“A little? That was terribly awkward! What do you say about the whole wheelchair thing? Do you apologize?” She made her voice lower as she took on another part in an imaginary conversation. “'Sorry you're in a wheelchair!' No! 'Thanks for serving our country. We appreciate your sacrifice.' I had no idea what to say. And Anne and I have nothing in common. The rehearsal dinner is going to be awful.”
Geoff chuckled.
“What is so funny?” Gabby demanded.
He shrugged and shook his head. “I don't know. Nothing. Everything. We don't have to like them. The important thing is that George and Laura like each other.”
“I can't believe we are going to miss out on Thanksgivings and Chirstmases with our son to those people!”
“They're not bad people. Just because we couldn't figure out how to talk to them doesn't make them bad people.”
Gabby smirked and muttered, “I told you they were pretentious.”
“I don't think they were pretentious. They were nice, down to earth people. It's not their fault it was awkward.”
“What? It was my fault it was awkward?”
Geoff shook his head again. “No. Calm down. I wasn't saying that. I'm just saying they're not bad people. We just don't know them. They raised a smart, bright, well-mannered young lady like Laura, so they must be mostly okay, right?”
Gabby opened her window a crack and turned her seat heater on. She sighed, “Ah. It's really too bad the van doesn't have heated seats. More cars should have these.”
Geoff smiled and merged onto the expressway.
“It's just…” Gabby began. She was quiet for a long time. “It's just that's our only chance. Our only chance to meet in-laws. We won't have another son get married. And who knows about Gen? If she stays… there… We'll never meet this girl she's in love with. I just wasn't ready to lose them all so soon. We shouldn't have lost them all so soon.”
Geoff shifted into fifth and put his hand on Gabrielle's knee. “I know. It still tears me apart inside, too. We'll get through it. And if that's the only time we get to meet in-laws, then at least we know we don't have to deal with anything worse than that.”
Gabby put her hand on top of Geoff's and squeezed it. “You're right. Can I tell you something and you promise you won't think I'm horrible?”
Geoff glanced at her, brows raised, then looked back to the road. “Of course.”
“I miss her.”
“I do, too. That doesn't make you horrible.”
She shook her head. “I'm not finished. I miss her. I really miss Genevieve. I -” She sniffled and touched her fingers to the corners of her eyes. “I miss her more than I miss Greg.”
Geoff pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to his wife. “I don't think you're horrible. I think it's about coming to terms with things. Greg is gone and he's never coming back. Gen is gone, but she might. We can't know for sure if she is. Your mind is grasping for the things it can reach, the things it can hope for. Your mind knows it can't hope for Greg to come back to us. It can hope for Gen. That's why you think of her more.”
“Do you think she's ever coming back?” Her voice was thick. She was fighting back tears and he could hear it when she spoke.
Geoff didn't know what to say. He'd thought of his own personal answer to that question for almost three months. He hadn't come up with one yet. He didn't realize how long he'd spent silently thinking until Gabby asked him again.
“Geoff? Do you?”
“I don't think so. No.”
“No? Why not?”
Geoff took the handkerchief from Gabrielle's hands and dabbed at his own eyes, then handed it back to her. “Because she said she's in love. Because she said it was life and death. And because if she was going to come back, she already would have.”
“I guess you're right. I just feel so defeated. I feel like I've lost it all. They aren't coming back. And George! I don't feel like I'm gaining a daughter, but I do feel like I'm losing my son. Our son.”
“George is going to be just fine,” Geoff said.
“I know he is. I'm not worried about him.”
“Who are you worried about?” Geoff asked.
“I feel horrible admitting it. But I'm not worried about George. I'm not worried about Genny. I'm worried about me. Does that make me a bad person?”
“No. You're not a bad person, Gabby. And I worry about you, too.”
“You do?”
He squeezed her knee affectionately. “Of course I do.”
“Geoff?”
“Yeah?
“Can we go check in somewhere? Can we get a hotel room? I just don't think I can face going back home right now. Back to the house.”
