Page 131 of Ruthless Scoundrel
“Fair,” she says, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
Cora pulls a weathered sheaf of parchment from under the table and begins opening the folds. “Ashai needs power to manifest her true form, which is locked in the ninth hell. When the mines in the Fynish territory ran dry, and there were no magus crystals left, she turned to another power source: people.”
The paper unfolds completely, and Cora smooths her hands over it. It’s a family tree showing the different marriages and sacrifices Ashai has progressed through.
“In all the pairings and offspring, Ashai has always selected the child with the strongest power. That’s why she wants you, so she can burn the world and eat its power. If she were to discover you get your magic from the light of the sun—the most powerful celestial body in our heavens—she would be evenmore relentless. With you, she wouldn’t need living sacrifices anymore. She would eat the sun. That much power would allow her to transcend Gaien and reach the Overworld.”
I grip Reina’s hand tightly. “Well, it’s a good thing Ashai will never have her. I’ll keep her hidden away forever.”
Cora shakes her head. “If she’s not defeated now, there will never be another opportunity. Ashai has been patient for centuries. She will continue to be patient until she succeeds.” She looks at Reina. “The one chance to send her back to hell is with you, and your sisters. The eight of you together will be able to overcome her.”
“Eight?” Reina asks on a gasp. “Is Alyse still alive? Lily? And Belle? But what about the other three people?”
The words spill out of her at speed, and I calmly grip her hand. She swallows the next question and looks at me, her chest heaving as tears glisten in her eyes.
Cora nods. “Yes, all your sisters are alive—”
Reina croaks out a suppressed sob, squeezing my hand harder.
“And they all have formidable lovers, just as you do,” Cora says, gesturing to me. “They have also amassed a powerful family who are ready to fight with them.”
“All right, so we’ll have the power and the numbers, but how do we fight her?” I ask.
Cora shakes her head, the beads in her braids clinking. “This I cannot say. Revealing the methods may unmake them.”
I open my mouth to protest, but my mother pats my hand. “Listen to my friend, meihan. She is very wise.”
“Your friend?” I ask in Illyan.
She dips her head in acknowledgement. “She warned me of the man who took us. She told me the only way we could survive was if you were not captured.”
The mention of their capture has my anxiety back to peak. “Are Father and Maarie safe? I haven’t seen them.”
“They’re safe,” she says with a soft smile. “They were with me when we escorted Alejandra but went ahead to Cora’s home to prepare for our arrival.”
A deep-seated tension in my gut releases and I sink into my chair. “Thank the gods.”
“What is it?” Reina asks.
I grab her hand and kiss it. “My family is all safe. You’ll meet my father and sister when we arrive.”
“I can’t wait.” She kisses my hand back with a teary grin.
We’re quiet for a moment, and then Reina laughs. “Well, isn’t that some shit. They’reallsafe and alive.” She looks at Cora. “What do we do now?”
Cora folds the parchment up and pushes it across the table to us. “Now you go home.”
“What about the selkies? Many of them are weak, and sick. They can’t travel and I won’t leave them behind,” Reina says with fiery determination.
A swell of love and pride knocks the wind from my lungs. I squeeze her hand tightly to hold back my emotion.
“We’re making preparations at my home for their recovery. When they’re well, they will be able to join you,” Cora says.
“But what if something happens? What if someone comes to take them? What if—”
Cora cuts her off. “No one will take them. I have the power of sight, my husband can control the sea, and my daughter is an expert bowman, among many other ways she excels at killing men and monsters alike.”
Reina doesn’t look satisfied. She takes a breath to keep protesting when my mother interjects.
