Chapter Text
“As per your request, your family have arrived. Please follow me.”
Quinn took a deep breath, tugging Theo and Alec by the wrist, as he followed behind one of the royal guards into the adjoining room.
With whatever curse is affecting them, his healing magic is likely to be compromised. A risk he can’t afford to take. Besides, self healing is not only exceedingly difficult, it’s also highly discouraged amongst the healer community. Too many botched experiments occurred behind closed doors.
“Quinn? Darling? Oh dear immortals, what has happened to you?” His mother nearly trampled him as she rushed to his side. Her skilled hands were rapidly assessing his distressed physical state.
“Your scales….your beautiful scales…how could this have happened? Who did this to you? I want names. Now.” His mother continued to rant, not allowing Quinn a single word edge wise. The young healer gave his father and Bharin a pleading glance over his mother’s shoulder.
“Honey, let Quinn breathe. Whatever has happened, we can handle it. He is alive and that’s all that matters.” Thank the immortals for his father’s calm demeanor.
Quinn tightened his hold on Theo’s and Alec’s wrists. He slowly pulled them closer, craving their physical presence as his heart thumped in his chest. His parents were rather accepting people, Quinn knew this for a fact, yet he could not shake off the deep rooted fear of rejection. He wanted his family circle to like his new circle.
“Mama, Dad, I would like you to meet Theodore and Alec. My circle’s alpha and beta respectfully. Theo, Alec, these are my parents. Hiram and Surajini. And this hulking fighter is Bharin. Well, Theo has meet him before, so…. anyways, I’m sorry we’re meeting under ill circumstances, but right now, I don’t have many options. Mama, could you please check them out?”
Quinn frowned slightly at his parent’s lack of movement or verbal response. His anxiety skyrocketed. Did they not approve? A knot of worry churned in the pit of his stomach.
The two of them were frozen in place. Unmoving, unblinking, maybe not breathing either. And Bharin was not faring much better. The usual stoic gheyo appeared stunned beyond belief. The fighter was doing an amazing gargoyle impression.
“Quinn…you’re talking.” His father said in a broken whisper.
Oh.
Oh.
Quinn forgot he had been hiding his vocal recovery. He wanted Harry to be there when he broke the news to his family. Harry deserved the endless love his parents were certain to lavish on the tiny merrow.
“Ah. My bad. I forgot. Yes, I have full use of my voice again.” Quinn unwrapped his scarf, a habit he kept despite no longer requiring it, revealing perfectly unmarked flesh. “Like it was never there.”
His mother’s fingers gently pressed against the base of his throat, staring at past ghosts. “How could this be? I don’t understand. That injury was impossible to heal.”
“Not entirely as you can see. I wanted Harry to be here for this, but the situation is volatile so change of plans. But, it was Harry that healed me. He possesses a special ability that allows him to heal only those that he is bonded to.” A half truth. Harry would likely never use his true gift for anyone outside the circle. So it’s not technically a lie.
Surajini was instantly reduced to big watery tears as she embraced Quinn. “My boy is healed. I can’t believe this. The immortals have heard my prayers. You were fated to be soul bonded to the one person that could heal you. Destiny at work.”
Hiram made a few throaty coughs while valiantly trying to hide his shiny eyes from view. “Seems we are truly indebted to Harry in more ways than one. Speaking of, where is he?”
The news of Harry’s disappearance took Quinn’s family by storm. They vowed to do whatever possible to aid in the searching efforts. Meanwhile, Quinn’s parents worked on mitigating the damage heaving havoc on the three of them.
Theo and Quinn were easier to patch up. Their broken scales were not salvageable, leaving small holes where they had been removed. Luckily all the other injuries were mainly superficial. The markings faded slightly and ceased spreading, but otherwise remained with faint lines.
Alec was a different case altogether. Hiram expressed his concern, and frankly his awe, that Alec remained conscious and upright with the severe damage caused by the vicious curse. Despite numerous attempts and various treatments, none worked. The wounds would return within half an hour as if they never left. The only solution was to resort to physical non-magic treatment. A poultice wrap. It managed the pain and prevented infection. Otherwise the only hope was to remove the curse itself.
