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CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE

FRANKIE

“They weren’t dead,” Sweyn said with a growl. She gripped the armrests of her throne so hard chunks of crystal broke off and dropped to the floor at my feet.

“They weren’t here , Sweyn,” Cyrus snapped. He gestured to the open archways that led out onto the snowy field. “Unless you are about to claim they all wandered here on their own together?”

She shrugged one shoulder. “Perhaps their wagon lost a wheel and saw the smoke from our chimneys and came looking for shelter from the cold?”

Livinia scoffed and rolled her golden eyes. “So why not drain them of their blood? Such hospitality you have.”

“My, my, little Bishop.” Sweyn stood and walked down the steps in front of her throne. “Remind me, were they huddled in front of a fire freezing when you found them? Or wearing nothing but the flesh they were born with in a warm room?”

“Chained to your bed,” Lavinia snarled. She looked just like a pissed-off Emersyn.

Sweyn smirked. “You should have entered more silently. You would have heard how much they were enjoying it.”

My stomach rolled. I knew from experience that being fed from could feel pleasurable, immensely so, but those people had not volunteered to be chained to that bed and fed from. I knew they hadn’t. I was there in the Land of the Lore when they were lured in by magic, hunted, and then kidnapped.

“For centuries, I’ve had an agreement with The Coven, each Coven, that so long as we remained within the walls of Avolire, we would be free to live how we see fit.” Sweyn strolled forward. In the back of my mind, I wondered why they had released her from their magic rope, and when did she put that red cloak on? But Sweyn kept walking until she was maybe ten feet in front of Cyrus. “Have we not been paying for our past crimes by living in these bitter conditions?—”

“After Lilith left, of course,” their Hermit Card said with a cocky smirk. “Lest you think it was not documented which side of the One Hundred Years’ War you chose.”

I gripped Everest’s arm and peeked around his shoulder. Elizabeth Bishop was staring at me. Her expression was unreadable. To her right stood the High Priestess and Empress—which I only knew by the Marks on their arms. They were nearly identical to each other, with black curly hair and big gray eyes. They looked just like Esther. And they were looking right at me.

My eyes widened. I ducked back behind Everest to hide. If that dragon sensed Coven magic on me, then the other Coven members would even more so. Because I felt them as if they were my own Coven. They had to be confused. Though, Elizabeth Bishop had called me Tower, so she knew which Card I was. I wondered what else their psychic had seen.

“What I want to know, young Cuthbert,” Sweyn drawled, “is if you have justification for being here yourselves? It is as unlikely your entire Coven were in the area as those humans were.”

I slowly peeked around Everest’s other arm and my gaze landed on another set of women who looked like Esther, except these two had to be teenagers while the others looked more grown. They looked nearly like twins. Had I not known any better, I would have assumed they were. They must have been sisters or something. Their arms told me they were the Magician and the Moon. The Irit girls. Elizabeth had said the Irit girls were upstairs. These four have to be ancestors of Esther and her mother. They have to be.

“Sounds like you’re making threats again, Sweyn.”

“No, Proctor, I am demanding to know why you get to break your own rules.” Sweyn crossed her arms over her chest, no doubt to mock Cyrus. “The Coven who provided me and my vampire kingdom with the castle and land made a treaty. We would not make any stands of violence against The Coven or her allies, and they would not trespass my land without cause. You had to have a reason to come here.”

The High Priestess let out a menacing chuckle. “I am so glad you asked. Selah, darling, why don’t you bring out our guest?”

“Yes, Mother.” The teen with the Magician’s Mark who looked like Esther held her left hand up and blue magic poured from her palm. “Our reason for making the trip, Your Majesty. ”

I buried my face in Everest’s back to stop myself from laughing.

Sweyn gasped. Everest straightened. I frowned and leaned around him again and my jaw dropped. It was the human I attacked in the Land of the Lore. The woman in the green cotton dress with mud stains halfway up to her knees and frizzy, curly blonde hair. Her eyes kept rolling to the back of her head like she was struggling to stay conscious.

