I felt Jolie's nervousness flutter around me as she asked, "What does that mean? Where was Flint's magic?"

Her mood had been so turbulent. I was worried the wrong answer could cause her to go quiet again. She'd only just started to move with purpose. I didn't want to do anything to set her back. Tate answered before I could come up with a tactful response.

"I think he passed it to you." Tate looked from Hedera to me for confirmation, and we both nodded.

Confusion filled her, so I tried to explain. "When he was dying, he touched you and spoke to you. We think he was telling you to take his magic."

"I was two! I wouldn't have had any clue what he was talking about."

"You didn't have to understand. He just had to mean it from the depths of his being."

Jolie scoffed, "Is that a joke? I just let my mom get killed right next to me. If I had some kind of protective talent, wouldn't I have been able to stop that?"

"Not necessarily, love. Gifts don't stay exactly the same when passed between fae. It might change even more when given to a human." Her heartache was palpable, it surrounded us in a thick fog, and I wanted to forget everyone and everything and shield her from the world.

"Maybe it made you better at protecting yourself." Mark was on the edge of his seat with excitement. "It could be why you're such a natural at fighting."

"That makes sense," Tate agreed.

Bea grinned. "Oh, this is wonderful. I know it's what Flint would have wanted. He'd have been thrilled to know his magic was still keeping you safe."

Jolie stared slack-jawed as her emotions warred inside her. Next to Bea, Hedera seemed to be trying to disappear into the couch. She'd been avoiding Jolie all week, afraid she'd reject her. I told Hedera that Jolie feels no blame toward her, but she was too busy condemning herself to accept it.

"Wait." Mark broke the silence. "How did Crystal know about any of this?"

"The Seer," Tate answered. "Emily must have told him when he visited her. He was probably questioning her about her knowledge of the fae."

I felt Jolie's anger rise. "So, it's his fault that bitch went after Mom?"

"He collected information. It was his job. He didn't work for Crystal by choice." Tate's quiet defense did nothing to calm Jolie.

"I understand your anger, love. But Crystal would have found something to use against you, and your mother was an obvious target. She would have gone after her regardless. Knowing her background just gave her a convenient justification."

Mark was looking at me as though I'd made a mistake telling her so bluntly. Jolie's teeth clenched, but she didn't let go of my hand. I hoped that meant she wasn't too angry with me.

After a tense minute, Jolie said, "We've wasted enough time. Has Clara come home?" She looked at Mark, and I could feel the guilt that accompanied her question. She hadn't thought of her friend in days.

"I don't think so." Mark was anxious. He took Tate's hand, "We went by her house once. It's empty. Her phone is off."

"Tate and I will go back and speak to the resistance. We'll bring Clara back," I told her.

Jolie looked at me with one eyebrow raised, "Why are you talking like Mark and I aren't going?"

"No. I'm not sitting here waiting." Mark gave Tate a look that dared him to argue.

"Fine," Tate sighed. "When do we leave?"

"Can it wait until morning? It's almost dinner time, and you should be fed and rested before you go."

Bea looked at me, and I nodded, "I think that will be fine. Jolie?"

"We'll leave early," she agreed.

Hedera raised her hand in front of her, apprehensive about speaking. Mark said, "Go ahead."

"I want to go with you. My vines are in the tunnel. I've grown more since we've been here. I can help."

Her trepidation was sour on my tongue. "You don't have to, Hedera. Don't feel pressured to go back."

"Emily was my friend, and she died protecting me." Her voice broke, and she took a deep breath to steady herself. "I watched Crystal ruin our way of life for too long and ran as soon as I had the chance. I regret it. I want to help you take her down and get your friend back."

"Good. We can use all the help we can get." Tate gave her a reassuring smile.

After dinner and a peaceful night's sleep dreaming with my love, we were ready to go. Standing at the open door that led to our home, we said our goodbyes to Bea. The grief and distress flowing from her enveloped me and set me on edge.

As Bea hugged each of us in turn, I could feel that she was doing her best to appear supportive and optimistic. In truth, she was terrified to lose the rest of her family. "Watch out for each other. I'll be here waiting."

