Page 23 of Magic Forsaken
“If you’re wondering how so many dragons ended up so far from the enclave, it’s mostly my fault. I’m now mated to Faris, but in my former life I was seneschal to the shapeshifter court, and by extension to Queen Tairen. I was something of an unofficial aunt to Kira and her brothers, so I still occasionally meddle in their affairs from time to time.”
Aha. This was Faris’s mate. Suddenly Kira’s mention of a “family reunion” began to make sense…
“I understand you’ve already met Kira and Callum?”
I nodded in response to her question before I recalled that she might not be able to see me.
“We, uh… Yes. Kira seems very nice. And I did meet Callum.” If “meet” was the right word for all the suspicious glaring that had taken place between her nephew and myself over the last twenty-four hours.
“You don’t sound terribly impressed.” Thankfully, she sounded amused rather than upset, and Faris jumped in on my behalf.
“You know how Callum is. Doesn’t like anything he can’t predict or growl at until it goes away.”
This drew an answering laugh from Morghaine. “He just wants everyone to be safe, poor boy. It’s not his fault he was born into a family of dragons who find safety a dead bore.”
As fascinating as this was…
“Am I in trouble?” I asked bluntly.
Faris’s expression went studiously inscrutable. “Depends. We need to talk about this power of yours. And why you never mentioned that you’re an elemental.”
Nothing like a bit of interrogation on a lazy Saturday evening. But I wasn’t about to apologize for protecting my secrets.
“You didn’t ask about my magic,” I said coolly. “And anyway, as I’ve already told Seamus, I was raised by humans. No one taught me to use this power, so it’s not really a big part of my life.”
“So it has nothing to do with why you’re hiding from the courts?” From the way his eyebrow was raised, he already knew the answer, but I wasn’t willing to elaborate.
“As I said, not a big part of my life.”
Faris regarded me thoughtfully across the top of his desk. “It probably wouldn’t take long to narrow down who your real parents are,” he mused. “Elementals are mostly well-connected within their court, so it shouldn’t be hard to figure out where your people are from. Or why they didn’t raise you themselves.”
I drew in a single tense breath. Why was he suddenly so curious about my past? After all the talk of him providing a haven for people like me, why would he want so badly to find out who my parents were?
“I have no need to connect with my past,” I replied flatly. “And if your curiosity is for your own sake, perhaps I’ve made a mistake by coming here.”
The giant elemental cocked one eyebrow in my direction. “It was an offer, not a threat,” he said mildly. “But your caution is noted. Care to sit?” He indicated a chair on my side of the desk.
Oops. It seemed that after six months of running, I might be just a bit too much on edge. Interpreting everything as danger, when in fact it might be nothing more than garden variety kindness.
Continuing to stand would only highlight my paranoia and probably send the wrong message, so I sat. And tried to look properly chastised.
“Regarding yesterday, I have no complaints about your actions,” Faris told me. “I talked to Callum and Seamus, and you did well for your first day. What happened with Talia was not your fault. Not only that, but you probably helped us avoid a serious incident, which I appreciate. Until recently, we’ve maintained a peaceful relationship with humans here in Oklahoma City, and I’d prefer to keep it that way.” His brows lowered ominously, suggesting that not everything was running smoothly for the Lord of the Shadow Court.
“Problems?” I kept my tone casual, wondering whether he would actually tell me anything or shut down in the face of my curiosity.
Faris shrugged and grunted in irritation. “There have always been problems. Always someone with an agenda, a grievance, or a reason why the rules don’t apply to them. The names change, their goals change, but there is always someone who would benefit more from war than from peace.”
As I had all too many reasons to know. But most of the conflicts took place in the shadows, between Idrian factions,never publicly involving humans. A war between the two groups would be far too costly.
At least that’s what we’d always been told.
“You’re saying the peace is not as stable as we’ve been led to believe?”
“Yes and no,” Faris said wearily. “Yes, for the most part, we’ve been at peace for the past fifty years. But peace requires hard work and a hell of a lot of maintenance. Anytime you see a lack of conflict, that means there’s someone behind the scenes, putting out fires, stopping those conflicts before they happen. Trying desperately to keep each side safe from the other’s ignorance and prejudice.”
It was beginning to seem pretty clear that Faris was one of those people. That while he might wear the brand of a rebel, he was actually more of a peacemaker. Why else would he volunteer to host this Symposium?
“Are the courts a part of the solution or part of the problem?” I asked quietly.