"Does this even make sense?"
"It does." Aeryn was looking down, her hands forded on her knees. "Now it does. Everything Agatha did, why she asked us to protect Iris, why we had to alter the warding so she could enter the mansion. We thought she still had vampire blood in her system but it was actually the Traveler and Guardian blood that the warding was reacting to."
Connor intervened. "Then if she knew Iris was the Traveler, why go to so much trouble to get Dorian to summon the Fountain?"
Everybody looked at Aeryn. Aeryn looked at Kane.
"Because she had to be awakened," he said. "The Traveler inside her is dormant. Her ability to control the hounds is just a side effect. Her real power, the true Traveler, needs to be… well, activated, so to speak. The Fountain would have done that. Once her identity was revealed, the soul would have been awakened. Sadly, now we'll need to wait another two decades for that to happen because, as she is now, she's useless. She'll never be able to go up against the Council like this."
Iris listened. That was all she could do. Even breathing took an enormous amount of effort. Speaking or moving was out of the question. Kane's words were harsh but they matched the way she felt, inside and out, perfectly.
"It doesn't matter anymore," Lorelai said. "Dorian's dead. Connor killed him."
A tear rolled down on Iris' face as she remembered the two boys fighting in the woods, and then Dorian falling to the ground, but she was too weak to wipe it off. When it left her chin and fell on her hand, for the first time in her life she didn't feel a sting, like she used to every time water touched her skin.
"I have good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?" As with Kane, everyone jumped in their seats at the sound of a new voice joining them on the patio. Raven walked up to the table with quick, small steps, his hands tucked in the pockets of his jacket.
Lorelai sighed. "Is there anyone who's not going to dishonor us with their presence today?"
"Trust me, Lorelai, I'm just as happy to be here as you are." He threw something wrapped in a black cloth on the table. "By the way, you're welcome."
Aeryn leaned forward and unfolded the cloth, revealing the Amulet, now just a piece of red rock set in a yellow frame.
"You said you had news," said Cyrus.
Raven scratched his head and then ran his fingers through his dark hair. "Ah, yes. The good news is that Dorian's not dead. Yet." He looked at Connor. "He's been badly wounded but I managed to patch him up so, thankfully, he's still alive. For now." He turned to Cyrus. "The bad news is that he's gone."
"What do you mean gone?"
"He took off. Left town. Disappeared without a trace."
36
This Is Not the End
"Talk about playing the long game," said Lorelai. There was a mixture of spite and disgust in her voice. "All this time we've struggled to keep the Amulet safe, we never had a chance. We were doomed to fail from the start. The very people we pledged our lives to serve betrayed us."
Aeryn put her hand on her granddaughter's shoulder. "Lorelai..."
The girl pulled back. "What? You're going to tell me that this is bigger than us? That it's worth sacrificing our lives for it? Is this what we've been training for? Is this why we've wasted our lives for? The wounds, the bruises, the misery…" Tears filled her eyes and flooded down her face. She turned to Cyrus. "Now what? Are you going to take us in so we can be executed in front of the Council, or are you just going to kill us now and tell everyone that we died fighting the good fight?"
For the first time, Iris noticed something other than cold indifference in the man's eyes. For the first time, he didn't seem like an impartial observer, but a participant in the tragic events unfolding around him. When he spoke, his voice was thick with sorrow. "There is a way out. I can take Aeryn in. She's the eldest of your family, therefore responsible for your actions. She will be held accountable for allowing the Fountain to be summoned, but I think I can use the fact that you got rid of the hellhounds and the guarantee that you still have the Amulet in your possession to save you and your brother. You probably won't be Guardians anymore but at least you'll be alive."
Connor jumped to his feet. "No. We're not throwing Grandma under the bus to save ourselves."
"You will all die if you don't."
Lorelai got up too, her fingernails grating the table. "We'll tell the Council everything that happened!"
Cyrus insisted. "Even with Aeryn's impeccable reputation, it will still be her word against mine. Who do you think they'll be more inclined to believe? Join us. We're preparing for war and we could use you two on our side."
The twins answered at the same time. "No!"
"Connor, Lorelai." Aeryn's voice was calm, resigned. "It's the right thing to do."
Lorelai's eyes were red, her cheeks wet. "Grandma, we've been played. You're going to be executed for something you didn't do."
"It's how it's supposed to be."
Connor stepped in. "How can you be so calm about this? How can you trust him?"
Aeryn wouldn't budge. "I trust Agatha."
"You're asking us to join a group of rebels preparing to take down a regime."
She took her grandson's hand. "I'm asking you to help free a country. Our country."
