“Hassha, do you think I can have a word?” I ask when Milandra and Lilith have disappeared with the other Cold Tethered couple.
“I was going to ask the same thing.” Hassha stands taller, crossing her fingers together and resting them in front of her. “What’s on your mind?”
“I feel there’s something I should mention to you about The Council.” I glance at Willow, who nods her head. She’s the only reason I’m bringing this up. She believes the Regals can help us because the last thing she wants is this burden over our heads or me taking a trip to Inferno Isle. Juniper took it upon herself to show Willow images of that wretched place in textbooks while I was meeting The Council last night, and now Willow is losing her damn mind over it.
“Go on.” Hassha’s eyes lock with mine.
“They’ve told me they’re aware the Regals are making appearances again. They sense you and Korah have come out of hiding and that it will deter their plans.”
“Their plans to do what, exactly?”
“They’ve mentioned that my blood is charged and that it’s powerful enough to wake Selah. Apparently, she’s resting somewhere on Inferno Isle.”
Hassha doesn’t react with the body, but her eyes tell it all. There’s a slight flinch at the mention of Selah, but she blinks it away.
“Something tells me you already knew this,” I add.
“Of course, I knew. Why wouldn’t I know where my own sister is?”
“So, if you knew, why haven’t you gone to wake her yourself?”
“It has not been in my plans. I’ve been preoccupied with Kessel.” She drops her hands, closing the gap between us. “I’d advise you not to take the journey to Inferno Isle, Caspian. It’s a death sentence and impossible for any man to survive. I should know. I helped design it.”
“So, if you designed it, surely you can clear it and set your sister free.”
Hassha blinks but doesn’t answer my statement. Instead, she says, “Don’t listen to The Council. Remain in Blackwater, where it’s safer.”
“Why shouldn’t I go? Waking Selah will restore everything. Violence will end, everyone can be healed, and the world can be renewed. This is what The Council has told me.”
“The Council is lying to you.” There’s a difference in her tone. It’s sharper, huskier. Still, her body is relaxed, neutral. She knows how to play her cards, hold them against her chest. I’d expect nothing less from a woman who’s been alive for hundreds of thousands of years.
“How do you know?” I ask.
“They’re a group of bored liars. Everyone knows this.” She waves a dismissive hand.
Frustrated, I take a step forward. She’s lying through her teeth, I know it. “Hassha, why won’t you go after your sister? Why won’t you wake her?”
She holds my stare. “It’s much more complicated than that, Caspian, and I don’t have the time to explain it to you right now. If The Council is awaiting our next move, they’ll be waiting a very long time. We’ll keep our heads down, and I’ll find a way to inform Korah of this news about them. As long as they’re unaware of what we’re doing and think there’ll be consequences to their actions, they won’t send you. This, I know for a fact. Why do you think they haven’t responded to you? They know not to cross us.”
“They said you knew my blood was charged,” I add quickly. “That it’s enough to wake her. Why was that never mentioned to me in Kessel? And if Decius has been stored away, as well as most of his energy, how is Selah not awake yet? All the stories say Decius is the one who defeated her—who put her to rest. Shouldn’t she be able to free herself from whatever slumber she’s under if Decius is weaker now? Surely, she can break out of it. She’s one of the most powerful beings in all Vakeeli. Hell, she created us and him. Even if she can’t wake somehow, The Council is very adamant about getting this done, while you and Korah couldn’t seem to care less. Where is your loyalty to her?”
“Don’t you dare question my loyalty!” Hassha roars, and though I don’t flinch, Willow gasps and backs away.
Hassha glares at me, her eyes lit in silvery flames. Her nostrils flare as she breathes raggedly through them. Of course, it doesn’t take those eyes long to cool and for her calm demeanor to be restored.
Silence thickens the cave as she draws in a deep breath, then exhales through her mouth.
I sigh. “I’m just saying that it feels like there’s much more to this than any of you are letting on and I don’t want to be stuck in the middle of it,” I murmur.
“Oh, Caspian. There is so much more. It is far beyond anything you will ever understand. Selah is my sister, yes, but she is not who you or The Council think she is. The less you know, the better. Trust me.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Hassha’s lips part. She studies me for a very long time, not blinking, breathing softly. It seems she’s about to say something until she clamps her mouth shut, places a hand on my shoulder, and says, “Don’t let your curiosity of Selah ruin everything you’ve built.”
