“All she does is sleep,” Death muttered, gliding away without another word to her sister. When she pulled back one of the curtains that separated the house from the outdoors, she discovered Eternity resting on a large cloth tied between two trees. Walking to her without a sound, Death used a foot to swiftly kick the fabric. Eternity squawked as she slipped off and landed with a thud on the ground below. Death laughed at her distress and had no remorse for her actions.
“Most rude, sister,” Eternity said. Her silvery gown fluttered as she stood, then stilled around her lithe frame.
“We must speak about the Fae.”
“Hibozeth is continuing to brutalize his people; you must intervene immediately.”
“The Valiant Defender is not the problem. It is Drekkoril and Roriethiel.”
“They are experiencing the growing pains of becoming rulers. They will succeed, or the fairy realms cease to exist.”
“We have watched the Fae for thousands of years. How can you be so nonchalant about the destruction of our childhood creation?” Death demanded.
“You are aware of the rules. We can view them and offer gifts, but we cannot intervene directly.”
“Do not be such a hypocrite! You just asked me to do something about Hibozeth.”
“Your duty is to collect souls. Should he die, Fate would select a new ruler, and that may slow the blackening of both lands.”
“The light realm is darkening because of the weight of all the souls trooping to Hibozeth’s side. That is the fault of their leadership.”
“Yes, but it is not the fault of Drekkoril and Roriethiel. Their problems began in the Vol’Gon era.”
“And how many times did I tell you to rid us of that foursome?”
Eternity narrowed her eyes. “I know what you did to Tizisan and Morashi. Faedrekan are not vicious.”
“How many did they harm over the years? Can you recollect how often they sprang from the forest, telling tales of the ferocious drekans who had once lived peacefully alongside the Fae? They were hateful people who pleased themselves first at the expense of everyone and everything around them. You refused to allow them to be killed, and Morashi somehow found herself with child. Otherwise, Fate could have selected a new bloodline to rule.”
“You know very well how their babes are made.”
“And you know very well that I took away Tizisan’s ability to father a child when he helped murder his parents.”
“I still say he did not do such a thing,” Eternity shouted.
“You are unreasonable and could see for yourself were you not so stubborn. How did Tizisan and Morashi become so promiscuous?” Death demanded while a thought crept into her brain.
“If Morashi did not birth a babe and something were to happen to her and Tizisan or their bemollos, there would be a new bloodline ruling. That could have caused unrest. It might have led to the downfall of both realms.”
“Does any word that comes out of your mouth go through your mind before it spills out?” Death shouted. Her fury rose at how ridiculous and reckless her sister was being. “Roriethiel is Morashi’s son, but not Tizisan’s. Itisa new bloodline, and the unrest those fools created is tearing apart the realms. Do you know who Roriethiel’s father is?”
Eternity’s face colored. “I only gave Morashi and Tizisan a gentle push to seek another partner. I did not expect them to make it their life’s goal to sleep with everyone they met. I have no notion who fathered Roriethiel.”
“If you have any desire to assist me in saving the Fae realms, we must act quickly,” Death said. It didn’t matter who had parented Roriethiel. With no notion that Tizisan was not responsible for his birth, Death could not create a circumstance to make him question it. Roriethiel was alive, and she was unable to nudge him—it was beyond her powers.
“You must not panic. All will be well. Drekkoril will seize control, and Roriethiel can assist him in righting the wrongs. I have made it a priority of the remaining light Fae to produce children. It will rebalance the populations, and the land will eventually recover along with their magic.”
“I cannot trust that Roriethiel will shake off the teachings of his parents. I need his soul so Fate can choose a new Fae ruler.”
“He bonded with a drekan, Death. So has Drekkoril. They have earned their right to life and to rule. You cannot ask me to rob them of that.”
“I can and will do so.”
“It is an unreasonable request. Surely you can see that. You must allow them to fix things.”
“There is no time; the imbalance is going to cause both realms to be destroyed.”
“Why do you not trust me?”
