Page 15 of Searching for the Prince
Thank you, sincerely, for being open to help. We are beside ourselves with worry about the disappearance of Simon and we are willing to use any avenue we can to bring him home.
While James and I are proficient magic users there is a branch of magic we can’t access but are aware you are one of the few we know of who could. While this magic is similar to that which vampire-fae could use, it has some nuances, and think our connection to our son is part of the issue of us being unable to reach him. We believe he’s alive, or at least being kept alive.
Given the little we do know, our thoughts are his link to Robin could be the key to the way to reach him, although the bond is being limited and if we can trace it, maybe we can locate him. And that is where you come in. There are spells and rituals that a fae working through a vampire can utilise and James has been informed that you have access to several old volumes from Tobias Flume that may yield an answer, along with others in our own library.
I know you cannot promise any form of resolution at this point, but please can I ask you to do a little research? Please do not hesitate to contact me, and James would be happy to talk to you directly at your abode in the human realm to explain whatever you need.
Again, I thank you for your willingness to listen to my request.
Blessings be.
Hylei
Somehow Gwil hadn’t expected Queen Hylei to be so forthcoming, she must have been in fear for her son’s safety. They’d been called in to help, but vampires were known to overreact and Gwil hadn’t fully appreciated the gravity of the situation. Hyax was getting out of bed. He knew there’d be no point trying to call him back.
“Enjoy your reading,” he called after him.
Hyax grinned. “Come on, you know I can’t resist that type of teaser.”
Gwil laughed. “I’d be more surprised if you did.”
CHAPTER SIX
Hyax sucked on a lavender bonbon. Gwil had been buying him them for years, but had just recently realised they were little love tokens and he thought there must be something he could do for Gwil. The last few days he’d been conversing with Hylei via the encrypted channel but there was only so much she could share and Hyax was second-guessing a few things, which had made his progress slower than he’d have liked.
Also, he was trying to be extra nice to Gwil. He’d been a prize shit over Solivatus, and the Metra thing hadn’t helped, so he needed to make sure Gwil knew how much he meant to him. The trip to La Pina had been a good start but he could have done without Sitial turning up and trying to convince Gwil that Metra wasn’t a lying sack of shit.
He flicked through a couple of case files Gwil had asked him to look over while Gwil had gone to visit a client. Nothing challenging—the one with the poltergeist ferret haunting a gnome burrow might need a special potion, which helped keep his mind occupied while they waited to hear about the MacLove case.
A portal began to open, he didn’t recognise the signature from its silver-blue tinge, but it was fae by the feel of it. He got to his feet and his jaw dropped as King James of the Calanti tribe stepped through. “I do hope I’m not disturbing you, Prince Hyax. But we need to talk.”
Hyax managed to get over his surprise to bow, as a rival tribe or not James was still a king. “Your Majesty, I wasn’t expecting you.”
“Why would you? You’ve been talking with my wife, not me, and she explained she’d been in touch over our situation. I thought it would be better if I gave you my insight and maybe some information best not written down.”
James threw himself into a chair, he was weary, the worry over his son hung around him with no relief in sight.
“I understand that there are things you’d rather not divulge.”
“No shit, but we’re beyond that now. Listen.” James spoke with a soft Scottish accent, which seemed to amplify his weariness. “What I am about to disclose is not common knowledge, and I am relying on your honour and discretion. Understood?”
Hyax suspected he might end up as a drained husk if he fucked James over. His royal status wouldn’t save him. “I’d be willing to be put under a magical oath if that would make it better.”
“Not really, but I’m grateful you’re willing to talk to me. Solivatus said he mentioned that Simon has a bond with his husband. I doubt he’d have explained it well, but ultimately it is through that bond he will be able to access his vampire side. After intimacy with his bonded, his fangs will come through, but he will need to feed from Robin to complete his metamorphosis. As it stands, Simon is in a state of flux, his magic will be erratic and it is our belief that he has been taken because of it, in crude terms, he’s a battery that could be constantly drained.”
He’d wondered about vampire-fae, some thought they were a myth but as he now had one sitting on his sofa, it was safe to say Hyax thought them real. This bond was the key to turning Simon from a fae prince to a scary motherfucker who, the rumours said, were some of the most powerful creatures to inhabit either realm.
“But who would know to take him? How would they know what you’ve just told me?”
“There’s a thought that it could be a lich, an ancient creature who might have been waiting. We don’t know how it found out about Simon, but I think it’s probably the most likely culprit.”
Hyax only knew the basics about liches—they were remnants of powerful sorcerers who had managed to achieve immortality, and almost as rare as vampire-fae because they could hide in plain sight and use centuries of knowledge to avoid detection.
“Knowing what is behind the abduction is a start, but Queen Hylei said she thought I could help, although I wasn’t sure what I could do that she or you couldn’t.”
“I was sceptical at first but then I realised it’s not you, or rather not you on your own.” James reached out and held Hyax’s wrist then he let go almost immediately and smiled. “You can help.”
“What do you mean?” James was powerful, even without contact Hyax could tell and James must’ve noticed something when he’d grabbed his arm.
