“Do you recall anything at all that hasn’t happened yet?” Dra’Kaedan asked.
Rorie glanced up at Drekkoril, and almost in unison, they shook their heads. “No.”
“Well, this is fucking weird,” Renny said. “We’re in a dream reliving a history no one remembers.”
“Two people do,” Drekkoril argued. “The Faedrekan. Orlami and Zurenzi can show us what they have lived before but nothing else, right?”
“Yes, or at least that has been my experience. It is a spell, and they are simply guides,” Rorie responded.
“How can we be here with no memory of these things and still not know how we came to be on Renny’s realm?” Rorie asked Drekkoril.
“I can answer that no better than I can comprehend why the council is successful with basic laws protecting their v’airsell niolls.”
His bemollo’s words ignited his fury all over again. “Half their population is not full of impulsive fairies who forget that they must respect the relationships of others. I have faith that those with a v’airsell nioll would seek to protect their bond, but those without will consider their pleasure first. We are not a perfect people. Is that not why we have bemollos in the first place? To look out for us and make sure we do not make foolish choices?”
“It is I who have made a foolish choice. I do not think myself perfect because I am a bemollo. I sought to give fairies more thoughtfulness than can be reasonably expected. I do not say that to be insulting—I agree with your point. With people so rash, those kinds of laws will need to exist.”
“I wish you had mentioned that you were considering lifting them,” Rorie managed.
“Since the moment you summoned me, there have been people in my face telling me what to do and how I should do it. I am overwhelmed. If I speak to you on a subject, you turn it into an argument. I have nowhere to turn, Roriethiel. All I can do is try my best, and there you must expect me to err.”
“You must consider me on your side if you wish to move forward with at least one person who will not say something to you to benefit me alone. They gave these sioskallos too much control. Gonisa and Volzi thought bemollos above fairies, forgetting that they themselves were the only ones picked by Bétea, elevating so many sioskallos to such enormous heights. You have read the history. You know they were advisors summoned if a certain area of expertise was needed. Instead, your predecessors allowed them to come and go as they please.”
“You do not lack allies,” Renny told Drekkoril. “While the D’Vaires might not be experts on the Fae, we have allegiance to you and Rorie. You may lean on any of us.”
“As much time as you spend in the library, you are likely smarter than at least half my sioskallos,” Drekkoril joked, which caused Rorie to smile. When Drekkoril was kind to Renny, Rorie could find no fault with him.
“I feel like I need to tell you about Drystan and Conley,” Brogan said. “Centuries ago, they were the dragon emperors. Fate chose them, and they arrived at a castle full of dukes drunk on their power. Drystan and Conley were murdered in a plot organized by the very people who should’ve protected them. It’s why dragons are wary of anyone in a position of authority who wasn’t selected by Fate. She’s not infallible but does a better job than the rest of us at finding honor and nobility in the people she has created.”
“Are all these dukes dead?” Rorie demanded.
“Yes,” Renny answered, kissing his temple. “And you really need to stop trying to become a Dark Fae by going on murderous rampages.”
Rorie’s brow creased as dots lined up in his head. “You mentioned a grayness, Drekkoril. Think you the Dark Fae are more dominant now that their v’airsell niolls are protected while ours are not?”
“I do not know enough about the Dark Fae to even know that they are protected,” Drekkoril remarked. “I have received no news from Valiant Defender Hibozeth since I was summoned.”
“Tradition dictates that the Valiant Defender should have sent you a missive to congratulate you,” Rorie commented.
“I did not receive one.”
“I believe you. I am just confused.”
“We should go to the observatory,” Drekkoril said. A hologram appeared, thanks to his magic, so that Dra’Kaedan could teleport them. They arrived in the small room at the top of the castle, and Rorie smiled as Renny and Dra’Kaedan surveyed the space. Brogan was cautiously exploring, but the two sorcerers were gleaming with curiosity.
“What the hell are we doing here?” Brogan asked.
“It is the only place where we can view the Dark Fae realm,” Drekkoril responded, waving a hand over a table. The plain center of it changed into a wavy image that crystallized into a city devoid of any color but black and gray.
Rorie gasped when he reached out with his senses. “My magic wishes to latch on.”
“Why would that happen?” Renny asked.
“Likely because he is always willing to draw his sword to murder,” Drekkoril murmured.
“Surely not.”
“I believe it is the grayness. It is almost as if the Fae are less light. This is dangerous. We must restore our power. The Dark Fae can have no sway here,” Drekkoril stated.
