He nodded. “I’ve had a lot of time to create this oasis as I call it. And found lots of friends to keep me company.”
This day had just gotten majorly weird.
“How do you know Calista?” I couldn’t imagine my prim and proper advisor hanging out at this place on the weekends.
His face changed; his eyes lit up for a second before that sparkle was swallowed by sadness. “She was the love of my life,” he said, his voice low, his face flat.
My feet stumbled briefly. I hadn’t expected that answer. “What happened?”
I tried to keep the curiosity from my voice, direct some sympathy toward him. In reality, I normally wouldn’t ask someone I barely knew such a personal question, but I was dying to know.
“Duty called,” he answered. “Calista was born to be an advisor, and I was unable to leave this home.” I suddenly felt sick. I know it hadn’t been me alone. Calista had been an advisor to many heirs, but the fact I had contributed to her loss of a partner hurt my heart.
Baladar must have sensed some of my guilt and pain. “You mustn’t worry about it,” he said in a fatherly tone. “It was the right decision. I knew you were special and that Calista could bring you to your full potential as an heir.”
Great. Sounded like it was her advisor role with me that had ended their love affair. Calista had never spoken of him, but I knew she used to live in Manhattan before I was born. How did I not know about the love of her life? Or was this more one-sided, and Calista had not been hurt the same way as Sir Baladar?
Speaking of… “Why are you referred to as a ‘sir?’” I asked him.
His eyes twinkled then, those shimmers of lightning growing brighter. “I’m old enough to have been part of the royal army for her majesty, the queen of England. Before shifters were so segregated from humans, I was honored with knighthood, and have always kept the ‘sir.’ I like it. Gives me character.”
He winked. Okay … well, he had plenty of character, that was for sure.
We had reached a secluded part of the garden now. Some shifters were soaking in a natural bubbling spring hot tub, drinking and talking. It looked amazingly relaxing, and I was trying to think of the last time I’d stopped and relaxed like those here in Baladar’s oasis. One thing about being a leader, there was very little downtime. It was not a nine-to-five job.
When we paused, I faced him fully, trying not to get lost in those mesmerizing eyes. Magic born eyes capture you and never let go. “How is it that you are an information keeper? At your word, you have been exiled here for a hundred years, and yet I feel as if you haven’t missed a single thing in the shifter world.”
He smiled and gestured to the people around him. “I offer my friends and companions a fun time in a safe environment, and in return they give me knowledge. My powers allow me to discern truth from lie, so I always know what is happening.”
Just as Violet could. The magic born were great at finding truth in all information.
Sir Baladar was clearly powerful. Age alone would have provided him with a plethora of knowledge that would be valuable to many. So why would the queen banish him? And if he was such a threat to her, why did she not banish him out of New York City, away from the boroughs so he would not get powerful surges of mecca energy?
Sucking in deeply, I decided to push my luck. I had already asked him too much for a friendly first meeting, and if this was Calista’s ex-lover I didn’t want to offend him … but I had to know. This man seemed so well connected that if anyone knew, he would.
“Do you know who killed the Red Queen?” I asked, keeping my voice low so as not to cause an uproar.
His eyes darkened. “This is not a question I have the answer to. I suspect things, but I do not know, and speaking of it might actually end my life. My instincts tell me that the truth will be revealed in due time.”
I was shocked into silence, and reminded of Bethany, the Red Queen’s advisor, who I pressed for an answer on who murdered the Red Queen. Bethany had tried to tell us something, and some sort of spell had triggered, killing her instantly. I never did learn what she was going to say either. Damn those fae. They were always one step ahead of me.
Baladar distracted me then by producing an item from his pocket. He held it for a moment, before reaching out to give it to me. I opened my palm and a heavy metal object landed in it, a solid gold key with the House of Red emblem marked on it.
“The keys your friends have will expire tonight, but this key…” Baladar gestured to my hand. “Will never expire. You’re welcome in my home anytime, and I look forward to more conversations with you. Bring your bear friend. I would like to speak with him too.”
How did he know about Kade? That stupid website probably. He’d basically told me that all shifters came to his house with gossip on their tongue. There’d be no bigger story than that of an affair between wolf queen and bear king.
Tucking the key in my jeans pocket for safe keeping, I said, “Thank you.” There were a thousand questions burning a hole in my tongue, but before I could say more, Baladar bowed deeply.
“I promised Calista you would have fun tonight. So eat, drink, and be merry.” He looked around and inhaled again. “I don’t think the fae wishes you harm. Once I leave, they will come out and find you.”
I was starting to see why the queen had locked him away. He saw and knew far too much, and clearly she had been the keeper of more than a few secrets. Feeling the heavy gaze of unknown sources, I spun around, scanning the bright lights and shadows beneath the trees, trying to figure out if a fae was stalking me.