RECAP: freyja, devland and azalea are now teaming up to find a cure for their curse. Since they are broke teenagers they decided to go on a job to earn some cash. Unfortunately it went wrong and Freyja killed her mom's twin and had a breakdown in the forest. Azalea and devland comforted her. Felix also stalked her. They had an exchange and Freyja gave him the other half of the stone (it has clues to find the cure). After that, fefe royally disappeared and that caused tension in the group. An argument started and turns out devland is the rightful prince to the throne and Osiah (his uncle) murdered his whole family. Freyja, angry she'd been left in the dark, stormed out and decided to fight men to make herself feel better (it worked). However a teenager was following her as she left the bar. It was Lucian, felix's little brother (adopted). Freyja finally learned who Felix was— he was King Osiah's adopted son. Lucian reveals that fefe will be at the festival. So freyja convinces the gang to go (while wearing sus disguises). She finds felix and he hands her the rest of the clue that he translated. This chapter starts off with the translated clues written in italics. Happy reading!
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«My truth:
We had an adventure. We traveled from village to village. We crossed the sea. Admired the sun, the moon, the stars, and the land. We got to a cursed island. Horrid luck. It started to rain blood. We found shelter in the Cerulean Cave. Beautiful monsters. I ate him. They let me live.
-Mal.»
«Thou walketh the path of great terror. Tragedy and curse plague thee. But if thou wisheth to put an end to thy plague, thou must seek healing with the purest of hearts. For if thou art unworthy, the Ceruleans, angels shall turn devil and devour thy soul...»
Freyja read and reread the clues to the cure. Felix was looking over her shoulder. She glared at him.
"Whoever the Ceruleans are, they are horrible people. Imagine forcing someone to eat" he shivered.
"I just need to figure out where they are." She muttered
Felix laughed dryly. "Sure. Then they'll ask you to eat Devland and Azalea."
"I don't remember asking for your help."
"Look, it says cursed island." He pointed it on the paper. "So I mean, the place has to be on an island." He snapped his finger. "Wait, we are currently on an island. In fact, islands surround us. It mentions a cave."
"There aren't caves here in Diggertip as far as I know." She informed him despite herself.
"There aren't caves in Afoya, in general. There are a few in Brausee but I've been to all of them. There's nothing special about them so I don't think it's in Daerris…"
"You've been to all the caves in Brausee?" Freyja asked skeptically.
"I'm very bored on some days."
"And other days you decide to go on killing sprees."
"My idea of fun." He winked.
She rolled her eyes.
Freyja bit her lips, thinking of the name Mal. She'd heard it somewhere. In a story perhaps?
"It says they crossed a sea," Felix observed. "If we know where this Mal person previously lived then it wouldn't be as difficult to guess where it is. I don't understand why it isn't explicitly written. What is the point of Parables?" He complained, sighing when he saw she was glaring at him.
Silence stretched between them, both their eyes fixated on the paper. The wheels in Freyja's brain turned. A lightbulb practically appeared above her head.
Freyja gasped. "Mal. I know who she is."
"Yeah?"
"Morwen's sister! The cause of the Disappearance."
Both their eyes widened.
"I remember!" Felix exclaimed like a child about to tell his favorite story. He started, "Before the great Disappearance, where magic reigned and peace was scarce. War was waged between the pure humans and the Magis, humans blessed by the spirits of the skies at the beginning of time with magical powers. Some Magis could control water, some the elements of the earth or even the earth itself, some could interact with animals and finally the rest could control the blessings of the sky; wind, thunder, lightning, and rain. But one young girl stood out Morwen, the most powerful Magi to exist. Some even argue that she was a goddess who was single-handedly blessed by the spirits with extraordinary powers to restore peace. While the Magis could simply control nature, Morwen's power came from within her. She could control anything. She could create and she could destroy. However, Morwen did not use her powers to annihilate the pure humans.
