by Sarah Noffke
Liv thought that was the end of it. She opened her mouth to thank Bermuda, but the giantess held up her hand, pausing her.
“There’s more,” Bermuda stated, reluctance in her voice. “Warriors have to be brave. It’s part of the oath you take for the House of Fourteen, although I’ve witnessed many break it. However, today, what you did was as a sister. You risked your life to protect something that means a lot to Sophia, although we both know it will inevitably take her away from you. Still, you didn’t hesitate once because you want what’s best for your little sister, even if it’s not what’s best for you. That, rather than your words from earlier, speaks volumes to your point. I’ll consider this as I reflect on my own situation with Rory and others.”
Liv nodded, realizing she shouldn’t say another word. Bermuda had stated it perfectly. When we love someone, protecting what they want, even if it serves to take them away, is the greatest act of unconditional love.
Chapter Fifteen
Thankfully, Hester had agreed to meet Liv at her apartment to fix her finger. And even better was that she didn’t ask any questions about how she’d gotten the injury. The healer was good like that.
Liv was grateful she didn’t have to enter the House of Fourteen with the broken finger, possibly drawing unnecessary attention to her. Raina had been thoughtful enough to hide the inquiry from the Dragon Elite from the council, but that wouldn’t last forever. Liv only had a few short weeks to cover up Sophia’s egg. Then things would invariably unravel, with too many people asking questions and too many things she couldn’t answer truthfully. Then everyone would know, and she’d have to face what came next.
But Liv breathed easily right now, knowing the fearful moment hadn’t come yet. She flexed her fixed finger, feeling grateful as she entered the House.
The bright glow from the long corridor of statues made Liv squint. She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination or lack of sleep, but the hallway seemed brighter somehow. Each time she entered the House, she found it different in little ways.
Her fingers ran over the language of the Founders that covered the golden walls. The message was still the same: Stop the One and you’ll free us all.
Liv sighed. “Who is the One?”
“They say one is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do,” Plato said, popping up next to her.
“You’re being particularly enigmatic lately,” Liv observed.
“Why, because I’m quoting song lyrics?” he asked.
“That, and just about everything you’re not telling me about.”
“Yes, I’m glad you brought that up,” Plato said, looking over his shoulder like he heard someone coming.
“Brought what up?” Liv asked, suddenly confused.
“Exactly,” Plato said, continuing to stare over his shoulder. “So, I have to go somewhere for a bit.”
“Somewhere?” Liv asked. “Like, you’re taking a sabbatical? Did you book a nonrefundable vacation? Wait, is it another one of those deals you’ve made with a magical creature that you have to fulfill, like when you told my parents you’d watch out for me?”
“No, it’s nothing like that. It’s just that I need to go away for an unknown amount of time.”
Not since hearing of her siblings’ death had Liv felt such heartache. She was sure it materialized on her face, but she worked to cover it immediately. “This isn’t really the best time for you to abandon me.”
Liv was surprised by how hurt her voice sounded. From the expression on Plato’s face, he sensed it. For a brief moment, regret surfaced in his eyes.
“I know,” he said simply, his tone gruff.
“We have the Mortal Seven to find.”
“And you will find them,” he said, swallowing hard.
“But you’re always there,” Liv argued. “When you say that you’re going to be gone, you mean like invisible but still watching me, right? Like before?”
He shook his head. “I wish I could.”
First Sophia, and now this. It was making it so Liv couldn’t breathe properly.
“This is about the secret you’re keeping, isn’t it?” she asked.
Suddenly spooked, Plato jerked around, the hairs on his back standing on end. When he’d made certain there was nothing there, he turned back to Liv. “It is, but I still can’t tell you.”
“Because?” Liv challenged.
“Because there’s no point and I’m running out of time. I really need to take my leave now,” he said, a strange urgency in his voice.
“There is a reason to tell me. If you don’t, I won’t know why you’ve left. I’ll worry. I’ll think I’ve done something wrong. I’ll—”
Plato shook his head. “There is nothing that you could ever do to make me leave you, Liv, and deep down, you know that.”
There was that phrase again. “Deep down.” Liv had said it to Bermuda, but hearing Plato say it now sparked something. It was something of supreme importance, but she couldn’t figure out what or why.
Liv felt like a small child suddenly as she looked down at the lynx. He carried centuries of wisdom in his eyes, experience he had many times lent to her. What would she do without him? It seemed like she was losing a parent again.
“I’m not leaving you because I want to,” Plato continued. “I haven’t left your side in five years. But what I have to flee? Well, it’s bigger than you or me.”
“Tell me what it is,” Liv urged. “We can fight this together.”
He shook his head. “I wished we could. If there was another way, I’d tell you. But sometimes, things just can’t be solved.”
Tears ached in Liv’s throat. She never allowed herself to cry, but right then, she wanted to let out all her fears and disappointments. She realized she’d been strong for so long; maybe this was what would finally break her.
Her eyes watered, but she caught the image of the lynx backing away, maintaining constant vigilance over his shoulder.
“When will I see you again?” Liv asked, realizing that the question should have been “Will I ever see you again?”