The Lovers Card was holding her up, but she reached over and pushed the woman’s hair back to reveal a fresh set of bloody puncture wounds perfectly spaced to the size of a mouth. “Imagine our surprise to find a human who’d been bitten by a vampire.”

Sweyn balled her hands into fists. “Where did you find her?”

“We found her outside of Eden in the Appalachian Mountains.” Elizabeth looked over. “Isn’t that right, Anna?”

“That is right.” The brunette Card holding the bitten human nodded. “Do not worry. We cleaned up the mess the other humans were making about her attack.”

“That is our job, after all.” Cyrus glared at Sweyn. “To keep the human world safe from the rest of us and the monsters we brought here.”

“While we’re not sure how she managed to get all the way down there from here, we do know that she did.” Elizabeth’s gaze casually shot over to me before returning to Sweyn. “She was barely able to tell us what happened, and in little detail, so we called upon our allies with wings and flew up to see if there was a problem needing tending to. Imagine our surprise when the dead rose to tell my daughter your sins.”

“The dead you find here are not from my hand,” Sweyn said in a low voice.

Sharp pain pierced my arm. My pulse quickened. It had to be another message from Valathame. I jumped back behind Everest and lifted my dress sleeve. Sure enough, four lines were written in her elegant script on my skin. Help was called, they made a scene, to bring all eyes on their Queen. Step by step your path is clear. Place the fake without fear.

My eyes widened. Oh shit. Okay. Wow. Right, girl is crazy. But okay. It wasn’t my place to question Valathame. A quick glance around confirmed not a single vampire was looking at me. A few of the Cards kept glancing, but their Tower was straight up staring. I swallowed through the panic rising inside of me. It was time. I slowly slid around Everest so my back pressed against his chest, then I reached my hands behind me to pull the decoy page from where he’d shoved it in his pants. Everest wasn’t dumb though, he realized what I was doing and carefully pushed the page into my hand. For a moment, I just stood there holding this decoy page between our bodies, waiting for someone to notice us.

“This may be your land, but it is our realm.” Cyrus gestured to the human I’d bitten. “Who bit the woman?”

I braced myself.

“Thomas.” Sweyn didn’t even hesitate to name a name, and it wasn’t mine. Nor did she look back in my direction. She didn’t want them to know it was me. I assumed because I was too pretty for her to lose. Sweyn snapped her fingers and two sentinels in fur coats dragged out a vampire with a scar down his cheek. “He has been a problem with his recklessness before.”

Everest’s hands grazed my waist, gently pushing me into motion. I slid back around him, then turned and dove for the throne. My fingers found the edge of that compartment door in seconds. I popped it open and shoved the page inside, then shut the door and jumped to my feet. No one was paying any attention to me, not a single vampire even glanced in my direction. Their attention was solely locked on Sweyn and the Coven Leaders. And Thomas. My heart was pounding. Relief hit me like a brick wall. Oh my God. I did it. I actually did it. I have the missing page. I put the decoy back. I did it. But my heart was beating a little too hard, my breaths a little too tight. Black dots swam across my visio.n I tried to blink them away, but it was only getting worse. My head was light and fuzzy. No, no. Don’t pass out on me NOW. I leaned my forehead against Everest’s back, trying to rein in my adrenaline before it took me down.

His fingers wrapped around mine. Both of his hands held mine at our sides. Without turning around or pulling me to the front of him, he just gently rubbed his thumbs up and down my skin in slow, steady brushes. I timed my breaths with each stroke. Up was in, down was out. Things were being said in front of us between Sweyn and The Coven, but the sounds were lost on my ears. I started counting my breaths. I’d made it to sixty-five when my head cleared and the pressure in my chest loosened. I looked up, expecting to find people watching me, yet not a single gaze was on me. Well, no one outside of The Coven. Their Tower still stared at me. I peeked around Everest and my eyes met Elizabeth’s. Her face gave nothing away, but I could have sworn there was a question in her eyes . . . so I nodded.

She nodded back, then looked right at Thomas. “Lavinia?”

