I cringed and grimaced. Sick … so very sick. “Can it be reversed?”
“Angel’s blood, but not just any angel’s blood.”
I knew he meant me or my brother.
“Did Cyrus share this information with you?”
“No, I got it out of Mortem. We have a strange friendship. Like your uncle said once…frenemy.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. I didn’t like any part of the word friendship applied to Mortem.
Eli whipped his head to the side. “They’re here.”
Chapter 23
Lucia
My instincts kicked in. Whipping out my wings, I covered Eli behind me. Everyone surrounded me with their weapons drawn.
“Lucia, are you all right?” Father’s concerned voice snapped me out of whatever held me back from moving. I turned to see Eli, but he had vanished just as Father embraced me. A part of me felt relieved because I knew he didn’t want Milani and Brody to see his wings, and part of me crumbled. I shouldered the heavy brick of guilt again. The burden had temporarily eased but came back stronger when Eli left. I bit my lip, hating Cyrus.
“Where’s Eli?” Milani paled. “He told me in my mind that you were both here, but…”
“Why didn’t you let me know where you were?” Zach’s eyes filled with worry.
“What happened? We were going out of our minds searching for you.” Uncle Davin’s voice stayed calm, though I knew he wasn’t.
I laughed to myself at all the questions and some lies I would have to tell them.
“Eli pulled you out, didn’t he?” Abel knew.
Jack stood there and smiled at me. I knew that smile. He was glad I was alive, and I found comfort in his gesture of friendship, so I smiled back only at him.
“Don’t get mad,” I stressed, gaping between Father and Uncle Davin. “Abel is right. Eli pulled me out before the portal closed.”
Everyone stopped talking and listened. So, I told them everything, except for the part when he took me to space and the intimate moments we shared. I debated not telling them about his wings, but I thought they should hear about it instead of witnessing it firsthand. We were going to run into each other soon, and I had to prepare them for what they would see and how much Cyrus controlled Eli’s mind. I also told them about the war Cyrus was preparing, but we already had a hunch. And then I told them the history of Cyrus and Ikelia and how Cyrus had killed the Snow Queen’s four Elementum. Though the four of them were not originals, the four had been given the special sunburst necklaces.
Milani clenched her fists so hard, red orbs glowed between her fingers and even some of the flowers wilted around her. I didn’t mention her mom, but Milani knew how her mom died. Brody, like a big brother, took her in his arms to calm her.
“Eli is strong,” Brody said. “We’re not giving up on him, and he won’t give up on himself. He needs to know he can come back to us, broken or not. Do you understand? You can’t cry. You can’t show fear. You can’t show any emotion but love for him. Love and trust, and knowing he can come back to us will be his lifeline. So when we see him, we don’t ask questions. We just let him be.”
Father’s eyes softened. “Brody is right. Eli having angel’s blood will help too. Knowing he will be accepted back whatever good or bad things he has done thus far, and that he will be forgiven for those actions, is crucial.”
I knew Father would understand. Though not controlled like Eli, Father had done horrible things for the cause he thought he believed in, or perhaps he’d been brainwashed to believe Aden’s ideas.
Brody’s eyes grew wide, and he pushed back his shoulders and released a small smile. “Now what?”
“We go find Jacques again,” Abel said. “We were sidetracked.”
I wanted to say I was sorry for making them worry and losing time, but I couldn’t. Being with Eli and having those precious moments together was worth the little detour.
“Did Eli say anything helpful?” Zach asked carefully.
“Nothing we don’t know, but he did share that Cyrus knew where the second page was hidden but needed the tools to get them,” I answered. “And since we were in different times, I couldn’t speak in your mind. You being in the present while I was in the past blocked the connection.” That part was true, but I wouldn’t have let Zach know where I was until I was ready to leave Eli, but Eli had done it first. He knew I wouldn’t. He wanted to make sure I was safe before he left me. And for that, I cared for him even more.
Father tucked his wings away. “Then we better get going,”
Uncle Davin glanced around. “Garden of Hope. How fitting. Eli brought you here?”
