The guards closed in, hostility dripping from their eyes as they glared from me to my brother. ‘Leave now,’ the brawnier of the two said, as Lysander scrambled to his feet. ‘And know that you will never enter this room under my watch again.’
‘Like we’d want to,’ Lysander shot.
Before the guards could throw us out, I grabbed Lysander’s wrist and tugged him on to the balcony, the door slamming behind us. Immediately he began to rant, gripping the balustrade so tightly I thought his knuckles might pop through his skin.
‘Quiet,’ I told him. ‘We need to go somewhere we can talk.’
‘Talk here. I don’t care who hears.’
I took hold of his arm and released my wings. ‘Well I do.’
We flew across the forest, our colours wrapping us in sparkles, my pale pink almost lost in Lysander’s turquoise, vibrant as a peacock. But it wasn’t just his wings reminding me of that proud bird lately. It was hard to believe the shivering boy Leif and I had found huddled away with his controlling girlfriend was the same one who’d just taken his life into his hands by mouthing off to the King. I caught his attention and pointed to a pool, the vivid jade green shimmering through the trees. We wove our way down through the branches, alighting by a series of little waterfalls, their gentle rumble giving us the privacy I wanted.
I perched at the edge of a rock on a cushion of moss. ‘Sit down a minute.’
Lysander did what I said, picking up an apple-sized stone and launching it into the water. A loud splash and birds left the trees, their startled calls echoing behind them.
The ripples spread in an ever-widening circle. ‘You like to disturb the peace, don’t you?’
‘Just get it over with,’ my brother said as he selected a second, larger stone.
‘I didn’t bring you here to lecture you on how to speak to the King—although,’ I lifted a hand and held my finger and thumb a millimetre apart, ‘showing him a tiny bit of respect might not be a bad idea.’
Lysander continued hurling rocks while I continued. ‘I get your resentment, I really do. And I don’t blame you for it. But we don’t know what happened between King Telophy and Finelle—not the whole story anyway.’
‘Want to know my whole story?’ Lysander said, stopping his attack on the pool’s tranquillity and turning to face me. ‘While you were being looked after by your adoptive family, my family was falling apart. Then I come here—when the great King Telophy allows me—only to discover the woman who gave birth to me is missing her soul. As for my Fae father—he’s as absent as my human one.’
I reached for his hand, wrapped it in both of mine. ‘I know life’s been hard for you … harder than it has for me.’ I squeezed his hand. ‘I wish I could have been there for you.’
‘You’re here now,’ he said quietly.
‘Always … Finding you was like finding the missing part of me. I love you like crazy, Lysander.’
He freed his hand and put an arm around me, pulling me against him. ‘I know.’
I dropped my head on his shoulder. ‘Nothing’s wasted you know.’
He shifted to look down at me. ‘What do you mean?’
I thought of my human family, my sister, my friends—all the people and experiences I wouldn’t have had if I’d grown up in Faera. ‘Would you change your world if you could? Would you swap that old life in the States for the one you think you should have had here?’
‘I don’t know.’ He stared across the water. ‘Not if I had to give up the time I had with Mum.’
‘Tell me about her.’
He took his arm from around me and leaned back on his elbows, a smile touching the corners of his mouth. ‘People were surprised when they found out she adopted me.’
I’d seen the photos—blue eyed and blond haired, just like me and Lysander.
His eyes closed halfway as he remembered. ‘She was born on Christmas.’
‘That’s how she got her name, right?’
Lysander nodded. ‘Noelle … She was brave. For a long time I didn’t know she was sick. She didn’t want me to know.’ He shook the thought away. ‘She loved music—classical, jazz, rock— anything. She taught me the violin.’
‘You never told me that.’
‘I haven’t played for years … Before she got sick she was always singing.’ His voice caught. ‘She used to lie down beside me and sing till I fell asleep … I don’t know why the man she married left her— must have been an idiot.’ He sighed. ‘I wish you could have met her …’
‘I know it’s not the same, but you can share my mum and dad, my sister too.’
Lysander sat up, raised a knee and draped an arm over it. ‘Ashleigh can never be my sister, Marla.’
‘Why can’t she? The past is the past—what happened doesn’t matter.’
He picked at the moss around his foot. ‘In my case the past is the present.’
‘You do still care for her.’
The waterfalls babbled softly, birds sang sweetly and a pair of gadeers grazed on the bank across from us. Eventually Lysander looked up. ‘I’m surrounded by beautiful faeries, but my heart’s stuck in the human world.’