The Kalzik family were granted access to the join the assembly being gathered. Quinn was immediately grateful. He desperately needed to feel some sense of comfort and security.
It was fairly easy to forget simply how well connected and high placed Ilsa Gorgons truly was. Quinn had found her presence common place during the past couple weeks considering that Theo and Harry were living with her until their home was built. She lacked the typical arrogance that many of her peers held. A boon that Quinn was immensely grateful for. He wasn’t sure he could mentally endure those characteristics potentially rubbing off onto his bondeds.
However, in this current setting of waiting patiently in the private audience chambers of the Earth Dragel King, it became impossible to ignore Ilsa’s reputation and station among Nevarah. Independently she held an enormous amount of sway from her blood title status. To become a royal champion was a goal many dragels dedicated their entire lives to achieve. Most failed.
The chamber doors slammed open. King Edgar elegantly swooped to his designated chair at the head of the table. His entourage flowed behind at a slower trickle. A personal guard squadron of four, half a dozen advisors, twice as many assistants and all the current clan chiefs filed in and took their respective places around the massive conference table.
A royal welcoming party.
“This better be good. We are dead smack in the middle of The Hunt. The busiest and most important event in the realm. Worse off, it’s earth’s week. My week. So as you all can probably imagine, my work load is beyond comprehension.”
King Edgar’s firm tone demanded absolute attention and full control. “Liz,” Edgar’s focus shifted to a relatively average appearing pareya who shuffled forward and handed him a stack of papers. Complete reports and dossiers on the situation. The King scanned the contents without a single twitch nor change in his demeanor. A testament of the royal’s strength to remain level headed.
“Quite a dilemma indeed. Now I understand why this was brought forward to my attention. This is a grave and dire matter. Liz, reach out to the other crown royal secretaries. Each head of state needs to be informed. Press the importance without giving out details. Last thing we need is this getting to the public. Has King Alcandor and Queen Killigan been made aware? This concerns them more than any other. And someone find and bring Raspen here at once.”
“Yes, Your majesty. I believe both King Alcandor and Queen Killigan have arrived and are being escorted here as we speak. I will send messages to my counterparts now, excuse me.” Liz bowed her head respectively before making a speedy exit.
Quinn reached for Alec’s unseen hand from underneath the table. The beta’s outwardly appearance remained passively stoic, but Quinn knew better. Alec was petrified. This had not been the way any of them wanted the news of their circle to break. And the merrow court was predicated to receive the news the worst.
King Edgar shifted his focus to Theo, giving the young alpha a critical appraisal. “I have heard impressive rumors about you, Mr. Theodore Gorgons Nott. Receiving praise from Champion Ilsa is no simple feat. It spoke a great deal of her trust and commitment towards you. It’s exceedingly rare to encounter one naturally talented as you.”
Quinn felt a pit forming in his stomach. The build up gave the sense of an ulterior motive coming.
“But….perhaps Ilsa was overzealous. You took on more than you could chew. You became arrogant and cocky like most young alphas fall trap to. Did you truly believe that you were special? That your slightly above the norm power and prestige was good enough to trek such an unothrodox bonding without proper support? And now, not only have you put your submissive in immediate harm, but you have risked the entirety of our realm’s safety.”
The Earth King’s eyes flashed with unfathomable power. The air around the imposing figure swirled and distorted as it was unable to withstand the immense pressure and aura radiating out of the dragel sovereign.
Theo swallowed thickly. Quinn didn’t require a bond to know the immense guilt eating away at Theo’s core.
“My King, I am all too keenly aware of my short comings. I do not deny them. I did what I thought was best for my circle. I wanted to honor and respect Harry’s wishes. Would you have expected me to deny my submissive?”
