Celia twisted her hands and sprayed a line of scalding steam toward me.
A strange look flickered over Jacob’s face. Tenderness, maybe. Regret, definitely.
I untied Celia’s illusion, tugging the knots loose. She was already conjuring another attack, but then Jacob sent a blast of wind, knocking her daggered whirlpool aside.
“Jacob?” she asked, shock making her voice crack.
My hearing was back, loud and clear.
My brother’s eyes darkened.
Celia didn’t stay shocked long. She twisted her hand, and a giant, snapping electric eel flashed into existence. It raced toward Jacob. Its twisting body filled the air with deadly voltage.
Jacob conjured a wall of air and crushed the eel.
Celia created a wave that was as tall as the ceiling. She shoved it at Jacob. “You were my sea. And you sent a creature to kill?—”
I pulled Celia’s net of overhand and bowline knots loose, and the crashing wave disappeared.
“I’m sorry, Lia,” Jacob said.
Then Celia crumpled to her knees, and her eyes rolled back in her head. Jacob conjured a bed of wind and gently lowered her to the wood floor.
Ragnor had stopped screaming. He was whimpering now. The old man—Celia—was curled in a tight ball, unconscious, a frown marring her wrinkled face.
I unknotted the illusion surrounding her, and there she was. Celia Bard. Alive.
She was different than she’d been during the games.
Her hair was a little longer and not as sleek. She had flyaways and needed a trim. Her nose was sunburned and her lips chapped. She was paler too, and thinner, like maybe she’d been ill and still hadn’t recovered. Even so, she was even more beautiful than she’d ever been.
Jacob stared at Celia for a moment, his expression the same one he’d worn at the gala when he’d thought no one was watching. Longing. Tenderness, maybe. Protectiveness.
He let out a long sigh, then he held out a hand and helped me stand. “So . . . what are you doing here?”
I smiled. “Sorry I ruined your morning. Looked like you were having a nice time.”
His eyes crinkled, and he mentally tapped against my heart. Just one quick tap, as if he were checking to make sure my doors were still locked tight. “You’re really good at destroying illusion. A lot better than you used to be.”
I nodded. “Are you and Celia . . .?”
Jacob’s mouth twisted into a self-mocking smile, and his hair fluttered in a quick gust of wind. He didn’t answer my question. Instead, he looked at my neck and asked, “Are you all right?”
I lifted my hand to the blood on my throat. The slice had stopped bleeding. It was only a little sticky. Mostly dried. “I’m okay. I shouldn’t have come. I only wanted them to know Luvic’s getting married tomorrow.”
Jacob tilted his head. “Is he?”
I nodded. “To Last.”
Jacob’s eyebrows rose. “Huh. And I didn’t get an invitation?”
“Maybe you should come.”
“Maybe I should. As the Ward, it’s practically an obligation.” He almost smiled. He nodded at Celia and Ragnor. “Does anyone else know they’re alive?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think so.”
Ragnor moaned, and Jacob flicked his gaze to him, his expression darkening again. “We should go.”
