“Ah, so your Aunt Clare was not your blood relative?” he asked.
“No,” I smiled. “I guess she was adopted, like me.”
He beamed. “Go on. I want to hear more.”
“So they lived in the shelter. She was nineteen by this time. It was late summer. A few months later, my mother grew larger and went into labor. Aunt Clare said she took her to the hospital. They had to walk, and this made everything worse for my mother. But Aunt Clare said it was less than a mile, so they eventually got there.”
“Aunt Clare told me my mother was in the hospital room and was in labor, and the doctors told her she had something wrong with her. I was born, and then she died a few days later. Aunt Clare said she told the hospital she was my mother’s aunt, so they would let her have the baby, which was me.”
Father nodded. I continued.
“Then Aunt Clare took me, and some other homeless people helped her find our cubby.”
“Cubby?” asked the Holly King.
I nodded. “We went into the subway tunnels, and back behind a fence into the old abandoned part of the subway lines, and Aunt Clare walked a while down the walkway above the dip with the rails and found our cubby. There were several: If you peeled back the grate, there was a small room they used to keep stuff in, I guess. She carried me there.”
“She just had a few blankets and some bags of food at first. But she said she made a sling out of part of one of the blankets and would tie me onto her back. She told me she begged in the early days, holding me like that. Then I grew up a little and would help. One time, it was during a bad time, we couldn’t get any food. It was days and days. That’s when I started stealing.” I looked down, suddenly ashamed.
I felt his finger under my chin and slowly lifted my head.
“Hey,” he said. “You did the best you could. You survived. That alone was amazing.”
“I guess so,” I said, still feeling weird about it, but not so bad anymore.
“You know, when you got close to your fourteenth birthday, the magic in you became visible to the Fae Council. They gather fae students from near and far, and invite them to the school. To Titania Academy,” Father said. “That’s when I got the news that you existed. Before that, I’d had no clue. None of the faefolk knew. You were quite the surprise, Holly,” he grinned.
Then he looked thoughtful. “Your mother must’ve somehow known to name you Holly. I wear holly leaves, growing in a vine, as part of my magical garb. She probably remembered.”
“I’ve always loved my name,” I said. “Aunt Clare said it was very special, and that mother had insisted on naming me, even though she was very sick.”
Father looked sad. “I was so sorry to learn your mother died, Holly. She was a very special young woman. Pure magic.”
“Can you tell me about the Elfen fae?” I asked.
He nodded. “They used to be all over these isles, in Ireland, Scotland, and even Britain. Then one year, over a thousand years ago, most of them just disappeared. No one knows why. But a few are still around. Mostly, they hide. We found evidence that Noelle had been adopted when she was very young. Now, where she came from no one knows. It’s a huge mystery we are still researching.”
I nodded. “I want to know whenever you have more information,” I said.
“Of course,” he agreed. “The Elfen’s closest relatives are the Elves. They are a more modern fae genetic line, and less wild than the Elfen. But that’s a lesson for another day.”
“Now can you tell me about this war? When Chance found me and brought me here, I was very happy. I wouldn’t be constantly hungry anymore, I’d have a bed, it was a great thing,” I explained. “But when the headmistress and Chance wouldn’t tell me anything about my fae heritage, except that I was part of a royal line, I felt awful. I want to know everything,” I looked up to his face. “Please, tell me everything?”
“You are half my royal line, which is the purest. And half Elfen fae. Your platinum hair is the hair color of my royal line. So are your eyes. The black rings around your platinum eyes mean your mother was Elfen.”
“Wait.” I put up my hand. “I was told the black ring around my eyes was because my parents were never married.”
“Oh, dear. No, that is not accurate at all. That’s an old wives’ tale. Granted, it happened that most children from Elfen fae were not from married couples, but that is because of the nature of the Elfen. It is a correlation, not a causation.”
“Hey, that sounds familiar!” I said.
“You probably heard it in a science class,” he smiled.
“The only school I’ve ever attended was Titania Academy,” I said. “Aunt Clare did teach me how to read and write and do numbers, sorry, do math. Maybe I heard it from her.”
“Not sure, but let’s push on. So, when they told me you existed, I insisted we go find you. And they did, thank God, and I couldn’t have been happier. But we had to protect you,” he said.
“Because of the war.”
“Yes,” he said.
“I did not know there was a war going on,” I murmured.
“Our wars are not the same as human wars. They happen very infrequently, for one,” he explained. “But mostly, they’re just a bunch of intrigue and kidnappings, oh, and rarely, they throw bombs.”
“Like the ones that went off here, at the school?”
He nodded. “That was incredibly unfortunate. There’s an unspoken agreement between the two fae factions, that schools are off limits. We are worried they targeted the school on purpose.”
“What is the other faction involved?” I asked.
“The Oak King and I rule the fae world, and we share the year: I rule half the time; he rules the other half. There is a group of the Oak King’s followers who want him to rule the whole year. The Oak King insists this group is acting independently, and that he does not wish to rule the whole year, but that’s like a starving man denying he wants a hot fudge sundae. The Oak King has always been power-hungry. He’s always craved more.”
