But the thing with magic, as Bastien well knew, was that anything was possible.
“How was she stopped?” Bastien asked, abandoning the need to know how she did it and curious how she was defeated. Perhaps he could glean something to help against Ferelith.
“A human savior named Finley and her twin sister, Zora—”
“The same Zora who has taken Rune’s place?” Bastien interrupted.
“The one and only,” Maddox quipped. “They managed to defeat Kymaris with the help of a lot of magicals. Mostly Light Fae and daemons, a couple of demigods, and even some Dark Fae who didn’t want to be under Kymaris’s thumb any longer.”
It pleased Bastien to hear that daemons played a role in the defeat of such evil. Vyronas itself was founded three thousand years ago by druid-practicing daemons—offspring of Light and Dark Fae—as well as a multitude of humans who inhabited the early creation of Vyronas. He was descended from their combined blood.
“Anyway,” Maddox continued, gaining Bastien’s full focus again, “Zora and Finley killed Kymaris, the veil was repaired, Rune was stripped of his powers and imprisoned for interfering in a prophecy, and Zora took his place. The First Dimension was saved, and now I’m here delivering a message.”
“Quite the lowly drop in duties,” Bastien muttered, still not sure whether to believe this man.
“A request by Onyx to deliver a message is never lowly. It’s always with purpose.”
This took Bastien aback, as he’d forgotten that the stranger had said he was sent by Onyx, god of Conflict. That meant if Maddox was legitimately a messenger on behalf of the Council—the formal name given to the group of five deities—then it pertained to this never-ending war.
But if nothing convinced Bastien that Maddox was indeed sent by the gods to help, his next words did. “It’s time to retrieve your princess and put her on the throne to become queen.”
“Thalia?” Bastien asked incredulously, taking an involuntary step backward as if the notion itself was an enemy to be leery of. “It’s not safe for her.”
“No, it is not,” Maddox agreed, moving around the bench to approach Bastien. He was bothered neither by the pointed sword nor the power emanating from the commandant. “But it is time, and she can help win the war.”
Bastien waited to feel something about Thalia and her possible return, and he got almost nothing. Perhaps a faint flicker of annoyance that he’d have to change battle plans to retrieve her, but his emotions weren’t stirred otherwise.
“Time is of the essence,” Maddox announced.
Frowning, Bastien lowered his sword. He sensed Maddox wasn’t a physical threat, but he wasn’t willing to trust him with this directive yet. “I don’t know you. I don’t know the gods. This could be a trap or a misdirection.”
Maddox didn’t seem offended. “I was created by the gods to do their bidding. Sometimes it’s to fight their wars, sometimes it’s to help others fight their wars. Sometimes it’s just delivering messages such as this one.”
Bastien’s frown deepened. “Created?”
The man shrugged. “No clue how that really works. I’m a demigod and nearly as immortal as my creators. I promise I’m here at their behest. And again, time is of the essence.”
Bastien shook his head to bring his focus back to the issue at hand. The Conclave had no intention of bringing Thalia back to Vyronas until Bastien had defeated Ferelith and regained the throne. While Bastien commanded the army, the Conclave were the magical advisors to the ruling family, and they had his trust.
“If nothing else will get you going,” Maddox drawled as he opened his hand to reveal a ring resting in his palm, “then this will.”
Bastien cursed as he took in the small golden circle with a dome-shaped top set with a smooth black oval stone.
Thalia’s ring.
Bastien had no choice but to sheathe his sword, step forward, and retrieve the jewelry from Maddox. His teeth were gritted in fury when he asked the demigod, “How long ago did you take this from her?”
“Just before I arrived here,” Maddox replied with a careless shrug.
“You should have started with that,” Bastien snarled, because if that ring wasn’t on Thalia’s finger, then she was in grave danger. It was the source of protective magic that ensured her safety while in the First Dimension. It hid her existence and location in that realm as long as she wore it. She’d been bespelled with compulsion to never remove it, and gods knows how Maddox got it from her.
Regardless, without it on her finger, Bastien had no choice but to trust the demigod and all that he had said.
He turned away, prepared to bend distance to his brother so they could leave to find Thalia.
Maddox’s words stopped him. “Veda says you cannot give up on love.”
Whirling to face Maddox, Bastien frowned. “Love?”
Maddox nodded. “Love. You and Thalia.”
“There is no love,” Bastien growled. “Tell your god she’s wrong. You can’t give up on something that doesn’t exist in the first place.”