24. Chapter 24
Chapter 24
Gray
T hey would have gathered in Gray's study, except that his study was now nothing more than charred, smoking stone and ruins. Miraculously, no one had been harmed in the fire. The fire the sun god had lit as punishment for Lea’s disobedience, if Evangeline was to be believed, seemed to have been more for destruction than to cause death. A warning for them all that they were navigating a dangerous path.
Gray had suggested using his father's study, but Lea had refused, admitting that her dark magic felt too hard to control in his part of the castle. Her voice had been strained as she’d said the words, and Gray could tell it was hard for her to admit that weakness to him. Knew that she was still trying to pretend as if she had everything under control. Watching her struggle made Gray feel like he couldn't breathe, like his lungs couldn't expand enough to allow him a single shallow breath. But what could he do? He had no more experience with controlling the magic of the gods than she did.
He had no advice, other than what he'd already offered to her, so he simply stayed nearby. Always touching her, rubbing her back or running his fingers up and down her arm. It didn't seem to give her any relief from the turmoil inside her, but he hoped that it at least helped remind her that she wasn't alone.
“Someone better fucking explain what's happening,” Gray said as he took his seat, his temper growing shorter by the minute. They sat around the table in the grand dining hall, Gray and Lea both at the head, Erik to Gray’s left, and Eudora and Tanad seated at the other end.
Even in the worst of times, Tanad normally had a twinkle in his eye that betrayed his serious demeanor, his deep-seated belief that everything would be okay, eventually. But today, his eyes were cold and calculating. Hard in a way Gray had never seen before.
Before anyone had the chance to answer, Tanad stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the stone floor, almost tipping backward. He stalked behind Eudora, his arms crossed over his chest and his lips pressed into a tight line. Gray watched him closely, trying to determine if Tanad had known about Evangeline. If she truly was Lea's mother, and he had known all this time, Gray would never be able to forgive him. He’d certainly never feel comfortable trusting him again. But based on the tension in his posture and the furious glint in his eye, Gray guessed that he was as surprised as the rest of them.
“I agree,” Tanad said. “Explain. Now.”
For the first time, Eudora looked sheepish. Maybe even regretful, but Gray knew better than to trust what he saw and heard when it came to that vile witch.
“I love her, too.” Eudora’s voice was almost pleading as she twisted to look at Tanad.
“Don't.” He held up a hand. “Do not speak to me of loving her. Have you seen her? Her—” He swallowed, bringing a hand to his mouth. “What was done to her is abhorrent!”
“I didn't know he had tortured her. The cage she was in blocked my visions. I couldn't see what was happening to her.” Eudora tilted her head and furrowed her brows, as if not concretely knowing Evangline had been tortured should absolve her of their ire.
“Does it matter?” Tanad snapped. “You knew she was in the hands of the most evil Fae who has ever lived, and you did nothing !” He slammed his palms on the table, and Eudora flinched. “We could have saved her. I would have found a way! She was like a child to us. We raised that girl!”
“It's really her then?” Lea asked Tanad, not bothering to look at Eudora. “That woman… She's my birth mother?”
Tanad’s eyes softened for the first time since he’d entered the room, his shoulders falling. He held his palms out to her. “You have to believe I didn't know, my dear. She was just gone one day. I searched for her, but—” He stopped, taking a deep breath. “Yes, the witch you rescued from the cage is Evangeline. Your birth mother.”
“How could my mother be a witch?” she asked. Gray’s stomach twisted into knots. It wasn’t adding up. Tanad had told him about Evangeline, and she hadn’t been a witch. Her magic had allowed her to keep death at bay, and she’d been a seer, but her parents weren’t witches. Queen Emmaline and her mate were both fully fae.
“Speak,” Tanad's tone sharpened again as he spoke to Eudora. There was no kindness or compassion in his voice, and Eudora curled her shoulders inward, but lifted her chin. A surge of rage sped through Gray’s veins at the complacency on her face, and Gray wondered what Tanad would do if he were to wring her neck. If there was ever to be a time he could get away with it and keep their alliance intact, this was likely it, based on the wrath emanating from Tanad’s expression.
Eudora sighed. “Evangeline knew the king would eventually find out about her, and by extension, you.” Eudora's eyes snapped to Lea. “You should be honored, really. She did it to protect you. You’re the reason she’s lived in that cage for the past twenty-three years.” Her words weren't accusatory, but matter of fact. Gray searched her tone for any hint of remorse. Any hint of regret, but it simply wasn’t there. She spoke as if discussing the weather outside.
Gray wanted to strangle her, but Lea beat him to his feet. “You're a fucking bitch,” Lea said, stalking toward her. Her hand trembled, her fingers extended as if she wanted to slap Eudora’s insincere smile off her face. “Why should I believe anything coming out of your mouth? All you’ve done is lie.”
“But I have no reason to lie now ,” Eudora said, holding out her arms as if confused why they weren’t believing her. As if her statement was fact. “Not now that you've retrieved her for me.”
It made Gray’s blood boil. “My patience is running thin, Eudora,” he said, the wood creaking beneath his fingers where he gripped his chair.
“As is mine,” Tanad snapped, beginning to pace.
Eudora sighed, rubbing her forehead as she settled back in her chair. “The Black King was hunting Evangeline.” She met Lea's eyes. “And she was afraid. Not for herself, but for you . The more powerful Brennus became, the more he could feel Evangeline’s magic. The gods’ magic. Though hers isn’t quite as strong as yours, it’s still stronger than most. Strong enough for the king to sense someone out there in his kingdom with so much power, he could almost taste it. Evangeline knew he wouldn’t rest until he found her.”
Tanad’s face turned grim. “We hid her well. She was safe with us.”
