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The desire to threaten Tarragon swelled like a balloon in my brain. I wanted to snap at him for even informing me of this shit instead of immediately turning Azazel down, which I knew theyhadn’tfrom the way Blossom’s rotting lips were pressed into something that resembled a frown.
“He’snotmy father,” was what escaped from me instead, the words nothing more than a half growl.
“Right, right,” Tarragon said dismissively, waving his hand.
“I take it you’re going to allow them entrance?” I pressed.
“Well, from adiplomaticstandpoint, Azazel is no longer a threat to us,” he explained indifferently. “It would be suspicious if wedidn’tlet him in. His wolf friends are a non-issue; they’d be lambs to the slaughter if he gets any ridiculous ideas.”
“What do you mean by, ‘no longer a threat?’” I questioned carefully. My eyes narrowed as a piece of Blossom’s arm began to peel away from her—it was a big chunk, almost half of her arm.
Blossom ignored what was happening to her as she answered, her voice still soft. “Azazel taught humans how to work and manipulate metals. The humans used their weapons and knowledge on us fae for thousands of years, unknowingly killing us off and encroaching on our territory until our parents formed a treaty with the human governments in Europe.”
That made sense,, but from the look on Tarragon’s face, I got the feeling that there was more to it. “A treaty? Okay. Where does Azazel factor in there?”
Tarragon’s lips mashed into a deep frown. “He wanted to be King of the Seelie Kingdom and wouldn’t take no for an answer when the elders tried to explain that that wasn’t possible. He doesn’t connect with the Earth the way we do.”
He paused, then eyed Blossom carefully out of the corner of his eye as he continued. “He attempted a coup, but we captured him. Mother Nature was on our side; she showed my parents how to subdue and weaken him with plants since we couldn’t use metals.”
Blossom nodded jerkily. “He was forced to sign a powerful binding pact in blood. Any harm he causes to the current King and Queen will befall him tenfold. The pact blesses us with something akin to the Mark of Cain, but specifically if Azazel is the one trying to harm us.”
There were powerful beings like Tarragon, Blossom, Barimuz, and Azazel, and then there weretrulypowerful beings like Mother Nature. In instances like these, it made sense who she would protect; the fae monarchs had the entire continent of Europe at their fingertips and under their protection, with all the creatures that resided in it. I was certain that humans weren’t the only species being protected, as flora and fauna alike were to be, too.
“But any fallen-blood wolf can harm you, right?” I pointed out. Regardless of whether the wolves were weak in comparison to the monarchs, a well-executed plan could land all parties on the fae’s side in hot water. “Azazel is unpredictable and insane. You can’t judge him by the same standards you did however long ago—”
“Do you thinkweare sane, Sariel?” Blossom interrupted, laughing.
I froze at her question. The sound of bark breaking apart echoed in the room, and all of a sudden, I was staring into Blossom’s eyes.
Eyes that didn’t exist prior to this.
I gulped, locking my muscles so that I didn’t turn and bolt on instinct.
Her eyes were red and lacked pupils, but even without them, I could see the borderline madness within them, the sheer instability. Beneath her intense gaze, I felt like prey, like a gazelle staring into the mouth of the lion.
Sweat beaded along my top lip and hairline when her mouth stretched into what she might have believed was a smile.
Tarragon chuckled. “We’ve been around for too long. We have seen empires rise and fall too many times, have loved and lost too much to count. We havelived many lifetimes, Sariel. And because this world was meant for evolution, not stagnation, those who do not evolve with it are destined for madness.”
He had basically just admitted that they were stuck. It was likely not by choice.
“I understand,” I responded carefully. “I’m just worried about their intentions.”
“Yes, as you should be,” he said with a shrug. “You, your friends, and your brother are under the protection of the Free Kingdom, however. If Azazel or his friends attack any of you, he will essentially be declaring war against us. Furthermore, as he’s come as a representative of the Upper Council, we would hold them all responsible for it.”
That… actually did make me feel better.
“The Upper Council would never declare war on the Free Kingdom,” he explained further. “We are formidable in a way they cannot hope to compare with or replicate.”
I nodded. I believed him.
“Good,” he sat up, allowing the blanket covering him to drop to his waist, exposing his bare torso. “We just wanted to give you a warning. You are dismissed. Back on patrol, you go.”
I left the room dazed, frustrated, and anxious.
The rest of my shift was spent distracted. Bim didn’t try to make conversation the way he usually would; he sensed that I was struggling with something. He remained dutifully silent until we split at the Queen’s Gardens once our shift ended.
The communal dining table wasn’t the place to drop this kind of information on the others, so I silently finished eating, then ushered them all into Aria and I’s room.
