A slow smile stretched on Arthur's face. "Is that so?"
Ryan gave a jerky nod. "A few months ago. I was walking through a rather secluded part of the castle. That was when I stumbled upon a room. The amount of magic that escaped that place." He visibly shuddered. "It was not normal, that place. All I wanted to do was get out of there. But then I heard Rion's voice."
He rubbed his brow, now sweaty. "He was speaking in a hushed voice, but I recognized him, nonetheless. So I peeked inside. Right there, on the bloody wall, was a bloody demon lord."
My heart kicked in my throat.
"How did you know it was a demon lord?" I asked.
"When we were young, we were taught about the story of Origins and the First Gate. The books had drawings and sketches of that time. The castle even has a few paintings that date back to the First Gate. So yes, I can recognize a demon lord when I see one." Ryan said. "Besides, you cannot mistake their magic."
I looked at Arthur and spoke to him through the bond.
A gate?
I doubt it. I believe it's more of a window. A screen, if you will, through which people from different realms may communicate. Theoretically, it is possible. I have seen a few right after we closed the First Gate.
"And?" Arthur asked.
Ryan shrugged. "I got the hell out of there."
"No idea what they were discussing?" I asked.
"None," Ryan said. "But the king wasn't alone. His advisor, Rami, was there, too. "
"I see." Arthur rubbed his chin, a speculative look assessing Ryan. "And they did not notice you?"
Ryan's reply was a quick, "no."
Arthur smiled. "I find it hard to believe that Rion had a discussion with the other side without heavy security around."
Ryan crossed his arms. "Alright. I have a few tricks up my sleeve. I may not be as strong as the king or his brother, but I'm still a fae."
"Fair enough. Keep your secrets. I will, however, need the exact location of both the Seer and the room where Rion held this interesting meeting."
Ryan nodded.
"You are granted safe passage and refuge to my land," Arthur said, "on the condition you cease your cannibalistic practices. I will not have a man-eater running free in my land. Immortal numbers are already low enough without the likes of you."
Ryan's face thundered. "I do not kill-"
"I'm not interested in your hobbies." Arthur waved him off, the picture of arrogance. "The deal is done. You have my word."
*** **** ***
After we parted ways with my dear cousin, we snuck back into the castle. Ryan had provided us with an updated blueprint of the castle, where the Seer's location was clearly identified.
Arthur had him pinpoint the location of the king's meeting room.
"The unusual demon activity in recent years now makes sense," Marianno said as we walked through the forest.
"Communicating with someone from the other side will undoubtedly destabilize the fabric separating the realms," Arthur explained when he noticed my confusion.
"So, the Seer?" I said after a few beats of silence.
"According to your cousin, she still exists," Arthur said. "We'll pay the woman a visit. She will be a fountain of information, and could serve as a witness to Rion and Rami's crimes."
A wolf howl rang in the distance, sending shivers down my spine. I looked at Noah. A spark of amusement rolled through the bond.
"He's not related to every wolf in the woods, my love," Arthur said.
Smartass. My face flamed. Marianno chuckled, and Noah looked as close to bursting out laughing as he ever did.
"Don't worry. I will not howl back," Noah said.
I almost tripped on my feet. Noah making a joke. What has the world come into?
"You guys are hilarious," I deadpanned. "When are we going to look for the Seer?"
"Not tonight," Arthur said. "I'll send the fox and Charles tomorrow after the ball."
"That's a good idea." I couldn't help my grin. Those two were just so cute. And if Charles knew I called him cute in any way, he would hang me by my toes.
Arthur raised his brow at me, a fond smile softening his face. He brushed his fingers on mine, then linked our hands together. The warmth of his skin, his familiar scent and the reassuring presence of his tall frame walking beside me drew a sigh out of my lips.
This was nice. Walking in the night side by side. I could almost pretend we were taking a stroll in the woods if not for the presence of a vampire and a werewolf beside us. And the evil schemes of my uncle hanging over our heads. Yep. That did it. The fuzzy feelings died.
By the time we reached our room, my mind went over my mother's letter over and over again. Marianno opened the door to our room and paused, then went inside.
We followed suit and my eyes widened. Irene stood near the fireplace, her arms crossed and her body exuding hostility. Charles leaned against the wall near the window, his arms crossed and an angry wound split his cheek. The slash of red began at his temple and ended on his chin, leaving a trail of empty hair on his blond beard.
Damn it, I missed all the fun.
Noah closed the door behind us. Arthur looked between the two lovebirds. "Do I want to know?"
"No," Charles replied. Irene pressed her lips firmly together. Okay, then.
After Arthur briefed them, we bid everyone goodnight. I didn't dare tease Irene right now. That would not be nice. Especially considering how upset she looked about whatever transpired between her and Charles.
I would tease her tomorrow.
Our room felt less crowded with everyone gone. I sat on our bed with my mother's letter and the note holding the names, Arthur beside me with the diary.
