Total pages in book: 20
Estimated words: 18410 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 92(@200wpm)___ 74(@250wpm)___ 61(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 18410 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 92(@200wpm)___ 74(@250wpm)___ 61(@300wpm)
A long, bloody feud had followed his father’s declaration, until his mother had produced another scion, Cora; a sister Fosch met only a handful of times and who now ruled over the dwindling coven. His parents were the only ‘permitted’ interspecies marriage, and not a single member of the clan protested when his ancestors, arrogant, backward leaders of the clan had decided that any interspecies marital relations would dilute their blood and decreed such thing a blasphemy. Of course, at the time of this decree, breeding hadn’t been an issue, but had in fact, been a blessing. A lot of his ancestors had more than half a dozen siblings; some even more than a dozen.
His cousin clan, the Seelie Dhiultadh on the other hand, bred more easily because of their flexibility and willingness to explore interspecies relationship, and even with this truth facing them like a bright star, the clan still refused to expand.
Fosch suspected that one day the clan would see reason – or be forced to see reason – when the Unseelie Dhiultadh number begin to dwindle into extinction.
Oberon waved a hand dismissively before placing his hands behind his back. “We talk not of the Tristan clan. An offspring is my bargaining price, Yoncey Fosch, son of Dhiultadh Bran Fosch.”
Fosch inclined his head in agreement, though his insides screamed in denial.
“But I will ease the choice for you. I want a half human scion, to breed four royals for my queen.”
Astonished, Fosch turned to him. “For you? An offspring of mine and a human for you?”
Oberon tilted his head upward, his brown eyes scrutinizing Fosch sharply. “It offends you.”
Fosch shrugged. Fulfilling his side of the bargain didn’t mean he had to like it.
Unperturbed, Oberon returned his gaze to the land before he spoke again. Though both his stance and Fosch’s were relaxed, tense energy began crackling around them. “To answer your question, not for me, nay. But I will let you know the third generation of this offspring will be Seelie enough for my queen.”
Ah, Fosch thought. A human hybrid, easy enough to produce. It, the human hybrid, would already be part fee. And it would produce four offspring’s. Each would mate and produce as many as they were able, increasing the Sidhe genes. And those would produce as many as they could. And once Queen Titania deemed them Seelie enough, she would choose the ones that showed promise, pair them with her best.
And the Seelie army would grow, Fosch thought, god knew by how many.
“For how long?” Fosch asked.
“The scion will be born and raised at court. You are allowed to visit and be presented as the sire, if you so wish. Once the four offsprings are produced, the scion can leave with you, or return to the mortal realm.”
Fosch was quiet for a long time, contemplating the asking price for his brother’s life, along with a dozen others. He found that he didn’t regret his deed, the bargain, even the asking price. No, what stuck in his craw was the human part.
He didn’t like humans, never made it a secret. Could even be why Oberon specified the human hybrid, Fosch mused.
He’d have no trouble handing over the scion, wouldn’t want to present himself as the sire.
A human hybrid. Nothing but an abomination. Easy enough to hand over, Fosch repeated to himself. To reproduce four times, it would have to be female, so any male offspring would be disregarded.
Oh, it was true that the difficulties of the Dhiultadh’s to breed extended as far as their avoidance to mate outside the clan, like their cousin clan had done long ago. Not that his cousin clan endured human hybrids, no, not at all. Even they didn’t stoop so low as to breed with a human. Yes, human hybrids were very easy to come by. In fact, it would be more troublesome to procure a worthy human to carry on his seed.
“I will need to find a suitable vessel for my seed.” Fosch finally said.
Oberon inclined his head and started moving away. Business concluded. He hoped his first offspring was female so he wouldn’t need to produce more than one, and that this female would produce four male offsprings so that Oberon wouldn’t be able to breed an army out of them.
In any case, Fosch thought gloomily, what was he supposed to do with a human hybrid after that? The clan would have no use for it, would in fact, make that scion’s life a misery of ridicule and humiliation.
Fosch paused in the forest, his head cocked to the side as if listening to some inner thought. Gongo appeared by his side, his faithful companion, still the size of a child even if he was already three hundred and fifty-six years old.
Fosch met the understanding in the shell shaped eyes of his familiar. We never agreed upon a date, he thought to his familiar, who crouched beside him.