by Kimbra Swain
“That’s all I can ask,” he said, then added, “my Queen.”
“Grace,” Finley began to talk but I cut him off.
“Not now,” I said. “Take us back to our rooms, Joey.”
He nodded. We filed back to the rooms that Rhiannon provided for us. It was like she knew exactly how many people were in my group because the suite had enough rooms for everyone including Finley and Nelly. It did not have enough for Joey and Devin.
I slumped down in a chair, exhausted from the emotional roller coaster. Tabitha brought water and a sampling of fruits. Fairy fruits like green peaches, purple apples, and pink pineapples. They were delicious. My stomach rumbled in protest at eating the foreign food, but thankfully it stayed down. I supposed the need to have nourishment superseded the need to puke. We waited to hear from Joey, but it was quite some time before he returned.
Jenny kept her distance from Nelly who followed Finley around like a lost puppy. She also avoided Rowan. It was interesting watching the factions of my own people avoiding each other. Finally, Finley ordered Nelly back to their room. He took a seat across from me, waiting for me to give him permission to speak.
“Leave us, please,” I said to Tabitha, Rowan, and Jenny. Luther had already retired to one of the rooms. The redshirts hung around in the shadows of the room like they weren’t even there, but when I dismissed the ladies, they followed them. Then I was left alone with my brother. I stared at him, switching to fairy sight. I saw nothing unusual. He was my brother. My almost twin. Taking a deep breath, I said, “Speak.”
“CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED?” he asked.
“I’m sorry should be the first words out of your mouth,” I said.
“I’m sorry. Forgive me for being callous to your loss. I know you loved them both,” he said.
“I have some little hope that Levi will survive their torture,” I said.
“Don’t put too much hope in that,” he said. “What happened?”
I rehashed the story of Amanda and Troy’s wedding, then our search for the children. The explosion at the trailer was the toughest part of it. He was astonished at Levi’s rescue of me as my own trailer sank to the bottom of the new swamp. It pleased me to know that even Finley didn’t realize the depth of Levi’s power. Finally, I told him about Winnie. “And I still can’t find Rufus,” I replied.
“I had no idea. When Caiaphas approached Levi, he only said that Levi was needed on an urgent mission for you. I just assumed you sent for him. I would have come home. Surely you know that,” he said.
“I don’t know that, Finley. You’ve been in Shady Grove for about five minutes before you left. Yes, it was on my orders, but as I can see, you had no incentive to come back,” I replied looking toward the closed door with his wife behind it. “You married a Grindy?”
He scratched his head and sighed. “I married Nelly who by all means is a sexy woman that I am quite fond of, but I admit that she was a means to an end. That end being, I refused to marry one of the bitches of Summer. Nelly knows this. Rhiannon will give us the book if one of us marries one of her children.”
“I hate to remind you, but I am partial to dick,” I said.
“I know, but she has one son,” he replied. “I’ve heard that he’s actually a good guy. You will like him.”
“Who says I’m going to meet him?” I said.
“You will. She won’t let you leave the realm without meeting him. Although, he might be disappointed to see that you are pregnant,” he said.
“And who is this man? What’s his name?” I asked.
“Astor is what he goes by here in Summer,” he said. “If it will protect the tree, thus saving both realms, you should consider it. I’m not dismissing any grief that you have because of Dylan. However, this is an opportunity to be very queen-like.”
“For the record, you are about to get slapped again,” I said.
“Glory,” he huffed.
“Don’t Glory me! I’m not marrying anyone from Summer. I’m going to get my book, and get the fuck out of here,” I said, as the child inside of me flip-flopped. I rubbed my belly to calm him.
“Mother,” a small voice said inside of me.
“What’s wrong?” Finley said. “You look like you saw a ghost.”
“He’s speaking to me,” I said.
“Who?” he asked.
“The baby!” I hissed.
“Mother,” the voice repeated.
“Yes, my child?” I replied.
The little voice went quiet. I waited for him to say something else, but he didn’t.
“Is that possible?” Finley asked.
“Tabitha!” I screamed out.
She rushed into the room with her hair rumpled from sleep.
“What? Is it the baby?” she asked.
“He talked to me?” I asked.
“Did he?” she asked.
“You are the fairy doctor!” I exclaimed.
“It’s possible,” she replied. “More than likely you are just hearing his thoughts like you do Levi’s or any other servant’s.”
Leaning back in the chair, I closed my eyes concentrating on the little life inside of me. “I hear you. Everything is going to be fine. I’ll take care of you.” I received no response, but it felt like he heard me. I don’t know how to explain it, but it was communication on a whole different level. It was different than communicating with Levi. It was deeper. I didn’t think it could be any more in-tune. But apparently, it could be.
“Glory,” Finley started. I waved him off with my hand.
“Go to bed. We should rest. It doesn’t look like Rhiannon is in any hurry to let us leave properly. Either way, we are leaving tomorrow,” I said. I didn’t bother to get up from the chair. It was comfortable enough for me to fall asleep curled up in it.
