At the mention of the name, Cat hissed, his ears flattening as his tails lashed violently. His silver eyes flared, and a string of curses in a language she didn’t recognize escaped his mouth. He recoiled slightly, his gaze snapping to Kyron, who stood stiffly by Sorcha.
“What’s going on?” Sorcha asked, her brows furrowing as she looked between them.
“Why are you reacting like that? What aren’t you telling me?”
Cat’s silver gaze shifted back to her, his frustration barely restrained. “Vaelric,” he said, spitting the name like a poison.
“Of course, I’ve heard it. Everyone in the Otherworld has.”
Sorcha’s chest tightened. “Why?”
Cat’s voice grew tighter, laced with anger. “He’s draining magic, Sorcha. Sacred beings, the gods forgottenchildren, creatures tied to the Veil itself. He’s ripping life from them, twisting them into husks, all to fuel his own power.”
Her breath caught, and her hands tightened on the blanket draped over her legs. “Kyron told me he was stealing power from the half gods…And my parents? Is that why he turned them?”
Cat’s glare snapped to Kyron, his silver eyes narrowing dangerously. “What has he told you?” he snapped, his twin tails whipping through the air.
“Enough,” Kyron said, his voice steady but defensive. “She knows what happened to her parents. She knows Vaelric drained them and turned them into those monsters… that she had to kill. She knows that he’s stealing power Cat. That I’m from the Tuatha, I’m here to protect her. But I didn’t know about the rest, not the sacred creatures or the children. I told her what I could confirm.”
Cat let out a bitter laugh. “Didn’t know? You can’t protect her by keeping her in the dark, Kyron. You’ve only made it worse.”
Kyron’s jaw tightened, his blue eyes darkening. “I wasn’t keeping anything from her. I told her what I knew, what I could prove. It sounded like whispers, not truth.”
“They aren’t whispers,” Cat hissed, his voice low and dangerous. “Vaelric isn’t just building power. I’m telling you, he must be building an army. He’s not satisfied with draining sacred creatures or the gods and anything else tied to the Veil. He’s using that power he takes to strengthen himself and the Fomorians, to take back what he thinks was stolen from them by the Tuatha Dé Danann.”
Sorcha’s stomach churned, her mind racing. “Why? What does he want?”
“To destroy the Tuatha, to destroy and conquer everything. Both realms,” Cat replied bluntly. “He’s willing to poison both the mortal realm and the Otherworld to achieve his goal. He’s already amassing an army, Sorcha. Every creature you’ve seen crossing into this world they’re either running from him or fighting for him.”
Her heart twisted, the weight of his words pressing heavily on her chest. “But why me?” she asked, her voice breaking.
“Why is he after me?”
Cat’s gaze softened, but his frustration still lingered. “Because of who you are, because of your bloodline, Sorcha. Your magic makes you a beacon, and he knows you’re one of the few who could stand against him. Your father was the one to defeat Balor in the last battle. If you rise to the occasion, then you could stand to defeat him. Bres and Vaelric need to see that you don’t raise an army. You must fall.”
Sorcha shook her head, tears stinging her eyes. “You knew this, and you didn’t tell me?” she snapped, her voice rising as she turned to Kyron.
Kyron stepped forward, his expression hard. “I didn’t know this,” he said firmly. “I suspected, yes, but I didn’t have proof.”
Cat scoffed, his tails flicking in irritation. “Your feelings for her clouded your judgment, Kyron. You should have told her everything, proof or not.”
“STOP IT!” Sorcha snapped, cutting them both off. She turned to Cat, her voice trembling but forceful.
“What are the creatures in the Otherworld saying?”
Cat’s anger simmered down slightly as he met her gaze. “Bres and Vaelric have been traveling between realms. The sacred lands are being poisoned, and the creatures tied to them are disappearing, drained or twisted into monsters. Old gods have started reappearing, and now creatures of the Veil have started crossing into the mortal world, hoping to escape him, but there’s nowhere to run. Vaelric’s power is growing, and with Samhain approaching, he’ll use the thinning Veil to expand his reach. Create away for the creatures in the Veil to cross over. The more he taints the Otherworld, the more he thins the Veil between these worlds. Soon this world will be crawling with creatures.”
Sorcha’s hands trembled as she clenched the blanket tighter, her mind spinning with the enormity of what she’d just learned.
She swung her feet over the cot, planting them on the cold stone floor. Pressing her weight into her legs, she stood slowly, the sharp pain in her side making her wince. “Shit, that hurts,” she muttered through clenched teeth.
Taking a few unsteady steps, she began gathering her belongings.
Kyron and Cat exchanged uneasy glances, prepared to step in. Sorcha caught their looks and shot them both a death glare.
“I’m going home now.”
Kyron opened his mouth to protest, but Cat beat him to it.
