Ruby Falls is a serene part of Blackwater that many visit during the spring and summer, according to Caz. It’s also where Hassha has agreed to meet us.
It wasn’t easy finding a way to deliver a message to Kessel. Kessel’s High Guard (aka Milandra) keeps a transmitter in her bungalow for emergency purposes only, in case any women who ventures from Kessel to the mainland needs their assistance. Caz had to travel to Vanora, and it turns out his lead belonged to a Mythic brothel. According to Juniper, Mythic brothels are a place where Mythic women make anyone’s fantasies come true visually…while also performing sexual favors. I wasn’t fully comfortable knowing Caz went to a brothel of all places, but I understood. Plus, I know him. The last thing he would have wanted was to be touched, and I trust him. He found one Mythic woman who claimed to have encountered a Kessel woman once. She said she had the transmitter information. It took Caz paying the Mythic prostitute a ton of rubies just to retrieve that information. Fortunately, the woman wasn’t lying because Milandra responded to his transmitter request the same day.
Caz sent his men out with orders to keep everyone away from Ruby Falls for the day so we can meet Hassha privately.
Just off the shore, I find myself comforted as we step out of the SUV. Caz removes himself from the driver seat while Danica and Warren climb out of the back. We stand on black sand that squishes beneath my feet, but ahead, past smooth rocks swathed in moss, is an incredible view of a waterfall.
The water cascades down protruding rocks tinged red, pooling into an oblong gorge. We climb over smooth stones and boulders to reach the gravel on the other side, closest to the waterfall. The scent of mud fills my nostrils, the gravel beneath my feet sparkling in the light. When I’m closer, I realize exactly where that glint of red on the rocks is coming from. These aren’t simple rocks that make up the waterfall. They’re interwoven with rubies. The rubies twinkle beneath the gray sky and adorn the rocks on either side of the falling water. From where I stand, a cave is behind the waterfall’s belly.
“Does the name of this location make sense now?” Caz smirks as he stands next to me.
“It does,” I breathe. “Wow. It’s so beautiful here.”
“To be here, it must be reserved. We collect a list of visitors, seeing as some would come to mine the place and collect rubies. We don’t allow that here. We like the rubies at the falls to stay in place. It keeps the area sacred. Mining here is against Blackwater Law.”
I nod. “I see. That’s good. It makes it all the more special to be around it.”
Warren and Danica meet up to us, facing the water too. They’re hand in hand, though Danica is hanging on much tighter to him than he is to her. She informed me this morning that she caught him standing on the guardrail of the guesthouse, like he was about to jump off. I look at my brother now, and though he looks the same to me, I can’t imagine the thoughts running through his head.
“Come,” Caz says. “I’ll show you the cave.”
Caz leads the way across the gravel to a set of built-in stairs in the rock wall. The gurgling of the waterfall grows louder, the water crashing into what appears to be a bottomless black gorge.
With the final step up, we’re inside the cave. The roar of the water is louder, but soothing. The cave leaks inside, water trickling from the ceiling. Some drips onto my cheek, and I wipe it away with a smile, taking in the view of rubies glinting marvelously inside the cave. I look through one of the gaps on either side of the waterfall, and ahead is plush green land that travels to the beach. It would make a great place to spread a towel, bring a picnic basket, and enjoy the day.
“We can do that today,” Caz murmurs in my ear. He’s standing behind me, the heat of his body pressed to mine. He circles his arms around the upper half of my body, and I melt in his arms.
“Blackwater is beautiful. I didn’t realize there was so much more to it,” I admit.
“Oh, there’s lots to be discovered,” he says on the shell of my ear. His warm breath sends a spiral of heat through me, creating a puddle between my legs. “We can discover it together.”
My eyes shift to Danica and Warren. Warren is facing the waterfall, zoned out, while Danica claims the space next to him, her sword in hand.
“How long must we wait?” Danica asks, wiping the sword with a handkerchief.
