Page 54 of The Sacred and the Tormented

“So why doesn’t the Divine get an animal shift?” Arianna asked.

“From what we’ve deciphered of the ancient texts, the original Divine and her mate opted to trade their animals shifts for the power to protect their people.”

“You know the original story?”

“Most of it.”

“Haven’t you had centuries to figure it out?” Saoirse said.

Conall nodded. “We have, but just when we think we’ve broken the code and things start to make sense, another passage proves us wrong. Entire pages are also missing and I fear we’ll never recover them.”

Arianna shifted in her chair. “Eimear mentioned something about the statues holding secrets.”

“We’ve been looking there too. If we find anything, you’ll be the first to know.”

“Let’s take a step back,” Saoirse said. “I don’t care how old he is, how has a male managed to erase the truth from an entire continent of people who are immortal?”

“If we live forever, why are we so young?” Conall asked. “Who’s the oldest Fae you know?” He glanced around and Arianna’s heart beat just a little faster as she thought of her father. A male who was only a thousand yet considered a leader. One of the oldest …

“There were many Fae over the centuries that couldn’t be swayed. Sadly, Vairik saw to their deaths. He took advantage of grief, war, and personal vendettas. It’s true, there are a few fanatics, as they’re called, who preach the truth, but they’ve been labeled fanatics for a reason too. They’re outcasts. And if one gets too much attention, Vairik puts an end to them.”

No one spoke so Conall continued. “It started with the small villages. He experimented manipulating their minds until he perfected his technique and let it spread to larger towns, then cities until everyone was questioning the truth and their leaders.

“Wars broke out over their beliefs until the ones who knew the truth were either converted or eliminated. It was chaos.”

“Isn’t The Divine supposed to be born to stop that sort of thing?” Saoirse asked.

“She is, but The Divine couldn’t come about because Vairik kept killing the one meant to protect her.”

“You’d think the gods would bend their own rules for the sake of peace,” Saoirse said.

“If a god makes a rule, are they capable of breaking or bending it? Their laws are absolute.”

“What’s the point of being a god then?”

“Perhaps you can take it up with them in the afterlife.” Conall paused, waiting for more questions before continuing. “Line by line, Vairik rewrote history until we had what you know today.”

Conall’s gaze traveled to Raevina. “The only place you might still find the truth is in the deepest parts of Fiadh.” The female looked up, her braids falling around her shoulders. “They’ve always been the most difficult people to persuade, which is why we believe Vairik allied with their nation in the first place. It’s also the reason so many are here. But you already know all that.”

Raevina didn’t speak.

“Anyone going to clarify?” Saoirse said, her tone impatient.

“Shadow Weavers are meant to be guardians to The Divine. Their ancestors devoted their entire lives to ensure her will was enacted upon the continent.”

Raevina’s willingness to kneel at Arianna’s feet suddenly made sense. It was a higher purpose. A calling. Her honor was on the line. And unlike humans, honor was something the Fae craved to uphold.

“Okay,” Arianna said, holding up her hands. “Just start from the beginning. Tell us everything.”

Conall settled back in his chair. “It’s true that we all came from the northern continent after being persecuted by the humans. Those stories have remained unaltered. The originalDivine, before she became such, craved freedom for her people. Thus, she and her partner crossed the sea and arrived on the northern shores of what we currently know as Brónach.”

“How did they get past the Siren’s territory?” Saoirse asked.

“Repeated crossings are what drew the Siren’s in. They didn’t occupy that portion of the ocean initially.” He reached for a glass and drank deeply before continuing. “As you know, the humans pursued us and our ancestors were forced to flee into the mountains. They remained hidden and built a small sanctuary, but what they thought was their salvation quickly turned into a nightmare.

“The Dark Fae emerged attacking both humans and Fae alike. As you can imagine, the Fae had an easier time diving them off, but the cost was still steep. They were desperate and moved further south, hiding in the mountain forest that separates what you currently know as Brónach and Móirín.

“They did their best, struggling to live off the land while fighting the wicked creatures. They were already small in number. The original Divine and her mate wondered if they’d led their people to a worse fate.

---