g Cyrus can be.”
“Oh? I think he’s positively charming,” I deadpanned.
She laughed outright. “Isn’t he just?” She swiped a tear from the edge of her gaze and shook her head. “He’s a stubborn one; that’s for sure.”
“Understatement,” I muttered. “I’m sure he means well, but yeah, he’s a force of nature.”
Elana nodded. “Yes. He’s definitely his father’s son. Strong-willed and dominant and unfailingly loyal.” She finished her tea and set it off to the side with an indulgent smile. “You may not want to hear it, but you’re very much like your mother, Claire. The history everyone speaks about her is tainted in so many ways.” She lost some of her sparkle, her features falling. “The Ophelia I knew was determined, smart, and so very talented.”
I leaned forward, intrigued to hear more about the mother I didn’t know. Elana had mentioned her in passing a few times but never provided much context. This was the first time she’d indicated any doubts about my mother’s legacy. “What do you mean by ‘tainted’?” I asked.
She sighed, waving her hand and dissolving the pixies to dust on the table. Normally, this was when she shed a tear, but she seemed too distracted by the past to see the present.
“There’s so much about those days that remains unclear. I mean, for one, they never found your mother’s body. And Mortus sometimes swears he can sense her.”
“Wait… I thought he killed her?” Why would he talk about sensing her if he knew she was dead? Did he believe in ghosts or something?
“Oh, he claims to have killed her, yes. But no one actually found her remains.” She pinched her lips to the side, and then sighed. “Honestly, I don’t know why I even bother speculating. It was an impossible fight for her to survive, and her body likely dissolved beneath the energy backlash of a failed bond. But the plague that followed doesn’t really make any sense. Fae dropped to the earth in waves, their souls snatched from their bodies as if sucked up into the clouds. It was all very suspicious, for lack of a better term.”
Elana swallowed, her hands clasping tightly over the ornate table of her dining room. Ghosts danced in her gaze, painting a haunting history one had to live through to understand, and it scattered goose bumps down my arms.
“Chaos rained down upon us, Claire. For weeks. It’s truly hard to say what did and did not occur.” Her silver eyes met mine, her expression grim. “Your mother’s infidelity is absolute and you’re living proof, but circumstances of that decision seem, well, harsh.”
“The plague is spreading to the Earth Fae.” I’d witnessed it with my own eyes. Two Earth Fae students had gone home ill in the last month, leaving Sol even more aloof each time. He seemed to blame himself for surviving, and I saw the worry in his gaze for each of his classmates. I wished there was something I could do, even if it was just to talk to him, but whenever I brought it up, he changed the topic to training or some sort of instruction. Then he’d find a way to excuse himself.
“It is spreading, yes,” Elana confirmed quietly. “They blame the Spirit Fae, but there’s not many of us left to take credit. Which is why I’m so focused on harmony—because I believe the cause isn’t a shattered bond at all, but distrust amongst fae kind. Rather than work together to survive, we’ve divided our elements into kingdoms and fight for power amongst ourselves. It’s why you’re so important, Claire. You hold the key to bring us all together.”
“Because I have all five elements,” I whispered.
“Exactly.” Her shoulders relaxed, her lips curling. “It’s not a discussion for today, dear Claire, but you must see your potential. There are those who wish to destroy it. I would prefer we cultivate it. It could be the key to saving us all.”
I wasn’t sure how I felt about either alternative. One clearly equated to death, while the other hinted at the possibility of being used.
“Chancellor.” Titus’s voice came from the doorway, his tone modest, while his fire warmed my skin.
“Yes, yes, it’s time.” Elana waved her hand, standing.
“I didn’t mean to rush you,” he said, sounding contrite.
“Oh, no, we’ve already gone over. It seems to be a continuous habit.” She winked at me. “Same time next week?”
I nodded. “Yes, please.”
“Excellent.” She beamed at Titus. “You can have your mate back now, Fire Fae. Be good to her.”
“I will, ma’am,” he promised, his arm settling around my lower back as I stood.
Elana gave a wave, showering the room in dust that grew into an army of new pixies. “We have a dinner to prepare, little ones,” she announced, her focus having already shifted to the next task at hand.
Titus and I left in the middle of her instructions, his lips curled in amusement. “You should do that in the Spirit Quad. They could cook all our meals.”
“I think Vox enjoys the kitchen too much to allow that to happen,” I teased. “But maybe they could help us clean?” The boys were messy. Especially Sol, who seemed to track loose stones everywhere he went.
“True.” He brushed his lips against my temple, guiding me out of the house and down to the trail that led us back to campus. “How was your lesson?”
“Good.” I frowned, thinking about what Elana had revealed. “Actually, it was enlightening.”
“How so?”