Kingdoms of Lies and Intrigues (Return of Vesna book 2)

Chapter 7 A Test of Friendship

Havah chose a spot on the floor beside Evaline's couch and rolled out a pallets, as she lay down staring at the ceiling she tried to keep her mind steady when Evaline reaped from where she was leaning forward toward Havah.
"I don't understand," Evaline whispered being mindful that both Erica and Estelle were close by.
Havah sighed, "you should be asleep."
"Why did you protect me Havah, you knew I was seelie and yet you kept my secret and in the dark. You shoulder have told ME sooner.  Maybe it wouldn't have ended up this way."Evaline couldn't help revealing her thoughts.
Havah sighed "Let me see, perhaps there was something malicious in my intent" Havah mocked still looking at the ceiling.
"That isn't true and well you know it."Evaline was firm.
"We were both injured, hiding from the horror that is the Fae courts, if I told you sooner I frankly couldn't surmise your reaction at the time.  If you decided to take Darren and return you would have been slaughtered, I couldn't have that on my conscience when I saw you with Loot.  You could say I owed him a certain level of loyalty considering I did love him. You belong to his court I thought it best to reveal what you needed to know when it was time, but just like a fickle lover, time sneaks up on you at the most inappropriate moment."
"Did you know me at all?" Evaline persisted
"No, the first time I saw you was when he advised you and your comrades to flee before the mellenial games." Well that was certainly a half truth.
"How did you and Loot meet?"Evaline asked curiously. She sensed that Havah had been deeply wounded beyond the physical scars.
"I was no more a child, perhaps as old as Darren was when Loot came to visit Erinthar for a diplomatic mission"
"He's that old?" Evaline was shocked.
"Fae can live to be a thousand years or more. He probably was several hundred years old."
"And you?"
"By human standards I might be around three hundred years old" Havah was amused by Evaline's incredulous expression.
"How old am I ?"
Havah turned to the curious face of Evaline frowning slightly "I'm not sure, maybe a 100 mortal years. You have reached your majority which means by human standard you are ripe for the plucking as any young maid. These are your fertile years when you can have as many young faelings as you choose. This is also the time you should be forging your soul bond with a mate."
"Oh" Evaline blinked several times.
"Essentially it's why you look at Caspian with the singular purpose of wanting to ravage him. Fae when they reach their majority are ripe and I suspect when you left the spring court you had not soul bonded therefore you are overflowing with an insurmountable amount of desire to mate."
Evaline turned beet red as Havah snickered, it was the closest to humor as they could get from the dark Fae.
"What about Loot? Was he soul bonded when you met him?"
"No" Havah thought of the time the seeli came into the woods where she ran from her brothers. They had been teasing her by inciting her to react with her unseelie power. " Loot protected me from being attacked by some ruffians and we became fast friends" something pinched at her chest from the memory. "He came often when I was little but those visits stopped. When I grew older my mother presented me to the Fae courts that's when I saw Loot again and you could say that's when things fell into place."
"Is it possible for seelie and unseelie to mate?"
"Possible but very rare. Still I am solitary which makes it easier for those of us struck with the desire to mate one." Havah said.
"Where is Loot now?"
"Gone, just like most seelie that perished in the mellenial games. I don't feel hi essence anymore.  That's another thing, when a Fae mate's, they feel each other's essence and when one of them is no longer then the bond is severed."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Her friend rarely showed any emotion but there was a sudden pain that lanced Evaline in her chest that could have easily come from Havah. "Can you choose another mate?" Evaline asked.
"One can but I don't think that's for me. I'm done with such frivolities."although flippant there was a raw ache that stretched within Havah.
"I wonder about my family, What has happened to them? It seems baffling that I can't remember anything about them." Evaline mused.
"Once we return you to the light court Evaline, there's no returning to Pretoria or the human kingdoms, you will be home. Maybe they're not among the casualties."
There was hope in that statement but a shiver down Evaline's spine " but if the unseelie control my home what will I be returning to?"
"Which is why I have to locate Vesna, she is the key in returning back the balance among the Fae court. No one court should rule, this is the natural order of things."
"And if you fail?" Evaline whispered.
"I can't " Havah said with finality "rest now Evaline"
"Wait...what about my souls stone?" Evaline asked
"It's connected to your magic. I've put some of your magic back, the rest of it shall be returned once you have command of what I've put back into you. Once all of your magic is restored you shall find your soul stone." Havah promised.
Nodding her head, Evaline lay back and closed her eyes, feeling the tremor of energy run through her body but it didn't burn so much. It felt like pin pricks of current running around her, she had to trust Havah to know when the right time was for the rest of it.
Roused before dawn, Evaline blinked several times, her body still adjusting to the sudden jolt of awareness. They drank some tea in silence, the bitter brew bringing her tired limbs back to life.
"I don't know about the rest of you but I certainly need a bath" Erica announced stretching her arms above her as she yawned.
"There's a stream up ahead" Knut invited "Havah will know the way"
Gathering their belongings the women marched behind Havah who led them to a stream not far from the cottage.  The water wasn't so cold as the sisters plunged into the inviting waters without a stitch of clothing. Evaline and Jutu did the same the former running her gaze along the sparse runes that dotted her arms. 
"I'll need to add more of that" Havah remarked beside Evaline.
"Doesn't she have enough" Estelle asked as she started to lather her shoulders and arms.
"Not nearly enough" Havah replied curtly.
"What are they suppose to do?" Erica asked curiously.
"Each rune conforms to specific action. It should keep her magic at bay and all of us safe. She should summon them as needed."
