“I’m bored.” My head, resting against the bricks, rolls toward Titus. “Teach me something.”
Titus glances at me, not missing a beat flipping the knife, and grins. “What do you want to know?”
I want to know what I always want to know, and no one will tell me, so I try it out on Titus. “Is Carrick fae?”
“No,” he replies, same as Carrick and Zaid have affirmed.
“Daemon?”
Titus cocks an eyebrow. “Why are you asking this? You can see beneath glamours. You can feel them. Surely you know he’s not either.”
“Unless he’s just good at hiding it,” I murmur thoughtfully.
“Perhaps,” Titus says slyly, but he’s just trying to make me doubt what I know to be true. Carrick is neither fae nor daemon, but he’s something.
“What is he?” I demand.
“That’s something for him to tell you, not me,” he replies and I huff to myself, frustrated that I can’t get any answers about the thing I’m most curious about.
“How old are you?” I ask, deciding on something innocuous. While I know Titus is human, he does live in an alternate reality where people don’t age.
“My birthday was a few months ago,” he says, palming the knife and holding it on his lap by the handle. “I turned one hundred and twenty-nine years old.”
Even though I knew he could have lived for an immeasurable amount of time, it’s still stunning to hear. I’ve never questioned Zaid on his age because I’m afraid he might rip my throat out or something, so Titus is the first one I’ve truly been able to get a firsthand look at what living past a normal human life expectancy would be like.
Pulling my feet in, I rest my cheek on top of my arms, which are crossed on top of my knees. “What’s Semper Terra like?”
Titus’ eyes light up. Without him saying a single word to me, I can tell that it’s, in every sense, his true home. “Aaahhh… it’s magical, Finley. If you were to see it, you wouldn’t want to leave. It’s an island surrounded by the most stunning blue water you’ve ever seen. The beaches are filled with pure white sand as soft as silk to the touch. The island is mountainous, and homes are tucked up in the hills that offer breathtaking views through peeks of jungle forest. There’s a large lagoon on one side that houses what would be considered sort of a town where various businesses operate like restaurants, clothing stores, and the like. All the buildings are wooden with large windows, sprawling porches, and painted in colors such as peach, yellow, and mint green with white trim. It’s a very laid-back atmosphere at the lagoon, but on the other side of the island sits the Academy where annihilators are trained.”
I sit and listen to Titus talk about Semper Terra, or Forever Land, which I like better. He tells me about the Academy and the training that occurs there to become an annihilator. How the career is often passed down through familial generations, a human army to handle wayward Dark Fae that have slipped through from the Underworld or dark daemons creating havoc.
He talks more about the tattoos that annihilators get, imbuing their bodies with certain magical qualities, including the ability to fly.
“It sounds incredible.” I sigh dreamily, picturing myself gliding on pockets of air over crystal waters teaming with mermaids.
Yes, Semper Terra even has mermaids.
Except, I wouldn’t be flying. The whole fear-of-heights problem would keep my feet firmly on the ground.
“Semper Terra has a lot of magic,” Titus says, going on to explain, “as it was one of the earliest realms created after the meteor crashed to earth. They say the stone used to create it was the size of a bowling ball.”
Needing perspective, I ask, “Is that considered big?”
He nods. “Very big. Most magical realms were created by pieces no bigger than the palm of your hand. Even tiny stones the size of a carat have immense power. But those don’t exist anymore or least no one has seen them in centuries.”
“Why not?”
Titus shrugs. “Once the magic is completely depleted, the stone is of no use. Perhaps it’s tossed. Maybe some realms keep it in a place of honor. I have no clue what happened to the stone that created Semper Terra. It’s widely accepted there are no more active stones left but who knows.”
“Do you miss Semper Terra?” I ask softly.
“I miss it every time I leave,” he says, those hazel eyes glowing warmly. “But I know it’s always there for me.”
“And you’ve never wanted to come back to this earthly realm and live a normal life?”
“I’ve thought about it. But I think I still have a lot of purposes to fulfill, and, as long as I’m feeling that, I’ll keep doing what I’m doing.” Titus’ expression turns serious, and I feel the weight of his stare pushing down on me. “You’d make a good annihilator, Finley. If you ever felt the calling to help protect humans.”