by Sarah Noffke
“Yes, Cassie. It is real, and it is safe. But it will require something from you.”
Cassie took a step toward her bike like it might protect her.
Liv offered her a smile. “The weight of the world will be upon your shoulders.”
She shuddered, as if she couldn’t believe the words Liv was saying.
“You will have to make decisions that affect many,” Liv continued. “As a Mortal Seven, your vote counts twice because we believe you’re uncorrupted by magic. Therefore, you’ll be asked to preside over matters of supreme importance.”
“I don’t understand,” Cassie said, looking around like the answer was hidden nearby. “How was I chosen? Why?”
“Your family was chosen a very, very long time ago,” Liv explained. “I’m sorry you’ve lost all of them. Someone really bad didn’t want the Mortal Seven to come back. You see, once you’re in place, the problems that have existed for so long will be no more. When mortals preside over magical affairs, there is balance. There is peace. Some would prefer a world full of chaos.”
Liv’s eyes drifted to Kayla’s body, her mind still confounded by the “he” that the woman spoke of who would come after her. Adler was gone. So was Decar. And Kayla and Spencer. Liv wasn’t sure who else could be out there, but she knew with absolute certainty that all of her enemies weren’t dead. This person must have been the one who tried to kill Plato, who tried to bring back the SandMan, who was trying to hurt Papa Creola, and who had been thwarting all her efforts since the beginning. It was probably the one who’d had Adler kill her parents. And then, like a puzzle piece falling into place, the words from the hall in the House of Fourteen rang in her mind:
Stop the One and you’ll free us all.
Liv knew this had to be the “he.” This person was “the One.” She wanted to race off to the House and do everything to stop whoever this was, starting with figuring out who he might be. As her eyes searched without seeing, she remembered her current priority. Cassie blinked at her in confusion.
“How are you sure I’m the right person for this job?” Cassie asked.
Liv nodded. “Do you have a pet that has been with you for some time now? A cat? A dog? A turtle?”
Cassie laughed like any of these options were silly. “Yes, but it’s strange. You’ll think I’m insane.”
Liv laughed too. “I think you’ll be surprised what all I can digest without batting an eyelash.”
Cassie held up her hand, palm down, and whistled, a strange sound that was both low and melodic. From a small compartment on the motorbike, something flew out. Liv had trouble catching sight of it until it landed on the back of Cassie’s hand.
It was a beautiful black and white dragonfly, its body curling as it seemed to study Cassie’s face.
“Oh, how interesting,” Liv exclaimed. She took a step forward, not having expected this.
Cassie reflexively backed away. “What does that mean? You can’t take Freya from me.”
Liv halted and held up her hands. “I don’t intend to. Freya is what marks you as a Mortal Seven. She, in a way, has chosen you.”
Cassie blinked at Liv like she suddenly had something in her eyes. “How do you know that?”
“Because I do,” Liv said, feeling the exhaustion tunneling in her brain. “And once I release her, she will protect you for all of your life.”
“Release her?” Cassie asked, fear in her voice.
“Release her to her purest form,” Liv corrected. “She’s a chimera.”
A laugh spilled from Cassie’s mouth. “No. You mean… There’s no way.”
Liv loved this part more than any other. “Well, then you won’t mind humoring me as I attempt the spell that will release her if all I’m saying is true?”
Cassie shook her head. “I guess, but I have no idea how this tiny little dragonfly—”
Liv had already started the chimera song. She now knew from experience that it didn’t take much, and that every chimera “released” at their own speed. That was why she was only slightly surprised when Freya transformed after only a few notes, making Cassie’s hand slam to her body as the lion figure materialized. It took up a great deal of space beside her on the road.
“Oh. Dear. God!” Cassie said, taking a step back. Her eyes were wide as she studied the strange serpent tail and the goat head on Freya’s back.
“Yes, that was my reaction at first too,” Liv replied with a chuckle.
