The Raven King (re-write)

Chapter 1: The Glendower reading

When Maura and Artemus sat at the table across from them, in the reading table. It felt that asking about Glendower was a coy to meet them. But it really wasn't. The Gansey family had always taught him how to handle adults, and he was used to feel at ease with them most of the time. But those were not regular adults, Artemus was a creature of the past and Maura was a true psychic. They made Gansey nervus. It could also stem from the fact that Blue and Gansey were secretly dating.

"How can we find Glendower?" he asked, Artemus, who had insisted the other psychics would not be present for his answer, yet he was still reluctant to talk.

"Should we help him?" Blue asked her mother pointing at wordless Artemus. She was half amused half annoyed, they waited long enough for artemus to regain his strength and now he still doesn't talk. That was why they insisted Maura will be there, to help him talk. Her techniques to make someone talk were different from most people, but quiet helpful.

She started. First, she shuffled the cards and then let Gansey to pick three. The first one was the Grim Reaper. Gansey was suddenly aware of all the people and their gazes in the room. It was not his first reading, in his previous one, he had also received this card, were he was informed it is the symbol of death and ruin.

Maura was quiet, the last time he draw she gloated at him, the reason he cannot be with her daughter. However, after spending all this time at her house, meeting the real him, must have made it different for her.

"There will be nothing left of you if you find him" it was Blue's fathered who said first, "you must let go of this goal".

"What do you mean?" asked Gansey.

"Glendower could have been a leader in the past, but today, there is no human left at him. The stronger the demon dets, the weaker your king is."

"Wasn't he your king?" asked Blue.

"Glendower has betrayed me, when I went to wake him up, seventeen years ago, he sent me to guard his demon. I was drained of my magic trying to keep him closed up. The only good thing was that I was too exhausted to realize the passage of time. A better fate than he gave to his own daughter. So, by virtue and consequence, he is no longer my king.".

"It was eighteen years ago" corrected Maura. His eyes left Blue's and he looked at Maura, he had known she had moved on, he had seen her interactions with the gray man, but Gansey did not mistake the look in his eyes. Gansey however looked at Blue, he wondered about this, hasn't she always wanted her father to return? And now when he did, what would this mean for her?

Was it obvious he was looking at her with the same longing eyes? He wanted to wrap his arm around her, but felt it was not allowed, so he focused on Glendower and a rush of energy filled him. How could he find the king without dying?

"Artemus?" Blue asked hesitantly, and the man almost swung to life "what are you?" the dream like expression returned to him, that Gansey thought resembled Ronan's mother.

"A spirit, a human, a thing that was once lost. Blue is just the same, except she is not lost nor is she found". This was one of the answers that Blue was irritated about, and Gansey loved, he liked the chase she loved to solve.

Maura opened the two remaining cards, the card of the past was held with a sigh "so easy to understand, you could have found him if you reached the demon first. Before Piper did, but I am glad you didn't". Then, she turned open the card of the future, it was Blue's card. Maura and Artemus exchanged worrisome looks.

"I can find him" Blue smiled, this card she could understand, "finally, I am the centre of the plot, not an amplifier, the finder". Gansey smiled at her, he had always known she was important, even when she thought she wasn't. he had never known what is like to be in a shadow of somebody else, but Blue did, and he would be more than lucky to let her step up.

"No" Artemus said, "absolutely not, have you not learnt from my story?".

"Oh, so you want the demon to win?" said Blue.

"Well, I would rather her to search for a dead and weak king rather than a strong demon" Maura said in a compromising voice that didn't sound anything like her regular self. She was looking for the demon many times in the past week, but those have gained very little information besides trails of blood.

"You don't think she would find Glendower?" asked Gansey surprised.

"It is impossible to find him now" said Artemus, but he still sat with crossed arms. He clearly didn't change his mind about Blue's new mission "and I won't help you there". It was surprising how this man, who was so soft on an everyday basis was so stern on this subject. On the other hand, Gansey knew that if his parents knew what dangers are before him they would have done the same.

"Come Gansey, we are going" there were no need to say where to, it was clearer than ever that Blue was as intense as he was about finding Glendower, if not more. Somehow, even when so few of his questions were answered, and even more questions raised he was happy to leave with her.

Artemus surprised Gansey again, "stop" he called. Gansey thought the old man-spirit was going to withdraw, as so many have done in the present of Richard Gansey the third. But Artemus came to them as they were in the edge of the room, "he will die Blue" he whispered to his daughter, and Gansey was respectful enough to pretend he hasn't heard.

Blue dropped his hand, he didn't even notice they held hands, but now he felt empty again.