Geoff took a deep breath, then nodded. “Okay. If that's what you need.”
They found a motel and went to the desk to check in. The desk clerk was a young woman who looked about twenty. She had pale blonde hair chopped short and a tattoo of green vines extended over the collar of her shirt and up her neck. Her nametag said Lois.
“We need a room, please,” Geoff said.
“How long?” the clerk asked.
“Just tonight.”
Lois opened a binder on the desk and traced her finger down the page. “Smoking or non?”
“Non,” Geoff answered.
“Lucky you. You got two choices. Either two doubles or a king.”
Geoff began, “We'll go with the two—”
“We'll take the king,” Gabby said. She took Geoff's hand. He looked questioningly at her. They hadn't slept together since she'd come back home. She nodded to him, then turned back to Lois. “Please.”
chapter 30
“She's rattled,” Slynn said. “That's for sure. The whole group of them is.”
“Excellent.” Jeegan's projection grinned wickedly. “I appreciate that you could set these things in motion for me. Whichever way she decides, we'll get a step closer to our goal.”
Slynn nodded. “Any further instructions, Master?”
Jeegan shook his head. “No. We'll stick to the plan. Four days, and let them escape into The Caverns.”
“Master,” Slynn was hesitant to question Jeegan. “I am puzzled as to the wisdom of letting them reclaim The Caverns. That means that we only have two convenient ways into the Realms: The Meadows and The Reaping. The Caverns was centrally located and would let us spread out into more core Realms.”
Jeegan waited patiently until Slynn was finished, then he narrowed his eyes and tipped his chin down. He spoke quietly but firmly. “You forget our ultimate goal. Getting into the Realms is the first step, not the last. The Meadows has more Bridges in closer proximity than The Caverns. Let them have their Caverns back, and whatever fairies remain alive there. Let their Sky Council debate and decide what to do. In the meantime, we can take the Realms with restorable Bridges.”
“My apologies, Master.”
“My aim isn't to keep you in the dark, Slynn. I need my commanders to know what the overall strategy is. I applaud you for asking.”
Slynn bowed and Jeegan's projection disappeared. The water in the reflecting pool became clear once again.
Slynn sighed and poured himself an overly full glass of brandy. There was a soft knock on the door. Slynn took a drink and said, “Come.”
Thirin came in and closed the door softly behind him. He stretched his neck to look into the reflecting pool.
“It's clear. The connection's been cut,” Slynn said.
“How'd it go?” Thirin asked.
Slynn shrugged. “As well as could be expected. Four days and they get to leave.”
Thirin shook his head. “I don't understand this plan.”
Slynn offered his glass to Thirin. Thirin took it and held the glass up to his nose. He inhaled deeply and his eyes drifted closed. He took a long sip and nodded. “That's good.”
Slynn smiled at him. “Good. Anyway, he reminded me of something I hadn't really considered. He doesn't care about conquering the Realms. He
just wants access to the Bridges.”
“To the human world,” Thirin confirmed.
“Right.”
“Hell, he's been holding a grudge for a long time. He's still trying to take it out on the humans? The humans who did it to him are long dead now, aren't they?”
Slynn nodded and poured another glass of brandy.
“This plan seems a bit ridiculous,” Thirin continued. “What does he hope to accomplish? Isn't killing a bunch of humans potentially going to kill a bunch of us?”
“He says that the casualties will primarily be fairies, not pixies.”
“Primarily?”
Slynn shrugged. “That's what he said.”
“Do you believe him?”
“I don't know what to believe. He is from the human world. He lived in the Realms. I've never been to either one,” Slynn said. “All I know is that it took a long time for the circumstances to be just right for him to do this. For a long time, the primary entrance to the Realms has been through The Reaping, and the last Reaper did a lot to put The Reaping in order. He strengthened to boundary and that kept us out for a while. But then he gave us three Realms - three more boundaries. That gave Jeegan the opportunity to get pixies into the Realms to use the Bridges.”
“Wouldn't it have been easier to make a Bridge that would work from here?”
