Choices (Mists of the Fae Book 6)

by Jaime Marks

  Alayne ground his teeth but held his thoughts in check. In truth he knew better than to underestimate the Dark Lord. He should not have been so foolish.

  “No. You should have been your usual cunning, deceitful self and assumed I already knew of your plan,” he mused. “It is no matter. I can still feel your young. You have only Darkness in your heart and cannot connect with the essence of Night, but I was originally comprised solely of it. I am still able to reach them as I will it. They cannot sever my bonds.”

  “Will you be able to reclaim them?” He requested humbling himself. In truth he did not wish to lose even Kyle, but unless Lord Lazurys chose to use whatever bonds he held they were beyond his reach.

  “We shall see but know if I do so it will not be until the bonds between the Princess and her chosen Prince are complete. Never forget she is mine niece via Lunya and hence of mine own blood. Lunya’s very existence was forged with half of my being. You may have fostered Staryana’s creation, but she is mine. Just as you may be her Grandfather but you are still my progeny. You do not have the strength to control her solely on your own, Alayne. You possess only the strength I have gifted you. As much as you may will it to be so, you are not a god.”

  Alayne bit back his reaction. Reyana had reminded him as such herself and it infuriated him that Lazurys would mock him so. The Dark God’s words were telling, however. He had been so careful, but perhaps not careful enough.

  He watched as his Lord ran his claw along Tatyna’s thigh cutting deeply into the tissue before running his tongue along the wound as she screamed. He had broken her resistance hours ago. “Such delicious pain and finally I get to enjoy your screams, Tatyna. Though I believe your sire would be proud of the strength you exhibited. Breaking you has been delightful. It is a shame I never thought to share you with him while I still held his loyalty.”

  She said nothing but then Alayne was unsure she was even lucid at the moment. The Dark Lord had been working her over on and off for hours.

  Lazurys returned his attention to Alayne. “Indeed, I knew of your plan. I allowed it because you have always completed all I tasked and followed my will. You forget that you need me to take part if you even hope to achieve such power, especially now that she is Gray. Continue to disappoint me, Alayne, and you shall never achieve the power you desire.”

  Alayne blocked his thoughts as he watched the Dark Lord sink his hard sex, his flesh still swirling with flames, deep into Tatyna’s core causing her to cry out and arch off the table. He would need to be more careful. Lazurys might know his means but it was clear he was unaware of the end results. If he was truly aware of his goals he would have shredded him into nothing more than essence and absorbed his strength back into himself. He would need to be far more artful if he was going to best his mentor. Perhaps even more so if he wished to best Cymeryn. He was becoming more and more a threat to his ascension.

  Cymeryn patted Devyn’s back with a smirk. “You wish to witness proof of Redemption in the Shade, Devyn? Stay while and see for yourself.”

  He skipped down the stairs before his former nemesis could answer and walked over to Reyana and Marcus. “I am going to Redeem Wycelion now unless either of you object.”

  “It’s your call, brother,” Marcus shrugged. “I thought you were going to sense him first.”

  “I will handle it during Redemption. Curing Devyn of his issues is more of a priority at the moment. I already know I can trust the boy.”

  Reyana nodded. “Are you sure? I can still handle Redemptions.”

  He kissed her chastely. “No Rey, I will be fine and you should not tax your body more than it is necessary.”

  “Agreed. We have already discussed this, Reya. Cymeryn and I will handle all Shade Redemptions until after the birth. There is no reason we cannot.”

  Cymeryn walked over to Grifyn, Byryn and Felycia, wrapping the circle in his arms as best as he could. Nothing pleased him more than seeing the bridges between them mended. Felycia and Byryn both needed this closure to put the past behind them. “I regret the need to interrupt this more than you will ever know, but we are ready for Wycelion, Byryn, and we need to proceed. I will be borrowing Devyn, Felycia, so feel free to spend time with your parents.”

  Byryn sighed but nodded before kissing his sister’s forehead and releasing her to Grifyn. Cymeryn watched as Grifyn led Felycia over to the thrones near the others. It was relief to see the girl was making such progress.

