Chapter 138

The sun was on its way to setting, and Feyre had gone off in search of Rhys, when Nesta had seized Elain by the arm and dragged her down yet another hallway. At first Elain had been surprised but, as she struggled to keep up with her sister's long strides, she grew irritated at being hauled around like a child. "Nesta!" she exclaimed, exasperated. "Where are we going?"

Her sister looked over her shoulder at her and Elain wrenched her arm free from the iron grip with which she was being held. "To find Helion."

"What?" Elain rubbed at her arm, hoping that she wouldn't bruise. "I was going to see if Lucien was back. I haven't seen him since before the High Lords' meeting this morning."

"I'm sure we will be waiting after we're done with Helion." Nesta said. "I want to ask him about your Seer abilities."

"You want to ask him if he thinks I'll go mad."

"Not in those words." Nesta frowned, taking Elain's hand. "Come on… it won't take long. Please."

Sighing, Elain cast a longing glance back up the hallway toward the room she shared with Lucien before nodding and allowing Nesta to continue pulling her up the hallway. "Alright…"

They found Helion in one of his private study rooms, reclining in a comfortable looking armchair and lifting a small goblet of golden liquid to his lips. "Ahh… two of the Archeron sisters." He raised his goblet to them in a small gesture of greeting before downing half of its contents.

"We want to ask you some questions." Nesta said, as blunt as ever. Helion raised an eyebrow and Elain bit back a sigh.

"If… that's alright." She said, hoping to make up for some of Nesta's harshness.

"Of course." Helion smiled almost indulgently. "I always have time for you."

Casting a sideling look at her sister, Elain edged closer as Nesta placed her hands on her hips. "It's about Elain being a Seer." Nesta said, "What do you know about the others losing their minds?"

Helion nodded slowly, his amber eyes turning serious as he looked at Nesta. "The same that Lucien and Elain discovered in their initial research. Many of the well-known seers lose themselves in their visions."

Nesta made a frustrated noise and clenched a handful of her dress. "And?" she pressed, "What does that mean for Elain?"

Leaning forward in his seat, resting his elbows on his knees, Helion turned his voice gentle. "It is not the fate of all seers." He told them both, his eyes still on Nesta. "I would think that more of the well-known seers experience this fate as they use their abilities more frequently, and in a much more extensive way, than others. This speeds up the unfortunate…" he made an odd gesture with his hands, "consequences…"

"And Elain?" Nesta asked again, "How to we prevent it happening to her? She just doesn't use her sight?"

"I don't think she has that kind of control." Helion said, glancing at Elain who nodded her confirmation.

"I can't help it sometimes." She agreed.

"Then what?" Nesta asked, "Lucien's idea with the bond? Is it… legitimate?"

"Yes." Helion said, his tone reassuring now. "He has done further research…" he looked at Elain who felt a flush of warmth spread through her, a spark of hope flaring again. "I'm certain he will tell you all about it when you see him."

"Really?" Elain asked, "…and he found more about his idea?"

"Yes." Helion nodded, his eyes flicking between Elain and Nesta, "Remember, Elain…" he smiled gently at her, "When the Cauldron gave you the gift of sight, it also gave you Lucien to keep you safe. It did not give you that gift only to destroy you. It also provided you with someone who would instinctively know how to protect you, and who would do what it took to save you."

"My mate…" she murmured and Helion nodded.

"He not only loves you." He told her, "But his instinct on how to help you was exactly correct. Today he found accounts of seers whose bonds with their mates did help anchor them. They lived full, long, lives."

"So if the Cauldron had have made Elain a seer, but she never found Lucien…" Nesta frowned deeply, her pale eyes sliding from Helion to meet Elain's own gaze.

"She likely would have had nothing to anchor herself to…"

"So any seer without a mate…?" Nesta shook her head. "That's horrible."

"Not entirely." Helion said, "It was more likely for those without a mate to succumb to…" he frowned, "But it didn't happen to all of them."

Nesta appeared to shake herself, "So… Lucien knows what he has to do to use himself as an anchor?"

Helion smiled. "He's looking into it." He replied, "But, again, his instinct… is not to be overlooked."

"Instinct." Nesta huffed, evidently not having much respect or trust in the idea.

"You need to remember, Nesta…" Helion smiled, leaning back in his chair again and lifting his goblet for a sip. "He was meant to do this."

"Instinct and fate." Nesta muttered, running a hand over her face. "That's what you expect me to trust?"

"You sister seems to."

"She trusts Lucien." Nesta said, flicking a glance Elain's way before returning her steely gaze to Helion.

"Maybe you should trust her." Helion smiled again.

Nesta made a face and Elain took a step toward her, understating why her sister was so frustrated. "Nes." She said, taking her sister's hand. "Think about it." She breathed, "The cauldron gave me this gift, and Lucien to help me with it. It knew what it was doing. He instinctually knew what to do to help me, and that turned out to be exactly what others have done in the past with success… It's all happening as it should."

Nesta let out a deep breath, meeting her eyes with a searching look. "Okay." Elain could hear the resignation in her sister's reply, and something eased in her. Nesta's back straightened again then and her elder sister turned toward Helion once more. "That priestess always flouncing about the palace… The blonde one…"

"Sorcha?" Helion asked, raising an eyebrow at he looked at them.

"That's her." Nesta sniffed, "Are you aware that she has aspirations to…"

Elain tried to hide a smile when Nesta appeared to flounder for words.

"Sorcha's first priority is to the betterment of the Court." Helion said.

"Is it, though?" Nesta asked, "You should probably take a closer look at her behaviour."

"I shall keep that in mind." Helion said, and his tone suggested that he was through with this conversation. Elain grabbed Nesta's hand once again and began tugging her toward the door.

"Thank you." She said, inclining her head toward Helion, and squeezing her sister's hand until she did the same.

Once out in the hallway, Elain turned her eyes on Nesta again "Did you just tell Helion what to do?"

"Someone needed to bring that tramp to his attention."

"Did it have to be you?"

"Wasn't going to be you, was it?" Nesta sighed, "What if she did something to Lucien tonight, or tomorrow… and you hadn't said anything to Helion?"

Letting out a huff, Elain nodded. "Surely he knows what she's like…"

"Doesn't seem like it."

Elain let her mind go over the conversation they had just had with Helion, and the earlier conversation that Sorcha had interjected herself into. As they approached the door to her rooms, she smiled when she remembered that Lucien had apparently done more research and had some things to talk to her about. "I'll see you for dinner in a little while." She said to Nesta. Her sister gave her a smile and a nod, and headed for her own room. Still smiling to herself, Elain opened the door to her room and went inside.