Page 81 of Tangled Power
“He said he was my friend.” Aiden’s voice was so quiet. She almost missed it. She knew the words, though. She had suspected them since she realized something was inhabiting Aiden’s body.
“I know,” Rose said. “I don’t forgive you for those decisions and what they cost me.” She shuddered.
She turned to look at Luc. “Neither will we kill him.” She wouldn’t do it, and she wouldn’t let Luc do it. They would take him back to Compass Lake to face a Norden trial for his actions.
If Aiden’s actions with Luc earlier were any indication, he wanted out of Aterra’s control too. Aterra was the problem—one they would deal with as soon as they freed Aurora.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Decision made, Rose walked through the next door—the one Aiden had come through. This room wasn’t what she pictured. A cell with metal bars stood in the corner, and someone was behind them. Though disheveled, she could only be one being. Her skin was golden brown, and her tangled hair was black as night—she was the Norden goddess, Aurora.
“This looks too easy,” Rose said, mostly to herself as she looked around. No barred cage could hold a goddess. What was she missing?
“Are you the Norden Point?” an exhausted voice came from the sparse bed against the wall in the cell.
“I am.” Rose nodded as the others filed in behind her. “These are the rest of the Compass Points, though I believe you already met Luc.” Her gaze fastened on the cell door. “We don’t have a lot of time. Do you know?—”
She lost Aurora’s attention the moment Arie walked through the door. Silence filled the room as the Compass Points realized their irrelevance in this reunion. Aurora’s entire person lit up when she locked eyes with him. It was a light brighter than Arie’s biggest flame. And it was entirely for him.
“Arie,” Aurora whispered.
He was on his knees at the metal bars instantly, reaching his hand through…
An explosion shook the room.
Arie’s human form flew backward from where he knelt. His body arced backward and crashed next to the door they had just entered.
“Well,” Aiden said smugly. “I tried to warn him.”
Rose needn’t have worried. It was a cage to hold a god, not kill one. Arie sat up and glared at Aiden.
“You should have said it louder,” Arie grumbled, rubbing the back of his head.
“It wouldn’t have stopped you,” Luc said.
Arie had a glare for Luc as well. Turning back to Aiden, he asked, “What magic holds her? Tell us how to get her out.”
“I can speak for myself, love,” Aurora said. “The magic that holds me here is Aterra’s and the amplification of the wild magic in this place.”
“The wild…” Arie couldn’t even finish his curse. He seemed enraged that a natural power helped Aterra. “I still don’t understand. The magic of this place…the amplification—it shouldn’t take sides in this,” he said instead of stringing together a sentence of curses. His face still looked like he would prefer that route.
“And it hasn’t, Arie.” She looked at him so patiently. “You know as well as I. It latches on to one magic at a time.”
Aiden gestured to the cell that was holding her, ignoring her words. “It certainly looks like it has.”
Arie glared at him. He scratched his head as he stood. “When I was here with Zrak. The wild magic only affected me. And when we took the test, it clearly latched on to Aterra.”
“We always thought its wildness was drawn to the most volatile magic,” Aurora said.
Arie balled his fists at his sides in frustration.
“The why doesn’t really matter.” She shrugged. “The wild magic still supports Aterra. And I can’t escape while his magic holds me here.”
“Let’s move on to how we can get past it then, shall we?” Juliette asked.
“Shouldn’t Aterra’s magic be able to get you out?” Rose said.
“Yes,” Aurora replied, her eyes darting to Luc. “But I don’t think the Suden Point alone is enough.” She tilted her head.