“But why did you order the headmistress not to tell me about my background?” I asked, still puzzled. “What does that have to do with the war?”
“If she had told you, it would very likely have been leaked to the rest of the student body, and that would have made you a target. They are capable of doing great harm, and I was worried you would get hurt,” he said in a concerned voice.
“So, everyone knew I was full Faefolk, they just didn’t know I was your daughter?” I leaned over and gave him a quick hug.
“That’s exactly it. Being the daughter of the Holly King makes you a target,” He put his finger on the side of his nose and thought for a moment. “I have an idea of how to protect you, which I will reveal in due course.”
I nodded. “I guess I understand. It was just hard.”
The Holly King gathered me in his arms and hugged me.
“I know, Sweetheart, and I am sorry. I should have told you myself. I wish I had now.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Genius
We talked some more and decided it would be best to address the whole school in an assembly. “Those girls who drank the elixir and attacked you are probably part of the Oak King faction,” Father said.
Oh, lord.
I felt very weird: I’d started out in the same dorm room as Jessica and Naomi, and now they’d been expelled for trying to kill Chance and me.
There had been others on their side. I hoped the others would not hurt anyone.
“They’ll probably be so taken aback by the Holly King’s assembly and the news that Jessica and Naomi are in prison awaiting trial, they’ll be too afraid to do anything,” Chance said that morning. “Besides, it was those two girls who’ve been the worst, by far. The rest of them seemed to just be hangers on, like a clique.”
We all sat in the lunchroom together, Chance, Renée, Liesl, and me. Father was being briefed before he addressed the whole school.
“Oh my God, you guys,
my parents shit a brick when they were told what Naomi had done. I swear, she is lucky she’s behind bars, because my parents are ready to kill her, ha ha ha!” Renée said.
I froze. “Not ... not literally, right?”
“Ha ha ha, no, Holly, not literally. But they are really furious,” Renée said.
I looked at her. “Hey, you knew about my father, didn’t you?”
Renée became sober. “Yes,” she said in a quiet voice. I’m so sorry. I was bound by a Secrecy Spell, remember? The headmistress herself placed it on me.”
I grinned. “That’s okay, I understand.”
Renée looked so relieved it seemed like she might faint.
“Hey, don’t forget about me,” Chance said, waving his hand. “I knew, too!”
“Maybe I should beat you with a wet noodle,” I said.
He grinned. “We were just keeping you safe.”
“Now what are you going to do, Holly? Isn’t the news out now?” Liesl looked concerned.
“Hmmm, I’m not sure. But I’ll bet they’ll cook up something good,” I said.
“Come on, finish your breakfast. It’s getting late,” said Renée. “We don’t want to miss the assembly!”
A few minutes later, we walked over to the Assembly Hall and found seats. The place was packed. Even the professors were there to hear the Holly King speak.
We could overhear the hubbub all around us. Some of it was hilarious.
“Look! The guards are here, too. Everyone wants a glimpse of the king!”
“Then who’s guarding the school?”
“Nobody,” a boy said solemnly. “We’ll likely be attacked.”
“Idiot, the king comes with his own entourage. He’s got more guards than the whole school put together.”
“All right, all right, don’t shove.”
“You started it.”
I glanced at Renée and giggled silently.
After about ten minutes, the headmistress came on the stage and called for quiet.
“As you know, the Holly King is here for a visit,” Professor Ó Baoghill began. “What you probably did not know, is that there was an attack on two students late last night. We suspect the students who did this, excuse me, former students, were in cahoots with the Oak King faction that bombed our school just a short while ago.”
The hall erupted in voices.
It took several minutes to quiet everyone.
“Settle down! Settle down!” The headmistress kept repeating. Finally, everyone quieted and began to listen again.
“We have been up most of the night addressing this latest issue,” she continued, “And the culprits have not only been expelled, they’ve been removed from the school and grounds, and transported to the city prison, where they are awaiting trial on the charge of attempted murder.”
The hall erupted into loud voices again, everyone standing in the uproar.
The headmistress walked off the stage, shaking her head.
The stage was empty for a few minutes as the jibber-jabber carried on.
Then another professor came onto the stage and stood at the podium, and everyone quieted and looked at him expectantly.
He uttered just one sentence. “Please join me in welcoming ... The Holly King!” and he walked to the side, clapping.
The hall erupted in cheers and screams and woots and clapping as my father slowly walked onto the stage. He was dressed in all his regalia, and from my seat, I could see that yes, indeed, he looked very much like Santa Claus.
An Irish Santa, to be sure. His outfit was green and white, and he even had on a pointed hat that matched his coat.
As he reached the podium, the hall suddenly fell silent. No one wanted to miss a word.
“Greetings, students, faculty, everyone. Thank you for that grand welcome. I am honored,” the Holly King said. “I wish the circumstances surrounding my visit were better. I know how much you’ve suffered in the recent bombing. I am working with the headmistress to solve the crimes against the Academy and you, its students. Security will be increased, and we will get to the bottom of this, I assure you.
