Fates Divided: Halven Rising

What an evil bastard Derek’s father turned out to be! How was Elena going to get Derek out of here?

She racked her brain for an alternate solution while they stood in front of the king, but her mind kept drawing a blank. Not even a whisper of a clever scheme flickered through her gray matter.

Fear of losing Derek must have forced her better judgment to the forefront, leaving one option. “I will give Old Kingdom the antidote,” she said.

This ruler was just arrogant enough to think of himself and Old Kingdom as one and the same. By the pleased look in his eye, she could tell she’d been right.

The next condition was trickier. She had to be careful. “What do you want with Derek?”

The corner of Niall’s mouth curved up. His face twisted with forced sincerity. “What any father wants. He is blood of my blood, and my only son. I wish his fealty.”

A tremor of unease swept through her. She didn’t understand the meaning behind Niall’s saccharine words or what exactly he meant by fealty, but figuring that out would take time. A luxury she didn’t have.

“My mother said I need five leaves from the Ancient Allon in order to manifest my full magic. I want Derek to retrieve the leaves.” She didn’t trust Niall, or his men.

Niall studied her for a heartbeat then nodded to Derek. “Go.”

Derek looked from Elena to the guards, as if mentally calculating her safety in his absence.

Niall had promised her no harm within his castle. Derek must have surmised the same, because he swept out of the room followed by two guards with null guns pointed at his back.

Her mother was supposed to show her what to do with the leaves, but Elena didn’t want her mom brought here—assuming she was still alive.

Elena’s stomach twisted and she pressed her wrist beneath her ribs. She’d only known her mom a few hours; it was ridiculous to mourn someone you barely knew. But she did. There was still a chance her mother had survived. She had to hold on to that possibility and hope for the best.

“What do I do with the leaves once I have them?” she asked.

Niall’s head tilted and he studied her for a moment. “You mentioned your mother. Who is she, dear?”

The fine hairs on Elena’s neck stood at attention and her fingers twitched. She’d hate to give Niall information that put her mother in danger. “Does it matter?”

Niall smirked. “I think it does.”

Every gaze in the room focused on her.

“Theodora,” she murmured.

Niall leaned forward on his wooden dais. “Theodora who?”

“Rainer.”

“Speak louder,” he commanded.

Elena pushed her shoulders back and raised her chin. “My mother is Theodora Joelle Rainer.”

A hush swept the chamber.

The king’s expression blanked, and then he leaned back and laughed loudly, his surprisingly lyrical chortle cutting through the silence like a sharpened blade. “My son and the daughter of…” He pressed a fist to his grin, shaking his head in disbelief.

Elena crossed her arms. “Will you tell me what I need to know, or not?”

Niall’s smile faded and his expression turned serious. “Grind the leaves into a thin powder. Pour warm water over the granules and drink it down. Be forewarned: royal blood withstands the power of the Ancient Allon leaves. Lesser Fae become ill. A Halven…”

Might not make it, she thought.

She might not survive no matter what. With the leaves, she had a fighting chance, and so would her mother and the rest of the Fae.

“That’s it?” she asked. “There’s no other ingredient, no voodoo waving of the hands to make the formula more magical?”

“I assure you, the Ancient Allon is plenty magical.”

Derek returned, and one of Niall’s men brought in a molcajete—an herb grinder like the one her aunt had passed down to Elena on her sixteenth birthday.

Derek handed her the leaves, and she ground them into a thin powder with the molcajete. The leaves were surprisingly brittle for being fresh from the tree, but then, these leaves never dropped. They shifted from branch to branch, but never fell.

She carefully scooped the granules into a cup and filled it with the warm water procured by a servant.

Derek stared at the concoction, his gaze leery.

Without hesitating, Elena brought the blend to her mouth and gulped it down.

The leaves tasted like bark with a hint of peppermint. Not horrible, but not exactly a coffeehouse tea.

“My guards will escort you to your chamber,” Niall said. “Rest for a few hours and allow the leaves to take effect. When the sun reaches midmorning, we will see how you’ve fared and if the scientists of Emain were correct.”

One of the guards kicked Derek in the back, launching him inside a small, dusty chamber.

He stumbled and whirled around.

“Do not attempt to use your powers,” the guard said. “Castle alchemists will monitor you and your female’s power levels. Present a spark of magic and you won’t enjoy the consequences.”

He slammed the door in Derek’s face, the sound of a large wooden object sliding home coming from the opposite side.

Good. Derek wanted privacy.

He walked across the room, past the thin cot hugging the wall, to a narrow window with metal bars.

He surveyed the soldiers pacing the castle periphery. One of the guards glanced up from the yard, and Derek withdrew, pressing his back to the stone.

The nice thing about a crusty old castle with no modern conveniences? No possibility of surveillance cameras.

Derek gently pulled out the five additional leaves he’d extracted from the Ancient Allon when no one was looking. Well, they may have been looking, but with his powers returned, he’d made part of his arm invisible and snatched the extra leaves, stuffing them inside his pocket with no one the wiser.

Silently, Derek carried a small table that held a ceramic bowl and cup away from the window. He picked up the cup in one hand and used his other to grind the leaves over it. Small grains and a few larger pieces flittered to the bottom.

He poured tepid water from the bowl over the leaf particles and allowed them to steep for a moment, hoping the extra time would provide the same effect as warm water.

Derek drank down the mixture, chewing and swallowing the larger chunks of leaf.

He came from royal Fae too, and if it was possible to help Elena by enhancing his own abilities, he wanted in.

Because he didn’t trust anyone inside Tirnan, least of all Niall.