The air vibrated with thinly veiled tension. King Edgar’s controlled expression did not falter, giving zero inclination on his thoughts. “Ordinarily, it is considered a gross overstep of boundaries for anyone outside of a circle, royals included, to dictate a circle’s personal choices,”
King Edgar folded his hands across the table. “However….these are extraordinary circumstances. This Harry Einar, holds a title and social rank that has not been seen since the founding of Nevarah. Ages so long past, that most of what we know of that period has fallen to myth and ruin. There is a strong chance that he has been taken with the sole purpose to destroy our realm.
With his power and blood, there is a worrying possibility that the ancient wards protecting the realm could be compromised. Countless lives are hanging in the balance. Harry should have been brought to our attention immediately. He should have been assigned elite personal guards at all times. Your selfishness and naivety has endangered us all.”
“Now now, King Edgar, let us all calm down. I could feel the building shaking from outside.” Everyone turned to see the duel monarchs of the merrow court entering the chamber.
King Alcandor’s gait was as graceful as a freshly fallen dew drop. The word beautiful lacked the ability to truly encompass the royal merrow. Quinn understood now why merrows were considered the most enchanting of the dragels. Between these two and Harry, there was zero doubt the merrows could dawn a simple smile and take over worlds.
Keen oceanic orbs settled on Alec’s hunched form. “While I do not commend the actions, or in this case, lack of action from this young alpha, we cannot change the past. What was done, is done. Now we must shift focus on what we can do.”
The merrow king stopped in front on Alec. “Are you going to remain as silent as a caught jellyfish, Alec? No recognition for your sovereign?”
The beta winced at the subtle tone the larger merrow commanded. “I must apologise for the lack of ceremony on my part, I’ve been instructed by my healer not to move.”
“Not able to move?” Both Alcandor and Killigan frowned, pretenses falling away. Each of them sniffed the air carefully and winced at the scent that Quinn had tried to mask earlier. “What has happened? You reek of blood and foul magic.”
Alcandor studied Alec’s lithe frame, tugging at the spymaster’s clothing to inspect the damage. A soft angry hiss escaped the royal merrow lips once he noticed the numerous medicinal wrappings tactfully hidden. “Explain. Now.”
Quinn decided to intercede. Alec was looking a bit green around the gills so to speak. “We have yet to pinpoint the cause. We do know that it seems to be backlash that spilled over from our submissive. The magic that stole Harry was immensely powerful. It shattered through Ilsa’s home wards and Harry’s personal wards like butter. Each of us suffered through these fiery marks when Harry called out to us via our bond links.”
The imposing merrow replied with a pondering hum. “I can tell, without a doubt, that this is fae magic. Very ancient at that. I would be quite surprised if any living fae, minus the various queens, know how to cast such twisted gross magic.”
Quinn perked up. “Does that mean you know how to cure it? I can heal the damage, but after some time the wounds reappear. Alec seems to have taken the brunt of the curse, so I have placed healing and soothing balms to minimize the damage.”
Alcandor sighed deeply. “I do posses the ability, however it is as you predicted. You three are only suffering through your connection with your submissive. The curse is not directly placed on you. Therefore I cannot undue it. I must remove it from the source.”
An awkward cough interrupted the conversation. A gheyo joker stepped up looking a tad nervous to speak. Quinn could not blame him in the slightest. This room was over filled with immensely powerful individuals. The healer swore that the air itself was becoming saturated and heavy simply by the residual ambient magic.
“I have our initial report regarding Champion Ilsa’s estate. What is left of it.” King Edgar beckoned for the joker to continue. “As instructed, we surveyed the area. Despite being warned of the instability, we encountered setbacks. The moment we attempted to investigate, we were engaged with hostile magic. Our curse-breaker and ward master were nearly killed in the process of controlling the situation. Unfortunately our curse-breaker was overwhelmed and his left arm has been compromised.”
“Compromised? You’re telling me one of our most elite teams fell victim to residual magic? How is that possible?” A new voice spoke. Raspen, the crowned prince of the earth courts, crossed the chambers, taking a seat beside his king.
