“In the Dark Lord’s hands, yes, but not in and of itself. Foreia is my home, the place I consider most sacred outside Tanselm. Yet, even in my homeworld, some Light is welcome. Without it, there can be no Dark, no Shadow. Think, Arim. Two powerful forces once existed in Tanselm. In the years since, the land’s magic has faded.”
“Not so.”
“It is so.” Ethim cursed, running his hands through his hair in agitation. “Are you so biased against us you cannot see the truth in your own magic?”
I said nothing. For years, I’d been struggling to overcome growing weaknesses and disconcerting gaps in my energy that I’d assumed were my own vulnerabilities. If what Ethim said were true, then Tanselm was in more danger than from the Netharat.
It just didn’t make sense. Why now, when the kingdom lay vulnerable, did Tanselm show its limitations? The land had always risen to face challenges, standing strong in the face of adversity. Tanselm had always worked with the Light Bringers, yet now, according to Ethim, needed saving from the Light Bringers?
“You make no sense.” I shook my head. “Tanselm is strength, as well you know. I realize you had nothing to do with the treacherous Djinn responsible for our kings falling. But like calls to like. I have a hard time believing you Djinn will completely turn on your own, regardless of your opposition to Dark Lord involvement.”
“You’re a hard-headed fool,” Ethim snarled, his eyes bright in the shadows of Shathra’s main hall. “Do you know how easy it would be for me to kill you now, right here?”
He snapped his fingers, and a score of Djinn warriors surrounded us.
“Not quite so easy.” With a thought, I created a shield so blindingly bright the walls shook.
“Okay, okay,” Ethim rumbled, and his warriors disappeared. “No need to kill us both. You’ve made your point. But I gave you warning on purpose. Had I really been interested in your death, you would have been attacked the minute you entered this place.”
I grudgingly accepted the truth.
“You can see how serious I am about this matter. Hell, I, I left my daughter with your nephew, and I love her more than life itself.” He grimaced. “You have no idea how hard it’s been to know what she and that Light Bringer might be doing.”
“Oh?” Cadmus had really stepped in it this time.
“Don’t take me for a fool because I appeal to your good sense. Of course, appealing to your good sense does make me seem —”
“As if you lack all intelligence,” I finished wryly.
Ethim’s eyes narrowed. “Nevertheless, I believe in this cause so strongly that I’ve allowed my daughter to befriend a Light Bringer. Can you not see my position and understand it?”
I studied Ethim carefully. The Djinn had a point. There was no way in hell one of his kind would ever let his child near a Light Bringer, and especially not a Storm Lord, knowing the two might share a physical union. The Djinn prized their sexuality and considered the sharing of it as more than a gift but a tying bind that would only grow stronger if not kept in check.
“What do you expect me to do about it?”
“Nothing for now. Elliara didn’t like the thought of him leaving.”
“I noticed.” I’d also noticed Cadmus’ half-hearted plea to return home. And that worried me.
“It’s as she predicted. Our time is coming, and we have to be ready. Cadmus will help pave the way to defeating the evil that threatens us all.”
I hadn’t known Ellie was a seer. An uneasy feeling roiled in my belly. “Who predicted? Your daughter?”
“A Djinn soothsayer. No one of importance to you. Now, Arim, promise me you won’t interfere in your nephew’s time in the mundane world.”
“Why should I promise that? You’re interfering already. And you have ties to that mundane world that keep you there most of the time.”
Ethim coughed. “Yes, well, my wife is not as easygoing as most humans. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was part Light Bringer.”
“I’d like to meet her sometime.” I had an uneasy feeling I’d need to meet her, seeing as how friendly Cadmus and Ellie had become. The Light help me if another Dark female joined the royal family. I thought I might be turning a touch crazy. I had enough to worry about making sure the Dark Lords didn’t invade Tanselm, not to mention keeping watch over those untrustworthy Aellei.
Aerolus and his unruly hormones. Why couldn’t he have married a nice human like his brothers Darius and Marcus?
As if my thoughts conjured them, I felt a beckoning spell calling me to Tanselm. “This discussion isn’t over.”
“I agree. There is much more to talk about. We’ll get to it when you’re ready to hear the truth.”
I scoffed. “You can debate Tanselm’s weaknesses as much as you want, but don’t forget who and what I am.” My vision expanded, and I trembled with indescribable power, inexorably bound to Tanselm’s riches. “I won’t let you destroy her, Ethim. I am charged with protecting Tanselm at all costs. Her people won’t suffer annihilation like they once did.”
