Chapter Twenty-Seven

“Talbott, if anything happens to her, I will hunt you down myself, is that clear?” Jericho threatened with every intention of following through.

“Jericho, I understand. I've told you a million times, nothing is going to happen to her. This is not a trap.” Talbott put a strong hand on Jericho's shoulder as if comforting him father to son.

I turned my head to keep from laughing at the look of shock that flashed across Jericho's face. Talbott was considerably calmed down since we put the plans for the prisoner exchange into motion. I knew he was looking forward to being in control of something again, and from past experiences, I knew how hard it was for him to be away from Kiran, but I wanted to believe that it was something more. Lilly's safety appeared to be enough leverage to incentivize Talbott and I wondered if one day, she would be enough to bring Talbott to our side.

“All right, you should go. Get this over with and then get out of there, yeah?” Jericho turned to me, pulling me into a hug. His magic buzzed around mine in excited nearness, but mine was reserved, afraid to attach itself to more magics.

“Yeah,” I whispered into his chest, not wanting to let go, despite the uncomfortable closeness of his magic. The relentless electricity driving my rapid circulation left me drained and completely exhausted, but Jericho was my rock. His presence alone provided perfect comfort and when we touched, I couldn't help but feel hope deep in my bones that everything was going to be Ok.

He kissed the top of my head, and then my cheek as if he couldn't help himself. I reluctantly let go of him and joined Talbott in the Cessna that even he marveled at. Talbott closed the door behind us and I followed him into the tiny cockpit. Not that it would have made any difference if I were sitting with him or not, because there was absolutely no way for me to be sure he was going where he was supposed to; but I felt like my presence would at least pressure him to stay accountable.

“Now you're sure you know how to fly this thing?” I asked, hesitantly letting go of irrational fears, like him crashing my grandfather's plane into the side of a mountain.

“Yes, Eden, of course.” He turned and grinned at me. His deep chocolate eyes were twinkling with the same excitement that Titus had when he flew. I inwardly sighed, boys and their toys.

I leaned back in my chair, and tried to get comfortable. The nine-hour trip to the Sahara would allow Talbott and I a lot of time to get to know each other.

“I'm sorry we had to tie you up before,” I offered an apology in the awkward silence once we were in the air.

He looked at me, unsure what to say, or how to react, but I just smiled. Talbott and I had our differences from the very start, but I knew that if there wasn't a civil war in between us right now, we could have learned to get along.

“I accept your apology,” he replied chivalrously, after the initial stupor wore off. “Besides, you are not technically to blame. From what I gather, you were not conscious.”

“True, but still, I'm the.... leader and all that,” I struggled getting the words out, knowing they would fall flat in my mouth. Talbott would never really see me as the leader of the Rebellion. I could hardly take myself seriously when I thought about it and someone like Talbott, with military training and on the winning side, certainly wouldn't be able to say those words without laughing.

“Yes, but maybe your brother would have and that is the kind of leader they are used to,” Talbott argued wisely, changing my mind about him. “You are not only trying to transform my side of the war, but your side as well, I think.”

“Talbott, I'm not a revolutionary, I just want revenge for what happened to my family,” I mumbled, embarrassed by his view of me.

“You want more than that,” he said seriously and I knew that he was right. I had started to believe in more than just revenge, but at times, it was just easier to dwell on retribution.

“So, if something were to happen to you, like you crashed the plane into the ocean or something and we both died, is there a stand in for you? Like, someone to replace you?” I pried, trying to lighten the mood with some morbid humor.

“Of course, Kiran has nearly an army of personal Guards. If something happened to me, there would be hundreds more to choose from. However, it would take more than a plane crash into the ocean to kill me.” He tilted his head, weighing the idea thoughtfully. His thick, flowing accent made his words run together like cursive.

I found Titan magic easier to be around than Witch or Medium magic. Titan magic, less electric and more fluid, was based more in movement and the actual action of thought processes than blood and brain. Witch or Medium magic created action. It was as if Titan magic was action, so it didn't pop or sizzle, it didn't get frenzied or invasive, it just stayed calm and relaxed, already prepared for battle and five steps ahead of everyone else.

Because of Talbott's relaxed magic, my magic calmed considerably in his presence. His magic stayed completely separate from mine and I finally found the breathing room to relax a little.

Even still, my energy was panicked, my blood burst with too much electricity and I was exhausted from the effort of holding it inside. I hoped this trip would give me the rest I needed to recover before I got back to Omaha. Shape-shifter magic was not as aggressive as the rest either, but it was more so than Titan, especially right before a shift. I hoped that Lilly wasn't going to need to shift anytime soon.

“I am so excited to see Lilly!” I exclaimed, forgetting that Talbott and I were enemies. “This had better go as planned, Talbott, or I'm going to be very mad.” I turned serious, shaking my finger at him.

“Eden, this is not a trap. There will not be Titans waiting for you, you have my word,” he was serious enough that I believed him. “When we land, I mean, before you take off again, if it's not too much trouble.... What I am trying to say is, if there are a few extra minutes, would you mind if I spoke to Lilly alone? Just for a few minutes, I won't be long, I can assure you,” Talbott stumbled through an adorable request, and I found myself cheering for their relationship even though I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that it not only made absolutely no sense, it would also never work.

