“There’s a soft core beneath the hardest shell.” I chuckled.
A hard knock on the door made the both of us jump. Amelia’s muffled voice came through. “Tae! You in there? Wake up! It’s time to get ready!”
I gave Eira an alarmed look, immediately realizing that no one knew she’d slept in my treehouse last night. But did it really matter to anyone? Nothing had happened, as opposed to the obvious three couples that had already been more or less established in our crew. I got up and pulled myself together. There was nothing to be worried about. Nothing at all.
Despite the agitation in my chest, I walked across the living room and opened the door. Amelia was already fully equipped and beaming, the spiraling staircase leading to the ground level right behind her. Above and below, other guest treehouses had been built in a similar style, all connected to the same set of stairs. The Shade’s redwoods were humongous, strong enough to hold multiple structures without suffering. The guesthouses were quite small compared to the personal residences, which had been constructed at the top of single, mature trees.
“You’re supposed to be the early bird in the—” Amelia stopped, noticing Eira behind me. “Oh…”
“No ‘oh,’” I replied. “She slept here. That’s all. We were talking, tired… Nothing more.”
“Okay…” Amelia muttered, nodding slowly. “Though you really don’t have to explain anything to me. It’s pretty obvious that there’s something going on between the two of you,” she added in a whisper.
I stepped forward, just to get myself out of Eira’s earshot. “Obvious? What’s obvious is that you and Raphael finally took things to the next level last night, judging by the glow on your face.”
That was enough to wipe the grin off her face. “It can’t be that obvious.”
“Oh, Brainy. You’re an open book, and you don’t even know it.” I laughed.
“That aside, we need to get crackin’,” she said, swiftly switching into her serious and professional mode. “The rest of the crew is expecting us in the Great Hall.”
Pleased that I’d dodged any potential conversations regarding Eira and me, I gave Amelia a friendly nod. “I’ll see you downstairs in a bit. We just need to grab our gear.”
Amelia pressed her lips into a thin line without saying anything else. I watched her glide down the stairs and turned around to face Eira, who’d kept to the sofa, watching, without hearing much.
“Time to go,” I said to her.
She seemed relieved to hear that. I didn’t take it to heart. I’d already figured out that Eira had not had any romantic involvements in the past, though I hadn’t suggested that anything of the sort would even happen between us—I’d only thought about it. Nevertheless, I understood her awkwardness when left alone with me. I felt the same way, though I was a lot less transparent. From a young age, I’d been taught to keep my emotions to myself.
Eira, on the other hand, was remarkably honest, even when she didn’t want to be. Goodness and honesty were in her nature, which I, for one, found endearing. She was a terrible liar. Her only relief in this instance had to do with her degree of comfort. She probably looked forward to getting out of here and back with the whole crew, where she could disappear in the group.
We had a hard day ahead of us. Eira was right to focus on that. Everything else could wait a little while longer. Death’s mission was the key to our future, whatever that implied. As much as I would’ve wanted, I knew we’d have to keep our minds on that and leave everything else aside, at least until we brought Thieron back.
Amelia
Twenty minutes later, my face had stopped burning, and we were all reunited in the meeting hall, close to the portal. Taeral had a sharp tongue and a keen eye—I should’ve known better than to poke him, out of all people, on romantic issues. But, then again, he and Eira had been orbiting around each other for quite a while now, and even though I understood he’d been into Inalia at first, the situation had obviously changed.
He deserved another shot at happiness, and I had a feeling that Eira was just the kind of girl for him. Physically and intellectually speaking, they were an interesting match, to say the least, though at first, it would’ve been difficult to see it. Once I got to know them both better, however, it had become obvious. They had military backgrounds, and they shared certain key traits—determination, discipline, and courage. They were smart and well educated, curious about the world and all of its dimensions, and they definitely seemed comfortable around each other.
Taeral had promised Inalia that he’d protect Eira, but that had already turned into more. His insistence on having the Cerixian Hermessi child by his side at all times wasn’t just about keeping her safe anymore, and I didn’t need Varga’s sentry abilities to figure that out—though the Nevertide prince had already shared his findings with us. He’d noticed the colors shift in their auras. He probably knew more about their feelings for each other than Taeral and Eira themselves.
The crew was reunited once more—Raphael and me, Eva and Varga, Taeral and Eira, Riza and Herakles, Lumi, Nethissis, Acantha, and Fallon. Derek and Sofia would lead the briefing, bringing us up to speed on what they’d discussed with Tebir last night. Our backpacks, weapons, and mission gear waited in a corner while we took our seats around the table.
One glance at the others, and I knew that certain relationships had changed, ever so slightly, aside from Raphael’s and mine. Riza and Herakles were stealing glances at each other, as usual, but there were faint smiles that followed, as if they were both anticipating something wonderful. Varga and Eva were practically glued to each other, their hands linked at all times. And, just as I’d thought, some of the ice had definitely thawed between Taeral and Eira. Without even realizing it, and no matter how they sat in their chairs, they tended to lean toward each other.
Lumi had her eyes on us, too. She measured each of us from head to toe, and I could almost hear the wheels in her head turning and making connections. Raphael gave me a soft nudge, prompting me to look at him.
“What’s up?” he asked.
