Blood Reunion

* * *

"We can send mindspeech to Mom," Ry whispered to Tory. He and the others had been taken to Glendes and Lira’s private quarters after they’d finished their bowls of ice cream.

"I don’t want to upset Sissy—I haven’t seen her this happy in a long time," Tory whispered back. He and Ry sat in a corner of Lira’s sitting room—it wasn’t as stiff and formal as her receiving room. Ry glanced in Nissa’s direction; she was chatting happily with Lira, Toff and Trik.

"I’ve received mindspeech from Shadow." Raffian Grey, Shadow’s father, sat next to Ry. "I’ll take all of you home after a while. A problem has cropped up on Le-Ath Veronis, but it’s nothing for you to worry about."

"Is Mom okay?" Ry asked, watching Raffian’s face closely for any clues.

"Your mother is fine. Shadow is with her, as are Gavin and the others. She is in no danger, young warlock." Raffian smiled at Ry before rising and walking toward Glendes, who stood near the door. Ry watched closely as Glendes bent his head to hear Raffian’s whispers.

"That smile didn’t reach his eyes," Ry muttered. "Something’s going on."

"He wasn’t lying when he said Mom was fine," Tory observed. "And he was truthful when he said that Uncle Shadow, Uncle Gavin and the others were with her. He just left some stuff out," he added.

"Yeah. I get that idea, too," Ry nodded.

* * *

Lissa’s Journal

Dead. All of them, with the exception of Corent, whom we found wandering outside the large barn, completely dazed. Corent sat before me now, inside the home he’d shared with Redbird.

"Willow is missing, I can’t find him," Corent rambled, his hair turning a dark gray. I’d never seen it turn that color.

"We’ll look for him," I promised. "Corent, tell me what happened. Take your time." While he sat there, hands dangling over his knees and in complete confusion, I sent mindspeech to Karzac. Karzac appeared in a blink, asking me silent questions as he ran his hands over Corent. Belen, too, stood out of the way in a corner of Corent’s main room. He had information to give me, but I wanted Corent’s story first if I could get it.

"We tried to set it right," Corent’s voice sounded better after Karzac held the half-Elemaiya’s head in his hands for several moments. "The core. We tried to stop the drain and replace the power. It was too much for us, and once it held us in its grip, it wouldn’t let go." Corent spoke as if from a distance. As if he felt separated from it at the moment.

I felt sorry for him, and had no idea how he’d come out of this alive, when bodies littered the floor in a nearby barn. Even the Fae children hadn’t escaped. I wanted to weep at the sight of their lifeless forms lying beside their parents. Rigo, Aryn, Drake and Drew were holding the humanoid population back from the site. They all wanted answers, just as I did. Some of them, too, had lost mates and Half-Fae children. We would have to deliver that news, too, and it was a sad and terrible business.

"I can place him in a healing sleep," Karzac offered, as I stared at Corent. Le-Ath Veronis, tapped by a renegade Half-Fae child, had exacted a terrible price against those attempting to repair the damage. The combined power of all the Green Fae hadn’t satisfied even a fraction of that hunger. Somehow, miraculously, after the Fae died, Le-Ath Veronis’ core had been healed. Belen told me that the moment I’d landed in my study. He was waiting to tell me how that miracle happened as soon as we finished here.

"Bring Corent to the palace, then, I don’t want any of the humanoids blaming him because he’s still alive," I said. "He can stay as long as he wants, or we can move him to the beach house when the repairs are done."

Corent would likely prefer the sunlight there, but my beach house was still undergoing repairs after the tsunami swept through it. A wall of water almost as high as its third-story roof had washed through, nearly bringing the whole thing down. I didn’t want to think about the lives lost then—I had to deal with the lives lost now.

"Corent, can you stand?" I reached out a hand.

"I’ll fold him there," Karzac held me back. "Gavin, will you bring our girl?" Karzac glanced at Gavin, who stood behind me. "Have Anthony and Rigo explain what happened. I’ll send for some of my colleagues if healing is required." Karzac took Corent’s elbow and disappeared.

"Aryn, will you look for Willow?" I turned to him—he’d come with the others.

"Of course, love. Send mindspeech if you learn anything else from Corent that might be helpful."

I nodded to him before lowering my eyes. "Lissa," he came forward to take my face in his hand. "We will see you through this. I promise. Let us bear these burdens for you now. This is a weight you should not be forced to carry in your condition."

I love you, I whispered in his mind.

And I you, he replied. Go with Gavin. I and the others will deal with this tragedy.

"Cara mia, come," Gavin pulled me away, and we were gone.

* * *

"Did you know it would kill all of them?" Thurlow had gone hunting—for Kifirin.

"I knew it would kill anyone connected to the circles. I had no idea they would call in even the weak and the young."

"You said nothing," Thurlow accused.

"I have made the promise not to interfere."

"But these belonged to the Light."

"That matters not to me." A curl of smoke escaped Kifirin’s nostrils. "I did not make the decisions that placed them in this danger. It is not my duty to counsel them, in any case. All these decisions were theirs to make."

"Wait, I am receiving mindspeech from Lissa," Thurlow turned away from Kifirin for a moment before turning back. "One survived, and another may still be alive. Corent lives and Willow’s body was not found." Thurlow watched Kifirin’s face and felt satisfaction when he saw the brief glimpse of confusion and disbelief settle there before it disappeared.

"You did not expect that, did you?" Thurlow accused.

"They weren’t connected to the circle, then."

"Lissa says they were. Corent rose and walked away after the others died, and Willow’s body cannot be found."

"That should not be possible," Kifirin declared, breathing smoke.

"You wanted this, didn’t you? The moment Toff was away from them, you allowed this."

"I have no care that they thought Toff would reach his majority at age eighteen."

"You did nothing to dispel that rumor, then. You never said when your judgment would fall, except that it would come when Toff reached adulthood. Theirs come to adulthood at age eighteen."