Lorelai wiped her face with her hands. "How?! Dorian's gone, our second-hand Traveler is seriously defective and, come tomorrow, we won't be Guardians anymore, we'll be Dark Fae."
"You'll find a way. I have faith in you. And Connor. Plus, no matter what you're called from now on, you'll still be Guardians."
Aeryn stood up and hugged her granddaughter. This time, Lorelai didn't pull back. She remained in her grandmother's arms, sobbing on her shoulder. Aeryn ran her hand up and down the girl's back. After a while, Connor joined them, and the three of them stood there, embracing each other and crying.
Iris looked at them, her eyes filled with tears. The scene was heartbreaking to watch, and yet Iris thought that, even in that tragic situation, the Elwoods were still lucky that they had the chance to say goodbye. There were still so many things she hadn't had the chance to say to her grandmother before she died.
After Connor and Lorelai finally let go of their grandmother, she moved to Kane. Even he seemed saddened by the entire situation.
"You and I have been on opposite sides of the barricade for a long time," Aeryn began. "However, it seems that now we share the same goal. The children have been given a difficult task and they will need a lot of help to see it through. I hope you will be there to support and guide them in this dangerous journey."
"I will do everything in my power. I promise you."
Aeryn smiled a sad smile and rested her hand on his elbow for a few moments, then she moved on to Raven. "Your Highness." She took a bow. Raven seemed uncomfortable. "During one of my visits back to Aldera, many, many years ago, I had the honor of meeting your father. He was a great man and a great king and, although I was helpless in the matter, I never agreed to his dethroning and exile."
Raven's eyes filled with tears. In his seventeen years of life, it was probably the first time he'd heard those words. "Thank you."
"He would have been proud of you. I hope you'll meet again one day so he can see what a beautiful son he has. You can help make that happen. However, until then, take care of Dorian. He may have a special connection to Iris, but you're the one who knows him best and I think you're the only one who can find him now."
Raven ran the back of his hand over his eyes and nodded. "I will."
Aeryn took another bow and turned around to Iris. She smiled and put her hands on the girl's shoulders. "I know how you must feel right now—confused, betrayed, hurt, disappointed, helpless. Don't. You are the most important player in all of this." Iris started crying. Aeryn put her hands on the girl's cheek and wiped the tears with her thumbs. "I refuse to believe that the only way to release the power sleeping inside you is through the Fountain. I've known you since you were three. Whatever supernatural abilit
ies you may or may not have as a Traveler, your greatest power is your humanity. You are invincible, not because you're a Traveler, or a Guardian, or Fae, but because you're human. That's what gives you the courage to fight even battles that seem impossible to win. Never forget that."
When Aeryn was finished talking and took her in her arms, Iris couldn't speak because of the sobs. She wrapped her arms around the woman's waist, rested her head on her shoulder and just cried.
After a few moments, Aeryn let go and went to Cyrus. He'd already left the patio and was waiting for her on the lawn. When she was finally by his side, she turned around and looked at the others.
"This is not the end. It's a new beginning," she said, before she and Cyrus disappeared into the woods.
Dorian sat on the road rail, watching the sleeping town on the other side of the Silver Hollow Valley. The first sunrays were slowly creeping through the white mountain tops, chasing away the night and glistening on the surface of every window they met in their path. Thousands of sparks pierced through the fog that covered the town like the stars of a galaxy from the cosmic dark ages.
Soon, its little inhabitants would wake up and begin their daily routines like they did every day. To them, it was just another regular day. But for him, it was the end. The Fates had won. Every horrible thing that he'd been through, every moment when he'd had to stare death in the face, the one thing that kept him going was the hope that one day he would get to have his revenge. And now, even that had been taken away from him. His destiny was a joke—a big, cosmic joke. Of all the souls on the planet, why did it have to be her—the only one he could not harm? He closed his eyes and remembered Elizabeth Davenport's words. Revenge is not the answer. It never brings peace to the soul. She'd been right all along.
But then, what did bring peace to a soul like his? Death? Perhaps. He'd lived his entire life with just one purpose in mind and that purpose had just been destroyed, so what else was there for him other than death? But it seemed even that was hard to come by those days. He'd given Connor the chance to pay him back for all the heartache that Dorian had caused the Elwoods and the idiot failed. They call themselves Guardians but they can't even kill one bloody Dark Fae.
