Page 32 of The Magic of Eternity
As much as I hated to admit it, I was wondering the same thing.
“It could be,” he murmured, his expression turning serious as he thought over the information I’d just given him. “Have him bring me into the conversation. If it’s really Fischer, he has the ability to do that; we know that from past experience.”
I nodded.‘Guppy. Sloane is here with me now. Can you connect him with us? He wants to speak to you.’I heard a sigh in my head, like Fischer was uncomfortable, which didn’t make any sense.
‘Just give me a minute,’Fish replied. I looked at Sloane, relaying Fischer’s response, which was even more confusing to us. Because the Fischer we knew would have been desperate to speak with both of us.
A moment later, Fischer’s voice was there again.‘Sloane, can you hear me now?’
Sloane’s face broke then, reminding me of a crumbling stone. He dropped his face into his hands, overcome with emotion.‘Jesus, Fischer. Are you okay? Are you hurt? I miss you.’
I glanced at Sloane as we waited. He fidgeted with each passing second that there wasn’t a reply.
‘Fischer?’Sloane said, his voice carrying an edge to it.‘What is going on? I’m not bringing our pregnant mate back to that castle unless I know for a fact that it’s you I’m speaking to right now.’
Fischer exhaled harshly.‘I understand. I need you to know there’s been a lot that’s happened over the last few weeks. I’m a little off right now, but I’m working on it. I do miss you; I miss you both. The only thing that kept me going in the dark was the thought of seeing all of you again.’
My stomach swirled with his words. Nausea and the ache in my chest increased as I thought of all the things that Fischer had already been through. What more had they done to him? How dare they harm what was mine... Rage began to build before I even processed it. I was fucking pissed.
‘Cam and Kai are with you?’Sloane asked.
‘They are. They’re speaking right now with Balor. He was Saige’s doctor while she was here. He’s a loyalist to Bram.’
Bram. Oh my gods. I had done everything I could to block the thoughts of my other men, because there was nothing I could do. I needed to focus. How could I save them? How could I possibly get them out of that situation if I was being stricken down by grief and anxiety? I had done it to protect my heart and my mind. And now, having this conversation with Fischer, knowing that Kai and Cam were right there with him, it didn’t escape my notice that there had been no mention of Bram or Faris. Hell, or Khol, for that matter.
‘Guppy? Where is Bram? Where’s Faris, and where the hell is my father?’The fear within me was battered down beneath the surging waves of anger.
‘That’s why we need you to return. Asrael has scheduled their executions to take place at dawn.’
‘Oh my gods,’I whispered.‘Oh my gods. No.’I was gonna throw up. I turned my body away from Sloane and heaved. Thankfully, nothing came up, but a moment later, a stone bowl was shoved under my face—just in case.
“What is going on in here?” Vaeryn’s raspy voice met my ears as my shoulders shook, a sob building within my chest.
‘Sweetheart,’Fischer’s voice was pleading, the first real hint of the man I’d come to love.‘We’re working on a plan. Nobody is going to be executed. But that is what’s so urgent. There are loyalists within the castle, not just this doctor. They’ve also sent out word to other demons, calling for aid. I promise you. Nobody we love is going to die tomorrow morning. Mark my words.’
‘But you can’t know that, Fischer.Youdied! You’ve left me before!’I could barely think with how tight my throat was. I felt like I was suffocating, and I just couldn’t get air into my lungs deep enough.
“Breathe, Red. Just breathe.” Sloane bundled me into his arms, pulling me tightly against his warm body. Grounding me.
‘I’d never leav—’
I cut Fischer off.‘But you did!’I shouted, and then quietly,‘You did leave me. And they could leave me too.’What happened with Fischer wasn’t his fault. The fault didn’t lie with any one of us. Most days I could move along, pretending it had never happened. Other moments, like these, I was right back there in those woods behind my cottage. I could still feel Bram restraining me, warning me away from Fischer’s body. He’d looked so beautifully wrong, frozen in death.
“I don’t believe that for a second!” Sloane barked, snapping me out of my haze. I lifted my eyes to his as he leaned over and pulled a blanket up over me. “You listen to me, Red. Yes, we lost Fischer, but we fucking got him back. You. Brought. Him. Back. Now we know what that feels like, and we’re not gonna let it happen to anyone else. We need to get those dragons out of those cages. We need to rally the troops. Everybody on this island, in this realm, anybody who can fight needs to come with us now.” Sloane spoke the words out loud, but I knew that Fischer heard them as well.
‘What dragons?’Fischer demanded.‘Tell me more.’
‘There are hundreds of dragons being held in different camps around the capital. They’re not far from the castle. I think the furthest is maybe ten miles out. They need to be released.’
‘We can do that; we can figure out a way. Are you with dragons now?’
Sloane responded because I couldn’t. I was so deep in my mind, my thoughts swirling around the possibility of a life without Bram and Faris, without Khol. I couldn’t stomach it. I couldn’t focus on the words that were being spoken, but somehow I knew that between Vaeryn, Sloane, and Fischer, some type of an agreement or plan was made.
‘Guppy, I want to talk to Cam and Kai. Please.’I needed to hear their voices, since that was all I’d be allowed for the moment.
‘I can try to bring them in. Give me a minute to see if I can link our power, because the distance is taking a lot out of me already,’Fischer replied. And so, with my hands clasped in my lap, I waited, and I waited, and I hoped beyond hope that I’d be able to hear their voices, because oh my gods, what if this was the last time? Here I was, pregnant, in another world. I couldn’t take it.
‘Baby girl?’Cam’s deep voice rattled me to the foundation of my soul. Oh, sweet mother of moons. It was Cam, my Thunder Daddy, my protector. All I could do was cry for a moment.
