Chapter 6: Shit Just Got Real

 

 

WHEN I was twelve years old, Morgan of Shadows told me the most remarkable thing. Up until that point, I had been starry-eyed by the idea that I could do magic, that a man who seemed more myth than anything else could have come for me, that he saw something in me. I was just a boy from the slums with no prospects. I could read, sure, and I could write, even though it resembled chicken scratch. I was smart (probably too smart for my own good, according to my parents), but I wasn’t much more than that. I would either work in the mills like my father or at the flower stand like my mother, and no matter the number of stars I wished upon, nothing would change my destiny. Some people, I knew, were meant for greater things. I wasn’t one of them.

Until I was.

And in that first year, I didn’t think I blinked even once, too busy staring at anything and everything I could. There was the castle, of course, and the King who knew my name. There were the Castle Guards, gruff men who would lay their life down for the Crown. There were the kitchens, with the cooks who made meals from sunup to sundown, covered in flour and flickering shadows from the fires in the ovens.

There were classes too, so many classes that I had to go to that sometimes, at my laziest, made me wish that I’d never stood in the alley and shouted Flora Bora Slam. There was proper etiquette I had to learn that didn’t involve magic: how to bow in front of the King (“But he doesn’t care! He winks at me and wriggles his mustache!”), which fork to use for which course at dinner (“They’re all forks! Why does it matter how many prongs this one has? It’ll still put food in my mouth!”), how to waltz (“Dancing? Send me back to the slums. I don’t even care!”). I was measured for new clothes, my hair was cut, and fingernails were hardly ever dirty. Morgan knew it could be overwhelming, and there were days I didn’t have to worry about any of it, days we’d spend holed up in the labs and I could watch him conjure spells with a wave of his hand, learning ancient words like fie and twe and ain that would cause the hairs on my arms to stand on end.

It was one of these times that he said he had something very important to discuss with me. I sat on the counter in front of him, my legs dangling. He didn’t like when I sat there but never made me move once I had already jumped up.

I nodded solemnly and stared at him with wide eyes. “Is it how to blow something up in a fiery explosion with nothing but the power of my mind?”

He frowned. “What? No, of course not.”

“Oh,” I said. “That’s… disappointing. I really thought today was going to be the day when you would teach me Fiery Mind Explosion of Doom.”

Morgan sighed, a sound I was getting quickly used to. “You capitalized that in your head, didn’t you?”

I grinned at him. “That’s how you know it’s real.”

“Sam, there is no such thing as Fiery Mind Explosion of Doom.”

“A wizard is only restrained by the limits of his imagination,” I recited dutifully.

“I will regret ever having taught you that,” he said. “Mark my words.”

I reached over and patted his hand. “Probably. But if it’s not exploding things, then what is it?”

“I need you to listen to me, Sam. Because this may be the most important thing you could learn as a wizard.”

And didn’t that just send my heart racing.

“Do you know what a cornerstone is?” he asked me.

I shook my head, because I still didn’t know a lot of things. “Is it important?”

“Oh yes,” he said. “It might just be the most important thing. You see, Sam, when a foundation is laid, the first stone placed atop it is called the cornerstone. It is important because all other stones will be set in reference to it. It helps to determine the position of the entire structure. Do you understand?”

I nodded.

“Magic works the same way. It builds upon itself after the foundation is laid. A cornerstone is needed to direct how the magic will grow. Without it, the magic would be shapeless. Or worse, it could grow out of control into something wicked. Something dark.”

“Like the Dark wizards?” I asked quietly.

“Yes, little one,” Morgan said. “Like the Dark wizards. Their magic is a misshapen thing, something grotesque and flawed. They think themselves above structure. Above a cornerstone. They see it as a hindrance. A restraint. Something that could hold them back.”

“But it isn’t.”

“No. It’s not.”

I scrunched up my forehead in thought. “But… I don’t want to carry a stone with me forever. It’d get heavy.”

