“A brilliant plan stupidly foiled by the idiot who decided it was a great idea to bring you and Cade back five hundred years later,” Cassia sneered. “News flash. Your blood is hot and ready for any wannabe Sanguis member to use.”
Cade glared at her. “Seriously, Cass?”
“Hey, it’s not just mine that’s needed,” Bridget argued indignantly. “Selene’s blood was part of the curse too. I kind of… stabbed her in the stomach to get it. I assume she’s dead.”
“Who the hell is Selene?” Archer asked.
“A Wraith in the cell next to mine. She used to be this high ranking Tuathan that worked for Cade’s mother until she got wrapped up in blood magic.”
Cassia rolled her eyes. “Of course you were in prison.”
“Just so we’re clear…” Castor sighed, his nose pinched between two fingers. “We need this crown to stop Vega and these Wraiths that seem to be able to slip between realms?”
“Marin seemed to think so,” Stellan replied.
Even Castor, with stress lines etched in his forehead, didn’t want to argue with that.
Cassia crossed her arms. “If Marin had all these important visions, why did she even send us after the crown if it’s basically inaccessible?”
“Marin said the visions weren’t always straightforward or clear,” Bridget argued. “Maybe finding out the reasonswhyVega wants the crown are just as important as finding it physically. Now that we know that she’s my sister and I remember how she thinks, it will be easier to stop her from here.”
Cassia still didn’t look convinced. “Does it matter if we have it? This Vega bitch is still trapped in Iegorus. As long as she staysthere, she can’t get the crown. And I don’t think any of us are planning to sacrifice Cade to let her out any time soon. Unless I’ve missed a vital part of the plan.”
Cade rolled his eyes. “Thanks, Cass.”
“That hasn’t stopped her from using other people to get what she wants. She clearly has a foothold,” Bridget said. Even now, she was afraid Vega would pop into her mind any second.
“I.e. Quinn,” Archer added.
Bridget froze. It wasn’t only Quinn she’d been contacting. She been speaking to her. For months.
You’re not remembering the right words.
In her dream, Vega had shown her the time curse. Had repeated the spell over and over until she’d forced herself awake.
“What’s wrong?”
Stellan’s question broke Bridget out of her sudden reverie. His eyes were glued to her. The realization she’d just come to must have been written all over her face. “I think she’s already figured it out,” Bridget said.
“The dreams,” Cade finished for her, straightening his spine. Without her having to ask, he flicked his wrist. Seconds later, the door flew open and her all-things-Elyria notebook shot into his hand. Wordlessly, he handed it to her. She knew exactly what page she was looking for. It had only happened a few weeks ago.
“This,” Bridget said, pointing to the spell on the page. “This is the curse that she wrote. The one that sent the crown away. She knows. She practically told me. Shetauntedme with it.”
“What do you mean she practicallytoldyou?” Stellan growled.
“Bridget’s been seeing her. Ever since the curse broke,” Cade said, sending Archer a very unfriendly glare.
Archer visibly paled, but Bridget couldn’t blame him. She would’ve had trouble believing herself, too.
“Look, it’s not the time to discuss who thought I was going crazy or not,” Bridget said. “It’s fine. Cade couldn’t even feel her. She figured out whenwe were kids that she could use our shared blood to communicate without hurting me or leaving any magical evidence. Honestly, until now,Ithought I was going crazy. The important thing is that Vega knows… which means someone needs to go after the crown before she does.”
Stellan cursed and moved to stand in front of the window.
“I’m assuming it’s another blood magic curse,” Castor said. Throughout the conversation, his stance next to Cassia hadn’t changed. Protective. Loyal. Unwavering. Cassia seemed just as stuck in his orbit as he was in her, though they both seemed oblivious to it.
Bridget nodded, and then looked down at the grimoire next to her hip “This was hers…” She couldn’t believe it hadn’t gotten lost in history. It looked exactly the same. It still brought the same unease to her stomach. Bridget shoved it to the floor. “I don’t want it near me. But, please, someone else needs to take it and figure out how she was controlling Quinn even with the amethyst rune. All her spells are in there. Except the one I used for the crown.”
Grimly, Stellan picked up the grimoire and tucked it under his arm.
