To Kill a Fae - A Fantasy Romance

Chapter 15

Sabine walked back into the tavern's meeting room with Bane. Dax and Balkin were sitting at a table someone must have found and brought downstairs. The splinters and pieces from the old table had been removed, leaving no hint Dax had thrown a fit earlier. The chalice was on the table in front of them, and they were both studying it but neither of them touched it.

Balkin looked up when she entered. "Good. You've returned. Your protector informed me you've been communing with dragons."

"It would have been nice if someone had shared that with me earlier," Sabine grumbled and slid into a seat. "But yes. He's sworn a blood oath not to harm me, but he's a subject best discussed another day."

"A dragon as an ally may give you an advantage in dealing with the Fae," Balkin suggested, his golden eyes gleaming.

Sabine frowned. "Only if the dragon decides to eat them. They'll be more inclined to double their efforts in killing me if they think I'm friendly with the enemy."

Bane chuckled and placed a glass of wine on the table in front of her. "You were kinder to him than I expected, although I did enjoy watching you toss him into the side of his ship."

Dax's mouth curved into a satisfied smile. Before he could say anything, Sabine pinned him with a glare. "Don't start."

Balkin's whiskers twitched, and he gestured to the chalice in front of them. "Tell me your impressions when you first touched it, my darling kitten."

She sighed and picked up the wine Bane had poured for her. Taking a sip, she studied the chalice sitting in the center of the table. It was pretty enough and valuable on its own merit, but now she had to wonder if it was truly one of the artifacts Malek was hunting.

"It all happened very quickly. Dax picked it up first, and it was obvious he'd been caught in a trap. There were layers of magic wrapped around it, and I could see the power trying to bind him. I'd only seen a lich ward once before when Elder Thoma'vertina demonstrated it. The binding on the chalice was similar."

Balkin nodded and gestured for her to continue.

She tilted her head, considering the artifact and trying to piece together her memories. "I believe the lich ward was the last magic applied, and Dax was its intended target. I was able to transfer the lich ward to myself by using the pact you formed between us. From there, I was able to neutralize it with my blood like Elder Thoma'vertina had shown me. But when I did, it... the chalice somehow recognized me." She shook her head, not sure how to explain. "It's different, Balkin. It's neither Seelie nor Unseelie, but both somehow. I think it recognized my magic as being similar. I was hoping you might know more about it."

"Malek believes it's one of the artifacts used to seal the Dragon Portal," Bane said, dropping into one of the empty chairs.

"Interesting," Balkin murmured, his tone a little too mild. "What do you believe, my darling kitten? Was this object crafted before the portal was sealed?"

Sabine took a sip of the wine. It was from another bottle of Faerie wine, but this one had a gold cap, indicating it had more substantial power in it. Bane had likely poured it so she could compare the magic within it to the power in the chalice. There was no comparison. The wine was Seelie magic and nothing more.

"I think it's possible. Before the portal was closed, the Fae were one people—neither Seelie nor Unseelie. I don't know how different Fae magic was back then, but it was much closer to the true magic of the gods. I sensed something similar from the chalice when I picked it up."

Balkin nodded and leaned back. "One of the artifacts was rumored to be a chalice."

Sabine's eyes widened, and she studied it again in a new light. "My mother told me stories about the artifacts of power, but she never told me what they were. If this is the same one from legend, why would it have been hidden in a human city? I assumed it would have been kept with our Keepers of Knowledge."