But what would be the cost? Based on the way he avoided her eyes, Bridget had a feeling it would be hefty. Before she could help Nylah into the old truck, Archer held them both back.
“If we’re going with you, you need to tell us what we’re getting into,” he said, dark blue eyes fixed on Stellan. “The last time I agreed to go to Elyria with someone without asking basic questions, I got into such deep shit, Ithought there would never be a way out. So tell us… what does Vega want? We all know she’s a crazy Blood Witch, but why did she start this war?”
Stellan sighed, then opened the driver door of his truck. “We don’t have time for this right now. Besides, Ican’t.”
Bridget slammed the door shut again. “No, Archer’s right. We can’t just go marching into Elyria blind. I’ve been there and done that. I won’t do it again. You said you’ve had time to figure out some of what you’re missing. Sotry.”
For a long moment, Stellan stared at her. There was a war in his eyes, she could tell. The depth of pain and history there almost left her breathless. Bridget couldn’t imagine knowing so much, but only able to share so little. She almost said as much, but Stellan suddenly lowered his gaze.
“The four artifacts… I think that’s what Vega is after. Marin helped me figure that out a few years ago,” he said, voice gravelly. “They were created by the Tuathans thousands of years ago. An ultimate show of power. It was said that together, these artifacts could defeat any enemy.”
“Are they real? Or just some urban legend?” Archer asked.
Stellan’s demeanor darkened, telling Bridget they were very real. She asked, “What are they? And where are they now?”
“One is in Andarre, isn’t it?” Alexia asked, finally speaking up. “Growing up, I heard rumors of a powerful weapon locked in the palace. When the attacks from the sea started, people began to question why we weren’t using it.”
“You’re not wrong, but the artifacts… their magic is specific. Once they choose a master, it can only be wielded by them,” Stellan said.
An image tore through Bridget’s mind. The same one Cora had dragged to the surface when she’d gripped her thoughts. Cade, standing beneath a cloud of dark trees, a sword blazing with light in his hand. The vision still clung to her, stubborn and vivid, despite everything that had followed hours later. It had felt too real to dismiss.
Her pulse skidded. A memory? One that she hadn’t even realized washersat the time? She forced out a slow breath, grounding herself. Nylah’s fingers tightened around hers, anchoring her.
"Is one of the artifacts a sword?" Bridget asked.
A little surprised, Stellan nodded.
Bridget straightened, spine locking into place. “It’s Cade,” she said, certainty cutting through the lingering panic. “That’s why this whole plan to bring us back exists, isn’t it? Because it has to be him.”
“It's been centuries and…" Frustration marred Stellan's brow as he paused. "Nothing is guaranteed."
Anticipation rushed through Bridget’s veins. “Okay, so there’s four artifacts… Vega wanted them all?” Bridget concluded. “For what? And why would she even want them if Cade controlled one of them?”
“Slow down,” Archer whispered in her ear. “Give him a chance to breathe.”
Bridget slammed her lips shut. He was right. Her onslaught of questions had cracked Stellan’s composure. A trickle of blood escaped his nose as he clearly battled the curse holding his memories hostage.
“The crown is the other well-known artifact…”
His gravelly tone told her it wasn’t a normal crown. Silence enveloped them. Bridget’s own heartbeat echoed in her ears.
“What did that do?” Archer asked. “Or is that…”
“People believe it could raise the dead.”
Ice filled Bridget’s veins. A knot in her stomach screamed at her. Telling her of things she didn’t quite understand. When she finally found her voice, she asked, “Why would she do that?”
“To raise a zombie army of Blood Witches,” Archer muttered. “Obviously.”
Nylah asked, “Do you know where the crown is now?”
“No one knows. It was last seen five hundredyears ago.”
Despite answering Nylah, Stellan kept his gaze locked on Bridget. There was a strange sort of desperation. A plea for understanding. A begging for her to read between the lines and discover what he didn’t remember fully.
She was very close to getting her hands on something that would have won her the war. You stopped that before it happened. Stellan’s explanation about why she was executed echoed in her head. She’d found the crown. And then hidden it from Vega.
Despite any more evidence from Stellan, she justknew.
