Page 41 of Petals of Innocence

“Well, that’s the thing. These witches would never leave in the middle of the night to go to the Day Court, of all places. Further, they would never leave their family grimoires behind. Witches worship the moon and gain significant power from it. Hence, they are more likely to join the Night Court, if they were even inclined to pick a side. They have no desire to be involved in any politics, which is why they stick to the Borderlands and remain neutral. They would never upset the balance the realm relies on willingly.”

Kes was not surprised to hear any of this. The witches kept to themselves. They would not let it be known outside of their community they were somehow being lured away. He still was not sure what she was desperate to warn them about, which took a precedent over his grooming. “What is it you need to warn them about? Are you positive we can’t go bathe first? Maybe take a little nap? Why is this more important than finding Etain?”

Anin looked slightly guilty at the mention of her friend’s name. But then she threw her hands up in exasperation and yelled, “Isn’t it obvious? The Day Court has had a massive boost in power no one has been able to figure out. Yet we now know they are abducting witches. I think the witches are somehow being drained of their power so the Day Court can use it as they see fit. Witches are in trouble. They need to be warned immediately to go into full lockdown, and maybe even go into hiding. The most unsettling of all is that many of these witches were Walsh witches.”

That had Kes’s attention. He thought about it for a moment. If that was how the Day Court was gaining power, it would benefit the Night Court if the Day Court couldn’t get their claws into any more witches. It also meant the urgency to find Etain was paramount.

“Okay, here is what we will do. I will port us to your coven and leave you with them to help prepare in whatever way they need. I will patrol the border in case whoever has taken Etain makes a break for it. The Day Court can not have her. I have a feeling she will be our Queen, and her well of power would give the Day Court a disastrous amount of power.”

Anin nodded. Kes grabbed her hand, brought it to his lips to kiss it, and then ported them to the Silver Moon Coven. He thought he saw her smile at his kiss.

Thirty Four

Etainneverthoughtshewould see her mother’s face again. She was staring and knew while it was her mother, it also was not her mother. “How? How is this possible?” Etain asked the goddess.

“To know that, you must first know who I am, where I came from, and where you came from as well, my dear. It is a long story – please try not to interrupt. Your prince is on his way, and we do not have much time.”

Etain glanced at the door and smiled at the prospect of seeing Ciaran soon, but she needed answers. She hoped he didn’t show up before she got them.

“I was not always the Many Faced Goddess. That is the name that was given to me not all that long ago, compared to my never ending immortal life. Fae live thousands of years, but they still age and eventually die, if they are not killed first. In the realm I come from, and even places in your world, I was known as Hecate. My realm contains beings of true immortality. Once we are created, there is no death for us, so you can imagine how one would want to explore all the realms and find as many adventures as possible. Eventually I grew bored with my travels…”

Etain couldn’t help it; she was bursting with her question. “There are other realms?”

“Yes, there are many realms that all center around your world. Some, like the Fae Realm, only connect in one location. Others have multiple connections all over your world. Your human world is incredibly vast, child. Did you not know?”

Etain’s jaw dropped, and she could only shake her head no. It had never occurred to her the human world would be anything larger than the land where she had grown up.

“Well perhaps you should get comfortable with the idea there is much you do not know, and there is much you will never know. Now, can I get on with the story?”

Etain looked sheepish and nodded while she sipped her tea.

“Wonderful – where was I? Oh, yes, I was growing bored, and after you have lived so very long and have seen all there is to see, what is one to do to continue to enjoy life? Many of my kind go into a form of stasis every other century. When they awaken, there are likely new things, inventions, and places to explore. I have never wanted to enter stasis and have always prided myself on never needing it, but even I was reaching a point where I was considering it.

“Mankind was only starting to become more than grunting animals. They were forming tribes and beginning to create the foundation for your very culture. I stepped out of the veil from my world with my dear friend, Morrigan. She wanted to show me the ceremony the humans were performing that night in her name. Ah, I see you recognized the name. Your prince is long descended from her. She’s a bit scattered like that, leaving offspring all over the realms. Anyway, the ceremony was barbaric and bloody at best.

“I found myself enchanted by a human man for the first time in my long existence. He was tall and had long dark hair that was always wild when down. He had a chiseled face that wore a beard well. I am not usually a fan of beards, but he kept his neat and tidy. Compared to the men around him, he was leagues above. I would watch him when his tribe would battle another. There was something thrilling about the way his body moved. His dark eyes were cunning, and his mind was sharp. It was no wonder he became the leader of his people.

“I kept coming back to watch him, until one night I took my physical form and let him see me. He fell to his knees knowing he was in the presence of a goddess. It was a fun game we played for a little while. He would always look for me. Sometimes I would let him see me, and sometimes I was more interested in what he would do if I did not show. It was as if he knew I was there anyway, because he would talk to me in his silly simple little language.

“One night we finally came together under the full moon, and it was as if he waged war on my body. His body moved in much the same way it did when he was in a battle. It was primal and raw. I think he must’ve known he would never see me after that night, and thus he didn’t stop once all night. It was magical in its own way, because that man created a life within me.

“I was no longer interested in the man, for now I had something brand new to me – a child. I knew I could not be like my friends who left their children with other beings to be raised. The idea of watching something come from me and then become its own being entirely sounded thrilling and gave me a renewed purpose. I stepped through the next veil I could find and walked right into the Fae Realm. I was shocked to find a realm I had not explored and immediately fell in love with access to the moon day in and day out. I decided this would become my home where I would raise my child, and then help raise their children and so forth.

“In the thousands of years I have been here, I have only left the realm a handful of times. It has always been because I can feel the need of one of my descendants calling me in such desperation I could never refuse. Your mother calling to me from her deathbed was the last time I left this realm. She was nearing the end, and all she could beg of me over and over was to please guide her daughter who would be left alone in a world becoming increasingly more volatile. Her last wish was for you to be safe. I spoke through her to you that day, giving you a prophecy of your own.” Etain choked back a sob remembering the last conversation she had with her mother, which guided her to the Fae Realm.

“My love for all my children is absolute, and in their death they are returned to me to rest and join their ancestors. It is my pleasure to sacrifice my own face to give them each an intermittent moment of life again. In this way, they live on forever. So you see, my child, your mother is not really gone. She will live eternally within me – loved, protected, and waiting for the day you can join her.

“Although, I do think your soul may come with a guest. Oh, how he would hate that!” The goddess threw her head back and cackled while still displaying her mother’s face.

Etain was not sure what she was talking about.She was sure her confusion was plain as day on her face, because the goddess explained herself without Etain needing to ask.

“The prince is your fated mate. I have been doing everything I could to make sure fate worked out the way it was supposed to for you. You must have felt a deep, instant connection to him?”

Once again, Etain’s mouth was wide open with shock. “I have indeed, but I thought I was under some spell. I didn’t know there was such a thing as fated mates. What does it mean?”

“It means your lives and souls are forever tied together. Fate had destined it long before you were ever born, it was put into motion when Ciaran came to life in this realm. It means, my dear sweet child, you will be the Queen of the Night Court. You will face great challenges to get them to accept you, but your mate will always have your best interests at heart. Together you and your friends will bring a balance to the realm it has never seen.”

There was a loud commotion outside Hecate’s hut, and Etain could hear Ciaran screaming something which sounded like, “You stupid bitch of a goddess. I know you have her!”

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