“We had not expected such a fierce reaction. The curse left behind by the submissive was extensive to say the least. The magic was woven by converting the estate’s intrinsic wards to become completely offensive. The wards were refocused to be made undetectable and triggered by anyone not already keyed into the wards beforehand. Then a failsafe lock was created to prevent someone from forcibly adding themselves to the wards, therefore impossible to avoid the intended goal.
We discovered the curse is combination of an advance sticky charm and an advance form of the dehydration charm. Within thirty seconds, any living creature would be reduced to jerky. It appears that the caster wanted to inflict a gruesome slow ending to his potential attackers. It was by luck that we were able to escape the worst of it. We successfully disarmed the curse after consulting other curse-breakers. It was a masterful trap. We were caught unprepared. Our mission details were to investigate a magic overload and forced teleportation, not wide spread, multi-layered cursed land.
Lastly, we are able to confirm with King Alcandor’s assessment. The initial magic that triggered the forcible teleportation was indeed fae in origin. A brand of fae fire that none of us on the team has encountered before.”
“And all of this was done while the submissive was being tortuously transported against his will? What a fearsome creature. If he was able to do all of that in a spilt moment, I shudder to think what he would install with proper time and resources.” Raspen shook his head with disbelief.
Despite the situation, Quinn felt a tiny wave of pride warm his soul. Harry vastly underestimated himself and it was nice to see others recognize his potential. Theo may be wallowing too much to appreciate this moment, but at least Alec proved to be consistent. The feral beta held a mischievous grin, looking much too pleased by his submissive’s vindictive nature.
An eerie silence fell before the group. It was a lot of information to gather and soak in. The current facts laid out a potentially disastrous outcome. Two separate, highly trusted sources have confirmed that the culprit appears to be fae oriented.
“Alright. Let us take a moment. We cannot allow ourselves to accidentally place blame in a direction that would lead to…undesirable outcomes. As far as we are aware, there is no motive. The various fae kingdoms and clans have been peaceful with us for thousands of years. I cannot see them risking to change that status.” King Edgar sat back in his seat, appearing weary beyond his years.
Theo snapped his head up, golden eyes whirling back to life. “Harry told me once before that he had major issues with the fae. He didn’t give me details, but his reactions concerning them was out of place.”
Quinn nodded in agreement. “That’s true. He strongly dislikes Kyle, my adoptive brother, who is an earth fae. Harry warned me to never trust the fae. It took a lot of persuasive cuddles to get Harry comfortable enough to let me return to working the clinic with Kyle.”
Queen Killigan pursed his lips. “Well, I confess that is suspicious, but does not bring us any closer to an answer. Redirecting, our first priority is to find Harry. It’s clear he is not in Nevarah. Our numerous tracking spells have come out empty. We will have to reduce potential realms otherwise it could take decades to comb through them all.”
King Edgar brought his attention to Ilsa, who had removed eerily quiet through this entire ordeal. “Ilsa, you mentioned in your report that Harry had ties to the Wizarding World? What are the chances he would be there?”
Theo shook his head. “Extremely unlikely. The fae population there has been reduced to tiny scattered settlements that are mainly composed of members with less than half fae bloodlines. They lack the numbers and physical power to pull off something like this.”
“Ilsa informed me that you are also from the Wizarding world. You spent your childhood there. Did your bonded have significant enemies there? Any little detail you provide is crucial to our success.”
Theo’s jaw twitched. “I’m not at liberty to discuss my submissive’s past.”
“Come now, young alpha, this is not the time to play heroics. If you are aware-“
Theo pounded the table with his fists, splitting the crafted wood down the center. “Your majesty, with no disrespect, I meant that literally. Whether I personally want to or not is irrelevant. My oath binds me to secrecy. And if I am being honest, oath or not, I would remain faithful to my bonded’s request.”
The room once again was basked in awkward silence. The earth king raised an eyebrow in disapproval, yet could not refute Theo’s resolve.
