Valentine winced.Not like them.Hadn't he heard that same bullshit from other magicians and sorcerers since he was born?
Bas got up and topped up Valentine's glass but remained standing with him by the fire. His mind gently nudged Valentine's.Okay, big brother?
Not really. Sounds a bit familiar, doesn't it? Wild, uncontrollable magic that no one understands.
You got along with her for a reason. Like tends to call to like.Bas broke off the mind link, so they didn't miss too much of the conversation.
"How would Midir have known where Yelena and Avallach were?" Bayn asked. He had a thin dagger in his hand and was idly flipping it.
"They were on the borders and could have been seen and taken," Kian suggested.
"Or Taran's got a spy and a traitor in his court," Killian said, darkness curling about his fingertips. "I was a spy for along time, so it seems obvious that Midir has eyes somewhere. You can't trust anyone from Mag Argatnél except your knights, Uncle. At least, not until this is over with."
Taranis nodded and glanced at Valentine. "There wasn't anything in your letters that mentioned she could be in trouble?"
"No. She never said what she was doing, which is why I thought she was someone in the court," Valentine replied. His dream of her frozen in a cage came back to him, and his stomach soured. He put down his drink. He couldn't tell them about it because he didn't know if it was a real vision or just his imagination.
"You have her letters, though? I thought there might be a way to track her last location using them," Taranis pressed. They all turned to look at Valentine, and he tried not to squirm. His neck was getting hot.
He turned back to look at the fire. "Yes, I still have them. Let me think about how I could use them to find her."
"What about getting Ella to touch them and see if her psychometry can pick anything up?" Bayn asked.
Mananan, ever overprotective of his mate, shook his head. "I don't want her anywhere near Midir and his mind. Besides, her gift would only indicate that Yelena had sent it. Fire messaging is a magical transference. It's not like she handled the paper herself. Valentine has a magical connection to her in order to send the messages. He has more of a chance of finding her."
"Whatever magical assistance you might need, Valentine, let me know," Kian said and cleared his throat. "I…I have a pressing need to find Yelena as well. She has been making an elixir for Elise, and I don't know what was in it."
Apollo perked up. "Oh? What kind of elixir exactly? Do you have any left? I might be able to figure out what ingredients were used."
They looked at Kian expectantly, and he tried to look away.
"What is wrong with Elise? Is she hurt? Oh, gods, is it some human thing, and she's dying?" Oberon demanded. "Kian, we need to take her to see some proper healers and…"
"She's pregnant," Valentine said, and Kian shot him a surprised look. "What? It's obvious..." He trailed off as everyone stared at him. "Okay, so maybe only obvious to me?"
"A baby? Really?" Quinn gasped and then smiled. "That suddenly explains so much. She's been wearing an absurd amount of flowy dresses and has put off having a girls' night."
"You can't tell anyone!" Kian commanded. "Elise doesn't want anyone to know until she's ready. Yelena's elixir hides the change in her scent."
"A Tuatha Dé Dannan baby," Oberon said, still stunned. Then he was out of his chair and hugging Kian, almost tangling their antlers. "My baby nephew is going to be a father. Oh, blessed Danu, I feel like crying."
Valentine had never liked children, but he supposed it was different for the fae. Kian and many others had struggled to find the source of their infertility over the years.
"I have been crying. A lot," Kian said, accepting the congratulations. "Elise doesn't want to say anything until we can't avoid it. It's not just hope for us but for all the fae. It's a lot to put on her shoulders."
"I can always take her to Tír fo Thuinn," Mananan suggested. "If anyone threatens her, I can drown them with a tidal wave."
Kian laughed. "She might like a trip to the sea for a few days, but I don't know how she would feel about hiding in Faerie."
"She doesn't need to go all that way. I got a perfectly good castle in the north for her. Freya's going to freak out when she's told," Bayn said with a wide grin.
"You never know, baby brother. She might want one next," Killian teased, and Bayn's grin slipped off his face.
"I'm too young to be a father," he said quickly. "You're the oldest. You can be next."
Killian snorted. "You think more Ironwoods in the world is a good idea?"
"This is so nice," Bas said beside Valentine. "I can't believe you knew."
