Braison and Albert came over and sat beside us. We didn’t say anything but I knew we were feeling the same thing. They weren’t marked as soulmates but they’d chosen each other as soulmates and that was even more beautiful in my opinion.
I knew I needed to speak…to ask questions…to voice concerns…but I felt hollowed out. I was a fighter. I was tough. I’d been through hell the last three and a half centuries. I wasn’t going to give up on my happiness once I finally found it. But right now I just wanted to cry.
I glanced around, hoping to distract myself somehow, but my gaze landed on Kessler, Hunter, and Cooper Bishop sitting on the wall a few feet back. They were almost carbon copies of each other with their broad shoulders, big arm muscles, and devastated expressions. They looked as defeated as I felt.
Everyone else was staring at Tegan with worried eyes.
It was only then I realized she hadn’t answered Timothy’s question.
Bettina slammed her foot into the ground.
Tegan jumped and spun around with wide eyes.
“Bro, we need you to stay with us…out loud.” Bettina gestured around to everyone. “We’re all freaking out here. So, does it not say anywhere in the Book of Shadows how to get to Seelie?”
Tegan sighed and threw her hands up. “Yes, and no.”
Tennessee frowned and nodded. “Can you explain the yes and the no?”
Tegan grimaced and squeezed her crystal necklace in her hand. “Althea knew how. She figured it out. But her note in the book says that it’s a suicide mission. No one who goes there uninvited will ever return. And because of that, she refused to write it in the Book of Shadows.”
Easton’s eyes widened. “Althea wrote that?”
Tegan narrowed her pale eyes at him. “Yes, Althea. She was brilliant. Now is hardly the time for me to remind you that she wasn’t evil, dark, or power hungry. The point is, she knew and she knew it was dangerous.”
Emersyn twirled a single flame around her fingers. “But Althea was a lot like you, Tegan.”
Jackson raised his hand. “Sorry, not familiar with this Althea as much…what do you mean by that exactly?”
“It means if Tegan figured something this huge out she would never have let that information die with her, dangerous or not.” Bettina arched one black eyebrow at her best friend. “Tegan would have told someone.”
I gasped as hope flared in my chest. “Tegan? Do you know?”
Tegan groaned. “I don’t know the answer. I did not look for the answer because I never fathomed it would be needed, that it would come to this…but you’re right. I would have made the note somewhere…And so did Althea.”
My pulse skipped. “Where is the note? Tegan, this is my soulmate…what would you do if it was Tennessee they—
“I would burn the world to the ground until I got him back,” she growled and her eyes flashed.
Emersyn nodded and the flame in her hand grew bigger. “I think every soulmate here understands how you’re feeling, Saffie. I promise you none of us are taking this well. I almost lost mine and it’s because of you I didn’t. I will gladly burn whatever I have to to get Riah back for you…and the others.”
Koth folded his arms over his big chest. “I’m in for the burning plan if it gets Landy back.”
“I will razzle dazzle anything to get Amelia back.” Deacon rocked back on his heels.
Tegan pinched the bridge of her nose. “Y’all, my own baby brother is in there too. I’m not being coy here.”
Hunter and Cooper groaned. They looked absolutely wrecked.
Devon walked up to her daughter who looked so much like her and put her hand on her shoulder. “Tegan, tell us what you’re not telling us. Or I’ll make Deacon force it out of you.”
Tegan closed her eyes. “From what I can gather by the note…Althea only told one person…Elizabeth Bishop. Her Hierophant.”
Everyone gasped.
My heart stopped. Is she saying what I think she’s saying.
“The information we need is in the Hierophant’s locket,” Tegan said in a soft voice. A defeated voice. “Bentley was our only hope for finding our way into Seelie. He has the Hierophant’s locket…”
Questions fired at her from every single direction.
“STOP,” Tegan shouted. “I can’t…I can’t think straight right now. I need a minute—”
Her voice broke. She backed away from her mother and Tennessee and shoved her hands into her hair…but they were shaking.
My stomach turned. Everyone else’s faces paled. Tennessee’s expression looked damn near panic. A disheveled and shaken Tegan was not something any of us knew how to handle. It wasn’t something we’d ever seen before. Tegan was always the face of strength and confidence on the outside so if she was this rattled— no, stop. He’s fine. They’re fine. We’ll figure this out.
Savannah cleared her throat and raised her hand. “Okay, so ask a Hierophant?”
“They’re all dead,” Cooper growled and glared at the ground. “Except for Bentley.”
Savannah rolled her big blue eyes. “No shit, Sherlock. But Saffie spoke to Elizabeth Bishop once…maybe she should just summon her again?”
Chapter Fifty-Six
Savannah
The look Tegan Bishop gave me literally made my heart stop.
Saffie gasped.
Everyone else’s jaws dropped.
Cooper cursed. “Can she?”
Tegan blinked slowly and then frowned. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
Tennessee wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “No one is doubting your brilliance right now. You’re emotionally distracted—”
“I can do it.”
We all turned toward Saffie.
She nodded. “I can do it. I can summon Elizabeth. After all, we were friends back then. She was like family.”
Tegan chewed on her thumb and leaned into Tenn. “Do it.”
“Here, give me Olli.” Chutney reached over and pulled him out of Saffie’s lap. “Just in case you need to move.”
Saffie pet his head and then placed her palms flat on the grass. She sucked in a deep breath and held it.
I sat down beside her and crossed my legs under me while chewing on my fingernails.
Saffie exhaled and her breath rustled the blades of grass in front of her. Pink and purple flowers sprouted from the grass, forming a perfect circle in front of her. Golden glitter erupted from under her hands and shot into the circle. Her magic swirled until it formed a pentagram with the flowery circle around it.
Those fairyflies of hers flew up into the air and whirled around like a tornado inside of the pentacle she’d made.
“Elizabeth Bishop. Come to me.”
Blue light pierced through the grass and dirt and shined into the sky like a spotlight. The blue light began to swirl around and it reminded me of the fog back home in the Smoky Mountains. It moved and morphed until it took the shape of a person. A woman. She wore a long peasant-style dress similar to the one Saffie put herself in for her soulmate ceremony. She had kind eyes and a soft, feminine face that reminded me of Emersyn. I couldn’t tell what color her hair or eyes were, or even her dress, because everything was a translucent blue color…and she seemed to be glowing from within.