“I don’t like you or your little fairy friend. You are both the most disorganized, ignorant, naive babes I have ever seen on this isle. But I’ve also sworn to have my revenge on the Higher Chancel for what they’ve done to me, and for this one reason, I can only imagine that revenge might be found through you.” He grimaced. “Whether I like it or not, you’re both different.”
“And how would that be?” Peter stood as well.
“Because you have upset far too many powerful people to still be alive unless it was the will of Atharo protecting you somehow.”
“Hold on,” Peter said, standing. “Why didn’t you tell Katy sooner? She said you warned her. But you were vague.”
Liam looked at him as if he had the intelligence of a fish. “Do you think I want the entire isle chasing my tail?” He snorted. “No thank you.” He turned toward the door and looked at the locks. Peter watched in awe as the stranger raised his hand and ice began to fill the keyholes. Then with one swipe of the hand, what looked like ice keys turned, and Peter could hear three distinct clicks as the man let himself out. But before he left, he paused and turned back to Peter once more.
“Don’t do anything foolish to get yourself killed. I need you alive.”
“Why can’t I come—”
“They’d notice if I let you out now. But I get the feeling someone else will.” The door shut with a bang, leaving Peter more confused than ever.
31
No Choice
Peter paused as the heavy metal door scraped against the floor. Despite the small quarters of his confinement, he had figured out how to squeeze his large frame onto the ground with just enough space to do push-ups. His muscles ached and his body screamed at him that he needed more food if he was going to push himself so hard, but he ignored it and continued. Two and a half days of being locked up like a criminal, and Karel hadn’t come. Shauna hadn’t come. William hadn’t come. And if he didn’t do something with his time, he would go out of his mind with anxiety and boredom. He stayed on the ground now as someone walked inside and stood just inches from him.
“I’m glad to see you’ve managed to maintain control of yourself.” Donella closed the door behind her, pausing only to nod to the guard on the other side. Peter didn’t bother to get up. The creature inside had indeed come to visit. Several times, in fact. And he had the bruises all over to prove it. But escaping had proven useless, and eventually, the monster had been forced to retreat, leaving Peter to suffer the consequences of its actions.
“I want you to know that I never meant for any of this to happen the way it did.” Donella sat on the small stool, back straight as a spear and her hands folded in her lap.
Peter went back to doing push-ups.
“But surely you must see why it would be dangerous for us to allow someone with your…nature to sit on one of the thrones,” she continued, staring straight ahead. “Even more, consider the disaster if you lost control around Katrin? What if—”
“Has it ever occurred to you,” Peter said as he stood, his voice husky, “that my nature only reveals itself when any sort of threat is posed to Katy?”
“You don’t know that—”
“And I suppose you’ve also rejected the possibility that you still don’t speak for Atharo?”
“I have a source that is beyond doubt from Atharo himself!” She stood.
Peter folded his arms and glowered down at her, somewhat enjoying the flicker of fear in her eyes as she obviously noted their differences in size. Not that he would try anything in his current state of mind. Still, it was enjoyable to see her smug confidence shaken, even if only for the duration of a blink.
“And would you care to divulge this undeniable source?”
She carefully rearranged her skirts. “I’m not at liberty to say.”
“That’s what I thought.” Peter leaned against the wall. “I also think you’ve got everyone in that chancel as delusional as you are.” He let a small smile slip. “Except now others are beginning to doubt too. William, for one, and possibly Sebastian. And Shauna—”
“Shauna would say the sky was purple if it meant challenging me.”
“And let me guess. You haven’t been able to find Katy. So now you want me to help you track her down so you can continue your claims that you were contacted by Atharo.” He kept his countenance cool, but he waited nervously to hear whether or not he was right and Katy was still missing.
“Not by him! By one of his representatives!”
So Peter was right. Katy was still out there. Peter had to work to keep his face calm. She’d never been gone so long. She’d run from him plenty of times before when they were children, but she always came back.
Where was she?
“I told you,” Donella continued, still staring at the floor, “I have these assurances from a more trustworthy source the anyone here has ever met.”
Peter bent down so that his face was on level with hers. “You need to listen carefully because I will only say this once.” He dropped his voice to a whisper. “My whole life has been dedicated to protecting Katy. And not just her body, but her heart and soul. And no one knows better than me the consequences of a rhin breaking his promise.” He let his smile harden. “And I’m not about to start now.”
“So that’s it, then. You won't help us.”
“I won't help you.”
“Even if it meant the possibility of your freedom?”
“If Katy is gone, she has a reason to stay that way.” He leaned forward. “I only pray that she stays put of your grasp for the rest of her life.”
“Well, if that’s the way you want it, I’m afraid I have no choice—”
One of the guards knocked and then stuck his head in without waiting for a response.
Donella scowled. “What is it?”
“I’m sorry, madam, but King Ethemu is requesting your aid immediately.”
“What for?”
The guard glanced at Peter before answering. “Several individuals have gone missing.” He paused. “Important individuals.”