"Love you, Bea," Jolie whispered as she hugged her and then rushed through the door and into the darkness behind Tate, Mark, and Hedera.

Bea patted my cheek, "Stay safe."

"I'll bring them back."

"I know you will." Her words were certain, and I was surprised her feelings matched the attitude. Knowing she had such faith in me brought a smile to my face despite the situation. I stepped through, and she shut the door.

I reached forward in the darkened tunnel and was pleased to find Jolie was waiting for me to take her hand. Her mood had lifted tremendously since yesterday's revelations. She had a mission, and the focus seemed to be helping her deal with everything.

Once the five of us were standing in the forest on fae land, Tate and I coaxed Mark and Jolie into being backpacks again. We kept our speed low, a moderate jog for us, but it was still significantly faster than walking at a human clip.

The time passed swiftly as we kept our senses on high alert. Before too long, we found ourselves back at the fire flowers. Jolie slid from my back, and I was glad to see she was steady on her feet.

Our jogging pace seemed to be much better for Mark as well. He only had one hand on Tate's shoulder for stability, and his color was healthy.

We stood in the shadows of the trees, admiring the view. I reached my senses as far as they would go, looking for anyone in our immediate area. Finding no one, I sighed and prepared to wait.

"Are we just going to stand here?" Mark asked quietly.

"It will be best to let the resistance send someone to us. We've been gone a few weeks as far as they're concerned, and we don't know what's been said about us here. We may have to prove our trustworthiness again."

Jolie sighed, and I felt her guilt rise. Before she could begin blaming herself, I hugged her close. She gave me a melancholy upturn of her lips that she intended as a smile. I kissed her temple, and we watched the flowers sway and seem to ignite in the breeze.

Mark had been keeping an eye on her all day and noticed her staring blankly ahead. He nodded toward the blooms and whispered, "Don't you want to touch them? I need to know what they feel like."

"I'll get you one." Tate took one step before Mark caught his arm.

"Stay here! Are you crazy?" His voice never rose, but the intensity felt like a yell.

"Crazy for you, my favorite," Tate smirked and Mark rolled his eyes.

Hedera let out a quiet giggle, "No need to bicker. I've got it." Her eyes closed, and she reached toward the field.

Her hand seemed to tremble with the breeze, and then a few seeds that looked like embers lifted into the air and drifted to us. She opened her eyes and smiled at them before waving her hand toward the ground. The embers disappeared into the black earth.

Bending to rest her hands on the ground, she settled, and I could feel strength coming from her in waves as she centered her gift. Within seconds, brilliant green stems sprouted from the soil, and Jolie let out a soft gasp at the display.

The stalks darkened to a deeper hue as bright red and orange blossoms formed on top. The flower grew to half the size of my fist before the tips began to glow a fluorescent yellow. Full-grown fire flowers in under a minute.

Hedera stood and smiled at her work. "You can inspect them safely here."

Mark stared at her with awe. "That was amazing, Hedera!"

"Thank you." She smiled at the compliment, but her emotions were full of sadness and longing.

As Jolie and Mark bent to look at the flowers more closely and feel their dandelion-like fluff, I stepped closer to Hedera. "Is everything alright?"

She took a deep breath. "I wish I had a more useful gift." Looking at the patch of flowers, she shook her head, "Parlor tricks like this will do nothing to free our people."

"You're stronger than you give yourself credit for. You're the one that helped us escape Crystal, to begin with."

She huffed, and her mood darkened. "I'm also the one who caged all of you."

"Surrounded by guards and ordered by the Queen, you had no choice. It took real bravery to defy her the way you did. You put yourself at risk to help us."

She thought for a second. "Maybe. It wasn't totally selfless, though. I wanted to go with you."

"And we're all glad you did." I squeezed her shoulder, and she patted my hand. Her emotions changed to something leaning toward hope. "Don't underestimate yourself, Hedera. Crystal did, and she ended up wrapped in your vines."

She grimaced. "If I get the chance again, she won't be left that way. We were too easy on her." Her rage made the air around us dense. "I won't leave her alive to harm anyone else."