“It was foreseen,” Eudora said. “It was her own vision that prompted her to ask for my help.”
“She’s a seer?” Gray asked, his fingers trailing up and down Lea's back. She was stiff beneath his hand, but the way she leaned into his touch told him she needed his support more than she wanted anyone to know.
“She is. One almost as powerful as I. She started seeing glimpses of the future as a child. She rarely spoke of it, though. Not until she began having visions of the king finding Lea. Of her death. First, she tried fleeing, hiding. But every time she moved, he found her in her dreams. Her visions changed, sure, but her death still occurred one way or another. So she came to me, and we made a plan.”
“You should've told me,” Tanad hissed, but Eudora turned her head away, ignoring him.
“The Lonely Death may be the only way to steal magic for a Fae, but it isn’t so with witches.”
“What do you mean?” Gray asked, a dull throb forming at the base of his skull. He wanted to shake her. To throttle her and force her to just get to the damn point, but he knew there was no use. If anything, it’d make her less likely to give them information, purely out of spite.
“Witches are the guardians of magic here on Earth. It is our sacred duty to maintain balance. A witch may give her magic away, so long as it's done so freely and willingly. We also have the ability to take magic, but to do so is the gravest offense to nature.”
Eudora looked around, meeting each of their eyes. “Evangeline wasn’t a witch, and no matter how powerful she was in her own right, she would never have been able to defeat the Black King, alone. So I gave her some of my magic. She would take you to Bearswillow, where the old palace healer lived. You would be safe there. I knew the rumors of the stream from the mountains that protected those with magic from detection were true. You would be hidden, and your mother could return for you once the king was dead. As soon as the decision was made, I saw you growing up, a beautiful young girl at the fire night celebration, dancing in the flames as a certain commander watched. It allowed you two to meet, you know—”
“You’re saying witches can be created,” Gray interrupted her, ignoring her insinuation she’d known of their future together before he’d even met Lea. He hated to think of her having a hand in their love story in any way. Refused to feel gratitude to the vile woman who had deceived them so thoroughly. Gray clenched his jaw, forcing the thought away.
“In a sense. They can wield the power of the witch who gifted them their magic. But they cannot create another, and they can’t grow in their power. A technicality, I suppose. A witch in ability, but not in name or nature.”
“You expect us to believe you gifted Evangeline some of your precious magic out of the goodness of your heart? What was in it for you?” Lea asked, her hands fisted as if physically restraining herself from launching at Eudora.
“You don't think I simply wanted to help her? Help you ?” Eudora held her hands out as if offering an apology, and Gray had the sudden urge to cut them off.
Lea’s skin warmed against his arm, and Gray could sense her trying to keep her black flames at bay.
“No. I don’t,” Lea said, the words sharp as a dagger’s edge.
Eudora sighed dramatically, rolling her eyes. “I did want to help Evangeline. As Tanad said, I loved her dearly. But yes, I did require something in return.” She crossed one leg over the other. “It’s all about balance, is it not? The king stole something of mine. My niece, Seraphine. Kidnapped her from her own bed in the dead of night. I am duty and honor bound to protect my blood. So I agreed to help her, with one single condition. Our deal was simple. She wouldn’t be able to kill him with the magic she was born with. As you remember, she could hold death at bay—but she couldn’t command it. She had no special abilities to heal or create weapons. But I could give Evangeline some of my magic, strengthening her own seeing abilities, and I could give her the ability to create a potion strong enough to kill the king. A single drop. That's all it would take, undetectable by even the strongest of magic. She was to kill the king, and bring my family home to me.”
“Which isn’t what happened. So what went wrong?” Tanad asked.
Eudora shrugged. “ That , I do not know. Evangeline never returned. And when I tried to see her, to find her, all I saw was that damn cage. Just the sight of it in my visions made me physically ill, spelled somehow against my family's magic. The king must have known I would come for her and made it so I'd be unable to retrieve her.”
“So you just left her there, rotting away?” Tanad’s voice cracked, and his eyes suddenly appeared so very tired.
“What was I to do?” Eudora asked him, the first bit of humanity entering her voice as she stared at Tanad, silently begging for his forgiveness.
“You should have told him what you saw,” Gray snapped. Eudora swallowed, then shrugged, the movement so flippant Gray considered decapitating her right then and there. After he cut off her hands, of course. The thought made him smile.
“Leave,” Lea said, her voice so low and full of fury, it made Gray’s hair stand on end.
“Not until—”
Lea stood in one swift motion, drawing her sword. “Another word, a single syllable, and I will run my blade through your heart until the life fades from your old, decrepit body.”
Eudora's eyes flew open in shock, her smug smile disappearing as she turned to Tanad.
“Are you going to—”
Tanad held up his hand, stopping her. “Speak again, and I will allow it. Go.”
Eudora tilted her head as if weighing her options. A slow, knowing smile spread across her lips as her eyes went white, her head falling back. A vision. Nobody moved until the witch's eyes cleared.
She looked around, meeting Tanad’s eyes for a long moment before nodding slowly. Sadly. She stood, the chair scraping on the floor the only sound. Eudora looked to Tanad one more time, and he held her gaze, anger hardening his features.
“So it will be,” Eudora said, the whisper of a smile crossing her lips. Lea surged forward, but in the blink of an eye, Eudora shifted into a great blue heron and disappeared through the open window and into the black of night.
Tanad hung his head. “I'm sorry—”
Lea held up a hand. “I can no more blame you for Eudora’s deceitful actions than I can blame Gray for being related to Alaric.” She cleared her throat, clenching her fists as her shadows fought to follow Eudora. “If you’ll excuse me,” she said, not bothering to look behind at either of them before striding from the room, ripping her shadows out with her.