“Son?” Dad asked, looking at me.
“The wedding… Now, this… I think someone is trying to kill us,” I said. “This can’t be a coincidence. Fire fae going on about the end of the world, then blowing up like this. It’s got some kind of evil-and-fanaticism combined written all over it, and it’s aimed at us. You, me, us.”
Of course, the investigation would now have to expand. Facts had to be brought to light. I was making an assumption, based on what I’d seen so far—but, dammit, it sounded just about right! Twice I’d been in the range of a deadly explosion. Twice I’d had to make sure my parents didn’t get hurt.
The body count was rising.
My blood was boiling.
“Whatever this is, I’m not resting until it’s over,” I said through gritted teeth.
I meant it. I had no idea what had driven the fire fae to explode like that. I didn’t know why they were doing this, or why they were targeting us. But I did know I couldn’t let them or any of their partners win. There were bound to be more of them. And they had to be stopped.
Riza
There was a shroud of gloom shadowing an event that should’ve been cause for nothing but joy and celebration. Serena and Draven were now the proud parents of a healthy baby, a gorgeous half-Druid, half-sentry girl. The birth had run smoothly, despite its trigger—Myris Fenn exploding at Harper and Caspian’s wedding party.
Needless to say, we were all on edge, but we refused to let these incidents get us down. So, Calliope went ahead with the baby-naming ceremony. Serena and Draven were going to announce their daughter’s name, and we were all here for it.
A week had passed since the Fire Star attack. Taeral, Sherus, and Nuriya were in a foul mood, but, still, they came to Calliope, equally determined not to cave in to any kind of pressure or despair. Whatever was going on, we were bound to find out.
The baby-naming ceremony was set to take place on the top platform of Luceria, at midnight. Serena and Draven had wanted a clear view of the starry sky, since it was a full moon and the Druids held such events in high regard. In short, they considered naming the baby on a full moon to bring nothing but good fortune and prosperity.
Most of The Shade and Calliope’s GASP agents were present, along with other close friends from Strava and Neraka. We were all seated in a semi-circular fashion, with the ceremonial podium facing the east. Flowers and golden silk adorned the decorative columns around the extended, disc-shaped terrace. Soft music flowed from a couple of violins, their players standing somewhere to the left of the podium.
At the front, Derek and Safira took their positions as ceremonial masters, once again. As part of this inter-world unity between Eritopia and The Shade, they’d both been appointed ministers of sorts—and they were very good at it. Hazel, Tejus, and Sofia were in the front row, joined by Ben and River, Caleb and Rose, and the rest of the Novak family.
I was in the third row, with Mom and Dad. It still irked my dad, ever the traditionalist, that unlike all the other jinn, I showed and used my legs. Personally, I didn’t mind hovering, but I liked using my legs, and I didn’t enjoy standing out in a group or a crowd—the jinni lower-body mist was a guarantee that too many eyes would be on me. In addition, I’d learned to use my legs to reach speeds similar to when I hovered, and I occasionally rubbed it in my dad’s face, just for kicks. This time, my legs were neatly displayed in my pencil-skirt dress.
Next to us were Taeral, Sherus, and Nuriya. Jinn tended to stick together at public gatherings of any kind, for some reason. Especially since Nuriya was my mom’s aunt, and my great-aunt. We weren’t elitists or anything like that, but we just found some comfort in being with those like us. For a long time, the jinn had been quite isolated from the rest of the supernatural world. Sherus and Nuriya’s wedding had been one of the first events to bring us more out into the open, socially speaking.
We were all waiting for Serena and Draven to come in with their baby girl. According to Sofia, we still had a few more minutes to go, as the happy couple were now preparing their little angel for the naming ceremony.
We were all supposed to be smiling, happy to have another soul join us in this world, but, based on the expressions around me, it seemed like a difficult task. Harper and Caspian, in particular, were quiet and dark.
“How are they feeling?” I asked Mom, nodding at Harper and Caspian. The two were at the front, next to Hazel and Tejus.
“I don’t know what to tell you, honey,” Mom said. “Last time I spoke to Hazel, they weren’t in the best of moods.”
“Who could blame them, Aisha?” Nuriya replied. “A day of joy was turned into a tragedy by someone who had absolutely no axe to grind with anyone here.”
Dad sighed. “Any news from the investigation so far?”
“Nope,” Taeral replied. “Nothing at all. No connection between the fae responsible. No solid leads. I’m sure that if we dig a little deeper, we’ll find something, but I think we’ll need a more targeted approach.”
“Horatio, have you heard of such incidents before? Even in the Supernatural dimension? Anything at all?” Sherus asked my father, who in turn shrugged.
“I’ve spoken to the witches in the Sanctuary, too,” he said. “No one’s ever heard of fire fae summoning such power to self-destruct like that. It’s a mystery.”
“I only wonder if those who blew themselves up were, in fact, targeted,” I chimed in.
Taeral frowned. “What do you mean?”
“What if they were forced to do what they did? Against their will, maybe,” I replied.
“I doubt it.” A male voice cut through, prompting us all to raise and turn our heads.
Standing at the end of the row were Raphael and Herakles, both wearing their GASP uniforms. I’d seen them at other events on Calliope, including the bloody wedding. I knew they were involved in the investigation, as well, though I wasn’t sure what role they played in it.
Raphael pointed at the two empty seats next to me, on my left. “Those are our seats,” he said, flashing his invite card.
Indeed, Serena had made sure we all had assigned seats, this time. She and Draven were careful with the guest list after the wedding and Fire Star incidents, so they did a thorough check and made sure they knew where everyone was—just in case. Serena loathed using that term, but she also knew she had no choice. Too many people had died already. We couldn’t not be vigilant about any social gathering, going forward.
I looked to my right, noticing the sparkling eyes on my mom and aunt as they gazed at Raphael. I couldn’t help but roll mine. They were both fawning over the Perfect, just like everyone else. They had every reason to, in the end. Raphael and the rest of his species were all remarkable specimens. Tall, gorgeous, and ridiculously powerful, noble and almost glowing with greatness. Abby, Amelia’s mom, often referred to them as “the angels of the In-Between.”
I thought they were stunning, too, but I couldn’t take my eyes off Herakles. He wasn’t a Perfect. But I found the Faulties to have a certain charm of their own. They were all strong and versatile creatures, though not as aesthetically pleasing.
“Please, sit down, then,” my dad said to Herakles and Raphael, then motioned at the empty seats next to me. “The ceremony will start soon.”
Raphael nudged Herakles forward. That got him a brief, over-the-shoulder scowl from the Faulty, but they both joined us. My breath hitched when Herakles sat next to me. I had trouble looking away from the glimmer of his green eyes. He was also significantly taller than me, even when seated, forcing me to tilt my head at a slightly uncomfortable angle.
“We haven’t met,” Raphael said, reaching out to shake my hand. “I’m Raphael. This is Herakles.”
I nodded slowly, then froze when Herakles took my hand in his and shook it firmly. Tiny electrical sparks worked their way up my arm and through my shoulder. By the time they reached my heart, it nearly exploded. I jerked my hand back, then looked away. My cheeks were on fire, and, for a moment, I was confident that I’d be considered rude. But the intensity in Herakles’s eyes was so dominating, so powerful, I didn’t feel like I had another choice.
“Riza,” I murmured.
“Aisha. I’m Riza’s mother,” my mom said. “And this is my husband and Riza’s father, Horatio Drizan.”
