Chapter 34- Fallen and Found

An Unlikely Alliance

Cyrus’s POV

The Romanian sun beat down mercilessly as I stood outside the Hunedoara safe house, watching the magical barrier expert examine the remnants of the wards. Two days back in this godforsaken town, and I was already itching to be on the move again. The expert’s droning voice faded into background noise as I paced the perimeter of the safe house, my eyes scanning the shimmering remnants of the wards. A week had passed since I’d returned to Hunedoara, and every day without news of Kate felt like an eternity.
„As you can see,“ the expert, a wiry man with spectacles perched precariously on his nose, continued, „the damage to the wards is extensive. It’s as if they were unraveled from the inside out.“
I grunted in acknowledgment, only half-listening. The expert’s monotonous rambling about „structural integrity“ and „arcane resonance“ faded into background noise as my mind wandered to Kate.
It had been nearly a week since the smart tags had last pinged. A week of sleepless nights and caffeine-fueled days, chasing leads that went nowhere. I’d torn through every inch of this place when I first arrived, searching for any clue, any trace of her. But the room stood empty, a silent testament to her absence.
The sharp buzz of my phone cut through my thoughts, jolting me back to the present. My heart nearly stopped as I read the notification: „Target movement detected.“ The smart tag I’d planted in Kate’s backpack was active again, and according to the GPS, it was… here? In the safe house?
„That’s impossible,“ I muttered, staring at the screen in disbelief. I had checked Kate’s room thoroughly after her disappearance. Nothing had been left behind.
Without a word to the expert, I sprinted towards the house, my heart pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat. „Kate?“ I called out, my voice echoing through the empty hallway. „Kate!“ The sound of my boots on the worn floorboards seemed unnaturally loud in the stillness of the house.
I burst into her room, my hand already on my weapon, ready for anything. Or so I thought. The sight that greeted me made me come to a screeching halt.
There, standing in the middle of the room, was Liam. The Fae looked like he’d been dragged through hell and back. His once-white outfit was now a canvas of questionable stains, torn in places and hanging off his lean frame. His usually immaculate hair was a disheveled mess, and there was a wild, almost feral look in his eyes.
For a split second, we just stared at each other, mutual shock rendering us both speechless. Then, Liam’s face split into that infuriatingly cocky grin I remembered all too well.
„Well, well,“ he drawled, his voice rough with exhaustion. „If it isn’t the knight in shining leather. Come to rescue your damsel in distress?“
The taunt snapped me out of my stupor. With a growl, I lunged at him, my fist connecting solidly with his jaw. The satisfying crack of knuckles against bone did little to quell the rage boiling inside me. This bastard took Kate, and now he has the audacity to show up here?
Liam stumbled back, eyes wide with surprise while rubbing his aching jaw. „Wait a second,“ he said, raising his hands in mock surrender. „Is that any way to greet an old friend?“
„Friend?“ I spat, advancing on him. My hand itched for my weapon, but I resisted. I wanted to feel the satisfying crunch of his bones beneath my knuckles. „Where the hell is Kate?“
Liam danced out of my reach, his movements fluid despite his apparent exhaustion. „Ah, about that,“ he said, dodging another swing. „It’s a bit of a long story.“
I pressed my attack, driving him back towards the wall. The small room left little space for maneuvering, and I used that to my advantage. Liam’s back hit the peeling wallpaper, and I saw a flicker of genuine fear in his eyes. Good. He should be afraid.
„Where is she?“ I growled, grabbing him by the collar and slamming him against the wall. „What have you done with Kate?“
Liam raised his hands in a placating gesture, though the glint in his eyes was anything but submissive. „Now, let’s not be hasty. I’m sure we can discuss this like civilized beings.“
„I don’t have time for your games,“ I hissed, my hand closing around his throat. „Start talking, or I start breaking bones. Tell me where she is. I swear to God, I’ll-“
Liam’s eyes darted around the room, clearly looking for an escape route. I could almost see the gears turning in his head as he tried to find a way out of this situation. He made a sudden move, trying to duck under my arm, but I anticipated it, slamming him back against the wall.
„Nice try,“ I snarled, pressing my forearm against his throat. „But you’re not going anywhere until you tell me where Kate is.“
Liam’s eyes bulged slightly, and he gasped for air. I eased up just enough to let him speak. „If you’d… just… listen,“ he choked out.
