“I was taught that my bemollo is a responsibility not to be celebrated, which is why I blocked my memories from him.”
“Is that common among Fae?”
“I have no notion,” Rorie commented, giving his arm a push. “We must hush now; they have finished the introductions.”
Beginning to wonder if Rorie had any perception of his world beyond the lens of his parents, Renny’s mind was muddled, but he gave his full attention to the shimmering hole in the ground.
“Kedetyn, you wish to speak?” Drekkoril asked.
A stunning man dressed in maroon lifted his chin. “Where is the Protector? We sit here ready to begin the Drek era, and yet your fairy is absent.”
“Let us not continue the same mistakes of the Vol’Gon era,” Xaigan retorted. “We are bemollos. It is our job to lead the Fae. Roriethiel has no business here. Of all the fairies, he is one of the worst examples of his kind. A reckless child told pretty lies by those horrid parents of his. It will take us thousands of years to undo the damage they purposely cut through our society.”
“Roriethiel has the right to stand on his own two feet and decide for himself how he wishes to comport himself,” a woman in burnished copper answered.
“Rathani, he does not know the truth of what Tizisan and Morashi have done,” Jatzal stated.
“He has tamed a Faedrekan. Already, the tale has spread through our people. He is a damo-kiod. We would be foolish to discount him,” Kedetyn retorted.
“Noble Protector, you must tame a Faedrekan, or they will perceive you as less than a damo-kiod. The structure of our government will alter with Roriethiel’s higher reputation.”
“Cozisan, I do not wish to get into a popularity contest with my fairy. He is free to enjoy his drekan. Whatever our people believe will not carry over to the rule-making. Damo-kiod or not, Bétea chose me.”
“Will people believe less in Bétea if you do not have a Faedrekan? I believe it is a possibility we cannot ignore. You must have a Faedrekan.”
“He could die, Cozisan,” Xaigan retorted. “What good is he to us dead? Roriethiel would become the ruler of the Fae. That would be intolerable. Fairies do not get a second bemollo.”
“I do not want to risk my life for a Faedrekan,” Drekkoril stated succinctly, a muscle in his jaw jumping. Although Drekkoril had followed Rorie’s example, he’d clearly had no desire to do it.
“As your sioskallos, we must insist. The very fabric of our civilization depends on it. That foolish boy has put thousands of years of progress on the line for a silly notion those loathsome parents of his touted. He should have died alongside them.”
“Trevyl, I have listened to enough ill will toward my fairy and cannot stomach such statements, so I suggest you and every other sioskallo in this room heed my words,” Drekkoril growled. Rorie might not like his bemollo, but Renny was finding him to be up to leading the Fae despite his minimal knowledge and recent summoning.
“I apologize, Noble Protector. I do not know if your perception of Tizisan and Morashi is colored by Roriethiel’s adoration of them or if you do not fully comprehend how they altered our way of life, but I daresay when you learn more, you will understand our rage.”
Renny’s mind was reeling with questions. The sioskallos hated Rorie’s parents, and he had no clue why. Taking a glance at Rorie, the fairy’s eyes were full of anger.
“I do not know what is so offensive to them. If I did not have to face the wrath of the Noble Protector, I would charge in to demand they pay for their insults,” Rorie whispered. “And I have another question added to my list.”
Below, the sioskallos and Drekkoril continued to argue about whether he needed a Faedrekan. Renny already knew how that turned out, so he focused on Rorie. “I’m curious, too.”
“I wish I had understood that tying myself to Orlami would leave Drekkoril with no choice but to do the same. I longed for him to understand the beauty of having a Faedrekan, but I did not consider his feelings on the subject. It was wrong of me.”
They were speaking low enough not to disturb the people around them, and Renny was glad Rorie had come to that conclusion. Drekkoril hadn’t wanted to follow in Rorie’s footsteps, and it was a shame that his political future had depended on something that could have so easily killed him. “I wish he had the choice without all this drama.”
Rorie’s gaze dropped to the floor. “I fear it may be one of the many things I did wrong regarding Drekkoril.”
Lifting a hand to rub Rorie’s back, Renny leaned closer to him. “It’s okay. Everyone makes mistakes. The good news is that you can fix it.”
“How? He was already forced into a Faedrekan.”
“By remembering that it wasn’t a simple thing for him and understanding why he might have some powerful emotions which aren’t positive about the situation.”
“I do not want him to take it out on Zurenzi.”
“I know you love Orlami. He needs the chance to grow his feelings for Zurenzi, but if it’s always a fight, he’s only going to dig in his heels.”
“You believe I should stop being so hard on him?”
