“I did not get any notes from ghosts, no.” Though I ignored a lot of weird shit. If they hadn’t shown up right in my face, I likely wouldn’t have paid attention.
“Perhaps it was because they came from a Fae plane,” Declan said with a sigh. “I might have more luck here on this plane since they would only have to travel across the time dimension.”
I didn’t like that I only had three allies in this, and two of them were Jack the Ripper and my brother-in-law. “I’m trying to find a way to go back and reset things. I’ve been told if I do that, I might be forming a new timeline, not erasing this one.”
He shook his head. “I don’t believe that. There are not infinite versions of the same world. There might be different planes with different versions of the same souls, but then why would there be splits inside of splits. It makes no sense. The most logical outcome is that time will be reset and we can fix things. I thought to do it the easy way, but now I fear we must take a more dangerous path.”
“And what would that be?” I didn’t have to question who would be taking this path. I would be the one walking it.
“There is an amulet the oldest of the Fae use to speak with their ancestors,” Declan explained. “It was given to us in the ancient times as a way to connect the past to the present. We could use the device to gain advice from our forefathers.”
“Like a walkie-talkie to the past?”
“I do not know what that is. It is a way to reach through the years and speak to our first kings and queens.”
I didn’t see how that would help. “I don’t need to speak to them. Unless you’re suggesting that I call up some old Faery king and ask him to slip a little note somewhere for me to find millennia later. Do you think they had Western Union back then? Can they prepay for that message delivery?”
The tightness around Declan’s eyes let me know he was sick of me, too. “No, Zoey. I am merely saying that I have in my possession something that your criminal brain might find a way to make useful for our current situation. If you find a way to warn yourself of what’s coming, then we never have to deal with this. I never have to refuse my nephew entry and comfort. You don’t have to miss twelve years with your children. Lee never needs to lose an eye. You can certainly keep Evangeline away from that wolf.”
All I wanted was to make sure my kids never had to go through the pain they had. I didn’t see how an amulet with a one-way call was going to help me. Unless I could convince the ancient Fae royals to ship a note through time, it would be useless to me.
But I never said never. “You have it on you?”
He reached into his pocket and drew out a golden disc attached to a chain. “I smuggled it out of Faery and will likely be in serious trouble when my mother and her council realize it’s gone. But I am willing to risk anything to reset this timeline.”
I reached out and took the amulet in my hand. It was roughly the size of my palm and heavier than it looked. “How do you use it?”
“It must be in proximity to one of the Seelie or Unseelie treasures. That is what we call the jewels our royals wear. For Mother it would work by attaching it to her crown. I have a jeweled sword it works with.”
“So now I have to steal your mom’s crown? Because you know I’m coming for the sword, so you should hand it over.”
He rolled his emerald eyes. “You wear one of our treasures around your neck, Your Grace. You have to know the High Priest’s goddess is considered royalty.”
The Goddess Chain. It lay against my heart, and I almost never took it off. It was the same with my wedding ring. I’d been wearing both when we’d gone through that painting, so they were the only possessions I had from my former life. “So I put them together and make a time traveling phone call?”
“Something like that,” Declan allowed. “You must wear it close to the Goddess Chain for several days before you can use it. The amulet will be primed by close proximity to the treasure, and you’ll know it’s ready when it glows.”
“I have to think about it.” I wasn’t sure there was anything I could do with it, but the thought intrigued me. “Do you know how it works? Or rather why it works?”
He shrugged. “I only know that it does. Not that the ancients are all that helpful to me. They do not understand the complexities of the modern world. It is much harder to be a royal today than it was back then. But they do understand things we do not. They have knowledge that has been lost.”