“I—I never left you,” Kyla muttered.
Garnel shook his head as he invited Jay to sit in the tight space of the traveling tent. “You’re welcome to wait with us for Raikin and Savine.”
Concern etched Jay’s face as he sat down beside Garnel.
“What happened to me?” Kyla asked. “All I remember is the nightmare.”
Garnel shook his head. “You were in my arms one moment, and the next you were gone. Vanished into nothing. I searched for you, but you were gone. I ran to Jay and Raikin. Raikin went to get Savine while Jay and I looked everywhere for you, but you were nowhere. We returned to the tent and you reappeared before our eyes. But you were shaking so hard, your eyes rolled back in your head. And the mark—the mark was glowing like a hot coal on your forehead.” Garnel choked out the last words, and all Kyla could do was stare at him in stunned silence.
Finally, Jay spoke, a gentle hand on hers. “You bear the mark of the Goddess now, Kyla.”
Kyla’s eyes widened in disbelief. “But it was only a dream. It wasn’t real.Nobodybut the minor goddesses and priestesses could bear to be in the Premier Goddess’ glory.”
The tent rustled as Savine asked, “Did you find her?” He looked at her, brows furrowed. “The goddess mark. Kyla, how?”
Kyla just shook her head and looked at the already too tight space. “We need to move inside the Towers. We can’t fit four fae men in here.”
Savine shook his head. “Rylo saw through Avery’s glamour. He’ll see your mark and have questions.”
Raikin scowled as he took in their surroundings. “It’s safer here. I'll glamour the tent to prevent our voices from carrying.”
The four fae warriors and Kyla squeezed into the tiny tent as Kyla began her story.
It was nearly dawn when Kyla finished sharing the dream that appeared to be more than she expected. The four men, who she loved more than any other, stared at her, none daring to speak.
Finally, it was Garnel who cut the tension in the room. “We always knew there had to be more to the Goddess’ unusually high rate of answering your prayers. Now she’s revealed your calling.”
“But what are the Divine Five?” Raikin asked, pursing his lips as he paused. “And why would she want these humans to find them for her?”
Jay laughed, shaking his head as he said, “One of us should have studied history more closely.”
“We were otherwise preoccupied, I’m afraid,” Raikin replied. “I’m sure that library of Rylo’s has an answer, but do not speak of this to him.”
Savine nodded. “I’ll ask Avery how she could hide the mark. Humans must have some trick to hide things without an essence. This is going to change your role in Latiah’s reconstruction. Althea herself has given you a task.”
Kyla felt her chest tighten. All she ever wanted was to help her country return to the peace and prosperity that it had known before her father’s reign. Now that he was gone, she thought it was finally time to see her dreams come true. But no, she could already see by the scowl on her brother’s face that he was thinking of other plans for her. Plans, no doubt, she didn’t want.
She pressed her hand to her lower belly. She’d released her fertility tonight. These sorts of things took time for fae to release, but there was a chance she could already have a child quickening in her womb. Why had she been so reckless? Why did she think now would be a good time to start a family, when there were so many unknowns?
And now this new burden—Kyla didn’t even know where to begin to find out what the Divine Five were.
Chapter 6
Morgan
Soft, low sunlight drifted into the room as Morgan stirred. She realized that after Avery got in bed that she’d slept deeper than she’d slept since reducing her pain medication for her injuries. Next to her, Avery slept soundly. No doubt she was exhausted after the previous day.
Morgan slipped out of the covers and padded to the balcony door. Her breath caught in her throat as she felt the chill of a fall wind rush past her. Looking out across the morning sky, she saw just how high up in this tower she was. Far, far below her, down at least three hundred feet was the river that she had been transported to. The whitewater of the waterfall was nothing buta speck on the landscape. Would she return home if she jumped off the waterfall? Did this portal work both ways, or was she trapped in this place, like Avery claimed?
She had hundreds of questions for Avery about what she’d learned of this place and what her plan was to get back home, but she wasn’t about to wake her sister up and badger her with her questions. Morgan suspected that her sister wasn’t as interested in leaving this place as she had let on last night. She heard how Savine, that big, handsome man with the strange crown and tattooed skin, had called her twin sister his soulmate. Yeah, Avery was going to have to doa lotof explaining this morning.
Across the canyon, Morgan saw other towers jutting out of the landscape and winged fairies, or fae as Avery had called them, flying between the massive buildings. At least these winged creatures didn’t remind her as much of the monster that had taken her on Quartz Mountain. If she didn’t notice their pointy ears, she’d think they were angels. Super hot angels, with chiseled features and a strange glow to them, but angels nonetheless.
“Morgan!” Avery called out, her voice frantic.
She stepped back into the room to see Avery standing beside the bed, hair tousled into a mess of waves and tangles.
“I’m here. I was just checking out the view,” Morgan said with a smirk.
