“Don’t hold my absence against me, little diviner.” Pol smirked. “I had a bit of a dalliance. A brandy so fine should be savored, so forgive me for not rushing back.”
Meli’s forehead wrinkled. “That still doesn’t explain why you’re here.”
“True.” Pol’s face tipped up, and the crack of energy tinted his pale skin an eerie red. “You know, I’d hoped this would happen. But nothing is guaranteed.”
Eyes narrowing, Meli took a step forward. “Did you make sure I reached Moranaia for this very purpose? I’ve spent a lot of time wondering why you helped someone so unimportant as me. At least, unimportant in the grand scheme of things.”
Pol chuckled softly. “All of life is a grand scheme. However, I must remind you that I only help people I like. Voluntarily, at least.”
Without warning, energy throbbed through the cavern, hitting Selia’s shields so hard she stumbled. She grabbed for a stalagmite to steady herself as she reinforced her protections with help from the crystal in her hand. Meli wavered on her feet, only Pol’s hand keeping her upright. Delbin tripped and fell against the side of the cave, and Kai dropped to his knees, his palms shoved against his temples. Only Inona kept her footing completely.
As quickly as it had hit, the wave of power was gone.
“Fuck,” Kai muttered.
A few paces away, Inona glared at Pol. “What did you do?”
“Inona…” Meli began.
“That was no coincidence,” Inona said as Delbin limped back to her side, rubbing his hip. “It was an attack.”
Selia’s brows rose at the hint of panic creeping into Meli’s eyes. The younger woman tried to shake her head at Inona, but the scout ignored the signal. “Step away from Meli, stranger, or I will—”
Laughter rang out, and although Pol released Meli, it was only to brace his hands on his knees while he gave in to his mirth. Little sparks drifted from his hair as he chuckled, but he didn’t seem to notice. And when he finally grew quiet and straightened, his lips still twitched with repressed humor.
Inona, on the other hand, tightened her grip on her knife until her knuckles whitened—the only part of her not flushed red with anger. “You should not mock me.”
“Come now,” Pol said. “I like you too much to exclude you.”
The scout opened her mouth, but no sound emerged. Meli stepped between the two, offering Pol a smile. “She doesn’t know you, of course.”
“No one does.” He waved his hand dismissively. “I’ll spare your friend and get to the point. If you try to tap into this rift right now, you will die. All of you.”
Fear slammed into Selia more effectively than the energy pulse. She’d considered doing that very thing when they’d discussed this mission, and even now, that jagged line of power beckoned. If he was telling the truth, she might have killed them all attempting to access it. But why? She hadn’t intended to do anything that would widen the crack in the spell holding the rest of Earth’s energy back. A probe should have been simple enough.
Kai stood, swaying slightly as he frowned at Pol. “My…father seemed certain he could connect to the fissure. I should be able to, as well.”
Pol snorted. “You are not Naomh, and he’s a fool if he treats you as though you are. But then, his father wasn’t very bright, or he would have realized that Caolte’s mother was…more than she seemed.” He gestured at the walls around them. “Do you feel the energy of this place the way he believes you should? No.”
Kai’s eyes narrowed. “You know a great deal about my Sidhe father for one of the Ljósálfar.”
“One of the Ljósálfar? Perhaps foolishness does run in your bloodline.” Pol shook his head, a mocking tilt to his lips. “Listen, for I will say this only once. Kai will guard the strands binding Earth to the other planes, Aris and Kezari will heal the poison, and Selia will stand as guard.”
Selia froze, her blood chilling at the man’s words. If he was a man. For he had been long gone before Aris and Kezari had arrived, and as far as she knew, he had no reason to be aware of their names. Pol could be a seer, Selia supposed, but it didn’t seem likely. The way Meli had reacted to him told a tale all its own.
“What do you mean by that?” Kai demanded.
“Just what I said.” Pol glanced at each of them in turn, and when his eyes met hers, Selia froze like a daeri in Kezari’s sight. “Bring him here tomorrow,” he said, and there was no mistaking that he was talking to her.
