The former sidhe king was lying there in the same ornate green color that Nessa had worn the night before. His clothing was simple, yet elegant upon closer inspection, with its barely-noticeable, vine-like swirls on the sleeves. Devin looked closer and saw the faint fuzziness of magic radiating from Nessa’s grandfather, and even radiated from his clothing. The old sleeping man, who appeared dead, was laced with magic, and strong magic at that. Devin had no doubts the old man was alive. Rhys had none of that magic sheen to him in the room before, but the sidhe king did.
‘How will you bring life?’ Devin asked, quoting her interpretation of the inscribed words.
Nessa smiled and stooped down to grab a handful of dirt. She stood and sprinkled the dirt on the marble bed around her grandfather. Once his upper body was surrounded by dirt, she sliced her hand open and dripped blood drops into the dirt. As soon as her blood landed, plants sprouted from the dirt and grew. She said a few more words and made the plants grow more until they wove between the king’s arms and around him, covering him completely in the flowerless vines, but leaving his face exposed. Nessa took her hand, which was healing fast, and smeared blood into her grandfather’s mouth.
‘My family’s strength is in plants and life. We can just about make plants grow anywhere, even without light or seeds,’ Nessa explained. ‘“My blood can bring life” is our family motto.’
Devin thought back to the rest stop that they were attacked at only a few days ago. He had seen just that, but he didn’t understand until now what it meant. Nessa was life. He had no doubts the message was left for her now. Something made Devin feel like the old man had planned everything all along. They came in search of him and were exactly what was needed to wake him.
Devin nodded to Nessa, who was now gazing at the old man who was looking even more regal encased in plants. Nessa handed her bloodied blade over to him without looking at Devin, and Devin knew what she wanted. He sliced his own hand just as she had and placed blood in the old sidhe’s mouth. The cut didn’t break open on Nessa’s hand. The bond was gone? The room was a puzzle of what sidhe powers could work and what ones could not. Their connection was severed by the lack of magic, yet Nessa still had enough magic within her to make the plants grow. It would make any battle with the hidden assassins a problem if they chose to attack.
‘Now what?’ he asked.
It was done. They had done exactly what was asked of them. Soon he would wake, and they would be able to ask him for his help. Devin looked over to Nessa as she watched her grandfather. Their time bound would be ended quite soon. Devin wasn’t happy at the idea, but it was the best way he could protect her. He looked back to the regal old man. He was the answer they sought, and the way their relationship would end. Devin’s heart hurt a bit at the thought of everything ending, but it was for the best. If the old man beneath them was as powerful as everyone claimed, Nessa would be safe with him. She would be protected.
Nessa looked down at her grandfather with anticipation. They waited a few seconds more. Nothing happened. Another moment passed, and they both stared at the man. Still, nothing happened. Devin felt the sadness roll off of Nessa. Her grandfather wasn’t waking up like she longed for. The old man slept on. Simple didn’t seem to be the solution to the directions after all. Devin wanted to move to her side of the marble bed and comfort her before the tears came. They were close to waking up someone she had missed for almost a decade. Devin felt her pain, and would’ve felt the same if he was standing next to any of his lost loved ones.
Devin looked up at Nessa at the same time as someone came through a hidden doorway. She didn’t notice as she stared at her grandfather, but he felt the energy as a new person appeared. The magic of the people entering evaporated as they crossed the barrier. Devin wanted to count and see if it was the same doorway they had entered, but he was stuck on who it was. Finn entered with a very large assassin, who could only be male, behind him. The assassin’s arm was wrapped around Finn’s middle and a knife was at his throat. Finn had his hands bound behind his back and was in a sorry state. He had been taken hostage by a male sidhe, the very sidhe that were hunting Nessa. Finn just went from an ally to a liability in a second. Devin had to think fast, because he knew what Nessa would do. Finn was her friend, no matter what Devin thought, but Devin was still unsure.
“Nessa, I’m sorry,” Finn croaked and the blade pressed down a little, drawing blood. It beaded up and dripped down his throat.
Nessa turned when Finn spoke, and her face dropped. It didn’t matter what Devin thought of him, Nessa still believed he was a good guy. Devin reached across the old sidhe king, who wasn’t moving, and tried to grab her arm as she bolted toward Finn. He missed and put his hands on the table to jump it and follow her. He made it over the table, but was stopped as an iron grip grabbed his arm. Instantly the world around him slowed down and appeared to be barely moving as Devin looked down to his arm. The old sidhe king was no longer asleep.
“Day human,” a deep voice said. The authoritative sound reverberated around the room. “You have found your way to me. Thank goodness, Rhys must finally be dead.”
The old sidhe king was alive. Waking him had been as simple as Nessa thought it would be. All he needed was plants and a few drops of blood. He was now speaking and moving on his own. His hand was wrapped tight around Devin, not giving the much younger and more alive man even an inch to move. Devin felt frozen in place, by just the grip on his wrist. The old king radiated power that had been unused for a decade.
