“A man and a woman. The man was tall, with a large scar—” Max stopped as Drake jumped up.
Kirk and Sandy Hair—I needed to ask this dude’s name—jumped in front of Max into crouches so fast I didn’t even see them move.
Chapter Eleven
Brennan
He closed his eyes, trying to move beyond the pain. It worked, for a few moments and then without warning, a wave of pain rolled through his body. It was bad enough that Cian hurt him so thoroughly, but it didn’t stop when the bastard finally left. It hung about, prolonging whatever it was that Cian did to him. Brennan thought he had an idea that this really didn’t have to take so long. Cian was drawing things out because he wanted to.
What had Cian been doing? Most of the magic that had been used on him was magic that he couldn’t identify. It also had a dark sense, almost like a bad smell, Brennan thought. Not that the magic actually smelled, but he could feel the darkness throughout everything Cian did.
He wondered whether that was the spells themselves, or the fact that Cian operated out of anger. Maybe a bit of both. Something to ask Taranath about, when he saw him again.
If he saw him again.
As heartened as he was to know that Iris and Drake were coming for him, he wasn’t sure how long he could hang on. He was barely fed, and his clothing, which had been light sleeping clothes, were in tatters. He was lucky that he had a habit of having the mirror with him at all times. Not that he’d heard from Drake or Iris again. A fact which he was both grateful for and disappointed with all at the same time.
There was a frightened little creature that he couldn’t identify came in occasionally to care for him, although he had no idea how long he’d been there. Brennan made sure he tucked the mirror under his leg when the creature was tending to him. He thought it might be a goblin of sorts, but the poor thing never looked up and he had an overwhelming feeling of sadness and fear when he? She? It? Was near. He slept when he could, to keep up his strength, so what day it might be was beyond him at the moment.
The door cracked open. Brennan found that he could hear much more than he’d ever been able to with restricted sight. That and he kept his eyes closed as much as possible.
It was the mystery woman. He could tell by her soft tread.
“What are you saying to him? He’s fit for nothing tonight.”
He tried to shrug, and winced. “The truth. He’s not good enough for all the people who are acting on his behalf.”
“Are you trying to make him kill you slowly?”
“Better than killing me quickly,” he shot back.
Her face came into view, and to his surprise, he could see a small smile on the corners of her lips. “You’re pissing him off badly, so kudos to you.”
“Is he that angry?” The thought pleased him.
“Stomping about, blasting everything in his way, and muttering a lot of hate,” she replied.
Something about her speech—what was it? It tugged at his memory, but he couldn’t place it. Not when he was so tired.
“You’re doing well. Normally they’re dead by now,” she continued. “I actually have a little bit of hope that you might make it.”
“Doesn’t he plan to kill me?”
“You’re lucky she’s not here.”
He noticed that she didn’t answer his question, which answered it. Knowing that Cian meant to kill him didn’t bother him as much as he thought it might. He felt confident that he might be able to hang on, but his failing strength, and the fact that Cian was harming him with who knew what shook his faith a little. Even as it made him angry he wasn’t familiar with what it was that Cian did to him.
“By she, do you mean Ailla?”
“Shhh! Big dolt! Don’t say her name! Bad enough I have to be around her all the time!”
“Why?” He lowered his voice. He could hear real fear in hers.
“I’ve known that one my entire life, and she is mean as can be.”
He tried to turn his head to look at her, and could only move it enough to see part of her face.
“Who are you? What are you? Why have I never seen you?”
“Spend much time in the Dragon Realm?” She muttered, not meeting his eyes, poking at him and making him wince.
“No, they aren’t very friendly to those of the other Realms,” he said.
“Ever wonder why?”
He shook his head a little. “No. Whenever those of the Dragon Court came to my father’s court, they were abrupt, and not welcoming of friendly overtures.”
“Eilor with them?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t he be?”
“Well, then, with all that is going on, oh Goblin King,” she looked at him and he could see the mockery in her eyes, “Make sense why they might not be all that friendly?”
He started to speak and stopped. Of course. It made perfect sense. “Are you saying that this is not the work of the entire Dragon Court?”
She had turned her attention to his hands. “They are not as they seem. Eilor is a bastard, and there won’t be much mourning when he’s gone.”
“He’s threatened them?”
“You’re quick, do you know that? Won your lady’s heart easily, didn’t you?”
He almost replied to her. “You’re very annoying. Are you aware of that?”
To his surprise, she laughed, and it sounded genuine. “I’ve been told worse by far worse than you, Goblin King. If I wasn’t who I was, I’d have been gone long ago.”
“When are you going to tell me who you are?”
“When you finally get away. Speaking of that, I have a request.”
“I’m not exactly in the best position to grant requests, madam,” he said formally.
“I’d have helped you regardless, as anyone those two,” he knew she meant Cian and Ailla, “Hate is probably good, but I want you to take me with you when you go.”
“How will I get you away? How can you be sure I’ll be able to get away?” He didn’t want to let on that he knew Iris and Drake were coming for him.
“People love you. They will find you.” She sounded very sure.
For some reason, that made him feel better.
