by Amy Sumida
I stood back and held Brevyn so he could better see the photographs. He giggled in delight as I took him through the house, seeing bits of Ull in every room. Finally, we came to a study and I was pulled towards the desk by the feeling of power tingling over my arms. I bounced Brevyn in one arm as I stared down at a large, leather clad book. This felt familiar.
“Is this what we came for?” I looked to Brevyn and he waved his hands excitedly at me. “I'll take that as a yes.”
I pushed back the black cover and laid my hand over the first page. It was hand-written in faded sepia ink. The style was antique, much too loopy to be modern, and the words were in another language, one I didn't recognize... all but one word that is; Ull. This was obviously Ull's spellbook.
“And now it will be yours,” I said to Brevyn as I closed the book and tucked it under Brevyn. “Alright, my godling, we had best get back to Faerie before your dragon father has a fit.”
I was just contemplating the long walk we'd have home from the Great Tree, when the Aether opened up and sucked the both of us in. We rushed through the realms and popped out into Faerie right where we'd left; the rocking chair. I gasped and dropped the book. It thudded to the floor but I couldn't hear it hit, not over the commotion which filled Castle Aithinne.
“Oh, you've done it now,” I said to Brevyn as I picked up the book.
I stood and laid the book on the rocking chair before I hurried out of the nursery. Rian wasn't in his crib, the room was entirely empty, but his baby wails carried in from the hallway so I had a good idea of where he was. The cries blended with Dexter's howling and Arach's shouting. I ran towards the clamor my family was creating, hoping to catch Arach before he did anything rash.
“Arach!” I called out to my husband from the same railing he'd stood at earlier.
He was standing on the stairs, Rian in his arms, shouting to faeries who were running past him in all directions. Dexter was sitting on his haunches beside Arach, howling pitifully. Everyone froze when they heard my voice and they stared up at me in shock.
“Vervain?” Arach gaped at me as Rian and Dexter both instantly went quiet. “How?” He ran up the stairs but Dexter beat him to me. The nurial began purring as he rubbed against my legs but Arach pushed past him to pull me and Brevyn into his chest. “What in all of Faerie just happened?!”
“Nothing in Faerie, we were in the Human Realm.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
I explained to Arach what Brevyn had done and then I had to explain it to the High King of Faerie. It hadn't occurred to me in the midst of it all but Brevyn had done more than one impossible thing when he had traced us into the Human Realm. The only place in Faerie which was open to the Aether was the Great Tree at the End of the Road. The rest of Faerie was completely warded against tracing; either in or out. The only way around this restriction was my Ring of Remembrance, which functioned through time, not just space, and wasn't bound by wards.
“Your son must be a wayfarer,” High King Cian declared in awe. “And a powerful one at that. None have shown their magic as early as Prince Brevyn.”
“He can't be a wayfarer,” I shook my head. “He's not fey.”
“Well no god could break through a faerie ward,” King Cian scowled. “Especially not one placed by the High King of Faerie himself.”
“Actually,” I thought about it. “I know one who might be able to do it.”
“Who?” Cian asked immediately and Arach subtly shook his head.
“I can't say,” I held up a hand when Cian started to speak. “It would be a betrayal. Just know that he would never destroy your wards unless he was forced to do so.”
“Alright,” King Cian sighed. “So one god may be able to. That hardly gives credence your claim that Prince Brevyn is merely a god.”
“He isn't merely anything,” Arach growled.
“My apologies, King Arach,” Cian waved my husband back. “That's not how I meant it.”
“We were told that Brevyn will have the ability to choose his magic,” I informed Cian. “I think this was his way of experimenting.”
“Experimenting?” Cian's snowy brows lifted over his golden eyes.
“I think he's trying to settle on a magic,” I nodded.
“And what magic was that, which allowed him to pierce my wards not once but twice?” Cian narrowed his eyes on me.
“I don't know,” I shrugged. “Un-magic maybe, a power to unmake spells.”
