Page 37 of A Deception of Courts

Rafaela shot her a look, her head tilting inquisitively. “Are we not allies, Asp? Why should we concern ourselves with sharing such knowledge when all in this room trust one another, do we not?”

It was a loaded question, and from the way Seraphine shifted her eyes to me, I knew she’d just opened the playing field for me to provide an answer. “Yes. We are allies. To be honest, we need as many as we can get if we are to face Aldrick.”

All I could think about was what Duncan had said about the fey we freed being the ones to fight for us. Why risk the lives of people I’d just saved, when there was a ready and waiting army just before us?

“I agree with Robin, but allyship comes with trust,” Althea said, turning the focus to her. “So, I have a few questions, if I may.”

Rafaela waved a hand for her to begin. “Be our guest.”

“Does the fact that Irobel is not charted on any map have anything to do with upholding the same air of secrecy for both your kind and the gate itself?” Althea asked. “I can only guess that removing all traces and stories of Duwar from both the fey and humans’ histories was important to upholding his imprisonment. But the lack of education about Duwar has only led us on the path of being unprepared. Frankly, our lack of knowledge has set us up to lose.”

Rafaela nodded, mouth edging into a frown. “If anyone ever said the fey were not clever beings, they were wrong.”

Althea’s rich eyes narrowed on the Nephilim. “Care to clarify if that’s a compliment?”

Rafaela placed a hand over her heart. Regret pinched at the corners of her mouth. “I did not mean to offend you, Princess Althea Cedarfall.”

Althea sucked her tongue across her teeth. The smack of it was the only sound she replied with.

We weren’t off to a good start. For the sake of our next steps, I had to take over.

“Gabrial,” I said softly, trying to ease my way through the tension. “Can you tell us how Aldrick found the first key? If you share the knowledge, it will help us keep him from the rest.”

“Thatis not information necessary for you to be privy to,” Cassial snapped, tensing his broad frame as he spoke. It seemed even the veins in his neck bulged as though strangled between muscles.

I got the impression that talking to Cassial was more of a challenge than the rest of them.

“Cassial, if Aldrick has discovered the truth, then there is nothing stopping us from sharing it with them. We can agree on that, can’t we?” Gabrial looked to the brooding male, exuding the same demeanour of power without all the muscle and brawn. “As Princess Althea has suggested, perhaps we have been led down this road of failure because of secrecy. It has not brought us any luck thus far.”

I could see Cassial’s desire to refuse Gabrial, but one look at Rafaela, and he seemed to retreat. “So be it. On your head be the Creator’s judgement.”

“Iamthe Creator’s judgement,” Rafaela reminded, her tone overbrimming with the allure of a leader. “I say we tell them the truth.”

“The floor is all yours,” Althea said, displeased by the sibling-like quarrel. Or just displeased with Cassial, because her stare only fixed on him with a look of pure contempt, enjoying every moment of him being put in his place.

Rafaela cleared her throat, just as Gabrial nodded at her to begin. “It was Altar who forged the lock upon the gate, after agreeing with the Creator to banish Duwar. It weakened both gods greatly, not just in power but their relationship. Duwar was the thorn keeping them apart. Both gods lost immense levels of power trapping the Defiler in his prison, which can be felt to this day with their lack of physical presence in the realms. In a weakened state, both Altar and the Creator used the remaining essence they held and crafted physical beings in whom they could entrust the banishment of the Defiler to last eternally. The Creator, as we explained, crafted the Nephilim in his image. From his tears, we were made. Just as Altar created the fey from his blood. Altar tricked the Creator though. He took his essence, the keys to Duwar’s gate, and placed it in four of your kind. Burying his power within them with the purpose of stowing it and spreading it out as a fail-safe to keep the gate sealed. What I’m sure your god didn’t account for was that those four beings he had chosen would take their new power and use it to fashion a realm to benefit them. All whilst forgetting their initial purpose.”

A deathly quiet settled over the cabin. I could’ve sworn I heard every person’s heart beat in tandem. I took a breath, only to find my heart bundled in my throat. I almost choked on it. Rafaela’s words repeated like a puzzle that I attempted to piece together. The edges of my vision darkened as the world seemed to melt away. When I blinked, it seemed the darkness only insisted on drowning me entirely.

“I don’t understand what you are alluding to,” Seraphine snapped.

I wanted to look at Althea, but I was frozen in place whilst my mind pieced together the meaning of Rafaela’s story.

“Yes. What is it you’re trying to imply?” Duncan added. The warmth of his voice reminded me of my control. As always, it calmed me. At least enough to lean into his hand that was spread across my shoulder.

“The fey courts,” I said. “We’re the keys Aldrick is looking for.”

As if my words were the crack of a whip, the room exploded in mummurs and questions.

“Yes, that is correct,” Rafaela said. “Robin Icethorn, you are a key. One of the three left remaining. Althea, your mother is another…”

Aldrick had a key and it slipped through his fingers. It was me.

“Which leaves Elmdew and Oakstorm,” Althea muttered, gaze lost to a place upon the desk before us.

“From our understanding,” Gabrial added, “the Oakstormkeyhas recently exchanged place from Doran Oakstorm to his wife Elinor upon her return.”

“Yes, Elinor claimed it,” I confirmed, thoughts drifting to the instructions I had shared with her. Instructions I had to uncover myself when claiming the destructive power of the Icethorn Court, which I now recognised as something else entirely.

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