A Dawn of Onyx (The Sacred Stones, #1)(69)

“Centuries ago, there was an entire realm of them. Mortals too. But the Fae were a dying breed and eventually their king was the last true Fae that lived.”

I had gone completely rigid. My eyes felt as wide as the sea, and I tried to get a handle on my breathing and my swimming thoughts. The wine was really not helping.

“What does that mean? ‘true Fae’?”

“He was full-blooded. No mortal heritage. But he was the last one. Even his children weren’t full-blooded, since his queen’s grandmother had been a witch. The land they inhabited, the Fae realm, was growing bare of resources. Fae children were rare, but mortals were fertile, and the more mortal children born into the realm, the more mouths to feed, homes to build, and wars to fight.

“The realm functioned on a unique Fae power, called lighte, which every Fae was born with. It could be bottled and sold, used to fuel anything. It could heal, build, destroy. But it came to them from deep within the Fae land, and it wasn’t infinite. That’s why Faeries aren’t born here in Evendell.

“With fewer Fae, lighte grew rarer and even more valuable. Soon, the realm couldn’t support the influx of people, turning the once magical world into a barren wasteland. Ash rained from the sky, lush green meadows turned to cracked, dry earth. Earthquakes, fire rain, and the birth of demons that thrived in such conditions plagued the realm. The people starved and suffered. They begged the Fae King, Lazarus, to be kinder to the realm, to ration the lighte, to find other resources, but he refused.”

“How do I not know any of this?” The story was like an old cautionary tale. I thought better of my question. “Or, how do scholars and bookworms like Mari not know any of this?”

“Only high-ranking nobles and royalty from Onyx know the truth. And you.” Warmth flashed across his face. My heart fluttered.

“Why only Onyx?” I asked.

“When refugees from the realm began to make their way over to Evendell, Onyx was the closest kingdom. Some traveled instantly with lighte or witch magic. Others braced themselves for the long and treacherous journey across forbidden lands and seas. Few survived. When Lazarus realized his subjects were leaving, he built a wall to keep his people in. He convinced them it kept them safe from all those who wished to steal their lighte.”

“A seer, a type of Fae whose power draws visions from the future, was pulled from slumber one night to deliver a prophecy.”

The seer was Fae…and the prophecy Kane had referenced all those months ago had been about the Fae King. But what did that have to do with him? Or Halden?

“A small but powerful group used her foresight to lead a rebellion to save the realm, but it failed.” He clenched his jaw. “Thousands died. In their retreat, a mere hundred Fae got out and came here to Onyx, to start fresh. Which is why there are still Fae and halflings in the kingdom to this day.”

Horror at his words made my heart rattle in my chest.

“How did they get out?” I asked.

His eyes had turned sorrowful. “At enormous personal cost.”

My mind was reeling. All along, the Fae had been real. And some even lived here, today, in Onyx.

I shook my head, unable to find adequate words for my shock.

“I have about a hundred questions,” I said, staring at the barrels of wine in front of me. Kane’s answering smirk said what a surprise.

“But what does this history lesson have to do with Halden?”

His pupils flared. “About three years ago, my spies informed me that King Gareth had struck a deal with King Lazarus.”

Icy dread slunk down my spine.

“He’s still alive?”

“Any Fae that are more than half-blooded can live for a very long time. Lazarus is probably encroaching on a millennium. He promised Gareth and his highest dignitaries untold power, riches, and lighte, in return for fresh land, devoid of people.”

“How…?” I didn’t know how to finish the sentence. Unimaginable horror washed over me. I reached for another bottle of birchwine.

“Lazarus will have no problem turning an entire mortal kingdom to ash if it means a fresh start for the Fae left in his kingdom,” said Kane, watching a stream of spilled wine slowly crawl across the dusty cellar floor.

“So, he destroyed his world with greed and now that it can no longer serve him, he wants to take ours?”

Kane’s jaw clenched. “Exactly. I tried to convince Gareth that he couldn’t trust Lazarus, that I could give him any riches he desired. But the imbecile wouldn’t be swayed. Now, Lazarus and Gareth are gathering more allies to wage war on Evendell.”

“I still don’t understand why Gareth and Lazarus would want the Fae murdered. Aren’t those Lazarus’ people? His subjects?”

Kane heaved a heavy sigh. “They’re his defectors. Any Fae here in Onyx or otherwise are living proof of those that escaped his realm.” Kane rubbed his jaw in thought. “He’s a very vengeful king. Likely makes everything you once thought about me look like child’s play.”

Guilt bubbled up inside me.

“Is that why Onyx attacked Amber? Those with Fae blood live in your kingdom, and Gareth was murdering them?” Hadn’t Halden said something like that? My mind was like tangled bed sheets. I couldn’t believe Halden had lied to me. I wanted to punch him in the face.