“Then, in place of my mentee’s inability to speak on the matter, I shall do it in his place.” Ilsa spoke, her eyes sullen and downcast.
The tension in the air thickened to new levels. Theo’s golden wings shook, vibrating with barely contained rage, as he scrambled to his feet only to be restrained by two royal guards. “No! No, you can’t. You swore to Harry too. He will never trust you again if you betray your word. Please, we can figure this out without forcing you to cast away your vow.”
“Perhaps young Theodore is correct-” Alcandor began to defend before Ilsa cut the merrow king off.
“He may be right, but we simply do not have the time to waste. I am willing to accept the consequences of my actions. I am fully aware what breaking my oath may incur. I believe the situation at hand with the safety of the realm in question, it is my duty and responsibility to use all the knowledge we have at our disposal.”
Quinn watched as Theo fell to his knees, tears threatening to fall. “Please….no. Oretta, this is a mistake.”
Ilsa gave Theo a warm sad smile. She knew perfectly well of the consequences, however despite it, her resolve remained.
“I will request that only the royals can hear what I have to say. To reduce the spread of information and to preserve Harry’s dignity.”
“A fair request. Everyone else, give us the room. The Einar circle may remain.” Edgar commanded.
Theo did not cease his pleas as the chamber was cleared out, but each of them fell on deaf ears.
Alec eventually managed to get Theo to stop, carefully wrapping the distraught alpha into an embrace. “Shhh. It’ll be ok. Harry will understand. He’s not cold hearted. He will forgive her once his temper calms and all will be good.”
“Alec, it’s not Harry wrath I worry for.” The alpha’s voice grew heavy with terror. Theo’s true fear was the wrath of Lady Magic herself. To break a sacred oath was never to be taken lightly, but when it invoked Harry? Magic itself seemed to pay special attention to his feral treasure. Theo felt it before. He knew that he and every other soul bonded to Harry have not been forgiven. Not truly. Not by Magic.
Harry’s story was told. No detail was spared. At least the ones that Ilsa was privy to knowing. Hearing the tale once again, was akin to being stabbed in the heart.
Repeatedly.
With a dull stick.
Quinn and Alec both grimaced throughout the telling, but for Theo, it was his greatest failure being displayed. He dejectedly withered in his spot, appearing more akin to kicked puppy than a fearsome dragon.
The shock of the truth rippled across the leaders of the Nevarah. Stunning them all into grief-stricken silence. A valid reaction. Harry’s past was gruesomely sorrowful and twisted beyond comprehension.
Ilsa let out a sudden gasp as her retelling came to an end. Forming on both of her wrists were links of complex runes that glowed like hot embers.
Theo’s heart plunged to his stomach. Magic did not spare his Oretta after all.
“It seems I have drawn the judgment of the Immortals after all.” Ilsa stated much too casually. Her magical aura began to shrink, fading from everyone’s senses until it was completely undetectable.
Quinn knew better than most what punishment had been given. A forbidden seal used to prevent the use of magic. It fully disconnected a being from their own source of magic.
This is typically used in extreme medical circumstances and even then, only for very brief periods of time.
For a dragel…it’s a terrible sentence. For many, it would be kinder to die than to live without their magic.
The royal’s expressions varied with shock and pity as the realization sunk. Ilsa’s willingness to break her oath held significant ramifications.
Theo slumped into Alec’s embrace as despair overruled his emotions. The beta looked mildly distressed as the merrow tried his best to comfort the forlorn alpha. Alec was not exactly known for his soft reassuring touch. That was mainly Harry’s and Quinn’s department.
The earth king coughed loudly, diverting the attention off Ilsa’s newfound state. “If it was not for Ilsa, whom I trust completely, telling me of Harry’s true past and identity, I must confess I would not believe such a tale.
I…must admit, I regret my words and tone earlier. If I had been you, I may not have faired quite as well as you have. I know of no circles that have had such a chaotic beginning. Most would have died or killed each other. Harry’s isolation may be the sole reason you and all the other soul bonded remain alive. Any other ferros submissive would have likely gone mad and hunted down its bonded to enact revenge.”