With disbelief heavy in her eyes, Cassie looked back and forth between Liv and Freya. “So this is real?”
Liv nodded. “More real than anything you’ve ever known in your life.” She turned, noticing how good Ticker was being. However, it was past his bedtime, and she’d need to return him home safely soon.
“Do you mind if we go?” Liv asked. “I know this is a lot to take in, but I’m sort of babysitting, and I need to get the little tyke back to his parents.”
Cassie’s mouth was still gaping open. “My dragonfly isn’t a dragonfly.”
“Well, technically, your chimera isn’t a dragonfly, but she’s also kind of both,” Liv stated.
“And she’ll protect me?” Cassie asked.
“Yes, now that she’s been released,” Liv answered.
“And I’m going somewhere I’ll be safe?”
“Yes, to the House of Fourteen. But first I have to drop off the brownie that’s over there on the Clydesdale.”
Cassie shook her head. “This is all so strange.”
Liv glanced at her wrist like she was wearing a watch. “And it’s only Tuesday. Just wait until the weekend.”
She conjured a portal, hiding her excitement as the mortal screamed.
“Oh. My. God!” Cassie exclaimed. “What’s that?”
“That,” Liv said, snapping her fingers, which caused the horse to trot over to her at once, “is what makes traveling in my world painless. Otherwise, most would be dead, since I would have killed them in traffic.”
“So I’m really leaving?” Cassie asked, looking around as if trying to take in the bush one last time.
Her chimera shrank back into dragonfly form and landed on her shoulder.
“Yes,” Liv stated, taking Ticker off the back of the horse and cradling the little guy in her arms. She was sort of sad to let him go. He’d been much more helpful than she would have guessed, exactly like his parents always were.
Cassie looked back at her bike. “I don’t suppose I could…”
Liv glanced at the bike, reading the fondness in the girl’s eyes. “Yes, you can take it.”
“Really?” Cassie exclaimed. “There’s room for it where I’m going?”
Liv chuckled, thinking no one knew how big the House of Fourteen was since it held so many secrets, its size being only one of them. “Yes, I daresay there will be enough room.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
When Liv stepped through the Door of Reflection, she couldn’t get the image of Plato’s grave out of her mind that she’d just seen. The uncertainty weighed on her more than anything else. It wasn’t that she wanted him dead; it was not knowing that was hard. She acutely related to people who had loved ones go missing. They never really knew if they were gone.
At some point, they had to force themselves to grieve for their loss, but in the back of their mind and deep in their hearts, they always held onto a hope that their loved one would walk through the door, explaining why they’d disappeared for all that time.
Knowing the truth allowed the heart to start the process of mending, but currently Liv was living in the place of uncertainty. Still, she’d do it for many years if Plato returned to her one day. Not just returned to her. She had to admit that Plato was important to the world. He had to be, or Papa Creola wouldn’t have gone to such extreme lengths to bring him back.
The Councilors all paused when Liv entered the Chamber of the Tree. All the warriors were present too. It was a rare occurrence, and seemed fitting since Liv had the honor of introducing another M
ortal Seven.
“Have you found another one?” Clark asked, bolting to his feet, relief and worry on his face as he studied her worn appearance.
Liv knew that he constantly worried about her. Hell, he worried that she’d fallen into a coma if she overslept. It was Clark’s job to worry, and he did it better than anyone else. And hers was to throw caution to the wind and dive in head-first.
Taking her place beside Stefan, Liv nodded. “Yes. Cassie Luce will be entering the chamber soon.”
Jude stepped out of the shadows, striding over to stand in front of Liv and giving her a strange measured glare. Being face to face with the large white tiger made her insides ache. Was he taunting her, knowing how much she was missing Plato and that he resembled him when he shifted? Or was it something else?
Liv was pretty certain she was losing her mind, even more so than usual when the tiger lifted an eyebrow as if challenging the statements running through her mind. There were so many things she’d considered on the trip there.