"I recall it did more harm than good" Erica retorted.
"It depends the user." Havah retorted.
"Explain" Erica wouldn't let it go, the coldness in her eyes was a testament of her distrust.
"Warior fae's have a different set of runes carved on their skin, they are used as an armor, other runes are strictly for magic.  Some Fae have both."
"Are you referring to yours" Estelle gave Havah a pointed look.
"Some of them"Havah retorted "it's time we head back, Knut has one more exercise before we depart."
Jutu had been silent, watching everyone carefully before she picked up her things and began to don fresh clothing. It felt good to be clean, it presented a clarity of thought for the journey ahead.  She didn't need to train like everyone else, she had enough magic stored into her that she could survive the journey.  She wasn't so sure about the rest of the mortals.
They met up with the rest of the team where Knut prepared them for another task.  As soon as it was completed he handed each one a vial of what Jutu had been brewing, a potion to help them heal faster than they normally would.  He handed each one some roots to keep their bellies full in case they remained hungry and finally he gave them pouches filled with all sorts of herbs for brewing tea that would keep them awake and an agate to put around their necks to protect them from the unseelie as well as locate them in case they were disbanded.
To Evaline he handed a bit more.  He took her to one side in the cottage and handed her a map of Irinthar there he pointed to the trail of their journey and another sheet with runic symbols
"Why are you giving me this?" She asked curiously.
"In case you are lost and Havah is not with you, she will have to journey to Mangalene therefore you will be on your own.  There are places in the citadel that may be hidden from the naked eye but you Marigot be able to find them. And the runic symbols should be carved as you see fit.  You can do that yourself with this dagger" he fished out a dagger with jeweled hilt.
Evaline marveled at the carving on the blade, holding it up to the light "it's beautiful"the jewels glittered flashing as it hit the light.
"That is no ordinary dagger, it belonged to a very powerful demon."
"Demon?" Evaline was taken aback.
"Erinthar is not just a place for stray Fae, it belongs to all sorts of immortals, the demons, the Nocturis, the elf, the rolls, the elven, the selkie, the orcs. It's supposed to be a place where anyone both Fae and non Fae can claim. "
"I never realized that such a place could exist." She said in wonder staring at the blade mesmerized. "All this Irinthar" her eyes grew wide with wonder.
Knut smiled at her growing interest "The god of the underworld, bestowed the land of Erinthar to his general one of the creature demons he had conjured. Kai then moved his army here, where they found others that were not quite so corrupt and through this bonding came other forms of creatures.  The trolls, were created to guard the land. They were once strong and lean and fearsome, until they gave into their avarice turning them into hideous monsters, the Nocturis found their earlier ancestry from the forbidden maiting of the seelie and unseelie. Beautiful creatures, Banished to Erinthar they mated with demons and turned into creatures of the night feasting on the fresh blood of living things. The elven are the cousins of the Fae, their origin comes the the mother and the land itself. They look like the seelie but they can possess the nasty nature of the unseelie. Some say they were the first solitary. The selkie, cousins to Elven, they were cursed to live in the water, scales for feet and a mouth full of razor sharp teeth but they have voices like the very gods themselves. They lure beautiful Fae into the depths of the ocean only to fed on their flesh.  In fact they feed on most of the living most especially the males. The elf's, a hybrid of the trolls and finally the orcs, created by the Elven only they grew to be grotesque and were enslaved for their stupidity.when king Soldar came into power he made deals with each every creature that inhabited Irinthar.  Most of them believed in his lies except the Nocturis, who remain loyal to the god of the underworld. Kai's legacy still hold the reigns of Erinthar. The prince of Erinthar dwells in the citadel."
"Irinthar has a prince?"she asked in surprise.
"Oh yes, prince Damos, ruler of demons and protector of Erinthar, his father  URIC relinquished the land to him while he languishes in the underworld, a portal still exists in the citadel to allow him entry into the land but none have heard from him since he proclaimed Damos as his successor." Knut steepled his hands as he watched her turn to him.
"You say this dagger belongs to a demon, did this demon serve under Damos or his father?" She was drawn to the symbols on the blade, intricately carved it seemed to be speaking. "How come you have it with you.?"
"The dagger did belong to someone close to Damos and she gave it to me." Knut smiled.
"She?"
"The blade will reveal itself to you when the time comes, but for now keep it and use it to carve the runes.each symbol will be familiar to the blade and it will guide your and as you draw them into your flesh." He watched her marvel one more time before he told her to put it in her boot, carefully he opened the parchment with the runic symbols. Odd shapes were scribbled randomly in no specific order, beneath each symbol was a word or phrase.
"How will I know what to choose?" Evaline crowned as she surveyed the random scribbles, none of it making sense.
"You will know them. This one" he pointed to a half moon and two lines "If you want to remain hidden from sight this one should help you. If you encounter an army of orcs, that one with the star will give you the ammunition you need."
"It seems........well" she hesitated "confusing."
"Perhaps at first but in time you will know. Your powers are growing seelie, you will have to face adversity as it comes."
Evaline stared at Knut for a long moment, there was wisdom mirrored in his eyes and for a fleeting moment she caught a glimpse of all that he was. Without warning her palm reached out and rested ever so gently on his cheek, there in those obsedian pools she glimpsed the pain, horror, acceptance and finally love. A tremor of energy passed between them before she dropped her hand and turned from him quietly. She marched out of the cottage inhaling the sweet air of safety.
A gentle arm wrapped around her shoulder as Jutu hugged her close, Caspian stood before her, his eyes flashing in determination.
"Now it begins" Jutu whispered beside her.