They discussed strategies and thoughts related to her powers and for once, Eva felt included. They treated her as if... she was a part of them. Part of this whole family didn't feel suffocating as Isabella did.
Kai made sure to lighten up the mood when it went sober and Gwen was always a step behind him. Sebastian coolly assessed the situation and Theo stood beside him on that point. Meanwhile, Eva and Davina exchanged theories related to the vast knowledge they had about this stuff. Eva made a mental note to visit the library the very next day, first thing in the morning.
"You don't seem so tired now," Kai remarked and Davina shot him her middle finger which adorned a ring with a dazzling bloody jewel attached to its center.
They were dispersing slowly, Gwen excusing herself and Sebastian off to another one of his missions that Eva understood to be related to Asher's future plans. They all knew that his partnership with Isabella was going to fail miserably since neither of them was going to agree on any matter.
Kai and Theo talked in a secluded corner of the room and Eva took the chance to stop Davina from escaping the room too.
"I need to talk to you. Right now," she added when she saw Davina open her mouth to argue.
A stiff nod and Davian grabbed her by the arm. The next thing she knew, everything was spinning and the last thing she heard was Theo huffing in displeasure and calling her name.
Darkness took over for a second and when she blinked her eyes to clear her vision, she found that she was standing in a completely different room. The walls were painted a dark shade of maroon and each corner of the room was covered in books that looked ancient. Older than Davina herself, Eva thought and sat on a nearby chair while Davina plopped herself on her bed.
"Ask away." she waved her hand and grabbed a bottle from the top of a table. Eva instantly recognized the red liquid and didn't bother asking why Davina was drinking it. The woman was anything but human in comparison to the other fae who had habits similar to theirs.
"Tell me everything you know about the war and the part that I'm expected to play in it. The others are holding back in telling me but I know you won't—"
"Did you try asking Theodore?" she interrupted, taking another swig and letting out a sigh of pleasure as she set the bottle down.
"I don't want him to start worrying."
She clicked her tongue, shaking her head. "Girl, I'm the last person in the world that knows anything about these relationships but even I know that trust is the main factor in any of them."
Eva let out a frustrated exclamation and muttered, "Of course I trust him. But I'm aware that if knows the plans I made for myself, he won't be exactly pleased."
"Let me guess. He ain't included in them?" Davina leaned back, snuggling her head in her pillows and crossing her legs.
Eva folded her arms and then uncrossed them. "No." her voice came out as a whisper but Davina heard her.
She stared at Eva thoughtfully for a second and then finally seemed to have decided as she sat up straight and beckoned her toward the bed.
Eva slowly got up, her feet softly padding across the dark carpet since her boots had been discarded near the chair she was previously seated on. Sitting on the soft mattress, she folded her legs mirroring Davina's posture and sudden seriousness.
Davina closed her eyes, a white glow seeping out of her small frame and Eva watched intently. The space in the middle of them was now gone, replaced by the white glow that rested around the surroundings and made Eva relax her shoulders down.
Davina opened her eyes and started speaking, "Long ago, Theodore's father demanded powers from the original Fates in exchange for his future firstborn. He was given control of the Underworld, becoming the most powerful High King to ever rule Salvador. Life passed by without too many problems and as he gained more power, the King captured the dark creatures of this world and secluded them off to his Underworld.
"A peace treaty was created between the human mortals and the King, to never interfere in the other's business unless it was absolutely necessary. However, it didn't take long for chaos to erupt. His firstborn arrived in this world and the Queen tasted the first sip of betrayal when her husband revealed what had to be done."
Here Davina paused, caressing the ring on her middle finger with a small smile on her face. "He loved her. Everything he had done was for her. So they planned and hid the child as best as they could, unable to tell anyone the truth except for their trusted advisors and friends.
"The Fates were merciless yet compassionate in a few matters. They searched high and low but couldn't find the child. They gave up, yearning for eternal peace and the three of them chose an unknown cave to spend the rest of their life in a calm, undisturbed slumber."
"Did they end up finding Theo?" Eva's voice was soft, coming out as a murmur. Davina didn't seem fazed that she figured out who the child was and continued with a heavy sigh.
"The current Fates found him. After the Queen gave her life to save the boy, the King killed himself unable to imagine a life without his beloved. Theo... was lost for a long time. He was five when this all happened and we saw him years later as a grown, mature man who had arrived to take his position as the King."
"Where had he been the whole time?" Eva asked, her heart thudding away in her chest and giving her excruciating pain all over.
Davina looked down and Eva detected something like guilt marring her features. "We asked but he never told. Neither of us ever saw him grieve or visit his parent's graves. He had grown cold, distant and after settling matters in Eden, he left. He had asked me to border Eden with the most powerful protection spells ever cast and I didn't decline for a second. We all met him in the Court and Xandria to discuss matters but he never visited Eden, his birthplace, ever again. Not until very recently." at this she looked up at her and offered a barely visible yet grateful smile.
Eva knew she had done nothing to deserve the respect they were all giving her. Instead, she asked a question that had been bugging her for weeks now.
"Who was his father?"
Davina stared straight into her eyes. "Hades."