Theo peered at the King Edgar with an unreadable emotion. “I couldn’t blame him if he did. The Immortals know that I deserve it and they will never allow me to forget.”
Quinn and Alec shared a look over their alpha’s cryptic wording. They all need to have a serious conversation. This constant guilt and blame game cannot remain. However that’ll have to wait until Harry was found and safe in their arms.
“I see. Well, I believe with the information we’ve gathered-“
The King’s words froze in his throat. A sudden static sensation froze everyone in place.
A tidal wave of overwhelming magic slammed into the foundations of the building, forcing dust and debris clouds to obscure the air. Windows vibrated violently against the onslaught before the sound of shattering glass rang in everyone’s ears. The ripple of external magic crested until the walls and ceilings began to crack with terrible splintering noises underneath the sheer pressure.
Theo, Alec, and Quinn hissed and cried out in agony as their heads pounded against an unforeseen invasion. The three of them were brought to their knees, gasping for air. A terrible mournful cry echoed in their minds. A wailing worse than the last breaths of a banshee.
“Harry?” Theo’s shaky voice was hardly distinguished through the chaos.
The four royals present were fairing slightly better, although by the sight of them pressing their hands into their temples and paled complexions, they had not been left unscathed.
The magic in the air shifted, transforming. The atmosphere thickened, a heaviness that made gravity feel like it doubled spontaneously.
Another ripple surged. This time, alarms blared to life. Emergency lightening darkened the ambience as periodic flashing of sirens disorientated people from the outside.
Faint screams and yells could be heard from every direction. Guards were pouring in, looking mad with alertness and readiness for combat.
They readied their weapons and magic to prevail against unseen attackers, prepared to lay down their lives to protect their leaders.
The lamenting and longing howl was replaced with a deep booming bellow. A draconic roar that encompassed wrath incarnate. A burning hate that threatened to burn the skies and boil the seas. An impending doom.
This was nothing short of a call to war.
It sent spine curling shivers down the backs of everyone present. The caterwaul eventually ceased, leaving the group shaken. Overwhelming trepidation remained. This was an omen beyond anyone here could fathom.
“What…in the Immortal’s great heavens was that?” Raspen question with an uneven breath.
Before a reply could be formed, Liz, the royal secretary for the earth courts, rushed into the chamber. The impressive doors fell off their hinges as she shoved her way inside. Her bun had fallen loose, clothing disheveled, and her eyes wide with sheer panic.
“Your Majesties, please forgive me, but matters have grown out of control. We are getting reports from all across the realm. All of Nevarah’s wards have been activated.”
King Edgar stood rapidly knocking his chair to the ground. “What do you mean all of them?!”
Liz swallowed nervously. “The Ward Towers across the realm begun to glow several moments ago without prompt or orders from any Tower Command Squad. Every barrier ward was activated.”
The three members of the Einar Circle watched with puzzled expressions as four royals shared bewildered glances.
“Will someone please explain? What does that mean? I was under the impression Nevarah’s wards remained constantly erect.” Alec questioned.
It was King Alcador that replied. “Yes and no. The realm does have certain wards active at all times. Mainly detection and monitoring wards. The realm itself exists in its own dimension as you well know. Not exactly a simple task for a group to invade considering you have to know how to enter Nevarah.
We keep realm wide wards light, on the account that the power required to fuel a single barrier on such a massive scale is burdensome.
While we have magic reserved and stored away for emergency activation, we have not utilized the full scope of the wards in over two thousand years.
As it stands, the entirety of the realm is on lockdown. Nothing can enter or leave. There are multiple wards that make the realm and everything within undetectable and untraceable. If by chance someone manages to locate us and attempts to transverse the barrier, they’ll be met with very unpleasant offensive spells.”
“With that being said, I have more news in regard to that.” Liz nervously glanced between the dragel leaders. “Reports are pouring from all over stating….”
“Yes?” King Edgar asked impatiently.