Or perhaps he would have, if Raven hadn't patched him up. How many times had he done that since they'd known each other? How many times had Raven saved his life? Dorian couldn't remember anymore. If Raven were there, he would probably tell him something he'd heard humans say, something cheesy, like that's what friends are for. Friends… Yes, if he were to believe in those things, then Raven would probably be the closest thing to a friend he'd even had. My friend, the things I said to you and the way I left may seem unfair, but the road I'm taking, you should not follow. You should find a way to clear your family name and become a king. You deserve to wear a crown and your people deserve a ruler like you. Be safe, Your Highness.
He got up and went back to his motorcycle. He put on his helmet, started the engine and turned around to have one more look at the town. He thought of Iris, the way she ran to save the Elwoods, her carrying him on her back, the horror in her eyes when she realized that Connor had just handed him to Vincent and how she was willing to sacrifice anything to save him…
Iris… I have never met anyone like you before and I don't believe I ever will, even if I were to live a thousand years. I hope that in the next life the Fates will have more mercy on our destinies and they will allow us to meet again, under different circumstances, where I'm not the one who's been desperately looking to kill you for over a decade and you're not a living reminder of my life's tragedy.
Iris, Raven, Connor and Lorelai were sitting on the patio steps. Iris was leaned against the balustrade, Raven was rolling a coin between his fingers, Connor had his head on his knees and Lorelai was looking at an invisible spot in the forest, where Cyrus and Aeryn had disappeared earlier. Her eyes were red, her face swollen, and she looked nothing like the usual, impeccable, invincible Lorelai that Iris knew.
Kane had left, taking Marion's body with him. Iris had protested but then Kane gave her a good reason why she should let him take her friend—Marion was not gone, she was transforming. She was dead, but she would soon come back to life, not as a human but as a vampire. Iris remembered the fountain pen that Dorian had given Marion right before he snapped her neck. It must have actually been a vial containing vampire blood.
Iris didn't know much about vampires—real ones, not those in books and TV shows—other than the fact that they were terrifying and deadly. The sole memory of the fight at the warehouse sent shivers down her spine. And the thought of Marion turning into one of them was unbearable. However, Kane had assured Iris that he was taking her friend precisely because he wanted to avoid that. He'd promised Iris that he would help Marion transition and adjust to her new condition without losing any bit of her humanity.
Still, Iris knew that Marion would never be the same. She didn't understand why her friend would choose such a life—feeding on blood and hiding from sunlight for the rest of eternity—but she must have had a reason. Iris just hoped that the reason wasn't revenge. It would break her heart seeing Marion go down the same dark path as Dorian.
Connor was the first to speak and Iris jerked at the sound of his voice. "So where do we go from here? Are we really going to do this?"
Lorelai took a deep breath and straightened her back, like she'd just been awakened from a very long sleep. "Oh, we're doing it alright. I'm not going to let Grandma's sacrifice be in vain and you all better get ready for it because if any of you even dreams about pulling back, so help me God!"
No one protested, although Iris knew that each and every one of them was afraid of the future, even Lorelai, who never seemed afraid of anyone or anything. They were about to embark on a journey that, if they managed to survive until the end, would eventually see them take on the most powerful group of supernatural entities that had ever existed. It seemed an impossible mission and the fact that they were all flawed in some way made it even more so. A broken Traveler, the son of an exiled traitor king and, if they managed to get Dorian back, three disgraced former Guardians going up against the Council of Seven, the highest authority of the supernatural world. It seemed like the beginning of a bad joke. And still, they were going to do it anyway.
"So what's our next move?" Connor asked.
Raven slipped the coin in his pocket. "We need to find Dorian. And fast."
"Do you really think he'll come back and join us? After he tried to kill Iris?"
"He didn't try to kill her."
"He did. I was there," said Connor.
Raven got up, went down the steps and turned to face the others. "Even after everything you've just heard, you still believe that? Don't you see? His entire life, the endless tortures, the hunger, the fights… The one thing that got him through all that was the thought that one day he'd be able to avenge his parents' deaths. And when he finally got there, he found out that the person he'd been looking for was the one person on this planet he could never hurt."
Iris remembered the look on Dorian's face when he realized that the woman in the Fountain's globe was her. She'd never seen anyone so heartbroken. He looked like someone who'd just lost their entire world.
"If he didn't want to kill her then why…" Connor stopped mid-sentence and Iris instinctively turned to look at him. His eyes were wide, his mouth half-open, as the answer to his own question took form in his mind. Next to Connor, Lorelai's face mirrored her brother's. A moment later, Iris too realized what they were thinking. He wanted to die.
Raven looked at each and every one of them before he spoke. "Like I said, we need to find Dorian. Fast."
THE END
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The Fountain of Truth (Tales of the Dark Fae Book 1) Page 32