  “Come Devyn, it is time for you to witness a miracle,” he beckoned.

  Devyn measured him skeptically but approached nonetheless. “What trickery are you up to, Cymeryn?”

  “Not trickery, Devyn, Redemption and I would like you to take part in every step of the process. It is truly the only way you will believe the Shade can be Redeemed. It is time you see that the Queen is right. We are all the same species. We are all Fae. The Shade are merely corrupted.”

  Byryn approached with Wycelion. “Grandsire,” he bowed respectfully.

  “It is time, Wycelion, but I am amending my decision. For your penance you will allow Devyn a Devyion to sense you before, during, and after your Redemption, and you will remain open so that he is certain there is no trickery, as he so puts it. I am aware that your actions were merely for self-preservation but you agreed to grant me an act of concession and this is my request. Do you consent?”

  Wycelion measured the Commander of the Fronts stiffly. “Will his essence infect me?”

  Devyn ground his teeth as he studied the Shade looking back and forth between him and Cymeryn. “It will not infect you if I am merely sensing you, provided you remain open. I give you my word I will do no more.”

  Wycelion nodded reluctantly. “As you wish it, Lord Cymeryn. You have a right to make the request and I will grant the concession as my penance.”

  Cymeryn motioned to the cot the Healers had just set up. “Make yourself comfortable. You may lose consciousness during the process and it is best if you relax.” He nodded to Reyana and she stepped forward.

  Gastrion’s voice bellowed through the throne room. “Her majesty the Queen, Reyana a Mythion, incarnate of the Lady Lunya.”

  A hush fell over the room in anticipation of her words, many falling to their knees. “Many of you have witnessed the truth of Redemption. Some of you have even witnessed the Redemption of the Shade. Since that miracle has been performed we have seen the Kings of Balance crowned at the hands of the Divine Being. They are Sacred Borne of Divine will and share the essence of Lunya; my essence. These gifts are not something that you can understand without witnessing the truth of them first hand.

  “The Crowned King of Night, Lord Cymeryn a Cymarcion, will prove this through the act of Redemption of the Shade Wycelion a Trevyn. We understand there is much concern over the truth of King Cymeryn’s Redemption and there are those who believe neither Lord Cymeryn nor Lord Marcus will be able to perform Redemption. All of you know and trust Devyn a Devyion, Commander of the Fronts, Patryarch of the Lucerna Lines. As he is the eldest and least partial of us, he will be sensing Wycelion throughout his Redemption so that he may confirm and learn firsthand the truth of these miracles.”

  Marcus stepped forward and guided Reyana to her throne taking his place beside her. “When you are ready, Lord Cymeryn.”

  He nodded up to them giving Reyana a playful wink before measuring Wycelion. “Are you ready, son? Once Devyn senses you I will proceed.”

  The Shade shifted uncomfortably before meeting his eyes. “May I have a moment, my lord? With the lady Perylia and Prince Byryn?”

  Cymeryn raised a brow but motioned Byryn forward as he turned and sought Perylia in the crowd. He walked to her slowly aware of how timid the female unawakened Shade could be but she did not shy away, her focus remained on his grand progeny. “Perylia? Wycelion is requesting your presence, but you have no obligations here. Your will is your own. Do you understand?”

  She nodded watching Wycelion nervously. “Will, will he be alright, Lord Cyme
ryn? When you’re done, will he still be my Wyce?”

  He smiled warmly down at her. “Yes, only better because he will be free to be so. How long have you known, Wyce?”

  She blushed, looking down with uncertainty.

  “I am not here to judge you, Perylia. I am aware of why you do not wish to answer, and in truth you need not feel obligated to do so. It was just a curiosity I had as to whether your love bloomed prior to his awakening or after.”

  “Before,” she replied shyly still looking to the floor.

  He nodded having already guessed that answer. Any compassion he had even seen in the Shade had taken root prior to their awakenings. It was something he had always ensured was not present in those he awakened before his salvation because it often led to insubordinate progeny. “Will you go to him? Reassure him and yourself?”

