“Yep.” Kols snagged his beer bottle by the neck and enjoyed another swallow while remaining on his feet.
I studied the photo. “She looks so much like her mother.” Gorgeous. Dark hair. Pale complexion. Beautiful smile. I felt my own lips curve at the sight, my heart warming a little at an innocent Aflora being loved on by her parents. Did they know then what a powerful child they’d created? I imagined they did.
“Do you recognize them?” Kols asked.
I studied both parents and slowly shook my head. “No. Should I?”
“No. I was just curious.”
“Wouldn’t you already know what they look like through all your royal training?” I meant the question earnestly. Kols had grown up studying fae politics. Surely he’d seen a photo of the Elemental Fae royals at some point.
“Elemental Fae are not known for capturing photos. They prefer to live life and enjoy the moment, and they balk at technology.”
“So why did her parents have a photo?”
“Exactly,” Kols replied, collapsing in the recliner once more. “Sol said that a lot of things about Aflora’s childhood were abnormal, including that photo. And when I asked him about the ballad, he recognized it. Aflora used to hum it often when she was younger, usually in moments of happiness.”
“But he didn’t recognize it otherwise?”
“Nope. None of them had ever heard it before, so it’s not like some Elemental Fae nursery rhyme.”
“Well, that’s something at least.” It would cause a lot of political strife if our kind found out that the little Elemental Fae were running around humming about how to realign the source of dark magic.
“It’s still troubling, and what I dislike even more is that Sol couldn’t tell me anything about Aflora’s grandparents. She’s a descendant of the royal Earth Fae line. How do they not know anything about those who came before her parents?”
I frowned. “Do they not believe in keeping records, in addition to their dislike of technology?”
Kols snorted. “I asked the same thing. Sol didn’t appreciate the comment.”
“It’s a fair statement.”
“I agree, as did Cyrus. He felt it very strange that not much is known about the Earth Fae royal line. They rely so much on whom the source has favored that they don’t focus much beyond that. And while they know the names of her ancestors, they couldn’t say much about them. Everyone who would have known them died in the plague that abomination caused.”
“Their former Chancellor?” I asked, seeking clarification. There were several abominations throughout our history, but she was the latest to cause issues among the realms.
“Yeah. Elana.”
I considered that. “Do you think she took out the Earth Fae on purpose?” I wondered out loud. “I mean, she targeted their element first. What if she did it to erase the history?”
“Why attack Aflora as a girl, then?”
“To cover up her actions?” I suggested.
Kols finished his beer in silence, contemplating my comments. Then his head bobbed side to side slowly. “Doesn’t feel right.”
While I agreed with his assessment, I still said, “But it’s worth keeping in mind.”
“True.” He set his empty bottle on the end table. “All right. So we know she has Quandary Blood in her. We know her lineage doesn’t have great records. And we know her powers are unraveling.”
“She feels grounded right now,” I replied, sensing my mate-bond with her. It tugged at my heart a little, mostly because I could feel her displeasure. Knowing I helped cause that emotion irked me. But I couldn’t change anything we’d done. It was all to keep her safe, whether she realized that or not.
“She does,” Kols agreed. “We need to keep her that way.”
“Is that why you fed while in the Human Realm?” I asked, arching a brow.
“You’re just as well fed as I am.”
“I ordered a catering service,” I admitted. Digesting food infused with blood wasn’t the same as feeding from a neck, but it did the trick and rejuvenated my magic.
