Everything before him went stark white as the scream continued. It felt as if they could never survive such a violent onslaught of both sight and sound.
Fear ripped into Alexius and he fell bruisingly hard to his knees, clamping his hands down over his ears, a scream building in his own chest.
But then all went silent. The light faded, the sound vanished. The golden platform was now empty. Stephanos’s body was gone. It had returned to the essence of pure magic it began from, the magic that sustained their world.
Phaedra staggered toward Alexius as he pushed up to his feet. He held his arms out to her and she collapsed against him, shaking.
“I thought we’d have more time!” she cried.
“It is done,” Danaus said to Melenia.
“Yes,” she replied solemnly. “He will be missed.”
Timotheus eyed the beautiful immortal curiously. “What did he mean, Melenia? What secrets did he speak of?”
She offered him a weary smile. “His mind was decaying faster than his body. So sad to witness such an end to one of the brightest and best of us all.”
“Who is to be next?” Danaus’s expression was tense. “Who of us will die next?”
“The Kindred still exists,” Melenia said evenly. “If we exist, then it exists. And it can be found before all is lost.”
“You’re certain about that?”
“I’ve never been more certain about anything.” She moved toward Alexius and Phaedra, clasping both of their hands in hers. “The loss of Stephanos has bound us together. We will go forth stronger, in trust and friendship. Yes?”
“Of course,” Alexius agreed. Phaedra remained silent.
“Go now. And speak of this to no one.”
They didn’t need to be told twice. Alexius and Phaedra departed without another word. They didn’t talk again until they’d left the palace, left the city, and journeyed as far as Alexius’s favorite meadow. He expected his troubled friend to collapse with grief. Instead, when he turned to face her, she shoved him very hard. He staggered backward, rubbing his chest and staring at her with confusion.
“What was that for?”
“For lapping up every lie that spills from her lips.” “Who?”
“Melenia, of course. Who else? The pretty spider in her silvery web, spinning tales to wind around us all. You heard him at the end! Stephanos wanted to expose her lies.”
“He was dying. He didn’t know what he was saying.”
“Are you that blinded by her beauty that you can’t see the truth? She’s evil, Alexius!”
“You should be careful what you say about Melenia.”
She raised her chin. “I’m not afraid of her.”
“Phaedra—”
“Does she know about your little sorceress? Do any of them other than me?”
Alexius froze. “What?”
“The one you visit in your dreams.” A tense smile now played on her lips. “You think I don’t know what you do out here all alone? You talk in your sleep—Lucia . . . Lucia. A terrible habit for someone with secrets to keep. Are you falling in love with a mortal, Alexius? Others have walked such a path only to find themselves lost and unable to find their way back home.”
He knew Phaedra had been watching him. Such questions, such accusations made him feel exposed, cornered. “You will tell no one of this.”
She shook her head with disgust. “I need to go. I have places to be, mortals to watch. Dreams to visit. You’re not the only one keeping watch over specific mortals, Alexius.”
“Phaedra, no. We need to talk about this.”