by Sarah Beth
Taking the book back, Neidre flipped through a few more pages. Elazar glanced at her before sighing, “Neidre’s specialty is crystals and gemstones, you’ve opened a deep and dark pit, Abigail.”
Neirdre rolled her eyes, causing Abby to chuckle, before presenting her another page, this one showing a painted image of the white Apophyllite. Known for its ability to help the user find the truth, it was also used for linking oneself between the physical and spiritual worlds. Used in meditation focused on grounding, the Apophyllite helps to calm the body and mind.
With a smile, Lady Neidre set the book back onto the table. “If you’re very interested in crystals and their uses, I have plenty of books on the subject. I’ll even lend them to you, if you promise to bring them back.”
“You never have to worry about me not taking care of books, Neirdre. I’d love that, really.” She smiled at the woman and felt a sense of fondness return. Although there was still a little apprehension there, after learning all she had, Abby didn’t want to hold it against her. She didn’t have a lot of women in her life, and she didn’t want to lose any.
Elazar rubbed his hands together before gesturing towards the fire pit area. “If you two are done, we have more important matters to discuss than stones.” With that he walked away, obviously expecting the others to follow him. Soryn shrugged at Abby before following his uncle.
Having almost forgotten that he was there, Wesley’s voice shocked her a bit. “I take it Elazar doesn’t believe in crystal magic?” They walked over, Wesley resting his hand on the small of her back.
Neidre chuckled, “No, he does not. He doesn’t disregard the fact that they hold their own kind of magic, it just isn’t a form that has spoken to him. He’s much more inclined to the plants he surrounds himself with.”
Thinking back to his greenhouse in the mountain glade, Abby could understand. “His greenhouse back in the mountains is amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
A faraway look came to Neidre’s face before she smiled, “Yes, I’m sure it is. If his home in Wyeona is anything to go by.”
Stopping behind the first oak bench, Abby set her hands on the backrest. “Is that the ancestral home of the Faye I keep hearing about? Where is that?”
Busy pouring mugs of tea, Elazar barely looked up. “Yes, it is. It is where the majority of our kind spend much of their long lives. The location isn’t easy to determine but to make it easy it is on the island of Great Britain.”
Before Abby was able to ask any more questions, Elazar sat down across from them and pulled a letter from his robes. How it had gotten from the table to his robes, Abby didn’t know. She must have missed the moment he grabbed it before he walked away. “Now, back to the problem at hand. The remaining Council members have already arrived. I’d be surprised if they didn’t call for a meeting at sunset, today. We need to gather what information we have and make a plan as to what we are going to say to them.”
He unfolded the parchment and handed it to Soryn who sat to his left. Abby watched him as he read it quickly, his eyes scanning back and forth in rapid motion. With a grunt, he passed it to Wesley, who gave it to Abby. But she wasn’t interested in reading another letter. “So what’s the plan? What proof do we have?”
Soryn motioned to the letter, “Not a lot, except a piece of fabric most likely Faye made. It’s in the care of your pack as we speak.”
“Well, that’s good, right? Can’t we use a spell to determine who it belonged to or where it came from?”
Elazar tipped his head from side to side, “Yes and no. Of course, the main problem is that it is not here and we don’t have time to send someone to go and retrieve it.” Abby opened her mouth to say something, but he put his hand up to silence her, “And no, we can’t retrieve it using magic. Sending letters to and fro is one thing, but an object like a piece of fabric is another. Not to mention that we can’t allow this piece of evidence to land in the wrong hands.”
Nodding her head in understanding, Abby glanced down at the note in her hands, Alex’s familiar handwriting looking back at her. “Alright, but there has to be something we can do. We have maybe four hours. We need that fabric.” With her stomach in knots, Abby really wished she had eaten something after training with Soryn. Because if she ate something now, she was afraid she’d see it again in a less whole form.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Wesley
Walking through the village as the sun was beginning its descent into the sky, felt eerie to Wesley. Something about the light was animalistic and raw. They were meeting with the Council and they had no solid proof of Haryk’s involvement; four hours hadn’t nearly been enough time to find a solution. Nothing of worth to present to them that would make them consider joining this war — or to allow Abby to fight it for them. They were walking to their deaths. Or at least that’s what it felt like.
