Page 62 of The Tribrid Princess and the Taste of Chaos (The Rossi Legacies #7)

Sienna

T hat night, I shared a room with the girls, and although I was not happy with them sneaking onto the mission like this, it was nice to have them here.

Jayce is watching me like a hawk. Every move I make, he’s assessing it.

Kataleya, too. She’s tried to touch me more than once, but I know what her power does, and I refuse to let her use it on me.

I deserve this pain for what I’ve done. The pain I’ll cause Jayce is cruel. So, that’s why I refuse to give up. I’m trying to find an answer, but it’s hard when there’s nothing to go on.

I need answers on gods, and the truth is, there aren’t many. I can’t use magic here to look for an answer, not with the rules Enrique has made clear. No magic.

It’s safe to say I didn’t sleep last night.

We set off long before the sun had even risen

I touch my neck. It feels normal, but nothing involving a god is simple. Only I should have realised that first, instead of following my heart and agreeing blindly. If I got Dad back, I would be beyond happy, but at the cost Helios is asking, no one would want me to pay this price, especially Dad.

I can’t do this alone; I need to tell someone. I need help. After this mission, I have to get help without wasting any time. I’ve fucked up, and I need to fix it.

It’s still dark when we head out. A shield to mask us is in place, thanks to Enrique. We’re going on foot to make sure there is no chance of being followed or found, and the destination is not accessible by vehicles anyway.

They call it the Qattara Depression, located in the Western Desert.

It lies northwest of the old oasis, past Ba ? riyyah and Farāfirah, where the rocky plateau dips low and never comes back up.

The Qattara Depression, they say, is over a hundred meters below sea level in places, caused by deadly sinkholes.

No one lives there, not even the Bedouins wander through due to the dangers of it. No roads or camel trails run across it. It’s too soft for tyres, and too steep for the feet of camels. South of it, the desert turns wild again with ridges of sand, like waves on a dead sea.

There are many parts of the Egyptian Desert that are now tourist spots, like the Valley of the Kings, or the Giza Plateau, where the Great Pyramids and Sphinx stand, but the Qattara Depression is forgotten and isolated.

This is a stealth mission, and staying hidden is the most important part. Whatever this calling is for Jayce, we have to make sure it is carried out without being intercepted.

The exact location of the ‘jade-eyed sphinx’ is unknown.

There is no known sphinx across Egypt that has jade eyes.

But once again, we drew on myths and lore with the witches’ help.

I have learned parts of this in Mystery and Lore lessons.

The knowledge that the witches possess of the past is far more than ours, as they passed down stories so they could be remembered, and Professor Virelia, who teaches this class, is a witch.

I see how the others work well together.

The quints, and then Brock and Artemis, who have a good understanding of each other.

Artemis has her medical pack with her. We have a mix of the Paths here today.

Jayce, Carter and Brock are Aegis. Artemis is Verdantia, I’m Aetheris, and Theo is Noctaris.

Although there’s no Luminaria, it just shows how everyone brings something different to a team.

We travel in silence. No one talks, the heat burning through our clothing.

Using any magic could trigger an alert, so we can’t even use cooling spells.

We know the enemy has magic and power on their side, and most likely can detect it, too.

No one talks as we focus on staying alert, listening for any sound beyond our group, and conserving our energy for when it’s needed.

Theo is the only one to occasionally break the silence.

The sun begins to rise, and with it, the sweltering heat that is rising to suffocating levels.

Sweat trickles down my face and into the neck of my clothes, making me feel itchy and uncomfortable.

The sand is brittle beneath my feet, and when a warm waft does sift through it, it only makes the sand get in our eyes and noses.

Jayce is behind me, and I know when his eyes are on me, which is the majority of the time.

Two hours in, we are all wearing bandanas over our faces to protect us from the sand, but nothing helps with the heat, not even the cloaks meant to shield us from it.

We’ve passed several warning signs not to venture further.

The sand has changed in some places. In some places, it’s sludge, and we sink deep into it; in other parts, it’s jagged and hard to walk across.

“Can’t we use a simple cooling spell?” Heaven asks, looking at Enrique. He’s in charge of magic usage, and she’s not too pleased by it.

“No, the less magic, the better. There are ways to detect magic, and if they know them, then they’ll realise we’re here. We continue as we are,” he replies in his accented English.

Heaven frowns slightly, but nods. “That makes sense. Can I ask how you’re using a masking spell, then?”

“In a way, I’m not. My guardsmen are,” Enrique answers as he helps Kataleya over a large dip.

