Ancient Monsters (Chasing Titania #3)

The Push and Shove

A loud knocking sounded on my door in the middle of the night. I normally wouldn't answer. I live on the edge of the Blackwater Grund, for goodness sake. However, I couldn't fight the idea that maybe it was Arn. I bolted through the hall to the front door. I threw it open to find Forrest standing there, soaking wet and shaking.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"C-can I come in?" He pleaded.

"Of course," I stood aside.

Forrest marched right in, collapsing against the wall. Without his Moonstone, it was difficult to tell what he was feeling. His large blue eyes showed me nothing. I couldn't deny the way his entire body was quaking. His fingers, hands, legs. I went to my linen closet, grabbing the heaviest, warmest blanket I could find. I wrapped it around Forrest, sitting across from him against the wall.

"Do you need anything?" I tried.

"No," his hand sought the right side of his face. 

"Did something happen?" 

Forrest looked around, hesitating. "Alcibiades is a very heavy sleeper," he started.

I nodded.

"I got up to get something to read from their living room. Cleinias was still up, working on his research. Look, I try my hardest to stay out of their fights, it's none of my business, but he approached me and asked me to tell Al to leave him alone."

"Okay..."

"I defended Al, which was a dumb mistake," Forrest sighed. "Cleinias and Al have never gotten along very well. I know you have never met him, but you recall when we explored the caves under the Grund, Al mentioned that he and his siblings had been sent to labor camps?"

"I do," I said.

"Cleinias has always been a fighter, he fought against that too. He's blinded in his right eye and has a number scorched into his face as punishment. He's missing tendrils on his left hand for the same reason. Cleinias has been through so much pain."

"No," I moved to him. "Don't tell me."

"He used my Gift against me," Forrest poured blue tears, blue blood all over my blanket. "He pressed my hand into his face, and it hurt so much I screamed. I didn't know what to do."

"It's okay that you came here, Forrest. My house is a safe place, and it will remain that way."

"It still hurts," he curled towards his hand, still pressed to the right side of his face.

"You shouldn't be living where you can get hurt like that," I tried to reassure him. "It's not fair that you suffer like that."

"I didn't even wake Alcibiades up," he heaved. "I am scared to tell him. Do I have to tell him?"

"Yes," I shook his arm. "His brother hurt you. It wasn't your fight, it's not your war."

Forrest started hiccuping as he cried, his gills flaring open each time he did. I pulled the blanket up to protect myself from the blood as I pulled Forrest to me, trying to comfort him with my warmth and my calm heart. I learned a lot of things about the water fae by working with them and asking Leviathan about them. They feel their emotions through heartbeats. Calm heartbeats are like lullabies for water fae.

"Tell you what," I squeezed him. "I will talk to Alcibiades and his brother tomorrow. I will arrange it. You stay here for as long as you need."

"No," Forrest argued. "You shouldn't be fighting my battles for me."

"It's not your fight, and it's not your war," I repeated. "Let me handle it. I'm sure both of them will listen to me."

Forrest sunk into the blanket. "Okay."