“I don’t know,” Plato said, and his voice was trembling with fear. Something was worrying him in a way she’d never seen before. “But please know that if I can find a way back to you, I will. And if I can’t, I need you to know that serving the magical world alongside you has been the greatest honor of my very long life—”
“Plato…” Liv’s voice shook too. The tears were coming, only a breath away now.
“Before you, I never much cared for helping others. It was more of an obligation. And I was always a loner. A party of one. It’s taken me this long to realize how wrong I was, and it’s all because of you.”
“How can you leave me, then?” Liv asked, a single tear running down her cheek.
The presence of the first tear seemed to pain Plato. He backed away, shaking his head. “I did not choose this, Liv. And I’ll search with the time I have remaining to try to reverse this.”
The floor trembled under Liv’s feet, and she started. Plato jumped as well.
“I’m sorry, but I have to go now,” Plato stammered. “Take care, Liv. I hope to see you again in this lifetime.”
And as quickly as he had always materialized, the lynx disappeared, leaving Liv feeling raw and empty, and wondering if she’d ever see her best friend again.
Chapter Sixteen
The Black Void was completely different than Liv had ever seen it. White swirled in the blackness, and a strange smell seeped from the churning madness. It smelled of decay and mold. Liv covered her nose, turning away. It didn’t interest her the same way it had before. Nothing did.
She turned her attention to the Door of Reflection, wishing there was some other way into the Chamber of the Tree. She would have rather crossed lava again to get in there rather than walk through a door that revealed her worst fears.
Liv knew all too well what her worst fears were because they were becoming her reality. Swallowing her reluctance, she stepped throu
gh the reflective surface.
In the dreamlike state, she stood in the middle of a barren desert with dark mountains in the far distance. Liv did a three-hundred-sixty-degree rotation. There was nothing out there. Just Liv and the desert and her loneliness.
She closed her eyes, knowing exactly what this fear was about. Being deserted by the ones she loved. Knowing there was no easy way to deal with this, Liv stepped all the way through the Door of Reflection into the Chamber of the Tree.
It warmed her heart slightly to see John staring at her from the bench, his kind eyes seeming to sense she was in pain. Stefan was busy giving a report about the Magic Playland, and all eyes were on him, except for John’s.
Liv forced a smile, hoping to relieve his worry as she took her spot. Ireland Reynolds looked to be fitting right in between John and Raina, his cat Harry sitting on the table in front of him.
“This is incredible progress,” Haro cheered. “Great work, Councilor Carraway.”
“Thank you,” John said, his focus still on Liv. “I’m afraid my leads have dried up for a bit, but I’m hoping that won’t last long.”
“Well, we count every victory,” Raina stated. “Now, that brings us to the elf negotiations. Maybe one of the Mortal Seven will have an insight that will help us get past our normal roadblocks.”
“What’s wrong?” Stefan whispered to Liv as the council filled Ireland and John in on what had been transpiring with the elves. They still were reluctant to form a partnership with the House, and that was causing other races to rethink their support.
“I broke my finger,” Liv lied.
His eyes darted to her mended hand. “I’m sorry. Is that why you look like you’ve been crying?”
Liv’s eyes closed for a half-beat. She’d been so distracted by everything that she’d forgotten to wipe the tears off her cheeks. She was certain her eyes were bright red, contrasting with her blue irises. “It was a pretty bad break.”
“That’s strange, because I’ve seen you get bitten by large serpents, fall great distances, and slashed by swords, and not even lose your appetite,” Stefan said, a challenging look on his face.
Liv didn’t feel like making her usual smart-ass reply. She felt her lips shake and pressed them together to cover it. “Sometimes it’s the smallest things that break us,” Liv said, thinking of little unsuspecting Plato, possibly gone forever.
Stefan offered her a sensitive smile. “I’m here if you want to talk about it.”
“Thanks, I know you are,” she said, grateful for him.
“And Warrior Beaufont,” Hester stated. “Are you making progress with recovering the Mortal Seven?”
Liv coughed, realizing everyone’s attention was suddenly on her. “Yes. I mean, not yet. I had other business to attend to, and since Kayla Sinclair is gone, I didn’t think there was as much urgency to recover the next five.”
“’Other business?’” Lorenzo questioned.
Raina looked down the bench at the other councilor. “We all know Liv works for Father Time.”
“I didn’t actually know that,” Ireland stated, sounding impressed.
John elbowed him. “She’s his assistant, in a way. Right-hand man…I mean, woman.”
“To the father of time?” Ireland asked. “I didn’t realize that was a real person. Does he live on a cloud?”
Liv wanted to laugh, but her current mood wouldn’t allow it. “Not even close,” she replied. “And as for the elf negotiations, I think I have an in that could help us. A way to mend bridges, if you will.” She was working with Rudolf to set up a board meeting for his businesses with the elves. Hopefully, the time working together would soften them toward the House of Fourteen, but it was all a gamble.
“And what is that?” Bianca asked, her tone shrill and already disapproving.
“I really can’t say,” Liv stated, knowing full well that she could, but that keeping secrets would anger the Councilor.
“I must object to this type of—”
“Warrior Beaufont, I think your pocket is ringing,” Haro said, pointing at her cloak.
