Page 112 of A Legacy of the Light

“Only a full-bloodied Seelie could open that door,” he says on a whisper as a tear slides down his cheek.

He places one arm over his chest and lowers his head. “Your Majesty.”

Chapter 27

The color drains from my face and I stare down at Finneus kneeling before me. Everything starts to spin.

“Elsie, are you okay?” he asks as he rises.

I shake my head and my feet carry me back another couple of steps. My vision darkens around the edges and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.

“Elsie?” Finneus asks, voice laced with concern.

The ground slides from under my feet and Finneus rushes to catch me before I hit the stone floor.

“I’ve got you dear,” he assures me, leading me to the dusty blue chairs in the middle of the room. He snaps his fingers, and next to me appears a small end table with a pitcher of water and a glass on top of it.

Finneus pours me a drink and hands it to me. My hands tremble as I reach for it. The cool liquid unsticks my tongue after a few sips.

“This must be a lot for you to process.”

I nod as I take another sip and look at him. His eyes are warm and full of wonder.

“What am I?” I ask.

“You’re Seelie,” he says with a smile.

“H-how?” My voice is quiet.

“I don’t know. I do know that anyone less than Seelie─ anyone less than a Darrow─and that door would not have opened.”

I slump back in the chair and take another mouthful of water.

“Does that mean my dad was Seelie, then? I never met him, and we didn’t talk about him.”

Finneus nods.

“Holy fuck,” I mumble.

Finneus chuckles and takes my hand gently.

“How? How is this possible?” My voice comes out a bit stronger. “All the Darrows died in the attack, right?”

“We’ve always been told that. Murdoch, Iona, and Màiri were all in the throne room when the attack happened.” He pauses, processing his thoughts as he says them out loud. He stands and starts to pace again. “One of them must have escaped. The Craobh belonged to the Darrows.”

My dreams suddenly come back to me. “Finneus, would the Craobh show me memories?”

He pauses and considers my question, head tilted to the side. “I’ve never heard of that happening, but it doesn’t mean that it couldn’t. Have you seen something?”

I nod. “I’ve had these weird dreams, where I’m being chased down an old passage. And one where I was fighting shadows. The Craobh was in my pocket and I . . .” I trail off.

“You what?” he prompts, taking a step closer.

“I wielded light,” I whisper.

A huge smile breaks across his face.

“Why are you smiling?” I ask him, confused.