„I’m done listening to your lies,“ I spat, drawing my fist back for another punch.
Just as I was about to strike, Liam’s expression changed. A look of desperate resolve settled over his features. „I surrender!“ he blurted out.
My fist stopped inches from his face. I scoffed, not loosening my hold. „You expect me to believe that?“
„Kate needs our help!“ Liam choked out, his hands clawing at my arm on his throat.
Those words hit me like a physical blow. I hesitated, my force slackening slightly. „What do you mean?“
Liam took advantage of my momentary surprise, slipping out of my grasp and putting some distance between us. He rubbed his throat, eyeing me warily. „Kate,“ he said, his voice hoarse. „She’s in trouble. Real trouble.“
I reached for my sword, the familiar weight of it in my hand grounding me. „Start talking,“ I said, leveling the blade at his chest. „And if I think for one second you’re lying…“
Liam’s eyes flicked from the sword to my face, and for once, the cocky grin was nowhere to be seen. „She’s stuck,“ he said, his voice low and urgent. „In the realm of the Iele.“
My blood ran cold. The Iele. How the hell had she ended up there? „How?“ I demanded, pressing the tip of my sword against Liam’s chest.
A shadow passed over Liam’s face, guilt and something else I couldn’t quite place. „That’s… complicated,“ he said. „The important thing is, we need to get her out. And to do that, we need an artifact. The Temporal Tether.“
I stared at him, trying to process this information. It sounded insane, but the gravity in Liam’s eyes made me pause. „You’re serious,“ I said, more a statement than a question.
Liam nodded, his expression grim. „Deadly serious. And as much as it pains me to admit it, I could use your help.“
I narrowed my eyes, my mind racing. This all sounded insane, but then again, so did most of what had happened in the past few weeks. „Why should I believe you?“
Liam spread his arms wide, gesturing to his disheveled state. „Look at me, Cyrus. Do you really think I’d show up here, looking like this, if it wasn’t true? I know we’re not exactly best buddies, but surely you can see I’m not here for a social call.“
I studied him closely, looking for any sign of deception. But all I saw was exhaustion, desperation, and… was that fear? It was unsettling, seeing the usually unflappable Fae so rattled. Could he be telling the truth?
„Fine,“ I said, not lowering my guard completely. „Let’s say I believe you. What’s this artifact, and where is it?“
„The Temporal Tether,“ Liam explained, „is an ancient relic that can slow down magical transformations. It’s hidden in Polovragi Cave.“
I felt my stomach drop. „Magical transformations?“
Liam ran a hand through his tangled hair, leaving it sticking up at odd angles as he hesitated, and I saw him choosing his words carefully. „Kate’s… changing,“ he said finally. „Something… happened and now she’s turning into an Iele herself… We need the Tether to slow that process, to give her a chance to return to the human world.“
The implications of his words hit me like a freight train. Kate, changing into something not human? The thought was almost too much to bear. I remembered her fierce determination, her quick wit, her humanity. The idea of losing all that… No. I won’t let that happen.
„And this cave,“ I said, trying to keep my voice steady. „I’m guessing it’s not just a matter of walking in and grabbing the artifact?“
A humorless laugh escaped Liam’s lips. „If only it were that simple. The cave is guarded by a series of trials. Deadly ones.“
I couldn’t help the scoff that escaped me. „What’s the matter, Fae? Scared?“
Liam’s eyes flashed dangerously. „I’m not scared,“ he snapped. „But if we fail any of the tasks, we die. Simple as that.“
Before I could respond, the door creaked open behind me. The magical barrier expert poked his head in, his bushy eyebrows furrowing in confusion at the scene before him. „Mr. Cyrus? Is everything alright?“
I opened my mouth to answer, but Liam beat me to it. His eyes had locked onto the book the expert was holding, a thick tome on magical wards. „You,“ Liam said, his voice cold. „Were you the one who manipulated the wards at the safe house near Sarmizegetusa?“
The expert blinked, clearly taken aback. „I… what? No, I’ve only just arrived from the UK. I haven’t been to any other safe houses yet.“
Liam’s eyes narrowed. „Kate sent me to investigate that place the day before I rescued her,“ he said, his gaze flicking to me. „The wards there had been tampered with. Human interference.“
„What are you talking about?“ I demanded, my grip on the sword tightening.