Liv hadn’t even realized it, too absorbed in her depression. “Oh!”
“Again, how many times do we have to tell you to put your phone on silent during these meetings?” Bianca stated, disapproval in her tone.
Liv pulled her phone from her pocket and was about to explain, but Hester cut her off.
“Warrior Beaufont is great about minding the rules, but she works for the one person who can break them all,” the healer said, winking at her.
Hester was right. It was none other than Papa Creola calling. Liv held the phone to her head, not saying a word.
“Get to Subner’s shop right now!” Papa Creola yelled into the phone, loud enough for everyone to hear.
Liv didn’t answer vocally but did nod. “I have to go.”
“Who is Subner?” Bianca asked.
“Your boyfriend,” Liv stated matter-of-factly. Apparently, her humor hadn’t taken as long a vacation as she’d expected. Diabolos, the black crow, materialized from the shadows, swooping down and landing at Liv’s feet with a loud caw. She grimaced at the bird, who liked to call out her fibs.
“Really, Ms. Beaufont, you have strategies with the elves that you won’t tell us about, get calls from Father Time during council meetings, and insult us without concern,” Bianca stated, her head shaking.
“Liv only insulted you,” Emilio, Bianca’s brother countered.
Liv could have said a million hurtful things to Bianca Mantovani, but her own brother defending Liv seemed to be the worst thing ever. She narrowed her eyes, leaning forward. “Emilio, this doesn’t involve you.”
“You seem to say that a lot, sister,” he fired.
Liv knew what this was about. Emilio was bitter that Bianca had disapproved of his relationship with a fae. It was one of the bigger problems Liv hoped to tackle when she had the time. Yes, she wanted to change the laws so Royals could date and marry other races. She wanted to be with Stefan in a real way. She wanted the House to be composed of more than just magicians and mortals, but all that would have to wait. She had to recover the Mortal Seven first. She had Sophia to think about. And now she had Plato to worry over.
“Actually, once I have a chance to meet with the elves,” Liv began. “I’d like Emilio’s help.”
His eyes widened. Maybe he didn’t realize that the meeting would be held in the fae kingdom, or maybe he was worried that his loyalty to her had gone too far.
“I’m happy to prove to the elves that I want their cooperation,” Liv stated, reading the questions on the Councilors’ faces. “However, King Dakota already trusts me. ” She pulled out the navigation stone the king of the elves had given her when they’d met. “He also trusts Stefan since he worked to get rid of many of the elves’ enemies. He doesn’t trust pretty much anyone else in the House. We need to earn that, and the best way is to expose him to our Warriors and let him see that we all want to have their allegiance. We can’t expect this to be easy, though. Decar murdered their people. Lorenzo insulted them—”
“I did what I thought—”
“You acted out of prejudice,” John stated, cutting Lorenzo off. “And Liv is right; we need to undo those impressions the elves have of the House.”
“But this will take time,” Ireland stated.
Everyone but Bianca and Lorenzo nodded.
Liv’s phone buzzed again in her hand. “I promise to work on finding the Mortal Seven and elf negotiations, but right now, I have to go.”
Again, all except the two nodded as Liv hurried from the Chamber of the Tree.
Chapter Seventeen
Roya Lane was more crowded than ever when Liv stepped through the portal. A large group was gathered around a figure she unfortunately recognized even from a far distance. It was hard to mistake the loud and flamboyant King Rudolf for anyone else.
Liv pushed through the crowd, mostly to make it to the other side where the Fantastical Ar
mory was located at the end of the lane. However, as she passed Rudolf, she heard something that she couldn’t entirely ignore.
“I’m getting something…” the fae said, his voice tentative at first. “Yes! Here it is. Your sister says she is well and misses you very much.”
A woman with vibrant red hair pulled her hand from Rudolf’s, shock covering her face. “But my sister isn’t dead!”
Rudolf’s smile dropped. “Oh, are you sure? How long has it been since you’ve spoken to her?”
“Well, not for a few weeks,” the woman replied.
“You better try to reach her now, although I suspect it’s too late,” he stated gravely.
“Oh, dear. Oh, dear,” the woman said, rushing from the crowd, shaking her head.
Liv pushed through the onlookers. “House of Fourteen business. Move aside.” When she reached the front, Rudolf opened his arms wide. “Oh, my best friend, Warrior Beaufont. Did you want to talk to a passed relative?” His smile turned into a frown. “I’m not sure if I feel comfortable bringing back any of your relatives. Maybe you have an enemy you’ve slain in battle you’d like to apologize to?”
“I do not!” she stated adamantly, striding forward and grabbing Rudolf by the ear. “The show is over, people. Your king will be going with me.”
Rudolf’s feet moved double-time under him to keep up with Liv and not have his ear ripped off as she yanked him through the crowd. “I’m taking a five-minute break. Please form an orderly line, and I’ll channel your dead when I return.”
Liv didn’t release the fae until they were far from the crowd, many of them watching them over their shoulders. “What is the meaning of this, King Dumbass?”
Rudolf rubbed his ear, a pained expression on his face. “I can talk to the dead.”