Page 15 of Petals for Deadly Power

Lenna

Lennawasgratefultheexplanations about how to get the Fifth didn’t involve the dozens of piles of books and endless notes she had seen Jake and Ciaran going through.

No, there wasn’t any of that.

What Ciaran had drawn atop the table of the living room was the same panom mark that so many of them bore on different parts of their bodies.

The four-petal flower that represented each of their powers. The same flower where the different cardinal points of Thyria correlated to each petal: the North House in the North Petal, the East House in the East Petal, the South House in the South Petal, and the West House in the West Petal. At the circular-shaped center of the flower was the Organ House, in the Core of the panom.

Every person in the safehouse was expectantly waiting for Ciaran and Jake to reveal the big mystery they had been studying independently for years and collaboratively for days.

Ciaran and Jake looked at each other, as if there was an internal silent debate to decide who was to start the explanation. After a few tense seconds, Jake nodded slightly and started speaking.

“We know no one alive owns the Fifth Power. Probably no one in the past few centuries owned it, either. This could be because the Cardinals are extremely protective of it and there have only been vague mentions and references to what exactly the Fifth Power is and how to get it, or because no one is as dumb or desperate as we are to be willing to risk their lives to get it.”

“Do you know what the Fifth Power actually is?” Ayla asked, her green eyes fixed on the middle of the panom shape.

“It is the greatest power a panom can ever possess. A power that is a blessing and a curse, and it can’t be rivaled,” Ciaran said. “A magical power granted by the Cardinals themselves after an aspirant has proved to be worthy.”

“Cardinals fucking guide us.Proved to be worthysounds as risky as the Fifth,” Lenna spat. “How exactly are we expected to prove we’re good enough?”

Ciaran exhaled deeply before frowning. “The Cardinals created the Fifth crusade. Aspirants—orstrivers, as all literature talks about—must prove their worthiness in five ordeals.” He lifted his blue eyes, scanning the people around the room. “Each Cardinal hid a crystal-red feather in an ordeal related to their power.”

“The North Cardinal’s ordeal needs a striver who has full control of the Giving power. The South Cardinal’s ordeal demands that the striver masters Taking. The striver for the West Cardinal’s ordeal has to dominate Healing, and the one for the East Cardinal’s ordeal must be an adept at Harming. As for the Core Cardinal . . .” Ciaran looked at Jake.

The silver-eyed man shook his head slowly. “We have not the slightest clue of what the ordeal of the Core Cardinal will demand of its striver.”

Lenna swallowed. “Delightful.”

“And each . . .striverhas the potential of dying during these ordeals?” Hope crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“Yes, basically.” Jake nodded sharply.

Brendon snorted. “How very kind of them.”

“How many ordeals does each striver have to survive?” Hope asked.

Lenna’s eyes widened, and she saw Nina’s eyebrows shooting to the roof. If Hope was nervous, Lenna couldn’t tell. But what was this woman made of? As if she was even considering one single person would risk their lives over and over, up to five times.

The corner of Ciaran’s lips twisted upwards. “Five Cardinals. Five crystal feathers to seize. Five ordeals—”

“Five strivers. Got it,” Hope finished for him. “And once we get the five crystal feathers, what do we do with them? What happens next?”

To her surprise, Lenna found herself not feeling half as hesitant or freaking-the-absolute-fuck-out about the whole Fifth crusade. It surely helped that the woman next to her was talking about their forthcomingdeath hunt—as Ayla had described it—as chill as if she was talking about the weather forecast.

“This is where our theories don’t align,” Jake said.

“And the lack of references in literature doesn’t help,” Ciaran added.

“Well, surely you must havesomeidea of what we have to do if we’re still alive after the five ordeals?” Lenna put her hand on her waist. Silence followed, and Lenna’s jaw dropped. “No idea whatsoever?”

Ciaran scratched his chin with his metallic thumb. “Only one tome mentions that the Fifth comes together where the light meets the darkness. Whatever that means.” He shrugged, then added, “If we’re still alive after the ordeals, I believe the Cardinals will guide us to the next step.” He looked at Hope and opened his mouth to continue but closed it again. Lenna had no doubt that Hope hadn’t missed that brief but clear hesitancy.

“The Cardinals who, by then, would have tried to kill us five times, wouldthenbe willing to help?” Ayla’s green eyes were wide-eyed and amused in equal parts. “Lucky us.”

Jake chuckled. “I think that once the five crystal feathers are put together, something will happen. The Cardinals will appear from them, or the feathers will be pieces of a map where the Fifth is waiting, or something along those lines.”

Speculations. That’s what awaited them if they survived the five ordeals.

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