The House of Fourteen wasn’t safe. There was someone who was betraying them. There was a huge secret she needed to uncover, and since she wasn’t sure who could be trusted, it seemed like the right thing to keep some of the information she learned to herself.
“Okay, I’m just going to say what everyone else is thinking,” Bianca began with a sigh.
“Why do you always look like you’re smelling something putrid?” Liv asked.
That brought Diabolos down from the unseen rafters to take the place beside Jude.
A sound of frustration spilled out Bianca’s mouth. “Really, Olivia, this type of behavior is uncalled for.”
And there was Liv’s first suspect. Of course, Bianca had it out for her. She’d always had her nose straight up Adler’s behind, and even after he was gone, she’d continued to be a jerk.
“I realize that remembering things is excruciatingly difficult for you,” Liv began in a babytalk voice, “but my name is Liv. Not Olivia. You’ve been told that many times. Anyway, ‘Liv’ should be easy for you to remember and spell. It’s a capital L and a lowercase—”
“I must agree with Councilor Mantovani,” Lorenzo stated, conceit in his voice. “Your behavior really is a distraction to our affairs.”
And there was suspect number two, Liv thought. She didn’t understand Lorenzo, or why he was working against them on the elf negotiations. Before, she’d figured it came down to pure and awful prejudice, but that was enough of a reason to throw the guy out of the House, if only she could. His sister, Maria Rosario, was also a mystery. She kept to herself and never said much. Maybe that was a good thing. Or maybe it meant they were the spies, working against the House’s efforts.
“I think…” Stefan began, a smile in his voice, “Bianca was referring to the fact that you have a brownie on your back.”
Liv turned around, of course not being able to see Ticker hiding in her makeshift carrier. She did several rotations before shrugging like she’d given up. “What? What are you talking about?”
The little brownie giggled, nearly making her laugh too.
Akio, Stefan, and Trudy definitely chuckled, entertained by their antics.
“This is serious!” Bianca yelled, shooting to her feet. “She’s brought a-a-a creature that isn’t a magician into the House.”
“With all due respect,” Hester cut in, “it’s a brownie. They aren’t just harmless, they are extremely helpful.”
“I think my question would be how?” Haro asked speculatively.
“I carried him,” Liv said matter-of-factly.
She heard Stefan nearly choke on a laugh beside her. Meanwhile, Clark looked like he was about to strangle her and John and Ireland were remaining completely stoic, watching the interactions around them.
“No, I mean, how were you able to bring a creature that isn’t a part of the House of Fourteen in here?” Haro asked. “Only Royals should be able to enter.”
“Oh, about that,” Liv began. “Well, I have a few theories.”
“Really, the question should be ‘why?’” Bianca asked smugly. “Why did you bring that thing in here?”
“Well, because I had a Mortal Seven with me who I’m not sure is safe on Roya Lane,” Liv explained. “And she’s pretty new to this world, so I didn’t want to plunge her into the chaos that happens at that place right away.”
“Why would you have to go to Roya Lane?” Haro asked curiously.
“To return the brownie to his parents,” Liv stated.
“Because?” Lorenzo questioned, apparently ready to come unglued.
“Oh, because I was babysitting.”
Clark covered his face with his hands. That was a good sign that he was also losing his mind.
“Babysitting? Weren’t you supposed to be recovering the Mortal Seven?” Bianca narrowed her eyes at Liv. “Maybe if you spent more time on your job, this wouldn’t be taking you so long.”
“I did recover some of the Mortal Seven.” Liv pointed at John and Ireland. “And I also got them here.”
Bianca scowled. “Yes, but I think we can all agree that it’s taking you quite some time. Maybe that’s because you are messing around.”
“Warrior Beaufont, why were you babysitting this brownie?” Raina asked with no judgment in her voice.
“Because his parents asked me to and I owe them many favors,” Liv stated. She trusted Raina but couldn’t tell everyone that she relied on Mortimer to give her inside information on locations and whatnot. Somewhere there was a spy in the House, and she wasn’t giving away anything.
