As his boots crunched against the gravel path, he heard Dorchmeir whisper, “You’ll pay. She’ll make sure of it.”
Therron shook his head. He’d made an enemy at the Seelie court, something he’d been trying valiantly not to do. Some days, it would be easier to return to his kingdom and take up the crown as his father hoped he would. Some days.
11
Rori pressed hard against the frame, mumbling the words needed to take her to Midna’s court. Forget that. She didn’t get jealous. To be jealous, she’d have to have feelings for the elf and no way. No bloody way did she think of Therron in that way. He was using his elf mind tricks on her, but she’d have none of it. Rori MacNair was a lone fae. She didn’t need anyone in her life.
The mirror swirled, the glass becoming liquid silver, and Rori stepped through. Unlike the dark, silent doorway to the human realm, sound and light assaulted her with horrifying urgency. She’d learned to tune it out, to focus on the place she was going rather than go mad in the in-between. Some never made it to the other side alive, their bodies oozing through the portal in a sticky mess. Traveling through Faerie in this manner had its drawbacks and was not for the easily intimidated.
The air thickened, pressing upon her lungs until breathing became impossible. She held her breath and waited out the discomfort. Everything about the doorways was designed to dissuade anyone from using them. Whoever first made the portals must’ve been a sadist. Why make something to facilitate speedy travel, only to kill a good portion of the people who use it? Rori asked herself the same question every time she entered one of the enchanted mirrors.
A light the size of her fist brightened until it nearly blinded her, growing in size as well as force. When it engulfed her, she forced her body to relax and took a step forward into Midna’s own Room of Mirrors.
Having been only the second time Rori entered the Unseelie palace through the doorways, she let a moment’s hesitation wash over her before she glanced at each mirror, choosing the one she believed to be the proper door to Midna’s palace. At least Eirlys had an actual door in her room.
She searched the frame and found what looked like a knob and twisted it, smiling when a satisfying click sounded. The smile left her face as soon as she jerked open the door. There, standing with five of Midna’s guard, was her brother Cian.
He studied her with the practiced eye of a spy trained for pretense. He showed no recognition, nor did he seem surprised to find her standing in Midna’s palace.
“Take her to the queen.” His sharp voice brooked no argument and to Rori’s shock, the guard obeyed.
Fortunately, she’d been trained the same as him and pretended not to know her own brother.
It was the first time Rori had ever been in the Unseelie palace proper, but she walked as if she were a frequent visitor. Everywhere she looked was another intriguing bit of art, or fanciful play on furniture. Nymphs, mermaids, faeries, elves, and ogres were depicted in all manner of everyday life in tapestries, paintings, even floor murals made of tiny pieces of glass.
Nowhere did Rori see any evidence of the sordid sex activities associated with Queen Midna. In fact, this palace looked much the same as the Seelie queen’s: stone walls, arched ceilings, bay windows with cushioned seats. In a way, the similarities disappointed Rori. She’d bought into the rumors and had mentally built the palace into legend.
“Wait here.” Cian broke through her thoughts. He gave her a curt stare for only a moment before leaving them in the middle of the hallway.
Rori checked her nails and grimaced at a snagged cuticle. She reached for her dagger and was immediately met with two drawn swords.
“Easy, fellas. I just need to trim some flesh.” She slowly withdrew her dagger and showed it to them before using the tip to scrape at her nail. When satisfied with her work, she slipped the dagger into its sheath and smiled at the guards. “See? No danger.”
She’d not been put into irons, nor had they taken her weapons, which meant either Midna didn’t see her as a threat, or she was being tested. Either way, Rori wouldn’t do anything to anger the queen. Not before she had a chance to deliver her message, at least.
Cian returned and beckoned the group to follow him. They passed through a small courtyard and into another part of the palace that took on a distinctly different look and feel than the other corridors. Now the nymphs frolicked with giant phalluses protruding from their bodies. The mermaids gleefully snacked on the brains of shipwrecked pirates. This was the palace Rori had feared. This was the palace Rori had secretly longed to see.
