Queen

by Claire Farrell

I gave her a sharp look. “You remember my birthday? How that night was?”

  “Crazy? Yeah, I remember.” Her face reddened. “It was a strange night.”

  “We were surrounded by faeries. That’s probably what was wrong with Darren, too. Sorry. But without a king, the fae kind of ran wild, and everything got a little nuts.”

  “If you say so.”

  I wished I could make her aware of the danger, then she would know to avoid the potential danger growing inside me. The baby could turn out like me and exaggerate everyone’s feelings. Between the two of us, our home would be a beacon calling fae from every direction. The baby could turn out like Drake, wings and all. Worse, she could end up like her grandfather or great-grandfather, or even my father. There were so many bad influences in her life that I wasn’t even sure where to begin.

  The power underfoot had already led me away from the main streets of Dublin. In my bag, I had stuffed my riding suit, boots, and the torn cloak the Watcher’s wife had given me. I had hidden them from Zoe when she wanted to throw them away.

  “Maybe you should turn back,” I said. “Just in case.”

  “I’m in this with you. All the way.”

  “Auntie Zoe,” I teased.

  “I love that,” she admitted. “It sounds freaking amazing.”

  I rubbed the bump that seemed to grow a little bigger every day. Sometimes I imagined I felt a little fluttering. I wondered if every woman felt the same, or if it might be the brush of wings inside. But surely wings would show up on a scan. Or maybe humans were blind to things like that. I had no idea. Besides, my baby was just as much human as fae, if not more. My brother hadn’t even had a trace of fae in his blood. Drake’s mother had been human. Deorad’s mother had been human. If I was lucky, human would outweigh fae, and I would get to live a life of peace with my baby.

  My baby. I wasn’t sure when exactly I had started to think in those terms, when the feeling of fear had made way for excitement. I wanted to meet my child, wanted to know her. I wanted her to live. And that was why I had to keep walking and following the power.

  I wished I knew Brendan’s full name. Drake had blinded me to the fae by using my name to bind me. Brendan’s name might have earned me an appearance—or the claim of a life debt. Words had true power in the fae realm. The Wall of Spirits had required a specific line. I couldn’t even remember what that was. Why hadn’t I paid more attention? Why hadn’t I prepared myself for the possibility that Drake would set me aside?

  Maybe the baby will change things. Maybe he’ll be willing to try when there’s another reason for it. I moved more quickly, my heart soaring. The fae would welcome me with open arms. I just knew it. And when they did, everything would go back to the way it was. I would be treated like a friend, and my baby would be treated like… the child of a king. I let my imagination run wild. Every kid wanted to be special. Maybe mine really would be.

  The trail led me to a dead end. No more power. It was cut off, as if it had been sucked away. Or maybe I was blind to that, too. But no, I was the person who’d led everyone through the marshlands. I had travelled from the Darkside to the Great Forest alone.

  “Cara,” Zoe said gently, “maybe we should head back now. We’ve been wandering around here for ages.”

  “I know, but I’m really close.” I hated lying to her, but I didn’t want to quit.

  I found weak paths of magic only to lose them again. I just needed to concentrate, to trust in myself. Stopping and closing my eyes, I sucked in a breath and could have sworn I smelled the flowers from Brighid’s garden. I opened my eyes, almost certain I would see the arch again, but I was standing in the middle of an empty field. But the tremble of magic increased, and I knew I was on the right track. Something important was nearby, some source of power so great, I could barely stand to walk upon it.

  Zoe shivered. “This place is creepy.”

  The wind blew harder the farther I walked. I heard whispers. They were likely just leaves rustling in the trees, but I imagined fae voices.

  “Hello?” I called out. “Is anyone there? I’m looking for Brendan. He owes me a debt.”

  Nothing. The wind died down.

  “Cara, there’s nobody here.”

  “Just wait. You said you were going to do this with me, so let me do it. Please.”

  She nodded. “Fine. Carry on wandering around in circles. I’m all in.”