Liz looked like she wanted to vanish from existence than say more. “Reports detailing that all fae within the boarders are being forcibly teleported outside of Nevarah by the Old Caspers.”
An eerie chilly silence took ahold of the room. Everyone’s mind was compiling the information.
A deep tiresome sigh spoke as the mood of the room. “At least….there are no doubts to Harry’s heritage. There is not a single royal that can active our defense system alone. From what we knew, it was impossible. The process was designed purposely so that no single dragel could attempt to take over the realm. Clearly there are exemptions to what we knew.” Killigan stated.
“This is a disaster! Of epic proportions! There is no time for us to idly chat away possibilities of what may be. This stray newcomer has essentially declared war against the fae and dragged the entirety of the realm with him! And not a single one of us knows a damn thing! Soon enough, the fae will demand answers. Answers we cannot provide. We will appear disorganized and divided. The fae will certainly use that to their advantage. Millennia of peace is about to be shattered all because of a single selfish submissive.” Edgar shouted, rage and fear fueling his wicked words.
“Now now, let’s calm down. Theo, sit down before someone gets hurt. Edgar did not mean to say such treasonous words, isn’t that correct?” Alcandor’s sharp eyes bore into the earth king, daring him to refute the merrow king. “Because I know he would not dare insult one of Nevarah’s founders and creators will such disrespect.”
Edgar stilled, eyes flashing. White knuckles appeared ready to smash and spilt the ground into rubble. Tension between earth and sea rose. “You defend him only because he is one of your kind. Do not stand there and pretend that his actions do not enrage you. He has forced our hand. Tens of thousands of lives hang in the balance of the whims of a young naive teen.”
“Don’t be foolish. His merrow status is irrelevant. He is first and foremost a dragel. In fact, so am I. If you have forgotten, Harry was captured. Likely by fae considering the evidence. If true, the fae courts are the ones to blame for breaking peace.”
Raspen, thankfully, stepped in before the situation escalated more than it has. “Okay that’s enough. We do not need to be at each other’s throats. Not now. My father did not mean to insult Harry. Despite these circumstances, Nevarah herself has declared and accepted Harry as her own. Or….vice versa? Whichever. If he has chosen to go against the fae, I would like to believe it’s for good reason. It’s our responsibility to fulfill our obligations and duties as royal members of the realm.”
Killigan and Alcandor nodded in agreement. “Well said. We will need to convene with the other court rulers immediately. Whatever path we take, we must do it in solidarity.”
Edgar’s displeasure did not fade, however he knew when he was beat. “How long until the Towers can figure out an override? We need to be able to leave if we have any hope to find the submissive.”
Liz glanced to the shuffling unease of an advisor who had yet to say a single word since the discussions began.
A lanky earth pareya shuffled forward. He clearly hadn’t expected to be called upon. He nervously fidgeted by pulling on his fingers. The sight was quite endearing if the situation wasn’t dire.
“Uh, hello, I’m Ethan for those that do not know me. I’m one of Nevarah’s historians. While I have little knowledge on the art of warding itself, I happen to know a fair bit of the history of the wards themselves. I believe that even with all of the current court rulers in attendance, the wards will not respond. They were activated by a higher authority and if the realm herself approved, our only chance is to break the wards or find a fail safe.”
“Of course. Why not? It’s not as if the situation wasn’t exceedingly difficult already.” The Earth King hissed out with growing exasperation.
“Mhm. Fail safe you say?” Queen Killigan tapped his chin in thought as he nonchalantly side-stepped away from a sizable piece of the roof that would have squashed him. “I believe we already have our fail safes, right here.” He eyed the three members of the Einar circle.
“Uh, Harry never told us anything about his ward abilities-“ Theo started.
“No no. I’m sure he didn’t. But what he did do, was leave you a piece of himself. Or rather, his unique brand of magic. I’ve been wondering since I got here why I can’t easily trace your magical signatures.
I can only assume that Harry ensured a way to protect you. You must not have spent much time around ward users, because if you had, you would know a warding master would never leave his precious belongings without proper protection.”