Liam’s expression turned grim. „The wards at your previous safe house were sabotaged,“ he explained. „I found clear evidence of human tampering. The runes had been surgically altered, weakening the barrier just enough to fail under pressure but not enough to be detected beforehand.“
The expert’s eyes widened. „That’s… that’s impossible. Our wards are designed to be tamper-proof.“
„Clearly not,“ Liam retorted. „Whoever did this knew exactly what they were doing. They had intimate knowledge of your warding system.“
I felt a chill run down my spine. „But who would have the skill and the motive to do something like that?“
Liam’s eyes bore into mine. „That’s a riddle wrapped in an enigma, isn’t it? Someone within your organization, perhaps? Someone who wanted Kate vulnerable?“
The implication hung heavy in the air. I shook my head, unwilling to entertain the thought. „That’s ridiculous. No one in the organization would…“
„Oh, come on,“ Liam scoffed. „After what your brother and mentor did to Kate, you’re still going to defend them? Either you’re incredibly naive or you don’t care about her as much as you claim to.“
His words hit me like a physical blow. Images of Kate, bound and beaten, flashed through my mind. The red mark on her cheek, the fear in her eyes… I pushed the thoughts away, focusing on the present.
„We need to hurry,“ Liam said urgently. „I don’t have much time to complete this quest. If I fail, let’s just say there are some very angry magical beings who’ll be coming after me.“
I eyed him suspiciously. „Why would anyone hunt you down over this artifact?“
„It’s a very long and complicated story,“ Liam said, waving a hand dismissively. „You’ll just have to trust me on that one if you want to help Kate.“
Trust him? The very idea seemed laughable. And yet… what choice did I have? If there was even a chance Kate was in danger, I had to act. Damn it, Kate. What kind of mess have you gotten yourself into this time?
„Fine,“ I said finally, my jaw clenched. „But if you’re lying…“
„Yes, yes, you’ll gut me like a fish,“ Liam finished, rolling his eyes. „Now, can we please get moving? Time isn’t exactly on our side here.“
„What do you mean by that?“ I asked, frowning.
Liam sighed. „Time flows differently between realms,“ he explained. „What’s been weeks here has only been a few days for Kate and me in the Iele realm. And I have no idea how time will behave where the artifact is hidden.“
My head spun with the implications. „Is Kate… is she hurt?“
A strange smile played on Liam’s lips. „Oh, she’s fine. More than fine, actually. You might say she’s… blossoming.“
Something about his tone made me uneasy, but I pushed the feeling aside. We had more pressing matters to deal with.
I turned to the expert, who was looking increasingly uncomfortable with the entire situation. „Will you be alright finishing up here on your own?“
The man shrugged. „As long as I get paid, I don’t care what you do. This job will either way take at least a month.“
Liam grinned, a shadow of his usual mischief returning. „Don’t put too much effort into those wards,“ he quipped. „I’ll probably just end up destroying them again later.“
The expert’s eyes widened. „You’re the one who…?“ He trailed off, shaking his head. „Unbelievable.“
As I gathered my gear, my mind was a whirlwind of questions and doubts. Was I really about to go on a potentially suicidal quest with a Fae I barely trusted? For a woman who might not even be the same person anymore?
You know the answer to that, a voice in my head whispered. You’d walk through hell itself for her.
I sighed, shouldering my bag. „Let’s go,“ I said to Liam. „But first, you might want to change. You smell like a wet dog rolled in a garbage dump.“
Liam looked offended for a moment, then grinned. „You try invading and escaping the Fae court and see how fresh you smell afterward,“ he retorted.
Before I could question him further, he waved his hand. His tattered clothes seemed to burn away, replaced by a sleek black outfit that looked far too stylish for a cave expedition. As he turned, I caught a glimpse of something on the back of his neck. Was that… a hickey?