“I know you got Carlianah out. She was scared to death, and now she’s safe. I know you and your brother managed it. I’m asking for the same.”
“How do you know Carlianah?” He didn’t think anyone knew that she was Drake’s contact and he wasn’t going to out the girl. She’d risked a lot for them.
“Where do you think she gets her latest news from?”
His mouth fell open and he turned his head as far as he could to see her. “That’s you?” He whispered. He hoped on all the gods that this woman was what she presented herself as, or he’d just doomed Carlianah.
And probably everyone else he cared about.
Iris
“I need to walk outside, if you please,” Drake said to me.
I nodded. Steam was nearly coming out of his ears. Everyone watched him stalk from the room, his shoulders stiff. I got the impression he was dying to beat the shit out of something.
“Who is the guy with the scar?” Max asked.
I shot a look towards Taranath. I wasn’t sure how much I wanted to tell. He gave a little nod of his head, and that made me feel better. Even though I was supposedly the one in charge, I felt like I needed to make sure I wasn’t making a mistake.
Max watched us intently. I got the impression he didn’t miss much. I took a deep breath.
“I don’t know for sure, but I would bet the guy with the scar is Cian, Brennan’s brother.” The anger that Drake felt washed over me and my hands clenched. What the hell was that ass doing here?
“I don’t know who either of these people are,” Max said.
“Brennan is the Goblin King—”
“Is he missing?”
I wasn’t expecting that, and hesitated. “Well…”
Max held up a hand. “I understand not wanting to advertise that. I’ll giv
e you my word that I won’t use this information in a way that will hurt you.”
“But you might use it?” Taranath asked.
Max shrugged. “My responsibility is to my pack.”
“Pack? What kind of shifters are you?” I had to know. Really? I knew where my mind went, but…really?
“We are wolves.”
“I thought werewolves were just a story!”
Kirk laughed. “And so are fairies,” he said.
Sandy Hair joined in.
“Fae,” I snapped. “Fairies have wings. Fae don’t. Keep up.”
That stopped both of them, which made me smirk. I know it wasn’t mature, but they were like annoying brothers. Or Drake, when I first met him.
Oh, shit. I’m not doing a good job of being a good rep for the fae. I met Max’s eyes, and he grinned, just a little. Maybe I wasn’t the only one who found them annoying.
“Careful,” Max said, glancing over his shoulder. “If your guy out there—” he motioned towards the window, “Is any indication, fae aren’t little sweet things.”
I stood. “What is he doing?”
Kirk came to stand next to me.
Drake was swinging his sword, and I could tell that he was talking, but I couldn’t hear him. Probably couldn’t understand him anyway, as he tended to swear in Fae. Bushes and plants flew with each swing.
“That’s a wicked sword,” Sandy Hair joined us. “Your mom is not going to be happy about her bushes getting whacked like that,” he added towards Kirk.
“Better than the sticks you use, Dean,” Kirk said.
“Bo staff,” Dean corrected, not taking his eyes off Drake. “Maybe we’ll have to reassess the fae…ries.” He gave me a side glance that was pure evil asshat.
I rolled my eyes, finding I liked the snark from both of them. “I’d bet on Drake against you two in whatever form even if he had a broken arm and was drunk,” I said.
Which made them both laugh.
“We can arrange that,” Dean said. “Your majesty.”
“I don’t know how your boss hasn’t left you both on a highway somewhere. At the bottom of a well,” I said, walking back to my seat. “I’m sorry, by the way,” I directed this at Max. “We’ll take care of the damage.”
Taranath rose. “I can probably fix this easily. Once Lord Drake has returned,” He peered out the window, “I’ll go and see what must be done.”
“With what? Your magic wand?” Dean hooted.
Taranath and I just looked at him.
“You’re kidding,” He started.
“You turn furry and you’re all bothered by a wand?” I shook my head. I turned back to Max. “I’ll accept your word that you will not use this information to hurt us, but why would you use the info anyway? The fae generally don’t bother the Human Realm.”
“Except you’re here, and the brother and his woman were here six days ago,” Max said. “Who knows when information will be helpful?”
I sighed. I couldn’t expect an instant ally, although it sure would be nice at this point. We could use some luck, something going right.
“Fair enough,” I said. “If you see Cian—the guy with the scar again, stay away from him. He’s crazy, and he’s very skilled magically.”
“He’s using very old magic in conjunction with dragon magic, which is not good for someone in his state,” Taranath added.
“Dragon magic?” Max asked, one eyebrow up. “Do we need to worry about dragons, too?”
“I would have thought no, but I don’t know,” I said honestly. “I have no idea what Cian has planned. I know he is working to take control of all the Realms.”
“How many Realms are there?” Max frowned.
“The Goblin Realm, the Dragon Realm, the Dwarf Realm, the Troll Realm, and then the Fae Realm. The Fae King is the leader of all the Realms, although each one has their own King.”
Max opened his mouth, then shook his head. “I was going to ask for more about it, but it doesn’t matter. They’ve all been around for a while, right?”
I nodded.
“And this is the first time I’ve seen anything, or even heard anything, so obviously you all keep to yourselves. But why is Key—key?”
“Cian?” I supplied.