“Yes,” I replied and gave Milani my attention. “Take us to Jacques.”
“It will be my pleasure.” Milani’s voice was her own again, confident and determined.
When we connected hands, wind whooshed around us, taking us where we needed to go. We landed in someone’s sleeping quarters back in time. A simple bed and nothing else. So small, we stood squished shoulder to shoulder. I learned from the net that the knights lived in a priory in tiny rooms appropriately called cells. The net was not wrong.
“The witch sent us to my chamber.” Geoffroi sighed in relief, and as if something triggered in his mind, he patted underneath his cloak.
Jacques leaned into Geoffroi’s black bag. “Do you still have them?”
“Yes.” Geoffroi pointed at his bag. “Do you know where you want to hide them?”
Jacques opened the door. “I do. Follow me.”
We trailed behind a long, dim hallway to where the light broke through the small window. After they turned the corner, they entered a staircase. A breeze nipped my nose, and I knew it was a cold one when Jack shuddered beside me as we descended.
“Are you okay, Lucia?” Jacked asked timidly.
My friend, Jack, whom I admired. He had no supernatural blood in him, and yet he fought beside us with little battle skill. So brave and courageous, and so kind and caring. With dirt smudged on his face and shirt, he smiled at me.
“I’m fine, Jack.”
“That’s not what I meant, Lucia. I mean, I know you are physically fine, but your heart. I haven’t…we haven’t had a chance to talk. Is Eli—did he hurt you or try to hurt you?”
You don’t need to answer him. Zach spoke in my mind. Descending behind Jack, Zach was no doubt eavesdropping on our conversation.
I know. He’s just concerned.
Zach was good at keeping his emotions intact and at a distance, but for some reason, I couldn’t. He still didn’t trust anyone, especially Hugo and Harper. He always kept one eye on them.
“How about you?” I asked, yanking on Jack’s shirt when he almost tripped from glancing back at me and not paying attention to the curve of the staircase. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m sacred shitless,” he admitted, surprising me. “But I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. These are my ancestors, and I can’t believe I’m traveling back in time to see Jacques.”
I had to agree with him. “How’s your family?” Too consumed by Eli and the missing page, we hadn’t had a chance to chat.
Jack peeled his eyes away from the cobwebs. “So far so good. I think my little brother has a crush on you.” He snickered. “He keeps asking about you.”
“When this is over, I’ll come by.” I paused, not sure how to say the correct words. “Whenever this gets too much for you, say the word. We’ll take you home. You don’t have to risk your life for any one of us.”
“I know,” he simply said. “But then I would have no excuse to use my sword.” Zach had gladly willed it out of sight for Jack and carried it for him.
There were too many stairs, and we had no choice but to walk at human speed.
Down, down, and down the knights went into the dimness of the stairway. Lanterns hung every few feet, the brightness just enough not to bump into the walls. After about five floors down, we came upon a tunnel where more lanterns hung.
; A man came out of the left entrance and tipped his head to Jacques and Geoffroi. He carried chunks of cheese and a small barrel that sloshed. Wine, maybe. Ah, they stored food down in the cellar. We banked right behind the knights, moving swiftly down another tunnel and into another cellar, smaller and darker.
“Here?” Geoffroi arched his brows, puzzled.
“It’s the perfect place. It’s empty and we don’t use it.” Jacques took out the ark and the staff, placed it on the dirt ground, and then chanted, “From a rib you were born. From ash you shall die. To Hell you have gone to hurt me no more. Protect thy wish. Protect what is sacred. Protect against what is evil. Until the blood of the pure has come to thee. It shall remain hidden until it’s free.”
The ground opened up and sucked the ark and the staff right under it, as if the ground had a mouth, it swallowed the items and closed its lips. Gone. They were gone.
“That’s it?” Geoffroi got down on his knees and started digging as if he couldn’t believe they had disappeared. “Where did they go?” He kept digging. “Where did they go?” Faster and faster. “Where?”
