Page 28 of Wicked Angel
In answer, Ezekiel reached into his jacket, pulling out a small cloth bundle. With gentle movements, he unwrapped it, revealing a handful of lilies so brilliantly golden they seemed to glow from within.
“I couldn't get many,” he said, his voice tinged with apology. “The garden is more heavily guarded than I expected. This was all I could take without raising suspicion.”
I stared at the flowers, hardly daring to hope. “Is it enough?”
“I don't know,” Ezekiel admitted. “I've never seen the elixir made. But it's all I have.”
“We’ll see what we can come up with,” Abbie said. Ezekiel offered her the lilies and she carefully took them. “Hopefully this will be enough to get at least a handful of us in.”
My mind raced with possibilities. If the witches could come up with an elixir and it worked, if we could actually cross into Elysium, we might have a chance to stop Rhodes before he could use the dagger. We could warn Adona, rally those still loyal to her, maybe even end this before it became a war.
“How long will it take to make the elixir?” I asked, turning to Abbie.
“I'm not sure,” she admitted. “I'll need to analyze the flowers, figure out their properties. It could be days.”
Ezekiel shifted his weight, glancing anxiously toward the entrance. “I can't stay long. If someone notices I'm gone”
“Of course,” I said quickly. “Go back. Stay safe.”
He hesitated, his gaze flickering between me and the door. “There's something else you should know. Rhodes has scheduled some kind of ceremony for five days from now. Something big, with all his closest allies in attendance. I don't know what it is, but…”
My blood ran cold. “The dagger. He's going to use it on Adona.”
“That's my guess,” Ezekiel agreed grimly. “I've been trying to find out more, but they're keeping the details close.”
“Five days,” Levi murmured. “That's not much time.”
“We'll make it work,” I said, more confidently than I felt. I turned back to Ezekiel, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Before you go, I need you to do something for me.”
He nodded. “Name it.”
“My mother, my sister—they need to be away from the capital when this happens. If you can convince them to come with you, bring them here. If not, get them to the countryside, somewhere safe.”
“Adriel won't be easy to convince,” Ezekiel warned. “She's stubborn.”
I couldn't help the small smile that tugged at my lips. “It runs in the family. But try. Please. They need to be safe when the fighting starts.”
“I will do my best,” he promised.
“I know you will.” I squeezed his shoulder gently. “That's why I'm asking you.”
He nodded, his expression solemn. “I should go.” His gaze shifted to the lilies in Abbie’s hands. “Make good use of those. They're not easy to replace.”
“We will,” Abbie assured him. “Thank you, Ezekiel.”
With one last nod, he turned and walked out the door.
For a moment, we all stood in silence, the weight of what lay ahead settling over us like a shroud. Five days until Rhodes made his move. Five days to figure out how to make the elixir, how to get into Elysium, and how to stop a war before it began.
“Well,” Levi said, breaking the silence, “looks like our vacation's over.”
I shot him a look, but there was no real annoyance behind it. “It was a good run while it lasted.”
“So,” Abbie said, carefully counting the golden lilies, “who's going to Elysium?”
“Me, obviously,” I said without hesitation. “But I don’t need the elixir. I think Levi won’t need it either.”
He nodded.
