As if reading her thoughts, Delphine added, “Bridget doesn’t have much time left. I saw a glimpse of her, when he connected with my mind.” A shudder pulsed through her body. “There was already so much blood.”
The words hung in the air like ash.
From across the clearing, Stellan’s gaze snapped to them. His stare locked on Cassia, unreadable. Something tightened in his expression.
Beside her, Delphine swallowed audibly. “I think he wants to talk to you,” she murmured. “I should be helping with Finn anyway. I just… thought you looked like you needed someone.”
Cassia used all her strength to keep her mouth from falling open. The observation hit her harder than she expected. It had been a long time since anyone had taken the time to see her. Reallyseeher. Besides Castor, she wasn’t sure anyone ever had.
She rolled her lips together, fighting the sudden prick of tears. Her voice came out steadier than she felt. “Thank you.”
Delphine gave a single nod, then turned and jogged toward Finn’s unconscious form near the tavern. Cassia exhaled slowly and closed her eyes. When she finally opened them, Stellan was standing directly in front of her.
“Was that necessary?” Cassia snapped, rubbing her temple. The pound of her heartbeat fueled the growing ache in her head. Especially since her father hadn’t stopped berating Cade. Her brother ignored his rageful remarks as he strode off to join the others with Finn.
Cassia’s patience, already paper-thin, ripped.
“Why don’t you stop them?” she hissed. “It’s just like in his study. You could probably overpower them both but you choose not to.”
The accusation burned hotter than she intended. But deep down, part of her meant it. He couldstopthis. Knock them out or freeze them. He wasTuathan. Weren’t they supposed to be more powerful than any of them combined?
Stellan didn’t flinch. His voice was maddeningly calm. “My interference would only make things worse.” His resigned gaze drifted toward the campfire, toward Cade. “Besides, it’s time.”
Cassia’s heart stopped. “Time for what?”
He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he just stood there, strangely still. “Time for the moment I’ve spent five hundred years dreading,” he finallysaid. “I thought I could stop it. Once.” His mouth curled into a broken smile. “Everything I did only made it worse.”
He wasn’t looking at her anymore. His eyes had locked onto Cade, who now whispered something to Delphine, his whole body practically vibrating with barely restrained urgency.
“What we are,” Stellan murmured, “is a blessing and a curse. I know he’s frustrated he doesn’t have his full abilities yet, but he should consider himself lucky he doesn’t see what I do.”
The urge to ask him just what he saw overwhelmed Cassia, but for once, no remarks formed in her mouth. There was such a heavy weight in his eyes. For a split-second, she was afraid of carrying it too. Of knowing exactly what the future held and being unable to stop it.
After a moment, Stellan added, “And you should consider yourself lucky too.”
“What do you mean?” Cassia asked, blood running cold.
Stellan turned his full attention to her, and the shift in his expression made her stomach tighten. “I spent a long time trying to figure out your existence too,” Stellan admitted. “You’re an anomaly. You were born when you shouldn’t have been. Cade was never a twin. Why would he be reborn as one?”
Cassia had no idea. Magic had been the bane of her existence for so many years. Because of that, she’d deliberately avoided most books about it. She’d tuned out every conversation that might have been worthwhile to her now.
“And then I began to realize…” Stellan continued. “Magic loves balance.”
“I don’t feel very balanced.” Cassia couldn’t help but snap. What ran through her veins felt anythingbut. Her skin felt like a live wire desperate for power.
Stellan’s lips twisted, just slightly. “Vega… she disrupted everything. Her pursuit for power broke entire lands. I think nature wanted a way to put things right.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. “That’s why I think you’re the only one who can do this. Blood magic won’t affect you like everyone else.”
Cassia refused to take it from his hand. “What’s that?”
“It’s the curse Bridget used to send the crown away. At least, the part Vega told her, apparently,” he said, still holding it up for her, like he knew she would eventually take it. “But it should be enough. And it won’t take that much blood if you channel something else just as strong... Like the site of three life changing curses.”
Air evaporated from her lungs. Cavamyne. She couldn’t feel her body as she slowly took the paper from him. Once it was in her fingers, Cassia recognized the notebook paper. Bridget’s handwriting was a scribble, but it was enough. Her brain couldn’t imagine actually doing what he implied. She couldn’t comprehend using the curse in her hand on herself and willingly jumping through time for anobject.
“Why are you giving this to me?” Cassia asked, despite already knowing the answer. If that’s what he wanted her to do, then she wanted tohearit. Loud and clear.
“Maybe it’s time for you to embrace your fate, too.”
Chapter thirty-four