Jacques placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Stop. It’s not there. It’s not underground. It’s locked up somewhere between, but it’s here. I can’t explain it. Just know that it’s safe.”
Geoffroi peered up at his friend. “I’ve seen the magic with my own eyes and yet…”
“I know. It took some time for me to get used to it too.” He patted his friend to give comfort.
Geoffroi folded his arms in front of his chest as if to hold himself from falling apart. “Where is God? If we can see the demons and witness the witch’s power, why not show himself to help us or send the angels?” He paused, gazing down at the dirt in his fingernails. “I’m sorry. We have sworn to protect, serve, and to believe what we cannot see. And…” He gripped his hair tightly with both hands. “And this doubt…this anger I feel…at myself…at the chapel…at God. I promised to help you Jacques, and I will, but know that at times I will not be able to control my rage if God does not help us.”
Jacques nodded somberly in understanding. “It’s okay to doubt, to lose hope, to get mad, or we wouldn’t be humans, but I know you believe the same as I do. God does not show himself, but I know deep in my soul he will send his army…his blessed knights to help us. Whether in our lifetime or another, good will conquer evil.”
I knew it was impossible, but I wondered if Jacques suspected we were watching him. Ikelia did mention to him that supernatural beings could travel back in time. I wondered how often he thought about it. Maybe he even tried to make the clues less complicated knowing perhaps we might need the items in the future.
My heart softened at the mention of blessed knights and for them, all of the Knights Templar, for I had learned their end was terror, pain, and death. Jack teared up, for he knew it too. Every member of my team dipped their heads in sorrow for the heroes the world would either praise or curse once they were dead, and for heroes that might simply be forgotten.
I sucked in air when Jacques stared right at us; if he could see us, so did everyone else.
“Oh shit, can he … is he looking at us?” Jack blurted, lowered his shoulders, and then looked at my father, possibly thinking he would get scolded for saying “shit.”
“No way.” Hugo waved a hand in front of Jacques.
Harper smacked his hand away. “Stop it.”
Abel bent lower and stared into Jacques eyes. Jacques looked away.
Geoffroi sprang up as if nothing had happened. “So what now?”
“We wait to hide the third page.”
“Why? Why not hide it now?”
“I need to think about it.”
Geoffroi angled his brows, and the humor came back in his sparkling gray eyes. “You were always the strange one.”
Jacques shook his head, dismissing his friend’s teasing. “If I’m the strange one, then you are … you are …” He didn’t finish and tugged his friend close to the exit.
“The witch was pleasant to look at.” Geoffroi’s voice echoed in the tight space.
“Not so loud. You can tell her that yourself and get a whipping from her. You’ll get to see her again. And why am I even bothering to say such words?”
“I’m just making a comment. We can’t touch or have unclean thoughts, but we can admire beauty.”
“I didn’t notice. We have more pressing matters at hand. We have no weapons besides our swords. Weapons,” he repeated. “I need your help again. We must seal our brothers’ swords with the rightful owner.” He dug into his pant pocket and took out the bottle Ikelia had given him.
“We’ll have to explain why.”
“Then so be it,” Jacques said gravely.
Chapter 24
Eli
“Where have you been?” Dick Mortem scowled at me as soon as I entered the volcano cave.
I contemplated ignoring him, but I looked over my shoulder and stared down at him. Then I gave him the bird and walked away.
He growled. I felt that growl down to my toes, but I didn’t care. I hated him, and I hated the smell of that place. It reeked like Dick Mortem’s breath. Okay, maybe not that bad, but the thick air pressed a heavy brick inside my lungs, making it difficult for me to breathe. Sweat trickled down my brow, but I didn’t bother to wipe it off.
Dick Mortem appeared in front of me, blocking me from moving farther. “I said, where have you been?” He seethed. He might as well have kissed me, his face hovered so close to mine. Secretly, I thought he had a crush on me, or at least I planned to tease him about it. He might hurt me again, but I was stronger and faster, thanks to Cyrus and Lucia, and I would use that to my advantage.