There was a smile on my mentor’s face, and how my heart thumped at the sight of it. This man, this strange, strange man who had come out of nowhere to rescue my family from a life they didn’t deserve, had become very important to me. I don’t know that I was old enough to understand the specifics of love. I knew I loved my mother. I knew I loved my father. And I knew I loved Morgan of Shadows equally, but in a category all his own. I didn’t understand it, but I wouldn’t question it.

“You won’t have to carry anything physical, little one. Though there are times the weight of it will seem like a burden.”

I squinted at him. “Is this a riddle? I’m not very good at riddles. But I’m good at telling jokes. Everyone says so.”

He shook his head. “No. No riddles. Not about this. Sam, a cornerstone isn’t a thing. It’s a person.”

“A… person?”

“Yes,” he said. “A person who will come to mean more to you than almost any other. One day your magic will recognize them. It may not happen right away. You may know this person for years before it happens. But one day your magic will say, Here they are. Here is the person that will help us become more than we ever thought we could be.”

I understood, but only in that way that twelve-year-old boys understand things. “But… but what if it’s a girl?”

“Then so it will be.”

“But I don’t like girls,” I said. And I really didn’t. Most girls I dealt with in the castle that were my age didn’t have time for a boy who sometimes forgot that you couldn’t put your elbows on the table and that it’s not polite to blow your nose into a napkin, Sam, not everyone wants to see that.

“Would you rather it be a boy?” Morgan asked, arching an eyebrow.

“Can’t it just be you?” I asked. “You already make me happy.”

Something stuttered across his face, something I was too young to understand. He moved until he was leaning against the counter at my side, arm wrapped around me, holding me close. I lay my head on his shoulder, feeling our magic mingle as it always did when we were together. Little stray hairs from his beard tickled my nose as he laid his head atop mine. “And you make me happy too,” he said quietly. “More than you could possibly know. But no, Sam. I don’t think it’s me. But don’t you worry. You’ll find them.”

“But… but how do I find one person out of the whole world?”

He chuckled. “There’s more than one, Sam. It’s about fate and the ties that bind you together. Maybe you already know this person. Maybe you have yet to meet. But until fate is ready to reveal them to you, you’ll just have to wait. It’ll happen.”

“You promise? I don’t want to be a Dark. I like it here with you.”

He hesitated. But then he said, “I promise,” and I believed him.

There was a moment then, years later, when I stood in a restaurant, a hush falling on the people in the room. Behind me sat a man named Todd with the most adorable ears. In front of me was a group of Dark wizards, monologuing their intentions for revenge after the death of Lartin the Dark Leaf.

And beside me?

Beside me stood Ryan Foxheart, sword drawn and at the ready. He hadn’t even hesitated to stand with me at my side. He didn’t question me. He didn’t tell me to stand down. All it took was for a threat to rise against us before he prepared himself to fight at my side.

And there, in that moment, my magic sang.

There was no ritual. There was no process. He just was. We didn’t have to paint runes on our skin out of sheep’s blood and dance naked around a fire under a Hunter’s Moon. There was no archaic spell that had to be performed that created ties between us that would bind us together. Every cornerstone was different to every wizard. Some were romantic. Some were platonic. Some were even familial.

But the fact remained that there was no one way to find your cornerstone. There was no one way to act with your cornerstone. Ryan was enough because he was there. He kept me away from the dark. He led me toward the light. It was the way he smiled at me, eyes crinkling, a hint of teeth. It was the way he trailed his fingers along my bare skin as we lay side by side, the room only lit with faint candlelight. It was the way he trusted me to take care of myself, but also trusted me to have his back. It was the way he knew I would never take him for granted.

That was what it meant to be a cornerstone.

And in the time I’d accepted him as such, I’d only grown stronger.

There are limits to magic.

But I didn’t know if there were limits to me.

