She knows I’m hurting. She senses the struggle simmering deep inside of me, ready to burst into sparks of electricity and chaotic waves. I close my eyes and let her power wash over me, allowing the anger and frustration to fade away. Focusing on the waves crashing along the shore, I force them to slow and die out until the water is unnaturally calm and still. I smile as she clasps her hands together in front of her, her white cloud of hair wild and untamed in the breeze until I compel the wind to subside, letting her hair fall still behind her back. It’s my way of telling her I’m okay. My emotions do not rule me. Fear does not rule me. I’m thankful for her calming presence in this moment. Mio would send me into a blissful, never-ending pit of false happiness if it were up to him.
Katie teleports to my side and places her tiny hand on my shoulder. “Everything will be okay soon, Kairos. I think you should talk to her. We both should.” Her glowing eyes swirl to life.
“What if she never loves me, Katie? What if she loves him too much to let him go?” I sigh, closing my eyes and breathing in her calming, warm energy. “She might never remember what I meant to her.”
“Well, you will never know if you don’t try.” Her voice goes up an octave as her lips curve into a smile. “Someone I once loved made the mistake of holding in words they wanted to speak and letting hope die before it ever had the chance to bloom. Do not let the hope in your heart die, Kairos. Let it live. She will remember everything one day, and she will love you even more because you never gave up on her. Whatever she has with him will feel like nothing. It is nothing.”
Katie was asked to protect Nora by the rulers of the realms because a new queen rising must be safeguarded at all costs. She’s the only one from the realms who is trusted by each realm leader, even Ourahnus who hasn’t spoken to any of my people since the day we fell from his realm. Her ability to bring unity and peace is like nothing I’ve seen before. She has a way of making everyone adore her. There’s a magic in that ability alone. I haven’t known her for long, but I see why Nora loves her. She always knows what to say, even when everything feels like it’s falling apart.
“I’m sure you’re right. Just… a bad night to be me, that’s all. I’ll be fine.” I straighten my shoulders and hold my head high.
Mio is right. I’m being dramatic.
“Hey, Katie!”
Speak of the devil and the devil shall come.
“Mio, please. Not tonight. Let Katie have a moment of peace.” I give him a stern look of warning, but I know it won’t matter.
“How’s it going, little witch? Want to get out of here and grab a drink?? Or dinner or even breakfast tomorrow, if that works better for you? I am all yours if you’ll have me.” He runs a hand through his hair, smiling as he adjusts his wings and puts one hand on his hip and one on her bicep, pretending he has any semblance of swagger.
She removes his hand with two fingers, letting it fall to his side. “I will not be having anything with you, Bromios, not now or ever. Thank you, though.” She tilts her head and her nose crinkles as she gives him a forced smile. “Let me know if you or Nora need me, Kairos.”
She’s gone before I can even blink. Turning to Mio, I slap his chest with the back of my hand as laughter spills out of me. For a moment I’m thankful to have a distraction from the heartbreak and pain of my own life, instead focusing on the embarrassment of his.
“That was good, bro. Almost as good as the last fifteen times you’ve tried and failed at flirting with her.” Shaking my head, I walk away, still laughing under my breath.
“All it takes is one yes. She’s just playing hard to get, man. One day she’ll surprise us both and give me a chance. You’ll see.” He jogs to me as I open a portal to send him home.
“It’s late. Check on our soldiers and let me know if there’s anything at all they need. I’ll meet up with you tomorrow.”
“Try not to cry too much, Ro. You’ll have permanent eye bags soon if you aren’t careful.” He laughs as he faces the portal.
“Ha-ha. You’re hilarious. Go.” I wave a hand, sending a heavy breeze hurtling toward him, helping him along.
“Fate is on your side, Kairos. Remember that. It’s all going to be okay.” The portal closes and he’s gone, thank the gods.
I’ll stay a little longer. I know I should rest, especially after the heaviness today brought with it, the feelings stirring within my soul that I can no longer ignore or pretend aren’t real. I know the truth. My heart is no longer my own. It belongs to Nora. It always has. As difficult and painful as all of this is, I know I must be patient.
One day, Nora will be the most beautiful queen to ever exist in the celestial realms, but more importantly…
It will be me who stands beside her at the throne, because she will be mine. She is mine. She just doesn’t know it yet.
Chapter Twelve
Death and the Tower
NORA
The scent of sage lingers in the air from Katie cleansing the house of negativity and evil earlier today. Now the flickering candles cast shadows across her features as she lays out her tarot cards on the coffee table with Olivia and I sitting across from her on the floor. Olivia giggles and snorts next to me so I elbow her in the ribs.
“Shhh… this is serious stuff. Grow up,” I whisper, then we both giggle as we take another swig of our sweet wine.
As soon as Ere left this morning, I called Katie and begged her to make time to give me a tarot reading today. She happily agreed after I promised her lots of wine. Last night I had a breakthrough with Ere, and I woke up in good spirits, but I know this feeling won’t last forever. If I want to hold onto happiness and make it work with him, then conquering the darkness once and for all has to be a priority. I can’t allow it to keep dragging me down. But I need answers and the truth, and more than anything, to find out if something dark truly is after me.
Katie’s eyes flutter open, and she peers across the table at us with an amused look on her face. “Both of you grow up.” Her smile fades as she snaps her eyelids shut and lets her hands hover above the cards. Slowly she moves them back and forth, her usual way of infusing energy into each one.
Olivia and I share a quick glance just as the air around us stills, and warm, electrical currents brush against my skin. The hairs on my arms and the back of my neck rise as the flames from Katie’s candles do the same, swaying and reaching up toward the energy that floats around us. I can’t see any change, but I feel the sudden shift in the air, the charged power wrapping itself around not only me, but possibly the entire world. I’ve never been given a reason to believe in magic or witchcraft, but with the strange and terrifying things I’ve experienced in the past year, nothing would surprise me anymore. My friend is a witch. I no longer question it at all as her pale, icy eyes explore mine. My thoughts relax as my mind opens to let her in. It’s like she unlocked some deep, hidden part of me that was closed off before, letting me melt into the belief that magic exists.
