“I will take Riah with me.” I only say it because I’m sure that there is no veil in Terr in which the male will let me go alone, not while Vos remains on the continent.
He shakes his head, and I firm my resolve. I’m ready to go to war with him if he tries to lock me inside the palace for my own good.
“Let me send a carriage for him,” he says, offering a solution.
I can’t fault him for his desire to keep me safe inside the palace grounds and so I agree to his request. It might be a bit overprotective but when I recall how I felt when the Drakai came to claim his life I find that I understand all too well.
He sends a young page with a letter, extending an invitation to the palace and explaining my desire to visit with my uncle. I have no doubt he will come. A summons by the king’s general is something I know the man won’t take lightly.
Felias arrives by mid-morning. And as if his insistence that I remain within the palace grounds isn’t excessive enough, Xeyvian directs Riah to lead a small party of soldiers to greet him. When I insist on showing my uncle the gardens the general joins us, directing the soldiers to give us a wide berth.
We exchange casual conversation until the general, sensing my need for a private moment with my uncle, excuses himself and falls back to speak with Riah.
There is no time to skirt my reason for summoning him. No time to dance around my meaning. So, I take a deep breath and let the words tumble out of my mouth.
“I saw the shipment from La’tari,” I say.
Felias nods, humming under his breath before replying, “So I was told, when the sisters introduced me to Eon’s mate.”
I don’t startle at the statement. I assumed as much.
“Why was that ship full of fea cargo?” My stomach twists even as I ask.
“You asked what the Vatruke draw power from. Now you know,” he says, as if that single sentence answers every burning question the man knows I have.
“What do the Vatruke do to the fea?” I ask.
“You saw the state of Eon’s mate,” he says simply. “He is far from the first to arrive in such a condition.”
It doesn’t answer my question, but I hardly expect more from the man. The more I learn, the more I find that he’s never been truly forthcoming with me. I puff out an exasperated sigh, shaking my head. He offers me a consoling smile as he says, “If I knew, I would tell you more.”
“You’ve never asked?” I balk. Surely the sisters would tell him, even if Eon’s mate remains withdrawn.
“The fea that make it to the shores of A’kori are the fea that manageto escape before breaking.” A flicker of regret flashes in his eyes. “What happens to the ones who cannot remain strong? I truly wish I knew.”
Larger cracks begin to spread across the panes of my world. I don’t want to hear him. I don’t want to believe it’s true. What kind of monsters would draw the lifeforce of another being to satisfy their thirst for power?
And isn’t that exactly what I am here to do for my king? I didn’t know it when I came, but if I have begun to believe what I’ve learned in my time here, I have to ask myself if I am any better than the Vatruke for what I plan.
“Does the king know?” The question reeks of my shame.
“Both kings are well aware of the atrocity,” he says, knowing full well it is my own king I am asking about.
“But the feyn king offers them sanctuary,” I say, “Why doesn’t he do more?”
Even after the stories Faidra wove in front of the fire I find it hard to let myself believe that the feyn are without options. So why don’t they do more to help the fea they claim to protect?
“He went to war, Shivaria. What more could he do?”
“But he signed the treaty. Why?” I ask.
Surely, even if he had gone to war to protect the lives of the fea as well as the humans, he’d betrayed any good intentions when he signed that paper, giving them all over to the Vatruke.
He shrugs. “Perhaps he did what he thought was best to preserve the lives of his people.”
“The feyn?” I ask.
“All of the fea,” he says, intently holding my gaze as my heart thunders in my chest.
