The blood of royalty is thinner than water.
"Who are you?" I asked, my gaze sharp. He seemed more amused than concerned.
"Zacharias," he said, "but you can call me Zack."
"I wasn't just curious about your name," I replied, though I nodded all the same.
He shrugged and gave a crooked smile. "If you're that curious, I'm Alistair's brother."
My jaw nearly hit the floor.
"I know, I know," he snorted, "everyone reacts like that. 'You don't look alike, you're different,' blah blah blah..."
"So, he has a brother he never mentioned, not even in passing?" I said, my skepticism evident.
"Why would he?" Zack gave me a look like I'd lost my mind. "That wouldn't be his style."
He had me there. Alistair never talked about himself.
"Alistair..." I began, but the words died in my throat.
It would have been pointless to ask if he was okay. The answer was in Zack's eyes. Alistair was gone.
"Oh, right," Zack said, slapping his forehead, "it's good you brought it up."
He rummaged through a pouch and tossed something my way. I caught it, staring at the gold ring in my hand. It looked just like Zack's ring. On Zack's left hand, he wore an antique ring with a massive blue stone. Another gold ring sat on his index finger— only later did I realise that the head of the ring was turned towards his palm. That one was the exact replica of the ring he tossed to me. It resembled an eye—an elongated black pupil circled by thin gold.
"What is this?" I asked.
"Your inheritance," Zack said simply, then pulled out an emerald stone. "This one's mine."
"How... how can you stay so calm?" I asked, my voice trailing off.
"What?" He looked puzzled for a moment before understanding. He met my gaze with a serious expression. "That's how we fae are. When someone dies, we don't mourn for weeks. Sure, it makes me sad, but life goes on. We don't do drama. Honestly, it almost drove me crazy when you were wailing about your friend—and he's still alive!"
He rolled his eyes, slipping on his jewelry. That was when it hit me—how rare Alistair's compassion had been. Zack must have sensed my thoughts because, without looking at me, he added, "We don't show emotions, even if we feel them. A moment of weakness can be fatal. Remember that, young one."
I sat silently, digesting his words. Although the fae's features were devoid of any emotion, and I could not read anything in his eyes, the way he said the words made me think that he was feeling as devastated as I was.
Zack drew my attention back to the ring in my hand. "Take care of it. It's valuable."
"Really?" I examined it closely.
The ring emitted a faint, supernatural energy that tingled against my skin.
Zack nodded. "It hides us."
"Hides us?" I echoed.
"If you wear it, you can only be seen by those you choose," he explained. "Everyone dreams of invisibility, right? Scaring humans for fun, right?"
"Yeah," I said, though I suspected our ideas about its use differed.
That explained why I was the only one who could see Alistair watching me. When I first pointed him out to my brother, he saw nothing but a shadow and dismissed it as my imagination. After that, I stopped mentioning the dark figure always lurking nearby. At first, I even showed a little willingness to convince myself that I was going crazy, and then slowly I began to accept that the shadow was real.
We sat in silence. I clutched the ring in my hand, Alex's hand resting in my lap and the idiot snoring loudly beside me. He looked much better. His color was better, and the IV had been removed.
"Tell me, Zack," I asked, "do you have any other siblings?"
The fae's eyes gleamed with mischief. "Ah, so you're doing some genealogical research, are you?"
What could I say to that?
"Yes, I have another sibling, but I'm pretty sure you know her name. Take a guess."
I shook my head, genuinely stumped.
"Well, little brother, you're related to Titania," Zack grinned, his expression far too amused.
If I hadn't been sitting, I probably would've crumpled like a house of cards.
"Titania..." I repeated, my voice barely a whisper. "Titania as in Titania, the Moon Queen?!"
"Yes, yes," Zack nodded, looking completely uninterested. "Small world, huh?"
"So... you're... Titania's younger brother?" I croaked. "And Alistair was Titania's younger brother too..."
"Oh no," Zack wagged a finger at me. "Alistair was the eldest."
"What?" I frowned, trying to make sense of it. "How old was he?"
Zack shrugged nonchalantly. "No one really knows. After a hundred and fifty, age stops counting."
"Damn," I muttered. "That's unbelievable."
"Well, not that unbelievable," Zack replied, pursing his lips. "Fae tend to live much longer than that."
"You could live that long too," he added with a casual shrug. "You've got our blood in your veins."
I immediately shook my head, rejecting the idea.
"Your loss," he said, unconcerned. "But now it's my turn to ask."
I was a little thrown off by the sudden shift in the conversation.
"You know, we've got the shard of life and all," he said, leaning in slightly, "but I'm curious—how exactly did you walk out of that building in one piece, when moments before, you were pulling your friend out of an acid hellhole with your bare hands?"
"I have good regeneration skills," I replied, a hint of pride in my voice. "That's all."
Zack drew a knife from the sheath on his belt and, in a single fluid motion, hurled it at me—an unblinking blur of movement. His aim was my left eye, but things didn't unfold the way he anticipated. Without thinking, my hand shot out, catching the handle of the knife just before it reached me.
