useful to us."

"Sometimes I wish there was a video of him dying that we could rewatch over and over."

Riah smiled. "I agree, Sage. I died before he did, so I missed the glorious moment."

The ground rumbled and vibrated through my feet. The others weren't even remotely concerned. That green glow billowed all around us, casting the trees and plants in its light.

"Just ask Tegan." Bettina tapped on Tenn's arm beside her. "She has this trick where she can make a hologram of something that went down."

"Yeah, except watching your father die will be a much different viewing experience than watching my mother die," Tenn said with a lopsided smile that did not match the words he'd said.

My eyes widened. "This is that fucked-up sense of humor we were talking about before."

Everyone else just nodded.

Finally, the stones flew up into the air and over our heads. The broken rubble slid out of the way as the dirt began to break apart. It was a miniature earthquake glowing in green. A golden cube shot through the crevice straight into the air between us. It glowed like pure sunshine. Thorne reached out and snatched it, wrapping his fingers all the way around it. The thing couldn't have been more than two inches tall, so I was definitely confused about where the book was. Sage placed her hand over her brother's, and a wave of water coiled around their hands, chased by a purple-ish smoke. Dirt and fire joined the others until it was a ball of elements swirling together.

After a few moments, those elements vanished.

And a book sat in Thorne's hand.

We all leaned forward to get a look. It was larger than a normal hardcover book or journal and had to be three inches thick. The book itself was black but it almost looked like wood that had been intricately carved. I'd just never seen wood that color. There was some kind of design etched across the entire front, back, and spine. Symbols were burned into the wood. The edges of the pages were as black as the cover, but as Thorne moved the book, they shimmered and reflected the green magic.

"It's locked." Thorne cursed. "Of course it is."

"You cannot have expected otherwise from him," Sage grumbled and took the book into her hands. "How dare this be so beautiful."

She wasn't wrong. It was breathtaking. Now that it was right next to me, I saw that some of the carvings and etchings were actually gold metal embellishments. I leaned over Sage's shoulder to see better. On the front cover, there was an eight-pointed star shape made from the gold metal. There were bars that stretched from the star all the way around the book. It was a cage. A metal cage. And the way to open it was through the middle.

"We need the key," Bettina grumbled with a curse.

Bentley stepped out from between the trees. His gold eyes flickered with orange crescents. "It's funny you should say that."