Page 12 of Veiled By Smoke (The Nature Hunters Academy #5)

“It seems that no matter how old I am, I continue to learn new things. And just when I think I know everything I need to, I am proven wrong.” ~Nasima, light air queen.

T wo days had passed since the meeting with the council, and Nasima was already exhausted.

She and the rest of the royals had been sent back to their realms to prepare for war.

Her mate, Beval, was currently working with the air elemental warriors.

Her own task was different, but every bit as important.

Nasima didn’t have to guess where she’d find Collin, her current human guest. The brother of the now deceased witch, Danni, had grown quite fond of Nasima’s servant, Cybil, a charming and beautiful air elemental.

Collin often followed the woman around like a faithful puppy.

His infatuation was cute, but any union between the pair would be ill-fated.

Collin’s mortal life would end long before Cybil’s immortal one.

Only pain could come from such a relationship.

Cybil would be forced to watch the male she loved grow old, or face illness and disease to which she was immune.

And while Collin aged, Cybil would remain vibrant and beautiful, untouched by the hands of time.

He would gradually begin to look like her father, her grandfather, and if he lived long enough, her great grandfather.

No. It wouldn’t do for them to take their feelings any further than friendship.

There was enough anguish in life, especially for humans.

Collin didn’t need to add to his own by chasing after a piece of forbidden fruit.

Pushing away her somber thoughts, the air queen sought the mind of her servant.

Nasima found Cybil in the room of history.

She opened a portal to the room and entered silently.

She smiled when she saw Collin flipping through an ancient manuscript while surreptitiously stealing glances at the female air elemental who was practically floating about the space.

The woman moved with inhuman grace as she walked from one side of the room to the other, searching the shelves for books that could hopefully shed light on the rightful ruler of the underworld, and possibly what they could expect from the demons running amok in the human realm.

Nasima cleared her throat, and Cybil immediately turned to face her.

Cybil bowed her head. “My queen.”

Collin quickly stood, shoving his chair backward so hastily that it almost toppled. He, too, bowed his head. “Queen Nasima, it is good to see you again.”

“Likewise, Collin.” She offered him a small tilt of her head. “I see Cybil has recruited you to assist in her research.”

His face flushed as his eyes shifted to the elemental in question and then flicked back to Nasima. “I, uh, figured I had nothing going on at the moment. Might as well help where I can.”

The air queen nodded. “I am sorry you cannot return to the human realm as we’d planned.

” She moved to the table where he’d been sitting.

She counted fifteen books stacked on the table, several of them lying open with their contents on display.

Nasima noted the dates on some of the pages, not surprised to find that Cybil had gone far back into their history, no doubt hoping to find information from before Osiris took over the underworld.

She looked back up at Collin and clasped her hands in front of her.

“With the release of the demons, it is not safe for you in the human realm. And when we brought you here, it was to ensure your safety.”

He nodded and shifted from one leg to the other. “I understand. But I can’t just sit around doing nothing,” he told her. “I may not be any help in saving the world, considering I don’t wield any magic. But this”—he motioned to the books—“is something I can do.”

“Actually”—Nasima smiled—“there is another way you can assist us.” She noticed Cybil step toward the human male.

When Nasima looked at her, the queen saw worry in her servant’s eyes.

“Do not fret, Cybil,” she told her softly.

“I will not put him in danger.” The air elemental blushed but didn’t respond.

Nasima looked back at Collin. “Rory.” She said the young witch’s name pointedly and paused, waiting for his reaction.

He didn’t disappoint. Collin’s eyebrows rose, and his lips drew tight across his face. “How well do you know your niece?”

He reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose as his eyes closed tightly.

When he opened them again, she saw turmoil rolling in their depths like a hurricane.

He started to speak, but his voice was rough, so he cleared his throat and tried again.

“I honestly didn’t know her well. Danni, my sister, kept Rory isolated from those she deemed unhelpful to Rory’s upbringing.

” Nasima didn’t miss the disapproval that filled his voice.

“When the girl first showed up at the coven, I questioned Danni about her. I mean”—he shook his head—“she went from being childless to suddenly having a ten-year-old daughter overnight.”

“And what did she say when you inquired about the child?” Nasima asked. She leaned her hip against the table and folded her arms across her chest.

He chuckled bitterly. “She told me to mind my own business.” Collin’s posture grew rigid. “Danni enjoyed putting people in their place. Considering she was the high priestess of the coven, that meant everyone else’s place was beneath her.”

“Was Rory confused?” Nasima asked. “After all, by ten years of age, a child knows who her family is and where she should live.”

“Every now and then, on the rare occasions I saw her, she looked lost. Like a kid in a store suddenly realizing her parents were nowhere to be seen. But Danni was never far away. And as soon as she noticed the look on Rory’s face, she would suggest that Rory wasn’t feeling good and that she needed some warm tea to help with the supposed ailment.