“Yes, Cian,” he said, saying it correctly. “Why is he here? Who’s the woman with him?”
“She’s pretty hot,” said Dean.
“Dark hair, pale skin, and really red lips?” I asked.
Dean nodded.
“Yeah, well, she’s pretty like poison. That sounds like Ailla, the daughter of the Dragon King, and equally insane. She’s mean as shit, and she’d off you without even thinking about it.”
“She make a move on your man?” Dean asked.
“No, I booted her ass out of the way,” I said.
A moment of silence, and then all of them laughed, even Taranath.
“This is a good sign, I think,” Drake said, entering the room.
“You better?” I looked him up and down.
He looked flushed, but less tense than he had.
“Yes, ladyship, I am. Your bushes, however, have suffered. We shall take responsibility for them,” Drake looked at Max.
“I am off to see to it now,” Taranath rose. “Sit, Lord Drake.” He glided from the room.
How did he look so graceful? It was like he had wheels under his robes.
“What’d I miss?” Drake fell into the chair.
“I was trying to warn them about Cian and Ailla,” I said.
“He’s probably insane,” Drake frowned. “I’m not sure that Ailla is truly sane, either.”
“She can fake nice really well,” I added. “So just leave them be. Please. It’s better that that they think they’re moving around this Realm without notice.”
“So why did you end up here, if you didn’t know the other guy had been here?” Kirk asked.
I liked that Max, who was clearly the boss, let the other two talk. It said a lot about him as the leader.
“I told you, it was an accident. I’m not great at portal travel, and—”
“Sometimes misdirection happens when people are learning,” Drake finished.
That was nice, and totally unexpected. I shot him a grateful smile.
“You let a newb drive when you’re in a hurry?” Dean asked.
“Is there a better way to learn?” Drake didn’t take offense.
Apparently, beating the hell out of bushes had made him a new person, or something. I needed to remember when he got his knickers in a twist that I could suggest something similar.
I wondered if this was something that Brennan needed, too. Thoughts of him were dangerous. I kept myself focused and under control by not dwelling on him—my Brennan—too much. The idea of Brennan going outside and beating up bushes made me smile, which totally didn’t fit the situation at hand. I missed him so much.
“Nope,” Max said. He and Drake smiled, just a little.
Maybe we’d get out of here without testosterone killing anyone.
“Hey!” Dean darted to the window again. “What is your guy doing?”
Drake didn’t move, and I made myself keep still.
“Fixing the damage,” Drake said.
“Wow,” Dean said.
“Are you witches?” Max asked.
“No. We’re fae. Fae do magic. It’s not only witches who use it,” Drake answered.
I was content to let him take this. I had no idea, and didn’t want to say the wrong thing.
“Why don’t we know about you?”
“Because we don’t want you to. As well, humans don’t fare well in the Fae Realm.”
“What does that mean?” Max leaned forward, interested.
“It means most humans die,” I said.
“But you’re not dying. We’d be able to tell if you were,” Kirk frowned.
“I’m part fae,” I began.
“How does that happen?” Dean asked.
“Um, my grandmother
is fae?” I debated being shitty, and decided against it.
“There’s obviously a lot more at play here than we realized,” Max said, and I saw the leader in him take over.
“Listen,” I held up a hand to forestall more questions. “You’re right. But Drake wasn’t kidding. We really are on a schedule here. We have to go. Will you make a bargain with me?” I improvised. I could tell that Max wasn’t keen on letting us leave just yet, as nice as he’d been. He reminded me a lot of Drake. Although with somewhat better manners.
“Maybe.”
“I will communicate with you once we find who we’re looking for. I promise. Brennan and I both will. And we’ll answer all your questions.” I ignored Drake’s noise of protest next to me. “In return, I ask that you keep away from Cian and Ailla if you see either of them again. And let me know.”
“This Realm is not here, right?”
“Right.”
“How will I communicate?”
I turned to Drake. “I know you have one.”
“No, Iris!” I could tell he was angry because he used my name.
“This is important, Drake! Cian being here is something we never even considered! Look how he talks about me! Why is he here? It makes me really nervous, and if we have someone here who can let us know when he shows up—with Ailla, no less! You can bet your ass her dad knows!” (how does Iris know how he talks about her? Need to check this. Can’t remember. Need story bible)
“That’s no worse than Cian knowing!” He argued.
“I think it’s way worse! Eilor knows Cian is batshit, and he’s gone along with it all this time! And what he and Ailla did to Brennan, and you? Are you kidding? He’s like the evil mastermind behind this, using crazy Cian as the cover!”
Max, Kirk, and Dean watched us like we were a tennis match, their heads moving back and forth as Drake and I argued. Taranath came in and stood at the door, hands clasped in front of him. He reminded me of a smiling Spock.
He might be my ally in this, too. I turned to him. “Tell him, Taranath! It makes sense to have an ally here!”
Dean said, “Hey, no one said we’re allies!”
“Dean,” Max glared at him.
Dean left the room.
Drake also looked at Taranath, clearly expecting support. “The mirrors are for the royal family. We don’t hand them out like party favors!”
Realms of the Goblin King (The Realm Trilogy Book 3) Page 9