“Yes, Ryder took me there once.” I smiled at the memory of what we’d done there, causing her to scowl at me. “He informed me that Danu and Bilé couldn’t agree on what to do about people who resided within, and in the end, she executed most of the first attempt to create a race inside of the temple.”
“It’s partially correct. The temple Ryder took you to was actually an etherian palace and the home of the etherians who were the source of ether magic, which was, and still is, the core of the land—not fae magic as you’ve been taught. It was their home, and the denizens of their race lived in the surrounding mountains. Danu didn’t execute them, but she did demand they leave the palace, and when they refused, she enlisted Bilé’s help. He created a race in his own image, which were hideously deformed beings. Once they’d run the etherians off, Bilé created more of his creatures and unleashed them to hunt the royal family.”
“Shit, that doesn’t sound reassuring. I bet they’re a little pissy about that?”
“You could say that since they succeeded, capturing them one by one, and then Danu and Bilé used the prisoners for entertainment before feeding them to their monsters. It wasn’t until she realized that the more etherians they killed, the more unstable the land became that she had a reason to rid herself of Bilé’s monsters, though. After they realized it was connected, they locked them up. Personally, I think that her slaughtering them and feeding their corpses to the ether pools is why the land became so . . . let’s go with sadistic and savage. They added part of Bilé into the very essence of the land. With the original race securely locked behind a barrier and the world stabilizing around the Tree of Life, they got to work on creating the fae.”
“The fae aren’t the original ones,” I stated, knowing she was very aware of it.
“No, there were a few attempts at creating races. There were several creatures Danu created before she created the fae, but they were quickly locked away where no one would ever find them. She and Bilé worked on one race together, but they ended up filled with darkness and malice, much like the ones who were forced into the ether. So, she created an expansion on the pocket dimension where she’s locked away the etherians, added another barrier, and locked the dark creations away. Of course, Danu did not know that Bilé had fucked the seelie queen she’d created, spawning a new race that held his and the queen’s magic. When she finally created the fae, they were beautiful, otherworldly beings that fed on emotions because she lacked the ability to feel anything past her own desires or needs.”
“So, these rejected creations and the etherians are escaping because the walls of the prison fractured?” I muttered, moving back into the apartment to rest on the settee, relieving the discomfort in my back.
Erie entered after me and settled into a chair across from me. An attendant appeared from the doorway, delivering cookies and steaming-hot tea onto the small table between us. Erie waited until we were alone again and then flicked her fingers to conceal and prevent others from listening in on our conversation.
“So, we could seal the prison again and prevent any more from getting out?”
I wiggled my fingers, urging the tea kettle to drift above the small teacups and fill both to their rim. Next, cubes of sugar dropped into the tea. Spoons lifted, gently stirring the fragrant liquid while I waited for Erie to proceed.
I grabbed the teacup, offering it to Erie before sitting back, resting against the thick, soft cushions to hear what she thought of sealing the prison. Of course, I didn’t think or assume it would be as easy as sealing the damn walls of the prison.
“They’re not actually in the prison, Synthia.”
“I thought you said there were multiple barriers around it?” I countered, rubbing my forehead to try to ease the pain of attempting to process this conversation.
“You’d think it was the prison, but it’s actually another realm layered into the fabric of this world.” She brought her teacup to her lips and took a sip before she continued. “The realms were all together and ended up having several layers of barriers that created rings around where the etherians were caged. That much is correct, but the seelie, unseelie, and other creatures were all layered around the original races cage. It was almost as if she was trying to create obstacles to keep them from ever escaping and coming back to Faery. Anyhow, these beings had huge wings and similar markings to what’s spreading over Alden’s flesh.”
“You think it’s similar?” I countered.
She grunted and slowly nodded. “There are actually a lot of similarities present. They were exceedingly carnal, wickedly sinful beings, but unlike the seelie and unseelie, they didn’t consume emotions. They fed from the essence of a being, consuming the unlucky individuals ether, or magic. Magical beings dry up and wither away without the magic that enhances their life and immortality.”
I considered her description and exhaled before agreeing mentally with the overall description. “There are a lot of similarities and that many wouldn’t make it a coincidence.”
She chuckled, and her lips curved into a smirk. “Zahruk was already beginning to become hard to resist, but add in the new enhancements? I’d say the women of Faery are about to get some yummy eye candy.”
“I’m pretty sure the entire population is eye candy. I agree though, he is becoming something sinfully delicious, and with his enhancements will come issues. I wonder how many more changes will occur.”
“Appearance wise? That is all that would really matter. It would be the power he inherits from his new lofty title, added by whatever is coming with the sludge infecting him.”
“I wish I’d never entered the prison, or made it unstable.”
“I don’t think it was entirely you who offset the balance. I’m certain it didn’t help it, but it was more than likely already unstable from Danu’s death.”
“Yeah, but why? Faery wasn’t affected by her dying. What would be different with the prison?”
“It’s a rather twisted answer.”
“Twisted like she wanted the realm to fall to ruin in the event of her untimely death? She’s a fucking drama queen, even in death.”
“That’s a solid theory, and where I was heading with it too. Add in that she murdered their families, and stole their land, and you have some very powerful, terrible people with serious rage escaping to seek revenge for what they’ve endured. That’s assuming any actually survived to escape. That realm they’re in? I wouldn’t enjoy visiting it, and I love insane, insurmountable odds of survival locations. It’s pretty much my thing, and I wouldn’t step one toe in there, Synthia.”
“No wonder they’re pissed off. I’d be a little vexed too if I had monstrous creatures unleashed on me, and then got transplanted into an infernal world,” I agreed, grimacing at the idea of what Danu had done to them.
Erie chuckled, blowing on the steam billowing from the cup. “You’re taking this much better than I expected you would.”
“Do you prefer I rant and smash the apartment?” I suggested, inhaling the soothing scent of spices and tea. “Danu ruined so many lives and never cared about anyone but herself. I don’t understand how anyone could be that selfish or cruel.”