 

 

AND NOW I stood with my arms crossed, glaring at Morgan. He leaned against a stone counter in the labs, a far-off look on his face. Ryan was next to me, twitching like he wanted to stab the problem to death. Which, honestly, I didn’t blame him for. The others were upstairs after Vadoma’s announcement had dissolved the tense conversation into utter chaos, with Gary asking if he had to choke a bitch, Tiggy threatening to smash everything in sight, Kevin suggesting all the men in the room solve their problems with an orgy, my mother having to be held back by my father, Justin looking supremely annoyed (which, in retrospect, wasn’t really any different), and the King proclaiming no one would come into his castle and tell his wizard (Apprentice, Gary had coughed obnoxiously) what to do.

Morgan, however, had gotten the same look on his face that he had right now. Like he was thinking back on all the mistakes in his life that had led to this point and was getting ready to apologize for everything he’d done so we could hug it out like bros and move past this.

“I’m not apologizing for anything,” he said, “if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“What?” I said, sufficiently outraged. “I wasn’t thinking that at all. And why not? You totally owe me! You practically had me wedded off to someone I don’t even know! Did you sell me for some chickens? I swear to the gods, Morgan, if you didn’t hold off for at least a goat, we’re going to have a fucking problem here.”

“Really, Sam?” Ryan growled. “A goat? That’s going to be the problem here?”

“Relax, babe,” I said, relaxing my scowl so I could kiss Ryan on the cheek. “You know you’re my one and only. I don’t care if it was two goats. You’re stuck with me forever.”

“It’d better at least been two goats and a pig or something,” Ryan mumbled. “You’re worth at least that much.”

“Wow,” I said. “I don’t know how I feel about that at all.”

Morgan sighed. “Can we focus here? Please? If that’s not too much to ask.”

I glared at him again. “Right. Because you’re in so much trouble, you don’t even know. What the hell was she talking about? I don’t have another cornerstone. And even if I did, I choose Ryan. I will always choose Ryan.”

“Damn right,” Ryan said. “Because I’m awesome. I don’t stand and pose like that asshole—”

“Not the best argument,” I muttered to him under my breath. “You do that all the time.”

“—I mean call myself the Wolf. You know who does that? Jackasses do that.”

“Fist-pound me,” I demanded.

Ryan didn’t even hesitate. Like a boss.

We were a godsdamned united front against the tyranny of outside forces who wanted to do nothing more than to break our epic love apart. Well, we wouldn’t stand for it! We would rise up against—

“You’re narrating in your head, aren’t you?” Morgan asked.

“What? No. Of course not. Who does that? That’s stupid. But enough about me, let’s get back to you and how much trouble you’re in. After, of course, you tell me everything and why you sold me for chickens and not two goats and a pig like I’m obviously worth.”

“I’ve never hidden from you what a cornerstone is, Sam,” Morgan said. “Not once. You knew from the very beginning that there was the potential for there to be more than one. Fate doesn’t deal in absolutes. There is always going to be some obscurity behind it.”

“Gods,” I muttered. “I hate it when you get philosophical.”

“But even if that’s the case,” Ryan said, “it doesn’t matter. I’m Sam’s cornerstone. He felt drawn to me. He didn’t feel anything for Ruv, which, by the way, who names their child Ruv?”

“Gypsies do, babe,” I said. “It’s actually a pretty common name.”

“Oh. Right. Well. Okay, then.”

“Also,” I said, wincing slightly. “I don’t know that it’s completely accurate that I didn’t feel anything when he came into the room.”

“What,” Ryan said without any inflection to signify punctuation, which made it that much worse.

“Yeah, um. See? So. Maybe. My magic? Might have jumped. Just a little.”

“Your magic jumped,” Ryan repeated in that same flat tone.

“Just a little,” I reassured him, giving him the best smile I could.

“Okay,” Ryan said.

“Okay?” That was easier than I thought it would be. I was sure he’d—

“Okay,” Ryan said. “I’m going to go stab him with my sword.”

And there it was.

He started to unsheathe his weapon and turned toward the door before I snagged him by the arm, pulling him back. “You can’t murder him just because you feel like it.”

