 Restraint was, under ordinary circumstances, one of the many things Styx prided herself on. She was a bystander to fate and time, watching without intervention in events. The Council got so wound up in their powers and their lives that they didn’t watch, and when they did, it was to interfere. More than once, it had ended in things getting worse. It wasn’t an oracle’s place to determine who would win or lose. But this was different. Shaman was different. The attacks that had occurred, attacks she had wanted to warn the Council about so they could take action before the world was destroyed, were affecting her life and her home. She had resisted the urge before, and the original fairies, for all they loved to boast and beat their chests about how glorious they were, had delayed. The common people had to stand against the magic-devouring beast. Now the world was flooded.
She wasn’t going to sit back again. She wasn’t going to let them blow her off. This threat was far more personal. It would impact Shaman was the worse, but it was also a matter of pride that she was the only one of her kind here. Although not among the originals, she had a number of people who held her in high esteem and she didn’t need some hag ruining the image of the Immortal Ones that she had fostered.
She didn’t stop pounding against the wood until the wood retreated as the door opened. Though it was only a crack, Styx thrust her foot against the jam in case the Spaniard decided to close it on her again. Her jaw clenched at the dismissal. Perhaps she should. If his child did end up in the arms of the hag, she would have some retribution and maybe get a little respect by pointing out she had attempted to inform the Council. If Rhaegar or Zed’s children went missing, would they blame Mallos for turning away the lead, or would they side with their own and assume, as they often seemed to, that the Immortal Ones were working together. Her back stiffened, and her cold blue eyes narrowed at him.
She pressed her hand against the door, suggesting she wanted an actual entrance, but the woman didn’t push it. Though she hadn’t met his kid, she was aware of how protective some parents could be. She relaxed her body, hoping to ease his mind. It wasn’t like she could do anything to the kid anyway. Her strengths were in the psychic powers surrounding time. Physicality was… less easy. Her voice stood firm.
“No, we need to talk.” She paused, waiting a moment for it to sink in that maybe she didn’t want the entire castle to hear, but as seconds passed, she decided not to waste more time. “I have information the Council might like to know.” Again she paused before adding, “About another Immortal One in Shaman.”
S T Y X
if you close your eyes |
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