Slynn shook his head. “They say it can't be done. We're a step further removed from the human world and we can't open a Bridge.” He clinked their glasses together and they both drank.
“What are they like?” Slynn asked.
“They're interesting. They're not what I expected.”
“Oh?” Slynn asked. “What did you expect?”
“I expected weakness but they aren't frail or slight. They have strong wills. Those weapons they carry have seen some use. That one, the special one, Gen… She really is different. She has a fire in her spirit. There is something behind her eyes that I can't quite figure out. It's like she's sizing me up.” Thirin shook his head and drained his glass in one long swallow. “No, that's not right, exactly. Her look is fascinated and judgmental and calculating all at once. I'm sure it sounds ridiculous, but it seems like she's looking at me twice at one time.”
Slynn smiled and nodded. “I understand. That's exactly how Jeegan looks. You see it more when you're in front of him than through the projection,” he cocked his head back toward the reflecting pool, “but that's just what it's like. I saw it in her, too. I think that's what happens when you're an immortal. Because both the pixie - or fairy, in this case - as well as the human are present, in some form or other.”
“I'm not sure I support all of this,” Thirin whispered. He took the crystal stopper out of the bottle and refilled his glass. “I don't like the idea of killing all of those humans.”
“And the fairies?” Slynn asked. Slynn handed his empty glass to Thirin, who refilled it. The stopper slid back into the top of the bottle with a satisfying thunk and Thirin handed the glass back to Slynn.
“I'm not sure I like that, either. What about you?”
Slynn shook his head and took another drink. “No. I don't like it one bit.”
They were quiet for a while, then Thirin spoke. “Seer says there should be a new arrival tomorrow.”
“Defective or a keeper?”
“She doesn't know. Is it true that in olden times, we didn't used to judge them? That everyone was a keeper?”
Slynn sighed. “I don't know. I heard that it was him,” he nodded toward the reflecting pool again, “who started the judgment. This is the way I was taught, and how the former controller did it, and he said that's how the prior controller had shown him.” He started into the clear water of the pool. “Bring the fairies along tomorrow.”
“What if it's a defect?”
“I'm sure our Master would like them to witness it.” Slynn emptied his glass again and put it on the table. “Come on,” he said, “finish that up and let's go to bed.”
Thirin tossed back the rest of his brandy then blew out a deep breath. His eyes watered. “Strong stuff.”
Slynn smiled at him. “You're not supposed to shoot it like that.”
Thirin wiped his eyes. “Yeah, I know.” He took Slynn's hand and kissed it. “It'll be okay.”
Slynn looked him in the eyes for several seconds, then he nodded. “I know. Thanks for being here.”
Thirin smiled broadly, exposing his sharp, gleaming white incisors. “Always.” He took a step toward Slynn and put his hand on Slynn's cheek, then kissed him softly.
Slynn pulled Thirin close to him and kissed him harder. He kissed along his jawline, up behind his ear, then down his neck. Thirin moaned a long and excited moan.
“I thought we were going to bed,” Thirin said.
“Not anymore. Now get on your knees.”
“Of course.” Thirin slid Slynn's trousers down and ran his fingers up his thighs. Slynn grabbed a fistful of Thirin's hair and tilted his head up so he could look him in the eyes. “Please,” Thirin whispered.
Slynn pulled Thirin's head toward him and slid himself into Thirin's open mouth. Thirin took him all the way in. Within a few minutes, Slynn's knees were shaking slightly as he stood above Thirin. His head was tipped back. His eyes were closed and his mouth was open slightly. His wings were stretched wide, also quivering slightly. Slynn inhaled sharply, then stopped Thirin. He pulled out of his mouth and said, “On the table.”
Thirin got to his feet and quickly took his clothes off. He bent over the side of the table. Slynn ran his fingers through a vessel of scented oil and ran his fingers up Thirin’s back. Slynn rested his chest on Thirin's back and kissed around the base of his wings.