“Why, Dick, I didn’t know you were the jealous type. Did you miss me?” He hated when I played with him like that, so I did it as often as I could to get under his skin.
“No,” he drawled. “I’d rather have you gone.”
“Shhh.” I placed my finger to my lips. “I wouldn’t say that in front of Cyrus if I were you. You know how much he cares about me.” I winked and brushed his shoulder as I passed him.
Again, he appeared in front of me. “Answer me.” His fangs shot out, eyes turning hot and red as the lava.
Clarissa appeared on top of a pile rock off to the side. With her hands on her hips, wings drawn out, she wore a frown. Her possessiveness over me was unrelenting and annoying.
“Fine.” I dared not push it. “I don’t need to tell your sorry ass anything, but if you must know, I carried her somewhere private.” I waggled my brows. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I was just about to soak in the hot tub.” I rolled my eyes.
“And what did you do?”
“So many questions.” I got into his face and whispered in my heated, wicked tone, “I tortured her, and I loved it.”
“Did you, now?”
Cyrus’s tone silenced me, so cold and powerful, pinning me in place. He was the only one who could hurt me. My body betrayed me and trembled, but I would not show my fear. I slowly turned to him and gave him my charming fake grin. I had to give him some reason why I was gone so long. Think. Think. Think. “Such a pretty little thing she is. I convinced her to tell me her little secret. I know how to retrieve the second page.”
Cyrus’s eyes grew eager. His fingers drummed on his crossed arms. “She told you?”
“She didn’t tell me everything, but she told me enough, Uncle,” I lied, keeping my heartbeat at a steady pace. “I tortured it out of her, but I didn’t get far. Her team showed up, so I left.”
Cyrus started to circle around me, judging and trying to intimidate me, no doubt. Just when I thought he would walk away, he whipped around and gripped me by the collar of my shirt and lifted me up. His eyes glowed blood red to make a point. “If you’re lying, boy, I will rip your heart out. Now. Get me that page.”
“Rosslyn Chapel,” I managed to croak out.
“Useless information. I already know that.”
&nbs
p; “I know what to do.”
“Mortem, gather your men,” Cyrus ordered, his eyes still locked on me. Then he draped his wings around me and darkness consumed us.
Cyrus didn’t carry me kindly. I stumbled and almost ran into a pillar when we landed. I cursed under my breath and gave Cyrus daggered eyes.
“Show me.” Cyrus wasted no time.
I led them under the cubes, having no idea what to do. Sure, I’d watched my friends from behind the scene, observing Jacques and Geoffroi, but what the hell did they do? I was too busy trying not to get caught. Lucia felt my presence. I knew she did. She kept glancing around, looking in my direction as I drifted from pillar to pillar and sometimes to the ceiling, and other times hiding behind the curve of the arches.
Lucia distracted me. I watched her in fascination. The way she smiled and marveled at the carvings made me smile too. I loved the innocent part of her. Everything was new to her.
“I don’t exactly remember.” My face whipped to the side, burning from Mortem’s backhanded slap.
Clarissa hissed, casting an evil eye at Mortem. When Mortem stared her down, she cowered and backed away.
“What do you mean you don’t remember?” Mortem growled.
I flexed my jaw, squared my shoulders back, and glared hard at him. “If you ever do that again, I’ll rip out your throat, and then I’ll eat it.”
“Enough.” Vince placed his arm between us. “I’ve seen one of the witch’s books when we were friends. You just need to say the clue words and push the cube with the rose design.”
“Are you sure?” Cyrus asked, his eyes bouncing from one cube to the next.
Vince inhaled a deep breath. “I’m not sure. I’ve only seen it once, but Mortem and I failed to retrieve it.” His shoulders slumped. “But I do recall there’s a curse to the clue. The last several lines. ‘But beware, if you are not the heir, for damnation you shall declare, for the false burden you shall bear.’ If you are not the heir, I believe something bad happens to the person trying to retrieve the page.”
“Nonsense,” Cyrus said. “It’s merely words to prevent us from seeking it.”