Ael waved his hand in permission for Meir to speak.
“You have been missed, Sire. We have much to catch up on. Regarding the stone, may we talk about it over dinner tonight? I have instructed the cooks to start.”
Meir was Ael’s most senior advisor. He was fifteen hundred years old and lived through parts of Ael’s father’s reign, seeing the destruction of the gods and the rise of the monsters in lower Xyberus.Meir also assisted with Ael’s daily responsibilities while he was away.
“Oh, please with the formalities,” a sultry Fae named Luelle said. “It has been far too long. What happened, Ael?” Luelle was his ‘spy’. As his childhood friend, who knew everyone’s secrets in the palace, he gifted her the role when he took the throne. Whenever Ael needed to know something about someone, she always had the answer.
“I ran out of time. We believe Lord Mordred has the stone. I was instructed to help someone named Seda Arbor, but was told I was not allowed to inform her of my intentions or my true nature. I’ve spent the last five years living as a human with her. She was taken to the Camp, and she started to show some…powers.” Ael said back to them.
“What powers?” asked Praxis, the third council member, standing beside Luelle. He was his captain.
“I’m not sure, but it’s unlike anything we have ever seen,” he replied. “Seda has developed a purple power that comes from within. Electric. I’ve seen her create a storm from the sky and rain down lightning.”
The three looked at each other in confusion.
“No one has that power,” said Meir. “I will see what I can research in the library. May I please be excused?”
Ael nodded at him, and the older man bowed again before walking away and closing the doors behind him.
Luelle stepped forward, and Ael raised his hand to stop her. “Before anything, I need you to go to the witch. I need a way to check in and communicate with Seda.”
Luelle bristled, her face flushing red. “You know that old hag doesn’t play nice! Last time she chased me out with a broom and a few zaps to my ass when I asked her something.”
“Ineedthis, Luelle. I left on bad terms, and she is in danger. I don’t understand how she fits into all of this. Tell the witch I’ve sent you,” he replied.
“Can you go back?” Praxis asked.
“No, I cannot. I’m forbidden from finding Seda unless she comes to me.”
“What kind of horseshit are the Wisps playing at?” Luelle asked.
Ael looked at both of them, “I wish I knew.”
Luelle and Praxis left the Throne Room quietly. Ael stared around the room. He forgot how large it was, how opulent. Two birds chirped from far above, and he looked up at them. They were fluttering around the few hanging vines.
Oh, Seda. I can explain.Please come to me,he thought as he sat on his emerald throne.
Chapter 38
Seda
The days passed as they walked through the misty redwoods. Every time they encountered what appeared to be Gnashing Flora, Seda used her magic to electrocute them to dust. It didn’t always work when she tried. At times, it would sputter out and only scorch the plant; other times, it would shake the earth so violently that they all had to leap back. If only she could better control her power and understand how it worked.
She realized she had to think about things that angered her to wake up the source. She would practice by thinking about Joro and how unjustly people are treated, about Esper and how her life had ended so terribly, and about how Cahir had spent years lying to her.
She thought about him often, and her mind warred with itself each time. One part of her felt his betrayal deeply, angering her, andanother part of her tried to think of reasons he might not have been forthright.
She was still so confused. How had her mother known about these stories of the Fae? And Ojore was actually a bear? The Corvids existed. What else was out there? Who were the Wisps?
Her bare feet grew used to traveling the forest floor. She looked down and noted how dirty they were.
I no longer care.
Shoeless, she felt liberated, and the damp earth beneath her toes made her feel grounded. She thought back to her time in Joro and how she would never have allowed herself to become this dirty. She was always meticulous about showering and maintaining her cleanliness. She felt dirty for fifteen years and was constantly scrubbing her body raw.
No more. Seda now preferred to have that dirt caked between her toes.
Feich walked by her side, not saying much. She looked over at him, taking in his magical beauty. He walked with a stiff posture, standing tall and proud, his eyes scanning the area with a wary glance, as if he could see through objects to detect any signs of danger. She felt comfortable around him.