‘Claudette said—’
‘Claudette says lots of things—she has her reasons. But she’s not my betrothed. I told you already.’
‘And no other girl’s name has come to you?’
‘If it has then Ashleigh’s is drowning it out. She’s like a siren in my head … I thought it’d stop when I found out she had something going on with Rowan.’
‘What’s that about anyway?’
Familiar lines appeared on Lysander’s forehead. ‘Who knows, the guy’s a dick. He just hooked up with Ash for a bit of fun as far as I can tell.’
I thought of Haigen’s green-winged twin—cautious and polite. Nothing like his sister. He didn’t seem the casual type. But who really knew another person. ‘How come you’re only telling me this now?’
‘I don’t know why I’m telling you at all. It’s not like I can be with her.’ He made a huffing sound. ‘Cruel trick isn’t it? I’d blame the King for that too if it made any sense. Anyway, what did you want to talk to me about?’
‘Way to change the subject.’
He shrugged. ‘There’s nothing else to tell.’
I studied him for a moment. ‘I don’t think we should tell our grandparents about Finelle being welcomed.’
His eyebrows shot up. ‘They have a right to know.’
‘Yes, but think about it; we agreed not to tell them about Finelle being in Dark Faera because we didn’t want them losing their souls to try and save hers. This is no different. It’d destroy their peace.’
‘It doesn’t seem right to keep it from them.’
‘No it doesn’t, which is why, after I’ve given him some time to get over today, I’m going to ask King Telophy to tell me the truth. It’s what I should have done in the first place instead of going after that stupid book.’
‘What makes you think you’ll get anything out of him?’
‘Because his subjects having faith in him is the most important thing for him—it’s some kind of pride thing. At the very least he’ll respect me for trusting him.’
‘Big of him, but why would he confide in you?’
‘He could have had us thrown in prison for what we did to that book. You could tell those guards were expecting it. Then there was the way you spoke to him. He let you get away with it … Why would he do that?’
He lifted an eyebrow. ‘You’re asking me?’
‘I’m hoping you’ll ask yourself.’
‘Deep,’ he said, but with less sarcasm than usual.
‘Anyway,’ I said, ending the subject before it could go further. ‘Do I have your word you won’t tell our grandparents about Finelle being welcomed?’
‘They won’t hear it from me.’
From the sky, I could see that the training grounds and the adjoining woods were buzzing. Groups of guards in forest green were issuing instruction
s to each other, King Telophy among them. I spotted Jack with the High Guard from Castle region. I flew down to him and strolled over. ‘I heard what happened,’ he said. ‘You okay?’
I glanced at King Telophy. ‘Ask me later.’
Jack’s eyes followed mine. ‘You’re not planning on speaking to him.’
‘Fences to mend and all that … I should never have taken that book.’
‘Hindsight’s a wonderful thing.’ He tugged a strand of my hair. ‘But seriously, you should wait a few days. He’s been on everyone’s case since he got here.’
I continued to watch my king, one fist planted on his hip as he pointed and gave an order. Even dressed in the uniform of the guard, he looked regal and otherworldly—set apart. ‘Hilary wouldn’t wait.’
‘Why do you say that?’
‘She wasn’t intimidated. She saw him as a man like any other.’
Jack looked sceptical. ‘That’s a stretch even for her.’
‘She once told me being King was just his job … Strange, the friendship they shared.’
‘The human girl and the great Fae King,’ Jack said softly. ‘Strange indeed.’
‘So if he valued Hilary speaking her mind, wouldn’t he value me doing the same?’
‘I don’t know if he’d value you speaking your mind today.’
‘Don’t worry, Jackie, the only mind-speaking I’ll be doing today is to apologise for what I did to that book.’
‘Well, I’m here for you.’
‘I know.’ I smiled at my friend, then changed the subject before it could get awkward. ‘What’s happening here anyway? Seems full on.’
His eyes scanned the faeries around us. ‘It seems Shadow Fae attacks are on the rise—and not just in this kingdom.’
I frowned. ‘This is what King Telophy was worried about.’
‘They seem to be more organised after their time with the Shadow Kings—which is why I still get included.’
As a human, Jack’s blood was toxic to Shadow Fae and, unlike faeries, the creatures couldn’t sense when he was near. ‘I’m sure that’s not the only reason.’
‘Why else? It’s not like I can keep up with you lot.’
