“Yes,” Raine said. “It was amazing.”
“You were screaming like a scared child,” Ava pointed out.
“That’s because mine wanted to eat me,” he shot back with a grin.
She rolled her eyes while Casimir continued, explaining the rest. And when he got to Deidamia’s death, the air around them shifted, everyone stunned into silence.
Quinn shook her head, muttering, “I thought she couldn’t be killed.”
“You and me both,” Raine said.
This new turn of events was unimaginable. Something they hadn’t prepared for. Because now it was obvious. Their enemy was not who they thought it was this entire time…and much stronger than they originally believed. Raine desperately tried to examine the new information, hoping something stood out to him regarding this change of power. Though he wasn’t a seer, he would occasionally get a sense of something the others couldn’t—like when Ava had first arrived in their world—but it hadn’t happened clearly since.
And right now, he felt nothing.
“We’ve missed something vital,” Thalia said.
“But what?” Jorrar asked. “Even back in the old wars, it was believed she couldn’t be killed. That she was more of a threat than him.”
“Unless that’s all been a lie,” Casimir said.
“Whatever it is we’re missing,” Astrid said, “Andras is more powerful than we thought. You all learned he could jump between places back at the battle in Oakshire. And he was able to kill the daemon queen with ease. This does not bode well.”
“The plan was for Ava to open a portal to the daemon realm and banish Deidamia. Do we just continue, but instead she must banish Andras?” Quinn asked.
Jorrar rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know. It seems so.”
“Wait,” Ava said. “Remember in the book…there was one last type of portal in a completely different language. An ancient one you couldn’t translate, Jorrar?”
“Yes,” he responded as the rest of them watched Ava closely.
“That has to be our answer. Or part of it. Where can we get it translated?”
“I don’t know of anyone who can,” Jorrar said.
“We don’t have time for that,” Aelerion said. “We must focus on rebuilding Igneothenia now.”
“You promised your forces would join us in this war,” Casimir said with irritation.
Arguing ensued on what to do next. Would they spend time rebuilding the volcanic kingdom? Where would the armies station themselves? How would they report this information back to Thorne? There were too many hot-headed leaders in this fucking tent and voices were raised as they all tried to push their agenda and ideas of how they should proceed.
And then it hit him. Some kind of intuition. Like a small whisper on the breeze, guiding him toward the answer. He gasped as he was barely able to make out the words. Words the others couldn’t hear.
Vardan destroyed the evidence. Go to Caelestia.
A gentle hand touched his arm. He met Maeryn’s yellow eyes filled with concern. “What is it?”
“I know something.”
“How?”
“I’ll explain later.”
Maeryn beheld the leaders as she whispered, “They’re all wrong, yes?”
“Yes. Hey, everyone,” Raine tried, but they didn’t hear him, still arguing. “Hello?” They still didn’t acknowledge him.
“Hey!” Maeryn barked and everyone paused. “Silence yourselves. Raine has something he’d like to say.”