Cian gasped and Arach shot me a grim look. If Brevyn did choose such a magic, he'd have to keep it secret, like Torrent did. We couldn't let the High King know that our son had the ability to unmake our very realm.
“I'm just reaching here,” I hurried to cover up my mistake. “That's an impossible magic.”
“I should hope so,” Cian huffed in relief. “Well, keep me apprised of the situation and please watch your son carefully.”
“Yes, High King,” Arach and I nodded.
The mirror went foggy and then cleared to reveal our worried faces.
“But I often believe in six impossible things before breakfast,” I whispered.
“Do you really think he was using the unmaking magic, like Torrent does?” Arach asked me, ignoring my Alice quote.
“I don't know,” I chewed at my lip and went to sit down at the small table we had near our bedroom window.
The twins were back in their nursery with Granuaile and part of me wanted them near. So much had been happening, it left me feeling anxious. At least Dexter was in there with them. Ever since Brevyn and I had returned, Dex had been unwilling to let the boys out of his sight. And Dex may be a big old softy with me but a full grown nurial could do some serious damage. He was more than competent enough to guard the boys.
“What did it feel like?” Arach took a seat across from me. “You've traveled with Torrent through the Aether and watched as he unmade magic. Did traveling with Brevyn feel like that?”
“No,” I lifted my face to his in revelation. “No, it didn't. It felt like...”
“What?”
“Like the wards weren't even there,” I struggled to explain. “We never even paused, Arach. With Torrent, we had to wait while he worked his magic. It took time. Effort. Brevyn just pulled us through as if the wards were the same as everything else.”
“What?” Arach frowned.
“There was no difference between the wards and the Aether,” I struggled to explain. “Torrent once told me that he could see spells, like he could see programming code in the Internet, and all he had to do was alter the configuration to unmake the magic; untie the knot. This felt like Brevyn had gone deeper than that, beyond the knot and through its very heart. The wards just opened up and welcomed him past. They untied themselves for him; reality altered to suit his wishes.” A shiver coasted over my skin as I said the words and my stare connected with Arach's.
“Altered?” He whispered as his skin went even paler than it was. This in turn frightened me further, it was so rare that I saw Arach scared. “Do you understand what kind of power our son could hold?”
“No,” I huffed. “I don't understand any of this. But I'm hoping that it's only temporary. A side effect with this choosing period that he's going through.”
“You think it will settle down once he makes a choice?”
“I hope so,” I whispered. “If not, we'll have to do more than put glass in the windows.”
“The book,” Arach stood. “Where is it?”
“I left it in the nursery,” I followed after him when he immediately started out of the room. “I don't see how it will help. I can't even read it.”
“Maybe I can,” he opened the nursery door and strode over to the rocking chair, where the book still lay right where I'd left it.
“My King?” Granuaile looked over from where she was rocking Brevyn in his cradle.
“Everything is fine, Granuaile,” he reassured her. “We just needed this book.” He ushered me back out of the room and closed the door behind
us. “Come with me, Vervain,” he strode down the hall to his study and laid the book on his massive desk. “Close the door,” he said absently as he sat in the chair behind his desk and flipped back the cover.
“Come with me,” I mocked. “Close the door.”
“Vervain,” he growled.
“I'm coming,” I huffed and went to sit on the arm of his chair. It's actually a huge chair and the arm is padded, so it's more comfortable than it sounds.
“This is Norse,” he declared as he looked over the writing. “Old Norse.”
“You can read it?” I was impressed.
“Isleen taught me,” he nodded.
“Oh, right,” I remembered that Isleen had a history with the Norse gods. She was in fact, currently dating Mimir; a Norse giant god (as in a real giant, not just a big guy like Odin). “So what does it say?”
“It says the book belongs to Ull,” he waved at the first page and then started to flip through it. “There are several spells in here written by Odin.”
“That makes sense,” I nodded. “He was Ull's grandfather.”
