I blew a sigh of relief. “We made it out of Forevermore.”
Where did you think you’d gone?Oberi asked sarcastically.
“I’m not sure,” I admitted. I hadn’t really had any concept of time. “Is Ava okay?”
I reached out through the bond for her and felt her close by. Excitement twinged through the bond, like she was happy I was finally awake... but she shut it down a moment later. I tried to reach for her again, but she’d thrown up a brick wall between us.
My guts sank at the rejection. I had no idea why she felt the need to shut me out. After everything we’d been through recently, I needed her right now.
If she isn’t okay, I’m not sure who’s been bringing you those flowers,Oberi said dryly.
I reached to the table beside my bed to see what he was talking about. My fingers touched soft petals. It was the end of the semester, and springtime now. Ava must’ve picked them out of the prison yard and brought them here. Some of the flowers were wilted, indicating how long I’d been here. I took one of them in my fingers and tugged on my magic, to test how badly the Warden had truly hurt me.
The flower stem curled in my fingers, and petals rained down onto the bed. The flower died, though my body surged with powerful magic.
I was just too sad to bring it back to life.
Ava had shut me out. My father and grandfather were gone, and I’d only just found them. As scared as I’d been about learning the truth of my heritage, I’d thought I could make Forevermore my home. The city had been a wonder beyond my wildest dreams. I’d never slept in a bed so comfortable or tasted food so sweet.
But it was too good to be true, and I’d lost it— like I always did.
“Lie back down,” a nurse said as she came to my bedside. “You aren’t well.”
No shit, lady, Oberi huffed in my mind.You gonna stand there and state the obvious all day?He was clearly perturbed.
“It’s fine,” I said, more to Oberi than the nurse. “I’m fine.”
Except I moved too quickly to lie down, and my head spun. The nurse offered me meds, but I refused. I didn’t trust anything the Warden might possibly have prescribed.
The infirmary went quiet, and I had nothing but time to think. It was agonizing. I wished I could just pass out for another week, so I wouldn’t have to think about it. I could still hear the screams of Elves as they raced through the city to escape the guards.
I pondered my Elf magic, and how much of it I could truly manipulate. The last thing I wanted was for the Warden to learn I had Elf blood. He’d been experimenting on students to get to Forevermore. I didn’t know what he intended to do now that he’d found the city— probably strip it of its gold and riches. But that didn’t mean his quest for power was over. If he found out what I was— a demigod and the next in line for the Elven throne— he would use me for sure.
I was released from the infirmary the following day, once I managed to convince the nurses I could stand on my own. Angel magic wasnotsomething you wanted to fuck with. My whole body ached as I headed toward my cell. I didn’t really want to go there, but I didn’t know where elsetogo. Ava hadn’t reached out to me, and that wall she’d put up held strong. I was too depressed to pay attention to where I was going, so I held on to Oberi as he walked me through the halls.
As I passed by the Villain’s Den, loud conversation caught my attention. Something played on the TV, but so many people spoke amongst themselves that I couldn’t make it out.
“I bet there are thousands of Elves left,” someone said.
I nudged Oberi, and he led me toward the door. I could feel the tension in the room the second I stepped inside. As I listened, I realized the supernatural news channel was playing— a broadcasting station accessed only through private servers.
“Many are struggling to understand the sudden reappearance of the Elves,” a newscaster said on TV. “But the greater question stands: What alliances might form, and what does this mean for the supernatural community? Stay tuned for an expert testimony…”
I stopped listening when someone called my name. “Charlie! How the hell are you?”
He clapped my shoulder, and I realized it was Chancey.
I shrugged. “Surviving, I guess. What’s going on?”
So many conversations were happening at once that I had a hard time picking up on just one. All I could tell was thateveryonewas talking about the Elves.
Chancey took my shoulder and guided me away from the TV. He lowered his voice. “Things have been… strange the last couple of days, ever since you guys got back from Forevermore.”
“You know about that?” I gaped.
“Marcus couldn’t keep his mouth shut,” Chancey said.
I groaned.