At the last door, Cian didn’t bother knocking, but yanked hard on the handle and ordered her inside. Rori kept her face placid even when her heart rammed against her ribcage. For whatever reason, Therron had chosen to stay at this palace with this queen. And Eirlys had said he was her favorite.
Again, that pinch of jealousy unnerved Rori. What the hell was up with that bloody elf? She shouldn’t care about him or this queen or anything happening around her. Yet, she was darkly fascinated with it all.
“Why have you entered my palace uninvited?” The stern voice came from the raised dais, which was very similar in shape to the Seelie queen’s, but draped in rich velvets of crimson, teal, and purple. The heavy fabrics blocked out any sunlight that might’ve shone down from the huge windows overhead. The only light in the room came from drossfire blazing within three huge alabaster discs suspended from the high ceilings.
“I’ve come from the Seelie court, Your Majesty, with a request from Queen Eirlys.”
Midna leaned forward and Rori saw her golden eyes first. They burned as if flames danced within. Her flaxen hair and snow-kissed skin were a stark contrast to the forest green gown she wore. Upon her head rested a crown of spring blooms, their pale shades far too innocent for this queen, Rori thought. Wings—gossamer thin and translucent, with opalescent veins making a spider’s web of sorts from tip to tip—unfolded behind the queen. Despite herself, Rori stared in awe. Never had she seen the Seelie queen’s wings. Nor did she expect Midna’s to be as delicately beautiful. She yearned to touch them, to feel the silkiness against her skin. A soft sigh escaped her lips.
“Where’s Therron?”
Rori collected her thoughts, regained control of her senses. “He’s with the Seelie queen. He’ll not be harmed and will be by your side once I’m returned unharmed.”
A shrewd look crossed Midna’s features. “What does Eirlys want with me?”
From the corner of her eye, Rori saw Cian’s shoulders shift the slightest bit. She knew that movement. Knew that he was preparing for battle, as he used to say. If there was to be a fight, he was ready. Dear, sweet Cian. She had no desire to fight or die this day.
“What is your interest in the enchantress Acelyne?” It was a bold question, but one that had been nagging at Rori’s mind ever since meeting Therron.
“I wish to see the witch drawn and quartered.” Midna’s ghostly lips turned a sickening shade of blood red. “She has stolen something from me, and I want it back.”
So that’s why Therron was following Acelyne. Midna sent a thief to capture a thief. Clever, if not misguided.
“The enchantress stole something from Queen Eirlys as well. That’s why I’m here. The Seelie queen would like to meet with you at the Vale of Dorn day after tomorrow. I have it on good authority that Acelyne won’t pass up a chance to be near the two great queens of Faerie. I’ll leave it to Your Majesties to decide the enchantress’ fate.”
“What makes you think Acelyne will show? Why would she risk it?”
“Because I stole something of hers, and she desperately wants it back.”
Midna’s lips turned a soft shade of pink and curled into a smile. With that slight shift of her features, the queen’s entire countenance changed. Gone was the frosty, forbidding ruler. In her place was a relaxed, welcoming woman. Warmth spread from Rori’s belly to the apex of her legs, where it settled with a thrumming intensity.
Whatever th
e queen was doing to her, Rori wanted no part of it. She was not here to become one of her slaves. Even as she forced bravery into her thoughts, desire to be lost in the dungeons pounded in her heart.
“Your Majesty, please stop.”
Midna curled into the great chair, a devious smirk on her lips. She turned toward Cian and indicated Rori with a tilt of her chin. “Shall I have this one killed?”
The ease with which she said the words, the complete nonchalance of the question, irritated Rori. And that she’d ask Cian, her own brother, made her want to throttle the queen.
“Only if you want war with Queen Eirlys. I’ve heard this one is a favorite of sorts. She said she stole something from Acelyne. It might be prudent to find out what that was.”
