Chapter 44.
Quinn watched as Sarah moved gracefully though the tower room. She was looking at the way the sons of Oberon had set the workspace up and was making good suggestions on changes. He was astonished and startled at how natural her presence in the tower seemed. Having objected to her being there the first time he had rescued her, he now found he not only liked having her there he looked forward to her being there.
"I haven't spent as much time in the tower as I'd like to." She admitted. "But I think it would be wise to make it more user friendly."
"User friendly." He mused. "Odd term that."
Sarah detected a playful note in the Kings voice. "In what way odd?" She asked standing a good distance from him.
Mismatched eyes watched her with feral instinct. "It denotes a certain …familiarity." Like a cat toying with a mouse, Quinn began to walk toward her. "Don't you think?"
"You would prefer I was not…familiar with your tower?" She asked back, the realized her words had meaning she was not wishing. She blushed and turned to look out the tower window on the view she loved. It was unnerving how Quinn could sway her.
Quinn placed a hand on each of her shoulders. "Not at all, we'd love you to be…familiar with our tower." He growled in her ear suggestively.
Her knees turning to Jell-O, Sarah looked sideways. "Do you have to do that?"
He gently moved his hands down her shoulders, over her arms and clasped them under her heart. "As a matter of fact, yes…I do…it's in the contract."
Sarah giggled. "You're a wicked man."
"Which one of us?" He teased.
"Both!" She laughed. "He used his sexuality to try and distract me from saving Toby."
"Ah yes, the merry chase…and I end up with both you and Toby anyway." Quinn said happily.
"By default." Sarah stiffened.
"By default or by design," The elegant Fae crooned softly. "Either way, you are both mine." The King said releasing her from his grasp. He moved back to the spell book. "Now about this book. I say we put it on the shelf and forget it. You should have a book of your own."
"But I don't know how to do anything." She protested the book being removed.
Quinn raised on arm and the book was beyond her reach. "We didn't know anything either when we wrote this. You need to start from scratch."
"What fun is that?" She kept trying to reach for the book out of reach.
At the mention of the word fun, Quinn got a look on his face that said he was up to no good. "Oh it's fun you want, is it?" He was take pleasure from holding her off with on hand. "Well you don't need this old book to have fun. I can provide you will hours of amazing pleasure."
"Oh yeah right." Sarah pulled back. "What happened to wanting a pure and chaste bride?"
"Chaste or chased, matters not to me." Quinn teased. "Besides Sarah, there are other pleasures that have no sexual consequences."
"Ha!" she laughed. "I've been around you Fae too long to believe something like that!"
Putting on his best-shocked face, Quinn opened his mouth as if to protest but no words came out.
"Oh don't try pulling that look on me Quinn, son of Oberon, Lord of Tarsi! I'm on to you and your brother!" Sarah said coming toward him. "He tried to drop me into the bog of eternal stench…." She narrowed her eyes. "Or did he? Quinn…so help me…."
He handed her the book. "Here, with my blessings." He stepped back.
Sarah looked at the book. "Without corrections it does me no good."
"True." Quinn said carefully. "But it could be used as a guide… just to get your feet wet. You could re-write the spells and tailor them to suit you and your own style."
"Style?" She looked at him, "what style?"
Taking the book from her fingers, he tossed it aside, "I was there at the Tourney, Sarah. I know how much style you possess." Raising her hand, he kissed the fingertips. "I have never seen a Mystic enter a Tourney with as much grace as you did. You took my very breath away dressed as you were. Then taunting my Mystic, and challenging his very marrow. You faced down death, and never even broke a sweat…Oh lady you have style."
Sarah blushed like a newborn rose. "Thank you, Sire."
Quinn raised the hand he had been kissing to his shoulder. "Even before you appeared on the battle field you had bewitched me." He placed her other hand to his other shoulder. "Meep said you would mostly enchant our entire clan. He's right, you Sarah Williams are no ordinary girl."
A faint memory of those words used as an enticement raced though Sarah's mind. "Your brother said his gift was not for an ordinary girl who takes care of a screaming baby." She muttered.
"He was as lovesick as a school boy. You reduced him to theatrics." Quinn placed on hand under her chin, the other braced her back. "I am not going to resort to such games Sarah." He kissed her softly. "We, and I do mean we, have seldom come up against anyone who could resist or refuse us." His voice was as soft as the velvet on a rose. "Until you, our love, there was not an equal."
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"When Earth, Wind, Fire and Water meet.
When Fallen and Righteous join, when the fox marries the raven.
Daughter of the Fallen will battle both Healer and Scribe.
