Page 70 of Tangled Power
He cut one more thin slice off the rock before a memory emerged. He knew he and Rose were watching it together.
He was stilluncertain about his role with the Suden Point. After Michael first came to him, they met regularly. Michael insisted on coming to Loch instead of asking Luc’s family to bring him to Compass Lake.
Luc was okay with that. It was already understood in Loch that he was odd, maybe even unnatural. Michael coming to see him only solidified what they already thought. He couldn’timagine what it would be like at Compass Lake, where the courts would watch his every move. There was no need to subject himself to that kind of scrutiny.
Michael sat in his stepfather’s office. When he visited, he stayed at the local inn but used the extra room Aaron’s father had at their house. His stepfather worked as a magical farming strategist. On the days Michael was there, he arranged to teach in the fields. Luc thought his stepfather enjoyed his job. At least he was always excited to tell Aaron and Luc about his work with humans and other Suden, to develop new sustainable agriculture methods.
On the other end of the spectrum, Michael did not appear to like his work. He was constantly rubbing his temples or putting his forehead in his hands on the desk when he thought no one was watching. But Luc watched keenly, knowing Michael’s job would be his someday.
“This will all be your problem soon enough,” Michael said to Luc as he ran his fingers through his hair.
Luc didn’t know how to respond. “Yes, sir.”
“Don’t you want to know what the problem is?” Michael asked.
“I’m not sure it’s relevant, sir.”
“We’ve talked about this. You should call me Michael when it’s just us.”
“Yes, si—I mean Michael,” Luc said as his cheeks flushed with his mistake.
“I think it is relevant for you to know, by the way. It’s relevant for you to know that your court and the other fae leaders will question your decisions at every turn.” He sighed heavily. “It’s relevant for you to know that many will try to use you for your influence and power. You will want to believe they are interested in you, but the hard truth is, most won’t be.” Michael tilted his head, considering Luc. “In your case, given the gossip about yourpower, you may have a separate set of problems. You will scare others. And fae don’t always act rationally when they’re scared. Especially if it’s not a feeling they experience often.”
“Are other fae afraid of you?” Luc asked. He knew his power was different, but he also thought there was something about the Suden Point position that made others wary.
“Not in the same way they will be of you.” He ran his fingers through his short hair again. He had brown skin and black hair. He looked about forty, but that meant nothing in the world of the fae courts. Luc gathered that he’d been in this position for over two hundred years. His hand gestures, his fingers at his temples, or his hands through his hair, were the only evidence of his age. They were the only signs of stress, showing the weight that he carried.
“What problem are you dealing with today?” Luc asked. He needed to prove that he was more than his magic. He would be worthy of this position in other ways.
“How much do you know about the creation of the fae courts?” Michael asked.
Luc shook his head. He didn’t know much beyond the fact that the gods created them to preserve balance. It never occurred to him that he’d need to learn more.
“I am the second Suden Point in the court’s nearly five-hundred-year history. It will be my duty to tell you some of the mistakes of my predecessor, as well as my own.”
Luc knew better than to ask what they were. He let Michael share what he wanted in his own time.
Michael nodded his approval. “When the courts were created, and after Zrak sacrificed himself, the balance of the magic was rumored to be somewhat unsteady. I have no idea whether that was true, but I know that my predecessor took it as an opportunity to try to overtake the Osten court. I guess it was either them or the Vesten as our neighbors on CompassLake.” Michael sighed. “He tried to subjugate the Osten Point, and while he failed, barely, it has given the Suden Point a bit of a legacy.”
Nodding, Luc considered this. A failed coup would not be ideal for any leader. He couldn’t imagine the damage it did. He was about to ask another question when there was a knock on the door.
“Who is it?” Michael asked.
“Rebecca, sir,” Luc’s mom replied without opening the door.
Michael gestured for Luc to get behind the couch so his mother wouldn’t see him when she stepped into the room. Luc didn’t question the order. He hid, and Michael invited his mother in.
“Thank you for seeing me, Michael.” She searched the room, clearly deciding it was just the two of them. “I wondered if we could talk about Luc.”
Michael gestured for her to continue.
“I just wonder if it would make sense for him to stay with you more permanently at Compass Lake?”
Michael’s head shifted slightly, the only indication this was an unexpected inquiry. “You would be so eager to see your son away from home? In such an unfriendly place?”
His mother must have noticed her mistake as her eyes widened. “I-I—” she stammered, but Michael cut her off.
“Speak plainly.”
