A Gray Area

by Amy Sumida

  “Don't be afraid,” Varian whispered to me. “I am with you. I vowed to keep you safe, and I always keep my vows.”

  “I'm not afraid,” I protested weakly, and Varian gave me a bright smile for my lie.

  And then I saw her.

  She was seated on a silver throne with an engraved back that soared eight feet over her head, and she was a tall woman, to begin with. Her elegant hands rested on pale-blue, velvet armrests and her blonde hair was done in an intricate mass of curls and braids that must have taken hours to wrap around the tiny, spiked crown that perched on her head. Her full lips spread in a welcoming smile as she regarded me with lavender eyes.

  Lavender. I looked around at the gathering of Danutians and didn't spot a single one with eyes in any shade of purple. There was blue, gray, yellow, brown, orange, red... every damn color except for purple. A shiver went through me as I remembered the way Varian had stared at my eyes. The way he asked me if they'd always been that color.

  “Your Majesty, may I present—“ Varian paused and glanced at me. “I don't know your surname,” he whispered.

  “Amaranthine Madison,” I whispered back. This place seemed to require my full name.

  “Lady Amaranthine Madison.” He drew me down into a bow with him, or a curtsy in my case.

  When we straightened, Varian waved his hand at the Queen and said, “Lady Amara, this is Her Majesty Elisande Wanestral of the East.”

  “Welcome to my court, Lady Amaranthine,” the Queen said.

  “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

  The Queen stood, her willowy body draped in layers of translucent, pale-blue silk that floated around her as she glided down the steps of the royal dais. She held a limp, fair-skinned hand out to Varian, and he offered her his free arm.

  “The solarium, Sir Varian,” she commanded.

  “Yes, Your Majesty.” Varian bowed his head and then escorted us through a door to the left of the throne.

  A guard opened the door for us, and we strode into a bright room with a vaulted, glass ceiling. The door closed behind us; blocking out the curious throng. Varian led us to a set of silver benches in the center of the room. Alien plant life surged up around us in colorful displays; some of them reaching nearly to the ceiling. We were on a stone path that wound through raised garden beds of pure, white marble that overflowed with flowers. The gurgle of a fountain filled the air, but it was hidden somewhere further in the room, and we sat before I could locate it.

  Varian helped the Queen to sit first and then led me to a chair beside her. He stood to the Queen's right.

  “That's better.” Queen Elisande sighed. “Away from prying eyes and ears.”

  “Thank you for speaking English,” I said. “I know it's not your preferred language.”

  “Varian prepared me.” She smiled up at Varian before settling her gaze back on me. “About many things.” She stared at my eyes. “I can barely believe it.”

  “I noticed that purple eyes seem to be rare among your people,” I said hesitantly.

  The Queen laughed; a high, tinkling sound. “So they are. Only royalty is born with that color of eyes, Lady Amaranthine. And only Danutians can fill their eyes with power; in the exact way that yours have just sparked. Which leads me to wonder who exactly you are.”

  “Royalty?” I whispered. “Wow. Well, I can assure you that I'm not that.” I paused as I remembered that I actually was. “At least, not Danutian royalty.”

  “You are a royal of another race?” Queen Elisande lifted one perfect, blonde brow.

  “My father was the brother of King Jovan Rinbar of the Triari,” I explained. “I'm technically a princess.”

  Varian straightened and shared an avid look with his queen.

  “I see. But that still doesn't explain your response to our realm,” the Queen said to me before she turned back to Varian. “I assume that you've just learned of this yourself.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” Varian said stiffly. “I was unaware that Princess Amaranthine would have such a reaction to our realm or that she was a princess at all.”

  Oh, I was Princess Amaranthine now. Varian was either distancing himself or trying to give me respect. I wasn't sure which, but I kind of preferred Lady Amara.

  “Let's not use that title,” I said. “I've never met my uncle and haven't accepted my position yet. I'd prefer to stick with 'Lady Amara' if that's all right.”

  Varian cocked his head at me as if I'd done a particularly interesting trick.

  “You haven't met your kin?” Queen Elisande asked in surprise. “How is that possible?”

  “I was born on Earth, and my parents were murdered when I was very young,” I said softly. “My father's best friend raised me. It wasn't until recently that I discovered my father's standing among the Triari.”

  “Fascinating,” the Queen whispered.

  Varian smirked at me. Fascinating, indeed.

  “The Lady Amara's father gave her an elixir to cure an illness when she was a child,” Varian told the Queen. “This elixir had unforeseen benefits. It changed her eyes to the royal purple they are today and gave her the ability to see asha. Humans call them auras. She can also use asha to cloak herself and others.”

  “Truly?” The Queen blinked.

