Page 362 of Flirting with Darkness

“Besides whatever prison Nyx held me in, was surely built by your hands! Isn’t that right father?”

“Wait a minute, Melchior,” Abigail says in a syrupy soft tone. “What do you mean Lord Elysian is responsible for the Changelings capturing you? How is this possible?”

“Abigail is right,” Dalcour interjects, his haughtiness once more in full stride. “Changelings have no dealings with humans.”

“Unless…” Cedric breaks into Dalcour’s rant, stepping just beyond the shadows once more.

“Of course!” I shriek, as the puzzle pieces form a clearer picture in my mind. “I always wondered why the Changelings would be so intent on imprisoning Melchior. Surely, he’s not the first human to come across my obol over the centuries. But he is the only one they captured. The Changelings knew I’d be too focused on freeing my sister and I from servitude to inquire further.”

“Kharon, I don’t understand,” Rae says, tapping my arm. “Why would the Changelings want to hurt Melchior?”

“Elysian, tell me you didn’t,” Lord Marchand laments, pulling away from Rae’s uncle. “Why didn’t you come to me first? I would have told you—”

“You would’ve told me what? What could you say? Short of compelling away our desire to conceive our own child, what would you have me do? She wanted a child,” Elysian counters. Turning to Melchior, he extends his hand. “She wanted you! Your mother would have traveled to hell and back just to have you, son.”

“And so you used a Changeling Jinn?” I mutter in shock.

“Changeling Jinn?” Ross questions. “Last night it was hybrids. I hate to think what’s next.” He scoffs.

Cedric steps forward, clearing his throat. “In the old days, people turned to Changeling Jinn for fertility. Changelings trapped in Jinn jars would often trade their freedom for fertility. The Jinn would possess the body of the infertile and live within her until she gave birth. In return, once the child was born, the Jinn would be freed. Once free, the Jinn could once again take form on this earthbound plane—a way of escape from the Netherworld. But this is not a normal practice of mortals. Only supernaturals—”

Dalcour groans darkly, his crimson eyes glowing as he watches Elysian. “Only, the Changeling Jinn are tricky. If they aren’t freed as promised, they will reclaim the child, bringing a curse upon all those in the bloodline.” Turning to Melchior, Dalcour continues, “Tell me, young one, before you found the obol, did you have dreams? Dreams literally showing you its location?”

“Yes,” Melchior breathes back. His deep brown skin wrinkles in thick creases between his eyes. “The dreams were so vivid. Of all the rare treasures I found, the ones regarding the obol were clear as day. I assumed I just had a knack for finding antiquities. But I never knew until—”

“Who told you?” Rae asks. “When did you figure out everything?”

Looking over his shoulder, Melchior smiles. “Moirai.” Rae’s cousin’s big brown eyes widen, and his bright smile spreads from ear to ear. Both Rae and I share knowing glances, remembering how fondly my sister spoke of him. His soft smile fades as he turns back to Dalcour. “Moirai also told me the Changeling used dreams to lure me to the obol. That’s how they got me. And it’s all because of you!” He shouts to Elysian.

“I guess now I know what else you’re hiding in your vault. You’ve kept that Jinn jar all this time!” I reveal.

Dalcour’s brown skin reddens once more. I almost fear his leathery, vampiric form will reappear, but staring at him, I see he’s merely blushing mad. Good. I’d hate for Rae to see his monstrous form in full stride.

“And all this time you’ve allowed me to believe you were but an innocent bystander. Yet, at the very core of the matter, it is you Lord Elysian at the root and cause of it all.” Dalcour’s words lash like a whip, but Rae’s uncle holds his own, showing no sign of recoil.

“Would you have me sniveling and contrite before you, Lord Marchand? Is that what you think of us mere mortals? You come and you take and take! You say you’re giving yourselves to our protection, but you are not! Your balls and great halls all in the guise of civility. It’s all a ruse! And while I find no joy in agreeing with that hellion, one thing he said is right: the lot of you are monsters. So if I treated a monster poorly to get what I wanted—what was rightfully mine, what cause of contrition or tear should I shed? I did what I had to do.”

“But at what cost, father?” Melchior breaks through his father’s self-righteous admission. “Does my life not matter? Am I not thankful for all you and mother endured to bring me into this world—of course I am. But what about when I vanished? How could you stubbornly hold onto your sanctimonious stance?”

“Uncle El,” Ross starts, making his way to his cousin’s side. “Why didn’t you say something?”

Turning back to Lord Elysian, Dalcour shares a brief look with me. I think we both know where this is going. “Oh Elysian!” Almost whispering, Dalcour offers pained smile. “You could’ve come to me.”

Tossing his hand over his head, he runs his palm against his balding scalp. “And say what? I’ve doomed my wife and child to hell! You tell me, who would believe me?”

I step forward while stray rays of light from the transom beam on me. “Me.” I raise my hand. “Maybe now is a good time to tell you a story about the Sons of Erebus.”

29

RAE

Everyone stands quietly, intently listening to Kharon share about his life in the Netherworld. Explaining how the Ferrymen came to be and how he’s the first of his order to obtain an obol, he was tricked by the Changeling to secure the wealth of the land and the heart of a blood relative Melchior loves.

While Cedric suggested the Changelings were likely using both Winter and Melchior as payback for Uncle Elysian’s refusal of releasing the Jinn when he had a chance, Kharon believes Lux coming into Winter’s life was a miscalculation on the Changeling’s part.

“They never saw Lux coming,” Kharon reveals, pacing the floor.

“How is that possible?” I ask. “If Moirai serves as a Fate of their leisure, isn’t she obligated to tell them what she sees. You know like an oracle.”

---