* * *
Corent's thoughts were on Toff as his vision narrowed and darkened. Unlike Tiearan, he knew what was likely to happen. They'd placed their hand in the maw of a hungry dragon, and now the dragon was devouring the body connected to the hand. Was this Kifirin's judgment? Corent felt debilitating pain as power was stripped away from him at an accelerated rate. Redbird, sitting beside him in the second circle, was already unconscious. They were dying—all of them—and nothing could save them now, not even Queen Lissa. She was pregnant and couldn't bring her power to bear. A sigh escaped Corent as his consciousness fled.
* * *
Lissa's Journal
"Shadow, I think something is wrong." We sat in Grey House's kitchen, eating bowls of ice cream. Nissa sat between Toff and Trik, bumping shoulders with both of them and smiling. It was good to see all of them so happy, but my skin had begun to itch and my thoughts turned to Le-Ath Veronis.
"What is it?" Roff turned to me, just as Shadow did.
"I don't know—but I need to go home," I mumbled. The itching had ramped up in the space of seconds.
"I'll take her," Shadow stood. "The rest of you finish your dessert." Shadow folded me home quickly. I found Belen inside my study when Shadow landed me there.
* * *
"We can send mindspeech to Mom," Ry whispered to Tory. He and the others had been taken to Glendes and Lira's private quarters after they'd finished their bowls of ice cream.
"I don't want to upset Sissy—I haven't seen her this happy in a long time," Tory whispered back. He and Ry sat in a corner of Lira's sitting room—it wasn't as stiff and formal as her receiving room. Ry glanced in Nissa's direction; she was chatting happily with Lira, Toff and Trik.
"I've received mindspeech from Shadow." Raffian Grey, Shadow's father, sat next to Ry. "I'll take all of you home after a while. A problem has cropped up on Le-Ath Veronis, but it's nothing for you to worry about."
"Is Mom okay?" Ry asked, watching Raffian's face closely for any clues.
"Your mother is fine. Shadow is with her, as are Gavin and the others. She is in no danger, young warlock." Raffian smiled at Ry before rising and walking toward Glendes, who stood near the door. Ry watched closely as Glendes bent his head to hear Raffian's whispers.
"That smile didn't reach his eyes," Ry muttered. "Something's going on."
"He wasn't lying when he said Mom was fine," Tory observed. "And he was truthful when he said that Uncle Shadow, Uncle Gavin and the others were with her. He just left some stuff out," he added.
"Yeah. I get that idea, too," Ry nodded.
* * *
Lissa's Journal
Dead. All of them, with the exception of Corent, whom we found wandering outside the large barn, completely dazed. Corent sat before me now, inside the home he'd shared with Redbird.
"Willow is missing, I can't find him," Corent rambled, his hair turning a dark gray. I'd never seen it turn that color.
"We'll look for him," I promised. "Corent, tell me what happened. Take your time." While he sat there, hands dangling over his knees and in complete confusion, I sent mindspeech to Karzac. Karzac appeared in a blink, asking me silent questions as he ran his hands over Corent. Belen, too, stood out of the way in a corner of Corent's main room. He had information to give me, but I wanted Corent's story first if I could get it.
"We tried to set it right," Corent's voice sounded better after Karzac held the half-Elemaiya's head in his hands for several moments. "The core. We tried to stop the drain and replace the power. It was too much for us, and once it held us in its grip, it wouldn't let go." Corent spoke as if from a distance. As if he felt separated from it at the moment.
I felt sorry for him, and had no idea how he'd come out of this alive, when bodies littered the floor in a nearby barn. Even the Fae children hadn't escaped. I wanted to weep at the sight of their lifeless forms lying beside their parents. Rigo, Aryn, Drake and Drew were holding the humanoid population back from the site. They all wanted answers, just as I did. Some of them, too, had lost mates and Half-Fae children. We would have to deliver that news, too, and it was a sad and terrible business.
"I can place him in a healing sleep," Karzac offered, as I stared at Corent. Le-Ath Veronis, tapped by a renegade Half-Fae child, had exacted a terrible price against those attempting to repair the damage. The combined power of all the Green Fae hadn't satisfied even a fraction of that hunger. Somehow, miraculously, after the Fae died, Le-Ath Veronis' core had been healed. Belen told me that the moment I'd landed in my study. He was waiting to tell me how that miracle happened as soon as we finished here.
