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“When has Malachi ever granted anyone what they wanted without demanding everything in return?” Of all the fates, the Fate of Fire especially was not known for his compassion, but for his ruthlessness and pride.
She could still sense that innate spark deep within her core flickering in idle wait. Another oddity, given she had tendered her power to Malachi in exchange for this new, immortal form.
Elijah had said she would need to feed quickly to quell the discomfort and build her strength, and that he would be here to guide her through it.
Vampire?
Soon, Romeria would see. She would know the world of vengeful gods and monsters, and the lengths one would go for love. And nothing would ever be the same for her again.
“Are you not Princess Romeria, future queen of the kingdom of Ybaris, betrothed to be my wife?” he says with deadly calm.
My eyes widen at that salacious morsel. Dear queen mother was having an affair with her war leader behind her husband the king’s back? “Please tell me he’s not her twin brother,” I murmur under my breath.
GOT reference...weird but ok
“What were you doing on my terrace in the middle of the night, anyway? In your nightgown, no less. Did you have a need you wanted me to help with?”
“She said Corrin was too sour to be a tributary. Her blood would poison people as surely as merth.”
“You will never understand the bond that immortals can form with their tributaries,” he says, as if reading my thoughts.
“We can still feed off elven, though we don’t gain any sustenance from it. There are other, more intoxicating reasons to do it. But I planned to help you become that which you despise most. One of us. Let you live in our skin for a few hours, until you met your end in the square.”
“Vin’nyla, Fate of Air. Aminadav, Fate of Earth.”
“She is Aoife, Fate of Water.”
Find the gilded doe.
“Malachi, the Fate of Fire.”
Obsidian, gold, silver, and bronze.
“It is said that the Fates of Fire and Water are not easily countered, and that they are often at odds with each other. It isn’t a surprise. Malachi is known to be courageous and passionate, but he’s weakened by envy and obsessiveness. He is the spark for all the lust and wrath in the world. Meanwhile, Aoife graces us with our forgiveness and humility. She promotes healing, peace, and trust. Yet she can be erratic, showing indifference in the face of agony. Both anger easily, especially when they’re not shown the respect they feel they deserve.
Long ago, when it was permissible to summon the fates, elementals most often bound themselves to either of these two over Aminadav and Vin’nyla, for it was the lust for power or the desire for mercy that often inspired the elemental or the king and queen in power.”
They thrive on conflict, with each other, and within their subjects. Answering a summons has less to do with the caster’s requests and more to do with what the fate wants. There are always consequences. Sometimes they are not felt immediately.”
Malachi allowed Sofie to pull me, a human doppelganger for Princess Romeria, from my world and drop me into her immortal body, which he resurrected and made lethal to a daaknar’s bite. He can’t be doing all this just to free Sofie’s husband for her, especially not when he’s the one holding the man hostage. So what is he after?
The Princess of Ybaris must survive at all costs, by Malachi’s will. – G
Summoning them has been expressly forbidden for almost two thousand years, but even when it wasn’t, it was known that to beseech the aid of one fate would be to choose them over the others, and once an elemental did that, they were bound to serve that fate for life.”
She in turn infected her lady maids. The disease quickly ran rampant through Cirilea and then beyond, into villages and towns, changing both human and elven into these new creatures. Elven lost their affinities when they changed. Casters who were bitten died.”
They did not like seeing their creation corrupted in such a way, and so they unleashed a wrath like never seen before.
Aminadav’s fury cracked the land in two, creating a deep fissure through the mountains that, save for a small passage between, is perilous to cross. That is the Great Rift.
Aoife, in her rage, stirred the western waters south of Mordain with a current so violent, no ship has ever survived sailing th...
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Vin’nyla was the gentlest in her retribution, churning the wind into a funnel that tore through Cirilea, toppling ...
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They educated the immortal Islorians and established the tributary system, where humans were protected and the immortals were fed. It took years, but it worked. It is still in use today.”
It was assumed that this was Aminadav’s intention—to cut off Malachi’s demons from all elemental magic so they could no longer beseech the fates.
He taught them how to tap into the nymphaeum’s power.”
“The nymphaeum is also a source of magic, much like Mordain. It is an ancient power, grounded in nature and creation, but older than that of the casters. It was here long before our time. We do not understand exactly how it works, but it is said to be most potent on the night of the blood moon.
They’re said to be diabolic creatures with a wicked bone that inspired so much chaos that the fates decided it was best they be confined. They are locked behind a door, unable to leave their sacred garden.”
“In return, Malachi quested him with obtaining a key caster. That is an elemental with affinities to all four elements. They are extremely rare and extremely powerful. They are the closest thing to the fates themselves walking this earth.
They can be used to restrain, control, mask, or amplify affinities. They can create illusions.”
