Page 6 of Hero of Havoc

“Every last detail,” he bites. “I know that your mind will be reeling, but instead of focusing on foolish men, you'll want the facts. You'll want the same answers you were searching for before tonight. I can give it all to you… at a price.”

I huff, my pulse ringing in my ears at the truth on his tongue. “I don't make deals with the devil.”

“You haven't considered the prize yet.”

“It's not worth my soul,” I promise.

Knowing the truth, his face straightens, the amusement a distant memory as his knuckles whiten, clenching tight around the arms of my chair.

“Respect my offer before my anger gets the better of me,” he snarls, his jaw ticking as his eyes darken, almost to the point of pitch black.

All I can do is take him at his word and clear my throat. “Consider me curious,” I murmur, and his face lights with amusement once again.

I can't deny that he holds all the power right now.

The question is, what am I willing to let him do with it?

To my surprise, he stands back quickly, retracing his steps and falling into his seat before delving into a worn leather duffel bag down the other side of his chair. Despite searching to his left, his eyes remain locked on mine the entire time while holding a golden ball in his hands.

It's about the size of a watermelon, worn in with an intricate pattern etched across the entire thing.

Once it's in his possession, he stands again, hovering over me as he nods toward my hands. Against my better judgment, I hold them out without thinking, a gasp parting my lips a moment later when he drops the golden object into my grasp.

It's heavier than I anticipated, but the intricate swirls hold my interest.

“It's a relic, Ivy. Brush your finger across the engraving,” he murmurs as I tilt the ball just right to get a better look at the carved symbols. I can’t make out what they mean, and that only increases the dread rattling inside of me.

Gulping, I shake my head. “I don't want to make a deal,” I reiterate, and he sighs.

“This one is on the house. Consider it a glimmer of what I have to offer you.”

I look up at him through my lashes as he stares down at me expectantly, and I shiver. My nerves threaten to get the better of me, but before I can think rationally, I ghost my fingertips over the engraving as instructed.

The second my fingertip presses against the last symbol, my eyes roll to the back of my head as the relic comes alive in my hands, distorting my vision. When I manage to refocus, I’m acutely aware that I'm no longer in the meeting room with Leonardo and two dead bodies, but somewhere else entirely.

A long table fills the room, each seat taken as grumbles cut through the air, but it's not the people at the table who hold my attention, but the leader of the First Kingdom, Mallen Ferris, who stands at the opposite end of the room.

His figure is outlined by the moonlight shimmering in through the window behind him, but he's not alone, his hands braced against the wrought-iron bars of a cage that sits perched in the corner.

My feet carry me toward him as my eyes widen at the sight of a woman curled in a ball, pressed as far back against the wall as possible. I can't see her face, but she's naked, covered in filth, and whimpering in fear.

The leader of the First Kingdom slams his palm against the cage, making it rattle as he snarls. “Freedom will come if you pledge yourself as my Kingdom Champion. Bring The Fates to their knees and make every kingdom mine. Succeed, and I'll grant you anything you want.”

I take an extra step toward them, ready to plead for her freedom, when the room changes before my eyes again, and I'm back seated beside Leonardo.

My head sways from the disorientation as my breath comes in short, sharp pants.

“What was that?” I blurt, and he smiles, taking the relic from my hands.

“Your first glimpse,” he murmurs, and I run my tongue along my dry lips as I shake my head, confused and set in disbelief. “Who was the lady, Ivy?” he murmurs, and I gulp, my mind swirling over the short snippet, but I know the truth, deep in my gut.

“The first phoenix,” I guess, coming to the logical conclusion based on Mallen Ferris’s presence and the murmur of Kingdom Champions. It was mentioned earlier that it had been done before.

“Excellent observation, Ivy. That's what I love about you,” he states as he retakes his seat, lacing his fingers together as he peers across the short space between us. “Now, is it a deal worth taking?” he asks, confident in himself after offering a single glimpse at the origin of my heritage.

“What is it you want from me?” I breathe, and he grins.

“Exactly what he wanted from her.”