“There are spells for opening locks but nothing for destroying wards,” Arach shook his head.
“Well that wasn't one of Ull's abilities. Nor is it a general god magic,” I shrugged. “What did you expect; a page explaining what's happening to Brevyn in great detail?”
“I guess I was hoping for some kind of clue,” Arach's shoulders drooped. “Wait, what's this?” He pulled an envelope out of the pages and turned it upright. It had my name on it.
“Sons of Anarchy,” I whispered and snatched it out of his hands.
“Hey now,” he grumbled.
“It's addressed to me,” I said absently as I opened the envelope. Inside was a letter, written to me by Ull. “Dear Vervain,” I read it aloud. “Rain came to see me yesterday. He had a warning for me. He said that he saw my death,” I stopped and took a shaky breath. My eyes watered and I had to put the letter down.
“A Thaisce,” Arach whispered and gently took the letter from me. “Let me, my love.” He straightened the letter and began to read where I'd left off. “Rain said I had a choice to make; I could stand beside you in battle and die or I could avoid my death and you would die instead,” Arach inhaled sharply and looked up to me.
“Oh, Ull,” I cried, holding my hands to my face. “You saved me twice.”
“Yes, it appears that he was a hero long before he was ours,” Arach pulled me into his lap and kissed my forehead. “Shh now, he's with us. He's safe again.”
“Go on,” I nodded to the letter.
Arach spread it on the table and continued reading, “I was scared at first and spent many hours trying to come up with a plan to save us both. In the end, I realized that it was useless. If there was such a plan, Rain would have told me of it. And then a strange peace came over me and I knew this was what was meant to be. Rain told me that if I chose your life over mine, you would then offer me another choice in return; that of being brought back into a new body or being reborn as your son,” Arach stopped and looked up at me.
I nodded for him to continue, I couldn't speak.
“There is a lot which I hold dear in my life,” Arach cleared his throat and swallowed hard. “I have my family, the Squad, and Kaitlin. I have finally found love and every piece of me wants to hold on to that. But even with such wonderful gifts, I have long been unsettled. My magic feels tight inside me, pressed down like a metal spring ready to burst free. It wants to hunt, it wants to judge, and I want neither of those things. I'm so tired of death and scrutiny. I'm tired of binding people to their word. I'm tired of oaths and killing. I know you understand how horrible it feels to have your magic working against you. I cannot bear it anymore and now I am presented with a way out.”
“Stop,” I whispered and took the page from him. “I need to finish this myself.”
“Alright,” Arach took my free hand as I read the rest of Ull's letter.
“I know you'll do right by me and when I think of having you for my mother, the heaviness on my heart lifts,” I sniffed back the tears and went on. “Take care of Kaitlin for me, tell her that I love her and I'll return to her if I can. Tell my family that I love them too, that blood ties made no difference to me. Thor has always been my father and Odin my grandfather. Vidar and Vali are my true uncles and you Vervain, you were my grandmother once. I never brought it up, didn't want it to alter our friendship, but I remember Sabine fondly. You were mourned by more gods than Odin. I know the mother you will be and I ache to have that for myself, to truly be born of a woman like you. So tell my family that this was my choice and not to grieve for me, for I don't. Tell Thrud especially, to not give you a hard time. I know my sister can be a bit of a... well, I'm sure you'll see. Tell them all that I chose to be reborn long before you offered me the choice. I chose a new life and a new magic; faerie magic. I'm growing excited now; contemplating the possibility of becoming something I never thought I could be; a faerie. I can't wait to discover what kind of magic it will bring me. And I wish I could be there to see the look on Arach's face when you tell him I'm to be his son.”
“So Rain didn't see the separation of the twins,” Arach mused. “Ull thought he was going to be fey.”
