no see, warrior, and you seem happy to see me.”
“Don’t worry. It will soon shrink in this cold.”
Eridon came up behind him, placing fresh clothes on the table. Tethur quickly dressed.
“Let us begin, Tethur. Take a warm drink. It will refresh and build your energy.” Erus slid a cup across the granite towards him. He lifted it, sniffed it and drank.
“So, something must have happened to bring you here. Do you want to tell us?”
Tethur eyed Eridus. “The parents were killed by a necromancer, Cormadine Osmaldis.”
“Ahh, it is as we feared. Rumors of his presence in the realm have been heard. He has crossed the wall then.”
“Yes, he’s gaining in power. He used orcs to sniff out Sorscha and then came for us. He broke the protection ring and they got in the house. I managed to destroy the mirror before anything else crossed over. So who exactly is he working for?”
“The dark Queen Dubheasa.”
“Dubheasa? But she is Shauna’s sister. On the other side they are loving sisters. They wouldn’t hurt a hair of the other’s body.”
“Yes, but like you, Dubheasa changed. The realm, or some other factor, made her character dark. On this side of the wall, her hatred for the Queen of Malandria is beyond compare. Some believe she is not a complete fae like her sister.”
Tethur doubted that. Some fae were dark in the realm, and once dark always dark.
“Maybe it surfaced when Fergus shunned her and she had to flee here. I never liked her, there’s a devious streak in her.”
“I agree,” Erus said.
“You agree, but you have a female’s intuition, and I trust that sense.” Eridus smiled at his sister.
“So you should if you know what’s good for you.”
“What brought Cassandra here?”
“Another dark fae named Shelman kidnapped her.”
“From under your nose, guardian elf?”
“From under my very nose, Celt.”
“How did that happen?”
“Dark powers are strong, even over me in the human world. Trust me, my eyes are wide open now. They will not fool me again.”
“I believe you, but millions wouldn’t. So, the war?”
“Dubheasa has the north under her spell. She has built a formidable army, in the tens of thousands, mostly orcs. Goblins are coming to join her-they have been seen. Other races debate which side to join. Now that Sorscha is here, it may help our cause.”
“So Sorscha is the only one to cross?”
“Yes, so far.” Erus interrupted her brother. “The others will cross soon, I think. Sorscha’s appearance will act like a catalyst. The princesses of the fae elements will be needed to halt the war.”
“I hope you’re right, Erus. Sorscha’s powers have shown little sign of surfacing. Hopefully being in the realm will spark them into action. I’m hoping Ryken can help her. He’s a powerful warlock.” Tethur knew the consequences of bringing her to the realm. but he’d no choice.
“We must contact Fergus immediately. His help will be invaluable. I have never seen you in action, Tethur, but your stories are legendary. The twelve high kings must show their true colors and soon.” The look on Eridus’s face made Tethur understand the immediacy of it all.
“Sadly, we are four kings down. Three watch over the remaining daughters,” Tethur told him.
“The fourth?” Eridus asked.
“The fourth entered a quest of Fergus’s doing before I left. We haven’t heard anything since, unless of course my kin know better. Fergus will know I am in the realm.”
“You know that for certain?”
“Yes. He is the king, the wisest of us all. That’s why we chose him to lead us out of the cursed ones. When I broke the mirror he will have known it. Some men will come.”
“I hear some of you don’t get on.” Eridon raised a brow.
“We may be high kings, Eridon, but we are not brothers as such. Some have lineage, others were rivals, others the enemy. Our kin have killed each other to gain the throne. We were thrown together, cursed by the earth itself
“Don’t worry. It will soon shrink in this cold.”
Eridon came up behind him, placing fresh clothes on the table. Tethur quickly dressed.
“Let us begin, Tethur. Take a warm drink. It will refresh and build your energy.” Erus slid a cup across the granite towards him. He lifted it, sniffed it and drank.
“So, something must have happened to bring you here. Do you want to tell us?”
Tethur eyed Eridus. “The parents were killed by a necromancer, Cormadine Osmaldis.”
“Ahh, it is as we feared. Rumors of his presence in the realm have been heard. He has crossed the wall then.”
“Yes, he’s gaining in power. He used orcs to sniff out Sorscha and then came for us. He broke the protection ring and they got in the house. I managed to destroy the mirror before anything else crossed over. So who exactly is he working for?”
“The dark Queen Dubheasa.”
“Dubheasa? But she is Shauna’s sister. On the other side they are loving sisters. They wouldn’t hurt a hair of the other’s body.”
“Yes, but like you, Dubheasa changed. The realm, or some other factor, made her character dark. On this side of the wall, her hatred for the Queen of Malandria is beyond compare. Some believe she is not a complete fae like her sister.”
Tethur doubted that. Some fae were dark in the realm, and once dark always dark.
“Maybe it surfaced when Fergus shunned her and she had to flee here. I never liked her, there’s a devious streak in her.”
“I agree,” Erus said.
“You agree, but you have a female’s intuition, and I trust that sense.” Eridus smiled at his sister.
“So you should if you know what’s good for you.”
“What brought Cassandra here?”
“Another dark fae named Shelman kidnapped her.”
“From under your nose, guardian elf?”
“From under my very nose, Celt.”
“How did that happen?”
“Dark powers are strong, even over me in the human world. Trust me, my eyes are wide open now. They will not fool me again.”
“I believe you, but millions wouldn’t. So, the war?”
“Dubheasa has the north under her spell. She has built a formidable army, in the tens of thousands, mostly orcs. Goblins are coming to join her-they have been seen. Other races debate which side to join. Now that Sorscha is here, it may help our cause.”
“So Sorscha is the only one to cross?”
“Yes, so far.” Erus interrupted her brother. “The others will cross soon, I think. Sorscha’s appearance will act like a catalyst. The princesses of the fae elements will be needed to halt the war.”
“I hope you’re right, Erus. Sorscha’s powers have shown little sign of surfacing. Hopefully being in the realm will spark them into action. I’m hoping Ryken can help her. He’s a powerful warlock.” Tethur knew the consequences of bringing her to the realm. but he’d no choice.
“We must contact Fergus immediately. His help will be invaluable. I have never seen you in action, Tethur, but your stories are legendary. The twelve high kings must show their true colors and soon.” The look on Eridus’s face made Tethur understand the immediacy of it all.
“Sadly, we are four kings down. Three watch over the remaining daughters,” Tethur told him.
“The fourth?” Eridus asked.
“The fourth entered a quest of Fergus’s doing before I left. We haven’t heard anything since, unless of course my kin know better. Fergus will know I am in the realm.”
“You know that for certain?”
“Yes. He is the king, the wisest of us all. That’s why we chose him to lead us out of the cursed ones. When I broke the mirror he will have known it. Some men will come.”
“I hear some of you don’t get on.” Eridon raised a brow.
“We may be high kings, Eridon, but we are not brothers as such. Some have lineage, others were rivals, others the enemy. Our kin have killed each other to gain the throne. We were thrown together, cursed by the earth itself
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