Zach waited until Millennia and Brom were well down the hall before he said, “You sure this is a good idea?”
“Not really, but she’s got a point,” I said. “You won’t Kiss me, and it’s only going to get more dangerous. If she wanted to kill us, she could’ve let the basilisk vipers do their job. And honestly? I could use someone who isn’t against me at every turn.”
“I’m not against you.”
“Well, you’re not entirely with me, either.”
“I just told you why,” he said, his voice low and weary.
I bit my bottom lip. “I’m sorry, Zach, it’s just hard for me to…”
“Believe me. I get it. If you don’t believe in my feelings for you, then at least consider the Golden Effect and the Kiss. I need you to just think about it, Ivy.”
My hands quivered again, and I clutched them behind my back. “Zach, what you think you’re feeling for me, it’s not—”
“Don’t. Please don’t tell me what I’m feeling isn’t real. You have no right to tell me that.” He turned away, rubbing the back of his neck, and swore colorfully under his breath. “That’s exactly why I didn’t want to say anything. But if it makes you feel any better—if it’s what you want—I’ll keep trying to get rid of these feelings, or at least ignore them.”
With that, he left, his footsteps resounding in my brain.
I should’ve been relieved. But instead I felt a strange void in my chest. A hollowness I hadn’t been expecting.
I stood over the threshold of the doorway for a moment longer, still thinking of his words. Of all the reasons he’d given for loving me. Freckles and strawberries and fierce and strong…something shifted in my chest. Almost like a small seed. A small flower blooming, turning its petals to the sun.
It was warm and wonderful and made me feel lighter than air.
I changed out of the borrowed dress and into my tunic, vest, and pants, which had dried overnight. The sunlight was coming in low now, and it caught something in my bag, creating a glint of light that made me squint. My magic compact.
Master Gelloren!
I scrambled to the sack and fumbled for it, my breath in short gasps. How could I have forgotten this treasure? This link that connected me to my Legion? The one thing in the world that made sense to me.
I sank onto the bed and stared at it for a few moments, reveling in its cool silver and sleek surface. I closed my eyes and thought of Master Gelloren, then clicked open the compact, and the mirror’s surface pulsed with soft amber light.
“Ivy?”
“Master Gelloren,” I breathed in relief.
His face shimmered into view like tiny bits of light congealing together. “Ivy! I’ve been trying to reach you for days. I was about to send out another party to find you.”
“I’m so sorry, Master, time escaped me,” I said, squeezing the compact.
“Great seas, princess, what have you been through?”
Perhaps it was the worry and anxiety so evident in the dark circles under my eyes, or perhaps he was confused as to why I had waited so long to contact him—a mystery I would never dare to explain. How could I tell him my attention had been captured by a certain swordsman?
“After the griffin, we encountered an entire horde of basilisk vipers, but a female mage who goes by the name Millennia saved us. Do you know her?”
Gelloren’s beard twitched as his mouth set into a deep scowl. “I’ve heard her name, yes. She’s a new young mage with incredible power and discipline. She’s from Raed, and she’s wanted for slander against the Legion. She’s a Romantica, Ivy.”
“I somewhat gathered that. Do you know anything about her master?”
Gelloren paused. “She’s rumored to have one, but I never caught the name. Romantica and Royal mages obviously don’t travel in the same circles.”
Though rare, it wasn’t unheard of for apprentices to become more well-known than the masters themselves, especially when one came around as young and talented as Millennia. But not knowing her master still made me uneasy.
“You need to stay away from her and keep moving,” he continued.
I almost laughed. I’d just told her she could join us. Merciful Queen, what had become of me these past few days? Me, direct descendant of Myriana Holly, traveling with two Romantica.
“Where are you? Are you to the mountains yet?”
“No, but we’re not far. We’re in a village north of the Galedral Forest.”
“You must hurry, Ivy, you don’t have much time left.”
“We’re about to leave, but we were delayed. The Curse of Venera had been cast on this village, Master.”
Master Gelloren lowered his gaze and sighed. “That is a tragedy.”
“We were their only hope. We had to stop and help them.”
“Ivy, I understand. But the counter-curse is greatly taxing—”
“No, it’s not that. It’s…” Explaining that we broke the curse by destroying the amulet could lead to a lot of questions I wasn’t sure I could answer. If I admitted Zach was a Romantica and had refused to Kiss me, Gelloren would tell me to come home at once, and everything—our entire journey—would have been wasted.
“We managed to break the curse without the Kiss. With the help of the mage,” I quickly added. “The results were quite remarkable. Have you ever heard of showers of gold?”
Gelloren’s brow furrowed. “Just rumors. Romantica rumors.”
I chose my words carefully. “They might not be just rumors.” I quickly explained the golden rain’s effects and the Romantica’s theory behind it.
Gelloren’s image flickered within the small compact mirror. When his face came back into focus he looked furious. “Ivy, tell me you don’t believe this nonsense.”
I thought of the griffin, of Zach’s breath on my neck, the look in his eyes when he told me I wouldn’t be safe with anyone else, of the villagers weeping with joy, of the decayed, dead earth left after the monsters died by Kellian’s glowing blue blade.
“No, of course not. I’m just curious. It’s important to know our enemy, Master. You taught me this.”
The muscles in Gelloren’s face relaxed. “Remember, Ivy, your power is the only thing that can save us from the Sable Dragon. So you must hurry.”
I nodded again, mouth dry. “One more thing, Master. Do you remember that village Kellian and I cured with my Kiss about two moons ago?” The Curse of Jecep had plagued the poor village with poisoned crops. All it took was one poisoned plant, then when it was pulled its roots spread, multiplying the poison. “How is it? I mean, is everyone recovering properly?”
Gelloren sighed. “I’m sorry to say, but the Curse of Resinda descended a few weeks ago, and we were too late. I—”
I closed the compact on Gelloren’s deep, bass words.
“If we hadn’t broken the amulet then these villagers would never have properly healed. They may have even died from another curse that would take its place.”
I tucked the mirror into my bag and stood, picking up the mug of tea Millennia had brought me. I tried to take a sip to calm myself, but my hands trembled so hard I spilled some down the front of my shirt. I squeezed my eyes shut, clutching the mug tight in my hand.
Then I whirled and threw it. The mug smashed through the window and flew into the village square.
Silence followed the shattering glass.
I walked to the broken window and stared out at the rising sun and multicolored sky, where only yesterday golden rain had fallen in buckets because…because why?
Love?
I dug into my bag for a handful of coins and placed them on the bedside table, leaving more than enough to replace the window glass and shattered mug.
Chapter
Twenty-Six