“How could Rain see it?” I shrugged. “I changed that future. But wait, there's more,” I held up the paper. “Please know that I'm happy with this decision; happy that you will live on and I will become a bigger part of your life. I don't know when or even if you will ever find this letter but I hope my soul will remember and lead you to it because I want you to know, Vervain, that you have given me the greatest gift. Thank you, my dear friend- soon to be my mother. And it's signed; Your new son... pick a good name, will ya? And not one of those silly flowery fey names,” I choked on a laugh and laid my head against Arach's chest.
“Well, at least we did right by him on that account,” Arach chuckled and took the letter from me. He folded it neatly and placed it back in the book. “We'll hold on to this for him and when he gets older, he can read it.”
“So he knows his past,” I nodded.
“And now we know how to guide him into choosing his magic.”
“How's that?” I sat up and looked at him.
“He wants faerie magic,” Arach shrugged. “You read it.”
“But he can't have faerie magic,” I frowned.
“Why not?” Arach lifted a brow.
“Because he's not a faerie,” I huffed. “He can't connect to the Source and pull an element from her.”
“No but he can connect to the Void and choose an elemental god magic,” Arach smiled. “Perhaps even all of the elemental god magics.”
“What; like one ring to bind them?” I chuckled and then went serious when Arach gave me a steady look. “Oh no you don't, dragon. You're not finding another way to rule Faerie.”
“I'm just thinking of our son,” he said innocently.
“Our son will make his own choice,” I slipped off Arach's lap so I could glare at him better. “And if you had paid closer attention to that letter, you'd see that the last thing Ull wants to do is rule. He wants a kind magic.”
“Yes but what kind?” Arach couldn't even bring himself to understand my meaning.
“No, kind as in gentle,” I shook my head at him. “Merciful. Compassionate.”
“Kind, gentle, merciful, and compassionate?” Arach scoffed. “He's the son of a dragon queen not a Disney princess.”
“The kind son of a dragon queen,” I smiled serenely and left the study as Arach sputtered behind me.
Chapter Thirty-Six
We locked away Ull's spellbook and I headed back to the God Realm using my ring. I wanted to talk to Odin about what had just happened with Brevyn. I loved Arach but he just didn't understand god issues, or Ull issues for that matter, like Odin did. So as soon as I reformed in Pride Palace, I went straight to the bed Odin was still asleep in and shook him awake.
“Odin? I need you to wake up.”
“What? Huh?” He jerked upright, his arms held out in defensive positions. “Where's the war?”
“Relax,” I held up my hands. “There's no war... yet.”
“Yet?” Odin blinked and rubbed at his amazing eyes until they were bloodshot amazing eyes. The sunlight coming in from the balcony caught the shimmering sapphire and shifted it to green, which kinda went well with the whole bloodshot thing.
“Never mind,” I waved the war comment away and sat on the bed beside him. “I need to talk to you about what happened with Brevyn.”
“What happened with Brevyn?!” He nearly shouted.
“Shhh,” I chided him. “I think everyone else is still asleep.”
“Not after hearing Odin shout; where's the war, we're not,” Trevor grumbled as he slumped down the stairs with Kirill in tow.
“Well, Azrael's sleeping,” I sighed and headed towards the coffee pot. This conversation looked like it would require caffeine. Huge vats of caffeine. Maybe we should go down to the Intare kitchen... nah. Ironically, I needed coffee before I could go downstairs to make more coffee
“Azrael's vorking,” Kirill started rooting around in the fridge.
“Oh. He's doing that a lot lately,” I filled the pot with water and then dumped it into the machine as I yawned. They were just waking up while I already needed a nap. Ah, the trials of time travel.
“People die constantly,” Trevor dropped into a chair at the kitchen table.
“Sit down and tell us about Brevyn, Vervain,” Odin took a seat beside Trevor.
So I did. I told them everything that went down. The tracing, the wards, the book, the letter, all of it. They just gaped at me.
“He knew?” Odin whispered. “He knew he was going to die?”
“And he knew what a bit-,” I drew out the word as I caught my near-swear, “-ter... what a bitter woman Thrud would be about it.”