Lavinia stepped up to Thomas, still gripped in the sentinel’s hands, and pressed her palm to his chest. Those golden eyes glowed like pure sunshine. Golden light spilled from beneath her hand. As it spread over Thomas’s chest, it turned bright blue. The blue haze spread to wrap around his entire body. Thomas gasped and threw his head back. His eyes went wide and his skin paled. Light flashed within his chest. There was a soft popping sound.

Thomas’s body dropped to the ground, sliding right out of the sentinel’s hands.

The whole room gasped and leapt backwards. A few people screamed.

Because while his body hit the ground, his soul remained standing. There was no doubt in my mind that was his soul, his spirit. It stood there, a translucent glowing blue form.

Sweyn growled and lunged forward like she was going to attack The Coven. Everest disappeared, then reappeared right in front of Sweyn, his back to The Coven. He wrapped his black magic around her body and pushed her backwards while whispering words I could not hear.

“ Obrigado, ” Thomas’s spirit whispered to Lavinia. “ Obrigado. ”

Lavinia smiled and nodded. “ Fica em paz agora .”

Thomas’s spirit sighed, then slowly faded away.

Holy shit. She killed him by sucking his soul out. Holy hell. I wonder if Savannah knows she can do that?

Sweyn was shaking and snarling over Everest’s shoulder, but he was holding her in place, keeping her from charging.

The High Priestess shook her head. “You’re old enough to know better, Sweyn.”

“Sabrina knows when she’s being lied to, and you know by the World’s Mark on her arm that I speak the truth.” Elizabeth pointed to Thomas’s dead body on the stone floor. “We gave you the opportunity to tell us the truth and you chose to lie.”

“Are you threatening me?” Sweyn snapped.

“It’s a warning,” Elizabeth’s voice was low and stern.

“Prudence, please?” Cyrus gestured to the woman I’d bitten that Thomas had just been killed over. “As we discussed?”

A woman with silvery-blonde hair standing just beside Cyrus threw her hands up and dark navy-blue magic shot out of her palms. XVII was Marked on her left forearm. The star. Wait— but it was too late. I realized too late what was happening. The Star’s magic speared through Sweyn’s face without slowing down, then spread wide and slammed into everyone, blocking the path to where the dragons sat just beyond the open wall on my right. Before I could blink, everyone it hit dropped to the floor.

The Strength Card leapt forward and grabbed Everest, throwing him over his shoulder, then bolting for the archways. I screamed and charged after him, ready to throw my magic into his back. Akecheta was outside. He had to have a plan here. He wouldn’t let his father-in-law be hurt. Everest wasn’t even fighting back. That wasn’t like him. I only made it a few steps before green vines coiled around my legs. I flew forward but pale arms grabbed me before my face hit the stone.

“ REDD! GET HER OUT!” Cyrus yelled from behind me somewhere. “Warren, SUN!”

Redd? Warren? Is this Coven filled with the same families? There were also Bishops and a Proctor. Bright sunlight flashed in my peripheral vision, but I was completely hog-tied and being carried out, so I couldn’t see what was happening behind me. I craned my neck back to look for Everest. He was now being dragged through the snow by the Strength Card. Why? What did I miss? He still wasn’t fighting back though. I’d seen first-hand the level of fighter my soulmate was, so this made no sense.

Unless he was faking it.

“ They’re awake. MOVE!” Prudence ran by us.

Sweyn screamed.

My pulse skipped. The vines around me tightened, digging into my skin even through my dress. I tried to see what was going on but all I saw was chaos. Sweyn and the rest of the vampires were chasing after us and catching up quickly. They were panicked. Sweyn’s face was flushed as she screamed orders. The sentinels flew around the Cards carrying me and raced ahead. I craned my neck back to look for Everest. The Strength Card was still dragging him across the snow, heading for that main archway out front. The one that prevented magic from working inside Avolire.

“Everest!” I shouted. “? Qué ocurre? ”

Cyrus spun around in front of me, throwing blue lightning over my head. Bright sunlight and orange flames shot across the snowy lawn. A dozen sentinels sprinted right by the Cards carrying me, going straight for Everest with panicked steps. Everest’s black magic swerved around the sentinels to hit the Cards. The second that black smoke hit them, they vanished from sight.

