They both looked to Kai, waiting for his response. He nodded and took her hand, locking himself into the magical deal as well without any hesitation.
"There are four Courts in Faerie. Winter, Summer, Heathen, which was Spring, and..." she paused, the word sticking to her tongue. "And Ceress, formerly Autumn. Ceress is the home of my people, Celestrials." The silence was palpable as they first absorbed the information and then did their best to come to terms.
"Two secret Courts of Faerie?" Kai whispered, looking stricken.
Jaia looked as though he was never going to be able to speak again, his eyes huge.
It was no small deal. The Courts had always been two since the first day of the world. Never four, only two. The mythicals had guarded that secret for the entire history of existence.
"That's huge!" Jaia cried, jumping to his feet and beginning to pace before them.
"How was this hidden for so long? No one has ever heard of four..." Kai whispered, watching his twin pacing.
"We live for secrets, thrive on them," she said dryly, unable to help but watch the vampire pace. "Imagine their ecstasy at keeping a secret from the entire human world."
Jaia was muttering the words 'four Courts' to himself over and over.
"Cain is from Ceress too, I knew him growing up, he would tell me all the time that he was going to kill me for being a half-breed."
"Winter," Jaia said, nodding. "We could feel that on the first day. Winter Court always smelled of cold, full-blooded or not, ghoul or fairy. Always a hint of cold."
"Right, my father was a Winter Fae. Both my mother and father were pure-blooded, so that makes me half. Being half is an abomination in Ceress. Cain has been trying to kill my sisters and me for centuries."
Something she had said caused the brothers to glance at each other once more, but she was not sure what.
"This Cain is here to kill you for being an abomination?" Jaia asked.
She nodded again, causing Jaia to start pacing again.
"It will be hard to know what to defend against if we do not know the full extent of his abilities. But at this time, we will assume they are like yours," Kai said quickly.
His face fell as her cheeks flushed.
"Do you know of my food source?" she asked. Both brothers nodded in silence. "That is something he can do, and would likely do to me if he got the chance. We have the ability to move between Faerie and here." She decided to leave out the fact that she could move others and not just herself. "Fast, strong..."
"That is a lot of ability, and I assume you have others from your father," Jaia said.
She nodded and gave a slight shrug. She was not about to hand them all of her secrets.
"Why are we protecting you? You should be protecting us," Kai said, eyes wide in wonder.
"I tend to believe that you are also here to monitor me," she said gently, patting his arm when he looked upset. "I would accept no less from spies. I would have been disappointed if you had not reported back to the king."
He gave her an apologetic look and nodded, confirming her words.
"He is pure-bred?" Jaia asked.
"As far as I am aware, my sister and I are the only non-pure to exist, or to have existed for generations. We do not procreate quickly."
"Twins?" he shot, now chewing on his nail.
"Identical, though you wouldn't know it to look at us now." She could not help the bitterness in her tone.
"I like your skin," Kai said brightly, smiling at her. She smiled back, heartened by his kindness.
Jaia returned to the table and stared at her intently.
"This is a lot of information to take in, Etani. We will do everything in our power to try to free you as much as possible, but it will take time."
"It's not like I can go anywhere," she said wryly.
He snorted a laugh, nodding.
"Tell me a little about you two." Leaning forward, she rested her elbows on the table and her chin in her hands, watching the pair.
"We were born around seventy years ago in a small village to the west. We were just normal men at the time, I was a carpenter, and Kai was an inventor. Kai is a genius, he really is," Jaia said.
Kai blushed, as much as a vampire could blush. Instead of reddening, his cheeks darkened, and she could not help but smile at how adorable he was.
"He was selling to a vampire when the vampire took an interest in his work. The vampire decided he wanted to keep Kai as his prodigy forever. He turned Kai and followed when Kai crawled home. When he found out we were twins, he decided he wanted the matched set. Here we are," Jaia spoke slowly, as though the story tired him out.
"I'm glad it happened, if not we would be long dead and would never have come here to Ayathian," Kai said cheerfully. Jaia only looked at his brother sadly.