“Well, I think it makes sense that you brought the Mortal Seven straight here,” Hester stated. “It would be very confusing for anyone to be exposed to Roya Lane after just being introduced to our world.”
“And besides, we had to get her motorbike here safely,” Liv stated, again matter-of-factly. Right on cue, most of the council’s jaws dropped.
“Did you just say ‘motorbike?’” Lorenzo questioned.
“Why, yes,” Liv answered innocently. “I told the Mortal Seven she could bring it.”
Bianca turned to those on the council as if looking for someone to object to this. When no one did, Haro cleared his throat. “You said you had a few theories on why you were able to bring the brownie in here?”
Liv plucked Ticker out of his makeshift carrier and set him down on the stone in front of her. He’d been confined for a little while, and she thought he could use the exercise. Raina and Hester smiled at the brownie as he waddled toward Jude. “Well, he is a brownie, and I think they have access to most things.”
“Not the House of Fourteen,” Lorenzo stated at once. “Only Royals do.”
“Right,” Liv said, her eyes sliding to Jude. He seemed to be trying to communicate something. “I have reason to believe that…”
The white tiger actually nodded at her. Even if she thought she had been imagining things before, she definitely couldn’t dismiss this gesture.
“I have reason to believe that something is controlling and changing the laws of the House, which is allowing things that shouldn’t be permitted to happen here,” Liv stated, peering at Jude for his reaction. He nodded again. So he did want her to tell the truth.
“And why is that?” Lorenzo asked.
“Well, for starters,” Liv began, “Kayla Sinclair’s name was erased from the tree behind you, even though she wasn’t dead.”
And there it was. The great muttering among the council began, just as Liv had expected.
“You sort of live for these moments where you reveal, don’t you?” Stefan asked, a sideways grin on his face.
“It’s the only way I get any attention,” she stated.
He chuckled. “Right. Because carrying around a baby brownie while wearing road-rash clothes gets you no second glances.” He indicated her scuffed boots and pants, which were particularly worn in places from hanging off the side of a speeding truck. She hadn’t had a chance to change before entering the House si
nce she had a brownie on her back and a mortal in tow who was pushing a motorbike, followed by a chimera in the form of a dragonfly.
“What happened to you, by the way?” he asked, looking her up and down, more in an appreciative way than with concern.
“Would you believe me if I told you I nearly fell off the side of a moving truck after I jumped from my Clydesdale horse?” Liv asked.
“Again?” he asked in mock disbelief.
She nodded, loving the conversations Stefan and she had. He got her. Or at least, when they talked, she didn’t want it to stop, which was rare. Of course, the council had questions, so she refocused on them when they quieted down.
“Are you telling us Kayla Sinclair isn’t dead?” Clark asked.
“Well, she wasn’t until today. Now she’s dead-dead,” Liv answered.
“How can we be sure?” Haro asked.
“Because I watched her die,” Liv stated.
“But you watched her die the first time,” Bianca fired back. “So you can understand why your testimony has been discredited.”
Liv restrained herself from saying something derogatory, mostly because Ticker was listening as he combed through Jude’s hair, making the tiger appear even more regal than usual. “I watched her fall through the fog, then a woman’s body was found at the accident scene. I think most would have concluded that the magician was dead. But if it will help, I’ve had the body sent to the House. You’ll find it in your bed, B.”
“Oh, really!” Bianca protested.
Haro appeared to be suppressing laughter. “I’m certain Warrior Beaufont is joking. After the ordeal she’s been through, it seems she needs to let off some steam.”
“Thank you. I do,” Liv stated. “Anyway, I know for a fact that she is dead now, and she was again trying to murder the Mortal Seven. She almost succeeded.”
“And if the tree dimmed her name,” Clark said, slowly leafing through a book, “there is something playing with the rules if she was in fact still alive.”