Chapter 407
Watching the last of the group being escorted from the room, Elain felt relief. She was glad that Tisia and the others were now out of harm's way in here. She did not know where Helion's guards would take them, where they would deem safe enough, but she was glad that they were no longer being held in here. The room stunk of death and blood and she could not wait to be rid of it herself. She was not leaving Lucien, however. Not for anything.
He had accepted who he was, she knew. The bond had allowed her to feel that from him, and it warmed Elain's heart. After so long, so many centuries, of feeling like he did not belong, that nobody truly cared for him, Lucien had found a place he thought of as a home. He had found a place he could be with family, and Elain knew that would be key in developing his control over the gifts he had inherited from Helion. She had seen that future for him, a while ago now, knew that he would be magnificent, impressive, truly a High Lord worthy of note, and she knew that he would come to see that in himself.
The magic that Lucien had taken into himself from the shield he had broken was still within him. It was evident in the way that his skin seemed to glow. It may not have been apparent if one were not looking for it, or if one had not been as familiar with Lucien's face as Elain was, but she noticed it. It reminded her of the way he had looked when he had done Tamlin's job during Calanmai, taken the magic of the Spring Court into himself in place of the High Lord who had refused. That had been more than this was, and Lucien did not glow quite so brightly now as he had then, but it seemed similar to Elain, at least what she had seen in her vision of that night, and she wondered how he might use that extra power now.
Several of Helion's guards remained in the Throne Room, back by the doors, their eyes on their High Lord, and Elain wondered if they intended to be useful from such a distance. Perhaps they trusted their High Lord enough that they felt they would not be called upon. Perhaps they expected Helion to be able to deal with this alone. She smiled when she saw the two guards who had spent much of the battle with Lucien slip back into the room, clearly having returned to be able to offer Lucien their assistance if needed.
"You have seen what my son can do." Helion said, addressing the two males upon the dais, "Trust me when I say you should have no wish to witness what the two of us could do together."
"You think your new Heir can break another of Rian's shields?" Colm asked, lifting one of his hands and bringing it down slowly onto Rian's left shoulder. Elain felt the tingling in the air a moment later, as if magic itself filled the room. She stared at Colm, trying to work out what he was doing, and the shield between them seemed to flare. He was strengthening it.
"Ah," Elain breathed, leaning closer to Ashk, "He can amplify the magic of others…"
"Yes," Ashk replied, one of her elegant hands coming to rest on Elain's back, "That is why he surrounds himself with others who have abilities he can use." That elegant hand began to gently push at Elain, and she allowed the older female to move her to the side, a little distance away from Helion and Lucien. Out of the way, Elain realised.
She watched Colm, a knowing grin on his face, and then she noticed the slight discomfort on Rian's face. Evidently having one's magic strengthened by Colm was not a pleasant experience, and she wondered how often Rian had been forced to endure it. A shudder made its way up Elain's spine at the thought of what her future might have looked like with Colm coming up to that room he had intended to keep her in, forcing her to see visions of his future to help him, and what she would have had to endure when he wanted her to see more and thought to assist her visions with his own ability. Elain hoped she never had to experience that.
The shield across the dais seemed to grow somewhat less transparent, and Rian seemed to grow paler. This was clearly using quite a lot of what he had left to give, and Colm only smiled more widely.
Elain glanced at her mate to see both his eyes moving over the shield, and she could see him looking for a weakness. Helion looked completely unconcerned and unbothered.
"Lucien," The High Lord said, as if he were about to ask for something no more taxing than passing the potatoes at the dinner table, "Take it down."