Page 120 of Crown of Tides and Fury

An hour later, my stomach was full of delightful things, and I was slightly buzzed. Wanting to imprint the night’s events on my mind before they faded into a hangover, I took my nearly empty glass and went back to the white chairs to relive the incredible scenes that, as a mortal, I’d been privileged to witness. I found my original spot, kicked off my shoes, and put my toes up on the seat in front of me.

The massive bridge that hadn’t existed hours ago now occupied what had once been empty air. The lights along the sculpted stone roof still shone brightly, all the way to the water, where the bridge was reflected perfectly upon the temporarily calm surface. The fountain would start up again any minute.

The far edge of the thin green dome was visible through the windows of the enclosure. They looked like so many dragon’s eyes, alive and watching. If they’d have been arched instead of wedge-shaped to match the keystone, it would look just like…

“Wickham!” I jumped to my feet, half-frozen with shock. All I could do was shout. I didn’t dare look away. “Wickham!”

He popped to my side and followed my gaze.

I pointed anyway. “It’s a Bridge of Sighs,” I whispered. “Do you see it?”

His one-syllable curse was short but apt. “I see it.” He moved quickly to intercept his sisters, grabbed their sapphire-encased arms, and the three of them disappeared, champagne glasses and all.

* * *

An hour later,Wickham came back, looking twice as old as he had at the start of the evening. His navy and green kilt was askew, and his hair looked like he’d run his fingers through it a hundred times.

Persi and Kitch, Urban and Everly, Flann and Brian, and Ivy and I sat on the couches and lounge chairs, waiting for him. The others had gone off to bed, only vaguely aware that something had gone wrong. The eight of us had been mulling possible scenarios for a while, but we weren’t sober enough to do anything about them.

At least they weren’t. Thanks to an adrenaline dump, I’d sobered up in a matter of minutes.

Urban had a hard time following the conversation for obvious reasons. Everly was equally occupied with watching him. At one point, she gave me a wink that said they didn’t intend on sharing their happy news with the rest of the team just yet.

Wickham poured himself a whisky before joining us. He sank into a cushion and leaned on Ivy’s shoulder while he sipped it.

I asked how his sisters were.

“Fine, fine. They’re disappointed they couldn’t enjoy the party a wee longer, but I promised we’d all go to the Edinburgh house soon and make up for it. Though neither of them could say exactly what the bridge in their vision had looked like, they did know it was in Oxford, not Venice, so they presumed it was the Hertford Bridge. Now it’s safe to assume it was this one.”

Having come to the same conclusion, we all nodded.

“My concern,” Brian said, “is that they shouldn’t risk returning every month to reinforce the wards around the estate. And I’m afraid Flann and I haven’t anything close to their sort of power. Do ye know others who might?”

“I could try.” Soni and her husband came to the edge of the veranda to look down on our little gathering. “If Wickham gives me back my power.”

Simon looked like the possibility made him ill, but he stood beside his wife with his chin steady. A glance around the patio told me everyone present had learned Wickham’s secret, that we had four powers under our roof, not three.

Wickham sat forward so he could turn and look up at his niece. “How did ye ken I had it?”

“When ye returned without yer brother, I…felt it, tasted it maybe. And when it had gone out of ye, I knew it then too.” She lifted her shoulders. “So, do ye need me to take it back?”

“Absolutely not. We willnae speak of it again. I offered it as a wedding present and ye declined. And that’s the end of it. Ye’ve seemed too happy without it. Besides, I won’t have Orion and his beasts searching ye out a second time.”

Simon’s eyes closed for a few seconds, and I watched his shoulders fall in relief. They both seemed way too young to have the weight of the world around their necks. They should be living in dorms and finding new ways to cook ramen noodles.

“If we’re not needed then, uncle, we’re ready to pop back home when ye’re finished here.” With their arms wrapped securely around each other, the couple turned as one and headed back inside the house, and we listened to the sound of Soni’s rustling taffeta until it was gone.

“She’s free too,” Flann said, as if to himself. But we all knew he’d meant the comment for Persi in case she was feeling overburdened by her own power.

“I’m just dandy,” she said, not missing his inference. “I honestly don’t know how Felicity and Rinky could do it.”

“And I’ll not ask ye to follow suit,” Wickham said. “Brian’s right. The wards that protect this place will fail in a month’s time. If my sisters saw their deaths here, I’ll not allow them to return. But more than that…” He shifted back in his seat and took his wife’s hand, looked down into her eyes. “I doubt my sisters will die of boredom. If they’re to perish here, it means the fight will come to Hope House. Our enemies will come to Hope House.”

“When the wards fall?”

“We cannae ken when, but we can prepare. First thing I’d like to do tomorrow is find a place, away from here, where we can bury the three boxes. The books meant for the Fae King mustn’t fall into Orion’s hands due to our actions.” He looked at me. “Then we will start the search in earnest…for Mercail’s power.”

Brian brightened. “For Hope and Despair.”

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