Donella pursed her lips. “Very well. I’ll go up.” She stood. “But before I do, have you seen Jagan?”
“My station is here, madam. I haven’t been up since before my duty began.”
“Well, figure out a way to get him to me.” She left Peter’s little room, slamming the door behind her. Peter got up and put his ear to the door.
“I’m sorry, madam, but I can’t leave my post. Captain Emory says I’m not to move until I’m replaced.” The guard sounded so conflicted that Peter nearly pitied him.
But not quite.
“I don’t care what you have to do.” Donella’s voice began to fade along with her footsteps as she went down the hall. “Find my assistant and tell him to see me. If I’m going to be managing whatever disaster has come up, I’m going to need his help.”
32
Help
“Do you think you can sit up?” Aisling asked.
Katy hesitated, testing each limb before nodding. She cringed again as Aisling helped her up, but being upright felt good after two days of laying in the dark as Aisling continued to dress and change her wounds. Now Katy winced as Aisling gently pressed another clump of mud against yet another bite mark. This one was on her cheek, so she had work to keep her eye open, which only made it water harder. She had stopped counting the bites after the twentieth wound.
“Could we leave the poultice off this time?” she asked as Aisling laid another on her leg.
“I know it stings, but this poultice will keep the bites from scarring,” Aisling said gently. Then she sat back and let out a huff and laughed. “I must say, you really know how to find adventure.”
Katy didn’t laugh. Even if she had found Aisling’s jokes amusing, laughing would have hurt too much. In truth, she knew she should be grateful for Aisling’s rescue. She would have been dead in less than an hour, she’d been told, after so many bites. And yet, here she was, back at Aisling’s home and Pe
ter was still nowhere to be seen.
“How did it feel?” Aisling asked, putting away her poultice materials.
“How did what feel?” Katy mumbled from beneath all her bandages.
“Using your gift.” She leaned in and fixed her bright eyes on Katy. “You hold it in so much. It must have been exhilarating!”
Katy shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t enjoy killing things.”
Aisling snorted. “I would hardly be sorry for killing screaming blood gnats. The little monsters are creatures of magic. The only reason I haven’t exterminated them yet is because this is one of the few places in the isle that’s still wild and untouched by civilization. I’ve let them live purely on principle, that’s all.”
But Katy shook her head and looked at her hands. “I still don’t enjoy killing.”
“And that, my dear, is one of the best things about you.” She chuckled. “Possibly the most dangerous creature in the isles and you hate violence more than anyone else I’ve ever met, my mother included.”
“Not that it’s served me well,” Katy grumbled, picking at one of the little green clods on her leg. “If I can’t save myself from a swarm of bees—”
“Screaming blood gnats.”
“If I can’t save myself, I can hardly expect to save anyone else.” At least, not without killing every single living thing around her.
“Now, I’ll have none of that talk.” Aisling walked around the little room and put her supplies, herbs, cloth bandages, and a little knife in different cupboards that lined the walls. “You are a bright girl and a fast learner. And I was very close with my mother and can teach you a great deal based on what I knew about her.” She leaned forward, her green eyes sparkling. “You have so much within you that you are capable of. You just need someone to show you how to let it out.” One side of her mouth turned up. “Safely. So what do you say? Will you let me teach you?”
Katy glanced at the window once more in the direction of the palace. She imagined Peter all alone in the arena, the disapproving chancels staring down at him with no one else to take their scorn. But Aisling was right. She needed training. If a war did break out, she didn’t want to slaughter the entire palace in her attempt to bring peace. She needed help.
“One day. But after tomorrow, I have to go back.” She glanced up, forcing a small smile when she met Aisling’s eyes. “But…thank you.”
***
Katy didn’t even try to hide her yawn as they made their way from Aisling’s home to a field close to the Summer border.
“How are you feeling this morning?” Aisling studied her in the early morning light. The sun hadn’t risen just yet, but there was enough light to see that the welts had disappeared from her skin. Katy shook out her arms a little as they walked. Amazingly, she felt good, as though she’d simply had a nap that was too long.
What she wouldn’t give for a nap.
“Before we start,” Katy said, trying to chase the remnants of sleep from her head, “I had a few questions I was hoping you could answer.” She got the feeling that if she didn’t ask them now, she might never learn what she wanted.
Aisling nodded. “I will do my best.”
“You know so much about me and everything going on in the isles. How?”
Aisling’s smile grew sly. “Just because they do not see me doesn’t mean I don’t see them. I have watched the goings-on of this isle and the others since awakening from the sleep I fell into during whatever conflict that killed my parents.” Her smile faded slightly. “Like I said, it’s astounding what you can do when you don’t exist.”
They came to a split in the path. Aisling hesitated a moment before turning right.
“You said you have magic even though you’re human.” Katy looked at her carefully. “What kind?”
“I can use any gift known to fae-kind,” Aisling continued, pulling her cloak more tightly around herself, “except yours.”