"At least you have each other," Etani said gently, glad they were together.
"Yes, where is your sister?" Jaia asked.
"In hiding with my youngest sister. My twin..." she trailed off, frowning. It was too much information to give them. "She has been mentally ill since we were young. Our little sister is good at masking them but cannot mask us all. I chose to leave and draw away the attention, they hid. Last I heard my twin enjoyed being a cat."
"That's awful, I'm so sorry," Kai said, grasping her hands in his.
"I hope to save her one day, but I have not studied the mind yet. I don't know if it's possible to repair her mind."
Jaia tilted his head slightly, wondering. "I had heard there were ways of repairing a broken mind. How is it you know your sister likes being a cat? Do they write to you?"
"No," Etani laughed "My twin has abilities I do not, she can change her shape at will. Our younger sister can contact me telepathically if the need is great. But we will not risk it. Our kind can tap into it in your world. I feel that perhaps the lack of magic scatters the contact somewhat. We don't want them being able to follow the link to either end."
Jaia nodded in understanding. "Back to this Cain. How do you think he found you?"
This was stumping her as well. "I haven't an idea on the matter. Perhaps I was careless..." She did not think it was that, but there was no way of knowing.
"If I have the chance to ask, I'll do so," Jaia said, only half-joking.
Tilting her head back to look up at the castle, she frowned as she considered what to do. Was she going to have to wait, stuck in the castle grounds forever?
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something flicker. She glanced in that direction, her stomach dropping out. The twins had been right, and she did her best not to look. Cain stood atop the wall and was looking straight at her. He must have been circling the wall the entire time.
Making a slight summoning gesture, he dropped down behind the wall once more. How long had he been circling the castle waiting for a chance to catch her eye? How many times had he seen her?
"It has been a delight, Kai, Jaia. But I feel I must head back to my room." She stood slowly, stretching her body and groaning at the delicious sensation of muscles moving.
"We will find out what we can on our part of the deal. Just be patient and we will get back to you," Kai said, though he seemed uncertain.
"We will come to you, it's best if you don't try and find us or raise suspicion."
Nodding her agreement, she let out a slow breath. It wasn't like she could escape on her own anyway.
The two stood with her, but it appeared they trusted her enough not to do something stupid, and they let her leave on her own.
***
Heading back along the path, she could see the shadow moving out of the corner of her eye, following her.
Rather than returning to the castle, she flitted across the main path to the gardens on the other side. Slipping inside, she followed the path until it rounded a bend and she studied the wall. Heading for the edge of it, she scaled the stairs that accessed the top of the wall.
A second later, a white hand appeared. The man wore a long, tattered, white-lined black jacket. Its hood was pulled high over his head. He wore grey pants and a grey tunic with a sash that flowed long down to brush the tips of tall boots. He had a long, ordinary-looking sword that whispered ominously. He wore black gloves and his snow-white, shoulder-length hair was in need of a wash.
Settling herself on the parapet, she watched the man climb up. He looked around, then stalked towards her. She remained sitting, curious to see what he would do.
She smiled. The idiot had apparently forgotten about the protection because he ran face-first into the invisible wall. Grunting, he fell back a step and stopped.
"Etania," he snarled, glaring at her.
"Cain," she replied simply.
Silence stretched between them, as he paced back and forth before her like a caged lion. "Come out here and talk."
She laughed, the sound making him cringe. Like all of their people, they did not like to hear it as it made her seem normal and not a mongrel.
"Why don't you come inside?" She patted the stone beside her.
The word he called her then would have made her blush in the past, but now it only made her brows lift.
"That's not very nice, Cain. You'd think you'd be politer given you want me to do something."
Oh yes, she was going to toy with him for all she was worth. He had been chasing her for so long, threatening her and taunting her, and threatening her sisters. Now she had the chance to sit around and watch him? Of course, she was going to toy with him.
He bared his teeth at her.
