Hyacinth was already making a cup of tea for Avery with the remaining hot water from the kettle.
“Avery, dear, Susan shared that the portal nearly brought you back to your land. Did you consider going through and seeing if you could return back and forth?”
Avery shook her head. “I didn’t want to leave, plus there was a trap set up on the other side for when they pushed me through the portal.” Avery turned to Morgan, her mouth turned down. “We’ll figure out a way to get you back. I think I know how, too.We’ll need to return to Quartz Mountain after the snow melts. The quartz you gave me will guide you home.”
Morgan sighed and pressed her head to her palm. “A lot has happened since we’ve been apart, and I’m not ready to go home until I finish some tasks I agreed to do.”
Avery looked at Susan, then back to Morgan. “For Rylo? Did he send you here?”
Susan’s face was turned up in a mischievous smile. Morgan didn’t want her sharing that she’d become close to Rylo. She never liked sharing her private life with anyone, even Avery, and she didn’t have plans to start now. Besides, Rylo was furious at her for not disclosing how Elio died, and would probably continue to ignore her after she returned from Orofine.
Susan finally replied, “We were sent here by Rylo. I think Morgan has more details than I do on the full extent of why we are here. But, we need to include King Savine and his council in the conversation. Where’s Kyla? I expected to see her with you.”
Morgan let out a sigh of relief. Susan hadn’t disclosed her close connection to the Sun King.
Hyacinth let out a huff. “That girl is running herself ragged.”
At that moment, the door opened. Kyla and Rue came in, expressions serious.
“Look at us! All back together again!” Susan said, standing to hug Rue and Kyla.
“This room is too tight for everyone,” Hyacinth argued from the corner.
“I’d call it cozy, Hyacinth!” Susan called. She seemed so much lighter, so much more at ease, now that she was back with folk she knew. It made Morgan feel a bit envious of the way she’d seamlessly slid back into a familiar world.
Kyla spoke first. “I wish we could stay in here with Hyacinth, but I’m here to bring all of you to the council. We need to know why Morgan and Susan flew here, and what Rylo wants.”
Rue turned her face from Morgan’s gaze, her mouth set in a hard line. Morgan had never seen Rue look so angry. As they slipped from the room and into the stairway, Morgan wanted to ask Rue if she was okay. Wanted to reach out to her as a friend, but just couldn’t. It felt invasive to ask her what was bothering her. For all Morgan knew, it could be something caused by her presence in Orofine.
Morgan followed the other women through the weaving stairs and open air balconies of the treehouse palace. They finally entered a comfortable apartment set far above the city. Was this Avery’s new home?
She recognized the other fae in the room. There was Raikin, the white skinned fae, thin and tall with eyes as green as her own scowled at her and Susan as they took a seat. His soulmate, Jay, close by him with a cheerful smile and kind words for Susan. Kyla went across the room to her soulmate, Garnel. His size was still intimidating. Knowing that he could transform into a bear didn’t help either, but Morgan respected Kyla and trusted that her soulmate wouldn’t hurt her here.
As Morgan guessed, Avery took a seat between herself and Susan on a comfortable couch. Avery avoided Savine’s obvious attempts at eye contact.
“Morgan, Susan, welcome to my home,” Kyla said to Morgan and Susan. “The council of Latiah has gathered here to listen to your news together. We trust it is urgent, due to your unplanned arrival, but you are not the first to arrive unexpectedly from Nephel recently.”
Susan spoke up first, and Morgan felt relieved she didn’t have to address this group on her own. “I spoke with Selene before she left The Towers. I hope she’s not being punished for seeking out her soulmate. The will of the Goddess has never been superseded by borders.”
Savine spoke and Morgan felt the tension from her sister as he talked. “No harm has come to Selene, despite her always treating me poorly. I’m not one to come between the will of the Goddess, or a bond between soulmates.”
Rue let out a stifled cough, her eyes searing daggers at Savine. Clearly he’d angered more than just Avery lately.
Susan’s voice was unsure as she said, “That is good to hear. Now, for why we came all this way. King Rylo requests your military support against Goldoth.” Susan’s words were calm, authoritative in a way that Morgan didn’t expect she possessed.
Garnel let out a snort.
“There must be some kind of misunderstanding!” Jay said between belly laughs.
“Indeed,” Savine replied. “Last I spoke to the trees, rumors were that Rylo was going to Goldoth to seek an alliance.” He looked directly at Morgan as he added, “And you accompanied him.”
Morgan gulped and said, “We did. He had ulterior motives that supported Kyla’s mission to find the relics. Things went badly there, but we escaped with one of the Divine Five. Now Rylo needs your help before Goldoth retaliates.”
Savine raised his eyebrow. Nobody dared laugh now. The room fell silent, waiting for Morgan to share more. Avery reached out and squeezed her sister’s hand as she said, “Can you provide more details than that, Morgan?”
Morgan took a deep breath, nodded, and began to explain what she and Rylo experienced in Onyx Cavern. No one interrupted her story, even when she paused to ask for a drink of water to help her parched throat. She left out no detail, sharing Rylo’s story of the twins marked by Althea and their destructive power. Tears began streaming down her face as she explained how she escaped with the relic, even sharing that she used a spell to utilize Elio’s essence, accidentally draining him in theprocess. How the mines are filled with human slaves, forced to spend their whole existence underground, working in brutal conditions.
Finally, she put her hands to her head, exhaustion overcoming her. Avery rubbed her back in comforting circles. This wasn’t an easy story to tell, and Morgan felt thankful that Avery chose to be close to her before she began her story, supporting her without Morgan needing to ask for her support.
