Page 33 of Magic Hunted
“Nice welcoming place you have here,” Dias said, positioning his body in front of mine when several heads turned our way.
“Are we going to have a fight on our hands or can you control your people?” Ashir said.
“I assure you, you’re under my protection. My people have been living under some…strain…that is all. You’re welcome here,” Taredd said.
“Not like we had a choice,” I murmured under my breath. Dias must have still heard me because his arms tensed as though he was preparing to take me to safety at any moment. As if there was any place on Earth that could be safe.
“Please let me apologize for the way we were introduced.” Taredd gestured to one of the elves stirring a cauldron with the flick of his hand. The elf collected some bowls and filled them as though he’d been waiting for us to arrive.
“Can we trust the food isn’t laced with poison?” Savvas asked.
“The food is free from poison. It only contains meat and vegetables. If you doubt me, take a look around. Everyone here is eating the same meal. If you’re worried, Taredd will personally taste yours.” Shanyirra walked toward us. She used a cane, but she didn’t seem as though she needed it to walk. “I fear the General has made a grave mistake and acted rashly. Haven’t you, Taredd?”
Taredd’s lips rolled before his head dipped. “Indeed.” It was more of an apology than I thought he’d offer, regardless of what Shanyirra said.
“You’re still too pale. You need to recover from the magical backlash. A good meal will go a long way to make you feel better. It’s the least we can do after treating you so poorly,” Shanyirra said, her strange white eyes finding me.
A silent decision passed between the alphas. Dias slid me to my feet as Ashir and Savvas sat on the bench. Ashir reached for me, settling me between him and Savvas. Dias sat next to Ashir, putting his bond brother between us. Shanyirra sat opposite me with Taredd by her side. They caged me in and as we were here for answers, I saw no reason not to start asking.
“Why did you call me Chosen? What is this all about?” I said. If Taredd expected us to ask questions, I’d begin with the most urgent.
Taredd waited until bowls of stew were placed in front of us and the cook moved away before he answered.
“To help you understand who we are and why we’re aware of the grimoire, I need to tell you about our history,” Taredd said.
He paused and his eyes dropped to my bowl. I picked up the spoon, too hungry to worry about poison and almost groaned at the rich gravy and creamy texture. I’d never eaten anything so decadent in my life and too soon I’d almost emptied my bowl. The next bite was slower as I savored a chuck of a root vegetable. “What does your history have to do with me?”
The elves were long-lived, existing for thousands of Earth years. Compared to humans, they were immortal. Shifters lived longer than humans. I’d known some living close to three hundred years, but it was uncommon given The Six killed off most, or worked them to death, but the odd shifter had survived that long.
“We know your parents were Keepers, tasked with custody of the grimoire. As were your grandparents, and generations of your ancestors before you,” Taredd said and the stew I’d just eaten churned in my stomach.
I put my spoon in the bowl, no longer able to take another bite. I stared at Taredd, waiting for him to speak as a bead of sweat trickled down my spine.
“We know that because we appointed the first Keepers after we stole the grimoire from the imposters,” Taredd said.
“What!” I said.
“That’s impossible,” Ashir said.
“I assure you it’s not only impossible, but it was planned,” Taredd said. “We know you are Chosen because we selected you as our savior. Designed to be bred strong enough to use the magic and heal both worlds.”
I stared at Taredd, waiting for the punch-line, but none came. He only watched me with an unwavering gaze. Truth. He was telling the truth and I could barely believe it.
“Why go to all this trouble? Why didn’t you take the grimoire when you had it and open a portal back to Faerie centuries ago?” Ashir asked.
Taredd paused and I could almost sense the crushing weight on his shoulders. “We tried, but we weren’t strong enough.”
“The portal changed the fabric of both worlds, making each dependent on the other. The magic contained in the grimoire might be strong enough in Faerie, but not here. Not when there wasn’t an ounce of magic on Earth. The shifters the imposters created to fight us were the perfect answer because they were born from both worlds, but a millennium ago they weren’t strong enough to use the magic needed to balance one world, let alone two. Family lines were bred, each generation stronger than the next,” Shanyirra said.
I tried to ignore the writhing, twisting mess of my stomach. “You used us? Bred us to become chattels?”
“Far from it, child. You were designed to be strong enough to save us all,” Shanyirra said.
I wasn’t special or strong. If I were, I would have fought for my parents, my freedom and a life free of Titan.
“If I was part of one big design, why did you accuse me of stealing your magic?” I asked.
“We weren’t aware of who you were. We only sensed the grimoire’s magic.” Taredd shifted, his blue eyes blazing. “Somehow, the imposters discovered who our Keepers were. They attacked every family at the one time. We were too late to come to their aid—to anyone’s aid. After that night, we lost track of everything we’d put into place. By the time we got there, all we found were…bodies.”
