When Lightning Burns [COMPLETED]

Chapter 23: The Big Reveal

           

"Why?"

Elden turned, his grey eyes staring down everyone in the room. "Because it was necessary."

"But what about..." Rory trailed off under his father's frown.

Elden had an easy smile on his face, the one that had fooled Julie into thinking he was more kind than other Fey. "It was necessary. I would've brought you into the loop in a few years, after you got used to running the company for the family so I can focus on this project for the council."

"This is council sanctioned?" Lindell crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, as if he was completely unsurprised

Elden nodded. To his credit, he didn't smirk. He looked completely relaxed.

"Shit." Ash punched the wall behind them. "All this time they knew and have us running around."

Again, Elden nodded. "Yes. When the humans started this on their own thirty years ago, we came in to shut it down to protect our people. Then we saw the progress they'd made with experiments. And well, what if we could figure out how to live even longer? To guarantee that every family had a strong successor, no more duds?" He looked at Julie. "Or find out what makes up surprises?"

Julie gasped. He was trying to kidnap her all along?

"Do the Fey know?" Rory demanded. "Do the Fey on Seelie know that the council is allowing humans to experiment on the duds? Is it only the young who are unaware?"

Elden shrugged. "Some do, and some don't."

"Marisol," Julie whispered, thinking of Kara's mom.

Elden nodded. "Yes. That was why she was going to convince Kara to stay on the island."

"And the wizards?" Ike asked.

"They're useful too." Elden shrugged. "I prefer to use them and not actual Fey. But it's such a small population; I have to take what I can get."

Rory looked like he was going to be sick.

Elden stared at his son with a raised eyebrow. "You are one of the island elite. You don't understand the pleas that come from those whose families are not as strong. The duds can further the Fey cause, help their families in this way. It's not as if we let the humans cut them open and torture them anymore. We simply keep them contained here for blood samples. We keep them safer than they are in the outside world."

"You can try to convince yourself of that all you want." Julie stood up. "You are taking away their freedom. Hell, do you even warn them that this might happen? That they can stay on Seelie trapped forever or get a taste of freedom then be imprisoned in three rooms and a courtyard for the rest of a long life?"

Elden laughed. "You know, it's lucky that we didn't catch you after that dance. I gave the orders to go after you then. That attack by that drunk in the alley put you on their radar. I'd been waiting for a chance to have them go after you since Jamie showed abilities. It would've been a nice present to Marian."

Julie gasped.

"Mom knows?" Rory looked pale.

"Of course." He looked at his son. "We have no secrets between each other. You should have followed that rule with Julie, and we wouldn't be in this mess now."

Julie's mouth hung open. Elden was scolding someone about keeping secrets.

Luke crossed his arms. "So all the Fey families know?"

"No," Elden said. "We thought it would be easier this way. They can't keep contact with their duds anyway. Better for them to daydream that they are doing okay somewhere when they lose track of them."