Chosen Fool (Forever Evermore #5)(45)

He didn’t even notice when I took a roll off his plate, feeding it to Tristan where he sat behind my chair.

Mrs Damon stated between bites of her meal, “I think I would have liked to see that play the others went to.” She flipped an agitated wrist at King Collins. “Next time, please inform us if there’s a change in activities, so we can attend if we wish.”

King Collins’s nod was humble, properly chastised. “I’ll do that in the future.”

Mr Damon grinned at me from across the table, munching on his own burger. “So, Caro, it’s not every day someone gets the slip on my son at the Temple. Not only that, you stole from him.” He winked. “Your background suited you well to escape our clutches.”

“Dad…” Leric growled before shaking his head at me. “I’m sorry, but decorum hasn’t ever been one of his finer traits.”

I forced a chuckle. “Your dad’s fine.”

Mr Damon examined my features. “What did you steal, anyway?”

“A way home,” I murmured, lifting a fry that tasted absolutely dreadful, my stomach still churning. “I achieved my goal.”

He blinked slowly. “You wanted to go home…so you snuck into his bedroom?”

I waved an absent-minded hand. “I stole the…” My brows puckered, glancing to Leric. “What was it called? The Pono Diamond, or something like that?” I shrugged a shoulder, my attention swinging back to Mr Damon. “You saw me use it in the memory. The Pono Diamond thing gave me that access.”

Leric chuckled quietly. “The Primal Diamond.” He tapped my nose lightly. “You stole it, and you didn’t even know what it was called?”

“I just knew it would take me home,” I stated candidly, gnawing on another fry.

His mom huffed. “You stole the Primal Diamond?” Her eyes were enormous as they swung to Leric. “She did give it back to you, didn’t she?”

Leric waved a hand. “Calm down, mom. I’m sure she’ll give it back soon.” He blinked, glancing down at me. “Sprite, you do know where my token is, don’t you?” Another blink, his eyes narrowing. “That bastard Philip Masterson didn’t take it from you, did he?”

Realizing a large majority of the spirits at the table were listening to the conversation, quiet as they ate, I went with the safe answer. I kept my tone apologetic. “I don’t have it anymore, Leric.” I made my gaze worried, darting my eyes back and forth between his. “I lost it a long time ago when Sin and I had to run.”

“What?” Mrs Damon practically shouted across the table.

Interesting. But I kept my worried gaze on Leric.

Waving a hand at his mom, he cupped my cheek with his other hand. “It’s all right, Sprite.” Again, I had to swallow down a shit-ton of bile as he kissed my forehead. “We can figure it out eventually, don’t upset yourself over it.”

“I am sorry,” I murmured, pulling my head away from him to peer up into his eyes.

“I know.” His lips quirked.

Acting properly remorseful, I peered down. My eyes dipped to everyone’s plates.

Which were empty enough.

And I sneezed.

All hell broke loose in that instant.

Elder Merrick, sitting on Leric’s other side, smashed his fist against Leric’s face.

Both of them tumbled onto the ground behind me.

King Collins blasted Mr Damon with a spray of icy water from his outstretched hands, throwing him across the room. He jumped to his feet, following and holding him immobile.

Brann tossed Mrs Damon across the room right behind her husband.

King Zeller blurred, grabbing Reese by the throat. He tackled him onto the table, and plates flew everywhere.

Elder Zeller blurred, knocking into Roselle when she stood shouting and throwing her arms out, and both of them hit the ground hard as he took her down.

Elder Farrar just raised a hand, a beam of gold shooting from his palm, and Tristan was floating in the air inside a gold bubble…until Elder Farrar flicked his hand. The bubble slammed to the ground, cracking, and knocked Tristan unconscious.

I bent over Tristan’s limp form as I glowed white, hearing all of the supposed spirit Elementals shouting when their power wouldn’t work. I chose a diamond dagger from my secret cache…and knifed Tristan with my glowing blade.

He awoke from the vicious stab, a wild noise erupting from his mouth. White ash poured from the wound, and abruptly he was no longer there. Except for a pile of tiger bones, a diamond collar, and a mist of pure white floating to the heavens.

“Holy shit,” King Zeller shouted over some of the few still battling, disgusted and shocked at the same time. He kept a hand on an unconscious Reese, staring wide-eyed at the bones then back to Reese. “They’re f*cking zombies, or some shit?”

Close enough.

Not saying a word, I quickly raced toward him before Reese woke. Pulling the stars’ fire down through the blade of my dagger, I stabbed him in the arm King Zeller held out for me. Like Tristan, white ash poured from the wound before Reese instantly became a pile of bones and clothes, a white mist rising into the air and disappearing.

This was how I worked, taking care of Roselle next.

Then Mr and Mrs Damon.

I saved the worst for last. I walked around the table with the shell-shocked Kings and Elders behind me, where Elder Merrick had Leric on his stomach in a complicated position so the Elemental couldn’t move at all. I motioned for the Elder to lift Leric’s head as I squatted in front of them. Elder Merrick grabbed a handful of Leric’s hair, yanking his bloody face up while keeping a firm grip on him.