I got distracted for a while trying to see a joint that wasn’t there until he cleared his throat. It’s harder to control thoughts than you might think.
He smiled at me then took his place by the side of his mate, for lack of a better term. She tipped her head in a slow nod. I returned the gesture.
What did it mean that they sat on the dark side of the court? I wished I knew more about how their society operated, but no one had been willing to tell me anything.
“What would you like to know?” said a brown haired man from the light side. “You need only ask.”
I considered that for a moment. Was it so simple to get the information I needed?
I doubted it.
Suddenly the words Gibbit had last spoken to me resurfaced. Doubt is your only true foe.
Faith was the opposite of doubt, but I had never really been that good at conjuring it. I squared my shoulders, trying to make myself taller. “For one thing, what’s the deal with this room? Why is it split like this?”
I had heard that there was a light and dark court, but I didn’t really know what that meant.
One of the women on the light side spoke up. “Its purposes are not as ominous as you are imagining. The duality you see does not represent conflict but rather the way we complement each other. Light cannot exist without darkness and vice versa. It is a continuous circle of flow. We do not oppose each other. We merely represent contrasting forces of the same entity.” An image came to my mind of a circle encasing what looked like two little happy tadpoles chasing the other’s tail. She laughed. “I see you are familiar with yin yang. It is the same concept.”
“So which houses are dark and which are light?”
“I thought we were supposed to be asking the questions,” said a woman from the dark side.
I chuckled to myself imagining her as Darth Vader. She frowned at me. Guess she hadn’t been around for that one. “That’s fine,” I said. “But I would appreciate answers, as well.”
“The only answer we are concerned with at the moment is who you will bond with.”
I looked her square in the eyes. “I haven’t decided.”
“You’ve had more time than any of us…” she gestured toward the other women in the room. “…could have ever hoped for. What makes you so different than we were?”
I looked at the woman, steeling my expression. “Seems someone’s not happy with their union.”
Her companion went pale then jumped to his feet. “This is preposterous. Why are we asking her anything? We all know who should claim her.” Heads bobbed in assent.
“Seriously?” I asked softly. “I won’t pretend to know much about the prophecy, but from what I understand the choice is supposed to be mine.”
Some of them tried to hide their gasps, but just then Tabitha burst through the doors. “Why wasn’t I informed of this meeting?” she demanded, scanning the room of suddenly timid council members as if her freaky eyes actually worked.
The man that had greeted me initially got up and walked past me. He met her in the middle of the room. “We meant no disrespect, Mistress, but some of us wanted to meet this Elemental without having to call a formal hearing.”
Was I on trial or something? I glanced around at the inscrutable faces that were currently focused on Tabitha.
She gave a shake of her head and clomped over to me. “We had a deal, Rayla.”
I flushed. “I know.” I couldn’t quite bring myself to tell her I was sorry for running my own life. “I may have made a mistake in accepting Gibbit’s help, but I’m here now.”
She grabbed my arm. “And here you will stay.” She pushed me toward the man. “Yaron, I want her bound to a lord within the hour. If she has not chosen within that time, appoint someone. No more waiting.”
He actually flinched under her stare. “It will be done.”
I just shook my head. “Shouldn’t you people have it together a little better than this by now?”
Yaron faced me with a questioning look. To my surprise Tabitha joined him.
“I understand your fear where I am concerned. Believe me, the last thing I want is to be joined to Ainessa in any way, but I think you have missed a very important point.”
“We are better equipped to handle her betrayal than you could ever be, even with training,” said Tabitha. “Yes, young one. I know where you are headed with this, and I think it a bad idea.”
“I’m not suggesting that I know everything. And no, I’m not stupid enough to think that anymore. What I am saying is that if you insist that I bond with someone against my will, what will stop her from trying to usurp that union?” Images of Heath came into my mind unbidden. I tried to block them but it was no use.
Tabitha fixed her dove grey eyes on me. “You would risk much with your plan.”
I nodded. “Stop me if I am wrong, but the Order gave you all a huge surprise back on that island.”
“Your point?” Yaron asked.
I scanned the faces of the others. They still held those impenetrable expressions. “That’s only one facility among many.”
Yaron frowned. “How would you know that?”
“I have eyes,” I said acerbically. I recalled the map I had seen with all those bright pins stuck into it.
His eyes darted around as if he was scanning the image in my head. “They couldn’t have that many complexes. We would know.”
“Not if they were concealing them. Look. Have you all considered that you only knew about the island because they wanted you to?” When I got a few questioning glances, I continued. “What if it was all an elaborate trap that wasn’t just set for me? Ainessa wants to ignite some kind of germ.”
Gasps echoed around the room. So it was a big deal.
Tabitha sighed. “She might be right.”
“Might?” asked one of the women acidly.
Tabitha nodded. “My sight is limited where Rayla is concerned. There are too many possibilities for me to distinguish which is the likeliest.” She took my hand and closed her eyes. “Even with her this close to me, I cannot see every contingency.”
