~~

Trinity

~~

Just after the door closed behind Gabriel and Roisin, the conversation started.

"So Valerian, what happened?" Reece spoke in his Alpha voice. I really did like it when he acted all authoritative like that.

"Just as Roisin said, there was an attempt to free a prisoner from his cell. The culprit was a little more skilled at it than we would have liked. The reason being, they had intimate knowledge of the catacombs."

"Catacombs?" I tilted my head at the word. I had never heard anyone refer to a prison and catacombs in the same sentence before. However, if you think about it, that would make sense.. Throwing them in a dungeon that was in a maze of tunnels so they would not make it out very easily. That would be pretty cool if you asked me.

"Yes, catacombs. There are many secrets hidden in the catacombs of the Fae castle. One of them being the prison. We used to call it the dungeon, but we modernized it because of where we are." He grinned at me.

"And who has that sort of knowledge of the catacombs?" Reece asked him. "Who could have possibly gotten to the prison if they didn't know about the catacombs ahead of time?"

"That was the true issue now, wasn't it?" Athair mòr smirked, but it wasn't with any sort of happiness or pleasure. "You see, only the royal guard, the Queen, and myself are supposed to have that sort of knowledge of the catacombs. However, there have been people throughout the years who have been told about them, even though they have never been shown the tunnels themselves."

"So could it have been someone who knew of their existence who has been slowly mapping their paths?" Reece truly seemed interested in this part of the conversation so I was just letting him handle it at the moment. When I was needed, I would step in and say what was needed of me. For now though, I could just enjoy watching my mate be his true Alpha self.

"No, they would not have been able to map them ahead of time. They would need to have been let into the tunnels by someone with permission to do so. The moment that the culprit entered the tunnels, Glory knew. She could sense the intrusion upon her protection spells."

"That is convenient." Reece looked at me then and smiled. I think he was wanting me to learn how to do that sort of magic for us.

"Yes, it was convenient. It meant that we were able to catch up to the intruder just as they were trying to escape with Curtis. Thankfully, Curtis was not able to move too swiftly since he had been in the cell for the last several months." I could see a slight evil grin on Valerian's face as he thought about it. "I have to admit, that things would have gone more smoothly if I would have been home for that attempt. I would have been able to flood the tunnels with water and bring them to me in an instant. Thankfully, Glory was able to catch them swiftly as well. She ensnared them with her vines that she sent out as feelers in the ground. They knew right where to go after that."

I had to remind myself to never get on the bad side of Aunt Glory or Athair mòr. They're both so powerful. It made me wonder though, how were they going to be in danger if they were this strong? Could it be that someone close to them was going to betray them?

That actually seemed likely since the culprit this time knew intimate details of an area that they were not supposed to have. Could it be that there was a mole among the royal guards?

Thinking things like that made me realize how extremely happy, and lucky, I was to be able to know if someone on my staff was a traitor ahead of time. Having Vincent and Gabriel around was truly a blessing in many ways.

"So, who was the culprit?" I asked him with a somber look in my eyes. I was afraid that he was going to say it was a soldier.

"Her name was Frida." That surprised me. I didn't really expect it to be a woman.

"Wait a minute, I know that name."

I had to think about it for a minute. Where had I heard of a Fae woman named Frida? That was a little difficult, but it didn't take too long. I have only been to the compound twice so far; obviously it had to have been during one of those visits.

Hmm, it wasn't during the most recent one, I know that. So when during the first visit did I hear that name?

Soon a scene came before my eyes. I saw a man struggling to get free from the woman hanging onto him. I remember the words clearly as well.

"No Grier, don't do this. I'm begging you." A woman's shrill and high pitched voice rang through the hall.

"Let me go, Frida. I need to do this. I need to make my point." An anger-filled male voice responded to her pleading.

"No Grier. I don't want to lose you. Please." The woman was sobbing as she begged the man.

"Shut up, woman. I will not sit idly by."

That's right. Frida was the woman who was trying to stop that angry man who accused me of trying to ruin their way of life and said he wasn't going to accept the Queen bringing us into the compound. That night was the first time that I had seen Aunt Glory's magic, only I didn't know she was my aunt at the time. Hmm, I don't remember where Athair mòr was during that dinner. Perhaps he was hiding in his room or something.

"I find that surprising, in all honesty." I looked up to see Athair mòr looking at me intently. It was like he was waiting for my response. "Frida seemed like she wanted to stop her husband from committing a crime when I was first at the compound. What has happened in the last year and a half that would have changed her views on it all?"

"That's the thing, her views haven't changed. But someone, who is a lot stronger than she is, spelled her. She was compelled to do their bidding and as of yet we don't know who that person is."

That was alarming. There was an unknown culprit, a mastermind, behind this attack on the Fae castle. And whoever that person is, they had the power to force someone to be their puppet.

"Athair mòr, was anyone-?"

"Everyone that was inside the castle at the time has been accounted for. Anyone who might have had the chance to get at Frida had to have been outside the castle itself. And the problem there is: that we simply cannot question every member of the court quickly enough."

"Athair mòr, as much as I love having you here, I truly think that Aunt Glory needs you back home more. We will visit, and you will be here for your council meetings but, for now, I think you need to be there to help protect Aunt Glory and the castle."

"I think you are right, Gariníon. Though I will be missing you all dearly." There was sadness in his eyes when he spoke. I knew this was the right thing, but it was also hard to send him away.