There was a full-blown battle happening on Avolire’s front lawn, and I was bound in vines.

“ Let me go, ” I whispered to whomever was carrying me and prayed they somehow spoke Spanish. “ Ask Elizabeth. Please, put me down.”

Everest shouted, bringing my attention back to him. My heart sank. He’d gotten free of the Strength Card and was now in a three-on-one fight of magic against magic. I thrashed and a little growl slipped out of my mouth. Everest’s magic swept over my body. The vines turned to ash. I landed on all fours. The second I felt the snow against my skin, I lunged forward like a jungle cat. I had to get out of here. I had the missing page. I felt the chain digging into my skin beneath my dress. The decoy had been put in place. I’d succeeded on this quest. I just now had to get home. But Everest couldn’t reveal his identity yet, nor his loyalty, so I had to get beyond that arch. I didn’t know what we’d do to end all of this?—

Sharp pain pierced through my arm. I slid to a stop, my knees digging tracks into the snow. I yanked my sleeve up and read Valathame’s new message. Time to play the twisted game, call to them and betray thy vampire name.

Betray thy vampire name? What does that mean? I looked around and my gaze landed on that poor human I’d bitten. I felt terrible for it . . . and for Thomas. My actions had brought all of this here to Avolire— that’s it. That’s IT.

I pushed to my feet and screamed, “ IT WAS ME! ” I patted my own chest, then pointed to my throat. “ I DID IT! LET HIM GO !”

The three men battling Everest glanced back and forth at me. The other Coven members frowned at me as they fought the vampires.

“ DON’T HURT HIM! NO! EVEREST!” I charged for him, digging my heels into the snow and pushing as hard as I could. “ NOT HIM! NOT SWEYN! I BIT HER !”

“WHAT IS SHE SAYING?” that young Esther-look-alike named Selah yelled while she flicked her blue magic left and right.

“SHE BIT THE HUMAN” the Hermit Card shouted back. “GRAB HER!”

Elizabeth zapped a sentinel with orange magic, then leapt in front of me, daggers in each hand. But Everest was behind her, and I had to get to him. I didn’t know why or what I was going to do, but I had to get to him. Elizabeth jumped toward me, so she was within arms’ reach, and then she threw herself backwards, making it look like I’d thrown her. I lunged over her as she rolled across the snow and I kept charging for Everest. He was now in a sword fight with Cyrus.

“ I’m going to tackle you! ” I yelled to my soulmate in Spanish, knowing no one in Avolire spoke it.

He didn’t speak or look back at me, but he did lower his sword away from Cyrus as I dove head-first with my arms stretched out like Superman. My palms hit his shoulders, throwing him forward. His feet left the ground. Together, we slammed into Cyrus and onto the snow.

“Throw me, Proctor,” Everest whispered. “Now.”

Cyrus thrust both hands straight up and a gust of wind hit Everest in the chest. He flew back in an arc, soaring halfway back to the castle. I flipped over to look but Cyrus gripped my arms and held on. More green vines coiled around my body. My eyes widened. I glanced around for the Wheel of Fortune Card. Perhaps they missed the memo.

“ Don’t move, Tower, ” Cyrus whispered in my ear.

I gasped and froze just as the air held a pale blue shimmer. And then I saw myself lying in the snow ten feet ahead of us with Cyrus standing over me, the tip of his sword pressed to my throat. I looked down at my body, then back up. There were two of me. Two of Cyrus. My jaw dropped.

“ Elias! ” Cyrus shouted from behind me.

A blond man with sapphire eyes sent a tidal wave of red mist rolling across the front lawn. “ Stop fighting! ”

The second the red mist hit someone, they instantly dropped their weapons. Hands gripped my arms and lifted me off the ground. I thrashed. It was a natural reaction. I suspected they weren’t against me, but since I didn’t know what they knew my defenses were up.

“Hiram. Gideon. Put her down—” My body hit the snow. Hands gently rolled me over and I was looking straight into the face of the female version of Royce. She smiled down at me and held her hands over me. “Hi. I’m Hester Redd. Don’t attack. We’re getting you out, but you need to stay quiet so you don’t betray the illusion.”

