Gia, Miles, Goldie, and Evangeline were sitting on a faded couch in the back of the car we had arrived in. They rose when we entered the room.
"So?" Evangeline said. "What was such a big deal that it had to be said privately? I couldn't get anything out of Gia."
I looked over at Gia and smiled at her. It was nice to feel like I had somebody in my corner.
"The only thing you need to know is that Ara thinks she can convince the Sayges to help us defeat Terra. Then, there's a possibility that we could open the gates and return home."
The room fell silent. Even Evangeline didn't have a comment.
Gia walked over to me. "Ara, are you sure you'd want to do that for them? You don't know what it might cost you. The magic it would take to open the gates..."
"So we were right?" Evangeline looked at Brenon. "A member of the Sayge bloodline could open the gates?"
"Something like that." Brenon moved closer to me, and his hand brushed against mine. I looked up at him. He was keeping my secret, just like he said he would. I nodded to him.
"So why not just grab a human girl, open the gates and go back home to break the curse? Surely, we'd regain our magic faster in Faerie. If Terra follows, we could deal with her there," Evangeline said.
I shuddered at the thought of them dragging a random human girl to be used as a sacrifice in such a way. Didn't Brenon say something about love? Was it really as simple as sex? The two weren't interchangeable.
"It's not that simple," Brenon said. "Besides, it's too much of a risk to have the gates open while Terra is still around. It leaves all of us vulnerable, especially Ara."
Evangeline marched up to Brenon. "That's what this is all about, isn't it? I thought you wanted to go home. To break the curse. You said you weren't going to let this girl get in the way."
"Enough," Brenon yelled. "This isn't up for negotiation. We will not open that gate until Terra is gone."
"Boss, you know I have your back," Miles said. "But I'm with Evangeline on this one. There's no way we can beat Terra without our magic. If you want to wait on the gate, that's fine, but maybe it's time to end this curse. Can't you just have a lie in with Goldie? It might work, she was human before the curse."
Goldie held her hands up in front of her. "Hold up, there, Miles. I'm not getting in the middle of all this. Plus, I'm not human anymore. You know that."
Miles shrugged. "Still might work. I mean, worth a shot, right?"
"There will be no curse breaking until Terra is gone. If we don't time this right, if she was able to take our magic, all of this is for nothing. We've waited this long to break it. We have to do it the right way, and Ara has offered the first chance at a solution. We might not have magic, but the Sayges do. And if they help us, maybe we have a shot."
"What makes you think they'd help us?" Evangeline had both of her hands on her hips. She didn't seem to think any of this was a good idea. "I mean, they kicked Gia out simply for staying with us for a few years. Why would they help us when they won't even help their own kind?"
"Because they want Ara," Gia said. "She's Kay's niece. They'll want her on their side. If Ara asks them to help, I think she can convince them."
All eyes turned to me. I knew my Aunt Kay had some power within the Sayge community, but I didn't realize it was enough to silence the room and end an argument.
"Kay is your aunt?" Brenon asked.
I nodded.
He smiled. "You might be able to convince them to help."
"This whole time, Kay's from the same line? Why hasn't Terra gone after her?" Evangeline asked.
"She did," Brenon said. "Remember Mina?"
My insides clenched at the mention of my birth mother's name. There was clearly more to the story than I knew and I intended to get all of it from Aunt Kay when I was done running for my life.
"The rest of the Circus isn't going to like this," Miles said.
"You make them like it. It's our shot at going home. And the only way that's going to happen is if Terra is gone. We aren't risking her entering Faerie with the extra magic she's stolen over the years. That's all there is to it."
Brenon walked to the door and opened it. "It's late, the Circus is waking up. None of you will speak of this until we get back from talking with the Sayges."
"You got it, boss," Miles said.
Evangeline crossed her arms over her chest. "You haven't left the Circus for years. Where am I supposed to say you went?"
"Tell them I went to apologize to a friend." He glanced at me, then looked back at Evangeline. "Now out, I'll come find you when we return."
Goldie grabbed hold of me for another hug. "I want details when you get back, okay?"
I hugged her back. "Okay."
She followed Evangeline and Miles out of the room, leaving me with Brenon and Gia.
"Well," Gia said. "Guess we have some Sayges to visit."
Chapter 12
Brenon crossed the room and opened a cabinet on the wall. Inside were bottles and glasses.
"Do you think now is the time for that?" I asked.
He kept his back to me while he poured a drink, then walked over to where Gia and I were standing.
Brenon handed each of us a glass. "It's going to be a long night. And you're still bound by your Sayge habits. The whole sleeping at night thing."
I took the shot glass of orange liquid from him. "Is this the same thing you gave me before?"
He nodded.
Gia tossed back the drink and handed the glass to Brenon. "Your turn, Ara. You're going to want it."
The sweet, orange liquid went down easy, just like it had last time. Without a word, I handed the glass back to Brenon.
He took it from me. "I'd never hurt you, Ara. I know I've broken your trust, but you have to at least believe that."
Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I gave a slight nod. I wasn't ready to resume friendship with him, but I did believe that he'd never hurt me.
After setting the glasses down, Brenon walked to the exterior door. "Gia, can you get us there quickly?"
A smile lit up her whole face. "I still have the bug."
I wasn't sure how Gia's clunky old bug was going to get us back to wherever my Aunt's house was quick. Terra's place was in Denver, and my aunt had to be at least a day's drive away. The thought of a road trip with Brenon and Gia wasn't my idea of a good time. At least I could sit in the back of the car and let Brenon ride shotgun, so I didn't have to be too close to him.
Brenon slid open an exterior door, and a rush of wind whipped my hair around me. I'd forgotten the train was moving. My eyes watered as cold air assaulted me, and I stood frozen in place. There was no way I was going to jump from a moving train.
"Gia?" Brenon called over the wind.
She nodded, then leaped from the train. My heart seized up with fear, and I looked up at Brenon, wide-eyed.