Ethan sat back, shocked. “Why?”
“Because that magic is stronger than dark witch magic—it’s dark mage magic,” she said. “We don’t know what’ll happen if Gemma does this. It could kill the witch who tries to accept the transfer.”
I should have been disappointed.
But I wasn’t.
“So what should we do?” Mira asked.
“I think that question is better suited for Hecate,” Mary said.
“If she’s ever around to answer it,” Ethan muttered.
“Hecate will be around when she needs to be around.” Mary smiled knowingly, then looked to me. “In the meantime, most witches aren’t either fully light or fully dark. Having dark magic doesn’t make someone a bad person. The biggest difference with your case is that the dark magic inside of you was taken from someone else. But you appear to be in control of it.”
“I am,” I said steadily.
“And I trust you want to remain in control of it? That you don’t want to give into the darkness?”
“I don’t.”
On a base level, I knew it was true. I wanted to help people. I wanted to love. I wanted to be happy.
I couldn’t do any of that if my emotions were numbed.
“As I thought,” Mary said. “I need you to understand—witches who turn dark do so because they give in to dark feelings. Pain, anger, jealousy, heartbreak, and fear, to name a few. Everyone experiences these emotions at points in their lives. But witches who go dark let these feelings consume them. They welcome the dark magic as an escape from their pain. It’s like a drug, and they become addicted. But I can sense a strong soul, and I have full faith that this challenge is something you can handle.”
“I don’t like this,” Ethan said.
“Neither do I,” Mira agreed.
“You don’t think I can control it?” I asked.
“I know you can control it,” Ethan said. “But you shouldn’t have to.”
“I guess I’m not the only one doing things I shouldn’t.” I held his gaze, daring him to keep pushing.
Keep fighting me on this, and I’ll tell Mira what happened.
He froze, and realization dawned in his eyes.
We still hadn’t spoken about whether I’d drank that memory potion or not. But now, we wouldn’t have to. Because I knew that he knew I hadn’t.
Mira looked back and forth between us. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the fact that we should be using that dragon heart to locate the second half of the Crown,” I said. “Instead, we’re sitting here, wasting time talking about things we can’t control.”
Luckily, my twin appeared satisfied with that answer.
“Finding the second half of the Crown is certainly a priority,” Mary said. “But first, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“What happened?”
“Nothing bad, I promise,” she said. “In fact, it’s good news. About Harper.”
27
Gemma
Harper was alive.
I couldn’t believe it.
The weight I’d been carrying of feeling like I’d been partly responsible for her death lifted.
“I can’t believe she didn’t pass the Angel Trials,” I said. “If there was anyone I thought would definitely get into Avalon, it was her.”
“Fate works in mysterious ways,” Mary said.
“So when can we see her?”
“You will see her again,” she said. “But Harper is doing important work at the Vale. Rosella has advised that she isn’t to be interrupted.”
I sat back and frowned. “I understand,” I said, since I trusted Rosella. “But shouldn’t we at least let her know we’ve returned from Ember?”
“I’ll make sure she knows you’re back,” Mary promised. Then, she looked to the golden box that Ethan had placed on the bench beside him. “But I believe the three of you have the second half of the Holy Crown to find.”
“We do,” I agreed, relieved that the conversation seemed to have shifted away from me and the dark magic.
Ethan pulled the box onto his lap, opened it, and reached inside. He didn’t pull the heart out. Instead, he wrapped his hand around it while it was still inside the box.
He closed his eyes, deep in concentration.
None of us said a word.
Within seconds, his eyes snapped open.
“Bring me a map,” he said.
Mary stood and walked to a cabinet on the side of the room. She opened it, pulled out a large roll of parchment, and laid it out on the coffee table.
It was a detailed, hand-drawn map.
Ethan closed the box and placed it back down next to him. Then he got up, kneeled next to the coffee table, and pointed to a spot on the bottom of the map. “That’s where the second half of the Crown is,” he said.
I eyed the spot where he was pointing and shivered. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. I’m sure.”
“I’ve always wanted to go to Antarctica,” Mira said with an excited smile.
Dread pooled in my stomach at the thought of the frozen continent. Ice. And water. Lots of it.
“Of course, I always imagined I’d go there on a cruise.” Mira tilted her head, then looked to Mary. “How, exactly, are we supposed to get there?”
“I must say—I’ve never been. Nor do I know of any witches who have, so they can’t teleport you there,” she admitted. “But it seems you already have the answer.”
“I do?”
“You’ve already looked into getting there by ship.”
“I have,” she said cautiously. “But those are cruises for people on vacation. And they’re expensive.”
“Do any of the kingdoms seem to lack money?” Mary asked.
“Well… no.” Mira looked around at the expensive decorations in the tearoom. “I just didn’t think you’d use that money to send us on a vacation.”
“It wouldn’t be a vacation. It would be a mission. Unless you have a more efficient idea of how to get to the Antarctic Peninsula?” Mary looked to me and Ethan, as if we might have the answer.
“By plane?” I said. “Or helicopter?”
Anything but a ship.
