Nooa pressed a kiss to her hair. “I hope to Dôn it is.”
23
OF DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES
Deirdre wouldn’t leave Kayla’s side the next day.
At first, Kayla was annoyed that Ophira had assigned her a chaperone. She wasn’t a child anymore; she could look after herself. But her annoyance dissipated when she realized it could’ve been much worse. At least she wasn’t being followed by one of the stern knights. Deirdre was much more pleasant.
They had breakfast together in Kayla’s room, and then Kayla took a bath while Deirdre made her bed and cleared the dishes. Afterward, they went for a walk. People were less suspicious of Kayla when she walked with the maid, or at least Kayla didn’t notice them as much.
Later, Kayla and Deirdre sat together in the gardens of the Citadel, telling stories to each other. Deirdre liked to hear about Chicago and Kayla liked to talk about it, though it made her miss her family and Abby even more.
When Deirdre spoke, it wasn’t personal stories but ones of Tír na nÓg. She told Kayla of the merrows who lived on the Isle of Llyr and the faoladhs who roamed the north of Tír na nÓg. “Their home is Faosor,” Deirdre said. “Though you will not find many of them living there. Most are scattered throughout the mortal world.”
But there was one thing Kayla learned about Deirdre that day: she admired the sea. When she spoke about it, her eyes gleamed with joy.
“We could go there,” Deirdre said.
“Won’t that upset the queen?” Kayla asked.
“Oh no, not at all. The coast is part of our court.”
And it was much closer than Kayla had thought. Once they’d left the last few houses of the Seelie Court behind them, it was a short walk to the coast. The land slanted off into a rough cliff. They stopped close to the precipice, where they could hear the waves crashing against the foot of the cliff and see the vast expanse of sea stretch out before them. Sharp wind whipped around them, carrying the scent of salt.
Kayla had never been to the sea in her world, but she loved it the second she saw it. The two of them stood there for a while and didn’t talk, not because they would have had to shout over the thunderous waves, but because they wanted to absorb it all. This strange ocean that stretched across the horizon, so unlike Lake Michigan, unlike anything Kayla knew.
By the time they were on their way back, the faint pink of sunset tinged the sky. On her first day in the court, Kayla had thought the sky here was no different than the one she was used to—at least during the day. But she had noticed something about the weather.
The daytime sky was always the same, a clear blue vastness obscured by a cloud or two, and at night it transformed into a dark canvas punctuated with a million tiny stars. In the morning, the air was sometimes thick with humidity—smelling salty closer to the coast and grassy by the woods—but it had never rained. It appeared to be a miracle how both the court and the forest burst with freshness, their plants and trees and flowers as colorful as ever.
Kayla’s plants at home would die if she forgot to water them just once.
“What is it about this place,” Kayla said, “that the weather is always so nice?”
Deirdre smiled. “It is because you came to us in the season of Dair. We also call it the Time of Brightness.”
“How many seasons are there?”
“Seven.” Deirdre wrinkled her brow in thought. “But the seventh season, the Elder’s Wrath, is quite rare. There is no way of telling when that season will occur, but you will know the moment it happens. The sky darkens completely, swallowing up all light, the moon, and the stars.”
They continued down the path in ponderous silence. After a while, Kayla told Deirdre what she’d witnessed in the throne room. Kayla didn’t mention why she was there in the first place, but considering that Deirdre hadn’t left her side all day, she knew parts of it already.
“The Horned Ones are infuriated,” Deirdre said. “They learned about the faoladh who was murdered in the mortal world, and now they fear for their own safety.”
“The queen said she’d protect them, but how is she going to do that?”
“By finding the Unseelies before the pookas do.”
They had reached the outskirts of the market and crossed a bridge over the Silver Ribbon, stopping at the halfway point to lean against the railing and gaze down at the river. After a while, Deirdre looked back at Kayla.
“Our knights have been searching all of Tír na nÓg for ages,” she said. “Wherever the Unseelies are hiding, it is difficult to find.”