I regretted sleeping in the chair. My bones ached from the position I had curled up in. Not to mention, my belly had grown undeniably bigger. Concentrating on my body, I shifted to accommodate the size. The dress, however, I didn’t have to shift. The fairy-made fabric grew as my belly did, falling perfectly around it with the right room. It was amazing, and I hadn’t worn anything like it in years. Hundreds of years. It was the garment of a queen.
At home in Shady Grove, I was the Queen of the Exiles. Here, I was just the daughter of a dead king who allowed her birthright to be taken by a relative. The remainder of my weakness pulsed through my body as a reminder that I had failed. No matter what was going on at home, and the adoption of the new title, I had failed my bloodline.
Joey entered the room without knocking with Devin in tow. He tried to shush Devin, but the boy approached me quickly. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine, Devin,” I replied.
“You look tired,” he said.
“Devin! Don’t be rude!” Joey said. I shot a look to Joey, who promptly backed off.
“I’m very tired, and I’m ready to go home,” I said.
“I don’t want to stay here,” he said. I looked up to Joey.
“She wouldn’t even let me ask,” he said. “I tried to approach her this morning on your behalf as well as my own. She dismissed me.”
“I guess we are breaking out of this joint. Joey, you are welcome to go back with us, but as her servant, it will cause problems. I don’t want to see Devin hurt,” I said.
He cocked his head sideways. It reminded me of the first time I saw him in Shady Grove. His eyes flashed a brilliant blue, lighter than Dylan’s, less broody than Levi’s. The fairy tint aided their shine. “I never thought I’d see you change so much,” he said. “I’m sorry. No wonder my son is rude.”
“Sit for a minute.”
He looked unsure of himself but sat down across from me. His long hairy legs folding down easier than I thought they would. I wondered if he was ever allowed to shift or glamour.
“I’m being rude now, staring at your transformation,” I said.
“I’m sure it was a shock,” he said.
&n
bsp; “What can you tell me about the whole story that she hasn’t forbidden you to speak?” I asked.
“Things you don’t know?” he asked. “Like from back when we were together?”
“How did you get to this point?”
“Oh! Well, I had slept with Stephanie several times before you asked me out. She warned me about you, but I couldn’t resist. I was a horny young man. I am different now,” he said. “Well, despite these.” He pointed to the short, but thick curled horns on his head.
I grinned at the little joke. “Stephanie wasn’t my biggest fan,” I said.
“I know all the things she has done to you. We know everything that goes on in Shady Grove,” he said.
“Why?” I asked.
“What you decide to do affects more than just Winter. It affects us here as well. I know that Rhiannon doesn’t like you much, but she would rather you lead Winter than Brock. He is constantly demanding gifts in order to keep his armies out of our realm,” Joey said.
Finally, I was getting some information. “Who married him?” I asked. “Did she offer one of her own daughters to him as a gift?”
“No one knows who he married, but she did offer one of her daughters,” he said.
“Where is Riley?” I asked.
“You should probably avoid Riley. She blames you for Jeremiah’s death,” he said.
“I did kill him,” I replied.
“You had mercy on him,” Joey said. “Rhiannon said that your actions forced her to give him to Brockton for all the things he’d done to Stephanie. So, Riley blames you.”
I thought back over how Jeremiah had somehow convinced her to live with Dylan peacefully for a short time. It made me wonder what his methods were to persuade her. The Sanhedrin had strict rules on mind control but leave it to a bunch of zealots not to follow their own rules. “Jeremiah did the same things to me,” I admitted. “He didn’t force me to do things I didn’t want to do, but he did erase very valuable memories.”
“I’m sorry about Dylan,” he said. “He was a good guy. Even before I knew what he was, I thought he was fair. I didn’t understand why Stephanie hated him so much, but I supposed that was because of you.”
“Heh. Yeah, probably. Tell me what I need to know about this place. Joey, you’ve been here a couple of years. I bet it feels like longer. Give me something to help me. I need the songbook back if I intend to protect my people. I will take you with me,” I said.
He scratched his head, unwilling to take the chance. He had a son to protect, and for once in my life, I completely understood.
Finley interrupted our discussion when he strolled through the room. “Don’t mind me. I’m looking for food.”
“Finley, we need to get the hell out of here,” I said.
“Cool your tits,” he said.
I rose up out of the chair, and he froze in place.
“Excuse me?”
“Sorry,” he muttered, then rushed out of the room holding his cheek as if I were close enough to slap him again.
“I don’t know when he turned into such a twat,” I said, sitting back down with Joey.
He hid a smile behind his hand. “Some things don’t change,” he laughed.
“Yeah? Like what?” I asked.
“Like your vulgar mouth,” he said cautiously.
Dylan. Shit.
“Yes, some things are just a part of who we are,” I said. With a light tap on the door, a faun guard walked in without an invite.
“The Queen will see you now,” he said, leaving as promptly as he arrived.
THE THRONE ROOM, devoid of the heated sounds of intercourse, felt warm in the heat of the day. The windows were opened, allowing the sun to flow inside. When Rhiannon stepped through the back door, the few servants in the room bowed. I cut my eyes to Tabitha who stood next to me without flinching. I lowered my head to her in reverence but gave her no other gesture of respect. My idea of hospitality and hers differed greatly. She could have at least offered me an orange soda. Perhaps it was time she realized she was dealing with a real queen not some washed up junkie from the trailer park which meant not mentioning the orange soda.
