Page 77 of Crown of the Fae King

Wickham sat across the table beside the brothers, alternately scanning the room for danger and staring at the document. It might as well have been the Holy Grail, but to Wickham Muir, our safety came first.

None of the other staff paid us any attention. I wondered if no fairies had been able to get on the faculty.

Griffon passed out gloves. “The document might be the oldest thing in the Bod, but it is well preserved. I assure you it will not disintegrate if you touch it.” There were more gloves left.

He noticed me noticing. “I expected Persi and Kitchens to come. Maybe another time.”

“They might like that.” I felt like I was shopping for a car, trying not to seem too eager to the sharp-eyed salesman who was mentally calculating how much to charge me.

He put his hand over mine, then leaned close to whisper in my ear. “I fear I’ll do nearly anything to please you, Lennon.” Then he lifted my hand and kissed my fingers quickly before letting go. “Gloves on.”

I looked at the faces across the table, their eyes lit with excitement, their white-clad fingers wiggling like they were about to perform their first surgery.

“You don’t read Irish, do you?”

“I don’t.”

“Then we’ll turn this around and let the lads have a look.” He turned the giant page carefully, then let it rest again. Brian looked tickled to have been called a lad. Flann had no attention to spare for anything other than the thick, pale page in front of him.

“Looks like the Declaration of Independence to me,” I said, “but that’s not parchment.”

“No. Not parchment. This is skin. And every few years or so, the skin lightens and the writing begins to fade. It must be oiled and treated to bring it back. The last time was only a few months ago, so you’ve come at a good time.”

Flann moved his right hand to the top of the page but let his fingers hover half an inch above it as he moved over the letters. “The Covenant,” he read, then moved to the next line,“between the King of the Fae and a…race of man…set aside?” He looked up at Griffon.

Griffon shrugged. “That’s a literal translation, yes.”

Flann looked to Brian. “Set aside? By whom? And for what purpose?”

Griffon grinned. “I believe you’ll find that within The Covenant.”

Brian’s eyes danced. Flann’s watered. He pulled a white cotton handkerchief out of his back pocket and applied it to his cheeks and eyes. “Can’t be drippin’ on it, so I can’t.”

Griffon laughed, obviously tickled to see the men enjoying themselves so much.

Flann skimmed a line, then translated. “For the purpose of safety…of both Fae and Man…we enter this covenant…willingly…no, that’s not right.Willing…to bind our people…by our names?” He looked up. “I think this means we’re making this deal whether our people agree or not.”

“Binding their willis what I surmised.” Griffon shrugged. “But then again, I’ve read it so many times, I’ve imbued it with my own ideas. It is refreshing to see it through new eyes once more.”

“Against their will?” I sighed. “Seems a little autocratic, doesn’t it?”

“That’s what a king is. And you said it yourself, this isn’t the Declaration of Independence. This is a king choosing what’s best for his people, or what he wants for them, whether or not it’s best.”

Flann continued. “Because,ora result of…the Naming Powers—both words capitalized, though that means nothing this long ago—Naming Powers must stay…dally,lingerperhaps?…in the Realm of Man. Seven…is that seven?” Griffon nodded. Flann continued. “Seven of the eight Powers, capitalized,are…entrusted to that race set apart. The eighth Power shall remain with the King, who by…need, necessity…must stay or dally as well.”

“Those of the worthy race…maybe…Covenant to never…surrender…their powers but in death, those powers then…passing to a newborn…of their race, set apart? That these powers can never be reunited…to the destruction…and sorrow of all.”

Griffon pointed to a word. “You missed this one.”

Flann squinted.“Possible?”

“Probable.”

“Probable destruction and sorrow of all.In exchange for…the blessingorbliss of those powers…the King of the Fae shall keep…Ambition contained, incarcerated? Contained in the Hell of Man’s Realm. And none may…release him…unless the covenant be broken, damaged?

“In addition, the God of the Fae will arrange…You see, he’s called God here.Will arrange for the destruction of all the Denoy, therein protecting, preventing…any element from bridging the distance?Or is thatroad? …between the realms of Fae and Man, that those…who were sent back…cannot be pursued? Followedmaybe.

“In order to prevent those set apart…from breaching this contract…despite what Moire has seen…the headorchief…of the ‘set apart’ is herein granted…life everlasting? Spring everlasting?No!The spring of life!

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