“I notice Vesta is still here. I take it you’ve yet to annoy her away,” I shot back.
Vesta cackled. “It’ll take a lot more than that to make me leave. He knows that already.”
“I most certainly do.” Zeriel laughed, then lowered his voice at me. “Don’t think I haven’t tried.”
Vesta playfully slapped him over the back of his head, ripping a wave of laughter out of us.
“Hey, I’m still the friggin’ king!” Zeriel barked, though it was obvious he was trying hard not to laugh, as well.
“Also my boyfriend,” Vesta retorted.
Zeriel softened in an instant. “And still the luckiest carbon-based life form in this universe, because of that.”
“We need your help, Vesta,” Taeral interjected, his smile fading.
“Good to see you all,” the fae replied, then gave us all a soft nod before she moved her focus back to Taeral. “What’s this about?”
“Has Phoenix contacted you?” Riza asked. “I told him we were coming to see you.”
Vesta nodded. “He said you were coming, indeed, but he didn’t give me any details. This is about the fire fae incidents, huh?”
“Yes. We’ve gathered some intel so far, and we’re trying to figure out whether the Hermessi were in any way involved,” Taeral explained.
Just like Vikkal before her, Vesta was surprised. “What made you think that?”
I understood her doubts. She, too, had been in direct contact with the Hermessi. She understood their power and reasoning better than most. Even so, after Taeral and Amelia explained all the details of our investigation so far, it left Vesta with a furrowed brow.
Zeriel sighed, taking it all in. “If you think about it, their logic makes sense. Of course, we don’t know enough yet, but yeah. Signs point to some involvement from the Hermessi.”
“What else could amp up a fire fae’s ability to the point of self-destruction?” Vesta murmured. “But why would they do it? And what’s this whole end of the world business? Even if the Hermessi were involved, what end of the world would they be referring to? They’re natural elements. If the world… ends, so would they. Right?”
Amelia shrugged. “Depends on whose world you’re talking about.”
That sent shivers down my spine. Crap, I hadn’t thought about it that way. The implications were terrifying, to say the least. My only comfort was that we didn’t know enough yet. For the time being, ignorance was bliss.
“So, why do you need my help?” Vesta asked.
“You have to talk to them. To the Hermessi,” Taeral replied bluntly.
“Whoa,” she breathed, then took a step back.
“Out of all the fae, you’re the one who talked to them the most,” Varga added. “If anyone can reach out to them, it’ll be you. Plus, they know you. They’re more likely to answer your call.”
“But I’m on Strava now. The only Hermessi I could reach out to are the local ones. How would that help?”
“They’re always interconnected, that much we know for a fact,” Amelia replied. “The Stravian Hermessi might be able to offer some insights regarding the Fire Star and Calliope ones, at least. Not to mention the other planets where similar incidents occurred. It might also be worth noting that the fae who were blown up were also present during the Blackout.”
“Wait, what other planets?” Vesta mumbled. She hadn’t been brought up to speed, it seemed.
“Releth, in the Saffi solar system, and Mingar, in Delby. About five million light-years from here,” Taeral said. “Visiting fire fae exploded there, too. Twenty dead, plus dozens more injured in total.”
“Good grief… But, listen, I have a problem with reaching out to them,” Vesta said. “It feels like I’m opening a can of worms, and I’m not sure we can handle the potential repercussions. They promised they’d never possess a fae again. If I ask for their attention, they might go back on that promise, and, trust me, it would be bad. You have no idea what it feels like to have your body taken over like that.”
Amelia nodded slowly. “I understand your concerns, and they’re well placed, but there’s a chance the Hermessi have already done that. You know that, as well as I do.”
“What if she’s putting herself at risk, then?” Zeriel asked. “What if she reaches out, and one of them takes over and she blows up, too?”
“I’m a full elemental fae, after all. Any of the four could reach out and pull my strings,” Vesta added, crossing her arms.
“I would take that risk, if I were you. Think about it this way, you could try reaching out to Aya, specifically. I remember you got along very well with the Water Hermessi here,” I suggested. “You two had a special rapport, didn’t you?”
“That was a year ago,” Vesta replied. “Listen, I am going to help. I’m not trying to get out of this. I’m just trying to lay out the risks here. Hence why I said I had a problem with reaching out to them.”
“So, you’re going to talk to them,” Herakles concluded.
“Yes,” she said, then gave Zeriel a reassuring smile. “I’ll be okay.”
“Let’s see if you can reach out to them, first,” Taeral replied. “You haven’t done it in a year.”
“I haven’t forgotten how to open myself up to them, Tae, don’t worry about that.” Vesta sighed. “But I’m warning you, if I don’t make a connection, don’t hold it against me.”
Taeral shook his head. “I won’t. I’d have no reason, knowing you tried.”
“And if one of the Hermessi does take hold and refuses to let go, you have to promise me you will try everything you can to set me free, okay?” Vesta said.
Only then did the potential repercussions fall into the puzzle with the kind of weight that threatened to pull my stomach down to the floor. She was putting herself at great risk to help us. Always a hero, the little Nerakian fae…
“We’ll drag Lumi, Kale, and all the Daughters and all the witches over here, I swear!” Riza replied.
