They can’t learn of Rori.
He left the cavern, sifting to the only place that called forhis presence. The one person who elicited a war of massive proportions within his soul.
Grison held his gaze steady on the stone wall slightly to the right of the door. Cecir followed his gaze, then traced back to Grison over and over. Grison fed the web of spells and reinforcements he’d placed personally around his refuge after his last surprise encounter with Thaddeus. He swore he’d not be caught off guard again. He’d underestimated the bloody Fae, believing the restrictions Cecir placed on him during healing were enough to weaken his talents enough not to surprise Grison.
Poor judgment on his part. A comfortable man’s mistake that could get him killed.
This eve, he’d been ready. ’Twas when his men left that he felt the glacial energy, the faintest wisp of ice against his skin. In fact, he believed ’twasn’t the energy that touched him at all, but the strength within the Fae that merely overwhelmed all other residual essences and alerted him to the unwanted presence.
Grison jutted his chin toward the door. “Open it a bit.”
A crease formed between Cecir’s brows. The Fae hesitated but a moment before he complied, crossing the small space and opening the door an inch. His brows lifted, silently questioning Grison’s command. Grison waited for any residual essence belonging to Thaddeus to react with him, but with each breath he took, he was met with the familiar hum of his own spells and wards. No powerful Fae within the vicinity.
Settling back in his chair, he flicked his hand, closing the door. Cecir shot a curious glance between him and the door.
“He’s gone,” Grison said quietly. Mayhap he was never there.
“Who?” When Grison caught Cecir’s confused gaze, he watched his second-in-command come to the realization. “Hewas here?”
“I suspect. ’Twould be pointless to trace his energy, since he can erase any sign of his presence, bloody bastard. I’ll ask the others if they noticed a shift in the air when they left. Alas, we must be careful when we discuss certain topics. What have you found?”
Cecir shifted on his feet, evidence of discomfort. Whether ’twas realizing Thaddeus had been hiding in shadows and cloaked in magic, or if he witnessed something unsettling in the mortal realm, Grison couldn’t be certain. The Fae cleared his throat, obviously disturbed.
“The relationship between Cael and the mortal woman is as we feared. There is a high chance of a child coming from their union.”
“Thaddeus, Cecir. Not Cael. ’Twas never Cael I cared about.”
Cecir’s gaze bounced around the room before finally coming back to Grison. Grison’s blood had chilled from the residual energy lingering around the door, but froze as he witnessed Cecir’s concern. ’Twas the first time his stomach knotted as he realized what his man had discovered would change the path he’d hoped to follow through to the end, with him conquering the throne of the Seelie realms.
“Cecir. Time between these realms runs differently. He’s had plenty of time to investigate his brother and come to a conclusion to act upon, yet he hesitates. I fear he may refuse to complete this request. Should that be the case, we’re at risk of him turning against us. Saving him had been our biggest risk, but the benefits of possessing control over him certainlyoutweighed those risks, at the time. So, what have you found?”
“Um, an unexpected complication may have arisen from sending him to handle Cael.”
Grison leaned forward in his chair, bracing a hand on his knee as his eyes narrowed. “An unexpected complication? Do embellish.”
“The woman whom Cael engages with is not Cael’sanam cara.”
Needless information at this point. “And?”
“She has a friend.”
Grison’s heart fluttered. He stared at Cecir, dread weighing heavily in his gut. He knew where this was going, and Cecir’s behavior merely confirmed his worst nightmare.
“And?”
“Cael has become overly protective of the friend.” Cecir stilled, finally meeting Grison’s gaze. The Fae rolled out his shoulders, his eyes clouded. “This friend. She’s Thaddeus’sanam cara. Thaddeus has not admitted to it, but his behavior toward the woman implicates him.”
Our worst nightmare.
Minutes passed as Grison turned this news over in his mind, working through all possibilities for how to regain control of the situation. If he lost Thaddeus, everything was at risk. The Fae held no loyalty to anyone other than Daeanna, but now Grison questioned that. He’d yet to land a lethal blow to Cael, and as more time passed, Grison knew the chance of Thaddeus proving his loyalty to their movement grew slim.
He shook his head, recalling his last encounter with Thaddeus. “If we can’t control a wild beast, he’ll need to be eliminated. He’s too great a liability to the movement, our plans, to hold reckless power if he refuses to align with us. A creaturewith no conscience nor heart is a lethal weapon that can turn on us as quickly as it can work with us toward our goals.”
Cecir rubbed a hand over his face. “I can attempt to manipulate the retaliation spell I wove into his healing. I can try to restrict more of his power until we can bring him under our control.”
Grison shook his head. “Do not take him for a fool, Cecir. If I’m to guess, he suspects we’ve tampered with his power. We must, under any and all circumstances, keep our hands as clean as possible. Should we fail in our mission to obtain power over the realms, we must be certain naught can be traced back to us. Everyone else here is disposable. You and I, together we can rebuild our movement in the future, if need be. We mustn’t be found guilty of any association with this movement, should it come to that.”
“Tampering with Thaddeus will not bring attention to us. He’s wanted by the Court, by Dagda himself for high treason. Should he be detained, his words will fall on deaf ears.”