“All at the same time?”
“No, each gift is temporary. I can harness it just as long as I need.”
Katy looked at her own hands. “That sounds as if it would be fantastically useful.”
Aisling laughed. “It can be quite useful. For instance, last year, when I was trying to save a yak that stranded himself in mud—”
“A what?”
“An overgrown cow with far too much hair and more stench than I can sometimes justify saving. They live on the Fifth Isle. But back to gifts, I can use all but yours.”
“You mean, you couldn’t use your mother’s gift?”
“Exactly. And believe me, it wasn’t for lack of effort. In fact, that’s why I know so much about your abilities. My mother spent hours explaining hers and giving me examples.” She sighed again, and her eyes became dreamy as she walked. “But your gift would have been divine.”
“Were your brothers able to harness different gifts as well?”
“Remember, they weren’t my real brothers.” Aisling smiled. “But they were the sons of the autumn fairy, so they had power. Power like you couldn’t believe. Nothing like the disappointments most of their descendants have turned out to be.” Aisling made a face, then laughed. “And yes, I’ve been watching their lines out of sheer curiosity. Anyhow, were guardians of the isles, as they worked for the high king and queen, just like my father. But my gift…” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “My gift was special. From a young age, my self-appointed duty was to keep the peace between my brothers whenever they argued. Similarly, my parents realized early on that my duty to the isles was to keep the peace between them and to protect those who needed protecting.”
“Who was your father?” Katy asked. “He sounds important if he could choose such a job.”
“My family was in charge of protecting the isles. They were someone of an anomaly, actually. It’s nearly unheard of for a fairy couple to have more than two children.” She shook her head. “That was a thousand years ago, though, so who knows what’s changed. Anyhow, none of my brothers inherited my mother’s gift, but they still had strength that was uncontested. Still, as long as I could imagine creative ways to break up their fights, as they would often grow violent, I was generally able to talk sense into them. If not, I could interfere with force.”
“So your brothers were violent sometimes?” Katy nearly added, like Peter? But she decided against it.
She quirked a perfect blond eyebrow. “And no matter what anyone tells you, fairies have a savage streak. More than one if they’re perfectly honest. And that savage streak was quite colorful in my brothers.” She chuckled. “They would get into the worst fights, even after they passed adolescence. We actually discovered that I was immune to fae gifts during a fight between the eldest and the youngest when they were thirteen and eight years.”
“They fought one another?”
“Oh, they never actually hurt one another. They were all so skilled that what would have been deadly to anyone else was child’s play to them. My father spent a good deal of time attempting to teach them manners.” She smiled at the wall, her eyes distant. “Anyhow, that day…I think I was six years of age…one of them threw his sword at the other, and it slipped. I had made the mistake of being nearby, and the sword glanced off my shoulder. My mother was in hysterics until we realized nothing had happened.” She chuckled a little. “My father whipped my brothers’ hides until they both wailed, but they both felt so bad it was nearly pointless.”
“Oh.” Katy had often wondered if Peter would have been as keen on her friendship if he’d had a brother to distract him.
“What I’m trying to say is that the same savage blood that ran through my brothers’ veins runs in Peter. Not in the same way it might run in a fairy, mind you. But there’s magic there, alright.”
“How?” Katy asked. “How did the magic get into the rhins’ blood in the first place?”
“No one knows. My point, however, is that when you manifested, your power awakened something in him that the others have long suppressed.”
Katy considered asking about how Aisling knew about her manifestation, but then she remembered that Aisling liked to listen in on sessions. So instead she asked, “Did your brothers have the mark?”
“All fairies have marks.” Aisling beckoned her through a thicket. “But I’ve never seen one on a rhin, which is one of the reasons I’m so convinced Atharo has made you for one another.”
.. They had moved out of the woods and stopped at the edge of a golden field. Waist-high wheat swayed in the wind. It wasn’t neat like it was on the farms at home, but rather it looked as though it had been scattered by hand or even grew wild.
But that wasn’t what caught her breath. “You really think we’re meant for each other?”
Aisling turned and looked at Katy, her green eyes suddenly burning. “From the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you were meant for one another. Now, here we are.” She shook her hands out and walked to the edge of the wheat. “Are you ready?”
“I have one more question.” Katy stayed put.
Aisling turned and quirked an eyebrow. “Yes?”
“I want to help. But if you haven’t been able to stop the isles, how can I?” She looked at her hands. “All I do is destroy.”
Aisling walked back to Katy and took her hands.
“You might be surprised to hear this,” she said slowly, “but I really do my best to intervene as little as possible in the goings-on of the isles. Atharo has a way of working things out, and I’ve found through experience that attempting to thwart evil at every turn all by myself exhausts me and often confuses those who have a lesson to learn.
“That said, before you become angry with yourself and me, I think it’s finally time where someone will have to intervene.” A smile spread across her face. “And I’m going to teach you how you can do just that without hurting anyone.”
33
The Autumn Fairy of Ages Page 27