Killigan stepped closer, picking Alec as he was more familiar and in tune with the beta. With glowing sharp fingernails, the royal merrow appeared to pinch the thinnest, clearest barrier that encased Alec like a second skin. The magic smoothly flowed like a silk sheet shifting and warping like fluid before vanishing from sight again.
“Thought so. Each of you posses a blood ward tied to your submissive’s magic. I cannot fathom the purpose of the ward as it’s not designed to reflect damage nor to track you. However, its purpose is irrelevant at the moment. This bubble Harry created should allow you bypass the realm’s wards as you’ll be detected as an extension of Harry himself.”
“Blood wards? There’s no chance. We’ve would have known about a ritual on that scale.” Quinn supplied as he rapidly scrolled through the past few weeks of memories. Blood magic is complex and considered only second in difficulty after soul magic. It’s not exactly a subtle magic that can be performed unknowingly. While some types of blood magic happen natively, like claim marks, most require years of study and explicit intent.
Alec let out a half hearted laugh. “Our claiming bites. Harry must have secretly done it then while we willingly shared blood. It was the perfect timing.”
Quinn paled at the notion. Exchanging claim markings is one of most instinctive and natural actions a dragel will experience. To think that Harry had a clear enough mind to perform any spell, much less overlap blood magic at that time is a miracle level feat. Quinn could barely recall his own name when he exchanged his with Harry.
“We really need to tell Harry to stop doing miraculously reckless things. My poor heart can’t handle it all.”
Killigan shared a soft smile. “Well, thanks to his overprotective tendency, he has created a way for you to find him. Unlike any other personal ward I’ve seen, instead of using your own core as an anchor point, Harry used his own. Likely due to the fact that he feared your own cores would not be able to handle the strain of whatever this ward is design to do. This means that you can use the connection to locate your missing submissive. You just need to be in same realm.”
Visible tension of relief poured out of Theo’s rigid body frame. “We can find him?” Golden eyes shimmered with the kindling of hope.
Quinn hid his tangible relief. The healer had genuinely feared Theo would spiral into despair and go mad with the looming possibility of total failure. Alphas have gone insane for less.
“Ideally, yes. His magical signature is profound. There’s no mistaking it. And as his bonded, you’ll be able to sense it with greater accuracy. However…” The merrow queen’s expression darkened as they returned to their king’s side. “You cannot pursue a rescue. Not yet. Without the possibility of back up, you three are far from capable of storming whatever entrapment Harry is being held in.”
Theo and Alec growled at the insult, fangs and claws flashing ominously. Alcandor rolled his eyes at the sight, finding it completely non-threatening. “Will you two relax? It wasn’t meant as a poor reflection of your capabilities. It’s reality. Get on board or you’ll never be able to save your submissive.”
Killigan continued without missing a beat, disregarding the interruption. “First off, you three need rest. All of you are recently recovering from a potent curse and Alec is absolutely in no condition to be mounting a rescue. He’s wrapped up like a second rate mummy at the moment.
Secondly, Quinn is a healer. By default, a healer is going to avoid frontline combat. That leaves two of you to handle an unknown amount of enemies. While I know you three are rather gifted, you are also young, inexperienced, and in the grand scheme of things, untrained for a mission of this magnitude.”
“So what? That’s a risk we’re willing to do. We can’t abandon Harry.” Alec snapped back.
“I never said that. We need time to gather our forces. Time to formulate a plan. Rushing in blindly is a foolish endeavour that more than likely will bring harm to your bonded. Is that what you want?”
The three members of the Einar circle gave each other long and hard looks. As painful as it may be, Killigan’s words held truth. Even if Harry’s location was known, they severely lacked the ability to act.
For now, the three of them agreed. They will work themselves nonstop until they increase their power to get their submissive back.
Theo’s golden eyes gleamed with hard resolve. “We’re coming for you Harry. Just hold on a little longer.” His voice was soft, but his conviction rang clear with promise.