Fates Divided: Halven Rising

Derek swung open the door to the lab, the wood slamming into the plaster wall. Elena flinched at the sound, her nerves still jumpy after the library. “Your prodigy abandoned Elena,” he said to Leo. “Left her stuck inside that dusty library with no way out.”

Elena entered the lab behind him, along with Keen.

Leo quickly looked up from where he stood over a microscope.

After being locked away for several hours, Elena hadn’t wanted to confront Leo. She’d wanted to get the hell out of Emain and never see this place or these people again. Why would they ask for her help, then lock her away? They weren’t making sense, and she had a bad feeling about it.

Then Keen had started acting strange as they’d hurried to Leo’s lab, as if he was worried, she’d daresay panicked, which wasn’t like him at all. That man never got ruffled. Something truly bad had happened. Worse than her being locked in the library for hours. Keen’s distress convinced her to talk to Leo.

Leo looked at Elena. “Explain.”

“I followed Beatrice to the library to read the book, like you requested. But when I entered, no one was there. The door locked behind me, and when I felt along the door and walls, there was no doorknob or light switches. I called out, but it was as if a sound barrier had been erected. No one heard me. I was stuck in there for hours before Derek and Keen found me.”

Elena didn’t know what was going on, but it was almost as if someone didn’t want her to read the Codex. As if they wanted her to fail.

Leo’s gaze darted to Keen. “Why weren’t you with her?”

Keen’s expression hardened. “I don’t know.”

“I see,” Leo said slowly, his gaze never leaving Keen’s face, as if he was reading it.

“Well, I sure as hell don’t,” Derek said. “Someone want to explain to me what is going on around here?”

“No,” Leo and Keen said in unison. Keen spun on his heel and walked out of the room.

Derek threw up his hands. “Of course not. You force Elena to risk her life making a cure that puts a bull’s-eye on her back for the psycho who created the virus, but you won’t tell her what’s going on?”

Elena had never seen Derek so angry, and that was saying something, because she’d nearly destroyed his lab when she first met him.

“Forget it.” Derek put his hand on her lower back and urged her toward the door.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Leo demanded.

“She’s not staying here tonight. It’s not safe.”

Elena didn’t want to stay in Emain, and a few minutes ago, she would have readily marched out. But Derek’s indignation on her behalf had doused her anger. What would Leo do if she didn’t cooperate? Would he and Portia make good on the promise to harm her family? What would happen to the diseased Fae?

Elena looked back and caught Leo staring after them from the doorway of the lab, his expression dire.

She grabbed Derek’s wrist. “We can’t leave…” Her voice trailed off at the fierce glance he shot her. He was clearly not in a negotiating mood.

She allowed him to guide her down the hall a few more feet, then she stopped. She pulled him to the side, out of the way of a militant blond guard passing them. Derek stared after the guard with a snarl.

“Believe me, Derek, I’m just as upset as you are by what happened this afternoon.” She shut her eyes, blocking out the memory of being trapped inside the library. She was safe and other things mattered now. “But if something happens to my family, I’ll never forgive myself.” She looked away and took a deep breath. “I lost my father, and I’ve never known my mom. If I back out of my agreement with the Fae, will they hurt the people I have left? What would happen to you? They’re serious, Derek; I see it on their faces. They will harm those we love to get what they want.”

He shook his head as if he didn’t want to hear her. He leaned his forearm against the wall above her shoulder, dropping his gaze to hers. “All I know is, you’re not staying here after what that bitch did to you.”

He was trying to intimidate her into leaving because he was worried—but it was awareness that swept through her when he looked at her like that.

Of his body heat…the masculine size of him inches away.

Elena swallowed and rested her head against the wall, breaking eye contact. “I don’t think Beatrice planned to hurt me. We were alone; she could have easily done so if she’d wanted to. But you’re right. I won’t get any sleep if I stay here. If they want my help, I’ll need rest.”

“Elena?” A feminine voice sounded from down the hall.

Elena ducked beneath Derek’s arm to see who it was, and to clear her head. She couldn’t think when he looked at her that way.

Deirdre approached. “May I speak to you? Alone?”

“Hell no,” Derek said from behind.

He was being pushy, but he had a good point. “If you don’t mind, I’d rather talk here. It’s been a rough day. We can walk a little ways if you like, though.”

Deirdre’s forehead furrowed, but she nodded.