Internally, Rori seethed. Externally, she put on a bored expression.
“Fine. What is it you have of Acelyne’s?”
Rori surveyed the room. Perhaps two dozen courtiers stood in small groups, some pretending not to pay attention, others openly watching the spectacle.
“May I approach Your Majesty?” Midna nodded to Rori while simultaneously signaling to her guard to give them space. When she was within touching distance of the monarch, she withdrew the amulet, being careful to keep her palm cupped to hide it from the onlookers.
Midna peered at the pendant. Her hand hovered close to Rori’s, but she didn’t reach out. “What is this?”
“A prison, ma’am. Inside is a faerie. I believe Acelyne is capturing faeries and transporting them to the human realm via these amulets.”
Midna snatched her hand away as if bitten. “What makes you think this?”
Rori resisted the urge to look at Cian. She hated that she wanted his support but was also relieved he stood just a few feet away. “Because until this morning, I was imprisoned.” She cast a glance over her shoulder to the crowd. “I hesitate to say more, Your Majesty.”
Midna’s gaze flicked to her courtiers. “You were trapped? In here?” The question was little more than a whisper.
“Not in this one, ma’am. There are more, many more hidden and safe for now. But I fear there are even more still beyond Faerie’s borders.”
“But how? To what end?”
“How many people did you sense come through your doorway when I came through?”
“One. Just you.”
“But, if I’m correct and there’s a fae trapped inside that amulet, you should’ve sensed two. It was the same when Therron and I went to the human realm and back to Eirlys’ palace.”
“Therron went to the human realm?” A glint of laughter touched her golden eyes.
“He wasn’t happy about it.”
“I can only imagine.”
Midna took the pendant from Rori and examined it for several minutes. No one in the room spoke, nor moved. Every set of eyes was trained on the queen.
“How do you get them out?” The queen broke the silence. A collective exhale of breath stirred the air.
“I don’t know, but Queen Eirlys was keen to find out.”
“Is there anything you’d like from me?”
It was a strange request and Rori wasn’t sure what, exactly, the queen was asking.
“No, ma’am. I’m exhausted, starving, I could use a loo, but otherwise, I can’t think of anything that I require.”
Again, that enigmatic smile from the mysterious queen.
“Cian, take your sister to a room on the second floor. I’m sure she’ll be comfortable there. In the meantime, I’ll send a message to my sister-queen confirming we’ll meet her day after next. We’ll leave early in the morning. Please try to get some rest tonight, Rori.”
Rori curtseyed to the Unseelie queen, noting the use of “sister” twice in her speech. Therron had said Midna knew all about Rori and Cian, but why make it clear now? And why refer to Eirlys as her “sister-queen”? As far as Rori knew, the pair weren’t related. Perhaps it was a way all queens referred to each other, as a sisterhood of sorts.
She rose and turned toward Cian. He looked like hell. Hair mussed—he hated his hair to be one strand out of place—and dark half-moons under his eyes. She hadn’t noticed earlier, but now, this close to him, she saw that his stubble was from more than just one day. Something was going on with him and she longed to know what. In fact, she had the distinct impression far more was going on in the Unseelie court than was visible to the innocent bystander. Rori was neither innocent nor a bystander. She’d wait until her escort left her alone to explore the palace. Whatever Midna was hiding, she’d uncover.
“What did Acelyne take from Midna?”
Cian’s chuckle warmed Rori’s spirits. She’d been half afraid the cool attitude he portrayed was due to her sudden appearance at court.
“Leave it, Rori. This isn’t your mission, nor is it your place to go snooping. Trust me. Stay in your room and wait for morning. You’ll be safest there.”
“You’re joking, right? You expect me to sit around and what, knit? Like hell I will. Something’s going on and I’m going to find out what. With or without your help.”
