“She chose the father of her baby.” Thessaly points at the book. “They married in the town’s chapel. For a while, everything was well. But she couldn’t help the way she felt about the other men. The six of them began their love affair once again, but they were caught. A few months after her child was born, a town gossip saw them lying with one another, all six of them.”
Unexpectedly, Luther stands up. He braces his hands on the back of his head and turns away.
“What happened?” Nova asks quietly.
“They burned her,” Luther replies, his words barely a whisper. When he turns around, he fixes his eyes on Nova’s. “They accused her of being a witch, they burned her at the stake, and they made her lovers watch.”
For a moment, Nova doesn’t move. Then she looks at Sam. He breathes out hard and pushes his fingers through his hair. “I knew about the witch trials,” he said. “But I’ve never heard this story before.”
“It’s not a story,” Thessaly says quietly. “It ishistory.” She folds her hands in her lap and looks at Nova. “The day Ava was killed, the force of her lovers’ pain unleashed the magick that had been lost to us. The elements broke free. The town was ravaged by fire, flood, cyclone, and earthquakes. But this only fueled the town’s hatred and their desperation to kill anyone they suspected of witchcraft.” Thessaly gestures for Nova to turn the page. On the next, there is little text, just an illustration showing burned buildings, people fleeing, and a dark broken sky. “The town destroyed itself and all the people in it.” She inhales slowly and closes her eyes. “But magick was reborn. Slowly, it began its climb back into the light.”
“It took a long time,” Luther says, finally turning back to face us.
“Hundreds of years,” Thessaly says. “But itdidcome back. Thanks to Ava and her men.”
There is silence for a moment, then Nova says, “There were six of them.” She is studying the image in front of her, tracing the lines with her index finger. “The prophecy says The Phoenix is fated to five.” She snaps her eyes up to meet Thessaly’s. Waving at the book, she says, “Are we connected to this? Is The Phoenix Prophecy connected to this story?”
A slow smile twitches Thessaly’s lips. She dips her chin to her chest. “Yes,” she says. “And it’s time I showed you how.”
29
NOVA
Thessaly takes a small black pouch from her dress. She stands, reaches inside it, and lifts her palm. Waving her hand over the flames, she sprinkles a fine silver dust into them. They crack, and fizz, and suddenly they’re not orange anymore—they’re black.
“Take one another’s hands,” she says quietly. “You must experience this together.” Then she ducks back out of the tent, leaving us alone.
Slowly, I reach for Mack. He curls his large fingers around mine. With my other hand, I take hold of Sam’s. Luther is the last link. When he sits down between Kole and Tanner, he hesitates. Then he looks at me, swallows hard, and holds out his hands for theirs.
The second the circle is complete, the flames disappear. Everything disappears. I’m surrounded by nothing but blackness. I close my eyes as a rushing sound fills my ears.
When I open them, I’m standing in a field full of yellow flowers. The sun is shining bright in the sky. I look up and shield my eyes; not a single cloud blots the perfect blue above me. A bird flies overhead. A hawk or a falcon. It calls out, its wings stretched wide, riding on a current of air.
Someone touches my shoulder. A young man. Barely older than twenty. He has floppy brown hair and a beautiful smile. I know him. How do I know him? As he tucks a strand of hair behind my ear and kisses my cheek, I laugh. Heat warms my cheeks.
“You make a beautiful bride, Ava.”
His voice. I know his voice. But why is he calling meAva?“Thank you, Tanner.” I slot my hand into his. Our fingers weave together.
His gaze lingers for a moment on my face, then he reaches behind his back and says, “I have something for you.” He tells me to close my eyes, then presses something into my hands.
I open my eyes. I’m holding a crown made of leaves, white roses, and feathers. I brush my fingers over the feathers’ tips, then smell the roses. “Did you make this?”
Tanner smiles. “For you.” He takes it back and says, “May I?”
I dip my head, so he can place the crown on top of it. Then he puts his hand on the small of my back and leads me toward a slowly moving stream.
“I told you you’re a beautiful bride.” He stands next to me as I look down at my shimmering reflection.
My hair is different. It’s auburn—the way it used to be—and there’s a flash of freckles on my nose. Yet, my face is the same. My eyes are the same.
“Are you ready?” Tanner trails a finger down my arm.
“Ready.” I rest my head on his shoulder. He kisses my forehead. “Promise me nothing will change.” I stand back and look up at him.
He leans down and brushes his lips on mine. Not a kiss; a whisper of a kiss. “Nothing will change. We’ll still be together, but it has to happen this way.” His eyes dart down to my stomach. “It’s what people expect.” He lowers his voice. “And with the way things are, for a while at least, the six of us need to get a bit better at playing by the rules.” A smile twitches on his lips. “Orseemingto play by the rules.”
I nod and squeeze his hand. “I know you’re right. I just don’t want to lose you. Any of you.”