“He made your magic jump,” Ryan argued. “That’s how it starts. First it’s your magic, and then it’s your dick, and then you’re staring at me, wondering why I don’t make your magic or dick jump anymore. And then you’ll get really bitter toward me and wonder why I can’t bend and touch my foot to the back of my head like he can, and then you’ll run away with Ruv—seriously, what is up with that name?—and get married and have little gypsy babies or some shit.”

I gaped at him.

He glared at the floor, hand still clutching his sword.

“I’m not going to do any of that,” I finally said. “But wow. That was impressive. Dude. I am impressed.”

He rolled his eyes. “It doesn’t take much to impress you, Sam.”

“Lucky you, then.”

“Hey!”

But I was already turning back to Morgan, who watched us with a fond look on his face. “He’s not my cornerstone,” I said. “Ryan is. And nothing is going to change that.”

“Oh, I’m aware,” Morgan said. “And I’m pretty sure everyone else in the castle is too if the way you bellowed exactly that was as loud as I think it was.”

“Why is she here?” I asked, suddenly very, very tired. By now, Ryan and I should have been curled up together in my bed, his hands on me, skin slick with sweat. The fact that I was dealing with this instead was not doing anything for my mood. “And what deal did you make with her? No bullshit here, Morgan. And I swear to the gods, if I hear the word destiny out of your mouth again, I will kick you in the nutsac. I really will.”

He sighed. “You have a destiny, Sam.”

Ryan managed to pull me back just in time.

“I do not,” I snapped at him. “I don’t have anything aside from what’s right here. I don’t want anything else but what’s right—what are you doing? Who are you calling?”

Morgan had pulled out his summoning crystal from a pocket in his robes, a thin piece of quartz that caught the candlelight in the labs. A bright spark shot off in the middle of the crystal and faded almost immediately. A second passed. And then another. And then—

“Do you know what time it is?” an angry voice said.

I groaned. This day was getting worse by the second.

“It’s half past nine,” Morgan said.

And the wizard known as Randall harrumphed. “I know what time it is. I was making sure you did. Seeing as how you do, I will move on to the next question. Why are you summoning me at such an ungodly hour?”

“Summoning,” I said, elbowing Ryan. “Old people these days. Why can’t he just say calling like everyone else?”

Ryan looked adorably confused. “Isn’t it called a summoning crystal?”

“Shut up.”

“Is that Sam I hear?” Randall asked sharply.

I frantically waved my arms at Morgan, shaking my head and mouthing no, no, no.

“Yes,” Morgan said. “And Ryan Foxheart.”

“What did they do now?” Randall asked. “They get stuck together like dogs in heat and can’t handle it? Back in my day, we wouldn’t break apart for hours if we could help it.”

I choked on my tongue.

“It all started with the Sweeney cousins. There were five of them, and we each took turns—”

“Whyyy,” I moaned, covering my ears, trying to block out everything I could. Still, certain things filtered in like, and then he put it up my and we didn’t have time to add spicy mustard and it ended up being stickier than I imagined.

“—and that’s how we ended up in a daisy chain for the entire weekend,” Randall finished a few minutes later. “Those were different times. Men were men and did manly things. None of this fancy poof stuff like Sam here.”

“Fancy poof stuff?” I exclaimed. “I’m going to turn your eyes into dicks! And then everyone is going to call you dick… eyes. Okay, I didn’t think that through, but I reserve the right to come back to it when I think of a name that will scar you forever.”

“Yes, yes, I’m sure it will be devastating. You still haven’t explained why you’ve summoned me and won’t stop talking.”

Before I could remind him that he’d been the one going on for at least five minutes about cousin-loving, Morgan said, “Vadoma Tshilaba has come to Castle Lockes.”

There was a beat of silence. Then, “Shit.”

“Wait, he knew too?” I asked. “Of course he did. Because assholes stick together.”

“He probably hasn’t shut up about it, eh?” Randall asked.

“Not even the slightest,” Morgan said. “Irate is probably the best description.”

“You’re damn right I’m ir—”

“Give me a minute,” Randall grunted. “These old bones don’t move as quickly as they used to. Hip, especially. Apparently, being almost seven hundred years old makes your body ache more than usual. Who would have thought?”

