Patrick kept his gaze fixed on me. “As for the fevers, while I’m sure they concern you, Liv, they shouldn’t. Am I correct that none have been as serious as that first one?” When I didn’t reply, Patrick took that as agreement and continued, “Your body is learning to cope with them. As it must. They are a vital part of the process.” A quick look at Gabriel. “The process of you coming into your powers, which benefits you as much as any of us. The visions are a protective mechanism, though they probably don’t seem like it right now.”

“What do they protect me against?”

“Us.”

He waved me to the couch. I hesitated, but if Patrick had won me over with the promise of help with Gabriel’s case, this is how he won Gabriel. He used us against each other, and I could rage at that, but deep down, part of me had to say, Well played, sir.

Gabriel headed into the living room and I followed.

Patrick continued. “The visions are hereditary memories, as you may have figured out. Think of it as a massive repository of knowledge from countless generations. My collection would be a mere shelf in your mental library. The problem is that there are too many books for one person to ever read. Too many memories for you to ever absorb. So you are thrown from one to the next, as you require them.”

“You said they protect me from the Tylwyth Teg.”

“Tylwyth Teg. Cwn Annwn. And every other type and subtype of fae out there, because there are many, and you are valuable to all of them. You can keep Cainsville alive. Or you can let it burn. There are many who would be overjoyed by either option.”

“How do the visions protect me?”

“By showing you truth. Without them, you’re left relying on us for answers. Which we’ll withhold until it suits us. Then we’ll twist answers to our purposes and outright lie if that serves us better.”

“What I saw, about the children . . .”

“A failure of completion. You are correct that it is one of the side effects of fae mingling with human. This form”—he gestured at himself—“is not our form. So procreation with humans can result in a body that is not entirely complete. Even when it happens, which is rare, the effect is usually not even noticeable. Shortened finger joints, missing wisdom teeth, one fewer rib than there ought to be. On occasion, though, it is more serious. In spina bifida, the spinal column fails to form completely, therefore fails to properly enclose the spinal cord. Which isn’t to say that every child born with spina bifida has fae blood. But it is one of the most serious manifestations of the problem.”