Did that mean that Vex had come to see him during that time? Repressed more memories of his being Ailduin so that he would not perish? Was that also why he had no feeling for Ailduin now?
“It appears that you’ve grown out of whatever ailed you as a child. Good thing, because I have no idea how they cured you,” Vesslan remarked dryly.
For some reason that had Aquilan looking up sharply at his brother. It was ridiculous and wrong and hateful, but he thought Vesslan sounded like maybe he hoped Aquilan would get sick again. A sickness that could not be cured.
“I–I am feeling tired. I will retire for the evening,” Aquilan said as he abruptly stood up.
There was nothing more he wanted to speak to Vesslan about. Indeed, with his uneven mood and his concern about Declan, he feared they might fight. He didn’t need that after not having slept… He wanted to get away. He wanted Declan.
My Shadow. I want to simply be with you. In your presence. Even if we do not talk. Even if you sleep. I want to be next to you. Hear your breathing. See your eyes move beneath your lids as darkness falls…
“We need to speak more about this, Aquilan. You won’t do anything with the Council without me, will you?” Vesslan asked.
“No, of course not. And you will do nothing without me either,” Aquilan said. He shouldn’t have had to say that.
“I am at your service, my king.” Vesslan inclined his head.
As Aquilan hurried up to his bedroom in the West–to his Shadow–he heard–or remembered, he couldn’t be sure–Vex saying in his head, The worst is family, Ailduin. You’re told over and over again that you are to trust them. But the truth is that they are the least trustworthy and the most dangerous. Because they can get closer to you than anyone, and before you know it, their knife slides swiftly into your heart.
Light In The Dark
Finley watched his best friend study his “new” face in the mirror. Just like with Rhalyf, Declan was more beautiful than before with his true coloring. To Finley, it was as if he was finally seeing Declan without a mask in front of his face.
It surprised him when Declan reached out and touched the glass as if to confirm he was real. When his fingers hit the mirror, Declan blinked as if shocked that it was there and then shook himself. He turned on the tap, splashed water over his face and scrubbed the back of his neck. He did that several times. Finley was about to turn and give him privacy when Declan spoke.
“I found Dad,” Declan’s voice was low. He leaned heavily on both hands on the sink.
Finley perked up. “What did Vex say? Aquilan said you and the Night King met, but didn’t give us many details.”
“What? Vex? No. Dad. Tyler,” Declan clarified.
Tyler? Tyler Wilde? But… how?
“Oh! Right, of course, I was just thinking–”
“I don’t think anyone would ever dare call Vex dad. Father, yes, but not dad. He could never be a dad.” Declan gave him a half smile in the mirror.
“I quite agree with you on that. Vex is… Well, I’m not quite sure what he is, but a ‘dad’ he is not. It seems you didn’t have as positive an interaction with him as I did for which I am terribly sorry,” Finley said, feeling somehow as if he had to apologize for the Night King.
That was ridiculous, of course. Yes, he had studied the Kindreth king and tried to bring him to life in his game, but it wasn’t as if he was responsible for how Vex truly was. Yet Finley liked him. In fact, he seemed to Finley exactly what he should be. But would he feel that way if Vex was his father?
And he really had no idea what Declan and Vex had talked about. Aquilan didn’t seem to fully know. The Sun King had been quite reticent to speak of his dark counterpart in any way. It seemed as if Aquilan, too, had a conversation with Vex. Considering that Rhalyf had encountered him at the same time, it appeared that the Night King had somehow appeared simultaneously to all three of the others.
“I’m just glad he wasn’t thinking of killing you, too,” Declan remarked as he dried his face.
“Killing?! Ah, he views you as a threat then? But I thought… He didn’t seem antagonistic towards you when we spoke. I think the only reason he saved me is because of our connection. So if he meant to simply kill you… Well, it hardly makes sense to care about my life,” Finley explained his confusion.
Finley hadn’t considered Vex killing his son as even a possibility. Of course, he knew that many of the Kindreth royal houses did kill off children if they were deemed to put the parents at risk and that risk couldn’t be neutered in some way. He’d read of Kindreth parents enchanting their children to love them above all else. But the truly powerful offspring would eventually break through such a spell. Yet Vex was so old and powerful that no matter how special Declan was–and he was special–Declan simply couldn’t catch up to his father in skill. Elves didn’t grow infirm. They grew stronger. Vex would always have millennia on his son and he would continue to grow. So why would Declan pose a threat?
Declan shrugged. “A threat? No, not really. Actually, not at all. Not as I am now anyways.”
“Unless he meant that by going after you, someone would be able to get him to do what they wanted.” This seemed much more likely to Finley after what he had experienced of Vex.
Declan, however, looked highly dubious. “Before what happened in Illithor…” He paused then and rocked a little. “No one knew I existed.”
“Ah, yes, yes, so people could hardly go after what they didn’t know was there. But it was bound to happen sometime. Rhalyf was shocked the glamour had lasted as long as it had. Eventually, it would have weakened enough that your magic would have burst through. In a way, it was lucky it happened in the manner it did,” Finley explained.
“Lucky? I wonder…” Declan pursed his lips. “He’s been watching all this time and done nothing. But then he steps up when things…”
