“Last time I had a nightmare,” I said breathlessly, “I was dragged to the ocean floor and woke up soaking wet in the third trial.”
Silas kissed the top of my head. “You’re done with your trials. This was just a nightmare.”
“But what if it’s another sign?”
“From the Darkest Lord?”
“It felt real,” I gasped, as I described the monstrous sensation of spirits becoming flesh in my head. Silas listened carefully, then gently repeated, “It’s just a dream. You have heavy burdens. It’s not surprising that you’re plagued by nightmares.”
I nodded, shivering, though doubt lingered. Liza had spoken of her mother delivering messages through dreams. Were these violent visions also warnings? I tried to shake it off. I didn’t need to focus on the what-ifs when it came to my nightmares. I had a lot of real, tangible issues to focus on in the present. Still, my legs prickled with goosebumps as I tried to fall back to sleep.
When I couldn’t drift back off, I finally rolled out of bed and opted for a shower. I found Silas waiting for me when I finished, dressed and ready for the day. The sun was just beginning to rise as we brought breakfast into the garden and lingered over fresh cups of piping-hot coffee.
“Are you ready?” Silas asked, glancing over the steam of his cup at me. “For today?”
“As ready as I can be.” I hesitated. “Will there be a lot of people at the ceremony?”
“Yes, I imagine so. Out of excitement and obligation and duty and curiosity, I’m sure. But don’t worry, nearly every Ranger on staff will be there as a security measure. They’ll ensure no harm comes to you.”
“What if nobody shows up?” I cupped my hands around the warmth of my cup. “What if people refuse to participate in the giving of heartbeats because they don’t believe in me?”
Silas gave me a kind, slow smile that burned bright like embers. “You don’t have to worry about that, Alessia. There will be people there.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“I am.” His voice held quiet certainty. “We should be going, though. We need to meet back at the castle for a briefing, and then I’m sure the Rangers and Dr. Lewis would like some timewith you. Lily has made me promise to have you back a few hours before the ceremony so she can work her magic on you—her words, not mine.”
With a plan in place for the day, we made our way to the castle where others were already gathering to regroup after yesterday’s meeting. Millie was there already, flitting around and pouring tea. She’d brought in fresh flowers as a centerpiece for the dining table. Plates were waiting, laden with fresh fruits and biscuits and cream.
I took a seat next to Silas, picking aimlessly at a few grapes as the rest of the group filed in. Rangers, Lily, Atlas. Atlas wandered in last, of course, sleepy-eyed and disheveled looking in a GQ model sort of way. He sat on the other side of me. I felt a little awkward being flanked by the two huge brothers, one all hulking darkness and the other easy golden light.
“Tell me the truth,” I said to Atlas. “Do you believe it’s possible for a mortal to visit the underworld?”
Atlas choked on a sip of his coffee, which led to a violent cough attack. “Please tell me you’re not still considering that as an actual option.”
“I just want to know if it’s a possibility.”
“Possible? Yes,” he said after some hesitation, and with a furtive glance at his brother, who was obviously eavesdropping. “But incredibly dangerous. You’re asking for trouble if you keep up with this line of investigation.”
“I know you guys are exchanging looks with your eyes that say things behind my back,” I said to the brothers. “I’m right here. I’m simply asking questions, and let me remind you that it would be my decision anyway if it were something I chose to attempt.”
“True,” Atlas conceded. “But it’s my brother’s decision whether he tries to murder me if I help you get to the underworld.”
Silas smirked faintly, the brothers sharing rare agreement. The delicate family dynamics weren’t lost on me. I didn’t want to cause further tension by causing a rift between them, so I decided not to force the issue now. If necessary, we’d revisit it later.
We wisely changed the subject to safer topics, wherein Lily eagerly explained that she’d made a breakthrough with her potion. She’d tested it last night on a Smoke Stack after I’d left, and it had worked flawlessly, just as she’d planned.
“I’ve got samples here for you all. I’m calling it a Blood Moon Martini,” Lily said, and at her words, Millie appeared in the doorway holding a silver tray like a cocktail waitress. But instead of sparkling champagne, she carried squat-shaped potion vials filled with a shimmery golden liquid that churned inside each one. “Thanks, Millie. If you could distribute one to everyone, that would be ideal.”
Millie walked around the table, plunking down the vials in front of each person like an expensive hors d’oeuvre.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Lily said to Atlas, who had already uncorked a vial and taken a sniff. He looked like he wanted to toss the whole thing back like a shot of vodka. “This is meant to be used on the spirits.”
Lily looked as beautiful as always, but while I watched her explain how the potion worked, I noticed her cheeks had a slight hollowness to them, and there were traces of violet shadows under her eyes. I doubted she’d slept more than a couple of hours.
“This is great,” Atlas said. “It’s like a freeze ray. We douse the spirits with this and then…what? We smack ’em? Vacuum them up?”
A soft laugh dominoed around the table.
