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“Of course, not. But he sees threats around every corner. Whereas you are relaxed here in a way any of us have rarely seen,” Cyara said.
I had been relaxed. I’d felt safe here. Free of the expectations of the elemental court. Trapped by the succubus above our heads. No one pressuring me to make decisions or to rule. But there was no way of knowing what waited above ground. It was just as likely the succubus had dispersed; probably more likely than not. I ought to be pressuring Taliya for information, making Percival divulge what he knew about Avalon so we could get moving, now that Lyrena was healed.
Where was Percival? I’d barely seen him since that first day when I’d gifted him the dagger…
“What do you think we should do, Cyara?” I asked abruptly—as quickly as the thought occurred to me.
She straightened—still not used to being a Knight of the Round Table. She’d offer her opinions about my personal life without hesitation. But weighing in on the ruling of Annwyn did not come as naturally.
“We need to find out what the faeries know. Osheen has been working on the ones he’s met. I’ve asked Isolde a few things, but she’s hesitant to divulge too much. Her family is loyal to the Crown of Annwyn, but she lives here and is cognizant of not upsetting Taliya.”
I laughed softly. “All of that from observations and carefully placed questions.”
Cyara nodded.
“So what is our next move?”
“Taliya knows more than she is letting on. The Faeries of the Fen cannot have lived in the human realm for seven thousand years without learning the precise location of Avalon, and how to get there.”
Cyara was right. Taliya knew more about the history of Annwyn and the succubus than we did. It followed that she’d know the location of Avalon as well.
“It is time to talk with Taliya again,” I sighed.
Cyara nodded silently.
“There is one other thing I want to do before we leave.” I shifted my weight, setting aside the tea. “Have you heard anyone speak about a priestess among the faeries?”
76
PARYS
The origin of the sacred trinity has long been lost to the annals of time. The legends and myths surround their making are as shifting as the mists of the Sacred Isle itself. Nearly as mysterious are the locations of the items themselves, each having been lost—or taken—long before the Great War…
Parys rubbed his temple with one hand while the other tipped the wick of the taper candle to relieve its nearly spent companion.
Why wasn’t he a fire-wielder?
If he were, the librarians would never have left him alone in the library. No matter how highly ranked he was or what the Queen decreed.
He was about to have a bed installed in one of the private reading rooms. Spare himself the effort of even walking back to his quarters—quarters he only visited to sleep and relieve himself.
He hadn’t even slept the night before. Too busy meeting with Gwen and the humans before their departure that morning.
They’d left Baylaur with less spectacle than they’d arrived, but infinitely better prospects. Ten female fae warriors, seven elemental and three terrestrials, all hand-picked by Gwen and Elora.
Female only, to guard the males of Eldermist while they slept. To assist with hunting parties. To put down any human males consumed by the darkness.
A temporary solution.
But better than the humans had dared to hope for.
Some have theorized that the sacred trinity is not of the fae or human realms at all. And that their disappearance is merely the return of the items to their proper, other-worldly home. While still other scholars believe they are fae-made, and as such have been reclaimed by the fae kingdoms of Annwyn. The only thing that scholars agree on…
His eyes were going to start bleeding. He’d sifted through dozens of texts about the sacred trinity of Avalon. If it was tied to Avalon, perhaps it was tied to Veyka’s power as well.
But not a single text identified what in the Ancestors’ name the three items actuallywere. Why yammer on about them for an entire chapter without actually naming them?
Did the scholars not know?
