in-law is Jacque.”
“Enough said.”
Chapter 8
“Evil comes in all forms, shapes, and sizes. That is the beauty of it. Because it is dark, you do not see it coming. It remains quiet until it has snuck right up behind you. It is often appealing, so you do not even realize that it is evil until it has caught you in its web and you cannot move. It is the manifestation of the worst parts of us and like calls to like. So as your evil rises to the surface because of wrongs and pain that you can’t let go of, I will find you and latch onto you. Together our evil will devour any good left in each of you.” ~Reyaz
Alston, highest member of the council of the fae, paced the room restlessly. He had summoned the other council members to discuss the treachery of Lorelle, one of their own and Perizada’s sister. They didn’t know where she had gone after the witch had been destroyed. Alston had sent out his best trackers to find her so they could bring her to justice, but they hadn’t heard even a whisper of her whereabouts. When he had asked Peri for her help, her response had been quite candid. “If I find her, I will cast her to the pits of hell where she belongs, and that is after I gut her with a spoon.” He would like to say that Peri was bluffing, but Peri never bluffed so he was sure she would follow through on her threat.
“What is so urgent?” Gwen asked as she entered the council room followed immediately by Disir, Nissa, and Dain.
Alston stopped his pacing and faced the council members. “We agreed to make our presence known in the human realm. We gave our word to Perizada that we would no longer sit back and watch as evil overtook them. A new evil resides in the forest near the Warlock King’s stronghold.”
“We know this,” Dain answered. “But he has made no move yet. How are we to fight him if we can’t find him?”
Alston nodded. “I completely agree with your sentiment. However, Peri dropped in to let me know that Vasile was having a meeting with Cypher tomorrow and thought it might be a good idea for me to make an appearance. She says that they are deciding not to wait for Cypher’s brother to make a move, but to act on the offensive instead.”
“Do you think this wise?” Nissa asked.
“It does not matter what I think. It only matters that whatever we do, we do it as a united front.”
“Do you want us to accompany you?” Dain asked.
“No, I would like for two of you to go investigate the forest yourselves. Find out if the disturbance there is indeed Reyaz.”
“And if it is?”
“Do not engage him. You are simply there to observe. Stay as long as you can without detection.”
“What if he discovers us?” Nissa’s voice would, at one time, have trembled over such a question. Now she had been battled tested and it would take more to rattle her nerves.
“Do not get caught.”
“Easier said than done Alston,” Disir grumbled.
“If, in all these centuries, Perizada has kept her nosy, trouble-seeking self from being captured, then I assure you it can be done.”
“Mother of pearl and father of wine, it is good to be home,” Jacque groaned as she fell back on the couch in her mother’s house. She couldn’t help but take comfort in the familiar cushions, the way they sunk down from years of use, and the smells that unlocked memories of a childhood filled with love. For just a few minutes as she absorbed the familiarity and normalcy of the moment, she pushed away her worries. She pushed away her worries about Fane, her fear for Jen’s unborn child, the anxiousness caused by the strife between Jen and Decebel, and the pain that her mother was feeling. She was choosing to live in the now, because all too soon, the past and future would come crashing down on her.
“Bloody hell,” Jen yelped. “I just realized something; I’m going to have to see my parents. And though they might not always be the sharpest tools in the shed, there is no
“Enough said.”
Chapter 8
“Evil comes in all forms, shapes, and sizes. That is the beauty of it. Because it is dark, you do not see it coming. It remains quiet until it has snuck right up behind you. It is often appealing, so you do not even realize that it is evil until it has caught you in its web and you cannot move. It is the manifestation of the worst parts of us and like calls to like. So as your evil rises to the surface because of wrongs and pain that you can’t let go of, I will find you and latch onto you. Together our evil will devour any good left in each of you.” ~Reyaz
Alston, highest member of the council of the fae, paced the room restlessly. He had summoned the other council members to discuss the treachery of Lorelle, one of their own and Perizada’s sister. They didn’t know where she had gone after the witch had been destroyed. Alston had sent out his best trackers to find her so they could bring her to justice, but they hadn’t heard even a whisper of her whereabouts. When he had asked Peri for her help, her response had been quite candid. “If I find her, I will cast her to the pits of hell where she belongs, and that is after I gut her with a spoon.” He would like to say that Peri was bluffing, but Peri never bluffed so he was sure she would follow through on her threat.
“What is so urgent?” Gwen asked as she entered the council room followed immediately by Disir, Nissa, and Dain.
Alston stopped his pacing and faced the council members. “We agreed to make our presence known in the human realm. We gave our word to Perizada that we would no longer sit back and watch as evil overtook them. A new evil resides in the forest near the Warlock King’s stronghold.”
“We know this,” Dain answered. “But he has made no move yet. How are we to fight him if we can’t find him?”
Alston nodded. “I completely agree with your sentiment. However, Peri dropped in to let me know that Vasile was having a meeting with Cypher tomorrow and thought it might be a good idea for me to make an appearance. She says that they are deciding not to wait for Cypher’s brother to make a move, but to act on the offensive instead.”
“Do you think this wise?” Nissa asked.
“It does not matter what I think. It only matters that whatever we do, we do it as a united front.”
“Do you want us to accompany you?” Dain asked.
“No, I would like for two of you to go investigate the forest yourselves. Find out if the disturbance there is indeed Reyaz.”
“And if it is?”
“Do not engage him. You are simply there to observe. Stay as long as you can without detection.”
“What if he discovers us?” Nissa’s voice would, at one time, have trembled over such a question. Now she had been battled tested and it would take more to rattle her nerves.
“Do not get caught.”
“Easier said than done Alston,” Disir grumbled.
“If, in all these centuries, Perizada has kept her nosy, trouble-seeking self from being captured, then I assure you it can be done.”
“Mother of pearl and father of wine, it is good to be home,” Jacque groaned as she fell back on the couch in her mother’s house. She couldn’t help but take comfort in the familiar cushions, the way they sunk down from years of use, and the smells that unlocked memories of a childhood filled with love. For just a few minutes as she absorbed the familiarity and normalcy of the moment, she pushed away her worries. She pushed away her worries about Fane, her fear for Jen’s unborn child, the anxiousness caused by the strife between Jen and Decebel, and the pain that her mother was feeling. She was choosing to live in the now, because all too soon, the past and future would come crashing down on her.
“Bloody hell,” Jen yelped. “I just realized something; I’m going to have to see my parents. And though they might not always be the sharpest tools in the shed, there is no
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