I pressed my lips together and nodded as she removed my bindings again. My attention shifted back to me lying on the snow at Cyrus’s feet, even while the real Cyrus stood two feet behind the illusion of himself. Selah moved in closer, her hands up and fingers wiggling.

Cyrus jumped into the illusion of his body. “This is not proof you can be trusted, Sweyn. Your punishment remains intact for your crimes.”

“ENOUGH.” Sweyn held her arms out to the side. “You got what you wanted. You got to punish us. One human who will survive for one vampire you killed .”

Fake-me lunged off the ground, pulled a dagger from the strap around her ankle, and slammed the weapon into Cyrus’ shoulder. My eyes widened. I reached out and gripped Hester’s arm and shook my head. Fake-me pulled her dagger out, then tried to stab him again, but Cyrus’s blue magic hit fake-me and sent her crashing back to the snow.

“ MARíA, NO!” Sweyn screamed, her red eyes wide and wild.

Everest grabbed Sweyn’s arms and dragged her backwards, but his blue and white eyes were locked on fake-me. “ BACK INSIDE! FALL BACK! ” he ordered to everyone else.

“We grabbed her and your Everest to test what you’d do.” Cyrus, and I was fairly certain that was the real Cyrus and not a projection, pulled the dagger from his chest and pointed it at fake-me but paused. “We were prepared to let Thomas take the fall for the actions against the human, but your loose cannon attacked a Coven Leader. She leaves me no choice.”

He pulled his arm back, then flicked his wrist and the blade seemed to fly in slow motion.

“LOOK AWAY! ” I shouted in Spanish. Fake-me’s body was turned away from Sweyn so she wouldn’t see my mouth hadn’t moved.

Everest turned toward Sweyn just as Cyrus’s dagger sank into Fake-Me’s throat. My fake-body twitched and gasped for a second, then went limp. The Empress jumped forward and flicked her wrists. Bright orange flames drenched fake-me’s body. I cringed and shuddered, my gaze returning to Everest. He did not look.

“MARíA!” Sweyn shrieked.

“NO!” Everest was dragging Sweyn to the castle. “She made her choices. Do not endanger the rest of us because of it! Let it go.”

Elizabeth walked up to stand beside Cyrus. “Keep your ticks on a leash, Sweyn, and we won’t have reason to return.”

Sweyn screamed but Everest pulled her into a shadow and they vanished from sight. The rest of the vampires sprinted back into the castle. The Sun Card threw his hands up and sent a wall of sunlight to stand between The Coven and the castle.

In seconds, we were alone on the front lawn. The archway was just ahead of me. I frowned and glanced around. We were outside the land of Avolire, so our magic was at full power and ready to be used.

“Did you get what you needed?”

I jumped and spun around. My jaw dropped. This shouldn’t have shocked me, I’d seen Willow at work, yet here I was shocked stupid. The entire Coven stood behind me with a row of dragons behind them. All of them just watching. I glanced over my shoulder. The Cyrus and Elizabeth over there sure did look real, yet I knew the ones behind me were not projections. It was impressive magic.

“Tower?” Elizabeth’s voice was soft as she gently touched my shoulder. “Did you get what you needed?”

Oh, right, I didn’t answer that question. I scrubbed my face with my hands and exhaled. Then I looked up at her and nodded. “ Yes, I got what I needed. Thanks to your arrival and assistance. Thank you. ”

The Hermit Card translated for me. The rest of The Coven smiled and nodded, seeming pleased with themselves.

“ I hope I did not cause problems with Sweyn for you. She may retaliate for this.”

The Hermit translated again.

Cyrus shook his head and smiled. “We have been waiting to have physical proof to justify our trip here. You gave us that by saving the human. She is fine, by the way, and will not remember any of this. Nor will the other humans we rescued tonight. It is well documented that Sweyn needs a visit from the Coven every decade to remind her who is in charge here and who is not to be trifled with. You have done us, and our world, a great service.”

I grinned and nodded, pressing my hands to my chest so they all understood how I felt.