“You know I’m right,” I said. “I can’t make the best decision under this much pressure.” I focused on the floor, not wanting to see their expressions when I said this out loud. “I still don’t know what the Order has done with my family, and I am worried sick about them. If I only knew where they were…”
“We must fetch the boy,” Tabitha said. “He will know.”
“Roger?” Of course. I had been so consumed with what had been happening that I hadn’t thought to ask him again. I didn’t really think he would willingly tell us anything.
“There are ways,” said Yaron sharply.
I stared at him solidly. “No. I won’t let you torture him.”
“Who said anything about torture?”
I’d just figured that was how this whole thing worked. If Roger had been caught by the Order that was exactly what would have happened. “What were you talking about then?”
He shrugged. “Nothing more than a simple mind search. It would take Tabitha moments to do it.” He laughed at the thought I was having. “There are no side effects.”
“Why don’t you let me talk to him? At least give him a chance to tell you before you try coercion.”
The enormous doors opened. Roger stumbled into the room, shooting a disturbing look over his shoulder. He turned toward us calmly, scanning the group before his questioning gaze landed on me.
“Hi, Roger, thanks for coming,” said Tabitha.
“I’m not telling you a damn thing,” he said coldly.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
I stepped nearer. “They’ll find out what they want to know one way or another. You can at least be involved this way.”
He shut his eyes tight. “What do you want to know?”
I jumped right in before anyone else had the chance. “Where are they keeping my family?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know why you are so
worried; they aren’t going to be hurt.”
“You promised me that you would tell me after we were married, in fact, if I recall correctly, you said you would take me there. I’m going to hold you to that.”
He laughed. “That was assuming you would do as was expected of you.” He gave me a serious expression. “You and I both know that you didn’t.”
For some unexplainable reason I felt a blush creep up my face. “Please, Roger. We need to know what the Order is planning next.”
He yawned, shoving his hand through his blond hair. “I guess there’s really no point in pretending anymore. You can have it all. The only thing I want is a promise that my family will be protected.”
Yaron gave a slight nod. “I will send a squadron out now to retrieve them.”
I wondered where they were going to keep Roger’s family. I thought they didn’t allow humans to be in the fae realms.
Yaron looked at me sharply. “We must be willing to make exceptions when the need arises. We are not as set in our ways as you might think, Rayla.”
Roger’s gaze bounced between the two of us. “Am I missing something?”
Yaron faced Roger. “It will be done.”
Roger let out a sigh. “There are ten base camps that I know about. Well, I guess nine would be more accurate now. The camps are used for genetic matching. Elementals are assigned a mate based on most likely compatibility.”
“Are there other types of facilities?” I asked.
Roger rolled his eyes with a shake of the head. “I was getting to that. You know you really should learn some patience.”
All I said in response was, “Well?”
He began pacing the room. His shoulders were set tight and he seemed extremely uncomfortable. I supposed it was because what he was doing would be seen as a betrayal in the worst way.
“The Order is split into different divisions.” He turned toward me. “What you experienced was a relatively simple set up. Most of our, uh, their, facilities are high-tech. We’ve been meaning to update the island, but it never seemed the right time. Besides, we knew there was a possibility the fae would intercede with you involved. We also knew that Ainessa’s plan might not work.”
“What do you mean by that?” asked Yaron.
“She told us that if she was able to lure enough of you to the island, she might be able to obtain enough power to ignite the germ.”
“So it is true,” Yaron breathed. “We had hoped the rumor had been fabricated to scare us off. This changes everything.”
Not in my mind. The only thing that mattered was stopping the Order, and to do that we would all have to work together. I could tell Roger was stalling, but I wasn’t sure why.
“Where is my family being held,” I asked, wanting to skip to the part I was most concerned about.
“See. That’s the thing.” He smiled sheepishly. “I’m not sure that they are where they were.” He scanned the group of fae leaders. “There are really only two possibilities for what has been done with Rayla’s family. They are either still in Okefenokee—”
“Swamp!” I sputtered. Images of huge alligators and bugs the size of small cars dominated my mind.”
“It’s not as bad as you might think. If Rayla is done interrupting?”
Right. I nodded.
“Or they have been moved to a secure location that only Lambert knows about.”
“Which is the most likely?” asked Tabitha.
I had almost forgotten she was even here. Her face was ashen. Her expression grim.
I walked over to her. “What is it? What do you know?”
Her strange gaze attached to mine. “Nothing at the moment. Your worry cannot help your family. I suggest you calm down and let us get through this.”
I spun on my heel and took Yaron’s empty seat. I got some strange looks as if I had just done something sacrilegious, but I ignored them.
Tabitha turned toward Roger. “Please continue.”
“I think Lambert will most likely use them as bait. He knows Rayla will never stop until they are safe. He has the advantage.”