“Wouldn’t it make more sense to work with the pookas then?”
Deirdre tucked a strand of rose-blond hair behind her pointed ear. “What makes you believe that Ophira is not working with them?”
“It doesn’t seem like it. She didn’t tell them about the faoladh. Why would she keep that a secret?”
Deirdre tilted her head, looking away from Kayla. “Perhaps I am wrong, but I believe that Ophira has never let go of the hope that she can save her sister and reunite the two courts without causing another war. If the pookas find the Unseelies first, they will not show mercy. So Ophira decided she would not share some of the information, for the sake of our two courts.”
“Why would Ophira want to save her sister?” Kayla asked. “Titania killed their father.”
“Even after all the things her sister has done, Ophira has still some amount of affection for her. The love for one’s sister does not die so easily and, besides, when Titania left, she split our people in two. This was never what King Arawn wanted. Ophira would want to right things. For her family and for her people.”
Making things right and returning them to a state they once were in. Maybe Ophira’s wishes weren’t that far from Kayla’s, though the circumstances were vastly different.
“I am not all too familiar with Ophira’s intentions,” Deirdre said, “and these are all just assumptions based on what I saw and heard at the Citadel. Perhaps she has her own secret reasons for her choices, just like her sister.”
“Are they much alike? Ophira and Titania?”
“No.” Deirdre’s gaze wandered toward the Citadel. “Though Ophira has become more like her sister ever since her father’s death. She used to be so kind. Now she is often so…”
“Aloof?”
Deirdre faced Kayla again. “She is holding back a lot of pain,” she said, “and all the while a heavy burden lies on her shoulders.”
Kayla lowered her eyes and watched a few fish dart back and forth in the river below. “I know how it feels to have lost a father…”
“Me too. He died at the hands of an Unseelie.” Deirdre let out a deep, long sigh. Then, she straightened up. “But your father is not gone forever. You can find him.”
“How?” Kayla asked. “I know the Unseelies have my dad but…” She dropped her arms to her side. “The queen believes it’s just a trap. And I’m stuck here, forced to stay put, and if I can’t find him, I’ll never be able to return home.” She didn’t want to think about how much pain she would cause her family and best friend. Abby’s voice was playing on repeat inside her head ever since their phone call, like a splinter driving deeper and deeper under her skin.
Deirdre placed her hand on top of Kayla’s on the railing. “Sometimes the path we are on takes a different shape than we expected, but that does not mean that the destination has changed. You will find what you are seeking.” She smiled at Kayla, open and warm.
“I’ve spent most of my life wishing to get my dad back.” Kayla stared down at a fish, her vision blurry with tears. “I never knew how and I still don’t… It feels like I’m chasing a ghost…”
The words left her lips before she could think them, as if they had waited years to be uttered. They had a ring of truth to them, and it made Kayla’s skin crawl with dread. She didn’t want them to be true. Her father had to be alive. The message had said so and faeries couldn’t lie.
Deirdre squeezed Kayla’s hand harder.
A sharp sting pinched Kayla’s wrist, reminding her of the unpleasant sensation she’d felt a few nights ago, but it vanished again within a heartbeat.
Kayla looked up to return Deirdre’s smile. Maybe she’d just won a friend in this strange new world.
After dinner at the market, Kayla retreated to her room. She flopped onto her bed, her cellphone clasped in her hands. The battery was almost dead, and it was probably a bad idea to turn the phone on even though it wouldn’t work. But that little piece of tech was all the normalcy Kayla had left.
She opened her photos and clicked on the one of her father. For the longest time after he vanished, she’d done that every night. Lying on her bed like she did now, she’d talked to him for hours. She’d told him how her day had been, how much she missed him, reported every progress that Theo made. She’d cried the day Theo had started school. Of course others had teased him about not having a father.
“Dad.” Her voice carried a tiny echo through the empty room. “I miss you. The last few days have been… well, weird, but that’s the way it is now.” She told him all about the queen and the Unseelies, the Dryad that tried to kill her, and the faoladhs, the unseen protectors of Chicago. “I promise I’ll find you. And then we’ll both get to go home.”
