Scorn and Devotion

Chapter 24

Warnings - gore, torture, cannibalism, injury, death

"Half Fae?" I said after the long silence. Gadina had left me and Timothée to talk, saying she would be back in several minutes to give us more healing tonic.

"Yes."

"Which side?" I asked curiously.

"How should I know, I just found out," Timothée snapped.

I ignored his temper. I knew this had to be hard on him. His life was essentially a lie.

"There are plenty of half-Fae, Juliet is one. Why is King Abraxas so interested in you?"

"Apparently, half-Fae rarely inherit as much power as I displayed."

"Why won't you look at me?" I demanded, changing the subject.

"I am looking," he countered, but his eye line was just to the right of my face.

"You are not, you haven't since you were telling me what happened after I passed out. Is this about you being part-Fae? I know this changes your life, but it doesn't change who you are."

"No it doesn't, I don't care that I'm half-Fae, the Fae are not the evil people make them out to be. I am ashamed I used my powers to burn two people to a crisp."

"They were going to kill us!"

"I am a better person than that, I did not want to treat them the way they were planning to treat us. It makes me sick just to think of it. Had I stayed conscious enough to realize the full extent of what I'd done, it would not have brought me joy or a sense of justice."

I happened to disagree. Joy would not be my feelings either, but I wouldn't shy away from saying they deserved what they got. I knew we could not be the first they'd threatened. With minds like theirs, they had probably killed and or tortured dozens of others. Sometimes, I thought Timothée was too kind for his own good.

"Look here," I said, and gently turned his face to mine with my thumb. I held his gaze. "You did not mean to do what you did. It was not something you could control. You are still just as morally sound as you were before that happened."

His eyes softened but then became hard again in an instant. I knew what he was thinking without him saying it. He was remembering our argument, when I had berated his character. I could imagine how annoyed and confused he must be.

Before he could say a word, Gadina reappeared with some bottles and tins in her hands. She ordered both Timothée and I to lay in our cots. I didn't realize how painful standing was until I laid back down. My muscles turned to jelly as I snuggled into the warm cloth.

By now, the cut on my hand had clotted, but Gadina still insisted on wrapping it after it was cleaned. She undressed the wound on my shoulder. I took a look at it. It had golden thread stitching it together, and by now it looked at least a week healed.

"Don't get me wrong, I still feel like a dragon chewed me up and spat me out, but how am I not dead? My wounds look much more healed than they should be."

"Fae healing can do wonders. Our medicines have to be used sparingly on humans since they are made for much stronger beings than them. You will heal much faster than you normally do, but it will take longer than it would a Fae."

"What about a Dewinged Fae?" I asked.

"Some of us retained our extraordinary healing powers, some didn't. When a Fae is Dewinged it is never known what they will lose and what they will retain. I know a great many who have retained their self-healing abilities."