It took a few days for the test results to get back. The news was a hard pill to swallow.
Tabitha was blind.
I walked away from the infirmary. Her cries and sobs followed me and would haunt me for the next few years.
The wyvern blinded her with emporium dust. Both my fathers had explained it to me. The dust worked like a virus of little bugs, eating away her eyes.
That wyvern was such a fucking coward, and I wished I could go back to that day when he stood in front of Dad. I would give him hell.
The Parthenon Dome was my sanctuary now. I didn’t pay attention in class at all as the empty seat next to me drove me insane.
During Aviant, I was in the dome, taking part in Mia’s classes. She let me. Helped me to work the stars, knives, and axes.
It felt as if I was back to square one, training all over again.
Lucian waited for me in the dome after the bell. He looked as defeated as I was.
I plopped down next to him. “What if this is a lost cause? Blake is not—”
“It’s not.”
“Tabitha can’t see, Lu.”
“My mom is consulting with an eye specialist. We’ll find a way to get some of her sight back.”
“How can you be so optimistic?”
“Because I have no choice. You need to snap out of it if you are going to get Blake back. Fighting in anger will not help you get him back. He taught me that when we started training. So find your happy place.”
“I need help.”
“All you have to do is ask.”
I nodded. “Help me, please.”
For the next few days, Lucian helped me to channel my anger and to find a ground where emotions were not welcome. Still, he went out of his way, trying to trigger my anger. The things that left his mouth irritated the crap out of me.
The second I let it get to me, Lucian became relentless, and I failed miserably.
“Blake is going to say worse things to push your buttons.”
“It’s not him.”
“Good, but it’s going to be different when you see him, Elena.”
“It won’t be him!”
“Let’s take a break.” He nudged his head toward the bleachers, and I followed him. I plopped down next to my towel and chucked half of my bottle of water down my throat.
I told him about the sphere that Dad had told me about. “If we can get to that, Lu, Goran won’t know when to call him back. I might claim him and break whatever hold he has on Blake.”
“If it is a claim he needs, Elena, I honestly believe Blake can choose. His darkness isn’t his. It belongs to the spell.”
“A spell that got put on him because of me; I didn’t claim him.”
Lucian sighed. “I get what you are saying, but he Dented. He went through the process.”
“Why didn’t the Dent protect him then, Lu?”
“I don’t know.”
“Because he didn’t yield. I didn’t protect him.”
“Elena, don’t start. You need to suppress your anger.”
“We need to find him first, and none of us has any inkling of where he is.”
Lucian had nothing to say after that.
We trained again, and around six we went for supper.
Tabitha was with Susan and her other friends, whom I didn’t know. Lu went over, and I watched at how they all smiled and teased Tabitha that her knight in shining armor had come to rescue her.
“Shut up,” Tabitha said, which brought a curve to the corner of my lips. He kissed her on top of her head. The regret poured in again. All of it was my fault. She charged when she should’ve fled.
During the next couple of days, I got the upper hand on Lucian, and I felt great.
He laughed. “You are back. I’m glad.”
I plugged out my earplug. “What did you say?”
Laughter rolled from his lips. “You are trying to keep me out of your head?”
“If I can’t do it mentally, I’m going for the physical.”
“You going to do it with Blake, too?”
“If I have to. I can’t lose him again.”
“I know.”
“I don’t want to lose you too.”
“I told you, I will do it if there is no other way out.”
I nodded.
“Let’s go grab something to eat. I’m starving.”
That night, we hit the library again. It was not the same without Tabitha behind the computer hacking systems to find what we needed. Brian and Annie put their Sun-Blast heads together with Jeff and George, while Becky and Sammy disappeared in aisles the way Lu and I did, trying to find any sort of magic in how we were going to find Blake.
Tabitha walked in with Susan. Lu emerged from the aisle he was searching and walked over to Tabitha
He wrapped his arms around her and planted a few kisses all over her face. Her laughter was music to my ears.
She whispered something to Lu.
“No, Tabitha.”
“She can help.”
I put the book back on the shelf and walked closer to them.
“Why do you think Blake slept with her when he discovered she wanted to claim him?”
“I can’t stand her,” Lucian said.
“She is the best at spells. You need help. For Blake.”
Lu grunted as he sort of snarled, revealing his canines.
