“Milord, please, let me explain… I do know the symbol, of course. I would recognize it anywhere. It belongs to our Hermessi worship,” Vikkal breathed. “Only… I didn’t think anyone would be willing to commit such self-harm to wear it.”
Amelia showed him another picture. Vikkal’s eyes grew even wider.
“By the stars…” he added. “I know all these symbols. You’re telling me the attackers were wearing them?!”
The guy was genuinely distraught. One brief look at Varga, and I knew he thought the same. Taeral, on the other hand, wasn’t ready to cut Vikkal any slack.
“They all blew themselves up,” I said, carefully monitoring his reactions.
Vikkal frowned. “I don’t know how that is even possible, for a fae to explode like that, to cause such harm. But I swear, I solemnly swear, these symbols are not meant to help with that. They’re exclusively for protection. You see, we believe the Fire Hermessi protects us,” he replied, then pointed at his tattooed face. “This hurt a bit, but it was nothing compared to carving one’s face like in your attackers’ case. It doesn’t make sense to me.”
“Hold on, Vikkal,” Riza said. “You’re saying those are all protection symbols.”
“Yes.”
“Against what?” she asked. “Clearly, it didn’t work.”
“They’re meant to protect our souls from evil, to preserve our spiritual purity as fire fae.” Vikkal sighed. “For lack of a better word, their purpose is more cultural and ceremonial, than actually… physically efficient.”
He was embarrassed, his ears burning red. I chuckled, then gave him a friendly slap on the shoulder. It startled him. “So, the symbols are just for show, but they mean protection,” I concluded. He nodded slowly. “Aha. Okay.”
“This isn’t helping,” Taeral grumbled, then shoved the photos back in the folder. “We’re not getting anywhere with this line of questioning.”
“I wish I could tell you more, but I was just as shocked as everyone else when I heard about the incidents,” Vikkal said. “We worship the Hermessi for our peace of mind, mostly, and because we’ve seen an increase in our abilities over the past year. Our fires burn brighter and stronger. The fae on Akvo, the Emerald, and Zephyr have seen their powers grow as well, merely because of the temples and heartfelt belief in the Hermessi.”
“Akvo?” I asked.
“It’s a nickname for the Water Droplet, but Akvo is its real name,” Vikkal replied. I nodded slowly. “But I doubt the natural elements would have anything to do with the attacks. Why would they?”
“Maybe they went crazy,” Herakles said.
Vikkal shook his head. “No. They’re primordial entities. Older than time itself.”
“We should talk to them, then,” Amelia suggested. “They’ve spoken to fae before, right?”
“Never to me,” Vikkal said. “Or any of us in this kingdom, for sure. We don’t have a connection to them like some of your people.”
He sounded sad. He probably would’ve wanted to speak to a Hermessi the way Vesta had done it. Or Ben. Or Bogdana. Heck, even Kailani and Elonora had had a brief moment with these things. A thought crossed my mind then.
“We could talk to Vesta,” I offered. “Last time I checked, she and Zeriel were on Strava for a special training session.”
“You’re right,” Herakles replied.
I grinned. “Didn’t think I’d ever hear you say that.”
“Whatever. I’m serious. Out of everyone on Strava during the Ta’Zan issue, Vesta had the strongest connection to the Hermessi. Remember?” Herakles continued.
“I most certainly do,” I said.
Riza pressed a call button on her earpiece. “Hey, Phoenix… Quick question,” she said, then turned around to talk to him. I figured she was getting an updated location on Vesta. I liked the little jinni. She was efficient. Plus, those eyes were hard to look away from. No wonder Herakles had trouble being around her. The poor guy. His heartrate spiked whenever she glanced at him.
“Vikkal, I need you to keep an eye on your… congregation,” Taeral said. “If anyone is acting strange, in any way, do notify me or my parents. Send word to the palace immediately.”
“Yes, milord, absolutely. I will be more careful. I will speak to the worshippers as well. We’re due to gather tomorrow night for our weekly ritual. I’ll see if anyone else knows anything, as well.”
Riza came back to the conversation. “Vesta and Zeriel are still on Strava. They were going back to Calliope tonight, but will wait for us before they go, since she needs to reach out to Strava’s Water Hermessi for information. If we leave now, we’ll be there in minutes, provided we use the portal.”
I looked forward to another portal trip now. Lumi and Kailani had devised an impressive system, to say the least, and I looked forward to using it again, just for the sake of watching Herakles turn white, green, and blue again.
Taeral nodded. “We’ll do that, then,” he replied.
“Guys…” Amelia gasped. “Guys, check this out!”
“What?” Varga asked, craning his neck to check her tablet.
She swiped through a list of names, comparing it to a printed document, her eyes growing wider with every second that passed. “This is not… It can’t be a coincidence,” she said.
“I’m on the edge of my seat here,” Eva replied. “Tell us what it is already!”
“The fae who exploded. They were also present on Strava during the Blackout last year,” Amelia finally said. “Vikkal’s words got me thinking about his people not having a connection to the Hermessi. That’s kind of wrong, because there are almost a thousand of them who were used as conduits during the Blackout. It can’t get more direct than that. So, I checked the field reports from Strava.”
“Wait, so the fire fae who carved themselves up and exploded were at the Blackout?” Taeral asked, as if trying to make sure he heard her right the first time.
“Yup,” Amelia replied, wearing a satisfied grin.
I couldn’t take my eyes off her. It felt like a victory for her—this connection she’d just made. I noticed the navy flakes lost in her blue irises, like silhouettes of sharks swimming beneath the surface of the ocean. There had to be secrets in there, an edge of danger she showed no one. I became determined to figure them out, sooner or later.
I hadn’t thought I’d be interested in anyone. My preferences were Elonora-high, and I’d doubted I’d find anyone to stir me the way she did. Yet, here I was, standing in the middle of a semi-dark temple, gawking at Amelia like a supreme idiot. She didn’t notice, though, so I took advantage of this handful of seconds to take her in.
