“Why would you think that?”
“Because Titania found my dad when I was eight.”
“Since our last meeting, I’ve been trying to understand why my spell no longer protected your human father. It shouldn’t have failed,” Dahlia said. “As for your own protection spell, it began to wear off the moment you set foot in Tír na nÓg. But it still works on your mother and brother and I made sure it will stay that way. And before you ask, yes I will protect your friend Abby too.”
“Fay told me faeries rarely make use of such words,” Kayla said, “and technically I’m one of them, but… thank you.”
“You’re unlike most faeries,” Dahlia said with a smile. “Never change that.” And then Dahlia pulled her into an unexpected hug that reminded Kayla of Deirdre. There were now people in both worlds worrying about her.
Kayla hugged Dahlia back tightly.
The window in Dahlia’s room had been opened, admitting fresh winter air and a cacophony of city noises. After the scenic serenity and abundant nature in Tír na nÓg, Kayla’s senses were overwhelmed with all the noises and smells of a big city.
When Kayla had entered the room, Nooa had hobbled outside, barely looking at her. Only then did she realize how much she’d come to like Nooa. Back at her first revel, Nooa had made her feel welcome. He had never treated her like an outsider, not once. Maybe he’d only been nice to her to help Fay trick Kayla into thinking the faeries meant well. But Kayla liked to believe at least some things had been genuine.
Kayla settled into a chair beside the bed and looked at her friend, who was wrapped up in a blanket, her head resting on a pillow. Her hair was sprawled out, turned copper by the light of the bedside lamp. Half of her face was still swollen, but the wounds were clean now. Dahlia had given her a sedative as well. Now all Abby needed was some rest, she’d said. And some cold compresses later on.
Dahlia had forced some bandages and cooling ointment on Kayla’s burned wrists too. Kayla had refused at first, not wanting to part from her father’s watch, but the pain had grown unbearable. Now the watch was resting in her pouch where it couldn’t hurt her.
Abby stirred, mumbling under her breath. For a moment, all of Kayla’s worries dissipated, her lips spreading into a smile and her chest filling with warmth at the sight of her friend. Kayla thought of endless nights of hot cocoa and trashy movies, of laughter and hugs, of a normal day. There was nothing she longed for more.
Abby shifted in her bed, her eyelids fluttering. Then her eyes opened fully and found Kayla’s. “This is messed up,” she said in a hoarse voice.
Kayla leaned forward on her chair. “Abs…”
“I thought you’d left me.”
“I would never—”
“How could you not have told me any of this?” Abby’s cheeks began to show some color again. “You’re my best friend. Don’t I have the right to know when you find out you’re a faerie?”
“I haven’t known long…” Kayla wanted to take Abby’s hand, but something held her back.
“But that’s not all,” Abby continued as if Kayla hadn’t spoken. “You’re not just any faerie. You’re the niece of the evil queen who also happens to have told me that I’m destined to become one of the undead. Hilarious!” And then Abby laughed a crazed, disturbed chuckle. She ran a hand through her hair, giggling, while tears welled from her eyes.
Kayla rose from her chair and squeezed onto the bed next to Abby. She pulled her friend into a tight hug and Abby let her.
“Our lives are a mess,” Abby said in between sobs and giggles.
“I’m so, so sorry, Abs.” Kayla nuzzled at Abby’s shoulder. “If I knew this would happen, I would’ve never left you. This is all my fault.”
“Kay, no.”
Abby tried to pry Kayla away from her side, but Kayla would never let her go again. She clung to Abby like she was drowning and Abby was the lifeline she needed to save her.
“You’re right,” Kayla said, now crying herself. “This is all so messed up, and that’s my fault. I left Chicago to find my dad. A-And now…” She pressed her face into Abby’s shoulder, her tears soaking the fabric of Abby’s torn shirt. “It’s my fault he’s gone… if it weren’t for me, Titania would have never…”
“He died to protect you,” Abby said. “He wouldn’t want you to blame yourself for that.” Her fingers stroked the spot between Kayla’s shoulder blades. It was an absent-minded gesture, something Abby had done countless times before, when they had cuddled up on the sofa
Kayla allowed herself to relax a little, the tension leaving her shoulders.