Devin watched as the old man sat up. He had been unsure if the old sidhe king was really dead or if they just didn’t know how to wake him even if he was not, but it was true. He was only sleeping. His face was fuller and his eyes opened as he held tight to Devin’s arm. He was certainly alive now. The sidhe king stared at Devin, waiting for him to say something. Devin didn’t know what to say and just stared back. A smile spread across the older man’s face.
“You are different than I remember, but you still have that same ugly haircut. I figured that after you arrived here you’d at least adapt some of our customs,” the king finally said. He was moving his free arm around as if to get blood flowing back into it after it fell asleep. The king rolled his shoulders without releasing his grip on Devin.
“Remember?” Devin asked. The old man smiled in return.
“Then you can talk, after all. Here I was thinking my granddaughter had found a mute.” The king stared intently at Devin. Devin was unsure what to say to the man. He seemed to know a whole lot for someone who hadn’t been awake for over a decade. The king smiled and laughed again as he continue to move his joints.
Devin could only stare back. He knew close to nothing about the man with the iron grip. The only thing Devin was sure about was that the old king didn’t seem to have a problem with the lack of magic in the room. His magic was completely intact. Devin didn’t want to speak and offend the old man, but he needed to figure out how to handle the situation. Nothing in his training ever prepared him for meeting a man of such immense power. He was even stronger that the old night human that had raised Devin, and that man had ruled his night humans for over fifty years without finding another more powerful than he. Devin knew power, and this guy was full of it. That was on top of Devin already being at a disadvantage as it seemed the old king already knew what was going on.
Out of the corner of Devin’s eyes, he saw Nessa frozen in her run toward Finn. She hadn’t made it to him, but was closer to Finn than she was to Devin. That was another problem Devin needed to solve quickly. He could not let Nessa get near Finn. It wasn’t safe. She might not feel it, but Devin knew better. Devin was afraid she would do something on impulse, and end her own life to save Finn. Devin had a lot to decide, and fast, as he didn’t know how long the time freeze would last. First he had to figure out the old sidhe king, as he was sure he was going nowhere until the old man let him, and then save Nessa. The king caught the flicker in Devin’s eyes and grinned.
“
Worried about her now? While she can be a bit too trusting for the sidhe world, she can take care of herself. I made sure of that before they put me away. That girl has more bite in her than anyone knows. I personally would love to see an assassin go down for being foolish enough to fight my granddaughter.” The king waved his hand at Nessa casually. In ten years’ time, he knew exactly who Nessa was.
There was no reason the king should have been forced to sleep away while he was completely fit to rule. Devin didn’t need to be a sidhe to see the power in their king. He was more than Devin had seen combined into any one room since he had arrived, and that was saying much, as there were at least a hundred sidhe at Nessa’s trial. This man was more than any of that. He had already shown he could freeze time and possibly see the future. Devin only had a few glimpses of the man he would meet from overheard conversations around the palace, but no one described the old man as Devin saw him now. The king watched Devin intently, studying him as much as Devin analyzed the king.
“Well, boy, what are you wondering?” he asked, leaning back like he had all day to have a chat with Devin.
“Quite a lot actually,” Devin replied, trying to focus on the old king and not the frozen world around him that was distracting his thoughts.
“How about one at a time, then?” the king suggested it as if they were old friends meeting up for the first time in years. It was a little disconcerting for Devin to look into his pale blue eyes and get the feeling that the sidhe king already knew what he was going to ask, but Devin had to get some answers.
“Why are you asleep when you don’t have to be?” Devin asked the first question that came to mind. The old man was powerful enough that he doubted anyone could make him do something he didn’t want to do. Devin had seen enough to know that.
The old king seemed to know exactly what Devin was thinking, and nodded along as Devin spoke. He wasn’t even surprised by Devin’s question. It was like he had been expecting it and waiting for the moment to meet Devin someday, maybe even reading his mind as he thought.
“I let them put me away because I knew that Nessa needed time to grow up, not under my protection,” he replied. It was an easy, prepared answer.
“And you thought she would survive? What if she didn’t?” Devin asked, somewhat angrily. Nessa was completely unprotected, and Rhys was nothing more than a monster. Why would her grandfather, who could protect her, let that happen? Nessa was lucky Rhys hadn’t turned on her sooner, or she would’ve been dead like the rest of her family. If the sidhe king knew he would be meeting Devin someday, he had to have known the truth about Rhys.
“I didn’t know if she would survive. There are always multiple futures that can happen. What I did know was that if she survived, she would be strong enough to lead the sidhe. If she did not, I’d continue to sleep and never have to see my people die out. The sidhe are dying. The way they are now will lead to their death. I knew that there was a chance she could save them. If she could survive and make it to me one day, she would be part way there. I had to give my people a chance at redemption.” The king sat, staring at his granddaughter lovingly. It was if he was already looking into the future again. “The sidhe needed her, not me. I can’t change them. Only she can.”
“You do know that you left her alone to fend off Rhys. You didn’t even warn her about her brother. She thought he was this older, loving brother. You know that her family is dead? All of them. Rhys killed your son, and then tried to kill Nessa, too,” Devin said. The old sidhe king should have been protecting Nessa. He should have stayed by her.