“I think Lumi’s on to us,” I whispered.
He chuckled. “I think the most important aspect of this conversation is that we’re on to us.”
I gave him a soft smile, briefly remembering our kisses from last night. We’d stayed together till morning, and I’d slept in his arms, which had remained firmly wrapped around me. I’d basked in his summertime ocean scent, and I’d listened to the steady beats of his heart as he’d slept.
“I hope everyone got some rest last night,” Derek said. “You’ve got a difficult trip ahead of you.”
Fallon grinned. “I think that’s quite the understatement.”
“The guy who drops whenever a Hermessi’s around would think so,” Herakles replied, stifling a hearty laugh.
“I don’t drop,” Fallon muttered, lowering his gaze. “I’m just… slightly susceptible. But I’m getting it under control.”
“How are you doing that?” Sofia asked. “Because Derek and I were actually wondering if it would still be a good idea for you to tag along with Taeral’s crew, given the previous Hermessi-related incidents.”
Fallon sighed. “Tebir came to see me after he spoke to you.” That got our attention. He hadn’t said a word about this until now. “He taught me a few tricks, in case a hostile Hermessi tries to take over. He practiced with me, and I’m confident I can hold my own, if push comes to shove.”
“I’m curious. What tricks, specifically?” I replied. “And why did Tebir want to help you?”
“Concentration and breathing exercises. Turns out, I’d been in such awe of the Hermessi’s presence that I’d literally failed to control myself,” Fallon explained. “I understand now that my body is mine, and that I can keep it, no matter what. Unless someone pulls the cut-and-spell thing on me. Then I’m screwed.”
“That applies to me, too,” Taeral said. “Risk of the job, these days. Well, I’m glad you’re sorting that out on your own. We were ready to stand by you, either way.”
Fallon smiled. “Thanks for that. Oh, and to answer your second question, Amelia… Tebir is genuinely trying to help us. The Earthly Dimension is relatively pure and free of the ritual mentality. He knows that, if Brendel wins, her poison will spread out, and it will affect Earth, too. That alone is enough reason for him to make sure all the cogs in our machine run smoothly.”
I nodded slowly, downright impressed. Given the abuse that the humans had inflicted on Earth over the years, I’d have thought Tebir to be eager to wipe them all out, if he could. But, truth be told, the planet had come a long way since, and GASP had played a significant part in its progression.
“So, what did you agree on with Tebir?” I asked Derek and Sofia.
“We’re doing it,” Derek replied. “We’re preparing a mission to Yahwen. It will take a while to put together, though. Recruiting alone will be tedious. We’re focusing on jinn and witches, but we’re trying to be as secretive about it as possible. Most of GASP won’t be aware, just to be sure. The Hermessi might be eavesdropping in the In-Between and the Supernatural Dimension, so we’ll have to be careful.”
“Then there’s the logistical side of things, and organizing an efficient method of transportation,” Sofia said. “Chances are that there’s no access to Yahwen’s pink water from our side, so we’ll have to use the interplanetary spell. Phoenix is currently mapping out the entire solar system—and Yahwen, in particular—to find us potentially less dangerous points of entry.”
“This will be followed by the preparation stage and the actual extraction. We’ll need diversions to draw the Fire Hermessi guardians away, while the jinn will pop right into the building, immediately sedate the Hermessi children, and teleport them away, where another interplanetary spell will be waiting to take them away,” Derek continued. “It’s an ample mission, and every second will be crucial to its success, but Tebir and other rogues will help us along the way, with whatever we might need. And, since the children will be brought here, we’ve already arranged for the fae sanctuary to be moved to Calliope.”
“Because you want to minimize hostile Hermessi interference on Earth,” I said. “And not give them the opportunity to, say, spy on us and find out that the children are here. Okay, got it. Well, if you need us for that, we’ll—”
“No, you focus on Thieron,” Derek replied firmly. “Leave Yahwen to us. We need you all to help Death retrieve her scythe.”
We all nodded in agreement. Our hands were already full, and it was only going to get worse for us. I took several deep breaths, just to keep the anxiety from building up inside me. Raphael’s hand covered mine on the table, and I looked at him. A sense of determined tranquility came off him in tender waves, and I welcomed its soothing effect. One second of losing myself in his gaze—that was all it took to temper me. Amazing.
“Now, back to your Cerix mission,” Sofia said. “Tebir gave us the location of Earth’s pink water cave. It’s deep in the Amazon jungle. You’ll use it to get to Cerix, since an interplanetary travel spell would be too flashy. The local Hermessi will be expecting you.”
“As long as we have the Devil’s Weed on us, they’ll have a hard time sensing us,” Lumi replied. “And if we use the invisibility paste at least until we get to Emperor Tulla, they definitely won’t see us coming.”
Herakles smiled. “Gotta say, it feels nice to be on a planet where none of the Hermessi are trying to kill us. I’m going to miss The Shade.”
“Rest assured, your absence will be felt, as well,” Sofia replied. “Medina has already been notified of your arrival. The emperor knows, as well. They’ve arranged a secret wing in the imperial palace of Silvergate, just for you. The Cerixian scholars are already digging through the archives for information on Cerix’s most ancient sights, to help you narrow the search for Eirexis.”