Elizabeth winked and wrapped her fingers around her locket. “Coven, excellent work tonight. Please load onto your dragon and get home.”

They turned and walked straight to their dragons and then jumped. The dragons caught them, then shot into the sky, disappearing into the dark.

“Hiram?”

I jumped and spun around. Apparently they hadn’t all left. Cyrus, Elizabeth, Lavinia, the four Irit girls, and their Tower all stood there watching me. The High Priestess gestured toward me and nodded. Hiram, the Tower, walked up to me, then reached into his coat and pulled out a vial. He handed it to me with only a nod, then reclaimed his spot with the others. I uncapped the vial and sniffed it. It smelled like lavender and jasmine. Here goes nothing. I tossed it back, letting the sweet flavor slide down my throat.

Someone gasped. When I turned, one of the teenage Irit girls was pointing at me. “Mother, her hair.”

The Empress chuckled. She wrapped her arm around the Moon’s shoulder. “Come, Keziah. We will discuss when we return home.” They turned and headed for the dragons.

The High Priestess smiled at me. “Selah. Hiram. Excellent work. Let us seek warmth.”

Then there was just Elizabeth, Lavinia, and Cyrus. And me.

Wait. My hair. She’d said HER HAIR. I frowned and looked down and gasped. I was me again. My skin was tan again and my hair was shorter and bright-pink. I looked up and smiled. “Thank you.”

“Oh, she does speak English. Isn’t that neat?” Elizabeth grinned and walked over to stop right in front of me. “Are you well? Did our tricks harm you?”

“No, no. I’m great. Thank you so much for your help tonight.”

Cyrus narrowed his eyes. “We do not know who you are or where you came from. Nor do we know the how and why. But you have to go now. You’ve been here too long.”

I nodded. “I know. I am ready to go home now. Thank you for your help.”

“You are welcome. Best of luck to you.” Cyrus finally smiled, then turned and headed for the last dragon still standing there, the one I suspected was the King.

Lavinia leapt over and pulled me in for a hug. “ The tide has finally come in. Do not fear your wings, ” she whispered in my ear.

“Umm—”

She pulled back and took my wrist in her hands, then she traced her fingertip in a swirly pattern. Those golden eyes met mine again. “My father is waiting for you?—”

“Lavinia,” Elizabeth warned.

Lavinia winked at me, then spun and sprinted to catch up with Cyrus.

“Good luck, future Tower.” Elizabeth took a step backward, then paused and gave me a cheeky grin. “Tell Tegan that Elizabeth says hello.”

I gasped. Elizabeth chuckled. I opened my mouth to ask how she knew Tegan and how she knew I knew Tegan when green light flashed all around me. I blinked and the Seelie tunnel surrounded me.

“Everest.” My eyes widened. “ Everest ? —”

“I am here.” He stepped out of the tunnel wall, still wearing his red velvet waistcoat. His eyes glistened with unshed tears as he took my hands in his. “I am proud of you.”

“Even though I got a man killed?”

“And he will be eternally grateful.”

I flinched. “What?”

“He said to her, obrigado , that means thank you in Portuguese.” He brought my knuckles to his lips to kiss. “Sweyn turned him because he was pretty, but he refused to bed her. He’s been trying to get himself killed since. Sweyn forced him to live as punishment, which is why she gave him up instead of you because she assumed they would torture him or inflict pain on him. She wasn’t expecting them to kill him. I told them, telepathically of course, to give Thomas the mercy kill he deserved.”

I sighed with relief, collapsing into his chest. “Thank you. That was going to bother me.”

“I know.” He kissed my forehead and ran his fingers through my hair. “It is time for you to return home.”

I looked up and rested my chin on his chest. “I hope my visits these last five centuries?—”

“Kept my heart and soul from a dark, dangerous place.” He took my face in his hands. “I will be forever grateful for my stolen moments with you.”

“I love you.” I pushed up on my tiptoes and pressed my lips to his. “You better be there when I get back.”

He kissed me again, and every brush of his lips was a silent, heartbreaking goodbye. He pulled back, then whispered against my lips, “ I barely resist counting the hours until the day I find you again. ”