“It’s like I lost him all over…”
“I know, Kay. I know.”
“And he wasn’t even my f-father. I’m a faerie, Abby. I’m not who I always thought I was. I…”
“Shh, Kay, listen to me,” Abby said, her hand rubbing Kayla’s back. “I know who you are, okay? You are Kayla Whittemore. And I don’t care if you’re a faerie or a human. Sure, you could have better relatives, but family is about so much more than blood, right?” She placed one hand on Kayla’s chin and forced Kayla to look up. “You and I, we’ve been friends forever. We’re closer than most sisters. And nothing will ever change that, do you hear me?”
Kayla blinked away some tears. Abby was crying too, and something about that made Kayla swallow back her own tears. Her mind raced with a thousand things she wanted to tell Abby, but none of them would be enough.
She placed her forehead against Abby’s and whispered, “You’ll always be my sister too.”
They stayed like that for a while until Abby drew back a little. “So much is changing,” she said, her eyes darting from her hands to Kayla’s face. “I mean, look at you now. You have pointed ears! And those beautiful purple eyes. How’s that even possible?” She gave a shaky laugh and Kayla couldn’t help but join in.
“All these years of trying to find the faeries,” Kayla said, “and I was still surprised when I woke up in Tír na nÓg. It felt like being dropped into a dream and I—” She stopped herself when she noticed the frown on Abby’s face. “What’s wrong, Abs?”
“I don’t want to turn into a monster,” she said, her voice cracking.
“That won’t happen. I’ll make sure of it.”
“But you heard that Titany or whatever her name was. There’s no way out of this!”
“Yes, there is, and I’ll find it.” Kayla cupped Abby’s hands in hers. “I promise you.”
Abby stiffened. “You’re going back to the faeries?”
“I don’t want to leave again. I really don’t,” Kayla said, head drooping. “I’ve been away for so long, missing out on so many things… but I can’t come home, not yet. Titania wants me, and she’ll stop at nothing to get me. I can’t risk anyone else getting hurt.”
“She wants me too,” Abby said. “And she already came after me once, even when you weren’t here.”
“That will change. She could have gone after my family too, but she didn’t.”
“Because they’re not a banshee…”
“No, because Dahlia placed a spell on them a long time ago and she can protect you too.”
Abby’s eyes filled with tears once more. “Those faeries don’t sound like very nice people.”
Kayla pondered that for a second, thinking of all the ways Ophira and Fay had deceived her. And while Fay’s betrayal still stung, she was beginning to understand why she’d done it and how much she regretted it. “There are good ones and bad ones,” Kayla said. “But the same is true for humans, isn’t it?”
“I guess so…”
“And there are both humans and faeries who are counting on me.” Kayla looked at Abby, who wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for her, and she thought of Fay, who was waiting for Kayla’s decision. Two completely different people from two worlds who needed her to make things right again.
“You’re talking about that girl, aren’t you?” Abby asked. She fidgeted with the sheets, not meeting Kayla’s ga
ze. “I saw you two at the club. And when you didn’t come back the next day, I blamed her for it.”
“Abby…”
“No, it’s fine, okay?” Abby said in a tone that made it clear it was not okay. “But I don’t want you to leave again.”
“Me neither.” Tears trickled down Kayla’s cheeks and into Abby’s hair.
“There’s no one in this world who I love more, and I know if there’s anyone who can get us out of this mess, it’s you. But Kay…”
Kayla straightened, wiping at her tears. “Yes?”
“Please come back to me. I couldn’t bear it.”
“I’ll always come back to you.”
After that, there was only one thing left to do.
Kayla sat down at Dahlia’s desk, her gaze wandering out the window. The late January sky was gray, the thick fog swallowing up part of the city. But Kayla knew she was facing north and that somewhere up there was her home, a two-story red brick building with a small yard out front. The winter weather would have killed most of the plants her mother had worked so hard to cultivate throughout the last year.