“Arianna?” I asked.
“Elena,” Tabitha’s gaze looked past me as her lips fanned into a quirk.
I touched her arm and stroked it. “Hey.” I was glad her spirit was high.
“Lucian?” Tabitha said again.
He sighed. “Fine, call her, but I doubt her spells will be of any use.”
Tabitha took out her Cammy and spoke Arianna’s name. Her hologram appeared, and Tabitha told her to come to the library.
A few minutes later, the princess of Areeth glided into the library. She was really beautiful. “Lu, Elena.”
“Arianna,” Lu said.
“You could sound happier.”
“Forgive me if I’m not. So what can you do?”
“Oh, just a scrying spell to know where Blake is.”
“What?” My hope barometer climbed almost to the top.
She laughed.
“Scrying is forbidden,” Lu hissed out the words.
“It was one of the first ones my dad made sure that I learned. He knows evil,” Arianna whispered back.
That put King Caleb in a completely different category in my mind.
“Your father taught you this?” Lucian asked.
“Do you want to find Blake or not?” she retorted.
He looked at me.
“Yes,” I said. I didn’t care if it was through forbidden magic. I was sure that Goran used it daily.
“Meet me tonight in the tower behind the academy.” Arianna turned around and glided out of the library.
“I told you she is handy,” Tabitha said.
“How did you know?” Lu asked.
“Blake had mentioned she was way ahead of her time with spells. And I remembered when I heard her voice in the cafeteria. I asked her if she could help us find Blake.” Tabitha shrugged. “It’s as easy as that.”
A huge gush of air expelled from Lu’s lips. His lips finally quirked as he pulled her into his arms. He gave her a kiss. “I’m going to take a break.”
“Sure, if Arianna is the answer, then we might all take a break.”
He nodded and walked Tabitha out of the library.
Annie got up from her chair, and I closed the distance between us. Sammy and Becky were with the gang at the table in the middle of the room.
“What did Arianna say?” Sam asked.
“Said she knows how to find your brother. Lu and I have to meet her tonight. I think it’s time for a break. We will meet here tomorrow again if this thing with Arianna doesn’t fan out.”
“Awesome,” Brian said and got up from his chair. Jeff followed as Annie came with us.
I just had to meet Arianna in the tower behind the academy.
Around seven, we climbed the steps that led to the top part of the tower. It was much smaller than Irene’s tower and needed a lot of TLC.
Arianna waited for us standing by the window. Candles sat in a star formation on the floor. They weren’t lit or anything yet. I didn’t like the vibe that was forming in the air. She looked at Lucian. “You brought something of his?”
“His journal.” Lu held out the journal toward her.
“Perfect?” She grabbed it and put it in the middle of the candles that she’d placed.
She pulled out the necklace from underneath her shirt. It had a long gem attached to the pendant.
She grabbed the top part of the pendant and sliced her hand without flinching. Blood dripped on Blake’s journal.
Arianna closed her eyes as Lucian and I sat down in front of her.
“Utter silence, please.”
Her lips moved, but no words came out from between them.
Nothing happened.
I looked at Lu, and he shook his head as his jaw muscles pumped.
Then Arianna’s eyes opened, and they were pure white.
I flinched in my seat as Lucian’s body shot ramrod straight, staring at Arianna with wide eyes.
A breeze moved into the tower. It was cold, and nothing about it felt natural. It became stronger and blew our hair in all directions.
Lucian grabbed my hand as Arianna started speaking the words louder.
“Hands,” Arianna yelled, and we grabbed her hands.
The entire room spun, or maybe it was us. I couldn’t tell.
I closed my eyes when the spinning became out of control. The wind still blew through my hair, and I struggled to breathe. My stomach didn’t like the vortex I’d found myself in.
It stopped, and Lucian’s gasp reached my ears.
I opened my eyes and found Arianna’s eyes were still white. She looked around with her finger on her lips.
She was sitting below a tree, the walls of the tower were gone.
I looked around. We were somewhere in the woods, close to a lake.
“Oh, come on, Blake, don’t be like that,” a girl spoke.
My heart pounded behind my ribcage as my head jerked to where the girl’s voice came from. I found him in the lake with a girl. My heart cringed, and Lu grabbed my arm. He shook his head.