“I knew that was Rhys’ destiny before he was even born. There wasn’t an ounce of good in that boy. I tried to tell his father, but my son was as stubborn as Nessa is. I figured fate would be what it was. My son deserved his fate for not listening. Now Nessa, I did protect her. I taught her spells that would keep anyone from killing her,” the king replied, moving his other arm a little again to bring the joints back to life. His right hand remained gripped on Devin’s wrist, but his left was free. He was slow in his movements, like he was working blood back into places that had been empty for so long.
“You knew those spells weren’t for hair color?” Devin asked. He had wondered if the old king was mad, or clever, and it was turning out that he was more clever than mad.
The king grinned. “But she didn’t. And they worked, didn’t they? See, boy, I didn’t leave her completely unprotected. I knew she’d survive if she wanted to. I gave her the power to survive, and training to do so, but she needed to find her own way. She needed to find her way to you.”
“How did you know about me? Can you see the future?” Devin asked, looking now at Nessa. He was finding it hard that the sidhe princess that was to save her people would need a day human, of all people. The king was right. Devin didn’t have to worry much about Nessa. She was prepared to defend herself, and no one saw it coming.
“Nessa didn’t explain much about us sidhe, did she?” the king asked in reply, though he knew the answer already. Devin didn’t need to respond. “That child is too trusting and loyal. She probably felt she would be breaking sidhe law to tell you. I tried to show her that she was to trust her own judgment, but she always had to follow the rules. This would’ve been easier on you if she had told you more.”
“More about what?” Devin asked. He was trying to direct the king’s speech to the answer he was looking for. Devin was unsure how long the frozen time would last, and if those hidden assassins would do anything to help Nessa as she approached Finn.
“About what we are and what we do. I’m sure, by now, you know that we all possess sidhe magic. Any sidhe can do simple spells. Our spell energy is fed by nature, hence why we live out in the national forests, surrounded by nature. But that isn’t all we can do.” The old king paused for dramatic effect. “We are born with an ability that is blood related. Day human blood will heal us if we get hurt, and fuel the ability that’s ours and ours alone. That is how the sidhe are different from normal night humans. We have kept that a secret from the other night humans for centuries, as we didn’t want them to know more. I’m sure Nessa didn’t tell you because that is one of our rules, that no one must find out about our talent.”
“What sort of ability?” Devin asked. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen Nessa do magic.
“Something like talking to animals. Or Nessa and Rhys both were born with the ability to control plants,” the king replied.
“But we all saw Rhys control plants at the tournament,” Devin replied, confused. They didn’t exactly hide their abilities. Devin had even seen Nessa control plants just moments before.
“No, that’s okay. We teach them to use their ability with spells to make people think it’s a spell. It is well-known that sidhe can do spells. But it isn’t the case for blood abilities. We don’t need spells for those, and that’s the secret we must keep. Even if someone can’t speak, they can use their blood ability,” the king explained. “These abilities keep us safe and secret. Not even the other night humans know we have this, and if they did, they would be hunting individual sidhe for what they can do. We all have different kinds of abilities, and some are more valuable than others; maybe the ability to see the future, or something like that. There are hundreds of abilities, and each sidhe has one beyond the magic we all can do.” The king paused, content with his explanation.
“And you have the ability to see the future?” Devin guessed. The old man grinned slyly, but didn’t reply right away. “Then you knew we were coming.” Devin added. The man just smiled.
“Then you know why I am here?” Devin didn’t need to ask the question, but he felt he had to. Devin felt a responsibility to ask, but not because he wanted to. With the bond inside the cave gone from the magic-blocking lions, he felt empty inside. He wasn’t sure he wanted the bond to be broken now.
“Of course I knew that, just like I knew the bond wasn’t undoable,” the king replied, moving and rotating his arm at the shoulder again. He was now metho
dically working out his upper muscles.
“The bond can’t be broken?” Devin asked. They risked everything to find out how to break the bond.
“No, it can’t. Just like it can’t work between two people who don’t already have feelings for each other. And no amount of neutralizing spells, not even the lions, can break a bond. It’s still there, even now. It will never go away.” The king waited for Devin to fully understand what he had said. He was giving Devin more information than he asked for.
“Then we will be bonded forever?” Devin asked, happy and sad at the same time. He didn’t want to break the bond, but he knew the danger it put Nessa in to be bound to him.
“Until one of you dies,” the king replied, rolling his head a bit to loosen his neck.
“And then we both die,” Devin replied. That was exactly what he didn’t want. He didn’t want Nessa’s life to be linked to his. Devin’s life had been anything but safe since he was attacked as a child. He had too many enemies to be bound to Nessa. Her life would be in constant danger, even if she didn’t have her own assassins chasing her. Devin looked back to the king, and didn’t hide his devastation at being unable to protect her.
“The bond doesn’t work unless it’s meant to. You were meant to be together,” the king said, stating it like it was an obvious fact. “She was meant to be bound to you. It was your fate to be together.”
“Being bound to me will kill her,” Devin answered. There was no need to hide anything from the old king; he seemed to see all anyway.