  She nodded and cautiously approached the cot with her eyes diverted to the ground and her hands clasped in front of her. “You requested my presence, Lord Wycelion?”

  He grimaced before sitting up to hook her chin. “Perylia, I brought you here so you didn’t have to worry about such submissive behavior. Never feel you need to address me in such a way, and don’t you dare ever for anyone else. Hear me?”

  She smiled shyly as she met his gaze and nodded. “You know there could never be anyone but you, Wyce.”

  “I know, but it is not merely those you would choose that I worry for.” He breathed deeply and turned to Byryn. “I have never asked you for anything, brother. I have followed you loyally and obeyed your order in all situations despite your youth and I’ve saved your ass more than once, keeping your secrets, and warning you of issues in advance. You know I would never ask anything for myself, and I still don’t, but I do have a request.”

  Byryn ran and hand through his hair but nodded. “Ask brother. What do you need?”

  Wycelion reached over and took Perylia’s hand. “If something were to happen to me, I want you to take Perylia as your ward.” The young girl gasped paling at his request and he turned his full attention to her. “No Perylia, you misunderstand. I ask Byryn because I know he would never harm you and you’d never have to worry about him mistreating you…he would always respect you. He is mated, Bonding to the Princess this eve. He would care for you as a sister because of your connection to me and he will forever ensure your safety. If I can’t be here to protect you, baby, he is the only Fae I can trust without doubt to do so and see to your future.”

  She shook her head in fear gaping at Byryn a moment before returning to him. “But, but you said never to trust your brothers, Wyce.”

  “And you shouldn’t. Any of them, except for Byryn in this case. You can trust Trycen, but…” He turned and met his younger brother’s eyes across the room. “I mean no offense brother, but you aren’t as capable to protect her.”

  The boy nodded and waved dismissively. “Byryn train’s me, Wycelion. It’s not an offense it’s the truth. We both know of all of us he’s the only one that can stand alone against the Brood, if it would ever come to that, and he’ll never have to.”

  Byryn sighed and turned to Staryana. “Princess Staryana would you join me, please?”

  She misted to her mate’s side. “You don’t need my permission to do this, Byryn. You know I’d support you either way.”

  He smiled and kissed her. “I know. I was actually going to ask if you’d mind Perylia standing with you and Felycia.”

  She nodded. “Perylia, will you join me?”

  Tears ran down the poor girl’s face and she turned to Wycelion. “You don’t have to do this. If you’re that afraid something could go wrong, don’t. We’ll leave here and remain Shade, Wyce. I can’t lose you.”

  He sighed out her name, “Perylia. You’ve always been my Light in the Darkness but to leave you to that life would consume you and turn you into something I can’t even fathom. I care for you too much to resign you to that fate. I don’t know that Redemption is truly a risk, in fact I’m told that it’s not, but I need to be sure your future is provided for in the event that I cannot be here to do so.” He pulled her tightly to his chest. “I love you, Perylia, if my heart is capable of such a thing. Now kiss me female and do as I ask.”

  She leaned up and kissed him allowing him to wipe her tears before accepting Staryana’s hand. Cymeryn watched as she was guided away allowing this to play out for the sake of his grand progeny’s peace of mind, though it was highly unnecessary.

  “You realize you put that poor girl through that for nothing, Wycelion. Redemption won’t kill you,” Byryn offered.

  He shrugged. “Perhaps for today it’s for nothing, but it needed to be done regardless. You know I am loyal to you, Byryn. I will ever fight at your side. This is not an easy life we lead and the Shade won’t stop, especially our brethren. If something happens to me, whether it’s today or next month I need to know she is cared for. You have Star’s whole family to attend to her if she loses you, but my Perl? She has only me.”

  “Alright, you have my word. If anything were to happen to you I will take her as my ward and see to her safety and future.” He clasped his brother’s forearm. “I will care for her as mine own sister.”

  “That is all I ask. You have always been the more honorable of us, Byryn.”

  Cymeryn interjected as Byryn scoffed. “I do not wish to rush you boys, but others are waiting.”

