Good Morning, Little Ones!

Thank you to Mel, Jill, and Dani!

.: 44 :.

"What debt did she owe you?"

Edward's words break the silence of the Oracle's disappearance, and I turn to him. "I don't know," I whisper, shaking my head. My neck throbs where that sea creature bit me, and I bring my fingers up to rub at it.

"What happened up there?"

My eyes drift back to him, and I take a deep breath. "I was angry. Angrier than I've felt in a long time," I whisper. "My magic lashed out."

He looks worried. "You were speaking in a tongue I don't know."

At this, I sit up, my brow furrowing. "What?"

He sighs. "I felt your magic. It shook the mountain. That's when I broke past her boundary to find you. You..." his voice trails off and I stare at him, expectantly. "Something happened to you in the depths of the sea. Your magic usually smells rich and earthy and dark, but this time you smelled of salt water."

I realize I'm shaking, and I fold into myself a little bit.

"I don't know who I am anymore."

I've met so many creatures, so many terrifying things, and each one has changed me, leaving marks on me in their own ways. First it was the dryad in the forest, blessing me with gifts I don't understand, and the witch who haunts my dreams, then the creature under the sea who has left deep, invisible marks upon my soul, now this oracle...

It's too much. They are all changing me, and I don't want to be changed.

I look up at Edward. His eyes are dark, his brow furrowed.

He's changing me the most.

"You've been very brave, Little One," he says softly. I flinch. I haven't been. I've been lying to him, keeping the few things I do know from him. But I'm afraid, I'm afraid that if he knows what the cost is, his desire to be free will outweigh anything he might be feeling for me. Everything between us feels so precarious, and I'm not brave enough to be honest.

"Why did she fear me like that?"

I don't expect an answer, and I'm surprised when Edward supplies one.

"Perhaps she sensed the beasts you've been in contact with," he says slowly. I look up at him. "You're stronger than you were on Samhain. Stronger perhaps, than the Oracle herself."

I shake my head. "But I don't have any control over it," I mutter, feeling defeated. Edward sighs.

"Because you still fear controlling it."

He stoops over me in the car, and though I'm scared and tired and beyond overwhelmed, his proximity brings me comfort.

"We never become something we were not capable of in the first place," he murmurs. "This power that is growing in you was always meant for you to control. You must release your fear of it. It is you."

I want to ask him what he's feeling. His eyes are burning with an emotion I'm afraid to name, and as much as I don't want to acknowledge it, I need to know, because it is burning me too. There is a universe of unspoken things between us, the magnitude of which, I'm not sure this world could stand being voiced. Together, we are too much for this world to contain, and if we let ourselves fall into this, give voice to this space between us, the power of the name we would give it would burn out one hundred million stars.

I'm standing there, gazing into his eyes, ready to fall.

This time, it's Edward who is afraid.

"We have to go back," he says, blinking and looking away from my gaze. Tears spring to my eyes and I don't know if it's for the moment that's been lost, or because I've not blinked in too long. I pretend it's the later. "We have to go back to the Hazel Court."

I swallow hard. "Yes."

"We need a better plan," Edward says, pulling back from me. "It won't be easy to get it from her. I've seen her let her guard down only in one circumstance before."

I look up at him, but it's immediately clear what he's talking about. I don't know what to say to that, so I look down at my hands.

Neither of us are virgins, obviously, and I know what it was the Viper Queen used him for. I have no claim over him, no reason to feel as filled with jealousy or insecurity as I am in this moment.

But I am. The thought of him being with her, in any way, makes anger flicker deep in my belly.

His hands land over mine, and I look up at him. "I can feel your jealousy, Little One." He sounds amused, and I scowl at him. I try to tug my hands from his, but his grip tightens. "Nothing the Viper Queen has ever done to me has come close to even a single touch from you," he whispers. "I was an object to her, nothing more."

My heart sinks. Logically, I know this, but my heart still fights with the idea. How could anyone be with him in any way and not start to feel…

I swallow hard. "I want to kill her for what she's done to you." Admitting it out loud scares me, but I also know as soon as the words are out, that there was no way I'd have been able to keep them in. My soul burns with righteous indignation against her.

Edward's hands squeeze around mine and I meet his gaze. "I won't stop you," he whispers. "Long have I wished for the same thing."

I'm relieved to hear it. I flip my palms upward so that my hands are holding his.

"If we're going back," I say slowly, "we need more supplies."

He nods. "We can head into town again. There should be a door not far off from it we can enter through."

I let out a small breath. "Let's do it."

…

The drive is quiet. I'm burdened with heavy thoughts that have no answers. Who was the woman on the mountain? What debt did she owe me? How am I supposed to free Edward? Even with a magical amulet, how would that be enough? I don't have a child to sacrifice, and even if I did, I never would.

My eyes cut to him as my thoughts swirl, becoming more and more anxious. Am I just leading us to our death?

"I can feel you overthinking, Little One."

I huff, glancing at him. "Can you overthink when you're heading to your death?"

He smirks at me as I turn my gaze back to the road. "No, I suppose not," he muses.

My fingers tap on the steering wheel. "I have a question." I glance over at him, and he motions for me to continue. "The Hazel King came to see me, before the hunt."

I see his knuckles go white in his lap. "Oh? What was it he wanted?"

I glance at him. "Now who's jealous," I tease him. He doesn't take the bait and I roll my eyes. "He was there to tell me he knew why I was there. He said he'd figure out a way to get me out so I could continue the quest." I glance at him again. Edward's brow dips, and I'm caught off guard by the surprise on his face. "What is it?"

He clears his throat. "You shouldn't trust him," he says slowly. "Marcus may not have the cruelty of his wife, but he's not one for mercy either."

I frown at the road. "I don't trust him. I don't trust anyone."

The words settle between us, and I glance at him quickly. He looks relieved, and that makes me anxious as hell. Does he not want me to trust him too? My hands grip the wheel tighter, and I try to push down the thoughts in me. I trust you.

They aren't true, not really. I trust him with my body, but beyond that, I can't trust him yet. At this point, I don't even trust myself.

"Tell me about the amulet," I say, seeking a distraction. I see Edward nod out of the corner of my eye.

"It's the most powerful magic I've ever come in contact with," he says slowly. "I don't know where she got it. The legend is that a mighty king had given it to her in hopes of marrying her. She took the amulet and cut his throat." He pauses and I look over at him. "They say that the stone is red because it's full of the blood she's shed with its power."

I grunt, looking back at the road. "Awesome."

"It's also bound to her by heavy magic," he continues. I glance at him. "Only she can remove it from her neck."

I let out a long breath. "Okay, that would have been fantastic to know sooner," I snap. Edward glances at me, and there is a small smirk on his face. "How are you laughing right now?"

He lets out a long breath. "Sometimes, there is nothing left but to laugh."

My teeth grind together. It's a terrible answer that makes me feel even worse. "You're an ass, you know that?"

He leans back in the chair. "Yes, you've told me many times."

I frown. "Unless you can read minds, I don't think I've told you all that often."

Edward laughs quietly. "You tell me in your sleep."

Well, that's fucking embarrassing. I can feel his eyes on me, waiting to see how I'll take that, so my knuckles flex over the steering wheel. "Good." I snap.

Edward laughs again as I press down on the gas.