“I second that,” Dmitri chimed in.
Looking around, I saw that the rest of our crew was equally fascinated. Frankly, even I wanted to see her wings.
“I think you could show us the wings, at least,” Kailani said, grinning.
“I haven’t used them in a very long time. At least ten thousand years,” Lumi replied. “I was one of the last of my kind. I couldn’t find a male pixie with whom to conceive and continue my line. When I turned to the Word and became a swamp witch, I sort of left all that behind me, including my pixie nature. I had no need for wings with swamp witch spells readily giving me flight and more power than I’d ever dreamed of.”
“Come on, let them out,” Taeral said, his eyes glimmering with excitement.
Lumi exhaled sharply, then gave Kailani a small knife. “Do me a favor,” she murmured. “Cut open the back of my dress. I need to give them a little bit of room.”
“And when you shrink, do your clothes shrink with you, too? Or do you lose them, like the dragons and the werewolves?” Dmitri asked.
Lumi scowled at him. She definitely wasn’t in the mood to answer such questions. Her pixie heritage seemed to make her uncomfortable, and I had a feeling it was connected to their collective passing. She was already the last of the swamp witches, after she’d survived the extinction of the pixies. That kind of grief never really went away, and I got that. Dragons had, until not long ago, been close to a complete wipeout, as well.
Kailani did as asked and cut through the back of Lumi’s dress. Lumi then took several deep breaths and quivered, as if relaxing her muscles. She grunted softly, before a brief flutter made me freeze. Four wings snapped out from her back—long and slender, similar to those of earthly dragonflies. The light got trapped in their iridescent nerves, visible across the thin, almost transparent membrane of her wings. They fluttered quickly, making a soft buzzing sound, much like a large flying insect.
“That is so cool!” Taeral exclaimed.
“Glad you like it. Now, get back to the order of business before you ask me to shrink and grow a tree, too,” Lumi shot back.
“You could do that—” Dmitri tried to suggest it, but Lumi raised a hand and motioned for him to keep quiet, as her wings retreated behind her shoulder blades.
Derek clapped his hands once, demanding our attention.
“Enough with the distractions. We clearly have a lot on our hands, both individually and collectively,” he said, as we all gathered around him. “But we must focus on what’s most important right now. Ending this… before it ends us.”
He grimaced from the discomfort caused by his collar. We had to be careful in our choice of words, so as not to heat ours up too much. The codes that Amal had given us were for our escape, and only for special emergencies. We still had Perfects watching us from the outside. We didn’t want any attention, for the time being.
“Like we told Dad, we do have a plan,” Ben replied, running a hand through his messy hair. “This isn’t a surrender, per se. It’s more of an infiltration.”
Sofia shook her head. “I still don’t like it.”
“Mom, for the last time! I wasn’t going to let you die. Get that out of your head!” Rose shot back. I had to admit, I found their mild bickering somewhat endearing. I also understood where they both came from, but I was definitely with team Rose on this one.
“Sofia, none of us would’ve come here if we didn’t have something in mind,” I said. “If it makes you feel any better, we would’ve sacrificed you if there was no other way. But there is. So, we’re doing this, whether you like it or not.”
Sofia was genuinely befuddled by my statement, even taken aback. The shadow of a smile flickered across Derek’s face, while Ben and Rose stared at me in disbelief. I offered a shrug in return.
“What? We all thought about it. Let’s not spare any feelings here, since your mother was obviously eager to die in order to save you. To save us,” I added, then shifted my focus back to Derek. “I know none of you like the thought of having us here.”
“You can say that again,” Corrine muttered.
“But! There’s a method to our madness,” I continued. “And yes, there is a well-defined plan we set into motion the moment we walked through the colosseum’s gates. Most importantly, Ta’Zan has absolutely no idea how badly he’s going to get screwed in this scenario.”
“We’ve got Araquiel on our side. Ta’Zan doesn’t know he’s alive,” Ben said.
Sofia gasped. “Oh… You’re absolutely right. He told me that, a few hours back. And who else?”
“Herakles, one of the Faulties, and his band of merry rebels. The Draenir. Plus, Calliope is sending the four Perfects they have there to help us,” Rose replied. “Nathaniel, Uriel, Angelica, and Deena.”
“On top of that, Amane and Amal are in here, too, supposedly loyal to Ta’Zan. Amane, not so much, since he put a collar around her neck, but Amal is in the clear,” I added. “She even helped us with a tiny scrambler to stop anyone from eavesdropping while we lay out the crucial stuff for everyone here to know. Rose has it. Hence the secrecy. We know what we’re doing.”
“We didn’t come here empty-handed, so to speak,” Draven chimed in.
“I didn’t expect anything less from my brother,” Jax replied, smiling at Heron.
“You sly devils, you,” Lucas quipped, then hugged Avril again.
It was good to see everyone again, I had to admit. Derek and Sofia, Xavier and Vivienne, Cameron and Liana, Corrine and Ibrahim, Claudia and Yuri, Aiden and Kailyn, Lucas and Marion… Not to mention Jax and Hansa, Jovi and Anjani… Even grumpy ol’ Heath. I felt better just by looking at them, watching them stand, alive and well before me.
“That being said, we’ve got our work cut out for us, if we’re to succeed in what we’ve planned,” Heron said, then looked at Jax. “Oh, and just so you know, if we get out of here alive, I’m not relinquishing the Lordship back to you.”
Jax laughed, but Heron kept a straight face, until the now-former Mara Lord realized that his brother was dead serious. “You’re joking,” he breathed.
“I don’t think he is,” Avril answered, visibly amused. “He likes having your wards follow us around everywhere.”
“They’re my wards, now,” Heron replied, grinning.
The nine wards were clearly embarrassed by the exchange, which made it even more difficult for me not to laugh at this unexpected development.
“Let’s talk about this again after we get out of here,” Jax concluded, keeping his cool. “We have enough on our plates, already.”
“Yeah, that’s why I thought I’d get this Lordship thing off your back altogether,” Heron retorted. Avril nudged him with her elbow, quietly asking him to cut it out.
“Okay!” Hansa cut in, stepping between the two Mara brothers. “What’s next, then, regarding Strava? Remember, we can’t be too explicit in our words, or the collars will burn.”
Elonora rested an elbow on Nevis’s shoulder, smiling. “We wait.”
