I gently rested my hand on her shoulder. She looked up, and I could see how hard it was for her not to cry. It wasn’t an emotion I had experienced very much of, but I’d seen grief so much that I knew it well. I thought of all the times I’d helped a soul pass from the world and watched their family mourn, the way they’d hold one another, and surrender to the pain. Watching Daath get tortured before my eyes had finally given me a real perspective on that pain. To see Myrcedes fight it now, all I wanted was to hold her as I’d seen others do millions of times. I wanted to let her surrender the way people had to surrender to grief in order to finally move on. I knew, though, that now was not the time.
I sensed my brother’s presence before he arrived and looked at the place where he materialized a second later.
“Daath,” Myrcedes crossed to him and took his hand. “Is everything alright? Why did you stay behind?”
He smiled at her and brushed her hair behind her ear, addressing the room as he answered. “I wanted to get a better sense of their current situation, and it’s a good thing I did.”
“What did you learn?” I asked.
“The laws dictate that for a new monarch to be chosen, the fae council must decide by unanimous vote. That was likely a clever way to ensure no one except Minerva could ever rule because the council can’t agree on what to have for lunch, much less who should rule. Additionally, every fae qualified to be the next monarch is on the council, and they all want to rule. They’re in a hopeless deadlock at the moment.”
“So, what will happen?” Myrcedes frowned. “Until they choose a new King or Queen, Kalian can’t get his ruling overturned.”
“True,” Daath nodded. “And I don’t have a solution for that yet. In the meantime, however, I suggested to the council a temporary fix. We have a reaper, Serriah, who’s an elf. Seelie and Unseelie have only ever been in power in the fae realm, but elves are fae as well. I offered her services as a general peacekeeper for the time being. She wouldn’t have much power, but she could rule on minor issues, and give the people of the realm someone to look up to so they don’t feel so lost.”
“And the council agreed to that?” Kalian’s brow knit on his forehead.
“They didn’t have any other choice,” Daath smirked. “They’re in too much disagreement to offer a cohesive voice on anything, and their citizens are already growing restless without someone to follow. Besides, I reminded them that they did just punish the man who saved both my brother and me from the corrupt disease that was their Queen right in front of her victims. I can be very persuasive.”
He grinned devilishly. I could have laughed. I loved seeing him so confident; it undoubtedly boded well for us.
“Did you learn anything else about the council and whether they were involved-”
“Yes,” Daath cut Myrcedes off hesitantly. “I did take the opportunity to pry. I was subtle, but even so, none of them had specific memories. They all had feelings of guilt associated with you, but that could just be from what you had to go through because of Minerva.”
Her face fell, and she shook her head. “No… I don’t believe that.”
Daath frowned. “I’m sorry, my love. I wish I had a more satisfying answer for you. Perhaps we should make our way to dinner. Surely that will make us all feel better?” He stroked Myrcedes’ cheek. A blush pooled in her skin, and she stepped away, looking to the Seelie.
“Actually, I still have some questions for Kalian. Just a few more. I’ll meet you both at dinner. I shouldn’t be long.” She spoke softly before kissing each of our cheeks and pulling out a chair, inviting Kalian to join her. The Seelie’s expression was now one of utter contempt, and he had returned to avoiding her gaze.
I heard Daath’s voice in my mind. What the hell is happening?
I’m not sure, I responded, stepping out of the room and pacing absentmindedly down the hallway. She has an interest in him.
Why does he look at her that way?
He tries not to look at her at all. It’s disrespectful.
She’s the only reason the jackass is alive! his voice grew frustrated. We began to make our way to the dining hall. I reminded myself what Myrcedes had said before about needing to trust her… and trust her I did.
I don’t trust him.
Agreed.
We entered the dining hall just as the rest of the castle’s residents were flooding in for dinner. As usual, there was a quick hush around the room as we entered. People were scattered everywhere from the door to the tables, some sitting and eating already while others had barely just begun their pre-meal gossip. With a quick nod from my brother and me, the room returned to its flurry of activity. There were quite a few long tables; we made our way to the one at the front of the room that had two empty seats we always occupied. Next to one of those seats stood two men in conversation with one another, both broad and threatening in appearance.
Maluc and Hestus were the gargoyles that lived on the steps of the palace, guarding the entrance. They were experienced and advanced fighters that had defended our interests in many a war. When perched and on watch, the two were covered in stone and unmoving, but when they needed or wanted, however, they could shed the layer of stone, revealing rough, light gray skin, and move like normal people. The two brothers looked very aggressive with
