"Why? It's not like we are children and haven't gone to the pub before," Reeve asked.
"It's because Apollo was kidnapped," Bas said softly before anyone else could answer. "And this is about dragons."
"Exactly. No leaving the grounds at all until this is over," Kian replied and crossed his long legs. Even in repose, he managed to look intimidatingly royal. It was a shame they were family, and it didn't work on any of them.
Oberon grinned smugly. "And you told me growing an impenetrable forest around the castle was a bad idea."
"Because that's your answer for everything!" Kian replied.
"It's because it solves a multitude of problems. I tried to warn you they would go off on their own. They remind me of you three when you were their age," Oberon said, pointing at the princes.
"I have no recollection of disobeying anyone. I was an angel," Killian argued, his green eyes wide and innocent.
Bayn frowned. "I was the good one. I'm sure of it."
All three of their uncles snorted with laughter, and the tension in the room eased a little. Valentine stood by the fire because he knew if he sat, his leg would start bouncing and give away just how anxious he was.
"What is this all about? Where are Avallach and Cae…Yelena?" he demanded when he couldn't handle it any longer.
From a couch beside Quinn, Taranis gave a long, tired sigh. "What do you boys know about King Midir?"
Valentine stretched his memory, but it was Cosimo who answered first.
"He is a character from an old Irish saga. He was a fae king who fell in love with a woman called Étaín, and there was something about him challenging the king of Ireland for her hand," he said, frowning.
Taranis snorted. "So you know nothing real about him. I suppose that will save us some time."
"He's a solid gold bastard, that’s what he is," Mananan added. "His land has bordered Taran's forever. He's always hated humans. His stronghold is next to impossible to find because he can manipulate the pathways leading to it. He was sniffing about the borders again, stirring up trouble. Rumor has it he’s lost his way in Ireland. For a male whose magic is all about roads and routes, that’s got to piss him off."
Taranis lifted his glass to his brother. "That is the long and the short of it. He was going into places he shouldn't, and I sent Yelena and Avallach to find out what the fuck is going on up in the north, where some of Midir's warriors were seen. He's a sneaky fucker who can take control of other creatures and manipulate them to do his bidding. He's always been jealous of the dragons."
Valentine's magic burned under his skin. "And now this king, who has the power to take control of other creatures, has Yelena and Avallach. Two dragons."
"Powerful dragons that are too strong for Midir to manipulate. Dragons don't like people fucking about in their heads. That kind of magic doesn't work on them," Taranis argued. "It's why I sent a mixed group of warriors with Yelena and Avallach watching over them."
"We also don't know if Midir has them at all, Val," Quinn said gently.
Valentine forced his jaw to unclench. "We don't know that he hasn't. Sounds to me like he’d love nothing more than to get some dragons under his thumb. I can't believe you sent Yelena up there."
Taranis's brows rose. "You know next to nothing about what she can handle."
"The lad makes a valid point, though. Yelena is the last person that Midir should have the chance to control," Oberon said gruffly.
"Why is that?" Valentine demanded. His magic was scratching at him to get out.
Not now, not now, not now.
Mananan swirled the scotch in his glass. "Yelena is special."
"She wouldn't want us to tell him..." Taranis began.
"For fuck's sake, Uncle Taran, spit it out. If you didn't trust us, you should have left us at the fucking pub," Apollo exclaimed.
"Fine, but if she's pissed, she can take her anger out on you lot." Taranis groaned and rubbed a hand through his thick hair. "Yelena was a foundling, and I mean that in the way that I quite literally found her. I was visiting the lands where most of the wild dragons live. The ones who can't shift at all. From what I could understand, she was born wrong. At least, wrong to one of the wild ones. She was left to die as a hatchling, except she didn't. She wandered near a settlement, saw humanoid fae creatures, and shifted to try to blend in. It should be impossible for one born of the wild ones. She was a dragon in girl shapeand couldn't talk, couldn't communicate. She ran away from the villagers before they could try to catch her. They were the ones who sent a message to me, and I went to find her."
Taranis drained his drink. "She was absolutely feral and had been surviving by using her magic to freeze herself during the winter months so she didn't starve. She had so much power, and it was as wild as she was. I had to change a few times from this shape to a dragon to prove I was like her. She came with me but had no idea there were others like us. It took her a long time to talk and to learn how to do simple things like dress herself properly. But the magic? The magic was loud, abundant, and uncontrollable. It's why she's so sensitive to it."
Oberon said, "And her power is still as wild as ever, too. I can feel the feral in her, buried deep down, but it's still there. It's why Taranis's court is still afraid of her. They know she is not like them."