"Bring Corent to the palace, then, I don't want any of the humanoids blaming him because he's still alive," I said. "He can stay as long as he wants, or we can move him to the beach house when the repairs are done."
Corent would likely prefer the sunlight there, but my beach house was still undergoing repairs after the tsunami swept through it. A wall of water almost as high as its third-story roof had washed through, nearly bringing the whole thing down. I didn't want to think about the lives lost then—I had to deal with the lives lost now.
"Corent, can you stand?" I reached out a hand.
"I'll fold him there," Karzac held me back. "Gavin, will you bring our girl?" Karzac glanced at Gavin, who stood behind me. "Have Anthony and Rigo explain what happened. I'll send for some of my colleagues if healing is required." Karzac took Corent's elbow and disappeared.
"Aryn, will you look for Willow?" I turned to him—he'd come with the others.
"Of course, love. Send mindspeech if you learn anything else from Corent that might be helpful."
I nodded to him before lowering my eyes. "Lissa," he came forward to take my face in his hand. "We will see you through this. I promise. Let us bear these burdens for you now. This is a weight you should not be forced to carry in your condition."
I love you, I whispered in his mind.
And I you, he replied. Go with Gavin. I and the others will deal with this tragedy.
"Cara mia, come," Gavin pulled me away, and we were gone.
* * *
"Did you know it would kill all of them?" Thurlow had gone hunting—for Kifirin.
"I knew it would kill anyone connected to the circles. I had no idea they would call in even the weak and the young."
"You said nothing," Thurlow accused.
"I have made the promise not to interfere."
"But these belonged to the Light."
"That matters not to me." A curl of smoke escaped Kifirin's nostrils. "I did not make the decisions that placed them in this danger. It is not my duty to counsel them, in any case. All these decisions were theirs to make."
"Wait, I am receiving mindspeech from Lissa," Thurlow turned away from Kifirin for a moment before turning back. "One survived, and another may still be alive. Corent lives and Willow's body was not found." Thurlow watched Kifirin's face and felt satisfaction when he saw the brief glimpse of confusion and disbelief settle there before it disappeared.
"You did not expect that, did you?" Thurlow accused.
"They weren't connected to the circle, then."
"Lissa says they were. Corent rose and walked away after the others died, and Willow's body cannot be found."
"That should not be possible," Kifirin declared, breathing smoke.
"You wanted this, didn't you? The moment Toff was away from them, you allowed this."
"I have no care that they thought Toff would reach his majority at age eighteen."
"You did nothing to dispel that rumor, then. You never said when your judgment would fall, except that it would come when Toff reached adulthood. Theirs come to adulthood at age eighteen."
"I am not responsible for anyone's misconceptions." Kifirin's face turned dark. Thurlow knew the Thifilathi threatened.
"Did you repair Le-Ath Veronis' core afterward?" Thurlow asked his final question.
"It has been repaired?" Kifirin lifted an eyebrow in surprise. Thurlow
stared at the dark god—he was just as shocked as Thurlow had been at that turn of events.
"It has been repaired. I can only imagine that any adverse effects will be neutralized quickly, since it has only been a short time after the initial tapping. Surely you know how unusual this is."
"I had nothing to do with it. Are you sure?" Kifirin's black gaze settled on Thurlow's face.
"I cannot lie—of course I am sure," Thurlow snapped. "I will leave you now." Thurlow turned to go before he made the Lord of the Dark Realm angrier than he already was.
* * *
Lissa's Journal
"I wasn't sure at first," Belen settled on a corner of my desk while Gavin pulled me onto his lap on my sofa. "The signature is there, for those of us who have been gifted with the knowledge to detect it."
"Kifirin?" I asked. He was the first I suspected of healing the core.