They jogged up a wide staircase, with Cian a step ahead of her. At the landing, he waited until her boots touched the hardwood before he dragged her into a darkened alcove and hissed close to her ear, “Don’t you dare. Midna’s testing you. Hell, she’s testing us both. Something is going on here, but I can’t have you involved.” Rori stiffened at his words, a flurry of curses on her tongue, but he stopped them with one simple admission. “Midna’s sister is missing and she believes Acelyne took her for nefarious purposes. Your story in the throne room corroborated Midna’s worst fears. Right now, she’s trying to decide if you can be trusted—me as well, I’d assume. For all Midna knows, you and I are working with Acelyne for Eirlys’ benefit.”
“You know we’re not.” Rori rolled her bottom lip between her teeth. “Why are you here?”
Cian took her elbow and moved them into the hallway where a couple strolled hand in hand. “Officially, I’m here to offer Midna solace and assistance in finding her sister—something that has not been made public, by the way.”
“And unofficially?”
“I’ve been tasked with finding our lost fae and returning them to their proper homes.”
Rori rolled that around in her mind a bit. Eirlys said she knew about missing fae for many years. Arianna had only been taken a few days earlier.
“How long have you been here?”
“A month, maybe a bit longer. And before you ask, Mairead has been missing for three. It’s not the first time she’s disappeared, but there’s been no word from her, nor has Midna felt her presence in Faerie. According to Midna, Mairead always lets her know that she’s safe.”
They rounded a corner and immediately turned to their left where a steep staircase, not nearly as broad or as ornately decorated, met them. Cian took the steps two at a time while Rori ran behind him. Her damn fool brother was barely winded when they reached the top. She took a moment to catch her breath.
“I’ve never known you to be this out of shape, little sister.”
“I’ve had precious little to eat for close to a week. I wasn’t lying when I said I was exhausted. Or about needing a WC.”
Cian’s laughter boomed down the corridor, startling several courtiers. “Then let’s get you to your room.” He led her to a door and opened it for her to pass through.
Inside the large room was a four-poster with curtains and enough furniture to make the room comfortable for several guests. Her stomach churned at the thought of what other guests might’ve done in that room, on that bed.
Cian pointed to a door on her left. “Bathroom, and there,” he indicated another door to the right of the fireplace, “is your dressing room. Although, I doubt you’ll have need of that. I’ll get a fire started while you use the facilities.”
The bathroom was half the size of the sleeping quarters, with a huge claw-footed tub sitting in the middle. She gazed longingly at the tub, but a bath would have to wa
it. First, Cian had some questions to answer.
A roaring fire glowed steady in the grate and he squatted before it, hands outstretched toward the flames. The clench of his jaw, and seriousness of his gaze, stopped her heart for a beat.
“What’s going on, Cian? Not just with the imprisoned fae, but why are you truly here?” She stood beside him, her palm stretched across his shoulder. Beneath her touch, his tension was felt in the tightness of his muscles, the pull of skin over bones. “Do you think—” She stopped the thought before it became real.
“Think what?” He rose and in that moment, she saw their father. They were so alike in coloring and attitude. A deep pang of longing stole her breath.
“I keep wondering, is this what happened to Dad?”
Her breath sucked in and he turned away, but not before she saw fury ghost across his features. “Don’t make it personal, Rori. Remember your training.”
“It’s too late for that. When Acelyne drugged me, she made it far more than personal. We have to find them, Cian. All of them.”
“We will.”
A knock at the door startled them both and Cian stalked across the room. “That’ll be supper.”
He opened the door to a servant, who brought a tray of sensuous-smelling food into her room. He set the tray on a table and left without a word. Rori watched him leave, noting the slope of his shoulders, the downturn of his eyes. His hands were clean, his nails neatly trimmed.
They ate with very little conversation. She wanted Cian’s company, enjoyed having him in her presence, but something about his melancholy threatened to drown them both.
“Have you ever heard of a company called SIRE?” Cian asked after the last bite of his pudding. He took a long drink of ale, watching her above the rim of his mug.
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