The guy whistled with genuine delight. "Not bad, you're up to the speed of the fae—at least partially."
Zack sprang to his feet, strolling over to the bed with casual ease. He took the knife from my hand and ran the edge across my palm. A few drops of blood welled up, but the wound closed almost instantly, vanishing without a trace.
"Hm, interesting," the fae mused as if examining a new specimen.
It was then that I took in the full effect of his appearance—the striking eyes that the ruling fae were so proud of. A sharp black ring outlined his light grey irises, and even his eyebrows and eyelashes were silver. Up close, his skin was an eerie, almost translucent white.
I pressed my lips together, trying to rein in my frustration. "If you try that again, I'll stick this knife in you. Right through your heart."
You filthy fae. Just because I heal fast doesn't mean I can't feel pain...
"My deepest apologies," he grinned, but the words hardly matched the gleam of amusement in his eyes.
"Zack," I said, narrowing my gaze. "Why did you help us?"
He met my stare, his expression unreadable, as though he were a puzzle I couldn't quite piece together.
"If I told you it was out of sheer familial love, you wouldn't believe me, would you?"
"Hell nah."
"Then, let's just say it was in my best interests," he shrugged casually.
I didn't press further. The reason didn't matter much to me anymore.
A sly grin slowly spread across his face. "I don't know about you, but I'm in the mood for a good fight. How about a fight? To the death?"
I blinked, taken aback by the sudden shift in tone.
"No..." I shook my head slowly, a sense of disbelief creeping in. "I don't feel like it. I'm not fighting you."
"You look well enough already," he shrugged, his gaze drifting as he seemed to ponder something for a moment. "I've been meaning to bring it up since yesterday..."
Seriously, are all fae this crazy?
"Well, next time then," he said with a final shrug, his expression tinged with a hint of disappointment.
No way. I wasn't about to say that out loud, of course.
"Anyway, I have to go," he added. "I should be going..."
Thank the gods! My prayers were finally answered. I nodded, trying my best to hide the relief that flickered across my face.
"Do you want to come with me?" His voice carried a slight uncertainty, a first for him.
I blinked, caught off guard by the question. Zack noticed my surprise and elaborated, his grin widening.
"Considering your bond with Alistair, Titania would probably let you live. In fact," he added with a mischievous grin, "she might even add your name to our family tree!"
I shook my head firmly. Zack's smile faltered, though his face remained impassive. For a moment, he didn't speak.
"If you change your mind, you'll find my number in your phone," he said after a beat.
I narrowed my eyes, suspicion creeping in. How did he know my password? It was a random string of six numbers. Before I could ask, he shrugged.
"I was bored."
I rolled my eyes in exasperation.
"Don't bother me with simple matters," he added almost menacingly. "But if there's a real issue, feel free to call. Though, don't expect help. I'll only care if I'm bored or something."
I nodded. That was about what I expected from him. But then, the next surprise came when he ruffled my hair.
"Welcome to the family, little brother!"
His grin was so wide and genuine it nearly knocked me into shock. After another bright smile, he waved and casually hopped out of the window. Well, he might not be completely heartless... but I still didn't like him.
I grabbed my phone from the nightstand.
[Your Coolest Big Brother Zack]
I stared at the contact for a moment, strongly considering just deleting it right then and there. Instead, I sighed.
Carefully, I climbed out of bed, trying not to wake the bastard. It was then that the doctor walked in.
"Oh, looks like Zack's already on his way," he remarked, his voice carrying a trace of disappointment.
I nodded.
"Um," I started, hesitating. I wasn't exactly the type to express gratitude. "I appreciate what you're doing for us..."
"Don't mention it," he smiled warmly.
Just as I thought I might get a moment of peace, Alex woke up, his grip on my hand so tight it almost sent me into a rage. I felt the urge to slap him, but when I turned to him, his tension quickly softened into a gentle caress.
"It's okay, I'm here," I whispered. "Go back to sleep."
His mind slowly cleared, and after a few moments, he nodded, relaxing into a calmer state. But he didn't seem ready to sleep again. The doctor, observing the situation, placed his palm on Alex's forehead. A wave of magic seemed to pass over him, and Alex slipped into a deep sleep once more. I gently pulled my hand free, hoping he wouldn't wake again. His steady snoring was the only sign of life.
"It'll take some time for him to process all of this," the fae said, his voice quiet and sympathetic. "Trauma like this isn't easy to recover from."
I nodded, already knowing that would be the case. Alex had always hated confined spaces, and realizing he'd been trapped in the belly of something—a homunculus—must've terrified him.
"I'd like to go home and get a change of clothes," I said, hoping to take a moment to myself.
The doctor assured me that someone would be checking in on Alex regularly and that his magic would keep Alex in a peaceful slumber for a few more hours. I felt a weight lift from my chest. Maybe, just maybe, Alex wouldn't even notice I was gone.