Exos’s brows rose. “And you’re telling me this now?”
“Been a little busy, brother.”
“Clearly.” He ran his fingers through his blond hair, cringing. “Disturbing the rest of a spirit… What was she thinking? Did it say anything to you?”
My mouth went dry with the memory of the male’s head appearing, his stark sense of pain. “Not really. He seemed, well, preoccupied. Like he couldn’t focus. And I think he was in agony.”
“Sounds about right,” Exos muttered. “Why would she teach you something like that?”
If I had the answer, I would have given it, but his guess was as good as mine at this point.
“Has she done anything else? Made you uncomfortable in any way?” That came from Titus, who had been quiet and observing from his chair.
I shook my head. “Nothing I can think of off the top of my head, but I’ve never been very comfortable around her. I always assumed it was her position of power and the fact that she could banish me to the Spirit Kingdom with a flick of her wrist.” Which reminded me… “What happened to Ignis and her friends?” They were the mean girls who tried to make it appear as though I had no control over my elements. “If Elana isn’t who we think she is…”
“Then she may have manipulated them into their dirty work,” Exos translated. “Yes. I thought it might be the work of your mother after we realized she’s still alive, but Elana would be more than capable of that.”
“So what happened to them?” I pressed, frowning.
“I don’t know. Elana was the last to be seen with them.” He frowned. “And I didn’t sense their presence in the Spirit Kingdom, which is strange since I bound their power. I should have a link to them, but I don’t.”
He shared another of his cryptic glances with Cyrus. “It’s a good thing school is out of session for a few weeks,” Cyrus mused at him. “Gives us time to sort this out.”
“Yes,” Exos agreed. “But where? We can’t afford to separate. Not now.”
Cyrus nodded. “Agreed. The Water Kingdom will be too chaotic with my father breathing down my neck.”
“And they can’t go to the Spirit Kingdom,” Exos added.
Both of them looked at Titus. His auburn brows rose. “I don’t have a palace, if that’s what you’re asking me.”
“What are you asking?” I interjected, trying to follow their cryptic conversation. We went from Elana to, well, I wasn’t quite sure.
“For a place to spend the holidays,” Vox explained. “I’m the best candidate.”
Everyone l
ooked at him, but it was Cyrus who grinned. “Indeed you are, Vox. Thanks for volunteering.”
A hint of frustration and fear blossomed in my bond with Vox, but he didn’t let it show as he nodded. “I’ll make the arrangements.”
“What about Elana?” I demanded. “And my mother?”
“We’ll figure it out,” Sol said, lacing his fingers with mine and giving me a gentle squeeze. “Together.”
The others nodded their agreements. “And we’ll make it a little easier for Ophelia to reach out again,” Exos added.
Cyrus seemed to tense but didn’t argue or comment.
“Do you think that’s a wise idea?” Titus asked, sounding wary.
“Only one way to find out,” Exos replied. “But my instincts tell me it’s the only way. We need answers, and it seems Claire’s mother is the guardian of those answers.”
My heart skipped a beat, the idea of seeing her ghostly form again didn’t appeal to me in the slightest. But Exos was right. She might be able to tell us more.
Like where the hell she’d been these last twenty years.
Or why she’d tried to kill me.