“I wish to have a minute of quiet to remember the student who died in the bombing, and the two students whose lives were nearly cut short last night.” He bowed his head and fell silent.
The hall full of people followed his lead, bowing their heads and closing their eyes. I heard more than a few sniffles.
After a long minute, Father looked up once more and continued to speak.
“As you know, the kingdom has been embroiled in a war for a few years. It has now arrived at the boundaries of Titania Academy, and I couldn’t be sorrier. You don’t deserve this. None of you. This is an institution of learning, and your strongest concern should be your schoolwork. Not bombs and attempts on your lives.
“I want you to know exactly who the students were who nearly died last night, and how they survived. This is a lesson on respect, on culture, and on survival.” He paused for a moment, and I felt a flutter of nervousness in my stomach.
He was going to tell them?
But Father was speaking again. “Late last night, two students were pushed off the highest western parapet, and thrown off the castle, in an attempt on their lives. The only reason they survived was because of the instinctive actions of one of their familiars. This hawk appeared as its master was falling to his death. The familiar used its magic to increase in size as it flew underneath the students, catching them on its back, and saving them from a horrible death.”
The hall gasped in unison.
“The students in question are Chance Mac Craith and Holly Ó Cuilinn.”
Those assembled in the hall gasped even louder, and voices rose in concern. I felt dozens of eyes on me and Chance.
“I would like to ask them both to stand at this time, so you can get a good look at them,” the king said.
Chance and I glanced at each other, shrugged, and rose to our feet. Everyone started clapping and yelling out encouragements.
“You go, Chance.”
“Bully for you, Chance.”
“Holly! Yay!”
“Way to go, Holly!”
Chance muttered a spell, and his hawk familiar appeared on his shoulder, and the calls of approval rose even louder.
“WELL DONE!”
“LOVE THAT HAWK!”
“WHAT A BEAUTY!”
After a few minutes, we moved to retake our seats, but my father called out into the microphone: “Don’t sit down just yet. Everyone, I have some news to tell you.”
The hall went silent again, all eyes were on the king.
“Chance and Holly are in second and first year, respectively. They’re great students. And Holly,” he paused for a couple of beats, “Holly is my daughter. Holly Ó Cuilinn is my daughter. She is the daughter of the Holly King!” his voice rose at the end, in his own call of encouragement and approval, and his fist punched the air in triumph.
The hall went wild.
“OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!”
“AMAZING!”
“HOLLY! HOLLY!”
“HOLLY: BE MY FRIEND?”
“HOLLY, YOU ARE AWESOME!”
“ROYAL HOLLY! ROYAL HOLLY!”
“WOOP! WOOP!”
It went on for more than ten minutes. Everyone was clapping, even my father.
I blushed furiously and tried to hide my grin.
Chance grabbed my hand and thrust it into the air, and I laughed.
The Holly King eventually called for order.
“Now, before I go, I want to ask a special favor of each and every one of you.” When he said this, he pointed at various students, and his gazed was piercing. “I want you to do the Holly King a special royal favor. Will you do that for me? Will you do a special favor for your king?”
Everyone yelled out.
“YES!”
“YEAH!”
“I’LL DO ANYTHING YOU ASK!”
“WE LOVE YOU!”
“ASK US ANYTHING
!”
“WE WANT TO HELP YOU!”
“YESSSSS!”
“WOOT!”
He put his hands up for quiet, and everyone hushed again.
He waited until every eye was on him, and it grew so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
He stepped close to the microphone and spoke in a low, almost conspiratorial, but deadly serious tone.
“I want you to guard my daughter.”
The hall erupted in screams of approval. Everyone who could reach me put their hands on me in gestures of encouragement. Some just patted my back; others reached out and put their hands on me and uttered protection spells; still others called out promises to protect me. A few even cried out they would protect me with their lives. Over a thousand voices were crying out.
I started crying.
Chance put his arm around me.
“I’m fine, I’m fine. These are happy tears,” I assured him. I’d never felt so overwhelmed in my life.
“The Holly King is a genius,” Chance whispered in my ear. “Everyone has just been charged with this task by the king himself. No one will be able to touch you.” Chance kissed my cheek.
Everyone had been staring at us. When they saw Chance kiss my cheek, they all erupted in applause.
As if I couldn’t blush any stronger.
An hour later, we were all gathered in the guest quarters my father was staying in. We drank hot mead, and even the headmistress joined in for a half cup of the jeweled liquid.
“All right. I am hoping everything will be safe here from now on,” said the Holly King. “We’ve placed extra spellwork and anti-curse charms over the enter castle, inside and out, on the grounds, in the forest, and these spells extend a hundred miles in every direction.”
The headmistress nodded in gratitude. “We are so thankful for your intervention, my king.”
My father turned to Chance. “My boy, I saw that kiss on my daughter’s cheek.”
Now it was Chance’s turn to blush bright red.
Faerie Misborn Page 26