"What happens now?" Joe asked.
"We fight back," Mercy said. "The vote was unanimous. The Sayges will stand with you. You tell us what you need us to do and where you need us to be, and we'll be there."
This was really happening. We were actually going to stand up to Terra and I could stop worrying about my safety and the safety of my brother. But it also meant that I was going to lose Brenon soon. A weight rested in my stomach. The cost of the Sayge support had been too great. The loss of life was the thing we were trying to prevent. Now, it was an aim to beat the clock. Stop Terra before she did any more damage.
I knew the next few days were going to keep moving fast as we figured out how to challenge Terra. It was also going to be the most dangerous thing I'd ever done. I took a deep breath, pushing away the fear. "Thank you. This is more important now than it ever was. We can't let Terra harm anyone else."
"Agree," Aunt Kay said. "We need to strike before she has a chance to get any stronger or we won't be able to fight against her."
"But how do we get her out in the open?" Maggie asked.
"I can call her," I said. "Agree to meet with her."
"She'd never believe you," Adam said. "You've already escaped from her twice. Why would she think you'd come to talk to her of your own free will?"
"Because I'd ask her if we can make a deal. She knows my history. She knows I want to protect those I care about. She'll buy that."
"I don't know," Maggie said. "It could backfire."
"So what if it does?" I said. "We get her to meet me somewhere and the rest of you hide. Even if she intends to harm me, you all can jump in before then, right?"
"No," Brenon said.
I looked at him, surprised. Now was not the time for him to get protective of me.
"It has to be me," he said. "As far as we know, she doesn't know that you came back to the Circus. She knows I want to protect you and she wants my magic. I'll contact her and set up the meeting."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" I asked. Would Terra try to hurt him before the Sayges and the other members of the Circus could help? I'd never seen her interact with Brenon, but she didn't seem to be happy with him at all.
"Sounds good to me," Joe said.
I glared at him. "You've never met her. She's the living embodiment of a nightmare."
"And you want to walk right up to her?" Joe asked.
"She needs me," I said. "She won't kill me."
"How do you know? I mean, I know I'm new to all of this, but it sounds like she's changed her plans," Joe said.
"Which is why Brenon is more at risk meeting with her." I set my hand on Brenon's arm and looked at him. "What if she tries to take your magic?"
He covered my hand with his. "She can't. Unless the curse is broken. I'll be fine."
"It's very odd to see someone worried about the Ringmaster for a change," Gia said. "Never thought I'd see that."
"It's sort of unsettling," Adam said.
"That's enough," Aunt Kay said. "We're working together here and Brenon knows his sister. He can set up the meeting."
"Let us know the time and place," Mercy said. She and the other elders stood. "We'll ready the Sayges."
I stood and nodded in the slight bow I'd seen used last time when the Elders prepared to leave. The four of them left, pausing at the door for final hushed words with Aunt Kay.
I stood near the love seat, Brenon at my side. Gia walked over to us. "Need a ride anywhere?" Gia asked him.
"Yeah, thanks." He turned from Gia and leaned closer to me, pressing his lips against my cheek. "I'll be back soon."
Numbly, I watched him and Gia leave the house. They were on their way somewhere to set up a meeting with Terra. I wanted to go with them, to be near him as long as I could before he had to return to Faerie, but I know they'd tell me no, so I waited.
Aunt Kay walked over to me and put her arm around me. "How about we work on the spell you'll need to know to open that gate? Things are moving fast, now."
I nodded, then followed her upstairs.
Chapter 18
Aunt Kay didn't say anything about Brenon's goodbye kiss on my cheek or our closeness during the meeting with the Elders. For that, I was grateful. I was still learning how to deal with the emotions regarding having my aunt back in my life in this capacity. There hadn't been time for me to process the information from the last few days, which may be a good thing in the long run. Knowing me, I'd overthink it all until I was a trembling mess huddled in a corner somewhere if given the chance.
I paused in front of the room with the spell books, realizing for the first time that I wasn't a broken mess at having found out the truth of my birth and all the things that I never knew. Was it just the lack of time to stop and think or was I getting better at dealing with things out of my control?
"Arabella, you coming?" Aunt Kay was already seated at the table, opening the book that had the notes about opening the gate.
"Sorry, lost in my own world." I joined her at the table and put on my best attentive student expression.
She closed the book and set her hand on top of it. "You doing okay? You've had a lot to think about, and we haven't had a chance to talk about it all."
"I'm not sure how I'm supposed to be doing," I said. There wasn't a road map for dealing with this type of news.
"You were so determined to meet Tristan. I don't have to worry about you running off, do I?"
My brow furrowed. "Are you kidding me? That's the last thing on my mind right now."
"Oh, I see. Yes, you are a bit distracted by the Ringmaster."
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. This was not the conversation I wanted to have with her.
Aunt Kay leaned closer and lowered her voice. "Are you sure you can trust him? He's not holding something against you or forcing you?"
I shook my head. "No, Aunt Kay. Is it so hard to believe that maybe he's a good guy under all the scars?"
"The scars have nothing to do with my concern for you. The fact that he's Fae is what worries me."
"Even my mother hooked up with a Fae," I said. "Maybe it just runs in my blood."
"Don't joke about this, Arabella. He's more dangerous than you know. Aside from the damage breaking the curse could cause you, there's other reasons I wouldn't agree to them doing that while they remained in our realm."
Now my curiosity was firing. "What do you mean?"
She let out a sigh. "I've heard stories of the things he can do with his magic, even under the curse. I can't imagine the power he'd have without it."
"You know he wouldn't hurt me," I said.
She smiled, but her eyes looked sad. "Let's just agree that the sooner we can get their kind back where they belong, the better off we'll all be."