Maybe the curse was just a myth to force shifters into the Trials. If the queen was using the Trials to control the shifter population, she might have created the curse to terrorize every shifter into compliance.
“And the…second possibility?” I didn’t want to say it out loud.
“The queen herself cannot absolve the curse on your brother.” He scrubbed his hand over his face, already moving on in his thoughts to something more interesting than my brother’s life. “Though she has had no access to him to gain that knowledge.”
“You couldn’t keep her out of your house, could you?”
“I can’t keep out her spies. I’ve brought in many healers trying to unravel the curse on your brother. It’s been a helpful thing, having him hostage in my house.” He gave me a meaningful look.
“Tell me what you’ve tried.”
“You won’t like hearing it.”
“Just tell me.”
He sat on the edge of the table—a bit heavily, as if the wound taxed him more than he would admit. “I brought in the best Fae healers for healing runes. Those disappeared overnight. I even paid a blood Fae to siphon the sickness out, but she ran away.”
He gave me a faint, unamused smile. “It turns out your brother is difficult like you.”
“He’s not difficult. He’s far better and kinder than me.”
“Kinder, perhaps. I doubt anyone could be better. At any rate, it’s a powerful curse.”
He’d delivered that compliment so casually and then moved on. I shook my head, finding myself always a bit unmoored by him. “Why would anyone curseTay?”
“I think the queen was right in telling you that you need to figure out who your father is. Perhaps Tay was targeted because of him.”
He meant that Tay was targeted because ofme.Tay wasn’t the mysterious shifter’s child.
“This is one situation where we should take her advice. But warily, always. Her advice always serves her purposes first, and of course she wants to prevent more mortal shifters as much as I want to help.”
“I’ll do it to help Tay, but…I don’t want to find my father.”
He clicked his tongue. “Look at you. Still loyal to your mother, after everything. Loyalty might just be your defining trait.”
“Were you listening?” Emotions I didn’t want to feel throbbed in my chest. “As I said goodbye to my family?”
“You looked as if you might run.”
“You are an absolute asshole.”
“I know.”
As I turned the situation over in my mind, I had to admit that finding my father suddenly wasn’t selfish. I was driven by a lifelong sense of curiosity that I didn’t trust, but now I needed him. “If I find my father…do you think he could hurt my mother?”
For a second, I was sure he was going to lie to me with pat, easy words.
“I don’t know what happened between your father and your mother. I don’t see why he would return to your village if he learns of your existence. But I can’t make any promises.” When he sounded sincere and concerned, it made me more furious than his usual flippant, cocky tone.
Those were the moments I wanted to trust him too much. The moments I felt my vulnerability.
“If we find the truth and don’t like it, we can always lie about it,” he offered, and that sounded more like the Fieran I knew and despised.
“How would we even go about finding my father? The queen suggested some shifters I might visit to see how they react.”
“On your own?” He sounded as if he were fishing for me to request his help.
“Oh, yes, of course. Since I know my way around the city and shifter society so well.” Did he really think I was stupid enough to walk these streets alone? “Are you offering to go with me, Fieran? To use your skill as a liar to catch other people in their lies?”