Elena followed the redheaded Fae down the hall several feet until Deirdre turned and tucked her short hair behind her ears. She clasped her hands at her waist. “I am afraid for you.”

Out of all the Fae she’d encountered, Deirdre was the most compassionate, but still, her words surprised Elena. “I didn’t appreciate Beatrice’s prank, but it’s over and I wasn’t physically harmed. The guy who made the virus could be a danger to me. So far, I don’t think he knows I exist.”

“Beatrice? A prank?” Deirdre shook her head. “I don’t know this game you say Beatrice played. And I am not only referring to the creator of the virus. Elena”—Deirdre grabbed her hand, her slender fingers surprisingly callused—“you don’t know who you are, and that is a danger to you.”

Elena had no idea what Deirdre was talking about. “I’m the daughter of a farmer. And I guess my mother is Fae. What else is there to know?”

“Not only Fae—your mother is a princess.”

The crackling of those stupid overhead fluorescents suddenly became audible, magnifying to deafening levels.

Elena dropped Deirdre’s hand. “What?” Leo had said she possessed powers because she was descended from noble Fae, but she’d assumed the relationship was a distant one.

Deirdre guided Elena farther down the hall, talking as she went. “Tirnan, the place we come from, is divided into three kingdoms: Old Kingdom, New Kingdom, and Sunland.” She pulled Elena toward an alcove and Derek started to follow.

Elena raised her hand to stay him, and he frowned, crossing his arms and glowering. “What does that have to do with me?”

“Your maternal grandfather rules New Kingdom. He is very powerful. Many believe he will someday control all of Tirnan.”

Elena wagged her head. “That can’t be right.” But even as the words left her mouth, Elena caught herself.

Hadn’t the Fae told her all along that she was different? Her powers were unusual, even for a Halven.

“There is no mistake, Elena.”

Derek was a full dozen feet from the alcove, leaning against the wall, but even at that distance she sensed the coiled energy he gave off. He was ready to protect her at any moment if she needed him.

“Is my mother with the king? Is that where she’s been all this time?”

“She left you because she had no choice. If she had stayed in the Earth realm, they would have returned both of you to Tirnan, and you would never have known this world, or your father. More importantly, your mother feared for your life. Halven are not accepted among our people.”

It was pretty obvious Fae held prejudices toward Halven. It explained why her mother had left her behind, though it was difficult to swallow.

Deirdre rested her hands lightly on Elena’s shoulders. “Show extreme caution. Trust no one.” She glanced at Derek. “Perhaps the boy, but the others—I don’t know their motives. I’m beginning to wonder…” Deirdre’s voice trailed off as if she were about to say something but changed her mind. “Help them find a cure. Promise nothing else.”

Of course she wouldn’t promise more. As soon as this was all over in a few days—hopefully, after being reunited with her mother—Elena would have nothing to do with these people. “Why are you telling me this?”

Deirdre had always come across as compassionate, but this seemed like sneaking around.

She dropped her hands to her sides, her expression wistful. “You must survive.”

Elena held her breath for a heartbeat. “Did my mother send you?” It was the only thing that would explain Deirdre’s behavior.

“No,” she said sadly, and glanced down. “One last thing. Never forget, Fae cannot lie. We tell the truth, but we manipulate the truth. Be careful what you agree to.”

“You’re Fae. How do I know I can trust you?” Elena thought she could trust Deirdre, but she’d also thought herself relatively safe in Emain—until she’d met Beatrice.

“You don’t. Think about what I’ve told you.” She turned and walked quickly away.

“How do I protect myself if I can’t trust anyone?” Elena called, but Deirdre glanced past Elena and Derek, surveying the area, before disappearing down another corridor.

Stupid Emain labyrinth, Elena thought, right as Keen burst through a door a few feet away.

“Jesus,” Elena gasped, slapping her hand to her chest. “Quit sneaking up on me like that.”

“We’re leaving,” Derek told him.

“Yes, that is best. Let us go.” Keen’s expression was grim.

“Now you’re my protector?” She stared in disbelief at the Fae.

His gaze flickered to her before he strode to the door that led to the classroom out of Emain. “You are fine. That is all that matters.”

No, it wasn’t all that mattered, according to Deirdre, and Elena had no reason to doubt her, since Fae didn’t lie. Elena wasn’t just an asset to them because of her powers—she was important because of the family she came from.

Keen had said she didn’t know how high the stakes were, and now she realized why he’d said it. She was a part of a royal family, and she’d bet that put her in more danger.

Excellent.