“Maybe you should just die, then,” I muttered darkly.

“Certainly not I,” Morgan said mildly, like he had all the time in the world.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” Randall said. “Pissing every five minutes, hands shaking, erectile dysfunction. Getting old is the worst.”

“He’s coming here?” I asked. “But that’ll take weeks. We don’t have time for—”

“You’re still kind of stupid, aren’t you?” Randall said from directly behind me.

The noise that came out of me was not a high-pitched scream, no matter what any of them said. It wasn’t.

I whirled around, and sure enough, the most powerful wizard in the known world stood there, looking as grumpy and decrepit as always. His eyebrows looked like they had finally won the Battle of the Forehead and had begun to spread out in thick, wiry white hairs that seemed to reach his ears and nostrils. He was still in his pajamas, a striped onesie that was blown out on one knobby knee. On his feet were a pair of bunny slippers that I was sure wriggled their noses and whiskers, eyes blinking slowly. Randall himself watched me with a look of mild disdain with a dash of disgust and exasperation mixed in. He must have found me lacking as usual, because he clucked his tongue and shook his head.

“Sam,” he said. “I had hoped I wouldn’t have to see you for at least another year or so. I don’t know that I’m mentally prepared for more of your inane prattling. But of course, this is just another fine mess you’ve gotten yourself into.”

My heart was still beating wildly in my chest. “How did you do that?”

He rolled his rheumy eyes. “I’m a wizard, Sam. If you didn’t know that, I will suggest to Morgan that he find a more appropriate job for you. Possibly in the kitchens. Or on your back in Meridian City.”

“You just teleported from Castle Freeze Your Ass Off all the way here? That’s not possible!”

“Still slow on the uptake, I see,” Randall said to Morgan as he shuffled his way to the stuffed high-back chair Morgan had set aside for him near the fireplace. “Do you think that’ll ever go away, or is he going to be like that forever?”

“I seem to remember you saying the same thing about me,” Morgan said. “In that same tone of voice, even.”

“Yes, well,” Randall said. “You learned quickly that I was always right and that you should do whatever I say. By a combination of dumb luck and sheer stupidity, your protégé has somehow found himself alive without learning anything at all. It would be rather remarkable if it wasn’t so maddening.”

“Why didn’t anyone tell me about teleportation?” I demanded. “Do you know how much easier things would have been going after Justin? Or any time I’ve been captured?”

“I didn’t tell you because you won’t be able to do it,” Randall said. “Only I can. It takes a discipline that you can’t even begin to understand. Also, I’m old and it’s easier. You’re young and stupid, so it’s your own fault you get captured. It’s best to let you stew on it so you can hopefully learn from your mistakes. Hasn’t happened yet, though I’ve still got some hope.”

“He’s got a point,” Morgan said.

“Victim-blaming,” I accused them.

Randall ignored me. “Knight Commander Foxheart, I see you haven’t yet escaped the mindless babble. I’m still not convinced that you weren’t coerced into this somehow.”

“Yes, sir,” Ryan said, tripping over his words. “I mean, no, sir. I mean, I don’t know what to say to that, sir.”

“You’re supposed to be on my side,” I hissed at him.

“I am,” he said. “But that’s Randall. Do you know what he could do to me?”

“Ah,” Randall said. “Fear. What a beautiful motivator. But enough of this. Where is Vadoma? We might as well get this over and done with. I’m sure Sam is going to do that thing where he gets really loud sooner rather than later, and I’d like to not be here for that part if at all possible.”

“She’s under the watch of the Castle Guard,” Ryan said. “Along with that… that man.”

Randall arched one of the eyebrows that was eating his face. “I take it we’re not a fan of that man, whoever he may be.”

“He’s the Wolf to the phuro,” Morgan said, sounding resigned. “And she brought him here to become Sam’s cornerstone.”

Randall cackled. “Oh, the look that must have been on his face. What I would have given to see that.”