” He frowned. “It was as if my sister’s words held power over the girl.

And,”he pursed his lips and appeared to be searching his mind,“there were times I wondered if there was something in the tea that affected Rory’s memory. ”

The air queen narrowed her eyes on him. “Why didn’t you intervene?” Nasima hadn’t tried to sound so accusatory, but her tone was a bit sharp even to her own ears.

Collin’s jaw clenched as he met her gaze.

“Do not mistake my inaction for lack of empathy. I was concerned. But going against Danni was akin to declaring war on the coven. She was ruthless. Her thirst for power mattered more than any relationship, blood or not. My sister would have cursed me if I’d attempted to step between her and the plans she had for my niece.

” He shook his head and then abruptly slumped down into the chair behind him.

“I’m not proud of myself. She was just a kid, and I left her in the hands of a monster. ”

Nasima pulled out the chair across from him and lowered herself into it. She rested her forearms on the top and leaned forward. “How old were you when Rory was ten?”

“Eighteen,” he answered.

“You were just a kid yourself then,” she pointed out. “I should have considered that before I asked you about your involvement.”

“It doesn’t matter how old I was,” he snapped. “I should have done something . I knew Rory wasn’t her child. Unless she’d shacked up with some random guy ten years prior, had a kid and left it with him, there was no way she belonged to Danni.”

Cybil walked over and took the remaining chair next to Collin. She rested a hand on his shoulder. “You cannot change the past,” she said in her soft voice. “But you can make different choices for the future.”

“When I returned yesterday, I mentioned to you that Rory was in the dragon realm during the Dark Heart battle,” Nasima said.

“I didn’t have time to discuss her then, but now, I need to know if there is anything you can tell us that might shed some light on what she actually is.

Rory was raised and trained as a witch, but there is more to her than that, more to her story. ”

His brow drew low and his face took on a look of pain as he grimaced.

His hands fisted where they rested on the table.

“The more I think back to that time, the more I feel like there’s something I’m missing,” he admitted.

“It’s like there’s blank spots in my memory.

Maybe that’s why I didn’t ask you about Rory yesterday.

When you said her name, it honestly barely registered.

But now that you’re speaking about her, and asking me questions,” Collin hissed and grabbed his forehead, “my brain feels like bolts of lightning are raining down on it.”

“Does it hurt when you think of her, or when you attempt to access memories from that time period?” Cybil asked, turning her body toward him.

“Just when I try to think of specific things about her,” he answered.

Nasima looked at Cybil. “A memory spell.”

The elemental nodded. “That’s what I’m thinking as well.”

Collin cursed under his breath. “It wouldn’t be the first time my sister used her magic on me.”

“She sounds like a peach,” Cybil said with a sad smile.

“A rotten one filled with worms,” Collin added.

“That’s a lovely image,” Nasima said dryly. “We need to break that memory spell.”

Collin looked at her across the space. “I’m guessing by the lack of emotion on your face that this isn’t going to be a pleasant experience.”

Nasima tilted her head as she examined him. “It will not. And there is no reason to allow you to believe that it will be nothing short of excruciating.”

“How are we going to break it?” he asked, not bothering to address her harsh explanation.

“We need a witch. One we trust.”

He let out a sigh. “Then you’re not going to be able to break the spell. Witches can’t be trusted.”

“Not even Rory?” Nasima asked as she held out her hand and opened a portal that led to the Dark Heart Forest.

“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “A few months ago, I would have said no. She seemed well and truly under my sister's control. What’s changed?”

Nasima smiled and felt a small measure of joy pierce through the despair that weighed her down. “She found her soul bonded.” The air queen motioned to the portal. “Off we go.”

“She what?” Collin asked as he pushed up from the table. “How is that possible? Witches don’t bond.”

“Did you or did you not just point out that Rory showed up with Danni one day with no explanation of where she came from?” Nasima’s brow rose.

“She could have come from another coven,” he argued. “It would be just like Danni to steal another witch's child and raise it as her own.”

“Well, considering she has a soul bonded, I think we can rule out that option,” Nasima clapped her hands. “Now, chop, chop. We have a spell to break and a mystery to solve.”

“You seem awfully chipper to rip my mind open,” he huffed as he walked to the portal.

“No,” Nasima shook her head. “I’m awfully chipper because we have a direction to move with the possibility of answering some questions that could help Rory, and possibly answer more questions about the soul bonded. Your agony is a small price to pay.”

“Says the air queen who won’t be in any pain,” he muttered.

“Cybil,” Nasima looked over her shoulder as she followed Collin through the portal, “please continue your research, and recruit some others to assist you.”

“Of course,” she answered, though her eyes were on Collin. “I will keep him safe,” she told Cybil.