I pushed the thought aside, not wanting to dwell on the implications. Shaking off the distracting thoughts, I asked, „How are we getting to this cave? Can you use that vortex thing you do?“
Liam looked sheepish. „Ah, about that… I can’t vortex us there. I’ve never been to Polovragi Cave, and I need to have a connection to a place to create a vortex.“
I filed that information away, realizing I knew less about Fae magic than I thought. „Alright, then we’ll have to do this the old-fashioned way. I’ve got a bike we can use.“
Pulling out my phone, I checked the navigation app. „Looks like it’ll take a few hours to get there.“
Liam’s eyes widened with curiosity. „What is that device?“ he asked, leaning in for a closer look. „I found something similar in Kate’s room.“
I stared at him, incredulous. „You’re joking, right? It’s a phone.“
Liam shrugged. „I haven’t interacted much with humans in the last 50 years. The Iele were far more interesting company. You didn’t have these back then.“
„It’s for communication,“ I explained briefly, not in the mood for a technology lesson.
Suddenly, Liam’s expression changed. „Wait, Kate’s „phone”… there were messages on it. From her father.“
Shit. I’d thought about calling her father while I was in Hungary, but I’d never worked up the courage. „Let me see,“ I said, quickly scrolling through the messages. Each one was more desperate than the last, a father’s growing panic evident in every word. Seeing the messages, guilt gnawed at me.
I paced back and forth, weighing our options. Finally, I made a decision. „We have to call him. He deserves to know she’s alive, at least.“
Liam nodded, his usual smirk replaced by a serious expression. We stared anxiously at the phone as I dialed the number. Kate’s father answered immediately, his voice thick with worry. „Kate? Where are you?“
„Mr. Groza,“ I said, trying to keep my voice steady. „This is Cyrus. I’m… a friend of Kate’s. She’s not here right now, but she’s alive and unharmed.“
There was a moment of tense silence before Mr. Groza’s voice came back, sharp with suspicion. „Who are you? Are you kidnappers? What have you done with my daughter?“
„No, sir,“ I assured him quickly. „We’re not kidnappers. We’re trying to help Kate.“
Liam leaned in, speaking loudly enough to be heard. „Mr. Groza, I promise you, we’re Kate’s friends. Kate told me about the time after her mother disappeared, about your fight after her grandma’s funeral and how you two reconnected over archaeology that summer.“
I felt a twinge of annoyance at Liam’s easy familiarity with Kate’s life, but pushed it aside. This wasn’t the time for petty jealousy.
Mr. Groza’s voice softened slightly. „She told you about that?“
„Yes, sir,“ Liam replied. „We’re here to help her, I swear.“
After a moment of silence, Mr. Groza asked, „Is she really safe? Is there anything I can do?“
„She’s as safe as she can be right now,“ I said, hoping I sounded more confident than I felt. „The best thing you can do is stay put. Don’t file any missing person reports. We’ll have Kate contact you as soon as it’s safe for her to do so.“
„I didn’t call anyone,“ Mr. Groza admitted. „After what happened with her mother… I know how useless it can be. And Kate’s last call… she mentioned she might have found a connection between what’s happening now and her mother’s disappearance.“
I shot a questioning look at Liam, who nodded slightly. „Yes,“ he confirmed, carefully avoiding any mention of magic or Kate’s powers. „Kate found a potential link, and she wants to investigate it further.“
Once again, I was surprised by how much Liam seemed to know about Kate’s situation. He caught my eye and flashed a smug grin, clearly aware of my thoughts.
„We’ll do our best to update you within the next few weeks,“ I promised. „We’ll protect Kate, Mr. Groza. You have our word.“
After ending the call, I led Liam outside to my bike. I tossed him a helmet, which he caught with surprising grace.
„I’ve always wanted to ride one of these,“ Liam said, eyeing the motorcycle with excitement.
I raised an eyebrow. „You’ve seen bikes before?“
Liam pouted. „Of course. Humans had them 50 years ago too. They weren’t as sleek as this one, but they had their own rugged charm.“
I straddled the bike and looked at Liam expectantly. „Hop on.“
Liam stared at me, confused. „Where?“
„Behind me,“ I clarified, unable to keep the amusement out of my voice.
Liam’s face fell. „Oh, you can’t be serious. This is so undignified,“ he complained, but reluctantly climbed on behind me.
„Just hold on,“ I said, revving the engine. The wind whipped past us as we sped towards Polovragi Cave, towards whatever trials awaited us there. If we could retrieve this Temporal Tether, maybe we’d have a chance at getting Kate back from the Iele. I just hoped we weren’t too late.