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“And since a piece of King Oberon’s soul was infused in the axe,” I finish, head spinning from all the twists, “you need the weapon before you can shatter the soulstone.”
“Very good,” Eclipsa purrs. “Except, during the final battle that ended the war, the axe was damaged, and a piece went missing.” She looks to Valerian, her mouth pressed into a concerned line. “Until we retrieve the missing fragment, and have the axe in its entirety, his soul cannot be extinguished.” “And you have no idea who might have taken the piece?”
Eclipsa shakes her head. “No, but we believe whoever has the piece is somehow able to control the darklings. It was the axe’s dark magic, after all, that split our worlds and turned them. It would make sense.”
I let Eclipsa help me up, all too aware of Valerian’s gaze as he watches me. “Who has the other part of the axe now?”
Valerian scrapes a hand through his messy midnight blue hair, and I fight the unwelcome urge to run the soft strands between my own fingers. “Because the courts didn’t know who had stolen the missing piece, they broke the weapon apart. Each court has one piece, stored in a magically hidden location.”
I rub the back of my neck. Valerian and the rest talk of the Fae court quarrels and duplicity like it’s normal, but I can’t imagine living that way. Being surrounded constantly by potential enemies. Never knowing whom you can trust. Always struggling to stay one step ahead.
My little family back at the farmhouse may not possess wealth or material things, but I see now, in some ways, we have more than Valerian and the others ever will.
Eclipsa thrusts her hydroflask into my hands, even though we hardly broke a sweat. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” I shrug. “Par for the course in Everwilde, right?” Boy, my voice came out bitter. I gulp down the cool water and hand it back. “So who do we think took it?”
Eclipsa bends down to wipe her mat. “Could be anyone, really.”
“But Unseelie, right?”
Valerian gives me a mock-wounded look. “I find that stereotype deeply offensive.”
Asher throws his rolled up mat under his arm, Hello Kitty smashed beneath his bulging bicep. “We don’t know. We’ve been following leads to try and locate whoever is allied with the Darken, communing with him somehow. But it seems like he’s amassing a following of both Seelie and Unseelie.”
“To what end?” I ask.
“We don’t know,” Valerian says. He’s careful never to let our eyes meet for longer than a second.
Frick. If only I could take back my hurtful words from earlier.
Everyone’s packing up to leave, but I remember there was one last thing they still haven’t told me.
“What does all of this have to do with me?”
The moment I finish speaking, everyone freezes, and the look they share makes me prepare for the worst.
Valerian tugs at the elastic hem of his joggers, taking his time before responding, as if mulling over the best way to explain without freaking me out. “The best spellcasters in Everwilde layered the soulstone with wards to trap my grandfather’s soul inside. Even with all the pieces of the axe, it would take the most powerful Soulmancer in existence to break through those wards.”
“And that is . . .?” I raise my eyebrows, wondering if this Soulmancer is famous in the Fae world or something.
Valerian finally meets my stare without looking away. “You.”
17
Sure I misheard the Winter Prince, I say, “Me? A Soulmancer? No—that doesn’t even make sense.”
Eclipsa sighs. “This conversation calls for poolside drinks.”
I blink. “Poolside?”
I discover exactly what she means when Valerian creates a portal that takes us to his penthouse apartment in Evernell, overlooking the string of his father’s nightclubs and bars.
After a lot of arguing, Eclipsa convinces me to throw on a black string bikini. She frowns at my farmer’s tan, practically scoffing as I find the largest robe possible to cover myself, but otherwise seems to find me agreeable.
The rooftop pool above Valerian’s place is a long, rectangular slice of crystal blue water. His court sigil, an owl over two daggers, covers the bottom of the pool.
Fittingly, only Valerian can access this private bit of heaven. I gawk at the outdoor training mat in the corner. The couches artfully positioned in various locations, perfect for an intimate gathering. Lounge chairs line up in neat rows on the far side of the pool. The water leads to a fully stocked bar where a beautiful Fae male server polishes glasses.