  I followed the leyline, frustrated. What if he didn’t show? What if nobody did? I came to an abandoned house and almost cried with relief. On the rusty front gate, a white flower and a black rose had been entwined.

  “Wait,” Zoe said. “Are these people squatters?”

  Ignoring her, I gripped the gate, brushing my fingers across the flowers.

  “I’m here to claim a life debt from King Brendan,” I called out. “Bring me to him. I need protection for… for a baby. He swore to—”

  A gust of wind blasted me the face. I closed my eyes, struggling to breathe. I heard the tinkling of laughter, a harmony of three. I opened my eyes slowly, half-afraid of seeing the priestesses again. I stood in a lush garden, facing a timid-looking faery. I turned to Zoe. She was gone. That was kind of a relief. I hoped she didn’t completely freak out, though.

  “You are owed a boon.” The faery made a sweeping bow. “A carriage awaits you.” He peeked up at me. “You mentioned a child.”

  “It’s with me.” I wondered why I’d said it that way.

  But the faery nodded and motioned for me to follow. A small carriage, only big enough for two, was parked nearby. The dappled grey horse stamped its feet as if eager to leave. The faery held open the door and helped me inside. The interior was small but comfortable.

  The faery sat next to me and clicked his fingers. The carriage began to move. A huge sense of relief lifted a weight off my shoulders. Everything was going to be okay.

  “I’m afraid you’ve come at a bad time.” The faery seemed nervous.

  “What’s going on?” I asked.

  “War councils, meetings, feasts… oh, everything. The advisor and his… lady friend are off charming the wild tribes. The king refuses to keep his bodyguard with him at all times, and there have been so many disagreements.”

  I nodded as if I knew what he was talking about. “Um, war councils?”

  He nodded. “That’s the way when there are three kings, you see. Two against one until a better offer comes along. Except none of the three can agree. They all want to make peace with a different court. It’s bordering on ridiculous now.” He covered his mouth. “I’ve said too much. Please don’t—”

  “It’s fine. So there hasn’t actually been a war yet?”

  “Not yet. The Dark Court moves against the Green and pleads for peace with the Silver. The Silver Court wants to destroy the Dark Court and refuses to ally with the Green until they move to attack. The Green Court begs for peace with both. When the war begins—if it ever does—there will be hell to pay.”

  “So there’s no Seelie and Unseelie?” I asked, confused.

  “The courts have adopted new titles. What was once Seelie is now Green, Unseelie, Silver.” He frowned. “And the newly created Chaos Court also goes by the Dark Court in honour of its… location.”

  “That makes sense,” I muttered. “Has the Darkside expanded?”

  “Expanded?” He snorted. “That’s a rumour spread by the Chaos king, as if his little plague could chew up the entire realm.”

  I leaned back and rubbed my stomach. I had felt definite flutters since reaching the faery realm, almost as if the baby knew where we were. I caught the faery staring at my belly, and I pulled my bag into my lap.

  “Will you be staying long?” he asked.

  “Just long enough. Brendan knows I’m coming, right?”

  “I have no idea. I was sent here. That’s all I know. This is my job. I’m not sure if I should be telling you any more than that.”

  “That’s fine.” I would hear the rest from Brendan sometime
soon. I started to close my eyes then realized I hadn’t checked for green. I whipped the dagger from my bag and held it to the faery’s neck. “Have you sworn fealty to Brendan?”

  The faery shook with fright. “I take no part in any of… please, I was just led here. We bring travellers home. A traveller was supposed to be here tonight. I heard you calling for King Brendan, talking about a life debt. It was you I came for. I’m meant to bring you to him.”

  “So you weren’t actually told by Brendan to come and bring someone home.”

  “That isn’t how it works.” He held very still. “We’re in the Green Court’s territory. We’ll arrive any minute now. You’ll see.”

  “Where exactly are we going?”

  “To the king’s castle,” he said, still trembling. “To his family home.”

  I kept the knife on his neck until we reached the castle and I saw green flags waving from the towers.

  “Sorry.” I lowered the weapon. “A girl has to be careful when she accepts a lift from a stranger.”