Between one heartbeat and another, he was gone. No blur of movement or puff of smoke. If the others didn’t appear as stunned as she felt, Selia would have believed his presence a dream. Whoever he was, Pol was no Ljósálfar. He was no elf at all as far as she could tell.
“Oh, this can’t be good,” Meli whispered. “Not if Loki is involved.”
Selia’s brow creased. That name sounded familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it. Did anyone else besides Meli know him? Inona appeared as puzzled as Selia, Delbin’s expression shifted between amused and concerned, but Kai… Kai’s entire demeanor had turned stony. Was it because of the stranger’s identity or the words he had said? She wasn’t certain she knew him well enough to ask.
“Who is this Loki?” Inona said.
Delbin laughed, though a hint of worry lingered around his eyes. “He’s the Norse trickster god.”
“That’s one way to put it.” Meli’s lips thinned, but Selia couldn’t tell if it was with concern or annoyance. “In any case, where he goes, change happens. Whether it’s good or bad is anyone’s guess.”
Wonderful. Selia stared at the rift in the center of the chamber and tried not to think too hard about what would have happened without Pol’s—Loki’s—warning of danger. Ignoring a random elf was one thing, but a god? No.
Now she just had to figure out how to get Aris down here without driving him insane.
Double wonderful.
Iren grabbed another pebble and ran his fingers along the smooth surface. He wanted to fling it at the nearest tree, but he couldn’t bring himself to risk harming it. So instead, he skipped the stone along the stream as he had the others and watched as it sank after two hops. Not bad over moving water.
He’d wanted his father to come home for as long as he could remember, but now that he had him, nothing was going right. Iren didn’t care about the torture. Well, fine, he cared, obviously. But it didn’t change his opinion of his father. As much as Iren had suffered from the loss, now he knew it was nothing compared to what Onaial had gone through. That brought a terrible kind of comfort.
When Iren had first seen his father standing in front of the entrance to Braelyn, his heart and his hopes had soared. His mother loved him, as he did her, but she babied him. His father the adventurer wouldn’t do that. Onaial would see how big he’d become and encourage him to push beyond the rules. Maybe he would even find Iren worthy of training.
Iren snorted. Apparently not.
“I thought your father would pick this future strand.”
At the sound of his friend’s voice, Iren spun. Eri smiled at him from the garden path, tendrils of her dark hair peeking from beneath her cloak. “That bad?” he asked.
“No.” Her nose wrinkled. “Really, Iren, what were you thinking? If his life energy triggered yours, it could make you lose control of your other powers. Unlike you, he doesn’t have the talents of the traditional mage, too. Did you want to blow up the estate?”
Heat climbed Iren’s neck. “I…no.”
Her smile turned impish. “Oh, don’t get upset. There are other ways you can prove yourself.”
His heart pounded harder at that. If Eri suggested an alternate method, she always had a good reason. Sometimes, it was great having a seer as a friend. Well, all the time, as far as he could tell. “Like what?”
“Come on.” She darted forward and grabbed his wrist in her small hand. “My parents are at the construction site today, so we can talk in my room.”
Curious, he let her pull him along. This was go
ing to be good.
Chapter 20
Aris was really, really tired of waking up dazed after some procedure—or after being rendered unconscious during a fit of madness. But this time, he felt…different. He extended one arm and then the other. No sign of strain. He flexed his legs and rolled his ankles before drawing his knees up.
His breath eased out, and his body sagged into the mattress. No pain. None.
“Feeling better?”
At the sound of Lial’s voice, Aris opened his eyes. The healer leaned over him with a somber expression, but he sounded calm. “Much,” Aris said. “All went well?”
“It took a fair bit of time to accelerate the healing, but your bones are knit properly and should stand up well to activity.” Lial shoved a damp tendril of hair aside, and it was then that Aris noticed the sheen of sweat on his brow and the lines of exhaustion bracketing his eyes. “Though if I can avoid having to break someone’s body on purpose for a few centuries, I’ll be well pleased.”
