Ch. 52

“Iniquity”

We each use my bathing chamber one by one to wash the hand and fingerprints, the brush strokes, and the splatter of paint from our skin.

Soon after freshening up Oana rummaged through my armoire and found an extra nightgown that I had long forgotten about. A gray silk long gown that moves like water as she walks. Oana has moved all her things to the table in the hallway by the reading nook and large window where Zanir…you know…Nyx…

Books piled high enough that I can’t read the title of the one on top even if I jumped. She shuffles through pages, the sound of sheets echoing through the now quiet wing. Even the rain has quieted down outside for the night. Images of high fae lighting up the books and corner of the nook.

Iamys and Zanir moved the spare couch out of the hobby room and into the hallway before deciding the turn order of the paint cleansing. Zanir sits with his long legs stretched across the couch taking up the whole thing. Zanir simply washed his face and the edges of his hair where blue paint landed perfectly. His clothes still speckled with a range of colors. Once he came out my bathing chambers, I did notice a faint hint of lemon lingering from him…my damn oils…and mint also hit my nostrils when I noticed that he unbuttoned the first couple buttons of his abstracted painted tunic and vest. Nyx.

I sit in front of the couch with my back resting on it. After getting all the random colors out of my hair, I switch into a clean and dry light lavender color nightgown. Flowing, with long sleeves, which cover the goosebumps that have started to move across my arms as the outside temperature drops since the sun is long gone and the storm has moved past the castle now.

Iamys unfortunately couldn’t fit into any of the spare clothes I had and decided to hang his scout’s shirt on the edge of one bookshelves by the reading nooks. He is eagerly looking at the books as Oana swiftly goes through them, drumming his fingers over his bare chest.

Oana is looking for some specific information because she has that concertation face that scrunches her buttoned nose.

“You aren’t going to have any random rodent bones this time, are you?” Iamys says before getting his hand slapped as he reached for one of the books Oana has opened. Couldn’t help the wandering touch of all knowledge laid before us.

“No spells needed to simply read, Iamys.” Oana shoots him a glare and he retracts his hands back to his chest. “I have put a sound shield up. Everything I am about tell you guys stays with us.” Oana looks toward the couch where the fae mortal man still lays relaxed even with still being in a foreign clan, with powerful beings.

“I am a lot of things, but one who gets on the bad side of a witch is not one of them.” Zanir says behind me. The heat in my core increases as I feel him move slightly as he speaks.  

“My intuition said you were a smart man…” Oana says, and her eyes move to me with a small grin on her face. Her attention quickly moves to the book in front of her. “Zeva requested a bunch of information about the fae and the fae lands. I acquired plenty of books from the grand library in Lostgulch in Vulpar. Since the wizards of the Circle of Silvern took over many of the publications on Vulpar. People within inner circles and coven in good graces with the Circle of Silvern can use the books within the library. I am certain there are spells and magic attached to these books. Anyone not within those accepted circles and covens touches the books and they are immediate transported back in the grand library in Lostgulch. So, no fucking touching.” Oana looks toward Iamys again, who slowly moves his hands behind his back.   

“And since you are all powerful…” I smile as I bring my knees to my chest. Another self-soothing technique I have learned. Even though I am in the safety of the castle, surrounding by guards sworn to protect me, and even in my wing with my friends…I feel nervous, anxious because there is so much, I don’t know about the world around me. “Why would Mother want information about the fae now?”

“The most powerful.” Oana smile backs and tracks my movement but continues. “So after you left on your own little adventure, Zeva sent me to Vulpar. I found plenty of information as you can see.” Her eyes scan over the mountains of books that have taken over this section of the hallway. “As you all know…” She pauses as she glance toward Zanir who has that nonchalant character out as he flickers the dried paint off his vest. I wonder what type of fae he is?

“There are two sections of the Fae lands. Naflary, which is ruled by the light high fae gods and their current king Aymer Zylric…”

I feel something within in me, different from the heat that tickles up my side, different from the cold, no this is dark, this is despair, dread…But it not coming from me…

I glance behind me, to the mortal fae vampire man, still with that casual demeanor. His head is resting on the arm of the couch and his eyes are closed, but like he can sense me looking at him his eyes open…I have to hold down a gasp. The cerulean blue that normal surround his pupils is gone, no orange flames dancing around...no its black, just darkness. He closes his eyes and lends his head back down on the arm rest as if nothing happened.

Care to explain?

In due time, little bat.

Oana continues but is watching us out of corner of her eyes. Did she see the darkness, the darkness that took over his eyes?

First, his fangs disappear and now blackness taking over his eyes…I will be asking all the questions later.

Oana flips the pages of the book, and map of the fae lands appears above it. “Aymer is in an ongoing war with Crytho, that land that is ruled by dark high fae gods, and their malicious king Mortas Blackheart.

Nyx, how cliché is the name Blackheart for a dark fae…

“They have been at war for it would seem roughly twenty years according to these books. Zeva suspects that war is the reason behind the missing people and even the binded creatures.”

“And what information have you found that could back that theory up?” Iamys says finally plopping down in a chair next to the table, no longer trying to touch the books.

“So it says that depending on the lineage and percentage of fae blood determines the powers one may have. Shifter for example all have fae blood, and all descend from a dark fae. Why may you ask?” Oana says looking at Iamys who already had his mouth open in question.

“Because one of the powers that dark faes can possess is in fact shifting. There is little data on if light faes posses this trait too, so it is usually assumed one has some dark fae blood if they can shift.”

“Why isn’t this common knowledge within our own library, or even taught among our schools.” I ask not to Oana specially, but in general. That seems like a nice little fact to know. If the percentage of fae blood in one’s body determines one’s powers what does that mean for me, or even Mother.

“That was a question I had after discovering this. I did a little investigating.” Oana grin grows. “The library used to have this information, but it was burned almost twenty years ago.”

Around the same time the fae wars started…

“Why I haven’t figured out yet.” Oana looks my way. I know she will try her hardest to try and figure it out. I will have to do a little digging of my own, too. That is something that should be common knowledge, and maybe it was with the elder members, but why aren’t we teaching it? What does hidden possible fae lineage gain?

“I did find some other information such as light high faes can have superb healing powers and photokinesis. which is cool.” Oana says and I’m snapped back to my surroundings. Photokinesis does sound cool. Producing pure light and using it however you wish.

“But back on topic, Mortas, is in more than one book, and it is stated he is to be in close political relations with the wizards of Enteral Flame which is one of the few groups who know how to fully bind an entity. A creature or the missing people included.”

“Mortas sounds like a pinhole.” I blurt out.

Indeed.

Zanir’s voices bounces off inside my skull, and my core heats up more.

“He is. So, Zeva believes that Mortas is the one or is at least working with the ones responsible for the binding creatures and even the missing people to help his position in the war. How I am not sure. It is said though that the high light fae king Aymer, was winning until recently.”

How can someone…some fae get to dictate the worth of whole entities, creatures, people, loved ones for a fucking war.

“He is using them in battle and or to find other powerful beings to use.” Zanir says without opening his eyes or even moving his face to meet all our wide eyes.