Page 180 of Lady of Darkness

“History is history, is it not? You can’t change facts,” Scarlett argued.

“I feel as though we have already had this discussion,” Sorin said. “The winners write their version of history and that is what is handed down generation after generation. If your mortal kings wanted some parts of the truth forgotten, they could simply not put that information in the history books.”

“How were they created, then? The Avonleyans didn’t feed on Fae. How did the Night Children come to do so?”

“The Avonleyansdidfeed on the Fae,” Sorin answered, placing a piece of cheese in her hands.

“What? The Fae fought with the Avonleyans. That’s why King Deimas and Queen Esmeray—”

“I know why Deimas and Esmeray did what they did to the Fae,” Sorin cut her off quietly. “The Avonleyans blessed the Fae with their magic, but there is always a cost, Scarlett. I have told you this.”

“The cost of the magic is that they had to be food for the Avonleyans?” Scarlett asked doubtfully.

“In a way, yes. It is not feeding like you eat food for physical sustenance. That is how Night Children feed on mortals and Fae. Avonleyans need Fae for magical sustenance. They feed on their magic for healing and strengthening their own powers,” Sorin answered.

“I thought the Avonleyans were super powerful all by themselves. That’s why they thought they could take over the mortal lands.”

“They are incredibly powerful, but by keeping the Avonleyans sequestered to their continent, Deimas and Esmeray essentially cut them off from the Fae. They have been separated from us for centuries, and thus they have weakened them. They would still be strong. They still have magic, but one would guess it would be a fraction of what they could be,”Sorin explained, handing her another piece of cheese.

“How did King Deimas and Queen Esmeray defeat them then? How would they have been powerful enough to do so?” Scarlett asked, as she nibbled on the cheese.

“No one entirely knows. We do not know where Deimas’ power came from. We do know that Esmeary was Fae though.”

Scarlett snorted. “Queen Esmeray was not Fae. They hated the Fae. They protected us from the Fae by giving up their life forces to enact spells and wards.”

Sorin’s head dipped as he said quietly, “You seem to keep forgetting that you are not mortal.”

Scarlett dug her nails into the leather of the saddle horn at the breath that caressed the shell of her ear. She heard Sorin huff a soft laugh as he straightened once more.

“Anyway, Queen Esmeray was indeed Fae. She was actually a sister of the Fae Queens. There were three, not two. Some say she was disgruntled that her territory had so many mortals, so she incited a war against her sisters and Avonleya under the guise of them wanting to enslave the humans. Others say Deimas planted those seeds when they had wed and were ruling together. Maybe neither of those is true and something else entirely sparked the Great War, but what I do know is that the Fae never endeavored to enslave the mortals,” Sorin said.

“How can you be so sure?” Scarlett asked, biting into the third pear Sorin had placed in her hand.

Sorin was quiet for so long, Scarlett twisted to look at him, and instantly regretted it. Pain lanced up her side as her wound stretched with the movement. It was healing, but so stiff and sore from the night’s sleep. She hissed and lost her grip on the pear as she brought her hand to her side. With startling fast reflexes, Sorin caught the pear.

“We need to stop,” he said to Eliza. “We need to put more ointment on her wound. Then we should be fine until we cross the border.”

“I’m fine, Sorin. I just moved wrong,” Scarlett cut in.

“No. We can take five minutes to stretch our legs and then make the final leg of the trip.” There was no arguing with Sorin’s tone, so Scarlett didn’t even try.

A few minutes later, they came upon a small stream for the horses to drink. Sorin had just helped her ease down when Callan came striding up.

“We should have lunch while we are stopped,” he said, his eyes lingering on Scarlett while she pet Eirwen’s neck.

“No,” Sorin answered while he fished the ointment from the saddle bag. “There is not time. Water your horses and see to your needs. We are going to be on our way again in less than five minutes.”

“We need to eat, General.Sheneeds to eat,” Callan argued.

“Scarlett has been eating all morning,” Sorin answered, coming towards her.

Scarlett’s brows shot up. Shehadbeen eating all morning. The entire time Sorin and Eliza had told her of the Night Children, she had eaten. Sorin had been placing food in her hands, and she had eaten it without thinking, too intrigued by their conversation.

Her eyes shot to Sorin’s, and she found his golden ones lit by soft amusement. “Am I allowed to touch you to put this on?” he asked, a half-smile on his lips.

Scarlett lifted her tunic, unable to take her eyes from his. “You distracted me so I would eat?”

Taking her exposure of the wound as permission to touch her, he began removing the dressing, breaking their stare. “Your stomach was growling so loud I knew you were starving, Princess,” he answered. “Plus, you ate that first pear like you would never eat again, so…”

---