Page 12 of Deadly Little Games (Four Ways to Fate #2)

12

We met Mistral back at the village. He and the other goblins had fanned out, searching for me. Gabriel helped me down from his horse as a few of them gathered around us, and I found myself unable to meet anyone’s eyes.

Just how much had they seen?

Judging by the way they watched me, quite a lot.

Mistral put an arm around me, pulling me close. “You’re shivering. What happened? You disappeared into thin air.”

I glanced at the gathered goblins. “Maybe we should talk about that later.”

His hollow eyes widened briefly. It seemed that even with my help, fighting against the vines had taken everything he had. “Yes, of course.”

I looked at the surrounding buildings. Not a vine in sight. “So it’s safe now?”

“For now,” Gabriel muttered at my back.

One of the other goblins finally got brave enough to step forward. She had short auburn hair and olive skin, her eyes large and brown. She wrung her hands, then smoothed the skirt of her simple white dress now stained with dirt. “We wanted to thank you,” she said to me. “We know you helped save us, and you didn’t have to. Perhaps the tales the old ones tell about celestials are misguided.”

I wrinkled my nose. “No, they’re probably true, but I’m not a full celestial. Either way, you’re welcome.”

She seemed a little confused by my response, but she accepted it with a curtsy, then scurried back toward the others. The rest of the villagers were hesitantly entering their homes, some walking around them to assess damage caused by the heavy vines.

I gripped Mistral’s arm as we watched them. “We really need to talk.”

“I thought you might say that.”

I glanced back at Gabriel, exchanging a knowing look. I knew it wasn’t really my business, but something had to be done. Without my help, someone might have died tonight. Perhaps many someones. I realized for the first time that finding the Realm Breaker wasn’t just about Mistral going home.

He hadn’t lied. He did want to go, but I was pretty sure he wanted to take all of the Bogs with him.

With my only clothing soaked through with river water, I ended up in the softest robe I had ever experienced. The burgundy fabric was lightweight, but tightly woven, and I sank into it as I curled up in a chair beside the fire with a cup of tea. The scent of chamomile and honey wafted up toward my face.

Mistral sat in the chair across from mine. Gabriel had excused himself to bring Ringo from his room to mine, but I knew it was just to give us privacy.

Quiet moments ticked by, until finally Mistral asked, “How much did Sebastian tell you?”

I lifted one shoulder, keeping both hands wrapped around my mug of tea. I was perfectly warm now, but keeping my hands on my mug would stop me from fidgeting. “He told me there was a bargain after your mother died. And now you can’t leave the Bogs.”

“Did he tell you why he did it?”

I shook my head.

“He thought I wouldn’t be able to handle it. He thought I would die.”

My fingers flexed around my mug. I knew Sebastian was a jerk, but— “He wouldn’t do it just to watch you die. He would only go to the trouble if it would benefit him. What would he stand to gain from your death?”

Mistral lowered his chin in acknowledgment. “I see you’ve come to know him quite well. You are right. Although he did not share his ulterior motives with me, I knew there must be something motivating him. The only possibility I have come up with is that he hoped once I was dead, the magic of the Bogs would be his for the taking.”

I lifted my brows. This wasn’t even what we were supposed to be talking about, but I was dying to know more. “What would he do with it?”

“You mean you don’t know?”

I frowned, then shook my head.

“Sebastian doesn’t have enough power to return to the hells. He’s just as trapped as the rest of us. Every contract he makes is an attempt to gain power, enough power to travel back-and-forth as he pleases.”

“But he pops around like nobody’s business.” I waved my hand in the air. “How can he do that, but not have enough power to go home?”

“How can you shift in this realm, and even to nearby pocket realms, but not have the power to reach your mother?”

I considered his words, and everything they meant. Realizing something, I set my tea aside and moved to stand. “That bastard told me he could have rescued me when I got stuck with Crispin!”

“You may wish to run off and shout at him, but I assure you it will do you no good.”

Gritting my teeth, I lowered back down to my seat. “What a jerk.”

One corner of his mouth ticked up. “I will not argue with you on that point.”

“Okay,” I settled back against my cushions, “so we have established that Sebastian is a monumental asshole who made a bargain to bind you to the Bogs so he could watch you die and steal the wild magic here. But why did you do it? What would have happened if you just let it go?”

“The boundary had been created. We would have lasted for a while. But it would have been like what you saw tonight. Goblin magic is wild magic. In my realm, my people work with the land. But here… sometimes it works against us. My mother was exceedingly powerful, but eventually it wore her down.”

“She died because of it,” I finished for him.

Once again, he lowered his chin.

“And now you’ll die because of it.”

His expression darkened. “Perhaps. But my only other choice is to let my people die instead.”

Everything finally clicked into place. Exactly what was at stake, and why Mistral had joined the game. “You don’t just want the Realm Breaker to go home. You need it to save your life, and everyone else’s.”

Again, that slight nod.

“And I have a contract to either give it to a devil, or to give him my own mother.”

“A rather unfortunate conundrum.”

I studied his face, the firelight rimming the edge of his jaw in soft yellow. “Do you believe that a celestial destroyed the paths to the other realms?”

He was quiet for a moment, watching my face before he finally answered, “I believe it’s a possibility. The other option is that we came here and did not have enough magic to go back. Which is true, we are… less here. But what has stopped others from coming through? Why have no new goblins arrived to see why we did not return?”

My jaw fell open. It was so obvious, and I had never actually considered it. “But Crispin. He came here.”

“He can forge his own temporary paths, as you witnessed today.” He glanced back at the dark window. “Or perhaps it is now yesterday.”

I slumped further in my seat. Had that really been less than twenty-four hours ago? So much had happened, it felt like an entire week had passed in a single day. “Okay, one last question, then I seriously need to go to sleep.”

He quietly waited for me to continue.

“What happened earlier tonight? How were you able to use my magic to control the vines?”

He smiled softly. “Dear Eva, aren’t you aware? Celestial magic is the wildest magic of all.”

My breath sighed out of me. There was still so much I didn’t understand, but my thoughts were continuously dragged back to one single thing. “Whatever magic is growing inside of me, I can’t fight it. I have to let it come. If my mother is in a near realm, I am one of the only people who can find her. Either me, another celestial, or maybe someone like Crispin. I don’t know why I’ve reacted to you or the others so strongly, but I have to explore it.”

Again, that slight dip of his chin. “I will help you in whatever way I can. After tonight, I owe you everything. I owe you my life.”

His words struck me like a bolt to the chest, because I knew he meant them. He could only speak the truth to me. He really felt like he owed me everything.

Earlier, I had agreed to trust him. And deep down, I did. He had been added to the very short list of people I actually trusted. He had told me the truth of his situation, and he deserved the same in return.

I leaned forward in my seat. “Recently I received two separate mysterious notes. I have no idea who they’re from, but I’m going to meet with them tomorrow.”