She closed the picture and opened the message app instead. Out of habit, she clicked on her chat with Abby and began typing.
She dropped the phone on the bed with a sigh. Her mind wandered, settling on Fay. The last time she’d seen her, Fay had been covered in cuts and bruises that had been Kayla’s fault. And yet Fay had protected her.
Kayla couldn’t quite figure Fay out. She was always withdrawn, but every once in a while, her defenses dropped, the frown on her face softened, and the tension in her shoulders relaxed. Only for a few seconds, then Fay would close up again.
Kayla longed to be the person Fay could open up to. The one who would console Fay if she was sad, the one who pulled her into a hug, kissed her on the forehead… while Fay stabbed her in the back.
Shivering, Kayla turned onto her side and stared out the window, her eyes already drooping.
In the dark night, Lysdôn Hall glittered with a thousand tiny Faery Lights. A soft tune floated through the air, carrying with it the scent of soothing lavender and spicy marigold. Kayla entered the hall, the ground warm under her bare feet. A gentle breeze ruffled the skirts of her dress, the gossamer fabric tickling her legs.
She looked down and saw she had changed into a magnificent pale-blue gown. Embroideries of flowers and leaves adorned the dress, from the high neck down to the long trail.
“You look beautiful.”
Kayla spun around, and her heart stuttered. “Fay,” she whispered.
Fay was in her green revel gown, her cheeks flushed. She wore a floral crown on her head and held one with blue blossoms in her hand “May I have this dance?” Fay asked.
The music swelled. Kayla glanced around, but she couldn’t find a band anywhere. They were alone. Kayla stood still, dizzy with the flutter in her stomach, as Fay stepped up to her and placed the blue floral crown on her head.
Then Fay held out a hand, a smile lighting up her face. Kayla accepted, and together they whirled across the hall, carried by the music. Fay pulled Kayla close, one hand holding Kayla’s, the other resting low on Kayla’s back.
The world around them fell away. Kayla gazed up at Fay, whose green eyes glistened in the glow of the Faery Lights. Kayla had never seen her so uninhibited. With incredible ease, Fay guided Kayla, spinning and twirling, always keeping her close.
As the music slowed, so did they, and Fay let go of Kayla’s hand. “I’ve been waiting for you,” she said. She brushed a lock of hair from Kayla’s face, her fingertips leaving behind a tingle.
“You have?” Kayla asked. Her voice sounded high and surreal. She shivered as Fay placed her hand on the nape of Kayla’s neck and pulled her so close that their lips almost touched.
“Save me,” Fay murmured. “Please.”
Kayla tightened her hold on Fay, the urge to taste her mouth nearly tearing her up, and—
With a shriek, the music ceased, and Kayla stumbled into complete emptiness.
Kayla shot up in bed with a gasp. Heart hammering in her chest, she pushed aside the sheets and sank back into the cushions. She lay still, waiting for her heartbeat to return to normal and the sweat on her skin to dry.
It was pitch-black in the room and outside, not even a single light flashing in the distance. Kayla closed her eyes and saw Lysdôn Hall, awash with Faery Lights, and Princess Fay striding toward her.
Save me. Please.
She’d never heard Fay sound so desperate and frightened. But it had been a dream, nothing else. Kayla sat up to take a sip from her water, and then she curled up in bed again, the sheets tight around her. She stared at the darkness behind the window, but she kept seeing Fay’s face, closer than it had ever been.
24
WHERE THE HEART IS
The sun seemed to rise sooner than usual. Kayla crawled out of bed, groggy and with a pounding headache. Deirdre came in with her breakfast and they ate together. Still no news from Dahlia.
“What’s the plan for today?” Kayla asked between bites of honey plum. She’d come to really love the sweet, juicy fruit.
Deirdre smoothed the bedsheets with her hands. “I have some errands to run, so you will have someone else look after you today.”
