by Ana Calin
I can’t stop thinking about the medallion that Xerxes said Samael was wearing around his neck, the medallion that he wanted to protect at all costs. If the puppet master has something on him, Samael will be a force to be reckoned with.
“I hope Draven manages to get something out of her,” I whisper as I inspect the welcome committee up on the podium.
“He did.” That’s Draven, dancing with Marayke next to us. It’s been over a week since her brother died, murdered in the tower prison, and her eyes are still puffy from all the crying. The banquet has been postponed because of his death, to give her time to grieve, but that only motivated her to find strength. Now, all she cares about is revenge.
“Kareim told her who it was a while ago.” He has to stop speaking, because other couples have drawn dangerously close, prying.
“How is she holding up? I ask between my teeth, changing the subject so the eavesdroppers lose interest. But my interest in genuine.
Zestari hasn’t come to the banquet because she decided she couldn’t stand the pain of seeing Xerxes and me together. Ever since she learned that what she believed was a night of passion with him was actually a night of deception with Duke Draven, she has sunken into suffering, and has been too ashamed to show her face.
“She’s asked to leave the Fire Realm, and move to the Flipside,” he says, throwing a glance over his shoulder at the closest couple, while Marayke’s hawkish gaze moves all around the place, as if scanning it for Kareim’s murderer.
“Granted,” Xerxes says, low and dismissive. We move slowly towards the edge of the dance floor, and slip into an alcove, lifting drinks off of a passing server’s tray. We’re as casual as we can manage, but keeping attention from us is an impossible feat under the circumstances. As Marayke and I drink, Draven leans closer to Xerxes.
“It was indeed an Eldritch terror. Not one of the most terrible, but surely one of the most dangerous.”
He pauses as a few fae courts pass us by with smiles on their faces. Marayke and I smile back, distracting them from the conversation, but our ears are still there.
“It’s the Genie.”
My head snaps to them.
“The Genie? As in the Genie energy that can fulfill desires? But... that’s not even a creature.”
“No, it’s something between a body of energy and a creature, but it still has a will of its own,” Draven explains. “It does take shape as a person, when it seeks physical pleasures, and that’s the good news. Unlike most of its peers, the Genie energy can become vulnerable. In fact, the Genie was also the first one to leave the Palace right after the final quest. You had barely hit the ground in front of the Palace, Xerxes.”
“So that’s why Kareim served him,” Marayke spits between her teeth. “Because the Genie had the power to fulfill his every desire. Especially the desire to possess special magic powers.”
“Why did it leave so quickly?” Xerxes inquires.
“Probably because it feared the repercussions from the others if it came out.”
“But it couldn’t have come out,” Marayke puts in. “He—because I hear that’s what it turns into when it seeks pleasure, a He—ensured that his secret was safe by planting that poison inside Kareim.”
“You think the others know about this?” I add.
“They might have suspected,” Draven says. “They split and left shortly afterward, leaving the welcome committee to deal with the banquet. They should have hosted it themselves, but under the circumstances, they didn’t want to risk exposing their identities. When doubt is cast upon you, the best strategy is to remain a mystery, and the Council know that better than anyone.”
“The High Seraph did promise to join us at the Winter Court with Lysander and Arielle to celebrate the new alignment between our realms, and the harmony it’s brought upon all worlds,” Xerxes says. “I’m sure he’s going to clarify a few things.”
“Yes, but that won’t neutralize the Genie,” Draven adds, “even though it will keep him in check for a while, and I suppose we have to make do with that for the moment. And, with your permission, I will stay on in the Flipside, too, find a way to track down the Genie.”
“Good. You track him down, and then I’ll deal with him,” Xerxes hisses.
“No,” Draven says. “You can’t risk that.” His mysterious dark eyes that speak of destructive power and secrets move between my husband and me. “I will do this.”
“You? Draven, this is an Eldritch terror we’re talking about. You can’t just take him out, not alone.”
“Xerxes, with all due respect. You know who I am better than anymore. But you forget what I am.” He places a hand on Xerxes’ shoulder. “You go ahead and be happy with your wife. Live the life that has been denied to you for thousands of years. In those years you have fought many wars, mostly for other people. Now use the next thousand to enjoy your love with Cerys to the fullest, and leave the ugly to the uglier. Again, don’t forget what I am.”
THE END
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