Aris winced. “Sorry.”
Lips twisting wryly, Lial straightened. “Try not to get captured and tortured again and we’ll call it even.”
Aris surprised himself by chuckling. He pushed upright and stretched again as the healer stepped back. When had his muscles last felt so good? For a moment, he let himself savor the feeling of wholeness. If the Myern held a running competition during the coming autumn festival, Aris could likely win it.
Then his gaze landed on Tynan on the far side of the room, almost hidden in the shadows cast by the setting sun. His body was turned away from Kezari, who sat cross-legged on the floor a few arm-lengths away. I hope they haven’t been arguing. Kezari stared at Aris, not seeming to notice the mind-healer, but her shoulders angled a bit toward Tynan.
Aris lifted his brows. “Did I lose control of my magic? You two look somber.”
“We…almost had an incident,” Lial said, his nostrils flaring at the words. “But Kezari and Tynan kept it under control. I still do not understand why that segment of your brain was activated with all sensation cut off, but I am glad I followed my instinct to have a mind-healer present for the procedure.”
“It is good that your spawn was not present,” Kezari said. She jerked her head toward Tynan. “This one was complication enough.”
The mind-healer bristled. “I did not make an error this time.”
“You are a distraction,” she grumbled.
Aris smiled—until their words sank in. Iren. Would his son still be upset by their earlier disagreement? He tugged his hands through his tangled hair until it was something resembling smooth. Then he leaped from the bed. Lial’s lips turned down, but Aris lifted a hand before he could say anything.
“I want to check on my son.” Aris shifted on the balls of his feet and sighed in satisfaction when his muscles flexed smoothly. “I don’t suppose you could give me directions through the twisted maze of this place?”
Lial’s eyes narrowed in thought for a moment. Then he nodded. “I sense him with Eri in her family’s rooms. I’ll walk with you to the base of their tower if you like.”
Aris nodded. “Please.”
Although the healer wasn’t unfriendly, he spoke little as they descended the stairs and traversed the winding garden paths. That was fine with Aris. It was awkward enough that a virtual stranger knew the worst details of his life—inane small talk would only make it worse. A cold, damp gust of wind flowed around them, and Aris shivered, suddenly regretting not grabbing his cloak. Luckily, Lial stopped at the base of a stone tower before he could grow too chilled.
“Ralan’s rooms are at the top of the stairs,” the healer said.
“Thank you,” Aris said, holding Lial’s gaze. “For everything, I mean. Not just the escort. If you ever have need of my aid, I offer it freely. I might not be able to heal, but life energy is a powerful force.”
The healer’s eyebrows rose, a sign that he hadn’t expected such an offer. “Let us hope I never encounter anything that requires such strength.”
“Indeed,” Aris said with a smile.
Then Aris turned away and strode into the tower.
A scream ripped from Fen’s throat as he jerked upright. He clawed at his heaving chest, but no physical wound marred his flesh. The pain was inside, splintering beneath his heart. Frantic, he dug his fingernails into his skin in a futile attempt at distraction.
But nothing eased the agony.
When the wave of pain finally passed, he came to slow awareness. His forehead was pressed to his upturned knees. When had he curled up? Something wet trickled down his leg and slid beneath his fingers. His face and chest felt damp, too, as though someone had dumped a bucket of water over him while he slept. The tinny but sweet smell of blood wafted around him.
What the hell?
Every muscle in his body protested when he unclenched his hands enough to straighten. He groaned as pain shot up his shoulders and down his legs, but it had to be done. The longer he stayed curled up, the stiffer he would become.
Fen rubbed at his eyes and then glanced down at his chest, only to freeze in horror. Partially dried blood coated his skin in rivulets from where his nails had dug in, the furrows barely closed. After a quick examination, he found similar marks on his legs.
The price he paid for ingesting Kien’s blood, it seemed. The bastard must have sent the rending spell through his own blood link to Earth, and since Fen bore a bit of that blood within him, he’d been linked to the process. Nothing else made sense. But what had caused such unexpected pain? He’d borne the pulses of energy for over a week with only mild discomfort.