He glanced to his right, at his little witch walking beside him. Her shoulders were tense, but she held her head high, and her eyes forward. If it wasn’t for the bond they shared, he wouldn’t have been able to tell how utterly terrified she was. Snaking his hand into the long sleeve of her dress, he found her hand and grasped it tightly. She didn’t look at him, no smile formed on her lips, but she squeezed his hand back just as tightly. Someone cleared their throat on Wesley’s other side.
Soryn caught his eye for a moment before he tipped his head in the direction they were moving. There, rising from the darkening forest, was the archway that would lead them to the courtyard where they had met the Elders on their first day. This was it; what they had been planning for and working towards for days. Bile rose in Wesley’s throat before he took a deep breath — he would not let some old Faye throw him off his senses.
Pausing briefly in their stride, Wesley clasped Soryn on the shoulder. “Thank you, we’ll see you on the other side.” It was a poor attempt at a joke, but he couldn’t help himself.
The corner of Soryn’s lips twitched, but he didn’t laugh. Not that Wesley had been expecting him too. The Faye put his own hand on Wesley’s shoulder, squeezing tightly, before they both dropped their arms to their sides. “I’ll be waiting right here.” He looked behind Wesley and a look passed between him and Abby, but Wesley wasn’t going to read too much into it in that moment. They couldn’t afford to let petty jealousies get in the way then. Besides, the feeling of her consciousness was warm against his own, a constant comfort.
As Soryn took a step back, standing at the foot of a sapling maple, Wesley and Abby turned back towards the arch and began walking again. Abby’s hand was warm in his, but her grip hadn’t lessened. With a calming breath, he sent his energy through the points where their skin touched and tried to help calm her emotions. It worked for a brief moment, until they passed the vestibule and a sea of faces were waiting for them. Abby dropped his hand abruptly.
All six members of the High Council sat in the center of the great stone bench, while the Elders sat on either side. Scanning the faces, Wesley immediately looked for Neidre and Elazar. The only acknowledgment he received from either of them were slight nods, but it was enough. Knowing they were there was enough.
A Faye rose from his seat, clad in robes of a deep red, the gold diadem perched atop his silver hair caught the light. Raising his arms high above his head, he looked down at Wesley and Abby. “By the power of the Faye, welcome Wesley O’Bryne, son of Alexandr Ashfield.” The Faye paused pointedly as his eyes turned to focus on the woman beside him. “And welcome, Aerilaya, daughter of our own Lord Thaliyunn. I hope the hospitality of your people has been adequate.”
An intense sense of shock transferred through the bond. Abby was becoming more nervous than she already had been — How did they know her true name? She hadn’t told anyone, except her Mate. How did they know? He wished he could reach out to her again, but didn’t dare with so many eyes watching their every move. He settled for sending her calm through their link. A calm he didn’t even feel himself.
She shifted bes
ide him, bowing her head deeply to the Elders and the High Council. “Thank you, Lord Araevin, everything has been wonderful.” Wesley was instantly grateful that Soryn had made the time that afternoon to teach Abby the names of each Council member. It wouldn’t have looked good if she didn’t know who they were.
The Faye’s lips pulled into a tight smile before he seated himself again. A collective sigh seemed to sweep over the bench, more than one set of shoulders appeared to sag just slightly. Wesley couldn’t help but feel like they had just passed some sort of test, or at least his Mate had.
