Page 173 of Love & Heart Braking

Li disappeared, and the Blum woman wisely chose to go elsewhere.

“Follow me,” the earth guardian said.

He didn’t yank on the chain, and I walked beside him down a stone path between the sea of wildflowers.

The sphinx prowled in my slipstream, and I’d rarely felt more uncomfortable in my life.

He spoke to my back. “Definitely. Definitely. Hide, heart, hide. Defiantly. Defiantly. Rise, wings, rise. Deftly. Deftly. Let it fly.”

Tiqlig studied the sphinx.

How had they formed a familial connection? I was burning to know.

More importantly, what did the sphinx mean just now? His kind could see the future. So he was telling me, the heart, to definitely hide, and for the phoenix to defiantly rise. Or was that metaphorical? Hide my heart—my emotions or my magic—and rise like a phoenix? I could guess the flying part meant the Lanarays’ escape. Maybe?

Not at all?

Super helpful of the guy.

“There’s a hover charm in place,” Tiqlig said. “Have you come across one before?”

I thought back to the times I’d met up with Vera and nodded.

Behind me, the sphinx snickered softly. Could he see the past too? Or did he know I was faking my silence?

“The charm will work from this spot.” Tiqlig pointed.

I was assuming the silver cage was for me—matched the shimmer of my skin. I stepped next to Tiqlig and felt the hover charm take hold. I bent my legs, then jumped.

Luckily, he let go of my leash. I shot for the silver cage like an arrow, missed the door, but swung myself around on the chain that extended from the top and up into nothing. I hooked my leg around the chain and ended up sitting atop the cage.

Not what I planned, but far cooler in the end.

Tiqlig floated up, and the sphinx remained below.

My stomach swooped at how high I was.

I could see everyone from up here, and most of them watched me. Didn’t those below wonder why the hell a grown woman was locked in a cage? Everyone from the twelve families who was old enough had to be in attendance. I assumed that the richest and most powerful families beneath the twelve had claimed the other exclusive tickets. Maybe some of these guests were distributing Shade. Maybe all. But they couldn’t be privy to the true plans though. The twelve never let outsiders in.

“I wouldn’t recommend trying to attract attention. None of the guests will help you.” The earth guardian lifted a shoulder when I wrinkled my nose. “They tell themselves that you want to be in the cage. That you’re part of the show. That is how they deny the part of them whispering that they should do something.” He opened the cage door. “Please hop inside.”

From inside the cage, it would be that much harder to get out or for someone else to free me. Should I make a fuss?

Peering around, I spotted the sphinx staring up. His words curled around me. Definitely. Definitely. Hide, heart, hide.

Now wasn’t the time to kick up a fuss? I released my hold and worked around to swing inside. I tensed as Tiqlig leaned in, but he just unhooked the leash. I could’ve done it myself, but that he had spoke louder than words.

My cage door was shut and locked, and I watched as Lerome was marched into the garden and sent up to the gold cage.

“Lovely day for it,” he called over.

I flashed him a grin.

The next two hours passed as guests arrived. I was thankful for the solid bottom of the cage, so my ass didn’t show, but they hadn’t thought about the breeze up here, nor about the beating sun when the breeze dropped away.

“Over there,” Lerome said.

I followed the direction of his pointer finger and spotted a tribe of red-haired descendants entering the space below. My breath caught. Soleil. She walked behind her mother and father. Bortyss stood behind another older couple, and it took me a moment to realize that the sirens lined up in accordance with their power level. The couple in front of him had to be his father’s eldest sibling and partner. I drank in the sight of my friend and her shining red hair before trailing my focus to the front of the procession.

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