"Well, whore, why don't you come closer and let me look at you. It has been what? Fifty years?" The insult did not bother her, she never understood it though. Given she was an outcast, when had she had the time to qualify for the status of 'whore'?
Pushing herself to her feet, she approached the centre of the parapet. She could feel the protective shield only a foot away.
Lifting her chin, she met his grey eyes with her own.
"What happened to your skin?" he asked, tugging the hood away to get a better look at her. He had a new scar running down the side of his face.
"A lich tried to turn me. Fun fact, you cannot turn an immortal into a lich, did you know? It will change you though."
Cain looked as though she had hit him, his lip curling. "So, you're even more of an abomination now."
She shrugged in response, looking him over.
"You're looking a bit worse for wear, Cain. Not keeping up to palace standards when you're out here with the peasants?"
That got the response she had expected. The man was incredibly vain, and her drawing attention to his drab appearance and general dirtiness irked him.
"Better that than a whore," he snapped.
"I'll have you know, I am wearing the height of fashion for someone of my profession."
"They let a whore work in the castle?"
"Certainly, I work for the crown as a matter of fact. Thus, the shield." She smiled at him, knowing it would anger him more.
He made an attempt to punch her in the jaw, but his fist rebounded off the shield with a loud crunching sound.
She grinned, mocking him. She knew it was a stupid idea to mock the man, but he had it coming. He had been one of her worst bullies growing up, always telling her he was going to kill her as soon as the order came. She had always said he should just shut up and try, but she had been terrified of him. She might be one of the only abominations, but she was far from the first he had come after. He had been the one to kill her father.
"I'd never thought you so cowardly as to hide behind a wall," he sneered.
Lifting her eyes from his broken hand that was rapidly healing over, she gave him a quizzical look.
"You've never known me to be stupid, either."
He grunted his agreement, his attention going to the barrier in search of an opening.
"How did you find me?" she asked curiously, turning so that she could watch him as he paced. His hand trailed over the barrier, pressing against it.
"I lost track of you around fifty years back, maybe less. Last I heard you were in Ampherdon. Your pattern was erratic, but I knew you would not stray that far from your sisters, just in case. No matter how good you are, girl, you always stick within a day or two's distance of wherever they are currently hiding." A flash of concern must have crossed her face. "No, you are the bigger threat. I will find them next. A noble brat and an insane mongrel can't be that hard to find."
Her brows arched, amused. They might be exactly that, but Lee spent most of her time as some animal or other, and Ava was remarkably talented. She would not be found, not ever.
"That doesn't explain how you found me."
"Rumours, mostly. If even a suspicion of unusual disappearances of humans came up, I went there. Dispatched a handful of vampires and a ghoul, but it was worth it. How is it you managed to feed all that time without their being noticed? Vagrants?" he asked, and she nodded. He sneered. "Picking off the scum of the scum species, not only are you a mongrel whore, but you're disgusting too. Have you no shame?"
"Food is food when you're on the run, Cain." It might be considered disgusting to most of her kind. They only thought the cleanest humans were worth the death they could provide. That meant nobles, powerful merchants and the like. She had never been so picky; rich or poor, they all tasted the same.
"I'll bet you even ate children," he whispered, coming to stand as close to her as he could, his eyes alight with malice.
Repulsion filled her, and she turned to him, glaring.
"Nice try, Cain." She knew he was trying to get a rise out of her, but she was safe for the time being.
He frowned, irritated.
"If nothing else, you've matured."
She had, given her struggles throughout life. She had matured faster than most would have. Even at her age, she was still young in comparison to the rest of her kind. She was only around nine hundred, still technically a teenager if one compared it to the lifespan of the humans. From what she knew of Cain, he had a good thousand years on her, if not more.
"That tends to happen when you're forced to fight for your life."
"So, what now?" He crouched before her and she backed away, folding herself down into a cross-legged sit.
"You're not getting in," she said, her hands resting in her lap.
"You can't stay locked in forever. You need to feed eventually, and you know I will go find your sisters if I deem it not worth waiting here." He spoke calmly as though discussing strategy with her was entirely normal.