  “Of course,” he wheezed. “I’m sure that’s very clever.”

  “So what now?”

  “We get out of the carriage, and I take you to your final destination. Unless… unless you’re unwilling. I’m sure I can find someone else to take you. I mean… I—”

  “You’ll do fine,” I said. “Just give me a sec.” I pulled the cloak out of my bag, wrapped it around me, and pulled up the hood.

  “Very, uh, nice,” the faery said.

  I followed him out of the carriage. “Seriously, I’m sorry for scaring you. I just didn’t want to end up in Sadler’s house.”

  He bit his lip as though working up the courage to say something.

  “What?” I asked.

  “You’re the one, aren’t you?” he whispered. “The one who led the second king to the Fade to rescue the first.”

  “Come on,” I said with a smile. “Let’s get this over with.”

  I had no idea what to expect, but a huge ivy-covered castle wasn’t it. I stared in shock at Brendan’s new home. The castle had to be ancient yet it appeared to be in perfect condition, like something out of a fairy tale. Green flags flew from rounded turrets atop the many-storied structure. The place was broad and secure, kind of like a pretty fortress. We were in a cobblestoned courtyard surrounded by smaller buildings that ran on either side of the main one. All around us, faeries rushed about while soldiers marched in time.

  “There’s magic over us because we don’t have time to deal with the guards,” the faery said firmly, taking charge again. “But I always know where the open doors are, so if you’ll follow me, we’ll find the king right away.”

  There was a loud commotion as a bunch of carriages reached the front gate. I hurried after the faery. I wanted to see Brendan without ceremony first. I wanted to judge his reaction and to tell him in my own time what I needed from him. He was the one who owed me; he was the only one powerful enough to go against Drake’s magic. Unless Sadler could. I really hoped he couldn’t.

  I followed the faery into a side entrance. We ran through a kitchen, narrowly avoiding a collision into a tall man carrying a huge tray of food. Pixies and other faeries worked frantically. Something big was happening. My guide hurried down corridor after corridor without hesitation.

  “Are you sure you know where you’re going?” I whispered.

  The faery gave me a disparaging look then came to a stop before a huge door. He bowed. “In here.” Before I could even thank him, he was gone.

  I pushed open the door and entered a large study. A fire crackled in the fireplace, and an open book lay on the desk, but I didn’t see anyone. Frowning, I looked around. I heard a step behind me and whirled to confront whoever had sneaked up on me, but strong arms came around my body. One hand pressed against my mouth, the other held a knife to my neck. That probably served me right for threatening the faery in the carriage.

  The person spun me around to face him. I stared at Brendan and watched the anger in his green eyes turn to shock.

  He let me go. “Cara?”

  “Hey,” I said shakily. “I kind of called in a favour and ended up here.”

  “Called in a… what’s going on? How did you get here? I couldn’t—”

  “I followed the leylines and said I needed you to repay a life debt.”

  “A life debt? Are you in danger?”

  “Not yet.” I winced. “I kind of came back from the faery realm a little different.”

  “Different? In what way?” He looked so confused that I was dying to laugh, but there was nothing funny about it.

  “I’m pregnant, Brendan.” I slipped the cloak off my shoulders and pointed at my stomach. “I need protection for her.”

  “He impregnated you on the way to the Fade? You actually found time for that?”

  “Brendan! It happened before. That night… you know?”

  The colour drained from his face. “This changes… so much.”

  “I know.” I felt supremely awkward. His soul had been in Drake’s body when it happened. He hadn’t been aware, but still… icky. And complicated. And probably the real reason why Bekind had decided I could rescue him from the Fade. I made a mental note to kill Bekind next time I saw her.

  “And now you’re here.” He didn’t look pleased.

  I shifted from foot to foot. “I’m sorry to bother you when you’re so busy and all, but I had nowhere else to go. The fae came for me when I was a kid. Bekind stopped them, but my baby doesn’t have anyone to protect her.”

  “Her?”

  “Her, him, whatever. It doesn’t matter to me. What matters is the target on her back when she’s born. I can’t protect her from everyone, but I thought maybe… maybe you could.”

