“Yes!” the hunters said in unison and clapped.
I chuckled. “All of that to say thank you. I don't think I could get fluent in Korean.”
“It's just as long as saying thank you very much,” Killian pointed out. “And it means the same thing. It's a respectful thank you that can be shortened if you want to be more casual with someone.”
“Korean is not as hard as Japanese,” Sever said.
“You speak Korean too?” I looked over at him in surprise.
“Yes, of course. I speak all the languages of Earth, Heaven, and Hell.”
Everyone in the room gaped at him.
“I was the King of Heaven,” Sever said in explanation.
We continued to gape.
“It comes to you,” Star drawled. “Just fills your mind when you need it. We didn't have to learn them all.”
We turned to find Star leaning in the doorway to the dining room, a coffee mug in his hand.
“When I became King of Hell,” he went on, “I slowly realized there was more in my head than before. I could understand more about my world, then about Earth, and finally, about Heaven.”
“You're saying that ascending the throne gave you knowledge of all languages?” I asked.
“Yes.
“It gives you knowledge,” I whispered. “Like the pearls.”
“Seren?” Killian was frowning at me.
“Give me a second.” I tried to work it out—the whirlwind in my mind. Knowledge. Pearls. Pearls of wisdom. “If Anu can grant power and wisdom so easily, why does Danu hold back from us? Why do Kumihos have pearls of wisdom inside them but can't access the knowledge? And why must they be fed?” I looked from Star to Sever. “Your wisdom and power don't need to be fed.”
“No,” Sever said. “But Anu works in different ways.”
“Yeah, usually annoying ways,” Ainsley muttered.
I snorted a laugh. He'd been so discreet, eating in a chair in the corner, that I'd forgotten he was there. Ainsley could be like that. Even his looks were muted for a fairy—light brown hair, light tan, blue eyes. Nothing shocking. He made a good guard because of it. And it went with his mór—Confusion.
“You're telling me,” Sever muttered.
“All right, no God bashing, please,” Killian said. “I know you're bitter right now, Sever, but Anu has been good to us.” He paused to give Ainsley a hard look. “He brought you back from the dead, Ainsley. Or have you forgotten?”
Ainsley straightened in his chair. “No, I haven't forgotten. I'm grateful for that. But I don't believe he did it for me.” He shifted his stare to me. “He always has a plan. Or have you forgotten how he asked Princess Seren to kill Uisdean as a sacrifice to him? A sacrifice that would have given him a link to her, even when she was in Fairy. Luckily, the Sluagh killed Uisdean before she could.”
“He brought you back from the dead, Sir Ainsley?” Hunter Ji-woon asked. “Anu did?”
“Yes,” I said gravely. “I lost my entire Star's Guard that day. They were slaughtered by my Aunt Rue. She would have killed me too, but Anu stopped her. He saved my life, and then he brought my friends back. I would have gladly sacrificed my Uncle Uisdean to him. And frankly, I wouldn't have minded the link between us. I doubt he would have used it often. Anu can ask a lot, but he offers a lot in return.” I took Sever's hand. “And he knows when it gets to be too much for us.”
“Are you implying that he let me go?”
I nodded.
Sever sighed. “Perhaps. But he hasn't made it easy. And his children certainly haven't let me go.”
“It will be all right.”
“Not if he gets control of Miri.”