I look around, trying to sense the three guardsmen, but can’t. Heaven nods as we fall silent again. The wind is getting worse, and it’s getting harder to walk through it.

“Looks like we might be hit with a sandstorm,” Uncle Liam says from ahead. “If it gets too bad, we’ll have to wait it out; otherwise, we keep going. Everyone stays together. Pair up and keep an eye out for one another.”

Ahren steps up beside me. “Done,” he says, his eyes narrowed as he looks at me. What is going on with you?

I’m about to deny there’s anything wrong when I look ahead into the haze of sand. This is my chance… I swallow.

I did something- I stop, as I feel a sharp stinging sensation through my neck. I did some…

I trail off, realising I can’t even mind-link. My heart thuds as I look at Ahren. Nothing is wrong.

My heart sinks as that message goes through. Is Helios blocking the mind-link? How?! That can’t be possible.

Doesn’t sound like it’s nothing, and Jayce is also worried. He sounds displeased at that.

Did he say that to you?

He gives a small nod as he looks down at me. All I can see are his eyes from behind his black mask.

Yeah, because I thought he was the reason you’re upset.

No, I just- Once again, the words seem to cut off, and I feel another sharp twinge in my neck.

Gods, what is going on?

I’m fine, I say softly.

Ahren watches me before he puts an arm around me. I’m here if you want to talk about anything. Remember that.

Thanks.

We fall silent again, and I try to mind-link him.

Ahren, I agreed to something stupid!

But I can feel my voice simply ring in my own mind. My wolf stirs before settling into a slumber once again.

Is this Helios’ doing?

He’s cunning… A deep sense of resentment bubbles inside of me. Maybe I can write it down or speak it aloud. Suddenly, the group ahead stops, and I notice our narrow path has been cut off by a huge, gaping sinkhole in front of us.

“Alright, we go around,” Uncle Liam says as he scans the area and points to the left.

Jayce steps forward, his cloak billowing around him. “If this is the location, I doubt the jade-eyed sphinx would even be visible,” he murmurs. “Where the sun rises behind the twin peaks of burning sand…” he trails off.

“Leo assumed that it’s another day and a half walk from here, even at our pace,” Kataleya explains.

Jayce nods, testing the edge of the sinkhole before stepping back. “This would be easier if magic could be used…”

“True, but we’ll have to do what we’ve got to do,” Dante says as he heads around the sinkhole.

“The sun is getting high. When it’s at its fullest, we’ll rest, and then we’ll travel through the night, and we won’t stop until we get to the estimated location. Then we stay there until we find anything that looks like a sphinx, or two peaks of sand,” Uncle Liam says.

“This mission is gross,” Allie says, but she seems to be ok otherwise.

“Good, cus you shouldn’t be here,” Theo remarks. “And don’t roll your eyes at me, Blondie.”

I glance at Heaven, who simply glares at him as she continues walking. This is the first day. Tomorrow will be longer, and I realise Heaven is the one who will be at the greatest disadvantage. The rest of us have shifted, but she hasn’t.

I look ahead as everyone begins making their way around the huge sinkhole, and I take a deep breath, adjusting my bandana as I pull the hood of my cloak up to cover my eyes from the blazing sun.

Onwards we go.

Sleeping in the desert was not easy, especially when the sun was beating down on us. I slept towards the end, only to be awoken shortly after. I spot Enrique’s guardsmen before they disappear into the distance, keeping watch as we continue. When night falls, Dante stops and looks over at Heaven.

“Come on, I’ll carry you.”

“I’m completely fine, thank you,” she replies.

“It’s getting darker; the rest of us can see in the dark,” Carter points out.

“I’m not going to be carried,” she bristles.

Uncle Liam smiles at her. “Your mother used to want to be carried so her shoes didn’t get ruined. It was mostly Alejandro who gave in to her whims.”

I smile at that. Mama has told me this story.

“Well, I’m not my mother. Thank you, Dante, but no. I’m fine.”

“I heard there’s a fine line between pride and stupidity-”

“Not now, Theo.” Uncle Liam frowns at him. Theo shrugs.

“Just saying, if she’s worn out now, when the time comes to use her powers, she’ll be too exhausted, rendering her useless on this mission.” Theo has a point.

“Fine,” Heaven says as she looks at Dante. “But I don’t like piggybacks.”

“Sure, so arms or shoulders?” he asks with a smirk.

She tilts her head for a moment. “Shoulders.”

