“I thought of leaving Fey lands, but I fell in love with a fairy. That is how I ended up fighting in the Great War.”
“If you have banshee blood, why have I never seen you feed?”
“I do not need to feed from mortals. I have enough fairy blood to suppress that banshee trait.”
“Hmm… And where is your fairy love now?”
“She died in the war.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“Yes, well… Anyway, how you came to be… Declan missed our mother and our old way of life, so he petitioned the Elders to allow him to return to mortal lands. They refused, but he left anyway. He managed to hide from the Elders’ scouts for many years. Then your mother came along…”
Matilda entered the story at this point. She had envied my mother and set it up to look as though my mother had thrown a curse intended for Matilda. Fey laws forbade curses aimed at fellow Fey. One way or another, Matilda had convinced the Elders of this and they had sentenced my mother to death. Not wanting to be executed — who could blame her — she escaped to mortal lands.
Being in a world different from her own she was unsure how to live. Her Fey senses came in handy as she was able to identify and track other Fey. Sort of like a snail trail, she picked up on a Fey’s path and followed it until she came to his house, and that’s how she met my father. Bryce had been moving between Fey and mortal lands since my father had left. He happened to be there the day my mother knocked on the door.
“It was love at first sight. For them both. Their attraction was almost palpable. Still, I disapproved of their relationship. They were outlaws. They were being hunted. I wanted your mother to leave. I wanted to protect your father. They ran off on their own. They didn’t tell me where they were going. I was heartbroken. Then there was you. It was a welcome surprise when they brought you to my door. After they died, having you helped me get over the loss. And while the fact that you will never know your parents saddens me, I can tell you they would be beyond proud of who you have become.”
I had a lump in my throat, and I swallowed hard, but my eyes clouded with tears and I had no fight in me to stop them from coming in silent mourning of the parents I never knew.
Ian’s arm came around me and I accepted his comfort. Bryce remained silent allowing me my moment of remorse. After a few minutes, I wiped the tears from my face and turned back to my uncle.
“Okay… So, us ó Cuinns are just all mixed up. Why did you keep this from me? You told me about banshees and my fairy blood when I was quite young, why not include that I also had banshee blood?”
“I don’t have a great excuse. I simply felt I’d told you enough and didn’t want to overwhelm you. I could not possibly have foreseen your transformation to banshee.”
“Okay, I guess I can accept that. Really, it’s in the past and there’s no changing it now.”
“Thank you, my pip.”
“Were you married to your fairy?” I had never heard him speak of a wife or even someone he dated.
“No. We loved each other very much but felt no need for marriage.”
“What was her name?”
“Jeniah.” Tears welled up in his eyes, and he turned away.
“I’m sorry.”
“It is in the past.”
Looking to change the subject I said, “You know, these stories of yours don’t really cast a good light on the Fey.”
“Well, yes, I guess that’s true, but that’s not my intention,” Bryce said. “We are truly a wonderful race. Our way of life is much more peaceful than the mortals.”
“Except for all the executions, and whatnot.”
“Those are rare. They put executions in the laws but try to find ways around implementing them,” he said.
“Yeah, well, I have the feeling once these Elders you keep mentioning catch wind of Matilda and Lydia’s plans there will be two more,” I said.
I took a moment to think over what I’d just learned. Something occurred to me. “I have another question. If I am… was part fairy, the magic holders of the Fey, why am I so magically stunted? And why was Rufus able to sense Lydia’s before I was? He is full banshee, I would think I could sense magic the same or more easily than he can.”
“Yes, well, I believe you inherited more banshee than fairy or even mortal. Your father did not hold magic either. Rufus is older and more practiced in seeking out other Fey. You know my power. Your aura easily recognizes it. With new power, it may take a little while for your aura to catch it. It will get easier as you age.”
“And my holding fire?”
“Further proof you have more banshee blood than anything else. Holding an element is a rare banshee trait… Aside from Brigid, I only know of one other who held—”
“Wind. Yeah, I’ve heard,” I said with a glance at Ian. Ian’s expression remained neutral.
“Ah,” Bryce muttered.
“So, to sum up… I’ve been a target for Matilda since birth. She joined forces with Psycho of the Century Gabriel to kidnap me. They planned to force me to mate with him in order to produce some Nephilim race thing… Now I find out Matilda can enter my dreams as well as possess another being. To top it all off, I am now full banshee. I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess neither of you know if my transformation will attract Matilda more or less?”
Ian replied with, “More” at the same time Bryce said, “Less.”
“Right… as I suspected. You don’t know. Shall we remove my amulet, see if she taps in, and then we can ask her?”
“Qadira—”
“Oh for the love of Danu, Bryce! I’m not serious! You think I am that dumb?”
“You can be rather rash at times,” Ian said.
“Not that ‘rash’,” I replied.
“Regardless of how she will feel about your being banshee, Matilda will continue her attempts at taking you. You have to stay vigilant.”
“Yeah, I know. I will stay alert and be extra careful. But we can’t just sit and wait. How are we trying to find her?”
“I am working on a seeking spell. It’s tricky since we have absolutely no clue as to her location. It will take some time, but I am confident it will work. Until then we stay put. Don’t call attention to ourselves. And wear our amulets at all times.”
“Okay, sounds like a plan. A boring, frustrating plan, but a plan nonetheless.”
“While we have the time… You will have to learn to feed.”
My stomach clenched. I was really dreading the whole feeding from mortals thing. I’d have to take control of them, then you know, feed from them! It wasn’t as appealing as say a pancake. But more than likely, I’d soon feel the effects from lack of nourishment.
“Are we sure about that? Bryce has banshee blood, but he doesn’t feed from mortals. Can’t I just eat more regular food?”
“Qadira, you are banshee. You need to feed. You are good for now, but soon you will have no choice. Accept it and get over it.”
And on that note, he turned and left the room.
Chapter Twenty-One
I sat with Bryce for a long while reminiscing about my childhood. At the end of our conversation, I gave him a long hug and said goodnight before heading to my room. I was not going to tell him I was leaving. He’d want to come with me and that would defeat the whole purpose.