Page 174
Story: Lady of Starfire
“Cethin said he visited with you all last night,” Tybalt said.
“Yeah…” Cyrus said in confusion. They’d all been in the princess’s suite with Sorin. With Scarlett still unconscious, Sorin rarely left the space. They’d gathered in their sitting room to hash out final details for the next phase of their plans. Although that was rather pointless when Cyrus really thought about it. Scarlett would wake up and likely change everything anyway.
“His power has been restoring over these past weeks,” Tybalt went on.
“Doesn’t it take Avonleyans quite a bit of time to do that?” Cyrus asked, glancing at Cass who was giving his father a pointed look.
“Yes, especially when completely drained as Cethin was,” Tybalt answered. “His circumstances are…a little different.”
“Because Kailia isn’t his Source?” Cyrus asked. He’d found it odd that she wasn’t. He couldn’t imagine Cethin having that kind of bond with someone else.
“Kailia is not Fae,” Tybalt said, shaking his head. “Cethin does not have a Source, nor will he ever take one. As I said, his circumstances are different.”
“Different how, exactly?” Cyrus asked, settling back in his chair and crossing his arms. “And what do you mean Kailia is not Fae?”
Tybalt cut off a piece of sausage. “These are questions you should ask Cethin.”
“Cethin hasn’t exactly been forthcoming with information, so I am asking you,” Cyrus said, his tone softening into a dark demand that even had Cassius pausing and turning to look at him. It took a lot to get under Cyrus’s skin, and he knew his personality often made people forget he was the Fire Court Second. Good-natured and easy-going to hide the cunning. It was a skill he’d perfected with Merrik. Rayner might rip out organs, and Eliza might get extra stabby with pointy objects, but Cyrus?
He didn’t need the fancy tricks. He preferred to simply burn things, and smile at the carnage left in his wake while sipping on a glass of liquor and smoking some mugweed.
But they were in the middle of a godsdamn war. There shouldn’t be secrets at this point. All cards should be on the table. Saylah keeping information hostage was enough. They didn’t need to be doing it to each other.
Tybalt cleared his throat, setting his silverware off to the side. “We do not know what Kailia is. Cethin and Razik have been searching for answers for decades, but without knowing where she came from—”
“I thought she was raised in those cliffs like Rayner,” Cyrus interrupted.
“As far as she can remember, yes. But her ancestry? Parents? We have nothing to go on. Only her gifts, which seem to mirror that of Ash Riders but are also different,” Tybalt explained. “And with Cethin being able to detect power levels, he can tell she is not Fae.”
“And even if Fae were more accessible, he would not take a Source?” Cyrus guessed, Cassius still suspiciously quiet while he listened to their conversation.
“Correct. Saylah refills his gifts faster when she can, but her strength is not what it should be, having been trapped here for so long,” Tybalt went on.
“Does he need blood then?” Cyrus asked. He’d been supplying it to Cassius since he’d returned. Neve was the only other available Fae option at this point, and she’d started providing for Auberon. For either of them to supply Cethin? It would take a lot for such a powerful being.
Tybalt shook his head again. “Cethin will not drink. He…” Tybalt paused, clearly searching for the right words. “It would require a large amount for him at this point. But Cethin is not who we should be discussing right now.”
Cyrus propped his elbow on the arm of his chair, his finger steepled along his temple. “You brought Cethin up.”
“Yes, because he spent some time with all of you last night. With his power returning, he can once again sense power levels,” Tybalt said, eyes flicking to Cassius.
Cyrus sat forward, understanding exactly what Tybalt was saying this time. “You haven’t been taking enough,” he snarled at Cass.
Cyrus knew he’d needed more. He’d been giving him blood twice a day, but it had apparently still not been enough.
“It has been enough,” Cassius said, turning to face him, features a mixture of frustration and… Cyrus couldn’t tell what else was there. “Or it was until we returned from the Southern Islands.”
Cyrus placed a palm on the table as he said, “Just to make sure I have this right: instead of saying something and telling me you needed more, Cethin had to tell your daddy who, in turn, had to tell me?”
“Fuck off with that daddy shit,” Cassius snarled, eyes shifting and glowing softly.
“No, you fuck off, Cass,” Cyrus shot back. “Did we not have this exact argument weeks ago?”
“Things have obviously changed since then,” Cass retorted, stabbing a piece of sausage onto his fork.
“Not really. Still found out from someone else that you are not properly refilling your reserves.”
Cassius’s fork clattered to his plate, and he turned to face him fully. “That’s not fair, Cyrus.”
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 157
- Page 158
- Page 159
- Page 160
- Page 161
- Page 162
- Page 163
- Page 164
- Page 165
- Page 166
- Page 167
- Page 168
- Page 169
- Page 170
- Page 171
- Page 172
- Page 173
- Page 174 (Reading here)
- Page 175
- Page 176
- Page 177
- Page 178
- Page 179
- Page 180
- Page 181
- Page 182
- Page 183
- Page 184
- Page 185
- Page 186
- Page 187
- Page 188
- Page 189
- Page 190
- Page 191
- Page 192
- Page 193
- Page 194
- Page 195
- Page 196
- Page 197
- Page 198
- Page 199
- Page 200
- Page 201
- Page 202
- Page 203
- Page 204
- Page 205
- Page 206
- Page 207
- Page 208
- Page 209
- Page 210
- Page 211
- Page 212
- Page 213
- Page 214
- Page 215
- Page 216
- Page 217
- Page 218
- Page 219
- Page 220
- Page 221
- Page 222
- Page 223
- Page 224
- Page 225
- Page 226
- Page 227
- Page 228
- Page 229
- Page 230
- Page 231
- Page 232
- Page 233
- Page 234
- Page 235
- Page 236
- Page 237
- Page 238
- Page 239
- Page 240
- Page 241
- Page 242
- Page 243
- Page 244
- Page 245
- Page 246
- Page 247
- Page 248
- Page 249
- Page 250
- Page 251
- Page 252
- Page 253
- Page 254
- Page 255
- Page 256
- Page 257
- Page 258
- Page 259
- Page 260
- Page 261
- Page 262
- Page 263
- Page 264
- Page 265
- Page 266
- Page 267
- Page 268
- Page 269
- Page 270
- Page 271
- Page 272
- Page 273
- Page 274
- Page 275
- Page 276
- Page 277
- Page 278
- Page 279
- Page 280
- Page 281
- Page 282
- Page 283
- Page 284
- Page 285
- Page 286
- Page 287
- Page 288
- Page 289
- Page 290
- Page 291
- Page 292
- Page 293
- Page 294
- Page 295
- Page 296
- Page 297
- Page 298
- Page 299
- Page 300
- Page 301
- Page 302
- Page 303
- Page 304