"Do you know any of the names?" I asked, handing him the note. I only recognized my uncle and Rami's names, though some of them sounded vaguely familiar.
"An interesting list," Arthur said, stretching his long legs on the bed. "I would have to send it to Harvey and Amanda. But to answer your question, yes, I do recognize almost all of them."
"Why do you say it's interesting?" I asked.
"Because there are a lot more witches in here than I would have expected. Considering Rion is the one running the show."
I drummed my fingers on my thigh. "What if it wasn't Rion who's really the mastermind behind all this?"
"Rami?" he asked with a frown. "It's possible, though it would be interesting; before taking position in the court, he was simply a regular witch, albeit one with great potential."
His mind worked as he scanned the list of names. "Although, it would all make sense, in a way. We know Rami was involved in this decades ago, before your mother met your father. Maybe he was the one who introduced the idea to your uncle."
All we could do was theorize, until we had either proof or a confession. I sighed. "Did Kate get back at you? About the sketches in my mother's diary."
Arthur folded the note and stuck it into the diary. "She did."
I didn't like the look in his eyes. "What is it?"
"They're spells," he said. "Ones which could facilitate opening a gate to the other realm. Quite similar to the one used in the attempt back in Paris."
I frowned. "Why is it bad?"
"The original spell to open a gate was too complex, requiring a great amount of energy and life force to sustain it. It would undoubtedly attract attention with the amount of magic it gathers," he said. "The spell used back in Paris was different. It's a new work of witchcraft, if you will. A work of genius, as Kate had put it. It required only a limited amount of magical energy and blood to work. Kate did her research, that was the reason why she went back to home base instead of coming to Ireland with us. She wanted to look into things."
He paused, then added, "This kind of spell has never been used before."
I stared at him, stunned with the implication of his words. A spell that was never used before. A spell that my mother had in her diary decades earlier.
"Elle, your mother knew of this spell way before anyone else," he continued. "She might even be the one who created it."
I looked down at the letter in my hand, numb. In a way, my mother had admitted to it in her letter. Except reality was uglier than words. Seeing the horrors of the spell back in Paris, the blood, the human sacrifices, the bloodied phoenixes, and reconciling that with the fact that my mother was the origin of that spell... Bile rose in my throat, and a wave of dizziness blurred the letters in front of me.
I spent my life, up to this point, believing my mother was the innocent victim of an ugly crime.
What if she wasn't? What if she was the very reason she had been targeted in the first place?
A rock settled in the pit of my stomach. I folded the letter and took the diary from Arthur. Openning it at a random page, I began reading. If my mother was the source of this evil we were trying to eradicate, I had to know. I didn't want to, I wanted to keep believing my mother was an angel. But I had to know the truth, even if it made me sick to my core.
Arthur wrapped his arm around my shoulder. I settled in the crook of his arm, and together we read. Somehow, his warm scent made the truth a little less scary.
*** **** ***
I had fallen asleep while reading. I woke up feeling like crap. The faint light of dawn projected the window's square frames on the ceiling. I stared at the distorted shadow for several minutes while the happenings of the previous day flashed through my head. Had we arrived in Ireland yesterday? It seemed like a long time. But it was understandable considering the whirlwind of emotions I'd gone through.
I hated this. I didn't know how to process my feelings. The disappointment, the anger, the fear. I didn't know how to deal with it and it pissed me off.
The bed was rumpled and cold beside me. My mother's diary sat on the bedside table, a reminder of everything that was going wrong. Blowing out a breath, I sat up in bed and turned the ring in my finger. Arthur was doing pull ups on the doorframe of the bathroom. How could he even get a proper grip on the tiny surface was beyond me. His movements were steady and smooth. He wasn't even sweating.
Early sunlight traced the defined muscles of his back with lustful fingers. He was only dressed in a pair of sweatpants. The sight made me feel only slightly better.
He dropped to his feet, lithe as a cat, and turned.
"Good morning," I grumbled. "Did you finish reading?"
He shook his head. "It's your mother's diary. I won't read it without you."
I blew out a breath and swung my legs to the side. A small bottle of a dark liquid floated from the table near the fireplace towards me. It hovered inches from my face.
"What?"
"I believe you need that," Arthur said.
"Why?"
"Your sunny disposition this morning might be partly due to blood."
"I don't appreciate sarcasm first thing in the morning." I swiped the bottle from the air, opened it and took a sip. The metallic taste of blood was a fresh reminder of how I could not survive without someone else's blood.
My frustration abated for a few seconds before it returned full force. I glared at the bottle of blood. It was supposed to make me feel better.
The bottle left my hand and floated back to the table. I turned my glare to Arthur.
He held his palm open. His sword, which was leaning on the bedside table next to mine, left its spot and flew to rest in his palm.
"Get your sword," Arthur said. "Let's have a bout."
"In my current mood, I might seriously hurt you."
He laughed.
Asshole. I stood up, picked up my sword and pointed it at him. "Fine, your funeral."
--- ---- ---
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