Yaron clasped his hands behind his back. “The more I come to know about these people the more I come to understand our mistake.”
The rest of the council nodded in agreement. Yaron’s companion stood. “Do you think it wise to follow Rayla’s suggestion? She has a point about Ainessa, but the humans are unpredictable and have shown themselves to be unstable. What if they were to kill her? Then what would we do?”
I felt my blood vessels constrict. Mr. Lambert would do whatever it took to get what he wanted, including killing me to use my body in the name of science if it came down to it. I could see him attempting such a thing if he thought he wasn’t going to win. But Ainessa would most assuredly do the same thing if she thought I was out of her reach.
“You make our point for us,” said Tabitha. “If you are bound, you are protected from death until you are returned to the mortal realm for good.”
Even though I didn’t want to admit it, I knew they were right. I would be taking an unnecessary risk if I went back unbound.
I wasn’t about to let the lords try to rescue my family without me, either. It was my family that we were talking about. I had to make sure they were safe.
The question that had been looming over me for weeks now came barreling into my mind again. How could I choose one of them? Should I pick a lord I knew I wouldn’t have a strong connection to, or should I pull a name out of a hat?
Tabitha stood in front of me. She reached toward my hand. I almost pulled my fingers back, but I let her close hers around mine. She gave me a quick smile then pulled her hand away.
“None of the lords will allow you to exclude him. I do not think it wise for you to choose right now, either. Your heart is still undecided.”
I wished she’d tell me something I didn’t already know. Maybe it was better to let them handle it. What was I thinking? I couldn’t just let them choose my future for me.
“Why not?” asked Yaron.
A scowl began to spread along my lips. I needed to be in control here.
“That is such a mortal sentiment,” he said evenly. “Control is nothing but an illusion. Anyone who will tell you differently is lying to you.”
“Maybe so, but what else is there?” I hissed.
Every head in the room snapped toward me. I hadn’t meant to call attention to myself, but that was what I had gotten. I might as well make the best of it. “Who of you would like others to make your choices for you?”
Tabitha released a slow breath. “Disaster follows this path.”
What was she saying? My heart constricted with my veins. My chest was so tight I could barely breathe.
“There might be another option,” said Yaron softly.
Everything inside of me waited for him to speak. I didn’t dare hope. Not yet.
Tabitha groaned. “How would that help us? She would still be vulnerable.”
“Not necessarily,” he replied. “If she is receptive, she will have more protection than we could hope for without a full bonding.”
I felt like screaming at them to let me in on their conversation, but I kept quiet. For the moment at least. If they didn’t start including me soon, I was going to turn around and walk right out of the room. I hadn’t even gotten to address the Elementals that were waiting for word.
Tabitha motioned for me to stop. “There is no need for that, Rayla. We already know your desires and we will agree to your terms on one condition.”
I nodded.
“You give wholly of yourself when the time comes.”
I glanced at her then Yaron expecting one of them to explain further. Neither seemed eager to be the first to speak.
When they did finally tell me the plan, I stood there stunned into silence. Not only did they expect me to be immediately bound to a lord, they wanted me to freely agree to tie myself to five. I’d thrown a fit a two year old would be proud of, but they assured me i
t wasn’t going to be a normal bonding. In essence, the lords would be my protectors until I could make a real decision. One advantage was that I would have fae regenerative capabilities. The only catch was I would still technically be mortal.
I already knew that there were different levels of bonding and that it didn’t have to be sexual to take, but this seemed ridiculous even to me. Five men in my head at the same time could only lead to problems.
I’d already spent longer in here deciding than I was supposed to. I kept thinking that at any moment one of the lords was going to burst into the room to tell me that he had refused to do it.
There was no way they were going to agree to this. Was there?
Even though I didn’t want to admit it, bonding with all of them would give me an impervious barrier where Ainessa was concerned. There was no way she could usurp five men at once. But what about the rest of my life in Faeresia? No matter how I pictured this ending, it wasn’t good.
I gazed at the divided room that stretched out in front of me, trying to ignore how much it reflected how I felt inside. Despite what I had been told today, I knew the houses were at odds. Was this a way to unite these people for good? If they all possessed part of my power then none could cry foul when Ainessa was taken care of. I still didn’t know how we were going to manage to stop her, either.
Something I hadn’t considered before settled into focus. If I agreed to do this, I wouldn’t have to carry this weight alone. The lords could help me.
I’d always thought being strong meant that I had to figure things out on my own, but was that really true? Could it be possible that it takes a stronger person to admit they need help than one who struggles alone?
I supposed there was only one real way to find out.
I picked myself up off the dais steps and made my way to the terrace on the top floor of the castle. A light breeze brought scents of heavenly spices with it. I stopped, taking a moment to steady myself. Only six people greeted me when I walked through the archway.
Five, I had fully expected, but the sixth made me recoil. They couldn’t be serious. Taylor was bound to Jessica. Hadn’t someone already told me they were happy together?
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