“Goliath is fucking huge,” Theo adds. “I mean, those shoulders could carry-”

“You know what I wonder? Why some people can’t shut up?” Allie interrupts.

“Quiet, both of you,” Uncle Liam says. “Pay attention to your surroundings.”

Jayce falls into step beside me, his hand brushing mine. “You alright?” he asks quietly.

I look up at him and nod, squeezing his hand, but I don’t want him to let go. He doesn’t, lacing his hand with mine as he guides me through the night instead.

I smile softly. I can’t live without him. I’m determined to find a way to fix the mess I’ve made.

“How do you feel about getting ever closer to the answer we’re here for?

” I ask, wanting to kiss him. Even though we can’t really be open since Uncle Liam is here, he’s always finding ways to fleetingly touch, caress, or simply be near me.

It wasn’t anywhere near how much I wanted, but I cherished these fleeting moments.

“I don’t know. If I knew what the answer was regarding, that might help.” He smiles faintly, his green eyes looking into mine. My heart skips a beat, and I smile back from behind my mask. He’s only been wearing his when the wind picks up.

“Well, I have a good feeling about it,” I respond. “Maybe it’s the relics that each ruler is given.”

“Maybe, I don’t know – Kataleya’s came to her.”

“True, but maybe yours are in this temple, safely placed like those of the Solaris King’s?” Once again, Helios comes to mind, and my heart sinks with unease and anger, but I push it away as Jayce nods.

“That’s a possibility.”

Seventeen hours later, we’ve reached our destination. There’s no sign of a sphinx at the moment, but when Jayce stopped and pointed to two distant peaks of sand, no one doubted him.

We are now spread out in pairs, trying to find something, anything that might be a sign of a sphinx once standing here.

“There’s never been anything about a sphinx here. I wonder if, with time, it was destroyed,” Artemis, who is my partner, says, as we scan the ground carefully.

“That’s a possibility,” I agree. This area is flat and completely full of sand. I’ve removed my cloak as we search. Dante found something in the sand earlier, and so did Ahren, but both turned out to simply be large rocks.

The guardsmen just stand facing outwards, as the rest of us search.

Jayce is circling a certain area and now looks up. “I’m going to use my powers.”

“Are you sure this is the spot?” Enrique asks him, taking a swig of water from his bottle. We’ve used our food and water supplies sparingly.

Jayce nods. “Yes.”

“Alright then, I’ll get ready to enforce our barriers,” Enrique says.

“Everyone, be ready,” Uncle Liam orders.

Ahren rolls his neck. “I’m ready.”

“I’ve been ready. Suppressing our auras is annoying,” Carter adds.

“Alright, are we expecting an attack straight away?” Brock asks, his sharp eyes assessing the area.

“We don’t know, we don’t really know the enemy’s power or capacity,” Dante muses as he watches Jayce.

I turn my attention to Jayce, who has gone down on one knee, placing his hand in the sand. His eyes close, a frown creasing his brow as he takes a deep breath.

“Show me the way.” His voice is a whisper; it doesn’t just come from his direction, but from all around us.

Power pulsates for a moment, and then there’s silence.

We all hold our breaths, and just when I’m about to lose hope, the ground begins to rumble, and from it, something begins to rise.

Jayce doesn’t move; the two peaks behind him still stand out, but he is focused on something in front of him.

I see the stone that begins to rise from the ground taking on a form. It’s shaped like a- “Sphinx!” Artemis murmurs in awe.

It rises; it’s not huge, but it towers over us all. Its eyes gleam with jade, causing my heart to pound.

We’ve found it!

The ground stops rumbling, and Jayce stands. The head of the sphinx is slightly turned, his jade eyes fixed to the right. For a moment, all is still once more, and then a wind rises from the sand. The jade eyes of the sphinx almost look alive as they twinkle, and I swear they moved.

“Follow the sands,” Dante murmurs as the sand begins to swirl and flow, leading us through the glaring sun and out of sight.

“On it,” Jayce says as Ahren places his hand on his shoulder and they disappear, reappearing far ahead, following the path the swirling sand is creating.

The rest of us shift as Dante lifts Heaven up, and then we’re all following the two ahead.

The wind whips through my fur as I leap and run as fast as I can. Ahren and Jayce get further and further ahead before I notice they’ve stopped.

I see Jayce slice his palm. His blood falls, deep, dark and vividly red into the parched earth, where the sand drinks it like water in a drought.

And then, blinding, searing light explodes from the ground, spearing into the sky like a beacon. I flinch, my vision flaring white.

If anyone didn’t know where we were before, they sure do now.