It was late afternoon and her mother and brother would soon sit down to have dinner. Kayla could just picture them, how her mother would get up three more times after putting down the food because she had forgotten to bring drinks or put out silverware. And Theo would poke whatever vegetable their mother had cooked before grudgingly stuffing it into his mouth, followed by a piece of potato or meat. He’d gobble it all down with surprising speed so he could play some video games afterward.
Kayla pictured walking up to her house. In a way, standing outside her home was the most ordinary thing. She had done it countless times before, every afternoon when she had returned from school and had to search her bag for her keys. But this time it wouldn’t be a backpack filled with textbooks weighing heavy on her shoulders. It would be the grief of having lost her dad once more. The blood of a faerie—both Seelie and Unseelie—pumping through her veins.
And the knowledge that her mother had lied to her all these years.
So much had changed. In those few days she’d spent with the faeries, Kayla had found more answers than she could have ever asked for. Her brain still refused to accept that what she’d learned was the truth. That Eileen and Alasdair weren’t her real parents.
That she was a faerie too.
Despite of it all, Kayla ached to be with her family more than ever. Just one more time, before going back. A moment of her ordinary life.
But the best way to keep them safe was to stay far away from them.
An itch on her palm drew Kayla’s gaze to her hand. The mark of Ophira’s bargain was faint but stung as if it were new. Could it sense what she was about to do? If it did, Kayla didn’t care. She would no longer listen to the Seelie Queen. Besides, Kayla had already broken one rule when she left the Seelie Court without permission. The damage was done.
Kayla took the piece of paper and pen Dahlia had given her and wrote:
Mom,
I can’t put into words how sorry I am. For months I left you worrying about me, and there’s no way I can make up for the pain I’ve caused. I want you to know I regret leaving the way I did. You didn’t deserve to be treated like that, because I know now that all you ever wanted was to keep me safe.
I left to find answers. I had to find out what happened to Dad. I’ve learned a lot in the meantime and I wish I could tell you all about it, but I’m afraid it’s not the time yet. Know that I am safe and protected. I’m with the faeries now and I learned it’s where I’m from.
Tell Theo how much I miss him and that I never intended to leave him. I’m sorry that I missed his birthday.
I promise I will come back as soon as it’s safe again.
Love,
Kayla
She sat still for a moment, letter clasped in her hands, and stared out the window. It hadn’t occurred to her that all the time she’d spent wishing for a family she once had, she missed out on the family that was still there. All the fights she had with her mother, they’d been about her dad. More than once she’d run away, brooding at Abby’s instead of taking her brother to the movies or some basketball game.
Kayla had thought finding her dad was the only way to make her life whole again. But it had shattered into pieces.
36
A NEW PATH
Fay leaned against the wall, listening to the receding footsteps of Maeve and Oilibhéar. Inside Dahlia’s shop the air was always warm and filled with scents that made Fay long for the vast fields of the Seelie Court.
With a sigh, Fay reached into her pouch and pulled out the acorn. She’d felt it appear during her conversation with Maeve and Oilibhéar. Her hands trembled as she opened it and pried the small parchment from it.
Return to the Seelie Court at once. - Queen Ophira
Her heart skipped a beat. Ophira must have heard about what they’d done. Fay thought of Oilibhéar, who had tried to convince her to go back, and of Kayla. She considered the parchment for another moment before stuffing it back into the acorn and tossing the acorn into one of Dahlia’s potted plants.
When she joined the others upstairs, Dahlia was shoving some vials and several small tubs into Kayla’s arms.
“It doesn’t hurt to take some of this stuff with you,” she said. “I labeled them, their names and what they’re for. This one’s for Nooa.” She smiled at the faerie in question, who lounged on the sofa, his bandaged leg resting on a pillow.
“Are we really doing this?” Maeve asked. “Come on, the Elder Tree? We’d have more luck trying to find a beetle in a field full of flowers!”
