She found them seated with Jordana in a cozy garden courtyard just outside the mansion’s large kitchen. As soon as Brynne saw Phaedra approaching the French doors that opened onto the sunlit stone patio, she motioned for Phaedra to join them.
“There you are,” Zael’s daywalker mate said, greeting her with a warm smile. “After the night you had, we were reluctant to wake you too early for breakfast.”
Faith, did they all know what she’d been doing with Micah? Phaedra hadn’t blushed in nearly a thousand years, but she couldn’t help the little jolt of embarrassment that seeped into her face.
She sat down in the vacant chair Brynne had indicated. The table had been set with a basket of freshly baked croissants and pastries, as well as a carafe of delicious-smelling coffee and a pot of aromatic tea.
“Please, help yourself,” Brynne said, nudging the basket of baked goods toward her.
Phaedra placed an apple-stuffed pastry on her plate, then poured some tea into the delicate bone china cup in front of her. As she took a sip, she felt all three pairs of eyes studying her in curious silence.
“How are you feeling?” Jordana asked, tilting her head.
“I’m fine. Is anything wrong?”
Even Zael appeared concerned. His golden brows furrowed over his tropical blue eyes. “I’ve never known anyone who could cast light the way Jordana says you did last night.”
“Oh.” So that’s what this was about. Phaedra exhaled, her awkwardness instantly put aside. “I didn’t realize I could do it, either.”
Zael grunted. “It’s an extraordinary gift. Not even your parents had that kind of power.”
“They didn’t?”
He slowly shook his head. “You had no idea you had this ability?”
She set her teacup down. “I didn’t think I’d been born with any particular gifts, other than the one all Atlanteans possess, to wield the energy that lives in our palms.”
“That’s gift enough for anyone, but this . . .” He stared at her in quiet contemplation for a moment. “Have you ever held one of the crystals in your hands before?”
“Never. Selene had forbidden anyone to touch the five that belonged to the realm, as I’m sure you know. The one that was taken to the colony was always kept under protection there, too. I never had any reason to touch any of the crystals.”
He nodded. “But your connection to them is unique among all of our people, Phaedra. Even Selene. Your parents gave a piece of themselves to create those power sources that have protected Atlantis and given our people the enduring light we require to survive. Maenos and Sindarah are a part of the crystals. By extension, so are you.”
“Do you have any idea how remarkable you are?” Brynne asked.
Jordana nodded, her expression a mix of gratitude and awe. “If you hadn’t been there last night, we would have lost everyone. If you hadn’t done what you did, Phaedra, I would have lost Nathan.”
Yet for all their astonishment and praise, the three of them seemed too sober for her peace of mind. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“The light,” Zael said. “That kind of power cannot be wielded without consequences. Any time one of us uses the power in our palms, it sends a ripple of energy through the rest of our people. It does not go unnoticed by any of our kind.”
Phaedra swallowed. She knew that, of course. It was a common acceptance among all Atlanteans, a truth she rarely considered because it was beyond rare that she ever summoned the light that lived in her hands.
Not because she had any reason to hide, but because she had willingly given up her Atlantean ways when she’d decided to make her life among the mortals with Niccolo all those decades ago.
Over the centuries, she had heard tales about Selene’s loyal soldiers using the energy trails of errant Atlantean fugitives in order to track them down and execute traitors to the realm. Phaedra had never feared for her own life when it came to the queen. Selene’s respect for Maenos and Sindarah had given Phaedra limited leeway with her, even after Phaedra had fled the realm for the colony.
But Zael and the members of the Order?
Selene would give no quarter to any of them.
“Oh, no. I’ve exposed you all to her wrath now. She has to know where I am, that I’m here with you and the Order.” She pushed her plate away, her appetite suddenly dried up. Her stomach pitched and rolled with the dread of what she’d done. “I never should’ve come here. Zael, you need to get me out of here right away. It won’t be safe for anyone if I stay. Selene will trace me here and send her legion straight to this compound to attack.”
He calmly placed his hand over hers. “If Selene wants to instigate a war with the Order, she will already be taking steps to make it happen. I can tell you from experience that she’s had that opportunity already, but stayed her hand.”
Brynne nodded in agreement, exchanging a private look with Zael before glancing at Phaedra. “What we can’t afford to risk now is that she might come after you for information to help her plan such an attack.”
“Or find a way to use your power against us,” Zael added.