Instead, after communion with the spirits, she found a way to appease both the humans and the Magis. She split Daerris into 3, forming islands: Afoya, Brausee and Eppeland. Humans were to live in Braussee separate from Magis who were to live in Afoya. Epeland, home to the creatures of the night, was to be left untouched and unexploited by the two civilizations.
Therefore, Daerris had two leaders. One magi ruled afoya, and the other, a human, ruled Brausee. And so the kingdoms flourished and prospered under the golden rule:
Thou shall not love humans for unspeakable evil shall befall all of mankind.
However, Mal's heart grew with jealousy. Her sister was blessed with supernatural powers while she could barely move water. So, she devised a plan, one she thought could get her noticed by the kingdom. She took a human from his home and gave him a love potion, swearing it was true love. She and her lover were to be executed but they fled the kingdom. That same night, all the Magis lost their power, only recognizable by the mark on their shoulders. Peace still reigned under Morwen's rule. However, after her death, Humans became greedy, and so a war began again. Until Morwen's descendants rise from the ashes of blood and fire, there will be no peace."
Freyja let out a breath. "Now we know where Mal fled to. The Cerulean cave."
Felix nodded. "It could be the angel-demons--"
"Ceruleans." She corrected.
"Right. The Ceruleans could lift the curse. But at what cost?"
She shook her head, her heart thumping rapidly. She would soon be free. "I'll face that when the time comes. The most pressing question is where the cave could be"
Felix ran his hand through his hair. "Mal was a weak Magi who could control water. The cave can't be in Afoya or Braussee. If she wasn't powerful she couldn't have gone far."
Freyja nodded, biting her lip. "The closest island to Afoya other Brausee is--"
"Epeland!" Felix exclaimed. He laughed. "The Cerulean cave is in Epeland."
The Cure was in Epeland.
They were silent for minutes.
It was less than a day's journey from here. She could be cured in a few days? Skies...She exhaled shakily. She'd gone through so much to find the cure and here the final clue was. It was unreal.
"I most definitely deserve a huge reward for helping you solve this riddle." He mused out loud. "What do you say? You get me a new horse. Preferably black like Ace and Angelina so we can look coordinated."
"The cure is in Epelland." She blurted out in disbelief.
"I know. Now what do you think of Acker? Sound strange doesn't it?"
"Epelland is less than a day away."
"Ash? Yes, Asher. Asher. I don't care if it's a female. What do you think? Angelina, Ace, and Asher."
"I could be on the island by tomorrow. I could find the cure by tomorrow. I could."
"Sure, you could." He drawled. "Because you'll just randomly stumble on it without a map. Very probable."
I'd walk barefoot for months on that island searching for the cure if I had to.
He yawned, brushing his hair from his eyes. "That island is dangerous. I'm sure you've heard the stories."
She waved him away. "None of your concern. You want me dead anyway, don't you?"
"Yes...but I want to kill you. You're my kill, Freyja."
Sick bastard.
"Good luck with this whole cure thing. I cannot wait for how horribly it will go for you and your friends. If you were wondering—"
"I wasn't."
"—the part I'm most excited about is when they ask you to eat your friends!"
"They won't." She snapped. "Mal was punished for her sins. I just want an antidote to lift a curse I don't deserve.l
He simply looked at her, amused.
Nothing would stop her. She was so close. So so close. She was willing to sacrifice anything to get it.
even your friends?
She exhaled shakily. If it came down to it, she had to hadn't she? She had gone through so much and to stop right at the finish line because of mere sentiment was silly...right?
His eyes glinted with mischief. "By the way, your other friend, the freckled one? She crawled right back into my lap."
"What are you talking about?"
"Lilith, is it? She's back in prison. Locked and stored away." He looked at her with almost a mocking look in his eyes.
Lila. "How did you find her?"
"She found me. She broke in to break someone out. Of course, it went terribly wrong for her."