“Antarctica is the most preserved natural continent in the world,” Mira said. She’d been so interested in Antarctica that she’d gone to a science center near our house a few years ago to check out a special exhibit they had about it. “There are no airports or helicopter landing pads. Well, there are on the research stations, but I don’t believe there are any of those near where we’re heading.”
A quick search on Mary’s phone showed that there weren’t.
“Getting on board a ship heading to the Peninsula does sound like a solid way to get there,” Mary said as she continued to do searches on her phone. “Mid-March is the end of the Antarctica touring season, but I see one or two cruises I can get you on.”
“Leaving when?” I asked.
“In two days,” she said. “Which gives us more than enough time to work out the details of your trip.”
28
Gemma
On the morning of our departure, we went to the lobby of the hotel in the Haven, where Mary and a dark-haired witch in high-heeled black boots were waiting for us. There was a significant amount of luggage next to them—the witches of the Haven had packed for us to make sure we were ready for our journey. Packing for Antarctica was apparently not an easy task, despite the fact that our elemental magic made us more resilient to extreme temperatures.
“Gemma, Mira, and Ethan,” Mary said as we joined them in the center of the lobby. “Meet Bella Devereux, your chaperone for the trip.”
“Aren’t you Torrence’s mom?” Mira asked.
“Torrence’s aunt,” Bella corrected her. “Torrence told me all about the three of you. When the Earth Angel told us about your mission, and that you were seeking a powerful witch to accompany you, my niece insisted I go.”
I’d w
anted Torrence to come, but one of the reasons for having a witch come with us was so she could pose as my and Mira’s mom. We needed to do our best to blend in with the humans, and three teenagers traveling alone would draw too much attention. It would also be illegal, even though I was confident that Mary could have forged passports for us if necessary.
“You didn’t want to stay with Torrence?” I asked, since they hadn’t seen each other for months. She must have been worried sick about her niece.
“I did,” she said. “But like I said, Torrence insisted. She said it was a token of appreciation for everything you did for her in Ember. And when she put it that way, I agreed. I don’t know how you brought her back from the darkness, but I’ll never be able to repay you. She’s the closest thing to a daughter that I have.”
“Bella’s one of the most powerful witches in the world,” Mary added. “There’s no one else I trust more to accompany you.”
“I’ve heard about this elemental magic of yours,” Bella said. “Can’t wait to see it for myself.”
I immediately called a flame into my hand, and Mira did the same with an icicle.
Bella studied our elements with a determined glint in her eyes. “Neat,” she said. “They’re gonna love you once you get to Avalon.”
“Assuming we get in,” I said. Because if Harper got rejected from Avalon, none of us were guaranteed a spot.
“You’ll get in,” she said confidently, then she looked at her watch. “Anyway, we’ve gotta head out. If we’re going to blend in, we need to try to be on time. Who’s first?”
“I am,” Ethan said, since we’d already discussed this. The first person to teleport out would only be at our destination alone for less than a minute, and he refused for that person to be either me or Mira.
Bella teleported out with Ethan, then with Mira, and then with me. Our drop-off point was a posh hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Bella had stayed at the hotel before—she and her sisters used to do some business in South America—so she’d teleported there and checked into the room last night.
Next, Bella teleported in with our luggage. Six large bags for four people. We also each had a personal backpack. Ethan was keeping the gold box with the heart, and another box with the half of the Crown, in his.
“Welcome to the Alvear Palace Hotel,” Bella said after popping in with the final piece of luggage. “Come on. The rest of the group is already gathered in the lobby.”
The ship we’d be going on was small—only 140 passengers—and as part of the vacation package, everyone on the trip stayed in this hotel the night before leaving.
We brought our luggage down into the huge, elegant lobby, which had marble floors and walls. There was a huge wine bar, but it was closed, due to the fact that it was four in the morning. The flight to the city where we’d be boarding the ship—Ushuaia—was ridiculously early.
Our luggage was loaded onto the bus, which took us to the airport, where a plane chartering waited for us. The others on the trip were mainly older couples—probably retired—but in good shape. There were also a few families with kids who looked around our age, or in their lower twenties. They were all eyeing each other, as if deciding if they’d become vacation friends or not.
I looked away whenever one of them looked my way. We weren’t on this trip to make friends. The fewer people we chatted with, the better.
It would make Bella’s job easier after our mission was complete.
The flight was about three and a half hours long. Mary probably could have found at least one witch who’d been to Ushuaia before, but since everyone on the trip was flying there together, going with them on the plane was part of our plan of blending in.
More busses met us in Ushuaia, and the cruise company provided us with a tour around the area until the ship was ready to board. We took photos with the mountain landscape behind us, had a delicious Patagonian lunch, and played with Siberian huskies at a local dog sanctuary.
Finally, the bus brought us to the port, where our ship—The Golden Explorer—was waiting.
While we waited in line to check in, waiters wearing white gloves presented us with champagne on silver platters—and juice for those of us underage. The ship went with the American law of having to be twenty-one to drink, but Bella also opted for juice, since we needed to keep our guard up at all times.