  “Evidently, Lady Amara has more talents that she's currently unwilling to share with me,” he said in an almost conspiratorial tone.

  “Does she now?” The Queen cocked her head at me.

  “My abilities and my eyes are not the reason I'm here, Your Majesty,” I tried to get us back to the subject I wanted to speak about.

  “On the contrary, Lady Amara, they are,” Queen Elisande protested. “When Sir Varian spoke of your valor and your beauty, I was intrigued, but when he mentioned the royal color of your eyes, it prompted me to extend an invitation. And now, you have called upon the magic of Danu. You have proven yourself worthy of our realm, Princess Amaranthine. And so, you must stay with us until we determine your proper place in it.”

  “My proper...” I gaped at her. “I'm sorry, Your Majesty; Danu is beautiful, but my place is on Earth with my consort.”

  “You have a consort?” She glanced up at Varian, who nodded slightly.

  “Prince Malik Starsiene of the Bleiten,” I said crisply.

  “A Bleiten prince, no less,” she said gleefully. Then she whispered, “Terana sol.”

  I lifted my brow in question.

  “It's an expression of wonderment,” Varian explained. “It means...”—he searched for the words—“sacred breeze.”

  I nodded. Odd expression, but who was I to judge?

  “A Bleiten prince and a Triari princess,” the Queen went on. “Forgive me, but your relationship seems... doomed.”

  “Nonetheless, we are committed to it as all star-crossed lovers are,” I said firmly. “I had to leave Malik behind to meet with you, and he will no doubt be worried soon. So, forgive me, but I must insist that we speak about the areas on Earth that have been changing.”

  “She is refreshing,” Queen Elisande said to Varian. “So honest. No bandying about with words. No...” she said something in Danutian that made Varian smile.

  “Yes; Lady Amara is a rare jewel,” Varian agreed.

  “A jewel who belongs in a Danutian court!” The Queen declared. “My court. I must have you. You will stay with us, Princess.”

  “I have information that I intended to bargain with,” I said gruffly. “Now, I see that I may have to use it to gain my freedom, despite the assurances of protection I was given.”

  I glared at Varian, and he stiffened.

  “Do not take your displeasure out on my champion, Princess,” the Queen chided me. “He acts under my orders. His protection is my protection, and you are most assuredly safe here.”

  “He also promised me that I would be escorted safely home directly after our conversation.”

  “You will be taken home,” she confirmed, “when I determine where that home is.”

  “Th
en you won't be wanting the name of the man who's been changing Earth?”

  The Queen went still. Varian went still. I smiled. Cyprian, I could kiss you. Then I thought of what the Faulin's response to that declaration would be, and I smiled wider.

  “You have his name? How?” She demanded.

  “I followed him,” I said. “I infiltrated the place he was hiding in and befriended his benefactor, and then that man gave me his name.”

  “She's as competent as you are, Sir Varian,” the Queen observed.

  “It seems so, Your Majesty,” he agreed.

  “How shall we manage to keep her; this resourceful, willful, honest princess?”

  “Perhaps if we save her planet, she will be inclined to return?” He suggested.

  “You may be right.” Queen Elisande nodded. “Will you return if we help you, Princess?”

  They were already supposed to be helping me, but I wasn't about to argue.

  “I'd be happy to visit,” I said diplomatically.

  “I accept that arrangement.” The Queen nodded regally. “But you will at least give us a day, Princess. We will have a great celebration to welcome you. I will even loan you my champion to attend you.”

  My stomach clenched. I hadn't expected to be gone so long. Malik was going to be furious.

  “That would be lovely, thank you.”

  Varian's stare was cast down thoughtfully.

  “Excellent!” The Queen clapped her hands. “And Sir Varian will apprehend the Danutian who has been causing such trouble. All we need is his name.”

  “I only have a first name; it's Terial.”

  They went still again but this time, it was more like the stillness of a snake about to strike.

  “What did you say?” Queen Elisande whispered.

  “Terial,” I repeated. “Do you know him?”

  “It must be a mistake, Your Majesty,” Varian said with an even tone; one carefully devoid of emotion. “I'm sure it's not—”

  The Queen's hand slashed down. “My son has been absent from Court for over a year, Sir Varian. I think this is entirely possible.”

  “Your son?” I asked in shock.

  “Prince Terial of the East is Queen Elisande's son and heir,” Varian said grimly. “Is your source reliable?”

  “I can't guarantee it.” I scowled and wondered if there were some deeper game afoot. If perhaps Cyprian had given me the name to cause trouble. “In fact, the more I think about it, the more I'm sure that it might be false.”

  Queen Elisande let out a shaking breath. “Why do you say that?”

