“It is often the way of leaders that we must put our safety second.”
Brogan lifted his head to stare at the ceiling, and Dra’Kaedan placed a hand on his back to mollify him. “Let’s set that aside for now. This is Drekkoril’s home, and he is the leader of the Fae. We can’t interfere with that. He must do what he thinks is right. Let’s figure out this Kedetyn business. You sent him here to grab Rorie, and he never mentioned that.”
“No, he wished to speak to me of the setieons,” Rorie murmured. “And though I do not wish to start an argument, I must add my agreement to Brogan’s words. You are of no use to the Fae if you are dead. Would you really wish to leave me in charge?”
Renny was proud of Rorie’s desire to lighten the mood with humor, but it completely befuddled Drekkoril, whose face colored. “I have no intention of dying,” Drekkoril answered quietly. “I spoke with Kedetyn about the setieons. That is why I summoned you. We face a problem there, and while I understand his answers, I am not sure what the best path forward is. They need to see us as a united front, and we could consult with the many leaders amongst our D’Vaires who have vast experience in such matters.”
“I fear I have made an error.” Rorie’s expression was pained. “I ordered Kedetyn to raise the wages of the setieons and to focus additional energy on recruitment.”
Drekkoril’s mouth tightened. “The rioell setieons work for me, Roriethiel. You had no right to instruct Kedetyn to do anything.”
“He told me you would not act.”
“So, you sought to undermine me.”
“You said yourself that something about crime must be done.”
“Whatever issue is at the forefront, your title is honorary. You should never instruct a sioskallo to do something without speaking to me first. You would raise the wages of the setieons with no data to suggest they are earning what they make already. And you gave him permission to focus on recruitment. How, Roriethiel? What is his plan to make that successful?”
Rorie’s shoulders slumped and his gaze hit the floor. “I did not ask.”
“I fear his real goal was to have access to the treasury, which is why I was not immediately responsive to his plan,” Drekkoril remarked, getting to his feet. “Now I must undo your actions. If you truly wish to be a friend to me, you must not function as if you are a leader. I will also strip Kedetyn of his title for disobeying my order and speaking mistruths to the Protector of the Fae.”
“I vow I will speak to you before instructing another sioskallo to move forward with anything,” Rorie promised. “You have my apology for not doing so today.”
Drekkoril stomped out and Renny pulled Rorie close. “I’m sorry, I should’ve realized Kedetyn was trying to play you.”
“We should proceed how Drekkoril does,” Alaric instructed. “From this point on, you must consider every sioskallo whether nice or rude to you as a possible enemy.”
“I am not sure I wish to speak to them at all,” Rorie lamented. “I now yearn to have a relationship with Drekkoril as Renny shares with Dra’Kaedan. I cannot move forward while still wanting to take part in the government. I must not follow the example of my parents. Bétea chose Drekkoril, and I must respect that. My time should be spent learning of my people, so I can advise Drekkoril if he ever wishes to seek me out for expertise. At the rate of my failures, I am not sure such a day will ever arrive, but I refuse to be ill-prepared.”
“Don’t beat yourself up. Kedetyn chose his words well, so Alaric and the other sentinels wouldn’t catch him in a lie. If he can fool them, there’s no way the rest of us could’ve figured it out.”
“I thought he was being careful, but most people in politics are,” Alaric remarked. “I assumed the wages of setieons were low if they were willing to compromise themselves by accepting bribes, and I believed he would not ask for the ability to recruit if he had no set plan. We have all learned a lesson today.”
“Yes, that bemollos can use their patient natures to trick fairies who do not think things through,” Rorie answered.
“Drekkoril is going to fire his ass, so you don’t have to worry about him again,” Dra’Kaedan said.
Renny pulled his mate close and rubbed his back to soothe him. It was a positive sign to Renny that Rorie was so concerned with upsetting Drekkoril and that he wanted to be more cautious regarding leadership affairs. Drekkoril needed support, but no one could thrive in an environment full of infighting. Politics aside, it was Renny’s duty to see to Rorie’s happiness, and he would do whatever it took to put the smile on his face again.
Chapter 20
Rorie was jumpy at the idea of having any further part in the government, but Drekkoril remained steadfast in keeping him involved. They retired to the library to read each afternoon, and they spent at least an hour examining the new issues popping up while not forgetting about finding solutions for the old ones. As far as Rorie could tell, there was little right in the Fae world. The grayness that made Drekkoril’s magic unreliable was growing, much to his distress. They’d penned a letter to Valiant Defender Hibozeth to discover if he was experiencing anything strange and to inquire if he was willing to work together to help curb the steadily rising crime rate but had heard nothing back.
Weeks were passing each night when Rorie laid his head down to rest curled in Renny’s arms. With each new dawn, Drekkoril grew more tense, and Rorie could understand why. Nothing he did could stop the Fae from themselves. With no memory of anything currently happening, Rorie was unable to explain if it was real or why they hadn’t awakened. All he could do was mourn the fact that his parents had not understood the extent of the damage their campaign to undo everything would have on the Fae.
Despite the protection of the law, v’airsell niolls lacked the respect of a large segment of the population. That problem was solely because of Tizisan and Morashi, and it made Rorie ashamed to be the product of such people. The love that he’d held in his heart for them still existed, but it was marred by their actions and how they’d hidden their true selves from him. What he could not figure out was how two people who professed to adore each other were willing to tear apart the bonds of others so they could have fun in bed with strangers.
The question would not go away since there was no decent answer. If they wished to experiment outside their relationship or invite others into their bed, they could’ve done so without impunity. Being the Protectors of the Fae, they had the ability to keep it secret if they preferred, and their bemollos would’ve likely done whatever they could to aid them in that goal. Instead, Tizisan and Morashi had decided they had to campaign and convince others that their lifestyle was better than the status quo. Rorie did not understand how they’d come to that conclusion or why what went on in anyone else’s bedroom was their business. There was no right or wrong way to live, and no one should be judged for it either. Rorie had to move past it and try to reverse their course of action if possible.
In the siofllar’am, the sioskallos were gaining in power. Unlike Drekkoril, they had the time to travel around speaking to the fairies and bemollos about their opinions. There were those that wanted the traditions of old, but most of them wanted change. Either they believed in the revolution of the Vol’Gon Era or preferred to rebel against Drekkoril. Many of them refused to enter the castle after Kedetyn’s firing. It was their argument that a sioskallo appointment was permanent, but that had never been the case. They refused to listen to anything that disagreed with their beliefs, so it was pointless to lecture them.
Drekkoril and Rorie had taken a group of D’Vaires to travel to the prison on the outskirts of the realm. As reported, it was a crumbling nightmare. Overflowing with Fae accused of petty crimes, they’d discovered that the intricate system of proving one’s innocence or guilt had been stripped away by Drekkoril’s predecessors. Volzi and Gonisa had believed that anyone who was caught should go to prison and that any huge infraction would turn them dark; therefore they refused to use any part of the treasury to handle justice.
Why they failed to understand that not everyone supposedly “caught” was guilty was beyond Rorie’s comprehension. As for the recruitment, they had shifted it to a task for all sioskallos. Not a single bemollo had been added to the rioell setieons, but many had opted to leave their posts with no warning. Some sent letters saying they could not serve the Noble Protector since they disagreed with his messages, but many said nothing.
“You okay?” Renny asked, pulling Rorie from his reflective thoughts.
