Chapter 128

Over the next few days, the High Lords began sending in their replies to Lucien's letters, and he began compiling possible dates for the meeting that Helion and Eris wanted. As pretty much everybody was on good terms for the first time he could recall in a while, it was easier than previous meetings he had tried to organise. It was decided that the High Lords would all come to the Day Court by the end of the week and, when they had all arrived, they would work out the plan and contributions for the reestablishment of the trade routes. For just about the first time ever, Lucien was fairly confident that they would be able to come to some arrangement within a couple of days, and nobody would be too put out at all. He couldn't remember the last time he was this hopeful about a meeting of the High Lords.

He found Helion out on one of the balconies that the High Lord favoured in the afternoons, and Lucien seated himself in a vacant chair with a flop. Helion raised an eyebrow at him, steepling his fingers. "You have news?"

"I do." Running his hand through his hair, Lucien smiled. "They have all agreed to be here within the week."

"That is impressive."

"I think that they're all keen to get these trade routes up again, because it will benefit each of them."

"Good." Helion leaned back in his seat. "If they're all motivated to get it happening then there will be no resistance to the idea."

"I think also," Lucien went on, "that because they know what to expect, because they have a model of what it will look like, being what it was before Amarantha put a stop to it, they are able to envision what benefit they would have and how it would work."

"That's probably true." Helion was looking at him, eyes intent. "One does tend to fear the unknown."

"Some do." Lucien muttered, twisting his hands a little in his lap.

"Do you have something on your mind?"

Letting out a small huff, Lucien considered. Helion was far older than he was, and had been the High Lord of the Day Court for centuries. It was no secret that the Day Court had been in charge of collecting Pyrthian's knowledge, so it would stand to reason that Helion held a great deal of that knowledge himself. "Do… you know much about seers?"

"Oh." The High Lord crossed one graceful leg over the other, his eyes still intent upon Lucien. "What is it that you would like to know?"

"Elain and I did some reading… and… nearly everything we found suggested that seers tend to lose their minds."

Helion nodded slowly, his amber gaze solemn, and Lucien's heart sank. "It is not uncommon." The High Lord said softly.

"Not uncommon?" Lucien asked, honing in on that one word. "Does that mean not inevitable?"

"Certainly it's not inevitable."

"How?" He was leaning forward in his chair now, his eyes on his father. "What can I do?"

"You?" Helion just about purred the word.

"Yes." Lucien told him, "Whatever it is, I will do it…"

"And if it's not up to you?"

Lucien set his jaw, blinking slowly. "I will ensure it is done."

"The seer…" Helion began, "needs to properly anchor themselves." He looked at Lucien. "Often their minds seek visions and they lose their way back to themselves. If they have a way to find their path home…"

"A tether." Lucien murmured the word mor to himself than Helion but the High Lord appeared to hear him nonetheless.

"Yes." Helion tilted his head, "Is that what your instinct told you?"

"I told Elain I could use the bond to find her, and bring her back." Lucien ran a hand over his face.

"That would be effective." Helion agreed, his eyes crinkling at the edges. "The Cauldron has provided her with what she needs. When it Made her, it gave her this gift of Sight. It also gave her you, someone who would know how to save her."

Lucien looked at Helion silently. "I didn't know." He murmured after several moments. "I was guessing…"

"You were going off of your instinct, which is exactly what you should do. Trust yourself."

"I can't gamble…" Lucien said, "Not with her."

"You are the son of the High Lord of the Day Court." Helion told him firmly, "This kind of thing is exactly what we are good at."

Spell-Cleaver. Lucien tilted his own head, looking again at Helion. "I… I have used… some of the magic I think came from you…"

"Oh?" there was a note of interest in the High Lord's voice then, and Lucien nodded.

"When Hybern had Elain thrown into the Cauldron and then dumped on the floor, before I even knew her… I broke the spell he had on me, binding me… I wanted to get to her so desperately that… I … just… did…"

"Before you even knew her?"

"I knew that she was Feyre's sister… a human… that was about it." He paused for a second, "I suppose part of me recognised that she was my mate…"

"Likely." Helion's eyes moved over Lucien again before the High Lord smiled. "Any other talents of mine?"

"In the Autumn Court when a few of my brothers came to kill me in the night…" Lucien cast his mind back to the night he had awoken to a blade at his throat, and Elain face down on the bed with his brother's knee in her back. "One of them held Elain… and… I… burned him… with light?" He still didn't understand exactly what had happened, but he was thankful that whatever he had done had been effective.

"Your mate has brought your true nature to light…" Helion smiled brightly at him. "So to speak…"

The corner of Lucien's lips quirked in a smile at that. "Yes…" He ran his hands through his hair again, glancing once again at Helion. What the High Lord had told him had done rather a lot to soothe his mind, and his heart. He would have to tell Elain what he had learned, and he knew that it would soothe her as well. She would have no further reason to fear her abilities, or fear what she was . The fact that they were mates would protect her. She hadn't been Made one without the other. Helion was right. The Cauldron had looked after her when it had done as it had.

"No doubt you wish to share this information with Elain."

"I do." Lucien couldn't help but smile. "Thank you. I know that she will find I comforting, knowing that you agree that we have a way of preventing her from going the way all the others we read about have."

"If you would like to find some books on seers who did not go mad…" Helion's face was thoughtful for a moment, "The library to the north of the city…"

"That would be most welcome." Lucien made a mental note to get to that library.

"While there," Helion told him, "You would also find some histories of several of the previous High Lords of this Court…"

Lucien's gaze caught on Helion's amber eyes, his breath catching in his throat. He hadn't considered doing that. If he could read about the previous High Lords he could learn so much about his family and, even possibly, his abilities. The thought of that knowledge heated his blood and he nodded enthusiastically. "I will…"

"Excellent."

Getting to his feet, Lucien looked at his father once again. "Thank you." He said, "Really. Thank you for speaking with me about this… Elain… all of it…"

Helion just smiled at him and nodded. "It was my pleasure, Lucien."