Thirin sighed a deep, satisfied, “Mmm.” He looked over his shoulder at Slynn. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. Now,” he grinned, “let's go to bed.”
“Of course.”
-
The next morning, Thirin knocked on the fairies' door and let himself in. The dinner he'd brought in last night sat mostly untouched. Genevieve had been asleep on the sofa but woke and leaped to her feet once Thirin opened the door. She leveled her gaze at him.
“Just letting yourself in?” Gen asked.
He smiled at her. “I did knock.”
She rolled her eyes and turned away from him. She rubbed her eyes with her palms.
“None of you were hungry?” Thirin asked.
Gen shrugged. “Apparently not.”
“Very well. Am I to assume you that you don't require breakfast, then?”
“If everyone went to bed without eating, they'll probably be hungry when they get up,” Gen smirked.
“Point taken. It'll be here in a few minutes. We have a new arrival today. You will accompany us.”
Gen glanced at one of the bedroom doors, then back to Thirin. “Sure, all right. Whatever. When?”
“A few hours. We'll come to collect you.”
“Fine. Anything else?”
“Just checking in on our guests.”
“Making sure we're all still here?” Gen asked.
Thirin smiled and did not respond.
“We'll be up and ready when you come back. Thank you very much.”
Thirin bowed and let himself out. He caught up to Slynn on the way to the seer.
“She slept on the sofa,” he reported.
Slynn looked surprised. “Did she, now?”
“I'm guessing they all had a pretty huge argument. They're wearing each other down. I'm not sure we have to do anything.”
“All we have to do is keep them here for another few days.”
“What if they head for The Meadows instead of The Caverns when they go?” Thirin asked.
“They can't navigate The Void. Honestly, I don't think they'll be able to. Plus if we give them an opportunity at the west end of the settlement, that's the direction they'll go.”
Thirin flew quietly with Slynn. They reached the seer's house. “I'll leave you to your busine
ss,” Thirin offered.
“You can come in with me.”
Thirin shook his head. “I have some thinking to do. I'd rather it was unencumbered by the future.”
“Of course. See you at the arrival.”
Thirin kissed Slynn's cheek. “See you then.”
Thirin flew out of the settlement, out to the petrified mushroom forest. He flew over the stone mushrooms to where the fairy ring used to be. In the forest filled with tall mushrooms, the circle wasn't entirely obvious at first. Thirin came out here frequently. This was one of his favorite thinking spots. He and Kenna had spent many, many romantic hours here before she died nearly twenty-five years ago. Slynn was usually too busy to come out here, so the fairy ring ended up being a place where Thirin spent a lot of time alone. He lay on the hard cap of a rock hard mushroom, positioned so he could see the settlement.
The fairies bothered him, Gen in particular. Something about her seemed oddly familiar. Her posture and her tone reminded him more than a little of Slynn. “Fuck,” he muttered. “At least I know how to deal with you, then.”
He thought about the small one, the fairy seer. Much like their own seer, she didn't quite seem to know everything that was coming, but she moved, walked, spoke, like someone without shame or self-consciousness, with the easy-going confidence that foresight gave her. Pixies - or fairies - with the gift of foresight rarely worried about the awkwardness of social interactions. They didn't have to worry about whether they would say something that might upset someone, or whether someone liked them, or when to stop arguing a point that they'd already lost, because they already knew how it was going to turn out. Still, this one, this Shae seemed surprised at a few things that happened. Thirin hadn't expected her to be so shocked about their accommodations. She seemed genuinely surprised that they weren't being thrown into a dungeon.
He wasn't much bothered by the Walker. Herron reminded Thirin a lot of himself. Pixies had a group similar to the fairy Realmwalkers. The Void Hunters kept the praps away from the settlements. The different provinces in The Void had Hearts, much like the Realms did, and the Hunters collected the energy from them, much like the Walkers did in the Realms. Thirin had been a Void Hunter for twenty years before Slynn had asked him to be his second. Thirin knew how to handle that fairy, too.
The Void Hunters (Realmwalker Book 2) Page 21