Dahlia made a tsk noise. “Now, there have been several reports on that tree. Most of them mention the Isle of Llyr, so I suppose that would be a good starting point. You’ll find it. Kayla carries a piece of it, after all.”
Maeve didn’t look convinced, but she still accepted the arrows Dahlia gave her and put them in her quiver. Fay wondered what other weapons Dahlia was stashing at her place.
“You don’t have to come,” Kayla said. She paused packing her pouch to glare at Maeve over the worktable.
It didn’t fluster Maeve in the slightest. “You’re right. I don’t. But it’s a chance to bring peace to my people, so it looks like you’re stuck with me.” She challenged Kayla with an unwavering, stubborn gaze that could send a knight to his knees. To Fay’s surprise, Kayla held it.
Nooa stood up, one leg slightly shaking. “I am in, too.”
“What are you talking about?” Maeve snapped her head toward him. “You’ve just been injured!”
“You are the one who is always telling me to take risks.” He shrugged. “Well, so here I am, willing to take a risk.”
“But I was wrong, okay?” she said, her facing turning scarlet. “I always do this. I always force you into situations you can’t handle. A-And I hurt you…” Her amber eyes filled with tears. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, sniffling. “It’s my fault.”
Nooa closed the distance between them, wincing at each step, and pulled Maeve into a hug. “You are right,” he said. “It is your fault I got injured.”
Maeve lifted her head, looking both hurt and furious.
“You never taught me how to use a sword.” Nooa laughed and brushed a kiss on Maeve’s forehead.
“You’re an ass,” she said, smiling.
Nooa ruffled her hair, and she shoved him away, but he just drew her in again.
Oilibhéar was trying not to look at them—and failing. “It is time we leave,” he said. “I shall return to the Seelie Court to bring the news.”
“He’s right,” Dahlia said. “Go on now. I’ll take care of things here.” She winked at Kayla. “Until we meet again.”
They parted ways with Oilibhéar in the Faery Path and continued down a narrow tunnel. After walking for a while, they finally took a break. Though the Faery Path wasn’t entirely safe, its many nooks provided at least some protection. Once they had sought o
ut a cave that lay hidden, Kayla watched Fay light a bonfire, which was impressive considering the damp ground and the lack of proper firewood. They munched on a bunch of mushrooms they had gathered along the way, staring into the flickering flames.
Nooa soon dozed off. Maeve was braiding her hair beside him, her bow and quiver resting by her side. Her gaze flicked toward Nooa and she winced.
“It’s not your fault,” Kayla said. Her voice sounded odd and disembodied.
Maeve looked back at her but said nothing.
“You haven’t told me yet how it happened.”
“Didn’t seem like you were interested.” Maeve finished braiding her hair and got up. “But since you’re asking, Nooa tried to distract the giant Tegid Foel with his flute. He thought it might like his music.” She looked down at Nooa’s bandaged leg. “It didn’t like it at all.” She grabbed the Faery Light and murmured something about “grinding stones” before she left.
A painful heaviness tightened Kayla’s chest as she watched Maeve wander off, the light growing smaller and smaller.
Kayla and Fay sat side by side, with little distance between them. Kayla kept watching Nooa over the flames so as not to face Fay, but she could sense Fay’s presence, the warmth radiating off her, and her fingers itched to reach out for Fay’s.
“Are you certain you want to do this?” Fay’s voice was only a whisper in the quietness of the Faery Path.
Kayla lowered her gaze to the flames. “I don’t know what to think about all of this,” she said. “But I need to do something, to keep Abby and my family safe. And to stop Titania from causing more harm.”
Fay’s hand settled over Kayla’s. “You chose the right path. I’m sure of it. That necklace has to mean something.”
“I hope so.” Kayla tilted her head, smiling wearily at Fay. “I have had little time to think about what it means to be a faerie ever since I found out about Tír na nÓg and my parents.” She intertwined her fingers with Fay’s.
Seelie Princess (The Crown of Tír na nÓg Book 1) Page 30