Chapter 9 #2
Lenna was relieved learning they all worshipped the same gods and goddesses–at least that didn’t feel foreign.
As Merrick trailed off in his explanation, her thoughts turned to her own knowledge of the gods.
She had prayed to Alke in the temple in Doortan to give her the strength to be a good wife.
Now, she realized Alke had been too busy gifting all these gargoyles incredible prowess.
She had begged Beyos to water her crop fields during the dry spells that seemed to plague the soil once every few years.
Lenna had even prayed to Phades, asking her to keep watch over the souls of those she loved that had passed, and Faune, the Goddess of Life, giving thanks when a new babe came into the world, wriggly and screeching.
But knowing that the beings in these lands had received gifted magic from the gods left a sour taste in her mouth.
“Why don’t the gods grant magic to the people in the Slate Kingdom?” Lenna asked before truly thinking the question through, hoping, as the words were spoken, that the gargoyle did not take offense.
Thankfully, Merrick seemed lost in thoughts of his own, again fiddling with the ring on his finger.
“There was a great war a long time ago, when the Slate Kingdom was under the rule of Ingotheria. Long story short, the Kingdoms of Ingotheria were defeated by the Larimar Islands and the Kingdoms of Irridessen–the Obsidian and Opal Kingdoms. The treaty that was drawn up took the Slate Kingdom from the clutches of Ingotheria and gifted the land of the Slate Kingdom to the humans who fought and for the families of the humans that died in the ruthless and bloody war.” Around them, the cityscape changed, and they now walked down what looked to be the housing district.
Short rows of colorfully painted homes connected with each other, weaving on both sides of the path like snakes through the cobblestone.
Merrick continued, “It was one of the major points written into the treaty after the war that Irridessen forced Ingotheria to sign. After the ink dried, one hundred fae constructed a magical dome around the lands of the Slate Kingdom, keeping out magic, keeping out fae. It gave the humans their own land to prosper without the threat of magic. It’s what affected your lifespans, since there was no magic left in the land to extend them.
There was another loophole, where gargoyles could still access the Slate Kingdom in Sentry form, but that wasn’t discovered until years later.
The gods and goddesses still bless the beings in the Slate Kingdom, but fae magic itself is not compatible with full-blooded humans.
The only magic humans can be blessed with comes from Moirai, the God of Sight, who creates seers and the Oracle.
But seers can be fae or human. The Oracle can only ever be human. ”
“Why?” The question was out before Lenna could stop herself.
“I don’t know–ask the gods,” Merrick muttered, his wings tightening to his back as they passed another group of fae chatting and walking together in the opposite direction. Lenna ducked her head, shrinking into Merrick’s shadow.
As the sun began to set, they passed a noisy neighborhood bar that stood on the corner, beginning another row of the curiously linked houses.
Merrick drew Lenna onto the opposite side of the street, tucking her into his side.
“Even in these lands, humans cannot have magic. If humans breed with gargoyles or fae, their offspring have the chance to gain magic, but the only full-blooded human that will ever receive magic is the Oracle.”
Lenna felt the tips of her rounded, boringly human ears heat at the implication of Merrick’s statement. “Gargoyles, fae, and humans can reproduce together?”
Merrick chuckled wickedly, “Oh yes, they can. Though sometimes they fuck just for the sake of fucking.” Lenna flicked her eyes up, taking in the bar scene through her lashes.
Her blush deepened as she noticed there was indeed a female gargoyle lip locked with a fae male, as if they were the only two beings in the world, completely ignoring the rest of the tavern’s patrons around them.
An abrupt turn towards the homes ripped Lenna’s eyes from the bar to a dully painted yellow house in the middle of its row.
Merrick turned his head, looking up and down the street.
They stepped up to the door, the lock softly clicking open.
Lenna glanced over to Merrick, whose face was set in a hard line.
He quickly pushed open the door, ushering Lenna inside and into a dark and cramped living room.
A roaring fire burned in the stone fireplace, a small lumpy brown couch and two wooden chairs squeezed haphazardly into the sitting area.
A threadbare green rug, coupled with the worn-looking furniture, showed evidence of years and years of use.
But Lenna’s attention was solely focused on the tall fae male standing by the fire, staring at them with an intensity burning as hot as the coals behind him.