“What’s going on?” Crimson padded barefoot to the kitchen, drying her hair with a fluffy towel. “Who’s this little guy? He’s cute.”
“My name is Max. It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am.” He held out his paw.
“Oh, you’re a fae.” Crimson shook his paw and straightened. “Does that mean Pete got his memories back?”
“No, ma’am. I’m afraid not.” Max wrung his paws.
“Bummer,” Crimson said. “What’s this about Destiny being kidnapped?”
She took a bowl from a cabinet and filled it with water as Pete explained the incident in the bakery and how Max had come to warn him. A crystal pendulum hung from a hook above the window, and she stood on her tippy toes to take it down.
“But it’s the middle of a sunny day.” Mike frowned, his eyes calculating.
“She’s a goddess-touched fae goose with no human form,” Pete said. “It seems her lack of humanity made her invincible to UV rays.”
“Well, if she’s in this realm, I’ll find her.” Crimson held the pendulum above the water bowl and closed her eyes, whispering a prayer before swinging the chain in wide circles. Frown lines creased her forehead.
Pete’s hands curled into tight fists, and Max scrambled onto a stool to see the witch work her magic. Mike rubbed his palm on his pants, extinguishing the pale red glow that had formed on his skin.
Seconds turned into minutes, and Pete reminded himself to breathe. Helga the golden goose. Why did she sound so familiar to him? Surely, they weren’t friends in the past. He would never associate with someone who would abuse theelfenlike Max had described. And what had the raccoon called her? The poultry thorn in his side?
“She’s hidden well,” Crimson finally said. “I’ve asked my guides for help finding them both, but angels and fae are elusive. Since they aren’t native to this realm, they aren’t grounded here.”
All the blood from his upper body plummeted to his feet, making his head spin. If the high priestess of the most magical city on Earth couldn’t find his angel, he was screwed, and not in the battery-powered bunny way.
“Max, you know Helga,” he said. “Think. Where would she take her?”
He shrugged. “You know her better than I do, sir. You’ve always had beef.”
“Beef?” He furrowed his brow. What beef could he possibly have with a goose?
“Yes, sir. As I said, she’s always been jealous that Eostre chose you.”
He groaned and knocked the heel of his hand against his head, trying to jar the memories loose. “That’s really what this is about? Jealousy?”
“‘An act of hubris is all it takes to bring about the end of days.’ That was the third line from the prophecy.” Crimson swung the pendulum again. “She sounds like the epitome of excessive pride.”
“‘Balance dies when birds lie.’” Pete’s nostrils flared as he blew out a slow breath. “Helga lied to Eostre. She offered help when she meant to take over the whole operation.”
Crimson nodded. “You’ve forgotten your past. Destiny is awry.”
“Oh, dear.” Max shrunk inward. “The fifth line.”
Pete counted the lines on his fingers as he recited the prophecy Eostre had told to them. “The fifth line is just about Fate willing it. We already knew Fate was playing us like a game of checkers.”
Max frowned, his eyes perplexed. “That’s the sixth line.”
Crimson ticked them off on her fingers. “No, it’s definitely the fifth.”
Max covered his snoot with his paws. “She didn’t tell you all of it.”
“Okay.” Pete crossed his arms. “Then what’s the real fifth line?”
The raccoon shook his head and covered his eyes.
“Max…?” Pete gripped his wrists and gently tugged his paws away from his face. “What’s the fifth line?”
His lower jaw trembled. “I can’t.”