  “It was offered to me easily.” I grimaced. “My source expressed a personal interest in me and gave me the name to endear himself.”

  “But now you believe he may have been using you?” Varian asked.

  I shrugged. “If I had known he was accusing a prince, I would have been warier. It doesn't seem likely that a Danutian prince would come to Earth after all of these years only to destroy it.”

  “You don't know my son, Princess Amara,” Queen Elisande murmured sadly. “I'm afraid it is very likely. Terial has always craved more for both himself and our people. Not an entirely uncommon feeling among our kind. But he's also incredibly intelligent, resourceful, and ambitious. I wouldn't be surprised if he had found a way to take energy from Earth and replace it with that of Danu. It would grow our realm and possibly grant him power.”

  “The man I saw had an incredibly strong aura,” I said urgently. “Are you saying that he's absorbing the energy he takes from Earth?”

  “It is likely,” she said softly. “Sir Varian, send a messenger to summon my son to Court.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  I gaped at Varian as he ran off. He was supposed to protect me but he'd just left.

  “Sir Varian will return momentarily,” the Queen said to my look.

  “Oh, okay,” I murmured.

  “Do your people take multiple consorts?” She asked casually but her gaze was intent on my face.

  “Multiple? Ah, no. Not usually,” I stammered.

  “But it's been done?”

  “There are those who choose that lifestyle, yes, but it's not common.”

  “Perhaps you should think about it.” She pointedly looked over her shoulder in the direction Varian had went.

  I cleared my throat. “I don't think my consort would support that.”

  “A pity.” She pursed her lips as she considered me. “I, myself have sixteen consorts.”

  “Sixteen?” I nearly choked.

  “Royals are permitted more than the average Sidhe.” She gave me a wink. “We have greater needs. What with the stress of running our kingdoms. Plus, there is the increased potential for heirs.”

  “Of course,” I said breathlessly.

  Where the hell are you, Varian?

  “I don't know how any woman can be satisfied with only one lover,” she went on.

  “I am,” I said immediately. “Malik is more than enough for me. Honestly, I can't imagine how you can keep sixteen men happy.”

  Queen Elisande laughed. “Oh, you precious girl! They are meant to keep me happy, not the other way around.”

  A chill coasted over me. I didn't like that. Not one bit. I couldn't imagine caring about a man enough to share my body with him but not enough to want his happiness. It seemed a little ruthless to me. Cruel and cold. I had an instant desire to run home to Malik and make love to him.

  “But it is not for everyone,” she said flippantly. “Perhaps you will be content with your Bleiten prince.”

  The Queen waved her finger in the air and a silver mist appeared. It shot away as if it was on a mission.

  “I've just notified the servants to prepare for your feast,” she explained. “But until then, I want to introduce you to my court.” She stood and looked around impatiently as if something was missing.

  Varian came striding into the room right on cue. The Queen held her hand out without looking back at him, and Varian lifted his arm beneath it before offering his free arm to me. I stood and set my hand over his forearm as the Queen had done. Varian gave me a little grin.

  “The messenger is on his way, Your Majesty,” Varian reported.

  “Good.” The Queen nodded. “Back to the glittering throng, Sir Varian.” She waved her hand forward. “We will let them seduce our princess for us, shan't we?”

  “Indeed, Your Majesty,” Varian said but he gave me a reassuring look.

  What had I gotten myself into now?

  Chapter Thirty

  The Danutian Sidhe were stunning people; there wasn't an ugly face in the room. Their manners and poise were also impeccable. The Court of the East was a glittering gem of wonder and ethereal exoticism. But their smiles were a little too sharp and their stares too intense and penetrating. It was as if I'd been set in the middle of a room full of starving predators disguised as people. In fact, I wasn't too sure if that wasn't the absolute truth of it. I wasn't sure exactly what they were hungry for but I had a feeling that if they were given the chance to feed, I'd be both food and entertainment.

  If the Queen had seriously thought that her jaded courtiers could convince me that Danu was where I belonged, she was sorely mistaken. After fifteen minutes, I was more homesick than ever.

  “Your hair is beautiful.” Lord Pentar reached out and claimed one of my dark curls. He stroked it as he smiled at me. “A perfect foil for your eyes.”

  They were all speaking English for my benefit, but I heard their melodious language circling me like sharks. The way they looked at me combined with the tone of their voices told me all I needed to know about what they were saying. That and the way Varian glared at them over my head.

  “Thank you.” I pulled my hair out of his grasp and gave Varian a look.

  “Would you care for something to drink, Princess?” Varian asked smoothly.

  He was back to using the title I'd asked him not to, but among the courtiers, it felt like a shield. I gladly hid behi
nd it.

  “I would, thank you,” I said eagerly.