Bound by Devotion

Chapter Nine

"What is going on, Cora?" Eve asked, turning to her friend.

"Have a seat," she waved in the direction of the sitting area.

Eve did what she said and waited. Kornae stood behind her chair with his hands on the back and Eve almost leaned back, wanting to feel the warmth of his skin. But somehow stopped herself.

"My friend from the Shadow court, Ryon, shared some information with me. Not all of it I recorded. The things I did are non-personal. The personal ones, I kept in here." She tapped the side of her head. "Those are things I also didn't share with you, Eve. I don't share secrets."

Eve nodded, wondering where this was all going.

"Of the things he told me in the somewhat personal range was a rumor of the king, once visiting here, taking a cutting of the Queen's roses. A cutting that he planted in soil taken from Seelie, because very little grows in the Shadow lands anymore. He fueled these roses into growing using magic. 'The only thing of beauty in now heartless world' was what he said." She stopped for a long moment. "I wondered about something. His sigil was the rose and then it was abused. I imagine that others that might have been slain bore the same 'gift'." She met Eve's eyes. "Did he plan all of this in some hope of getting a message to you? With the ash of that one, I would imagine the whole bush to be gone, purpose served." 

"But, that's insane." Eve jumped to her feet. "I was supposed to get my throat cut in order to get a message from the king? He's spoken to me. Why couldn't he tell me?"

"What could he say?"

"I don't know, maybe 'I'm the king, come save my ass'?"

Cora's lips twitched. "And you would have believed him?"

"Absolutely not."

Cora grew quiet. "I can't imagine the amount to strength it takes him to speak to you across realms."

Eve shuddered, retaking her seat. "And to stop time." Violet eyes watched her. "I know, I know... He probably didn't want me to die in order to get the rose." She sighed and leaned back for a moment, forgetting where Kornae's hands were. They moved quickly. She tilted her head back. "Sorry." That tiny secret smile was sexy even upside down and Eve looked forward again. "Naiel is looking in Seelie for another far-seer. I imagine that anyone sympathetic to the king's cause would have been dealt with and the 'gift' left to taunt us." Warm hands touched her shoulders and she swallowed.

"Did the..." Cora took a shaky breath and Eve was supremely relieved to know that she was just as affects as herself. "Did the king say anything else?

"The usual, 'set me free or all faerie will perish'. Like, I didn't know that last part. And, the most cryptic message... 'When shadows move, come to me'."

"I'll have to think on it. I've been dealing with prophecy for a while, though nowhere near as long as Naiel. But from the sound, don't go yet. You have to wait for a specific message, or sign."

"Waiting is fine. I have a lot to do in the meantime. I'm so bad at hand to hand, I would probably knock myself out. Magic isn't quite as bad, but I once had a great teacher." Hands tightened on her and she smiled.

Kornae spoke up, "With my Queen's permission, I would like to speak on something."

Why did that scare her?

~~~

"Permission granted," she said looking back up at him. "Provided you put your thumb just a little to the left."

He grinned and her heart stopped. Completely stopped. Then fought to catch up by racing.

She had to look away, had to, because she was going to do something, say something to drive the volatile Fae away again. Cora met her eyes and they shared a look.