“They’re redecorating your house?” I ask incredulously.
Marshall tips his head. “Among other things. I believe Ms. Miller mentioned something about making improvements to my bedroom.”
I nod. “She’s moving in. Expect the walls to be pink by morning.”
“It’s nothing a good exorcism won’t fix,” Marshall says dryly. “Now, what’s so urgent that you’re conducting meetings in graveyards?”
“We talked to Candace,” Logan says grimly.
Marshall’s eyebrows rise with interest. “And how did that delightful family reunion go?”
“We’ve discovered that we’re dealing with a psychotic,” I say without hesitation and the sky flickers as lightning fans out over the island in a violent spray of illumination.
He gives us a look that says,What’s new?Marshall is smart enough not to verbalize his thoughts regarding my mother, but then again, that doesn’t mean she won’t hear them.
“What did our dear Caelestis have to say for herself?” Marshall asks, tipping his ear our way as if he didn’t want to miss a word.
“A lot of vague nonsense about power balance and temporal stability,” Logan shoots back with a sigh. “Nothing that actually explained why we’re trapped here to set some ridiculous anchor.”
“And when we demanded to go home, she basically went full dictator and told us we’re prisoners until she feels like releasing us,” I add. “Then she threw a supernatural hissy fit, complete with lightning theatrics, and vanishing into thin air. Very mature for someone who’s supposedly older than dirt.”
A deafening peal of thunder ignites overhead.
“Lightning theatrics,” Marshall repeats, clearly entertained. “How delightfully dramatic.” He frowns as he considers this. “Though not particularly subtle for someone of her... experience.”
“You don’t seem surprised,” Logan observes, studying Marshall’s face.
Marshall shrugs. “Very little surprises me when it comes to the Messenger family. Temporal imprisonment is actually rather tame by Candace’s standards.”
“Tame?” I practically choke on the word. “She’s holding us hostage in the past while our children are wondering why we left Gage holding the diaper bag.”
“Yes, well.” Marshall’s eyes glitter with a healthy dose of danger. “Last time she interfered with the timeline, she started a faction war that killed hundreds. So by comparison, this is practically a gentle nudge.”
“That’s supposed to make me feel better?”
“It’s supposed to make you realize that whatever she’s preventing must be catastrophic enough to risk your wrath.” He tilts his head, studying me. “And Candace knows exactly how dangerous you can be when someone threatens your children.”
The weight of that statement settles over us like fog. Because he’s right. My mother wouldn’t trap us here unless the alternative was worse. Which means whatever’s coming for our family in the future is bigger than anything we’ve faced before.
Logan leans forward, elbows on his knees. “The thing is, nothing she said made sense. All that talk about maintaining balance and preventing disruption—it felt like she was making it up as she went along.”
“Because she was,” I say as the pieces click together in my head. “Marshall just said it—whatever she’s preventing must be catastrophic. But if this was really about cosmic balance, the entire Decision Council would be involved. Instead, it’s just my mother, going rogue, keeping us in the dark.”
“A Caelestis operating without oversight,” Marshall muses, and there’s something dangerous in his tone. “That’s either very brave or very desperate.”
“With my mother? Both.” I kick at another stone. “She’spreventing something. Something so bad she can’t even tell the Council about it.”
“Or won’t,” Logan adds darkly. “What if she’s the cause of whatever goes wrong? What if keeping us here is her way of cleaning up a mess she creates?”
The thought sits between us like a loaded weapon. Because that would be exactly like my mother—create a disaster, then manipulate everyone else to fix it while calling herself a hero.
“So what’s her endgame?” Logan mutters. “What could be worth risking everything?”
Marshall’s smile is nothing but sharp edges. “Perhaps the better question is—what is she really risking? Your mother rarely gambles without knowing the outcome.”
I shoot Logan a look because that’s exactly what I said.
Logan nods at Marshall. “Meaning?”