Another Council member rose from her seat, her skin the color of liquid chocolate, so like Neirdre’s that Wesley wondered if they were related. When she smiled, it was warm and welcoming, so different from the first man who spoke. “I must say, when I got word of your arrival here I was in a form of disbelief. Thaliyunn gave no hint of a woman, let alone a human woman, and certainly not a child. But I can’t blame him for that. It was Fate that brought you home, dear Aerilaya, back to where you belong.”
Wesley couldn’t help but tense at the woman’s words, and he could feel Abby tense beside him as well. As discreetly as he could muster, he took a deep breath and tried to focus on the task at hand. Elazar had warned them that the High Council would try to make Abby stay with them, with her people. Everything was still going according to plan, but it still made his hackles stand on end.
“Yes, it’s all wonderful, a half-breed has been born illegally for the first time in three hundred years. We should celebrate.”
The woman speaking to them turned to her right, to another Council member who wore a sour expression and an unfriendly smile. Wesley’s heartbeat picked up a few notches when he looked into the man’s face.
But it seemed that the Faye who welcomed them wasn’t impressed with the outburst either. “Lord Tarsis, you disgrace our hospitality to the daughter of Thaliyunn with your words. The circumstances of the girl’s birth is of no secret and it is not in question at this meeting. Am I clear?”
The room held a collective breath until the Faye inclined his head, the creepy smile still on his lips. “Of course, Lord Araevin, of course. My apologies.” Wesley didn’t think the man was sorry in the slightest, by the way he kept smiling.
Lord Araevin looked at the man for a moment longer before gesturing to the woman to continue. “Lady Embrae, please continue.”
The woman gave a somber nod, but before she could continue speaking, Lord Elazar stood from the left side of the group. He bowed his head deeply, “My apologies, Lady Embrae, for the interruption, but I believe Lady Aerilaya has news of the outside world that the Council will find paramount.”
The woman looked at Elazar for a moment before nodding her head. As the two sat back in their seats, Wesley could feel all eyes turn towards them again. He had never been one to shy away from being the center of attention, but he was quickly becoming an introvert. He didn’t know how Abby was still standing. He knew she was terrified inside, but on the outside she appeared calm and regal. So like the Faye in the room.
As Wesley worked to calm his frantic heart and focus on the task at hand, Abby took a single step away from him, closer to the Council. Shoulders back and her head held high, he didn’t know why the Fates felt he deserved her. But he sure as hell wasn’t going to let them regret it.
“Lord Elazar is correct, Lords and Ladies of the Council. We bring grave news of the human world that we believe is only going to get worse, lest we do something to stop it.”
A voice rang out from the room, one Wesley recognized from their very first meeting in this room. “Unless we do something? What is this child expecting us to do?”
Lord Araevin cast a lethal look towards the Faye who had spoken, his hands clasped tightly in his lap. Silence descended over the room once again and he nodded at Abby, “My apologies, Lady. Please, continue.”
Wesley sensed the deep breath that she took, more than he saw it. He knew that if he took her hand it would be shaking. But she held her hands loosely in front of her. “Over the past few months, vampires have begun a war against the humans — a war that the humans are helpless to stop. Unless we want the mortal world to know of our existence, and the existence of others, something must be done to stop them.”
“And you think we need to do something about this?” A Faye woman with lilac-colored hair spoke up, her brows pulled tightly together.
Bowing her head slightly, Abby shook her head. “No, Lady Gaelina, not you. I would not expect the Council to put themselves in such danger.”
It was then Lady Embrae who spoke, a small knowing smile growing on her lips. “Ah, but you believe that you and your wolf should be the ones to do something about it.”
Without saying anything, Abby bowed her head again. When she rose, Wesley got the distinct impression that she was looking at the woman in thanks.
Voices erupted in the courtyard, echoing off the stone benches and floor. Regardless of tact, Wesley took a step forward and grabbed Abby’s hand in his own — he had been right, she was shaking. Words of disbelief and anger floated around them like fire trying to escape the grate. Wesley caught the words someone spoke, of wanting to forbid Abby from ever leaving the High Forest again. Fear gripped his stomach. Could they really do that? In theory he supposed that they could, but when word got out that they had imprisoned the daughter of a High Lord, he doubted that it would go over well.
