Abeloec

Abloec, later written as "Abeloec", is a sidhe warrior and a member of Queen's Ravens. He becomes one of Princess Meredith's consorts.

Appearance
Long hair with "a series of narrow stripes—black, pale grey, dark grey, and white—all perfectly uniform so there was no mistaking his hair for someone who had gone grey." Charcoal grey eyes. Nearly six feet tall. He smells like honeyed mead.

Possessions
The Cup of Horn - A cup formed of horn, the horn ancient and yellowed, held in gold that few outside faerie could read now. Was once Abeloecs symbol.

Earlier Years
Abe was once a god and then a member of the Seelie Court. When he fell in power and could no longer make courtiers merry with drink and revelry, King Taranis used it as an excuse to exile him. Although the story told was that Abe had seduced the wrong woman.

Abe then joined the Unseelie Court on the condition that he join the guard, putting him under a vow of celibacy. He spent most of his time trying to be drunk or high, constantly sampling any drink or drug that he could lay his hands on. Because of this he was not trusted and held in contempt by most.

Seduced by Moonlight
Abloec is introduced as part of Merry's consort guard assigned by the queen to escort Merry back from the airport. He arrives drunk and tries to step in front of Barinthus to give Merry and hug, but Barinthus pulls him back and Doyle blocks him. The others are confused why Queen Andais would have chosen but, but Abloec says that he "earned [his] right to be here," which Merry takes to mean that "he'd done something that he'd hated but had pleased the queen. It usually involved sex, or sadism, or both." The ring flares to life when he touches it, "like a wave of heat that rushed over" Merry's skin, and Abe falls to his knees. Abloec sobers later, and informs Merry that every river in the area has flooded from her touching Barinthus with the ring.

A Stroke of Midnight
Abloec is mentioned once as being one of the three men accused of raping of Seelie woman. The other two accused are Galen and Rhys. Merry and the others recognize this as a plot by King Taranis.

Mistral's Kiss
Abloec (written "Abeloec" in this novel) has his horn returned to him. Merry wakes from a dream with Abe's ancient horn, a cup set in gold and decorated with symbols few outside of faerie could read. Abe drinks from the horn and regains some of his lost powers. He, Merry, and Mistral have sex, and return some powers to the dead gardens in the Unseelie Sithen. His magic paints the skin of several of the character present, and he explains to Merry that he use to give marks of power and that he could "make you a god." Abe is with them when they end up in the Sluagh dead gardens and he cuts his foot on bone. Segna teases Abe about him passing out drunk where she could find him. When Meredith is considering running back to Los Angeles and leaving faerie, Abe tells her that wherever she goes, faerie will follow, because she has drunk from the cup. When some of the police go mad from seeing the wild hunt, Abe lets them drink from the cup, causing them to fall into a magical sleep and wake without memories of the hunt. When Abe touches the great black dogs, they turn "into lapdogs to lie before a cozy fire, white with red markings — faerie dogs."

A Lick of Frost
Abloec (again written "Abeloec" in this novel) has joined Merry in Los Angeles and has become one of her sexual partners. He is questioned by lawyers regarding the rape accusations made against him, Galen, and Rhys. Abe has no alibi for the rape "because he'd been trying to crawl into a bottle with a drug chaser at the time of the accused attack. He'd been clean and sober only about two days." During the mirror call with King Taranis, Abe identifies that Taranis is using some sort of love magic to influence Meredith. This might be the first time Abe has seen King Taranis since being cast out of the Seelie court. He and Galen guard Merry with their bodies when Taranis attacks. He has scorch marks on his back from Taranis' attack and is taken to the hospital. Abe and Doyle share a room in the hospital, and Abe chats up the nurses. Hafwyn heals him and Doyle. When they leave the hospital, Abe takes a wheelchair because he's "lazy and likes attention." Abe rests his head in Merry's lap on the limo ride home. During the discussion of Aisling being chosen by the Seelie Sithen, Abe suggests that time may have changed him and the Sithen might not want him as king anymore. He tells Merry about Taranis' attack on Doyle and that Taranis is more powerful than he's been in centuries. Doyle orders Abe to be present on the call to Andais so she can see his wounds. Andais helps Meredith work out why Abe and the others were accused for the rape, and Merry realizes Abe was accused because his power is to choose a true queen. When it is later revealed that Merry is pregnant with twins with three fathers each, Rhys attributes the impossibility of the situation to the wild magic brought on by Abe and Mistral's power that night.

Divine Misdemeanors
Abe does not appear. When Merry questions Bittersweet, she wishes that Galen or Abe were there with her since they can project positive emotions.

Quotes
Abe: "I forgot how wretched it is to be sober, so let this wretchedness end."

Abe to Merry:
 * "I am the intoxicating cup like Medb for the kings of old. You have drunk deep." ... "I give the power of sovereignty to the queen, as Medb gave power to the kings. I was forgotten, because the world turned to chauvinism and there were no more votes for queens. I was just Accasbel. Denied my purpose. Some human literature says I am an ancient deity of wine and beer. I founded the first pub in Ireland, and was a follower of Partholon. That is all I am now to history. ... Until today. I have new duties."

Abe to Merry:
 * "Once, so long ago that I don’t want to remember, I didn’t just make queens. I made goddesses." ... "The Greeks believed in it, too, Princess. That the drink of the gods could make you immortal; could make you a god." ... "The drinking is ... more metaphorical, at times. It was my power, and Medb's, that gave the gods and goddesses of our pantheon their marks of power. The colored lines, Princess, they paint the skin."

Abe to Queen Andais:
 * "Once my power was necessary for the choosing of a queen, as Meabh’s power was to the choosing of a king. I think Taranis heard rumors that my power was returned to me, in part. I think he feared that I would help turn Meredith into a true queen of faerie. If we had known that any noble was dreaming of offering her the throne, then the accusations against me would have made some sense. He wanted me away from the princess."

Meredith thinking about Abe: :"I wished we'd had Galen or Abeloec with us; they could both project positive emotions. Abe could make warriors stop in the middle of the battle and have a drink together."

Character trivia

 * Name is first written as "Abloec" (in Seduced by Moonlight and A Stroke of Midnight) but later written as "Abeloec" (in Mistral's Kiss, A Lick of Frost, Swallowing Darkness, and Divine Misdemeanors). He is not mentioned in A Shiver of Light.
 * Name is pronounced "ab-LOCK" according to the provided pronunciations at the end of Seduced by Moonlight.
 * Seems to be friends with Usna.