“I’m glad you find this all so amusing,” I said, grinding my teeth together. “Seeing as how a woman I’ve never met came out of nowhere to tell me I had to break up with Ryan and do what she said. And only to find out that you both knew about this. Don’t even get me started on the fact that she thinks I’m going to do anything with Ruv. I don’t care how good he looks without his shirt on or how bendy he seems to be. It doesn’t matter if that shit is erotic, or that he has dusky nipples, or—”

“I think we get it,” Ryan snapped. “And dusky nipples? My nipples are like—”

“Hush, babe,” I said. “I’m talking. Also, your nipples are wonderful and I am merely just trying to make a point.”

“Which is?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest and flexing unfairly.

My mouth dried a little. “Holy biceps,” I whispered feverishly.

Ryan might have looked rather smug at that.

I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the image of licking Ryan’s biceps. I could do that later. “It’s not even about him. I don’t care if he has the potential to be a cornerstone. Morgan told me there could be more than one a long time ago, but I’ve already made my choice. Nothing you or she or anyone else could say will change my mind on that. I don’t care what sort of deal you made with her. It’s not happening. Not now. Not ever.”

Ryan’s hand found my own, palm to palm, fingers entwined. He gave a gentle squeeze, and I did the same right back.

“I told you, Sam,” Morgan said. “I didn’t make a deal with her. Not over this.”

“Then why is she so—”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” Randall said. “Just tell him. Or I could. I probably wouldn’t sugarcoat it like you’re going to. We don’t agree on much, but even I can see the boy is tenacious. The gods only know why you insist on coddling the boy. I never did that for you.”

Ah, and there it was again. Yet another reference to Randall as Morgan’s mentor that they would probably tell me jack shit about. Much of Randall’s past was shrouded in secret. At first I thought it was because he was at a level of magic my tiny little brain couldn’t understand. But as I grew older, I came to realize it was just because he was a dick. There were stories told, of the madness of a king brought back to sanity by Randall’s force of will and of his cornerstone, Myrin, who had been hidden in shadow. Myrin, who had built up Randall’s magic to allow it to be where it was today.

I had so many questions about this, but now wasn’t the time. “You knew me,” I said. I was tired, exhausted really, and it was evident in my voice. “Before the day in the alley. Both of you.”

“Yes,” Morgan said simply.

“Because of her. Vadoma.”

“Yes.”

I looked back and forth between them, using Ryan’s hand as an anchor. “Was any of this real, then? Or was everything that’s happened to me, everything that has made me who I am… was it all planned from the start?”

There was a pained look on Morgan’s face. “Sam, everything that you’ve been through, the lessons you’ve learned, both on your own and taught to you, have been real. I swear to you on all that I have.”

“The paths we take are divergent,” Randall said without his usual ire. “The choices we make cause them to splinter off in different directions. No one could have foreseen you becoming exactly the person you are today. It doesn’t work like that. And Morgan’s right. You have always had free will, Sam. You’ve been guided, but not controlled.”

“Then what is this?” I asked. “What is all of this?”

“Gypsies have magic,” Morgan said. “But it’s different than what you or I know. The rules that govern the wizarding world do not apply to them. They can do things we cannot. The same can be said about us against them. They don’t deal in the physical magic, but esoteric. Mystical. It’s a—”

“Bunch of horse crap, if you ask me,” Randall grunted. “Reading tea leaves and bones and wailing up at the heavens in front of a bonfire to show them the future.”

“It felt real when she had me pressed up against a wall,” I said.

Randall waved me off. “Sleight of hand. A distraction. Hardly civilized. I could stand outside under the stars and spout a hundred different predictions about the future and have the same success as the gypsies. The difference being I know it’s a crock. The fact remains, most of it never ends up coming true. And even if it does, it’s only because it was inevitable.”

“Except me,” I said.

“Except you,” Morgan agreed. “But then, you have always been the exception. She came to me shortly before your birth under the cover of darkness. I was on the road between here and Meridian City, returning to the castle. I hadn’t stopped, because I could see the lights of the City of Lockes, and I wanted to be home. I was alone on the road until I wasn’t. She told me her name was Vadoma, that she hailed from the desert, and she had a message for me.”