After what felt like minutes passed, Lord Araevin was able to gain control of the room again, with help from a few other friendly faces. As the shouts began to subside to low rumbles, Wesley forced himself to release Abby’s hand. They needed to stand strong and not look weak.
Lord Araevin remained standing as the other Faye sat back in their seats. He clasped his hand in front of him as he turned his gaze on Wesley and Abby. “This news is indeed troublesome, but why would you have us sacrifice the first Keeper and Protector in over three hundred years? The games of vampires are not a problem of the Faye.”
Unable to stay silent any longer, Wesley took a step away from Abby. He felt her reach for him but ignored it. “Because, Lord, if the vampires turn half the human population and kill the rest, they won’t stop there.”
“You think vampires can kill us, boy?” A voice from the crowd spoke.
Wesley shook his head, “No, I don’t...but if hundreds of them came at once? I don’t know how that might end.”
Murmurs passed through the Council, even a few members of the Elders were whispering with the person beside them. Wesley wished they had proof. They needed it now more than ever. But they hadn’t heard back from Warren before the meeting. They were on their own.
Abby came to his side, brushing his arm lightly with her own. “Lords and Ladies, please consider the consequences. My Mate’s pack, along with others, are doing their best but they need help. Allow me to aid them, in any way that I can, and we may be able to stop this war before it ever really begins.”
Silence descended on the room. Lord Araevin’s gaze never left their own as he scratched his chin. Wesley didn’t know much about the Faye Council, he hadn’t been listening when Soryn taught their names to Abby. But he got the feeling that Lord Araevin would have the final say, no matter what the rest of the Council thought.
It felt like they had been standing there for hours. The soles of his feet were starting to burn from standing in one place. It was then that Lord Araevin stood, “You have given us much to discuss. Please, leave us to ruminate on this request. We will send for you when we have reached a decision.”
Every fiber in his body didn’t want to leave, he wanted to stay there until they had made up their minds, but he knew that was foolish. As Abby bowed beside him, he did likewise, and then they turned their backs on the Council and left the courtyard. Voices rising as they reached the vestibule.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Abby
When they reached the giant archway where the village sat before them, Abby looked around for
Soryn but couldn’t see him anywhere nearby. He said he would wait for them there. Concern filled her. He wasn’t one to just go back on what he said; at least she hadn’t gotten that vibe from him before. But really, she reminded herself quickly, she had only known him for a number of days.
They continued to walk away from the vestibule until Wesley stopped just shy of a bakery, the smell of freshly baked bread enticing. She stopped in front of him, fitting her feet between his own and rested her forehead on his chest. She could feel his heart beating under his formal shirt and overcoat. His hands came up to her back, rubbing gently up and down, and she felt his lips press to the crown of her head.
She had known the meeting with the High Council would be stressful, but she didn’t think anything would have prepared her for it. It was unnerving to have so many eyes staring and being the center of attention. Ignoring the way her stomach churned at the memory of the angry voices, Abby focused on the tangible thing in front of her — her Mate.
It was easy, really, to let the world fall away and focus on the warmth under her skin and the hands on her back. The smell of the bakery and sounds of the village dropped away, leaving their own little sanctuary in its place. It wasn’t as good as the Glade, but it would do for the moment. Wesley’s conscious swirled around her own, dancing in the air around them and weaving in and out of each other. Their fears and worries became one in the same. Their hopes and dreams shared without shame. It had only been a few days ago that doing this was still a challenge; it didn’t always work and it wasn’t always pleasant. But after their ritual with Elazar, it had become second nature, easy to let the world disappear and to create their own reality. She understood why it was a dangerous game to play — she never wanted to leave.