“If you do something for me, you can have all the time in the world,” I bargained, deciding I should play this cool.

“Within reason, something comparable, then yes, I will do something for you,” Talbott agreed.

“I would like you to pass a message along to Amelia Cartier,” I said with confidence, knowing it would be something that Talbott was not expecting.

“Amelia Cartier?” Talbott echoed, completely caught off guard.

“Yes, I want you to tell her that her brother is fine, that he is h even happy and that he will have his magic back soon,” I confessed softly, believing my words to the core of my being.

“You want me to give that message to Amelia Cartier?” Talbott clarified, unbelieving.

“Yes, and to absolutely no one else, not even your... prince. And tell her she can't tell anyone either,” I added amendments trying to cover my tracks uselessly. I was seriously the worst Rebellion leader in the history of rebellions.

“Sebastian told me you were going to kill him?” Talbott questioned not only my sincerity but also my motives.

“And he's probably right.” I rolled my eyes, and folded my arms, remembering our ridiculous arrangement.

“Then why would you have me tell his little sister that he's Ok?” he pressed, more confused than ever.

“Because,” I shrieked, fed up with this whole situation, “because if it were my brother I would want to know that he was all right, I would want to believe that everything was going to work out, even if it wasn't true. I would want to believe it every single minute until somebody could tell me differently, that's why. So do we have a deal or not?” I raised my voice unnecessarily high and tears fell hot down my cheeks.

I wiped at them with the sleeve of my shirt, turning away from Talbott to stare out the window at a blue, cloudless sky. Talbott remained quiet for a long time, and the cockpit grew awkward and tense. I pulled myself together, but remained adamant that our deal would stay the same, only I hadn't found the courage to demand that of Talbott yet.

“All right, Eden. I will tell her,” Talbott agreed after several more minutes of silence. “And Eden?” I turned back to him. His voice lost the serious military style of speaking and grew soft, almost sensitive. “Your brother is Ok.”

I didn't respond. I knew he was offering me false hope, that he had no idea how Avalon was really doing or what was happening to him. But, he had taken my emotion, my cry for help and turned it into a comforting response. His generosity dazed me.

We were still enemies, still fighting on opposite sides of the war, but those words were an offer of hope, an enticement to continue the mission and they came from Talbott of all people.

He had matured over the last few months, and became a man I hardly recognized. He embodied authority, and was infinitely more mature than Kiran, but now he could add compassion and intuition to his long list of skills. This new side of him made me root for Lilly and him even more. I didn't know how it would work out, how it could possibly end with them together, but sometimes relationships don't make sense or fit into natural order, sometimes are were written in the stars.

I shook my head, finding my thought path dangerous. That was true for Lilly and Talbott but nobody else. As Jericho said, Talbott was probably going to die at the end of this thing anyway.

We spent the rest of the trip in silence. I eventually dozed off and when I awoke, we were circling an endless desert, aiming for what felt like a miniscule airstrip surrounded by sand for miles and miles. The sun was setting low in the west, casting long shadows across the golden sand dunes.

I had never been to the desert before, the vastness of the sand amazed me. It felt very much like the ocean when you stood with your feet just touching the tide, and looked out to never-ending water. The sand flowed outwards in the same way, touching the horizon in every direction.

Landing on the small airstrip was frightening. I tried to comprehend being this far away from anything or anyone and couldn't. I was more than just days from civilization; I was a lifetime. Being stranded this far from help would be a death sentence, that much I knew.

I breathed deeply as Talbott shut the engine off, remembering that I was magic, that I would survive, even if the plan were literally to abandon me to the wild nature of the endless sand dunes. I rolled my head around my neck, and dug for courage deep within. I needed to be the first one off the plane to establish authority. It wouldn't say much about my leadership skills if I just let Talbott exit the plane alone, while I cowered in the cockpit.

I cleared my throat and stood up, smoothing out my black, linen pants and reaching for a turquoise scarf with gold detailing, that Naima gave to me in India. It was a beautiful piece of fabric, but I bristled at the idea of coming off flashy. Still, the wind blew violently across the sand, picking it up and scattering a million specks at a time, and so I wrapped the scarf around my neck, pulling it over my mouth for protection.

I walked from the cockpit with feigned confidence, waiting silently for Talbott to open the door and let down the staircase. At the bottom of the stairs, I stood for a moment and took in the most beautiful and exotic Moroccan styled tent. Black and ivory paneled fabric sprawled across the desert wasteland, glowing from the inside with candled lanterns and welcoming any traveler like a picture perfect mirage that only existed in fairy tales.

The closer we walked, the more extravagant the tent became. I thought, from a distance, that it could have actually been a couple tents huddled together, but now that I was, closer I saw that it was one long tent, with three different rooms. The entrance was wide, with a paneled canopy billowing in the evening breeze. The floor was golden silk, protecting our feet from the sand that would infiltrate everything if it could. Delicious scents wafted from inside, as if the most intricate meal had been prepared for our arrival.

“Um, are you sure this is the right tent?” I asked Talbott, wondering if the idea of a prisoner exchange had gotten lost in translation somehow.

“Yes, Eden, you are exactly where you should be.” Kiran appeared in the entrance of the tent, turquoise eyes smoldering and Lilly at his arm.