Chapter 10
Chapter ten
Merrick
“Lenna, meet Laurent,” Merrick said quietly, closing the door behind him until the lock caught and clicked, the protection magic Laurent crafted snapping around the home once more.
Laurent bowed his head in greeting as Lenna sized him up, her honey-gold eyes widening and narrowing as she assessed the fae in front of her.
Laurent’s skin was the richest shade of black, and his chiseled features, broad shoulders, and shaved head made his already powerful presence even more so.
Emerald green eyes tracked Lenna’s every breath, near glowing in the dimly lit room.
Small silver studs traveled up his lobes–up to the sharp points of his ears.
Slightly taller than Merrick, Laurent stood impossibly still, the fabric of his purple robe not even sounding a whisper.
Merrick watched as Laurent, in turn, appraised the short, curvy, red-headed Oracle, her pale cheeks flushed pink, with amusement.
Merrick held his breath as he waited for Lenna to break the silence.
And to Merrick’s chagrin, Lenna strode up to the fae, stuck out her hand, and declared, “Merrick was right, you seem much more refined than him.” Laurent’s solemn face broke into a bright grin as he grasped her hand in his.
“Oh dear, that’s because I am,” Laurent chucked, shaking her hand once before looking over the top of her head to Merrick. “How much have you told her?”
“Just enough. She knows she’s the Oracle, and that the last Oracle died–”
“Absolutely not enough information.” Lenna cut him off with a wave of her hand, turning pleading eyes up to Laurent.
Merrick felt irritation begin creeping back in, but Laurent shot him a sharp look, telling him to stand down.
“Can you please tell me what’s going on?
The full story–since Merrick is still deciding if he can trust me.
Even though he uprooted my entire life and threw me into a portal to get here.
” Lenna seemed to reconsider her stance as she added, “Merrick did tell me about the god’s magical gifts, and the differences between gargoyles and fae, though. So, he’s got that going for him.”
Laurent gave Lenna a warm smile, and Merrick realized Lenna was trying to play them against each other.
Trying to get as much information as possible–not knowing they had been battle hardened and court managed together since they were both in their twenties.
Laurent fiddled with the gold ring on his finger, and Merrick touched the sibling ring on his own hand.
“Have you told her of the Oracle’s circumstances of death?” Laurent spoke into Merrick’s mind, his smooth voice a relief in itself. They’d made it, where Laurent’s magic and the protection wards around the house meant the difference in winning or losing any fight that came for the Oracle.
Getting the Oracle here safely. At least he hadn’t fucked that up.
“I told her he was murdered–not by whom or why it was important.” Merrick responded dully.
The rings, a gift from a lifetime ago, allowed them to speak directly to the other’s mind.
As long as both wearers touched the golden band, they could speak silently without alerting any nearby ears.
Excellent for long distances, and for private conversations while navigating the intricacies of court life.
Lenna looked from one to the other but confusion at the silence was the only expression on her face. Turning his eyes back to her, Laurent cleared his throat.
“This is a long story. Can I get you a drink? Something to eat? You must be half starved.” Laurent didn’t wait for an answer, striding past Merrick and Lenna with his purple robes snapping around his ankles, disappearing into the connected kitchen and returning a moment later with a bowl of stew and a glass of water.
“Oh–thank you,” Lenna said, taken aback by the swift delivery of food. She took the bowl offered, looking around the living room nervously. Laurent gestured over to the wooden chairs.
“Why don’t you sit and eat. Merrick and I will do our best to tell you everything we know.”
Merrick hid his smirk at seeing Laurent in his element, always processing information, always two steps ahead mentally of whomever he had to survey.
All those years working closely with the late King of Irridessen had created a silver-tongued mercenary.
Laurent was adept in a fight, but even more deadly utilized as a spy.
Laurent turned towards the fire, his hands clasped behind his back, and stared into the depth of the glowing embers before he began.
“The reason you are here, my dear Lenna, is because this is the safest place for you,” Laurent began, speaking directly to the fire.
Behind him, Lenna chewed her first bite of stew slowly, never taking her eyes off the back of Laurent’s closely shaved head.
“We’ve warded the doors from any outside ears–fae or otherwise.
