Page 134 of Hero of Havoc

“You’re right, we just have to make sure they see it the same way,” he murmurs.

“I think there was a shift last night after we wrangled Dorian and brought him before the meeting,” Sax adds as Archer scrubs his jaw.

“You’re right. Professor Viola was quiet but eagerly cooperative,” he observes, and I got the same energy too.

“Now we just have to hope that whatever this relic is about is over and done with in five seconds so we can get the hell back to bed. I need my beauty sleep,” Teddy declares, and I smile, but any response is muted on the tip of my tongue when I find my brother standing at the entrance to the arena.

I gulp past my nerves as Teddy slips his arms from around my shoulder, and I walk into my brother’s arms. He presses a soft kiss to the crown of my head before peering down at me.

“Are you sure about this?” he asks, and I roll my eyes.

“Don’t give Teddy an excuse for me to back out. I want to get this over with,” I murmur, and he nods.

“Everyone else is waiting,” he answers, guiding me inside, and I frown.

“Everyone?” I repeat, trepidation churning in my gut.

“Professors Viola and Professor Carbon.”

“Is that normal?”

He shrugs. “Usually, but I can’t say I’ve ever been in this situation before, VeeVee,” he admits, and I nod in understanding as he comes to a stop by the door to the meeting room.

He doesn’t give me a second to catch my breath before he enters, encouraging me along with him, and I find the relic waiting in front of Professor Viola’s seat.

Nausea threatens to overwhelm me as my pulse rings in my ears.

“Miss Hayworth,” Professor Viola mutters, and I smile. “Before you do this, and by this I mean nothing at all because I don’t want there to be an issue,” she starts, lacing her fingers together nervously. “I owe you an apology, not just for being unable to figure the relic out without you, but for not trusting in what you were saying this entire time. I understand how foolish of me that was, and if you’re open to it, after this, I would love to sit down and really discuss the situation as a whole. No more reacting, only acting,” she states, and I nod, taking her extended hand. She offers a firm handshake before taking a step back.

“That sounds like a great plan.”

“Let’s get this one over and done with first, shall we?” Professor Carbon asks, and I suck in a deep breath.

With a quick glance over my shoulder, I make sure to connect with each of my mates, a gentle smile on each of their faces, but the nervousness in the air remains high as I follow Hugo toward the relic.

“How have they worked previously?” he asks, and I point toward the unreadable letters engraved around the middle.

“I usually just run my thumb across here,” I explain.

“That’s what we’ve been trying to do, but nothing happened,” he offers, and I clear my throat.

“Shall we try it together?”

“Sure.”

“Put your hand on my arm as well, just in case. That’s how Archer ended up in a vision with me last time,” I add, and he does just that, his fingers curling around my shoulder as I try to summon another deep breath.

“Ready?” he mutters, and I nod.

“Ready.”

In sync, we reach for the engraving, our fingertips gliding over the gold as a blinding light erupts from the relic. Hugo’s fingernails bite into my skin as he clings to me, the flash of white dimming slowly to reveal surroundings I’m not even remotely familiar with.

“Fuck,” Hugo curses, making my back stiffen as I glance around the new scenery.

It’s just the two of us, so the relic didn’t create a portal; it became one. But where the hell are we?

Panic floods my body as I gape at the enormous waterfall off in the distance, the pretty shades of blues and greens colliding beneath the foaming bubbles. The sun sits high in the sky as a gentle breeze ghosts around us.