My legs felt like lead as I took unsteady steps towards the chair Soren offered. A faint smile touched his lips, and I shivered, noting how ancient and primal he appeared, his skin seeming to glow with unspoken power. As I sank onto the emerald fabric, he began to speak.
“My name is Caelan, and as you have guessed, yes, I am one of the Fates.”
Caelan? But he looked just like Soren—how?
“I appear to you through my vessel. Mortal eyes—yes, the Fae are considered mortals by us—cannot perceive our true faces, our true essence. Therefore, we use the faces of our vessels instead.”
The Fate had plucked the question from my mind as I thought it, and a shudder ran through me. He was inside my mind, and my jaw tightened as I fought to control my rising ire. I had never heard of a vessel, nor knew what that was, but the unease at treating Soren poorly thawed in my gut, and I cleared my throat.
“You said your name was Caelan?”
The Fate nodded, dipping his chin slightly.
“I do not wish to be rude, but why am I here?”
Caelan leaned back further on his throne, clasping his hands in front of him, lifting them so they were in front of his chest. “That is a loaded question, I’m afraid. You are here for many reasons,” Caelan sighed, “But for now, I’ll give you the present answer.”
The present answer—what? Shifting uncomfortably in the chair, I waited.
“Because I orchestrated it,” Caelan said simply, and a wave of irritation washed over me at his rather dull answer. I cleared my throat, but Caelan raised a hand to stop me, and I nearly bit my tongue.
“All will be answered in due time. Pulp wine?” I went to reply but Caelan cut me off. A finger pointed in the air as he tilted his head in thought. “Never mind, I don’t need that staining the marble… this will do.” A bottle of crystal, amber liquid appeared on the small table between us, along with matching glasses.
Stain the marble? Did he think I was a child, incapable of drinking without spilling?
“Drink. You will need it.” Caelan waved his hand at the liquid between us.
Defiance roiled through me. I wasn't one to be commanded, but—fuck. He was a Fate. Not wanting to insult him, I poured us both a glass, leaned back in my chair, and took a large sip, praying it wasn't some trick or poison.
Caelan smirked, as if hearing the thought, which he probably had. Cursing that fact, I let the cool liquid pour over my tongue. It burned down my throat, a blend of honey and smoke filling my mouth. It tasted like both forever and nothing, though that didn’t quite make sense. I studied the drink and took another sip, catching hints of lavender this time. Thedrink melted away the lingering unease in my gut, and I raised an eyebrow at him in question.
“Stardust mixed with oak-matured mead,” Caelan said, beaming. “It’s my own creation and one of my favorites. I believe now one of yours as well.” He raised his glass in a cheer, bringing it to his nose and inhaling deeply before taking a large gulp. “Ah,” he said, smacking his lips. “I’m going to miss that.”
Caelan placed the glass back down on the table between us, and I stared at his face. Soren's face. It was so familiar, yet so utterly different. The glow of his skin, his eyes—they changed everything, and yet, nothing at all. He still looked like my steward, and that prickling unease settled in my stomach once more. Why was I here?
Sighing heavily, Caelan looked at me sternly. “You are here, Xavier, because you need to learn who you are truly up against.”
I knew who I was up against,I thought bitterly, eyeing the glimmering liquid in my grasp. From the corner of my eye I saw Caelan shaking his head.
“Morgana is not who you think she is.”
My stomach soured at the sound of her name, and I took another sip of the amber liquid. “So, she isn’t my mother?” I questioned sarcastically, but I couldn’t stop the tiniest bit of hope that my mother was not a part of this, not the monster I have come to know her to be.
Caelan’s expression softened, and that hope was extinguished as quickly as it flared.
“Let me start at the beginning.”
My heart pounded, but I could only nod as bile rose in my throat.
“The land you know as Eionian used to be a vast and great kingdom. It was ruled by a certain type of Fae, one that used blood as its primary source of magic. They used it to amplify and create, adding to their already great power that ran through their veins.”
My brow furrowed. The witches could only use their magic if theydrankblood. What he was saying made little sense.
Calen smiled. “Yes, their magic is now limited, but it wasn’t always. They used to have power just like you, elemental and unique. They were just like any other Fae.”
“What happened?” My curiosity piqued.
“Their leader, their queen—”