"Kifirin had nothing to do with healing the core. I have received a message from Thurlow, however, and he says Kifirin withheld information from the Fae on when Toff would come to adulthood. They thought it was when the child reached eighteen years." I inhaled a shocked breath at Belen's statement. "Lissa, you must understand," Belen continued, "Kifirin is Lord of the Dark Realm. If he fails to behave accordingly in some things, at least, complete balance cannot be maintained."
I gaped at Belen. "You're not kidding, are you?" My voice was a whisper.
"No, beloved, I am not, as you put it, kidding."
"Then who healed the core? The Larentii? Did the Wise Ones do this?"
"The Wise Ones had nothing to do with this, although it did involve changing What Was."
"Who else can do that, then? I thought they were the only ones." I was completely confused, now. The Mighty Hand had mentioned that ability to me once, as had Connegar, but it was relegated to the Wise Ones and generally was directed at individuals, not entire planets. This was changing What Was on a much larger scale.
"We believe that the one who did this also is responsible for relocating Willow," Belen added. "He is currently on Morningsun. I think he will be acting as advisor to King Brandelin and his brother."
"And the fact that he holds power won't go amiss, either," I muttered. "Is Willow all right?"
"He is confused, just as Corent is, but he will be a good fit where he is. Another of the Mighty is responsible for this, Lissa. Do you know what that means?" Belen's eyes are usually bright—sometimes so much so that it is difficult to gaze into their depths. His eyes were now dark and troubled. Both of us knew about one of the Mighty already. Belen was saying that another had come.
"What does it mean?" My breath hitched as I watched Belen's face.
"When all three appear, the god wars will come," Belen whispered. "That information cannot leave this room." I nodded, stunned at his words. The god wars. Anyone who knew of the Mighty also knew of the impending god wars. Renegades belonging to all the echelons holding power would break away and wage war against those who would try to hold the universes together and steady against them. The Mighty would be hidden when they were thrust into a humanoid existence, to keep the renegades from destroying them in their new bodies. Becoming corporeal was the only way the three would be allowed to interfere. Without them, everything could be destroyed.
It was at that moment, too, that the baby moved. My eyes widened and my hand went to my belly.
"The child is Gavin's son," Belen announced before disappearing abruptly.
Gavin rose with me in his arms. Carefully, he placed me on my feet before kneeling before me and wrapping his arms around my waist. Until that moment, I'd never seen Gavin weep. These were tears of joy.
Chapter 16
"Young ones," Master Morwin began, "Many things happened that night."
Toff was still struggling to understand any of it, and he, like Tory and Ry, hadn't been given the full tale. They realized this, too. Perhaps they would learn more from Morwin.
They missed Trik's presence. He was now at Grey House, learning from Shadow and Raffian. Master Morwin was spending his mornings at Grey House, so Toff's lessons had been moved to the afternoon with Tory and Ry, after working with his father most mornings at the winery.
Toff was still trying to grasp that all the Fae were dead except Corent and Father Willow. Queen Lissa referred to Corent and Willow's survival as a miracle and refused to talk about it. Corent had been at the palace for two days before moving to the beach house, which was still undergoing repairs. Toff had visited with Corent while he was at the palace, but Corent still seemed confused by the ordeal and hadn't talked much.
"We know the core was tapped, and I had to beg Dad to tell me what that meant," Ry offered.
"It has been repaired and that is a great miracle, all of its own," Morwin nodded, his bushy eyebrows wriggling animatedly. "I hear that your Uncle Thurlow went to speak with Willow on Morningsun, but he is quite confused and remembers little of what happened. Corent, sadly is much the same."
"Do we know anything, Master Morwin?" Tory asked.
"Very little. Your mother is still searching for many answers. I have not the reason why these souls thought they were strong enough to do this deed. Perhaps a few Larentii might accomplish this, as they are the most powerful beings that I know. The Fae are many steps below the blue giants. This was a foolish attempt, and had they consulted the Queen, I'm sure she would have told them so."
"They felt responsible," Toff muttered, hanging his head. "I learned that from Corent. He didn't think the Queen knew that Gren tapped the core, and they wanted to make the repairs before she found out. Tiearan said they owed her a debt, and they wanted to pay it."
"Young one," Morwin came to stand before Toff's desk, "I beg you to never say that to the Queen. She will feel guilt over it, and that should not be. None of this is her fault. Surely you can see that."