Just because this felt like a vacation, it didn’t mean it was a vacation.
A mother and daughter stood behind us, and the mother smiled at us as she took a glass of champagne. “This is my daughter, Vera,” she said before taking a long sip of her drink. “It looks like she might be the same age as the three of you…?”
“We’re seventeen,” Mira said quickly.
“Vera’s twenty,” the woman said, and Vera gave us a small smile. “Are you triplets?”
“We’re twins,” Mira said. “Ethan’s my boyfriend.”
My heart clenched, but I maintained what I hoped was a friendly smile.
“Are you gonna do the polar plunge?” Vera asked.
“You bet I am,” Mira said, at the same time as Ethan and I said no.
“Cool.” Vera focused on Mira. “Want to jump together?”
“Yes.” Mira smiled, and the two of them chatted until it was our turn to check in. Bella kept glaring at her to stop, but Mira ignored her.
Finally, Bella stepped up to the check-in desk. “Bella Devereux,” she said, and then she told the woman our names.
“We have you in the owner’s suite.” She gave us a friendly smile and handed us each a plastic key card. “Suite 734. Welcome aboard the Golden Explorer. Your butler is waiting in your suite to tell you about what the ship has to offer, and to get you acquainted with the amenities on board.”
Butler? I thought as we took the elevator to the seventh deck. I knew this was a luxury cruise line… but each room had a personal butler?
Sure enough, a butler was waiting in the hall next to our door when we arrived. He introduced himself as Kent, and he gave us a tour of our suite, letting us know to call him whenever we needed anything.
Everything about the suite was pure luxury, down to the marble bathrooms, silk sheets, and large balcony overlooking the water. There was even a bucket with two bottles of fancy champagne waiting on the table.
“What are those for?” I motioned to the chains that bolted the table and chairs to the floor.
“They keep the furniture in place while crossing the Drake Passage,” he said. “The forecast is looking rough for our crossing, so you’ll be glad they’re there. If you brought the patch with you, now’s a good time to put it on.”
Alarm bubbled up inside me. “What patch?”
“The seasickness patch,” he explained. “Goes on your neck behind your ear. Most passengers wear them while crossing the Drake. If you didn’t bring any, you can stop by the medical center and pick some up from the doctor.”
“Did we bring the patch?” I asked Bella.
“Too many possible side effects,” she said. “We’re going to tough out the Drake naturally.”
Kent raised an eyebrow, apparently wary of this decision. “As you wish,” he said. “The medical center’s hours are listed in the directory, in case you change your mind.”
From his tone, it sounded like he was positive we were going to change our minds.
“There’s a briefing each evening at 6:00,” Kent continued. “Have you been on a Goldensea expedition cruise before?”
“Nope.” I hadn’t been on any cruise before. Why travel by sea when there were plenty of perfectly good hotels on solid ground?
“Since it’s an expedition cruise, we have no set destinations,” he explained. “The expedition crew analyzes the conditions each evening and figures out where we can safely anchor down for our daily shore excursions. Ideally, we’ll have two landings per day—one in the morning and one in the afternoon. However, this is dependent on the ocean’s conditions, since it needs to be safe to land.” He looked at each
of us, like he was making sure we were following, then continued, “If you need anything or have any questions, press the butler button on the phone, and I’ll be of your assistance. Would you like to go to the restaurant for lunch while I unpack for you?”
“We’ll unpack ourselves,” Bella said. “And we’ll be taking all of our meals in the room.”
Kent looked taken aback, but he quickly masked his reaction. “As you wish,” he said. “If you decide to check out the restaurant, it’s in the aft of deck four.”
“Thank you,” Bella said, and it was clear from her tone that we were not going to check out the restaurant.
The fewer people we interacted with, the better. Which meant it would likely be the four of us, inside the cabin, ordering room service until the dragon heart told Ethan that we were close enough to jump ship.
Kent left the room, and I turned to Mira. “What’s the Drake Passage?” I asked.
“It’s the passage between the southern tip of South American and the Antarctic Peninsula. It’s one of the roughest seas in the world,” she said casually. “The Atlantic, Pacific, and Southern Oceans all meet in the Drake Passage. Throw a storm into the mix, and we’ll get to experience the famous Drake Shake.”
“Drake Shake?” I wrapped my arms around my stomach, baffled by how she sounded excited for this experience.
She glanced at the table and chairs. “It’s why those are bolted to the floor,” she said. “The ship will be rocking!”
“I figured,” I grumbled, then I turned to Bella. “Maybe I should get that seasickness patch. I can’t imagine any of its side effects being worse than being motion sick.”
“Blurred vision?” She raised an eyebrow, and I sighed, since she was right—if we ended up having to use our magic, blurred vision would be worse than having my stomach all jumbled up.
“Time to unpack,” she said. “I’m taking the master bedroom. Gemma and Mira, you get the other. Ethan, you’ll be taking the couch. It’s one of those that turns into a bed.”
The Dragon Realm (Dark World: The Dragon Twins Book 2) Page 12