The horror I felt must have been written all over my face, because the little queen chortled, losing some of her altitude and drawing the attention of everyone around us. Including Rand’s. Of course, Sam and Tess had been close enough to overhear the whole conversation. From their snickering and look they shared, I knew they were going to tease me about this later. On their far side, Danai either hadn’t heard or hadn’t been paying attention, looking puzzled when she looked over at us. Suddenly, her face cleared and an amused glint lit her eyes. Great. Sebastian must have shared the queen’s comment with her. He sneezed when I sent him a sarcastic mental thank you.
“No, I’m good, thanks. I’ve got all the drama I can handle at the moment.” Time to change the subject. “What did you mean when you said that bit about land, air, and water? It sounded like it meant something.”
Her face grew contemplative, and she rose to fly next to my ear. “The research I’ve had Finn and my people doing has centered on the wrong areas, I believe. I’ve had them searching through histories, artisan catalogues, and such. I believe they need to search in a separate section in the library that holds prophecies. I have read many of them myself, but it was long ago. When Olen mentioned his tithe, it jogged my memory about an old prophecy centered around a fae Object comprised of many magicks; that of the Land, the Air, the Water, and . . .” she looked away.
“And?” I prompted.
“And Fire and Blood.” She met my eyes, all traces of her earlier mirth gone. “I know how the bracelet—and the armour—was Made. And why it had to be done that way. I was the one who told Finn his own blood would be needed, so I’ve played my part in this as much as anyone has.” She was silent as we passed the stables. I waited patiently, sensing she had more to say. “Blood magick is forbidden for many reasons. What you did was not like most blood magick in that you were not seeking power for either your own gain or the willful destruction of another, but it was still blood magick. The magick itself is powerful enough that even humans could use it, were they to discover,” she frowned, “or rediscover it. And any power in the hands of a human is dangerous.”
Sam spoke up. “Not all of us are like that.”
The queen’s eyes were candid and a little sad as she looked at Sam. “Perhaps not at first, but power tends to corrupt humans more than any other beings. Even Roxanne’s kind are not immune to corruption and they were meant to be the protectors of our world, once upon a time. Maybe it’s because of the human in them that so many have been corrupted.”
I wasn’t sure whether I should object to anything she said or not. Considering the state of the world—of both our worlds—she was probably right. From the determined look on Sam’s face, I knew my friend was set to argue the point and prove Astra wrong. Quickly, I asked, “So what else do you remember about that prophecy?” Sam fixed me with a hard stare, perfectly aware of what I’d just done, but she let it go.
“Not much. There were all of the usual vague references most prophecies have—safeguards for the prophet in case they are wrong or never come to pass. This one, though, mentions a Chosen One, an Object Made with many magicks . . . or was it all magicks?” Her brow wrinkled delicately as she tried to remember. “Oh, and a new God rising. There may have been a battle with light and dark, but that is mentioned in almost every prophecy ever written.” She rolled her eyes.
My blood chilled, despite the heat and humidity of the day. For claiming not to remember much, Astra had shared far more than I’d expected. My aunt’s letter had mentioned a Chosen One. She thought it was me. The Powers had mentioned it, too, but I believed they were referring to Zara at the time. They had appeared after a long hiatus, according to Zara. Surely, they wouldn’t be considered new gods because of that, would they? Astra had said God, not gods, so that couldn’t be right.
“Hey, earth to Roxie!” Tess’s voice snapped me back to the present. “You okay?”
Confused, I looked around. Everyone was staring at me. “What?”
More gently, Sam said, “You just stopped walking and stood there. Are you okay?”
“I—yeah, I’m fine. I was just thinking. Sorry.” I started walking again. Astra was the only one who didn’t appear worried about my break from the present. From my periphery, I saw the looks Tess, Sam, and Danai shared with one another.
I dropped my shields, surprised that I had raised them again at some point without even thinking about it. Sebastian, will you please assure them I’m fine?
You want me to repeat what you have already told them? he asked with amusement. I pinned him with a stare and he huffed, but apparently acquiesced, because all three women looked over at me, eyebrows up.
“I’m fine. Really.”
We reached the bottom stairs leading up to the terraces behind the house.
Gloria has food and drink waiting for all of you and a tray set out for the pixies. As soon as Zara’s words reached me, I realized I was famished. The trek up all those stairs seemed blessedly shorter knowing food waited for us at the top.
Astra and her flight left shortly after finishing off the tray Gloria had prepared for them. Astra promised to let me know as soon as they located the prophecy, warning that it might take a while to go through all of them,