“There’s no wait at all.” A voice rises behind us, and Caz pulls himself away from me to spin around. In the depths of the cave, I spot lustrous blue eyes. They move closer, along with soft, damp footsteps, until Hassha appears. She stands several paces away, dressed in a sleeveless tan top and matching skirt. Her crown is rooted to her head, her white hair braided into singles down her back. She smiles at me and Caz, then her eyes shift to Danica and Warren, who are staring at her in complete shock. Danica plants the tip of her sword in the ground, dropping to one knee and bowing her head.
“My Regal, Hassha. I am so grateful to be in your presence,” Danica says. “I never thought this day would come.”
“Rise,” Hassha commands, and Danica immediately stands upright again, but not without staring at Hassha with glistening eyes.
“All the Cold Tethered children in one area. I’ve not been a witness to this for centuries.” The glow of her eyes fades, and two women step up behind her—Milandra and another built woman with blonde hair. Warriors who are all business and no smiles, unlike their leader.
“Hassha, thank you so much for doing this.” I move closer, wanting badly to take her hands and hold them, but I know better not to. Milandra is already looking at us like she seeks a challenge.
“Come.” Hassha holds her arms out to me, and I hesitate before stepping into them. She holds me close, hugging tight, and her warriors tense, gripping the handles of their spears tighter. “Such wonderful energy.” Pulling away, Hassha clasps my face in her hands and presses her forehead to mine. She closes her eyes to breathe a moment, eyeballs moving behind her lids, then she opens them again.
“I’ve seen what has happened since you returned to Blackwater. Decius is gone. That is good.” Her gaze shifts to Warren and Danica. “Come,” she insists, waving her hands for them to approach.
They make their way toward her, Warren a lot more wary than Danica. When they’re close enough, Hassha takes Warren’s hand and wraps hers around it. Her eyes shut again, those eyeballs swiveling behind the lids, until she hitches a breath and her eyes pop open, glowing fiercely now. She releases Warren’s hand and takes a minor step back.
“I felt the dark energy seeping out of him from a distance, but it’s much worse than I thought,” Hassha states.
“How do you mean?” Danica asks rapidly.
“Though you can’t remember, I saw exactly how Decius used your energies to get by. Warren’s is much stronger than yours, Danica, so he used him twice as much. I believe he was using Warren to tap into Earth as well, hence the nightmares Willow previously had, as well as the snake attack and the attack from our prisoner. Warren was his only link to Earth.”
Garrett. I put up my mind’s wall because I know Caz is going to flip if he even hears me thinking about Garrett’s well-being. I don’t know why I care. I shouldn’t at all, and he deserves to rot, but I’m too damn empathetic sometimes. I still don’t think he deserves to die. Tortured? Sure. But death? No. Still, Caz is tense next to me, and the back of his hand brushes mine, a mutual understanding.
“So, what are you saying? That there’s nothing we can do?” Danica inquires.
“No, no. There are things we can do. The only issue is that it’ll require a lot of time. I suggest you two come to Kessel, remain in Wellness Bay until we can piece his mind back together and rid him of any lingering energy from Decius. We do that, and his memories with you should be restored and his heart will be clear. I would also like to run other tests, just to make sure”
“Why is it that I know who Danica is, but I can’t remember anything I did with her?” Warren asks. “It’s strange because I feel like I’ve developed some form of amnesia about our bond, yet I trust her and still care about her very much.”
“His wicked ties can’t taint virtue,” Hassha returns with a smile. “The good will always triumph. Once we’re done, it will all come back. Trust me.” She points her eyes to Milandra. “Milandra, Lilith, take them to the portal so we can clear him immediately.”
“Yes, your grace.” Milandra and Lilith step back, gesturing toward the darkness of the cave. Warren and Danica stare at each other, hesitant, before following their lead.
“Wait—Warren.” I rush after him, and when he turns a fraction, I wrap my arms around him and press my ear to his chest. “Get better, you hear me? I can’t lose you again.”
Warren nods when I look up. “I will.”
Thank you, Willow.” Danica’s voice is soft as she touches my hand. I nod, watching her take Warren’s. They follow Milandra and Lilith, disappearing into the darkness. I notice a flicker of blue light, almost like a camera flashing, and then the cave is dark again.
My brother is in Kessel. He’ll get better, and when he does, we’ll find out exactly what happened in our past. If our parents on Earth never birthed us…who did?
