Titan remained. After Aric’s death, the stallion’s coloring had reverted from ghostly white with red eyes to his original gray. One day he would be Tee’s.
“We’ll talk later, guys,” I said over my shoulder as I walked inside. “I’ll find you when I’m finished.” I closed the door.
Alone, I gazed around the study, rubbing my locket. Other parts of the castle held a wealth of memories—my tower with the mural I’d painted, my dance studio where Aric had given me ballet slippers, and the bedroom we’d shared, of course—but this room was most like him.
I surveyed his priceless relics and found myself dreamily smiling. One of the first times Aric had allowed me inside his sanctuary, I’d waved at the crowns and scepters and teased him. . . .
“Admit it—you wear them when no one’s around. Play air tennis with the scepters?”
“No, Empress. I do not.”
“Can I, can I?”
On the verge of grinning, he said, “No, Empress, you may not. . . .”
We’d been on our way to falling in love—as inevitable as the waterfall currents on both of our cards.
My attention wandered over his prized books. While making love, we’d knocked them off the shelves, and he’d laughed. “Let them fall!”
I swept my gaze over his vodka service. One glass remained out on his desk beside his chronicles. He must have had a shot that last night. The empty glass would never be refilled.
I crossed to the grand row of Gothic windows. He used to stand beside them for perspective as his tricky mind devised strategy.
From here, I surveyed the sunny landscape around the castle, and I envisioned his return. Any minute I would see his proud figure ride up the long, lonely drive. He would take off his helmet and wave, his eyes gone starry to see me.
My daydreams were so lifelike I couldn’t distinguish them from reality.
Things were getting confused for me at Castle Lethe, and I needed them to be. Especially when I returned to Aric’s chair and opened his chronicles to read his letter.
The Hunter
“It’s too soon,” I told the others when we’d reconvened in the kitchen. “She’s not ready for this.” With her hair blond once more and the red witch on hiatus, Evie hardly ate or slept, just walked around this place looking like she’d just seen a ghost.
Non, that wasn’t right. She looked like she was about to see a ghost. I wondered if she even understood that Domīnija had died.
Or that the game played on.
Six Arcana had perished. Five remained.
As I’d suspected, my days digging graves hadn’t been over. Evie kept Domīnija’s urn on her bedside table, but I’d dug resting places for Kentarch, Gabriel, and Joules near the markers for Evie’s grandmother and Finn. Evie had all but sleepwalked through the solemn service we’d had for our fallen friends.
Surely Kentarch had been reunited with Issa at last. And Joules with Calanthe and his family. Maybe in heaven Gabriel got all the bluebird skies an angel could ever want. ’Cause he had never seen another one in this lifetime.
Circe sat at the kitchen table. “This needed to happen. We can’t put it off.”
I adjusted Tee in my arms. “It’s only been a week. What’s the rush?” I didn’t know how to help Evie. I took over with the baby as much as possible—no hardship there—but I couldn’t fix this for her. I wanted to bear all her pain, and I couldn’t.
Lark took a pitcher of milk from the fridge and poured a glass. “It’s still bad out there. My scouts are coming across sights that make my skin crawl.” She scratched behind one of her pointed ears.
“I’m seeing it too,” Circe said. “Even with food, sun, fresh water—and no Bagmen—the world remains broken. As the last Arcana, we should be leading and providing order.”
Lark nodded. “After that mind trip we took together, I feel responsible for, like, everybody. Evie was the first one who said we should repurpose ourselves and use our abilities for good. I’m ready to do it. But we’re holed up in here like hibernating animals.” She sat with her glass and took a big sip.
Sol leaned back against the counter. “It won’t get better until people have hope. They need hope.”
“Then you’re right,” I agreed, “people need Arcana. I’ve seen what your presence can do. Maybe that’s your purpose now.”
“Possibly.” Circe’s expression was troubled. “But the game will continue.”
I frowned, not convinced of this. How could they be expected to kill each other? “You guys have to be past that. I saw what you did, saw the connection. I can only imagine what that felt like.”
My girl had united with other Arcana and brought back the entire world. I’d thought she’d been like a divinité even before that night. Now, I only hoped to be worthy of her one day. “I still doan understand this. Gabe said we had to get the gods’ attention, then sacrifice something dear. From what you told me, you four each decided to give up your lives together.” In some kind of cosmic—mental, physical, spiritual—offering.
“But we didn’t die,” Circe said. “We didn’t give the gods whatever they wanted to stop the game for good.”
“You’re sure one of you still has to be immortal?”
She exchanged looks with both Lark and Sol. “Yes. We righted a tilted stage, but the play trudges on.”
That put me on the defensive, quick-like. You pose a threat to my girl, you? I tried to keep my tone even. “How does this work, then?”
“We head out and go our separate ways, letting fate settle the winner. In the meantime, we make things better for others.”
That sounded like a good plan, but . . . “The Wands are still out there. Woan the remaining Minors try to make you fight?” Was I a Minor? I had no interest in getting these people to kill each other—just the opposite.
“The Minors’ job is to hasten the end of the game in order to hasten the end of the disaster,” Circe said. “We fixed the apocalypse. They’re also supposed to help humanity—our own agenda. If our interests are aligned, they might leave us alone.”
Might. We had no idea where they were or what their powers could be.
Sol asked, “What about the game itself interfering with us? I heard a lot about how fate will force Arcana into each other’s paths.”
“Fate? Or the Hand of Fate?” Lark pointed out. Meaning Matthew. That was his nickname. “Our plan will work only if the Fool allows it.”
As usual, I wondered, What’s your plan, coo-yôn?
Circe shrugged. “One way to find out.”
Sol looked dejected. “Some of us don’t do well alone. I feel like I finally found my after-Flash people. Or, my New Dawn people.”
“I want to leave you all just as little.” As if for comfort, Circe reached for Tee. I handed him over, and she held him close. “Sadly, we don’t have a choice. We have to be vigilant. The heat of battle might return at any moment.”
So that was why Circe had been pushing Evie. There was a time element here. The Priestess didn’t want anybody getting any funny ideas.