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There, I begin to tell him everything – about the goddess in Two Trees retirement home, about Frida and how I assumed she had killed the goddess, about Patty’s words, the flute, and the comb. Ayden’s eyebrows keep shooting up, and he paces up and down when he can no longer contain his anger.
“Unbelievable! You found another goddess and never told anyone? Do you know how important that is for us and the Council?!”
“Of course I do. But how was I supposed to explain how I wound up in that particular retirement home? Never mind the fact that a Noctu is stationed there. They’d never let you just go in and take Patty. It would lead to more fighting, maybe even a war.” I shake my head. “No, I don’t want to be the cause of that. I don’t have to tell the Council everything.”
Ayden regards me for a moment. He looks angry, then he sighs, comes to me, and hugs me. “You’re right. Sorry. It’s just hard for me to hear all this stuff that you weren’t telling me. But I get it. We weren’t together anymore and weren’t really talking. And at least you’re being honest with me now.” He kisses my neck, triggering that pleasant tingling sensation in me.
“I hate to interrupt,” Noah interrupts. “This is all great, but we need to figure out how to continue the search.”
“Did you find out anything new?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “I don’t think we were wrong. And the appearance of that piece of paper confirms it. There must be some other puzzle we need so solve.”
“Should I take a look at the comb?” Ayden asks. “Maybe I’ll notice something.”
I nod. “I always carry it with me. I’m afraid of losing it.” There’s no real reason to fear that, but a voice inside me keeps telling me not to let the comb out of my sight.
I take it out and show it to Ayden. He turns it over in his hands, examining it closely. I point out the stars and the hole for Jupiter.
“It requires a specific constellation to be aligned with Jupiter, which is only visible at certain…” I point to the larger hole and hesitate.
“Tess, what is it?” Noah asks when I trail off.
“I… I’m not sure. Wasn’t the hole more to the left before? And wasn’t it smaller? The stars seem to be arranged differently too.” It’s only a hunch, but my pulse quickens.
Noah takes the comb and inspects it. He looks it at for a while and then nods. “You might be right. But that means we need to search for a new constellation.” He runs his hand through his hair and seems to be thinking about where to look for the information. “I’ll take care of it. Do you mind loaning it to me again for a while?”
I nod. “Sure. Thanks for doing this.”
He gives me a mischievous wink. “I’ll be able to write a doctorate in astronomy soon; I’ve spent so much time poring over those books. But honestly, I’m itching to get to the bottom this mystery.” He pockets the comb and says goodbye. “I’ll let you know as soon as I find anything.”
Ayden and Noah exchange a glance. They waste no words on each other. But at least they didn’t try to kill one another. I call that progress.
Chapter 24
Two weeks pass in which I hear nothing from Noah, and my patience is wearing thin. I’m tempted to start scouring astronomy books too, but I don’t have the comb, so I can’t compare the configuration. Plus, the Fabricis don’t give me time to catch my breath. Every day is tightly scheduled, and they strictly ensure that I fulfill my duties. Alfredo doesn’t make my training sessions easy. Most nights, I fall into bed utterly exhausted with tears in my eyes. At those moments, I find it hard not to sink into despair because my torment has no end in sight. On top of everything else, Alfredo has poisoned me three more times. I try not to recall the pain, because it’s absolute agony. Every time it happens, I have crazy dreams afterward that make me wake up in a panic, drenched in sweat.
But I refuse to let this family break me. I won’t give them the satisfaction, and that thought keeps me going. Plus I have Ayden. He’s on my side, and the few hours that we get to spend together in school give me strength.
Today is a special day because Ayden was true to his word. He couldn’t arrange regular training for me with the hunters, but I’m allowed to train with one of them now and then. Holmes is a young woman in her late twenties who’s been briefed on the situation and is happy to help.
“Okay, run a few laps to warm up first,” she says.
Holmes has a slender build, and she’s much shorter than me. She wears her brown hair short, which suits her personality. She has a ferret by her side, which I’m sure must look really undisciplined in the eyes of some hunters. Right now, it’s lying on the floor of the sports hall, rolling around, playing with a dust bunny and squeaking – like a totally ordinary ferret. I soon discover that this creature has a whole other side.
It gets bigger, grows huge fangs, and claws resembling sharp blades. It’s lightning fast, a master of evasion, and very skilled at disconcerting its opponent. All in all, I can see why Holmes and her key spirit became hunters.
We spar a little, and I notice that her spirit is holding back to avoid overexerting me. But the training is demanding. Compared to training with Alfredo, it’s a relief not to be chased around the room like a hunted deer for a change and to actually learn something.
“That wasn’t bad at all,” says Holmes. “But next time try to stop the attack. Use a fireball. Evasion should always be the last resort. It gives your opponent too much leeway, and they can quickly gain the upper hand.
“Hey, how’s it going?” I hear a voice say. Ayden’s leaning in the doorway.
“She fights well,” says Holmes. “And she has a great connection with her spirit.”
“Yeah, I agree. She’s made a lot of progress recently,” Ayden says, slowly walking toward me.
“Please don’t tell me you think that’s down to my training with Alfredo,” I say with exaggerated dismay.