She paused to think about the number of humans in the castle. There were prisoners, servants and a few courtiers. Generally, humans were advised against lingering in the castle due to the threat of night-wandering mythical beings. Many of the servants were non-humans for that exact reason. Even if they were humans, they were generally locked away at night, or only half-human.
At best, she thought she had maybe a year's supply if she was careful. Unless Epharis agreed to bring in fresh food. She frowned at the thought.
"I'm a patient man, Etani," he said, catching the realisation as she calculated.
How long would it take for him to give her up as a lost cause? A year?
"Or you could come out of your cage and face your fate like a Celestrial."
"Celestrials are the last to face their fate, Cain." She scoffed, knowing he had pride for their kind, so much so that it made him blind to their failures. "You're getting old, Cain, what makes you think you can defeat me?" It was pure false bravado, but it sounded good to cast doubt on him, even if it only dulled his pride's shiny surface.
He glowered at her, his thumb tracing the grip of his sword.
"Not so mature after all." He sounded almost disappointed by that.
She could only smile at him, shrugging one shoulder, and shifting her weight to get more comfortable.
"It would appear we are at an impasse," she said, silently glad the king wanted to keep her alive, yet resenting him for making her feel appreciative.
"For now. I could just go find them."
She knew he was goading her, but the thought still made her stomach clench in fear.
"And here I thought you liked me most," she teased. His eyes narrowed on her, so she changed tactics as her tension rose. "You won't do that, not when you're finally so close." She smiled to hide her fear, not wanting him to know how much his threat worried her.
He grunted, knowing she was right on that subject. Had he wanted to find them, he would not be there. But there they were, hanging out on the parapet like old friends.
"I will find a way in, then I can deal with you and move on."
"I'll be waiting," she said calmly. Her eyes locked on him as he stood and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Very well, until next time," he said and turned, hopping off the parapet and disappearing from view.
She waited a few minutes to see if he would return but he did not. Pushing herself to her feet, she headed back in the direction of the castle. She needed a place to hide out, from the lich, from the king, and from everybody.
Looking up at the castle, she made a mental note of the placement of one of the towers and set off for it. Perhaps she would find freedom there.
***
There was one thing to say for stone buildings like that, they were not that difficult to climb if you knew how.
Her hair whipped around her as she began the ascent, her fingers searching out grooves between the stones and pulling herself up, her boots finding even the faintest hint of leverage to keep her upright.
From halfway up, she looked out over the city, at just how huge it was. It was magnificent, if a little scattered. It was as though Alaric had taken a few handfuls of buildings and just tossed them on the ground, and said it was good. The roads made no sense, some of them doubling back on themselves or stopping abruptly around a sharp corner.
Shaking her head at the confusion that was the male sex, she began to climb once more.
Reaching the top, she pondered her position. She began to inch her way up and around towards the window, having gotten off-centre.
She climbed wherever it was possible to climb instead of going in a straight line.
Gripping the soft wood of the windowsill, she strained to lift herself up that last little bit to be able to see inside. It was empty, and that was unexpected. She had been certain there would be a wizard in there, or a bat, or something.
Finding nothing at all was quite jarring. Regardless, she climbed inside and thumped down on the floor. Had she known about this tower she might have come there straight away, a safe little hole for her to hide in.
The stairs cut a hole in the floor on the opposite side of the room, and it was large enough that she could set up her base there. The only question was, could anyone get up there?
Heading for the stairs, she started her way back down. The stairs were considerably easier than climbing around outside had been.
She could not help but wonder why she had never seen this entrance before. It did not take her long to find out.
The stairs ran in a spiral along the outer wall with the inner wall being solid stone to support the weight of the tower and room above. She was unable to see around the edge, so when she came to what should have been a door, it appeared as a solid wall.
Pressing on it, she surmised that it must have been walled off. Grinning to herself, she headed back up to her new room, safe for now.
Setting down her bag, she slipped off her boots and settled herself down by the window, and watched the world go by.