Page 20 of Unseen Lord

We have arrived at the cottage, and the night is just starting to give way to the morning as the sun begins its long stretch over the ocean. "I'll listen to what you have to say." It's all I can promise him. But I say it with a heart more open to hearing him now than I had before.

He nods, as if understanding the shift that is happening in me.

Kayla and Tavian aren't home yet, and Arias walks me to a back room that features a large tub filled with hot water. "How did you make this happen?" I ask.

"I have my ways." He provides soaps and salts and oils and dried flowers for my bath, then leaves me to it. "There's a change of clothes for you on the chair there. Help yourself. I'll be in the living room ready to explain everything when you're done."

I would be lying if I said the bath wasn't the most luxurious experience of my life. Hot soapy scented water helps slough off the shit and grime in my skin and hair, and when I'm done, I am shiny and pink and smell like a rose.

The clothes he provided are better than I expect. Undergarments, white pants that fit loosely and are made out of a super comfy light, soft fabric, plus a belted tunic in the same color and fabric and soft leather sandals. It's an outfit very much in the style of the people here, and I finally feel like I fit in a little better.

When I return to the living room, Arias is waiting for me with a plate of hot food and a mug of wine. I drink and eat while I wait for him to explain.

"There's an ancient power on this island that we've been protecting for generations. It is the Storm Spirit, the fifth elemental of the Druids."

I stop eating. "There's another Druid?"

"No, just another Spirit," his eyes focusing on the past. "Long ago, in the early days of Avakiri, before the vampires were cast to this world, a prince coveted the power of the Midnight Star and killed his mother to get it for himself. But the Spirit chose his sister, and she was whisked away to protect her from her brother's jealously and wrath. Before they could capture the prince, he discovered a way of creating a fifth Spirit: that of the Storm, and with that became the fifth Druid. His powers were greater than any of the other Spirits, and rather than him controlling his Spirit, it controlled him. It turned him truly evil, beyond anything he'd been before. Now he wanted to destroy all the worlds, not just rule his own. The Midnight Star died to stop her brother from complete destruction, but she had recently given birth to a baby boy who the Midnight Star passed to. She stopped her brother by capturing his Spirit and imprisoning it. Here. She had help from the other Druids, of course, but it was her sacrifice that made it possible. Since then, this island, these people, have been kept a secret, even from the other Fae. The families who live here have been raised here for generations. But now the Tempest knows where the Spirit is. We aren't safe. We must destroy him before he gets the Spirit. He could end all the worlds with the power of the Storm."

Well, crap. "Can't you destroy it?" I ask.

"Many have tried. The best we can do is contain it."

"So no one who is born here ever leaves?" I ask. I mean, it's a lovely place. A paradise, even. But I'd be hard-pressed to stay in one place that long.

"There are a few over the many years who have asked to leave. We have a process for them. They must give up their memories of this place and all who live here. They can never return. That is the price they must pay to leave."

I take a big drink of my wine and another bite of a chicken leg before replying. "That's a steep price. And people are willing to do that?"

He nods. "Some. Not many, but every generation a few will choose to."

"And what about criminals?" I ask. "What's your law and order like here?"

"My parents keep the peace mostly. It's a small community so we don't have big crimes. But in the past, if there's a murder done in cold blood, or a rape or other violent crime, that person is forcibly stripped of their memories and Tavian takes them to Inferna for punishment."

"Do you spend a lot of time here?" I ask.

"I did," he says. "When I was a child. I grew up here. Then I left when I thought my presence was a danger to my parents and those I loved. I came back as an adult, but I had changed. They had changed. The world, it seemed, had changed."

I have nothing to say to that, so I eat quietly for a time. When I'm finished, I ask if there's more food.

"Are you still hungry, even after all that?" he asks.

"No, but I know someone who is. Also, can you have a bath sent to the cave your mother is in, a table, chairs, food, a comfortable bed and a change of clothes. The queen deserves better than what she has. I understand she has to stay in the cave while she's under a spell, but she doesn't have to suffer unnecessarily," I say.

The Rider bows his head. "You are right. I will have those things done at once."

I clean up the kitchen and wash our dishes while he makes arrangements with Kayla and Tavian, the only other two who know she's here. Between the four of us, we manage to bring everything to the cave that I've asked for.

Tavian and Kayla leave to help rebuild huts that were destroyed during the fighting, and help heal and care for those who are wounded. I'm guessing Kayla will be making more of her disgusting but effective cure-all.

Arias looks at me helplessly. "Be careful. There's a reason we haven't done more for her. She's dangerous and unstable. None of us can be in there long without it turning bad quickly."

"I got this," I say. "I'm not chained anymore, and my Renewal is back up should things turn seriously shitty."

He nods and leaves me alone with the broken woman lying in the dirt.

"Arianna?" I whisper so as not to alert her. "Hey. How about we get you cleaned up and get some food in you."