“It’s the fire star,” I breathed, recognizing the scene that the flame had produced. I saw the front of Sherus’s palace, the neat lawns and stone sculptures that decorated the entrance to the fae’s home. It was daylight. The debris of the party had been removed completely, and only some of the floral arrangements I dimly remembered from that night remained.
There were four figures standing on the terrace in front of the main door. I recognized Sherus, Nuriya—who was holding their baby boy—and Grace and Lawrence. Nuriya passed the child to Grace, who held it gingerly in her hands, her face lighting up as she peered down at the baby, murmuring soft coos at him and then laughing as the child grabbed her finger. Grace turned to Lawrence, and I could hear their voices as clearly as if they were standing in the room next to us.
“I can’t wait to have one of our own,” Grace said, smiling at her husband.
“Then let’s not wait,” Lawrence replied, his eyes serious and tender as he looked at his wife.
They were interrupted by Bastien and Victoria coming out of the palace, both carrying their overnight bags. They stopped to talk to the others, but I could hardly hear a word they were saying. It felt like my blood was rushing around my head so fast I’d almost gone deaf to everything apart from the panicked voice in my head that finally understood what the Druid had been trying to say.
We don’t exist.
I watched as all four of them were waved off by Sherus and Nuriya, moving toward Corrine and Ibrahim, who were waiting for them, presumably to take them back to The Shade. Not one of them had mentioned us, or even stopped for a moment to look around. The Hawk brothers messed around, all looking a bit worse for wear after their night of indulgence…but they all happily strolled toward the witch and warlock, with no mention of Field.
The vision vanished, leaving only the flame, still burning brightly in the middle of the room.
“What have you done?” I gasped, turning to the Druid in horror.
“What I needed to do to keep your brother and friends safe.”
I shook my head, not wanting to believe what I’d just seen. Maybe it was all a trick. Why would I trust some magic flame to show me the truth? The Druid could have manipulated the images and the voices, couldn’t he? He’d mentioned illusions before…maybe this was a trick he was playing to keep us subservient so that we didn’t go running off into the jungle and spoil his master plan.
“I don’t believe you,” I retorted, feeling sick. “This is bull—it’s impossible. You’re not powerful enough, and neither are these ‘Daughters’ you talk about…you couldn’t do this, not to witches, not to jinn. And what about the Oracle? She visited us, and you said she came here, but we all remember her!”
The Druid shook his head. “The Oracle was the daughter of an Ancient. She held within herself great power, enough to reverse the protection of the Daughters. There are no others that I have come across able to accomplish such a thing. In truth, I don’t exactly know how the Oracle managed to, either.”
I started to back away, wishing he would just shut up. I didn’t want to listen to another word he had to say.
“I told you that you wouldn’t like it, but it’s true, Serena.” His voice had become cold and unyielding, his face set in displeasure. “I know this is painful for you—”
“Do you?” I retorted. How could he possibly comprehend how painful this was?
“But perhaps it’s better this way,” he replied. “They are spared the pain of missing you. None of them would know you were ever born—there will be no trace of you back at your homes, no evidence that suggests you once existed.”
“Is that supposed to comfort me?” I roared, rage completely consuming me.
“Yes!” he shouted. “It is. There’s nothing I can do about this, and you’ll see it’s better this way. Would you rather look in this flame and see your family and friends devastated?”
I was speechless. How could he possibly think this was okay? That this was a better alternative? I knew my parents, and the others. Their overwhelming emotion wouldn’t be devastation—it would be determination, and they would have stopped at nothing to find us.
Now we didn’t even have a chance.
“I want to get out of here,” I replied, my breathing coming out in short rasps. I suddenly felt claustrophobic—the walls of the room felt like they were closing in on me, the heat feeling even more oppressive.
I turned and ran, leaving the Druid behind me. The entrance had been left open, and I pounded through it, needing to get outside of the house, just for a moment. I headed for the greenhouse, jumping through the smashed door and then coming to a stop outside. I leaned against the wall, putting my head between my legs and trying to catch my breath.