Page 37 of The Edge of Darkness

“Ah, yes. That.” He rubbed at the back of his neck. “I’m sure you remember, I was a little perplexed when I saw you arrive with Weston that evening.”

“Yes. The two of you acted strangely around each other all night. And neither of you would give me any answers as to why. I remember that very well.”

He chuckled. “I was still piecing things together for myself. And seeing another Dionach there with you . . .” His voice trailed off as he glanced up at Remic.

Auren tilted her head. “Did you just say ‘another Dionach’?”

Silas nodded. “Weston is a Dionach as well.”

Her eyes widened in disbelief.

“He wasn’t there for you though—as I’d originally thought. He’s Queen Corinne’s Dionach. She assigned him to be your personal guard when she found out you were attending the tournament. When I saw him with you, it threw me off. At the time, I didn’t know what Queen Corinne was, so I thought Weston was there by mistake. Turns out he’s been serving her since her coronation, at which point he was given his summons. He’s been by her side ever since—glamoured, of course.”

“No . . .” Auren shook her head. “Weston is part of the Queen’s Guard. He’s a guard, not her Dionach.”

Silas didn’t correct her, but I could tell he wanted to. Instead, he waited in silence. Waited for Auren to pick apart every little thing he said.

Sure enough . . .

“Wait,” she said, concern lining her features. “What do you mean you didn’t know what Queen Corinne was? She’s human.”

Silas lifted a brow.

Oh shit.

“She’s human . . . right, Silas?” Auren repeated.

I was genuinely intrigued now. Whatever Silas knew was something my spies didn’t. I’d have to figure out how they had missed that bit of info later.

“What I am about to tell the three of you is not to leave this room. It’s paramount to your safety, Auren.”

She nodded, and I followed suit, slipping a shield around our small gathering so no one else could hear what was spoken.

“The queen of Belthria is no human,” Silas said. “She’s a witch.”

Silas’s statement hit me like a ton of bricks, just as it did when he declared I was his Dionam.

Queen Corinne wasn’t human.

I’d wondered at her strange beauty when I first saw her. She had looked a bit out of place.

But a witch?

“Explain,” I said.

Silas stretched his wings behind him. “Do you know how the witches and Dionachs came to be in this world?”

“Not really.” I didn’t know much about them at all. No human really did, aside from the stories that fishermen and merchants told from their times out at sea. They claimed to have come across small vessels from time to time, carrying long-haired beauties with pale skin and wicked tempers. Impulsive beings who looked human, but were far from it. The men’s recollections of such events were always foggy. Some men had even disappeared after encountering these “witches” on the waters. “Tell me,” I said.

“Well, the witch goddess, Torin, fled her war-torn world, seeking a safe haven. When she came here, Karios allowed her to stay . . . if she agreed to give him something in return. He would set aside human men for the witches to breed with, thus continuing Torin’s creation, and upholding the will of the fates. The witches, the Dionachs, and Torin would ultimately answer to him if ever he summoned them for his own bidding.”

“So, your lineage comes from another world?”

“Originally, yes. That is why time passes differently for us, similar to how it does with the fae. It is why we can look the same in age, and be the same in our maturity level, but still be far older in the number of years we’ve existed. Since time affects humans and fae differently, a Dionach’s assignment may vary. Some are tasked with making their presence known to their Dionam at an early age, and then they exist in their Dionam’s lives like a family member or friend would. Others are ordered to only appear when the time is right. Oftentimes, those Dionachs only ever interact with their Dionam during a fleeting moment where they intervene on their behalf, altering their path, and keeping them from certain harm. It all depends on the summons and the instructions that are given from Torin. No matter the circumstance, though, when our purpose is fulfilled, we die, and are called back to Torin in spirit.”

I swallowed a lump in my throat. “Your life ends once your job is done? Even if that job is just one simple moment of protection?”

“Yes.”