“And what was the message?” I asked slowly.

“That a boy would be born to one who was banished from her clan to live in poverty in a city at the seat of power. The banished one made a choice between the love of a man and the love of her people and suffered the consequences. And in her suffering, the boy would be born who would bring great change upon the world and rise against a tide of darkness that rose in opposition.”

And that… was pretty fucking stupid. “Seriously,” I said. “That’s what she said.”

“Yes,” Morgan said.

“Okay, but. Like. That was so vague.”

“Right?” Randall said. “Horse crap. Of course, after she got done with her hippy-dippy bullshit, she flat-out told Morgan that her daughter was pregnant and she thought the demon spawn was going to have some kind of magic. Her words, not mine, so you get that look off your face. You look like your huffing glue again.”

“That was one time! I was eleven.”

“Drugs are bad,” Ryan said.

“Thank you for that contribution,” I said. “You are the light of my life.”

“Even though that was said sarcastically, it’s true,” Ryan said, and I fought hard not to swoon. Because fuck yeah, that was true.

“So she told you about an awesome kid being born—”

Randall coughed.

“A magical prodigy being born—”

Randall sneezed.

I glared at him. “A demon spawn being born—”

Randall smiled.

“—and you just bought whatever she had to say?”

“Of course not,” Morgan said.

“Pretty much,” Randall said.

“Pretty much,” Morgan agreed. “To be fair, she was very convincing. Gypsies usually are with their outfits and wrist bangles. And even if that wasn’t the case, Vadoma was well known for her predictions. People travel far and wide to have her read them.”

“She also charges them for everything they’re worth,” Randall said. “And then tells them anything they want to hear. It’s a scam, if you ask me.”

“She’s a fortune-teller?” I gasped. I couldn’t think of anything worse than fortune-tellers. Most of it was bullshit, their little stands set up in festivals behind velvety purple curtains, peering into their crystal balls or reading lines on palms and gasping over just how amazing things were going to be. They weren’t really prevalent in the City of Lockes outside of celebrations. But there was one on practically every corner in Meridian City, the signs in the windows promising to TELL YOUR FUTURE!! CHEAP!!!!!!! “But—but that’s terrible.”

“If you think about it,” Randall said, “it’s hardly surprising that would be your background.”

“Hey! That was surprisingly effective in breaking me down emotionally. Nice job. Also, you bastard.”

Randall looked rather pleased with himself.

“What does Ruv have to do with any of this?” Ryan asked. “Because I really feel that we should be talking about him more. Like, what kind of a name is Ruv? And how I’m obviously more muscular than he is, as everyone can probably tell. Also, does he not know how to put on shoes? I know how to put on shoes.”

“And you do it very well,” I said, leaning over and kissing him on the cheek. “In fact, no one puts on shoes like you do.”

“Damn right,” he mumbled, blushing slightly under the praise.

“I assume it’s for the same reason she didn’t want your mother to marry your father,” Morgan said. “Gypsies don’t take to outsiders kindly, and as evidenced by their willingness to shun their loved ones, they like marriages outside of the clan even less. I imagine Ruv is meant to entice Sam back into the fold.”

“I’m not going into anyone’s folds except for Ryan’s,” I said.

“Yes!” Ryan said. Then, “Wait. What?”

“And so because a crazy woman came up to you in the middle of the night and put her fortune-teller nonsense all over you,” I said, “you agreed to exchange me for two goats and a pig when the time came. What the fuck, Morgan?”

“I don’t think that’s a fair exchange,” Randall said. “Too much goat for such a measly return.”

Morgan sighed. “I didn’t agree to anything, Sam.”

“She seems to think you did. For all we know, she’s going to try and enact some ancient gypsy law to try and claim I’m already betrothed to Ruv and must let him take me carnally under the light of the half-moon in a field of fireflies. I won’t do it, Morgan. I really won’t!”

