Murmurs sounded through the group, and I could tell that some people hadn't yet heard the news from my declaration outside the train. In a way, I was surprised that it hadn't spread, but we'd moved quickly to gather everyone after we found out about Ryder.
I turned at looked at Tristan. Something had to be said to explain why he was here and why he was willing to help us. They weren't going to let Tristan join in without reason. For years, they'd been afraid of him, running from him. Last they'd heard, he was working for Terra.
My stomach churned as I considered what I should say. I still didn't fully trust him, and by explaining our relationship, I felt like I was vouching for him, which I wasn't ready to do.
The noise of the Circus had grown to chatter, and I had to raise my voice to talk over them. "He wants to see Terra go down just as much as the rest of us."
"That's because he wants to take over," someone said.
A small, scaly man with horns on his head stood on top of his chair. "Yeah, even if we succeed in opening the gates, what's to stop him and his brothers from taking over Faerie? These Dark Fae can't be trusted."
"I don't have to help you," Tristan said. "I can let you all do this without any real magic."
I touched Tristan's arm and gave him a look that silently asked him to stop talking.
"Look, Tristan wants to help us, and we aren't in the position to be turning down help," I said.
"You don't know him like we do," Mike said. "Jasper might not be enough to protect you if he turns on you."
"He won't turn on me, he helped me get away from Terra," I said.
More arguments started, and the room was buzzing with noise. While they seemed to want to help me get to Ryder, the idea of Tristan being around them was too much. I glanced over at Brenon. He raised his eyebrows and nodded. It was as if he was encouraging me to continue.
I took a deep breath. All of the Sayges already knew. It was a matter of time before the Circus found out our connection. "The rumors are right. He's my father."
I spoke quietly, but it was enough to stop the people who were near me from talking and the ripple of their sudden silence spread through the dining car. All eyes were on me. I swallowed and looked out at the people who had become my friends in such a short time.
I glanced at Tristan. "It doesn't mean that I trust him yet, but I know he won't hurt me. And I believe him when he says he wants to help us eliminate Terra. As far as what he wants when the gate goes down, I don't know."
"What do you want?" Evangeline asked.
Tristan smiled. "I'm glad you asked."
Evangeline wrinkled her nose, and her ears flattened against her head. "I'm not sure I like it when you smile like that."
Tristan's smile widened, showing his sharp teeth. "I just want what I'm owed."
"Which is?" Evangeline crossed her arms over her chest.
"If I help you remove Terra, there's an opening for a northern ruler." Tristan shrugged. "You'll need someone to control the border between the Dark Fae lands and the Suncountry."
"We've never had a Dark Fae in the Suncountry," Brenon said.
"There's a first for everything," Tristan said.
Tinkerbell, the green fairy I'd met on one of my first nights at the Rose Circus, stood on a chair. She pulled a lollipop out of her mouth.
"What the hell are we still arguing about? Either he helps us, and we get to go home, or we wait till Terra figures out a way to kill us all. I don't care who rules the north. If we do nothing, there will be no going home, anyway."
"She has a point," someone said.
"Wait, I thought this was a rescue mission," Goldie said. "Since when did taking down Terra come into play?"
"Since now." Evangeline held up a vial that looked similar to the iron dust containers the Sayges had made.
"Is that?" I reached for the vial.
She pulled her hand away. "Iron dust. We have one vial. I say we get in close enough. There's one of us here that can't be harmed by the contents of this vial."
I recalled the burning that had spread through my whole body when even the tiniest amount of dust had touched my bare skin. The pain was intense enough that I had lost all of my concentration for several minutes. That vial wasn't large, but if that much hit any of the Fae in this room, it would be deadly.
"Hand it over, Evangeline." Goldie had cut through the crowd and stood with one hand on her hip, other hand outstretched, in front of Evangeline.
"No, it's too dangerous. We should wait until we have more help." I reached for the vial again, but Goldie stepped in between Evangeline and me.
"Let me do this, Ara," Goldie said. "She's right. It can't hurt me. I'm the only one who can do this. If you all can get me close enough to Terra, I can dust her."
I took a deep breath as I watched Evangeline set the vial down in Goldie's hand.
"It's settled," Tristan said. "Whoever is joining us will distract Terra so we can get Goldie as close as possible. Once she's in range, the rest of you will need to get out of there. The Sayge's make strong stuff."
I reached for Brenon's hand and squeezed it in mine. I wasn't sure how much iron dust it took to hurt or kill a Fae. Brenon was out for three days from getting some of the dust on him. And he still had some magic. He was stronger than the other members of the Circus. What would the iron dust do to them?
"Now I'm excited," Tinkerbell said. "If we're going down, we are taking that bitch with us."
The room erupted in cheers, and it was hard not to get swept into the rush of emotions. For the first time since finding out about Ryder, I started to feel like we had a real shot at saving him.
Jasper had informed us that Terra kept prisoners in the suites where I had spent my first night unless she was torturing them. If I could get up to those suites and find the room they had Ryder in, I had a real chance of rescuing him. The added bonus of Terra's demise would sure make things a lot easier for all of us.
"You sure you should be going?" Joe asked me.
He'd been quiet the whole time while we'd been discussing the situation and his question took me off guard. "Why wouldn't I? It's Ryder. You know I'm not going to sit by and do nothing."
"But the gate. Doesn't it have to be you?" he said the words quietly, but the whole room was staring at us. I'd never heard the members of the Rose Circus this quiet.
"I'll be okay. Jasper is going to help us get through there quickly."
Tristan moved next to me, and I tensed at his closeness. He smiled at Joe. "She's half Dark-Fae. If she ever taps into her potential, she'll have more magic than all the creatures in this room combined ever had."
Chapter 27
"You're sure this is a good idea?" I looked at Brenon and Evangeline. The rest of the dining car had emptied as the members of the circus prepared for our visit to Terra's Denver pool hall. The scenery outside flashed by as the train flew down the tracks.
"Stop asking. We'll be fine. This won't be the first time we go toe-to-toe with Terra." Brenon squeezed my upper arm and smiled.