The door clicked open, and Vek strode in, only to halt as soon as he caught sight of Fen. “I hope you killed whoever did that to you.”
“I’m not suicidal, so no.” Fen gave a self-conscious shrug. “You took your sweet time coming in here. Pretty sure I made a lot of noise.”
Vek’s expression shuttered. “I was out.”
Ugh. He could just imagine what his uncle had been doing—finding blood. Fen’s stomach rumbled in envy, even though blood did nothing for his physical hunger. His energy was getting low enough that he was tempted to lick his own leg in search of sustenance. It wouldn’t provide him any extra magic, but…
“Your fangs are out,” Vek said.
“I’m fucking starving.” Fen shoved himself to his feet, ignoring the agony movement brought, and rushed past his uncle into the hall. If he didn’t shower soon, the smell would drive him crazy. “I’ve had enough. I’m going to go feed. Then I’m going to find Maddy and see if she can do something about this poison.”
Vek grabbed Fen’s upper arm, pulling him around. “Aren’t you forgetting something? You’re bound here, and feeding will only make the poison worse.”
“Says who?” Fen jerked free of his uncle’s grip. “I’m covered in my own goddamned blood from marks I made in mindless agony. Obviously, hunger didn’t prevent that, did it? So fuck off with your patronizing shit. If it takes the last of my energy, I’m busting out of here. I’m not going to die screaming in bed.”
Vek’s lips pinched tight, and for a moment, Fen thought he would argue. But his uncle surprised him by nodding. “Fine. There was an energy pulse not long ago. If they’re starting to hurt you, then…then I am not certain what we can do. My shield is apparently not enough. We need to go to the cave.”
Fen stared at his uncle’s pained expression. Vek actually appeared concerned, and that was almost worse to Fen than waking up in his own blood. His uncle typically alternated between cold arrogance, cool disdain, and exasperated annoyance. He must be consumed with worry for it to show.
“Let me shower,” Fen said softly. “Then we’ll head out.”
Vek nodded and turned toward the living room without another word.
His uncle’s easy capitulation drove Fen’s fear deeper. He rubbed his hand across his aching chest and hurried into the bathroom. The answer had to be out there.
Somewhere.
&n
bsp; The little girl opened the door before Aris reached it. Unlike the cheer she’d displayed on their last meeting, her lips curved down like a bow, and a thin line of annoyance hollowed between her eyebrows. What was her name again? Eri?
“Yes, I am Eri,” she said, making a shiver trace through him. “And I am mad at you. There were eleven better strands you could have taken, you know. Now everything is going to be harder.”
How…how old was she? Aris studied her young face, far too small to bear such words. She crossed her arms, staring back boldly, and even if Selia hadn’t told him, he would have guessed she was a princess of Moranaia. It wasn’t just her unusual golden eyes and dark black hair, traits shared by Prince Ralan and his siblings. It was the authority she carried at such a young age.
Gods help her parents.
“Perhaps I will do better next time,” he said.
She grinned, a child once more. “There’s a good chance of it. Come on. Iren is pouting in my room.”
Aris followed her through a living area, tidy save a couple of abandoned dolls. He eyed those doubtfully. Did the prince have another child? Because Aris found it difficult to believe that a powerful seer like Eri played with something so mundane, even at her age. Though maybe she used them to practice delivering prophecies to hapless adults.
When she pushed open the door to her bedroom, Aris’s gaze went immediately to Iren. His son glared out the window into the fading light. “Guess you didn’t destroy anything without me there to help,” Iren said.
Eri tugged at Aris’s wrist to get his attention. “I’ll wait in the front room.”
“Thank you, Eri.”
Aris waited until the door closed behind him to approach his son. Without a word, he lowered himself into the seat next to Iren. Then he waited. They sat that way for several drips of time, both of them staring into the dusk-coated branches beyond the window.
“I’m not a baby,” Iren finally said.
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