At that moment, there was a knock on the door. “Come on in!” Deirdre called.
Kayla watched, the half-eaten honey plum dripping juice down her arm, as Fay entered. With relief, Kayla saw that the cuts and bruises from the fight with the Dryad had healed, and Fay looked perfectly at ease. She was wearing woolen pants and a simple green shirt, and she’d pulled her blond curls into a messy ponytail, several strands coming loose. Even her posture was casual and more relaxed, with one hand tucked into the pocket of her pants.
She was as beautiful as in Kayla’s dream.
“Morning,” Fay said.
“Hi. I… um… one second.” Kayla dropped the rest of the honey plum back on the silver tray before hurrying to the bathroom to wash her hands and hide her burning cheeks. She splashed some water on her neck and face. Her tangle of black curls was a total mess. Swearing, she ran a comb through her hair, trying to repair as much as possible.
It still wasn’t any good. But why did she even care? Fay wasn’t interested in her like that. When Kayla returned to the bedroom, Fay and Deirdre were talking to each other, laughing. They stopped when they noticed Kayla, and Fay turned to her with a smile.
“Should we head out? There’s something I want to show you.”
Kayla’s heart leaped. “Yeah, sure,” she said, trying to sound as though she didn’t care.
They left the Citadel to step into yet another day of perfect weather. Kayla was getting used to it. In Chicago, you could have sunshine and balmy temperatures one day and heavy rain the next. Sometimes winter arrived within one night, with large masses of snow falling from the sky as though a giant had thrown a huge snowball down on the city.
After weaving and darting through the narrow alleys of the Seelie Court, they approached a hut made of stone and partly engulfed in grass and vines. There was no door, only an opening in the front, through which ivy was spreading inside.
Fay ducked through the doorway into the hut and Kayla followed. Inside, a fire was burning in a furnace, filling the small room with steaming heat. The stones in the ceiling had turned black with age. Various instruments that Kayla had seen in movies or history books hung along the walls or lay on tables. In a far corner stood a crooked stool with three legs.
Fay picked up a short blade from a table. “I’ve been working on this for a while now.” She ran a finger along the edge. “The hilt’s been giving me a hard time, but I managed it last night.”
“You made this?” Kayla asked.
“It’s the first dagger I’ve made on my own.” Fay weighed the weapon i
n her hands with care. “And I want you to have it.”
“Me?” Kayla stepped closer and her eyes wandered over the weapon. It had a more or less simple steel blade—as far as Kayla could tell—and a hilt made of a dark wood, probably ebony.
“It’s made of iron that won’t burn a faerie’s skin but can cut it,” Fay said. “We use it for most of our weapons, though there are also the Nori blades. They contain cold iron.”
Kayla looked from the weapon to Fay. “Why would you give me this?”
“You should be able to defend yourself.”
“But you already gave me a weapon back in Chicago and—oh god!” Kayla gasped. “I lost it! At the pier, it was that Unseelie. He knocked it out of my hands and I forgot to get it back… Oh Fay, I am so—”
“Don’t,” Fay said. “We do not dwell on the past. I’m giving you a new one that you’d better not lose.” She took the blade over to another table from which she picked an oblong instrument with a knob on top. “Now all I’m missing is the engraving.” With decisive movements of her left hand, Fay carved into the wood.
“You don’t need to do this,” Kayla said. She followed Fay to the worktable, one hand reaching out. “I—”
“But I want to do it.” Fay brought down the graver again. “Besides, you have a tendency of running into danger, so next time you decide to fight an Unseelie or invade a Dryad’s habitat, you’ll be prepared.” Fay glanced at Kayla again, and it reminded Kayla of Fay’s despair in her dream.
Kayla longed to reach out for Fay, but instead she sank down on a stool, nearly toppling over, and sat still while Fay worked on the weapon. Her brow furrowed in concentration as her hands worked without rest, stopping only to push back a strand of hair that kept falling into her face.
Seelie Princess (The Crown of Tír na nÓg Book 1) Page 19