In her alone can the Shattered Soul stay alive.
We will know her when we see her, for she will be marked.
She will come from the west, beyond the Vortex of the World, but be of our blood
Daughter of the Night, she walks again.
The ancient war, she yet fights.
Her new lover she seeks, who shall serve her and die, yet serve still.
Who shall stand against her coming?
The Shining Walls shall kneel.
"The Reborn One, marked and bleeding,
dances the sword in dreams and mist, lost and forsaken, truth long hidden in the ancient dream.
Twice and twice shall he be marked, twice to live, and twice to die.
Wakened to turmoil, strife, and ruin.
The seas rage, and storm clouds gather unseen.
Unstained tower breaks and bends knee to the forgotten sign.
The seals that hold back night shall weaken,
Winter's heart shall ride a black horse, and the name of it is Death.
Thus are the final days known.
Luck his soul, the lightning his eye,
He snatches the moons from out of the sky
He turns the Wheel of Time.
The hunt is now begun. The Shadow's hounds now course, and kill.
One did live, and one did die, but both are.
The Time of Change has come.
The Dragon Reborn must kneel before the Crystal Throne before Nephilim spawn, or all is lost."
Cairbre and Anne both sat back with eyes closed, listening to the words Solea read. It had taken hours to unscramble, and both were punchy. The Bard looked at the original packet and then the board they had used to write. "It seems incomplete still."
He tossed his quill narrowly missing the chalkboard. "Something is missing!"
Anne turned to the Bard. "We need to go to whom ever received this part of the prophecy." She fingered the original packet. "I'm beginning to wonder how Elise managed to get her hands on this…she didn't strike me as being spiritual."
The Bard warned softly, "Anne, the one who got this part may not have received the rest." He looked at all the information spread before him. "Lady Laurel only received part…. The first part as we knew it was received by Sahagin, The Sea Hag."
Anne nodded absentmindedly, then blinked. "What did you just say?"
Solea looked at her husband as well.
"The first portion of the prophecy was received by Sahagin, the Sea Hag?" the Bard repeated.
Anne looked at Solea, "A sea spirit?" When the Sprite nodded the redhead went on. "And Lady Laurel is a Dryad…an earth spirit…. Whoever gave this packet over to Elise had to be a Fae…and Air Spirit…. Elise is xenophobic! She would only deal with Fae, and if I judge her character right, she would deal with only pure bloods. Bard are you seeing the same pattern I am?"
"The only thing missing is fire." Solea said in amzement.
"A Fire Spirit has our last portion." Anne said firmly.
"We'd best ask the King and his Mystic to join us." Cairbre said softly. "They need to see what we've uncovered. And if as you say a Fire Spirit has the last of this, the King may know whom we should seek."
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Quinn touched her face with the gloved hand under her chin, his fingers soft on her skin. "I was a fool not to see it."
"You were protecting your brother." Sarah said understandingly.
"No, I was being a prejudice fool." Quinn sighed. "I can be honest about it Sarah."
"Fae honesty is something that is akin to a doubled edged sword I find." She stated.
Nodding, the Fae smiled down into her face. "So wise for one so young."
"My mother use to say I had an old soul." Sarah reminisced.
The mention of her mother had an odd effect on the King, he stiffened and pulled away from Sarah. "Linda Williams." He uttered the name as if it were a curse.
Sarah watched him for a moment then addressed his animosity. "What are you thinking?"
"She must have know something about your father being not quite Humanie." Quinn paced. "We've yet to address what punishment to assign to her."
"Would you punish her if she were innocent?" Sarah questioned quickly.
Mismatched eyes flashed fire; "You think her innocent?" his voice was hard.
Thoughtfully the young woman placed fingertips to her lips. "I think we much address the issue with an open mind. We've yet to question her." Sarah watched the man pace. "If we don't ask, we will never know. Perhaps it's time for a visit to Mother."
Quinn closed his eyes. "It will have to wait, Cairbre is requesting we join them in the War-room to see what they have deciphered." He held a hand out to the Mystic. "Come, dear."
Sarah hesitated, "Not in anger, Quinn." She warned.
Quinn looked at her for a moment with annoyance it soon melted away. "You are right." He opened both arms to her. "Kiss away my bad mood?" He requested softly.
Sarah put her hands on his shoulders. "A request I could never refuse." Her mouth sought his. When the kiss ended she was flushed and so was he. "Now, we can join them."
Quinn scooped her off her feet, "By the blood of the Gods, woman. I will miss you."
Burying her face in his neck, she whispered softly. "I will miss you more."