Arianna signed with her fingers to Lu. I did not know what she’d said, but Lu understood.
I stared at Blake and the girl frolicking in the lake, and tears blurred my sight.
“Blake.” Someone walked through Lucian and came to a standstill a few inches in front of me.
My eyes grew wider as the guy retreated and walked back through Lu once more. Every time Lu slightly twitched as if he could feel it.
I kept staring at the guy that had just walked through Lu, heading back in the direction he had just emerged from. Footsteps sloshing through the water reached my ears, and I turned around just before Blake walked through me. It felt weird. Like stepping through a spider’s web.
Blake gasped, and I turned to look at him.
He was staring straight at me, with furrowed eyebrows and a squinted gaze.
The girl reached him. She had the reddest hair and freckles on her nose. “What is it?” She looked back in my direction, too.
“I don’t know.” Blake’s gaze broke from mine and looked slightly to the left.
“Reveal yourself,” Blake spoke the words, and Lucian grabbed my hand. We froze as we stared at him.
The girl laughed. “There is nobody there. You are so paranoid.”
He huffed.
“Let’s go.”
I stared at her. He was my husband, and she was throwing her figure at him. Cheap slut.
Blake turned around and walked past Lucian. He didn’t stop this time.
The tears pricked my eyes as I stared at Blake’s back, walking away from us.
Lu grabbed my hand and followed Blake. I got yanked behind Lu and glanced back at Arianna still sitting on the spot with white eyes.
Blake disappeared into a tent up ahead, followed by the redhead.
“Out!” a voice that sounded like King Helmut yelled, and the girl with the red hair rushed through me. I stopped on the spot as a shiver overtook me. I hated that spider-web feeling.
Lu entered the tent and pulled me behind him. Inside was big, like it didn’t compare to the size of the tent outside.
An enormous bed sat in the corner, and Goran sat behind a desk, popping a grape into his mouth.
He looked just like Lu’s dad. The only difference was that he didn’t have a mustache. His chin was shaven clean.
I looked at Lu, and his nostrils flared as his jaw muscles pumped. My hand inside his squeezed harder, and it looked as if Lu took a breath.
Lu didn’t step closer. Fear that his uncle might know that we were here prickled my skin.
Blake stopped in front of his desk, waiting patiently for Goran. I hated every part.
He didn’t even look like Blake anymore. The sides of his hair were shaved. A gazillion piercings ran up his ears and in his lip. There were blue bands around his arm. What was that about?
“You need to meet Paul and bring them back,” Goran said.
“You know where they are?” Blake asked.
“Yes. Tambi saw it.”
“When and where?”
“Three o’clock tomorrow on the mountains of Ekwador. Make sure he has the Elementals, Blake. Do not come home without them.”
“I won’t. You have my word.”
“I trust you.”
“Anything else?”
“That is it. Bring them home, and take your sphere with you.”
A growl pushed past Blake. “Why?”
“Because I say so! He still has people looking for us.”
“You changed everything. They won’t find us.”
“Blake, just do as I say.”
“Fine, I’ll take the fucking sphere.” Blake stormed out.
Lu walked out, and I followed.
Blake had taken the path to our right, and it was hard not to follow him. The redhead ran behind him; I hated her.
We went back to Arianna and sat back down.
Lu grabbed her hand and mine and nodded toward Arianna’s hand for me to take it.
I touched Arianna’s hand, and the spinning started once more. I closed my eyes as my stomach twirled.
When it stopped, Arianna coughed. It sounded raspy, and she spat up blood.
Lu’s reflexes were fast, or maybe he just knew what was going to follow, as he crouched next to her, with a bottle of water in his hand.
“Was that real?” I asked as Arianna took gulps of the water.
“Yes,” Lu said. “I have a feeling that is what he does to see what your father is up to. He also has a Moon-Bolt with him.”
“A Dragonian. She isn’t a Moon-Bolt,” Arianna said.
“How do you know?” Lu asked.
“Because I know her name. I’ve heard it before.” She spoke through huge breaths. Was she going to be okay?
“Where?”
“Irene’s Dragonian.” Her gaze met Lu’s.
“What?”
“She isn’t dead, Lucian, and if you want to do this without the ‘rents knowing, you can’t tell Irene.”