“Gloriana, it is...”
Latching on to my father’s knowledge, I stepped beyond my group placing them behind me. “Gloriana, Queen of the Exiles, Daughter of Oberon,” I said.
She cocked her head sideways and chuckled. “Ah, I see! Queen Gloriana, it is my understanding that you and your party wish to leave my realm,” she said.
“No,” I stated waiting for her to ask.
“No? Perhaps my servants misinformed me,” she said.
“Perhaps you didn’t listen to my full request because I’m sure your servant attempted to deliver it on my behalf. If he hadn’t you would have been greatly disappointed in him, because of his disrespect to me. However, at this juncture, I have more to add,” I said.
She looked amused, then waved her hand. “By all means, add away.”
“Queen Rhiannon, my party and I wish to retire to our realm. However, there are several matters that need to be discussed. First of all, I will have my songbook back. There is no reason for it to be in this realm. The only living bard is my servant. The book and his power were given to him by my father. He is the royal bard of my family; thus, the book belongs to him. In that light, it belongs to me,” I said as she tried to interrupt. “I’m not finished if you please. Secondly, while in your realm, my servant, Jeremiah Freyman was given as appeasement to the usurper of my throne. He was tortured, then killed as a result. He was not your servant to give away, and I expect restitution for his life. Lastly, you will let my party and I leave here with no obligations. We have been stowed away like outcasts for hours with no response from you. I am offended by your treatment of me and my servants.”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “I do not treat those who shirk their responsibilities with respect. You were given the Otherworld by your father, and you ignored what you were born to do. Now all of the Otherworld hangs in the balance while you play two-bit trailer whore in the real world. Oberon lost his mind when he made you his heir.”
Diplomatic. Calm. To the point. “As a visiting monarch under your hospitality, I have not asked for anything that isn’t within your power to give, nor should it be denied to me simply because you don’t like my kingdom or my subjects. The book is mine. Jeremiah was mine.”
She stared at me for a moment. “What would you have as payment for the Sanhedrin known as Jeremiah Freyman, a Summer Fae?”
“I want you to release Joey Blankenship from his service to you. He will become my servant and return to Exile in Shady Grove where he can raise his son,” I said.
“That is impossible. Joseph belongs to me because I healed him, and he must pay for my kindness,” she said.
“You would not have had to heal him if you had the smallest bit of control over your offspring. He was brought to you because your daughter spelled him making him do her bidding. He became ill and needed help. You were required to help him. It was not a favor,” I argued.
“His son is my grandson,” she said.
“Do you intend to leave your throne to a male heir?” I asked.
“I do, but not Devin,” she said. “You may have the faun and his son. They are never to set foot in my realm ever again. If they do, they will be put to death.”
I heard Joey sigh behind me.
“The book,” I prompted.
“Anwen, come forth,” she called to Riley.
Riley stepped out of the shadows in a dark green dress that matched her eyes. Her auburn hair curled down over her shoulders. She looked a lot like her mother, but her hair was much darker. She bowed before her mother, then turned to face me.
“Riley,” I said, nodding my head.
“I will give you the book if you give me the bard,” she said.
“No, you will give me the book because it belongs to my bard,” I said.
“He gave it to me,” she protested.
“He gave it to you with a collar on his neck,” I said.
“A collar that he allowed me to put on his neck,” she said.
“A collar that you pretended to be a sex kink, but in actuality submitted him to your power whenever you wished without his permission. It is no better than Stephanie and her designs on Joey,” I said. “You are just like her.” I knew this would strike a chord with her. She did not like to be compared to her sister. In all actuality, she wasn’t nearly as bad as Stephanie, but I didn’t like either of them for what they were doing to destroy my family.
“Did you explain to the bard the conditions of the collar?” Rhiannon asked her.
“Mother! Of course, I did,” she said.
“Did you tell him it would be for more than one night?” I asked. Her face reddened with anger. She lunged toward me. “On your knees!” The command struck her in the face, and she fell to her knees with a crack. The nobles around us gasped. Rhiannon flinched. Riley lowered her head looking at the stone floor. I circled her forcing my power out of me to radiate like the sun. Only instead of warmth, I surrounded her with a chill. A chill that worked itself through me, awakening the darkness inside. She shivered with the cold. The room darkened, and the nobles of the courts moved around in fear.
“Forgive me, my Queen,” she begged.
“Of course, I forgive you, my child,” Rhiannon said with compassion.
I looked up to Rhiannon with an evil grin. “She means me. You see, your daughter, while living in Shady Grove, submitted herself to me before the entire town to make sure that I got elected instead of Stephanie. I suppose it was some sort of sibling rivalry, and she had no idea of the consequences. Much like Levi had no idea of the consequences of the collar. Now, I’m willing to spare her life, in exchange for the book.” I picked up a lock of her hair, and let it flow down through my fingers. Riley whimpered as I circled to stand in front of her.