  Wycelion laid back and took several breaths to calm and relax himself. Slowly Cymeryn could sense the Shade’s defenses waning as he lay himself bare before them. “I am ready, Grandsire.”

  Devyn approached at Cymeryn’s direction. As skeptical as he was with Cymeryn being the one to perform this, perhaps it was best so that he could gage the truth of not only Redemption but Cymeryn’s conversion for himself. If there was any deceit he would know the male was not to be trusted. This was indeed what would be necessary in order to have the ability to ascertain the truth of such matters. It was either ingenious or foolishly arrogant of Cymeryn to suggest this. He would know which before this ceremony had reached its completion.

  Allowing his essence to drift into Wycelion he sought out the truths of the boy. He was Shade through and through but hidden in his heart there was Light. Devyn almost fell over. He had not allowed himself to debate the boy’s words or actions too heavily knowing he would have the chance to know the truth of it himself, but the Shade was sincere; something Devyn never would have imagined.

  “Devyn, I will begin but you must keep a tight rein on your essence. It cannot merge with my own until his essence is merged. With the love the boy has for Perylia I do not expect this to be as difficult as some other Redemptions perhaps, but I do not wish to tax his body.”

  Devyn nodded and turned his full attention to Wycelion. All his walls and barriers were down there was no resistance. The girl, Perylia, was the only thing on his mind but as Cymeryn’s Gray essence flooded the boy his memories began to roll through. An image of his Mother drifted through his mind. The days that he had spent at the park or riding bike. His Mother had made him the center of her world but there was a Darkness to it that she tried to hide from her son. Trevyn would come to visit at first every few months. He would hear her cry and plead with the Shade but he had been so small. Sometimes he would check in early enough in the eve to have dinner with his son before taking advantage of his Mother. He was always polite and behaved as his Mother instructed him to be but this brave three year old would ask his Father when she was out of the room not to hurt his Mother. The Shade would simply reply that his Mother enjoyed the pain and he would understand one day.

  Time passed and the boy grew older and the visits slowly increased as Trevyn took more and more interest in his son. The discipline he’d endured had been brutal but he had taught him to fight, to survive. The hardest for Wycelion by far had been the damage his Mother would incur at his Father’s hands. He would tend to her, care for her despite his Father’s instructions to leave her to her misery. Devyn’s heart broke for the
boy as he watched him endure beating after beating to break him of his humanity.

  On a particularly brutal eve he had stepped between them attempting to plea for his Mother’s welfare but the tears he had shed for her had only served to enrage Trevyn and he had summoned the Elders of the Brood and ordered the boy held as they brutally beat and raped his Mother a fore him for his weakness. She had died that eve, literally beaten to death.

  Trevyn had taken him to the safehold and left him to his brothers. Some tormented him, others merely ignored him. His only peace seemed to come from the time he spent at school or with Byryn. Byryn was only four but he was highly intelligent and understood the world they were lost in more than Wycelion. In many ways they guided and protected each other. When no one was paying attention they sparred and trained together, working both their physical and mental abilities in an effort to better survive the abuse that was doled out by their Father and brothers regularly.

  Devyn shook himself from the memories as he focused in on the flow of essence between Cymeryn and the boy. He had utilized the Light that thrived in the boy’s heart as a foundation to merge the Gray into his system. The Dark essence was deeply rooted in Wycelion’s mind, however. The pain and fear of his past and present clouding him with rage that tormented him always. He watched as Cymeryn implanted the idea of two paths in the Shade’s mind, if he was even still Shade. There was so much Gray in the boy now it was hard to tell.

  Cymeryn showed him the life Perylia would live with him in both worlds. One here in the Palace free of most dangers and oppression, free to crawl out of her shell and be herself and the other where his brothers controlled both of their lives. Where Syneous controlled their lives. He watched as Syneous ordered him to a task and then took Perylia against her will in his absence before shoving her off to the Brood who were none too pleased with the connection he had formed to her. It mirrored a scene his Mother had endured under Trevyn though the circumstances varied slightly. It was not a farfetched scenario. If they remained in the world of the Shade and any discovered that she was indeed his weakness they would either destroy her or use her against him.