“You didn’t use it to awaken Aitna?” Penelope shot her an incredulous look.
Raven shook her head. It wasn’t a lie. She hadn’t used the book itself, only a spell she’d absorbed from its pages. “I didn’t need it, which was a good thing because I never got it back from Eleanor. My sisters and I performed the spell together to raise the goddess—without the grimoire. I do not believe it remains on Ouros. Hera seemed anxious to leave with it.”
Queen Penelope gave her a dark look, and Raven wondered if she sensed the book’s power within her. The witch most certainly understood now that Raven was her equal. She smiled sweetly. “I hope I can trust that if the book is ever found, you will deliver it to me at once.”
Those words dripped with honey. Raven placed a hand on her chest, completely immune to the witch’s influence, and gave Penelope her most authentic smile. “I will always hold a special place in my heart for your kingdom, Penelope. Our rule and my mating with Gabriel is a new beginning for our people. My daughter, after all, is both dragon and witch. I want Charlie to have more witches in her life. I want us to be friends.”
Penelope reached for her glass, wearier now but seemingly resigned. “I’d like that too.”
The infirmary remindedRaven of the hospital where she’d first met Gabriel, white-walled and with an herbal smell that might have been antiseptic in her human world. More sterile than she expected. Elves used magic to heal as much as witches did, but her understanding of their specific type of magic was limited. When Leena had created the key that had freed them from the dungeon, she’d used science and engineering, not magic. Perhaps the healers here fixed bodies the same way, almost like human doctors. Tobias would find it fascinating. She must show him later.
Marius had a separate room off the main hall, far from the other patients. There were plenty in need of healing. Any of Rogos’s soldiers who had been on palace grounds when the volcano erupted had either died or suffered terrible burns. Every cot was taken, and beds had been moved in to fill the entire ward. With so little room here, Raven wasn’t sure if Marius’s isolation had to do with his former royal status as the heir apparent or with his condition. Even elves, it seemed, were unsettled by the resurrection of the dead.
She found Marius propped up in bed, staring at a painting of the Mystic Wood. He didn’t turn to look at her when she walked into the room. She studied the painting that held his attention. In it, a snake dangled from one of the tree branches, and Raven couldn’t help but be reminded of the Garden of Eden, although the people here wouldn’t understand that reference. A unicorn pointed its horn at the serpent, its white coat gleaming in a ray of sun.
“It’s calledThe Reckoning,” Marius said in a deep voice lined with grit.
Raven’s head snapped around to find him looking at her, his strange silver eyes clear. “You’re speaking!”
He pointed to the painting. “It’s an elven myth. As the story goes, when elves first walked Ouros, they were powerless until they encountered a tree worm who bit one of the females and infected her with venom that gave her the abilities elves have today. Only, as the story goes, the power made her evil. She enslaved those who weren’t like her until the unicorn, the worm’s only natural enemy, stabbed her with its horn. Unlike the worm who gave her power, the unicorn gave her empathy, and that is why the elves have always leaned toward peace, fairness, and neutrality. This painting depicts the two beasts facing off against each other from the perspective of the woman.”
“I’ve never heard that story before.”
“It was something I learned growing up, when it was assumed I would be king.”
The room plunged into silence. After a few moments, she realized she’d never introduced herself. “I’m Raven, by the way. I’m Gabriel’s mate.”
His eyes flicked to the doorway. “And where is my brother?”
“Taking care of some official business. He knows I’m here. I came to see if I could help you recover.” Raven took a step closer to the bed. “I have a few spells in my arsenal for healing. He thought they might help you, but it seems you don’t need help after all.”
“You’re the witch who brought me back.” His strange eyes met hers again, and she could not read his expression. Was he happy about it? Confused?
“Yes. One of the three anyway. My sisters and I. You were a… pleasant surprise when we resurrected the goddess.”
His eyes closed for a long blink, and she watched his throat bob on a swallow. “We were in the same place.”
A chill spiderwalked up her spine. “You were in the same place as whom?”
“The goddess. She was in the same place as me after she died.” He rubbed his forehead as if it hurt. “When you pulled her back, I came too. It felt as if I were tied to her somehow.”
Raven licked her lips. “It was the spell. The magic required all nine hearts. I linked all of you to the goddess. Since Eleanor had bound your soul to your heart, it brought you back as well.” She didn’t mention the part about Charlie’s blood being a catalyst. He didn’t need to know the details. “Do you know where you were… Before, I mean?”
“I was… in between.” He toyed with the edge of his blanket. “The goddess is a true immortal. She cannot die, only be forced into the place where I was—that in-between place. Everything there is black-and-white. No color at all unless someone from here accesses it by magic. Your spell was as red as blood.” He held a strand of his hair between his fingers, frowning at the white color. “It used to be dark, you know? Almost black.”
“Your brother told me.”
“Now I look like a ghost. Maybe I am. This is not the life I left behind.”
Raven rubbed her mouth, wondering how much she should say. He seemed lucid, but the trauma of what he’d been through was astronomical. She had so many questions.
“No. It’s not the life you left behind,” she said softly. “Now that you’re back, there are things we—Gabriel and I—want to discuss with you.”
He turned his head so he was looking at her straight on. “You want to know if I plan to challenge Gabriel for the throne. Try to force the old law.” He scoffed. “Trap Rowan into ruling by my side.”
Raven frowned. “You could, I suppose. Try it, I mean. Although the goddess made it clear what she wanted, and so has Rowan. She plans to return to New York with her mate, Nick. Royal life isn’t for her.”
“She never wished to rule, even as a child.” A great sigh left his lungs. “And I find I have no desire to pick up where I left off.”