Freyja sighed in disbelief. Lila. Stupid girl. They went through so much trouble to get out of that hellhole. But if she felt like throwing away her freedom to try and save someone else, why should Freyja care? She eyed him, ticked off by the lazy smile on his lips.
"You will never stop, will you?"
"Being handsome? Never."
She balled her fist. "Not--No. You won't stop the captures, the killings, all of it?"
He raised a lazy shoulder. "Should I?"
At the disbelief on her face, he said, "I can't stop. I kill to live."
"Then die."
"Oh, believe me, I would've wanted that 6 years ago. But I can't. Not yet at least. Lucian, he can't--forget it." He huffed. "Are we done here?"
"No. How do you sleep at night?"
"I don't." He grunted. "You're no better than me Freyja. In a way, you have more blood on your hands than I do."
"What...what are you talking about?"
"You have no clue, do you? All the suffering you caused me."
Freyja backed away at the sudden anger on his face.
His fingers danced over the hilt of his sword. "I take no pleasure in what I do but I do it to live. I'd rather not be slaughtered like a chicken by my father. Judge me however you may, but you too have taken lives to survive, have you not?"
She gulped, unable to respond. You have more blood on your hand than I do. Had he gone mad? This man had wiped out entire villages. She had only killed Fox, her mother, her mother's twin and some prison guards.
"Listen," she said. "I know you want us back in our cells. I know you want the cure for yourself-- not that curing yourself of whatever curse you have will rid your evil nature but what certitude do I have that you won't double-cross me in epeland?"
At this, he grinned. "You have no certitude. And I probably should, right? I mean you're of no use to me anymore. You've done what I wanted you to do. You've found the cure for me."
Puppet. A voice in her head taunted.
"We had a deal, Felix."
"I believe we did." He circled her like a predator circling its dinner. "Such a shame our partnership has come to an end, isn't it?"
"No."
"I know this was fun for you, Frey. Our secret little rendezvous..." He trailed off, his eyes tracing her slim curves.
Freyja's breath hitched when he came closer. His smell invaded her senses. Her eyes flicked to his lips, to his torso where a tattoo peeked from beneath his shirt. Her breaths were shallow now, heart thumping. She remembered when he'd kissed her in prison. Soft lips. Her fingertips tingled and a warm sensation grew in her stomach.
He placed a hand on her hips, drawing her closer. Her lips parted, eyes locked in his. He leaned in with a boyish smirk on his face. His lips barely brushed hers before they went to her ears.
"Ten-second headcount." He whispered.
Freyja shoved him away, heat prickling her cheeks.
"I'll drive a dagger through your heart the next time we meet. I swear it." She spat.
"May the fastest man--well technically man or woman-- win." He winked at her. "See you soon, darling."
She glared at him, she wouldn't run from him today. Instead, turned around and walked away, eyes glancing every second at his reflection in the windows. That crazy bastard could attack her from behind.
She heaved a sigh of relief when she found the crowd. Today, she survived him. She had a feeling the next time they met wouldn't be as civil. She shoved that thought away. Tonight, she was free and she planned to enjoy it.
She went into the dancing crowd, looking for Azalea or Devland.
"Hey." A deep smooth voice whispered in her ears.
She spun around. "Devland." Her ears burned as he smiled at her, his dimples popping. Her face lit up.
"Let's dance." He suggested
"I don't--"
He grabbed her hand and led her deeper into the crowd.
He spun her around, laughing as she lost her footing. She smacked his shoulders, laughing too. The music changed and the tempo slowed. Devland reached for her hand, placing it on his shoulder. His hand rested on her lower back as they swayed slowly to the music.
When she looked up, she found him staring at her with twinkling eyes and a faint smile. Her body melted into his. She placed her head on his shoulders. His hold around her waist tightened. She smiled.
Soon enough, the tempo became fast-paced again. He twirled her around, his laugh a melody that dulled her worries. And so she danced with Devland till her feet hurt and till her cheeks hurt from how much she was laughing.