  “Cara, I—”

  A door opened at the other end of the room. “Sire, the queen has arrived.” Brendan’s body blocked my view so I couldn’t see who spoke.

  “Queen?” I frowned. “You got married? Already? To whom?”

  “This isn’t the place to talk. I’ll explain everything later, when we have time.”

  A familiar cackle made me freeze.

  “Oh, not again. I thought we had gotten rid of her,” Sorcha said. She had apparently come through the same door behind Brendan.

  “And look,” Nella sneered. “It’s multiplying.”

  I leaned to the side to look at the two women. I wondered which one was the queen.

  Brendan moved to stand in front of me again. “Go.”

  “The entire party is here,” the same servant announced, and more footsteps entered the room.

  I stepped around Brendan and saw Drake walk over to Sorcha and take her arm. His head was lowered, so I couldn’t see his face. Dymphna entered the room behind them, but I couldn’t stop looking at Drake and Sorcha, who I noticed had a wedding ring on her finger. He had married her? I wanted to throw up.

  “I’ll be right back,” Brendan said.

  “Oh, no,” Sorcha said. “Invite her to dinner. I’m sure we’ve lots to catch up on.”

  By the smirk on her face, she was unsurprised by my presence and probably by the reason behind it. Drake finally looked up and saw me. His gaze went down to my stomach, but he didn’t react at all. Nothing. Not even a twitch.

  “Make yourselves comfortable,” Brendan said sharply. “I need to see to my guest.” He took my arm in a firm grip and led me out of the room, slamming the door behind us. “I’m so sorry. That’s not how I wanted you to find out.”

  “He married her,” I whispered, unsure if I wanted to cry or hit something.

  “It’s political. He made deals. He needed help, allies, and she wanted a crown. He didn’t know you would come back.”

  “He doesn’t care. He doesn’t care about anything but power.”

  Brendan snapped his fingers. A faery came out of the shadows and approached us.

  “Bring her to my Second. Let them take care of her.” He turned to me. “Cara, I need to have this meet
ing. We can speak later. We’ll figure it out.”

  “Whatever,” I said numbly. “I don’t care about anything right now.”

  “Don’t say that.” He gave me a pitying look. “This is such a strange night for you to arrive.”

  “Can you help me?” I put a hand on my abdomen. “Can you protect her?”

  He glanced back at the closed door, and his expression hardened. He took my hands. “I owe you a life-debt, Cara Kelly. I swear to you that I will do anything in my power to protect your child. Do you trust me?”

  I nodded. He was about the only one I could trust, the only one who seemed to care.

  “Then let me do what I can. Tonight, come to the dinner. We can talk before then, but come to the dinner and put on a brave face. Don’t let her see she has cut you. And then I’ll let the entire court know that your child is protected. Do you understand me? You’ll get what you came for. We’ll discuss the details later.”

  “Fine.” I wrapped my arms around him. “I’m going to be a mother, Brendan. I just want her to grow up safe.”

  “I’m sure that’s what every parent feels.”

  He didn’t say it wasn’t normal for a fae parent or that I might lose my mind before the child was born. He didn’t fill my head with doubts or fears. He stood tall, looked confident, and promised me I had his help.

  The faery led me away to the stairs. All the way up, I pictured Drake’s arm around Sorcha, saw them huddled together over fires on our journey to the Fade. He had known all along what he was going to do. He had kissed me, said he cared. He had said he loved me, and the entire time, he had been planning his wedding to someone else. My heart hardened. I needed to be tough to make sure my child never felt such pain.

  Chapter Seven

  I was led up two flights of stairs and down a long hallway decorated with vases full of black roses. The lack of a white flower felt like a bad omen. We stopped at the last door. Brendan’s servant raised his arm and knocked sharply on the wood.

  The door swung open to reveal a shirtless Arlen. He was Brendan’s Second? I looked everywhere but right at him, mortified and afraid that he was still angry with me.

  “What do you want?” he snapped, then he sucked in a sharp breath. “Cara? Is that you?”