We are taking every precaution as we navigate these new waters, so to speak.
You see… This whole conflict started a year ago, and we are finally poised to begin fighting back now that we have you.
We need your help as the newly activated Oracle. ”
Laurent began his story with the flair that Merrick had grown accustomed to from nine decades of listening to Laurent’s tales.
“Well, this all truly started two hundred years ago, when the Fae King of the Opal Kingdom found his mate–the Gargoyle Queen of the Obsidian Kingdom.”
Realizing that Laurent was going all the way back to the beginning, Merrick got up to get his own dinner from the dusty kitchen.
Laurent had a knack for dramatic story-weaving, and in all the years of Merrick knowing him, Laurent never made a long story short–preferring to make a long story… even longer.
“Mate?” Lenna questioned, looking from Laurent’s back to Merrick, as he plopped onto the worn couch with his meal. Merrick dug in, shoving food in his mouth as fast as possible to avoid speaking.
“You didn’t tell her about mates?” Laurent demanded, turning, and fixing a twinkling stare at Merrick.
“I didn’t have a chance,” Merrick growled, mouth full of food. He waved his fork in the air, gesturing towards Lenna. “She had a full-blown breakdown just talking about our lifespan.”
Lenna glared at Merrick.
“Excuse me for being shocked that my lifespan just went from maybe seventy-five years to over eight hundred,” she hissed.
Merrick groaned. He was trying to be patient, but how long would it take to break down every part of their lands to explain to a newcomer?
“Okay, mates are the other half of your soul. Your soul tie. The being that becomes so closely linked to your own self that if they die, you do, too. It’s the truest form of love, something most beings desire more than anything.
To be with that one soul that understands their own completely.
” He took another heaping bite of stew, silently thanking the gods that Laurent cooked because he always made the most delicious food.
“To find your mate is not easy since it can be anyone, any species. Some beings refuse to settle down until they find their mate. Others don’t wait for a soul tie, opting to just spend their lives with a partner instead, similar to the marriages you have in the Slate Kingdom.”
Laurent went on, throwing a scathing look in Merrick’s direction.
“When the moon is full above us, it is the closest we are in this existence to the Goddess of Soul Ties, Carra. The legends say she was born from the moon to gift love to the beings who prayed for salvation. Now, we gather to honor her gift to us–the soul tie. Parties in every town are thrown on the night of each full moon. Everyone who is looking for a mate comes together celebrating Carra, and a lucky few might find their fated companion at the celebration.”
Merrick felt his heart ache for that sort of love.
But the life of a warrior, destined for battlefields, did little to entice lovers.
He usually spent the full moon belly up to a tavern bar, avoiding any of the beings that approached him, only returning their attention after the full moon began to sink lower in the sky, taking the magic of soul ties with it.
Laurent continued, “Soul ties bloom once you make eye contact with your destined mate. Once both beings of the new soul tie touch each other, their souls fuse together irrevocably, and the soul tie is complete.”
“Eyes are the window to the soul, the key to forming a tie to another being. Touching is the lock–showing the other that you will walk this life with them until you breathe your last breath together. Beings who have found love take their partner to the festivities, to see if Carra blesses their union with a soul tie. But it can be months, years, decades, before they get a soul tie–if they get one at all.”
Lenna hummed, slowly processing the information as she took another bite of stew. “Have either of you found your mate?”
Merrick shook his head, ice slithering through his veins, as Laurent answered, “No. We’ve been to many full moon gatherings, but neither of us have a soul tie.”
“Three species of beings in Terramere–fae, gargoyle, and human–are susceptible to soul ties in lands of magic. But it could take hundreds of years before you meet the one Carra chose for you. The only beings that cannot gain a soul tie are the witches in the Jade Kingdom,” Laurent huffed in disgust. Merrick grunted in agreement.
Known for their ruthlessness, cruelty, and backwards views of the world, it had been a blessing in itself that anyone with witch blood was forced to live in the Jade Kingdom after the last war, and the fact that they couldn’t be blessed with a soul tie prompted whispered discussions wondering if witches even had souls to begin with.
“So…the Fae King and the Gargoyle Queen had this soul tie,” Lenna stated, bringing the conversation back to the story she obviously was desperate to hear.