“I can’t help feeling like a bloody puppet,” I grumble as she backs away. That causes her to freeze.
“You are far from a puppet. Do you not realize just how powerful you are?” She scoffs. “Honestly, your energy could tear down this entire cave and all of Blackwater if you wanted it to! You felt it last night, didn’t you? That power in your hands? It’s within you. If you truly learn how to use your gifts, just as your mother did, there is nothing you can’t do. But if you wake Selah, that energy will be gone, do you understand? It will be stripped away from you until you’re left to be nothing but ash.”
I feel a clench in my chest and glance at Willow, who is staring at Hassha, confused and slightly afraid.
“I must go, Caspian. Enjoy your life. Live it. Take pride in your Cold Tether and in all you do.” Her eyes shift to Willow, a complacent smile taking place. “We’ll take care of Warren and Danica and alert you when they’re ready to come back.”
“Hassha, I seriously think we should consider—”
Hassha turns her back to me and vanishes into thin air.
“Fuck!” I hiss, planting a hand on my hip. Willow moves closer to me. “There’s something going on here, Willow. I feel it in my bones. They’re all hiding something, and if we don’t figure it out, The Council is going to use us until they get what they want, while Hassha and Korah idly stand by, twiddling their fucking thumbs and living their untouchable lives.”
Willow releases a breath. “Maybe they won’t,” she offers. “There’s a reason The Council put a hold on that trip for now. They’re afraid of what the Regals will do now that they’re revealing themselves to commoners again.”
“We’re not just commoners though, don’t you see? We’re descendants of the Tethered, and whatever goes on with us also affects them. There is something much deeper at play here and not knowing is frustrating the hell out of me.” I swallow hard. “I need to do more studying. Talk to more people. Perhaps Alora will have a clearer idea of the history between all the Regals. I just…I can’t stand by with bated breath, waiting for The bloody Council to pop up again and whisk me off to my death. If push comes to shove, they will do it.”
“Then we’ll talk to Alora. But listen to me, Caz.” She collects my face in her hands, forcing my eyes on hers. “Right now, we don’t need to worry about it, okay? Let The Council’s fear of the Regals be our peace for now. If anything changes, we’ll know, and I have a feeling they’ll warn us. Hassha will sense it. I’m sure she’d tell us first.”
I shake my head. “You have too much faith in these Regals. You forget they stood by while all those Tethered couples from the past were murdered by Decius. They did nothing, Willow. Nothing. The only reason they helped us this time is because we found them and they were forced to face us. What makes you think they won’t let the same happen to us?”
Willow purses her lips, hesitating. “I—I don’t know. I just…I don’t think Hassha would do that. I know it sounds crazy, but I trust her. And Korah saved us, remember? She saved us from Decius and his tricks and returned to Vakeeli after so many years when she didn’t have to. I really think they want a change for the better, and whatever their reasons are for not waking Selah is probably because it won’t benefit us…or them. They know much more than we do. For all we know, Selah is no Regal at all. The history could be wrong. Trust me, I grew up in a world where the history is completely wrong. Turns out the people we thought were heroes, were never really heroes. Maybe the same applies here.” She holds my hand, kissing my knuckles. “Let it be, Caz. Sure, you can study and seek answers, but don’t allow this to stop us from living. Our lives will always be in danger because of things we can’t control. Let’s at least enjoy the parts of it we can. We have each other. We’re happy. I want more happiness with you.”
Damn.
Her words are soothing, like ice to a hot, swollen knot. Some of the tension fades away as I reel her into my arms, but as I peer over her shoulder, past the waterfall and toward the pastures that lead to the ocean, that worry still sits in my gut like a block of steel.
Whether Willow realizes it or not, we’re in the crossfire of the Regals and The Council. They’re much more powerful than we are, and one rash decision from them can tarnish our lives. Of course I want to be happy with her. I want that forever, but how can I be with such threats lingering?
How do we know Hassha and Korah won’t just kill me to deter The Council’s plans? How can I be certain The Council won’t return, despite their fears?
There are too many what ifs, too many doubts…but regardless, my mate is right. I’m still monarch, and I’m still in control of what I have before me. There is a power within me that I need to develop. I am the son of a hybrid Mythic and a cold tethered child. It starts with me and if weapons form against us, I’ll make sure I’m ready.
So, I let it be…for now.