"I do," Toff nodded. "Papu says the same. I only say that here, because I know you will protect the information. And the Queen."
"I will protect the information. Do you agree?" Morwin turned to Tory and Ry.
"Dad says the same," Tory nodded. "He knows."
"My dad does, too," Ry said. "Mom won't hear it from us."
"Very good," Morwin's eyebrows danced. "Now, shall we turn to the geography of Wyyld? There are unexplored mountains and forests there, did you know?"
* * *
"I don't care that the core has been healed. When we attack, and we will soon, we will tap it again. It was probably those fool Larentii she has following her around like lapdogs," Zellar snapped at Tandias' report.
"I trust this one will not be as clumsy as he was before?" Tandias turned dark eyes on Gren, who cowered before the strange Ra'Ak. "I know you take pleasure in the deaths that resulted from this one's fumbling, but it also alerted the Queen to the fact that her planet had been tapped. Had it been done smoothly, we could have continued to drain the core without her knowledge." Tandias was angry and barely holding that anger back. If he didn't feed soon, these two might make a useful meal.
"Tandias, please feed, your testiness has not gone unnoticed," Zellar muttered. "I will discipline this one," he jerked his head in Gren's direction. Gren backed against a bare, stone wall, frightened immediately.
* * *
Lissa's Journal
"Lissa, I had second and third thoughts before bringing this one to you." Aurelius, golden-haired bear that he is, stood inside my office, a filthy, scruffily dressed Elemaiya gripped in one of his large hands. Aurelius had recently learned that he would be a grandfather. As Gavin's sire, he claimed that honor. "You asked me to let you know if Narissa met her end, and that is the news this one brings. He has another tale to tell, however." Aurelius shook the Elemaiya, who cringed in the tall vampire's grip.
"What tale is that?" I asked, staring at the Elemaiya. Once he'd been a Queen's guard for Friesianna—I knew that from Looking. At least my Looking skills and mindspeech didn't affect the child; I could use those talents whenever I wanted.
&nb
sp; "I w-watched Friesianna die," Parlethis groveled before me. "After we killed Narissa, someone came. I cannot describe this person, they forbade it, and I cannot break that command. This person stood over Narissa's dismembered torso, and then gazed angrily at Queen Friesianna. 'A swift killing is one thing,' this one said. They were quite angry, we could tell. 'Torture is something I will not tolerate,' this one added. And then, Friesianna and all her guards except me disintegrated. I was left alive and ordered to explain to you that Friesianna and her bullies are no more. They—and your grandmother—are dead."
Parlethis giggled, then, and it was a crazed sound. I could see that he was terrified. Terrified that whoever had killed Friesianna would return for him. I had three guesses who'd done this, and two of them didn't count. Only a Larentii or someone with a greater power could accomplish this kind of feat. The same one who'd healed the core had likely done this deed. I stared at the cowering Elemaiya and shook my head. If this member of the Mighty kept it up, he (or she) would draw the attention of our enemies very soon. I sighed and nodded to Aurelius, who folded the prisoner away.
"Cara mia?" Gavin stole inside my study.
"Honey?" I lifted an eyebrow at him.
"Aurelius sent mindspeech. He said you might need comfort."
"Your sire is worth the weight of Le-Ath Veronis in gold," I sighed. "Narissa's dead."
"He told me that, too," Gavin was beside me quickly, lifting me and settling me against him. "My love, tell me that she did not deserve death."
"She did," I nodded. "But she was tortured by Friesianna first. Friesianna has apparently met her demise because of it," I added.
"One of hers did this?" Gavin sounded puzzled, but he placed a kiss on my forehead anyway.
"No. Somebody else showed up. Gavin, this is beginning to worry me. If the Mighty tip their hand before all three are together, we could be destroyed."
"I know we cannot speak of this with any of the others, except perhaps Kiarra, Adam and Merrill. I have the idea that Belen has approached Kiarra at least, and now those three are worried, too. I have not the notion where this might end. Are they playing a longer game than we know?" I looked up into Gavin's dark eyes as he spoke—he was deeply troubled by this.
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