Page 95 of Fated

Madam Pearl’s attention sharpened as she looked at him. “What is it?”

Ash’s next words felt like a hammer. “Agidius has my sister.”

Madam Pearl gasped, “Reize is in Astern?”

Ash nodded. “He kept her close all these years, keeping her as one of his personal servants. I’ve seen his disdain for her, but until I regained my memories, I didn’t know it was Reize.”

His gaze fell on me, pain etched into his features.

“She was the one sitting next to Calyx in the vision.”

There was nothing else I could say. I wouldn’t ask Ash not to go, not when it meant saving his sister from Agidius. The thought of that beautiful girl trapped under his control made my stomach turn, bile rising in my throat. But the reality that Ash would take me to his kingdom—leaving me surrounded by strangers while he returned to face unimaginable danger—made it hard to breathe. My chest tightened, my breaths becoming shallow and erratic.

Ash noticed my distress immediately, placing his hand on my back. “Breathe, Areya,” he whispered, his voice like a soothing balm. I focused on his touch, the warmth of his hand, and slowly, my breathing steadied, though the fear still remained.

“There’s one thing we have to do before I go to Astern,” he said quietly.

“What is it?” My voice was barely audible.

“We are getting Calyx back.”

***

“How do you plan on getting Calyx back?” I asked Ash, packing my clothes neatly into the lilac bag. After our intense meeting with Madam Pearl, Ash had informed me we’d be leaving forAmbrosia as soon as I was ready. He had already packed his things earlier this morning and was now helping me fold clothes into my bag.

“Agidius knows if anyone can find me, it’s Calyx. He also knows that once I regain my memories, I’ll come for him. So, he’ll make sure Calyx is stationed somewhere obvious.”

“Ok, but are we just going to wander around Astern, hoping to bump into him?” I was genuinely unsure how he planned to track him down.

Ash smirked slightly, shaking his head. “No, we are going to track him.”

“How?” I raised an eyebrow.

“His motorcycle,” Ash said simply. “The motorcycles we rode that first night—they’re from my kingdom. Agidius presented them as if they were gifts for his second and third in command, but they’d been ours all along. Once we get to Ambrosia, Tessa can track them anywhere in Gardonia.”

“Tessa?”

“Tessa is the castle’s appointed Genius, in charge of everything tech related. Her power is technology itself; she doesn’t just understand it, she can manipulate it, read it, control it,” Ash explained.

“Wow, ok, so after Tessa tracks him down. I heal him?”

“If you’re willing, yes, I would like you to,” Ash replied, his voice softening.

“Of course I will, Ash.”

He gave me a small smile, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“So, how do we get to Ambrosia?” I asked.

“We’ll take the kingdom train from Echo to the river entrance in Ambrosia. Someone from Cresinthia will escort us to the surface. I’ll open the wards briefly so we can enter.”

A wave of nervousness washed over me, twisting my stomach into knots. I hadn’t realized how comfortable I’d become in Cresinthia, surrounded by trusted people. But now, the weight of reality was crushing down on me; I was about to enter Ash’s kingdom as a stranger.

Would his people welcome me as Ash’s ... whatever I was to him?

Healing blood might grant me royal status in Astern, but what would they think when they discovered I was connected to Agidius, the man who had cursed their king? I wouldn’t blame them if they hated me. The thought of it made my chest tighten, anxiety gripping me like a vice.

Ash stopped what he was doing and pulled me into his arms. “Are you ok?”

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