He paused. “I never gave it to her.”
I shot him a questioning glance.
“We’d been married civilly in an elven court, but it had little meaning to her. I wanted to make her a proper bride in a human ceremony, but I always found an excuse not to. I kept that box in my pocket, and every day I determined that today would be the day I married her the way humans do. But I never did.”
And now Mom sat in that huge, empty house with no memories of the man who loved her. I’d never felt sorry for her. It was a strange emotion, and somehow, I wished I could tell her. I wondered if my dad knew what had become of her.
“It wasn’t easy for me, you see. Elves think of marriage as an arrangement. They recognize that a family with two parents is the best place for a child to be raised, but they never speak of love.”
He took the ring from me. “These things don’t matter anymore, of course. I brought out this ring for a different purpose.” He snapped the lid shut, like a cover to his heart. “Because an emotional bond is tied so strongly to this ring, it has become a talisman.”
“But it’s never been spellcasted.”
“True. But sometimes objects can absorb magical energy without being enchanted.”
“How powerful is it?”
“That depends,” he said.
“Depends on what?”
“The magical word you discover from it.”
And now this all made sense. The ring would provide me with a new magical word, which I could use to help me influence the pixies. Whether it would actually work, I had no idea, but at this point, I would try anything.
He passed the box to me. “You will discover the magic when the time is right. This ring is yours now.”
Chapter 32
The hum of fairy wings sounded a little softer than the chirp of cicadas. The tiny orbs of light flitted outside Father’s cottage. He opened the windows, and their sound increased, bringing back memories of better years long past. There were times I wished I’d never left my fairy world.
This evening brought me closer to finding my godson, for which I was grateful. I’d suspected my father of being a dark practitioner. Instead, I found him a lonely man unable to express his emotions, a man who loved his wife but couldn’t find a way to tell her.
I fidgeted with the box. He’d told me to discover its magical word when the time was right. When would that be, exactly?
The fire burned to a smolder. It radiated soft, ocher light around Father’s living chambers, sending its glow to the bookshelves, the table filled with our empty teacups, and to Father, who slung a robe of dark blue around his shoulders. “I’m to attend dinner in the high lord’s palace. You’re welcome to accompany me.”
Another dinner invitation. How many of these had I avoided? Coming up with excuses was getting tedious, but making them had become a habit I didn’t know how to break. “I’m sure the high lord wouldn’t want me to interfere.”
“You aren’t elven royalty. It’s doubtful the high lord would notice your presence.”
Gee, thanks, Dad.
“I’ve extended my welcome to you on numerous occasions, yet you refuse me. Have I wronged you?”
I sighed. Here we go. Having a heart-to-heart with my father was something I’d avoided my entire life, and with good reason. I remembered the look on his face at the Wult gathering after I’d burst through the enchanted doors. My presence to him was like a curse, a reminder of his time spent with a human woman who no longer cared for him, who didn’t even remember him. I didn’t want to shame him by appearing by his side at an elven gathering.
“You haven’t wronged me,” I said.
“Then why do you avoid me?”
“Me?” I asked, stunned. I remembered the lonely evenings I’d spent as a child in the dragon caves. Though I loved the dragons like family, I wished I could’ve talked with someone like me. Father had visited only on occasion, and never for very long. How could he claim such a thing?
“I realize I’ve been distant,” he explained. “But it’s not our way to be overly affectionate. I hoped to teach you of the elven ways through my example.”
I didn’t know how to react. Anger burned in the place where I’d stored my feelings of inadequacy. “In the first place, you left me to be raised by dragons so you wouldn’t have to bother with me. You taught me nothing of the elven ways. In fact, I’ve learned to hate them. I know more of dragons and humans than I do of your kind. If you think I’ve avoided you, it’s only because I had a very excellent teacher. How many nights did I lay awake in the dragon caves with tears in my eyes, wondering why my father never came to visit?”
He took a step back, his face unreadable. If I’d struck a chord, it didn’t show. “Is this what you believe? That I abandoned you to the dragons because you were a bother?”
“I’ve never been given a better explanation.”
He sat across from me. The fire sputtered. The flames flickered over the hardened features of my father’s face. “You’ve never been told the circumstances of your birth for good reason,” he said finally, his voice hushed.
“What circumstances?”
“It would be wrong of me to tell you. There are many secrets I have already divulged. I will not reveal another. Suffice it to say, it would have been dangerous for me to have you in my presence. You were never a burden, and I have never been ashamed of you.”
“Dangerous how?”
“Dangerous to your life, and to mine as well.”
I crossed my arms. I’d never heard of this. How could I be certain he wasn’t coming up with another excuse?
“How do I know you aren’t lying?”
“In this case, you’ll have to trust me.”
“Trust is earned.”
“Indeed. You