“Is that true?” Ryan growled. “Is he going to be carnally taken surrounded by fireflies? You know Sam hates fireflies!”

“They’re literally bugs that glow,” I exclaimed. “Why does no one else see the problem here?”

“And I’m the only one that gets to carnally take anything from him,” Ryan said.

“You’re mostly a bottom, though,” I said thoughtfully. “So I suppose it’s mostly me carnally taking.”

Ryan choked and started stuttering.

“This is what you woke me up for?” Randall asked Morgan.

“If I have to deal with this, then so do you,” Morgan said.

“And all because Morgan agreed to this!” I said.

“I didn’t.”

I glared at him.

He stared right back.

“Fine,” I said, conceding. “I believe you. Mostly.”

He rolled his eyes. “How fortunate for us all.”

“But don’t think you’re off the hook yet for lying to me all this time,” I said, pointing my finger at him. “Because we’re gonna have some words. You can count on that.”

“I look forward to it with bated breath,” Morgan said, a smile twitching on his face.

“Good. So. Why is she here? Why now? And I will remind everyone in this room that no one is allowed to use the word destiny at any point. Ever. Or a euphemism for it either. Vocation. Calling. Purpose. None of it, because that’s stupid and I hate it, and you should all hate it too. If you persist, I won’t be held responsible for my actions.”

I didn’t miss the look exchanged between Morgan and Randall. Neither did Ryan, as he stiffened beside me. He was a warm line of comfort at my side, and even though our hands were slightly sweaty, there was no way I was going to let him go.

“There have been… whispers,” Morgan finally said.

“Whispers,” I repeated. “That’s what you’re going with.”

“My gods,” Randall said. “Remind me to give you more credit for everything, Morgan. I don’t know how you haven’t murdered him by now.”

“Rumors, mostly,” Morgan said. “Of a man. Superseding all ranks of the Darks.”

I was confused. “The Darks don’t have ranks,” I said. “Isn’t that kind of what makes them the Darks? They’re scattershot.”

“They seemed rather united in coming after you,” Randall pointed out. Which, okay. That was fair. But the ones that had were either vanquished or imprisoned, spread out all over Verania.

“Like Lartin, then?” I said. “Is that who he is?”

“We don’t know,” Morgan said. “No one does. Again, Sam, this could all be nothing.”

I watched him closely. “But you don’t think it’s nothing.”

“I think,” Morgan said slowly, “that Vadoma wouldn’t be here if she didn’t think it was important.”

“Do you trust her?”

“No,” Morgan said. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t believe her.”

“And why should we believe her?” Ryan asked. “Why should we be doing anything she wants us to do?”

“When she touched Sam,” Morgan said, “against the wall, he said he had a vision.”

“Did I?” I said, playing dumb.

“Of a white dragon. A great white dragon.”

Randall’s eyes widened slightly before he schooled his face. It was quick, barely there. But I caught it. It didn’t make me feel any better.

“Maybe,” I conceded.

“And then there’s Kevin. Who is also a dragon.”

“Kevin,” I snorted, trying to cover my unease. “If you could even call him that. He’s more like a perverted lizard with wings.”

“Be that as it may,” Randall said, “before you, no one could speak with dragons.”

“Dragon,” I said. I was slowly losing control of this conversation. I knew the dreaded D word was on the tip of someone’s tongue. “As in singular, not plural. Nothing else. And for all we know, it’s just a byproduct of my magic. Like you teleporting or Morgan’s eternal patience in having to deal with you.”

“You can’t know it’s just the one,” Randall said, ignoring my jibe completely. “Because you’ve never come face to face with the others.”

“The dragon in the desert,” Morgan said.

“The mated pair in the Northern Mountains,” Randall said.

“And the Great White in the Dark Woods,” Morgan said, “who you already seem to have made contact with.”

“Don’t you dare say it,” I ground out.

“Holy shit,” Ryan said, sounding breathless. “You have a Destiny of Dragons!”

“He capitalized it,” Randall said.

“It must be true now,” Morgan agreed.

Fuck my life.