I could hear his frustration. If a genie popped out of a bottle and gave me three wishes, the first would be wings for Jack and Ameyah.
He left me to get back to work and I walked over to the fountain closest to King Telophy. I wriggled my fingers under the water as I waited for him to finish with his guards, then made my move, darting out from behind the glittering statues and planting myself in his path. ‘Majesty.’ I dipped into a deep curtsy.
‘Marla.’
I shivered at the coldness in his voice. ‘Can I talk to you?’ I kept my eyes glued to his, ignoring the interest of the nearby guards. ‘Just for a minute.’
He watched me, one eyebrow lifted. I waited.
‘Come,’ he said, and turned. He walked ahead of me—up the winding path, through the great arched doorway and into the entry room where beams of sunlight turned the walls to glitter. He led me across the cool stone floor all the way to his receiving room, closing the door behind us.
‘I’m really sorry I damaged the book,’ I said when he turned to me. ‘I know I shouldn’t have taken it, but when I was welcomed, I saw—’
‘I do not wish to hear reasons or excuses,’ he interrupted. ‘An apology to your queen and an end to it.’
I imagined King Telophy was thinking I was just like Finelle, refusing to have faith in him—and just when things were starting to get better between us. ‘I’ll go to her as soon as I leave here. But … I wanted you to know—when you asked me what I was doing in the receiving room, I fully intended to confess everything. Just not in front of Lysander.’
He knew I spoke the truth because it was impossible for a faery to lie to her king. I detected a hint of surprise in his eyes.
He gestured to a chair and sat across from me, leaning back and linking his hands across his chest. ‘Why should your brother’s presence matter?’
‘It was my fault Lysander knew about that book. I didn’t want him to get the blame … He’s angry enough, and …’ I bit my lip, unsure how to complete the sentence diplomatically.
‘And you were afraid of what I might do,’ he finished for me.
I didn’t deny it and he watched me a while longer, eventually lowering his eyes to the table. An uncomfortable silence passed and then: ‘Sometimes I feel there has been a terrible mistake.’
His words were quietly spoken and I suspected they’d been more for him than me. He looked up and continued in a slightly dreamy tone. ‘Increasingly I wonder, why, after over seventy years in this skin, I am still unable to unite the two different parts of me?’
I had no clue what he was talking about, but I sensed a change in him—like something had shifted. He shook his head as though clearing his thoughts. ‘What has gone before has left a stain. I’ve tried to deny the effect but have finally admitted the truth—it matters not what comes today, nor tomorrow, nor in the next hundred years—I could strive forever but the damage is too vast to repair.’
His look of defeat seemed unnatural and wrong. ‘This is because of the book,’ I said quietly. ‘I was wrong to take it and I truly am sorry.’
The King waved away my apology. ‘Given our history, I could hardly pretend surprise you went behind my back.’
In his fury King Telophy had threatened my life, Lysander’s, the lives of both his wife and son—and that was only after I’d met him. And yet here I sat, unharmed and living not only in his kingdom, but under his roof. ‘My King, I can’t speak for anyone else, but I know the things you’ve said and done have been in anger.’
‘What manner of king lets anger rule him? An error on the part of the Great Spirit must be the cause of all this.’
‘Today you could’ve had Lysander and I thrown in your darkest dungeon and no one would’ve blamed you. But you didn’t.’
‘It’s quite natural in my presence you would defend me—the allegiance bond makes it so.’
I could have told him it wasn’t only in his presence, that there was something more—a feeling I couldn’t understand. But he rose from his seat and carried on. ‘I accept your apology, Marla, and I hope you will accept mine. I am sorry I’ve been expecting trust unearned.’ He frowned. ‘I only wish I understood why that trust was quite so important to me.’
Without waiting for a response, he walked to the door and held it open, sending me on my way with a sprinkle of his power—as though it were his duty.
Chapter Ten
Lysander was a lot more relaxed when he came to my room an hour or so after my meeting with King Telophy. He had been to see our Fae mother’s parents—gentle Leander and fun-loving Melody. My brother handed me a small basket. ‘Leander said these are your favourites.’
I pinched a corner of the fabric and peered inside, immediately catapulted back to another time and place—a festival where faeries played music and danced among the trees. I was with Hilary and had just removed the lid from a box of cakes my grandfather had given me. Hilary commented they were just like the ones we’d had when we visited Ruby. We’d wondered about it at the time, deciding it could only be a coincidence. But it reminded me of something I needed to do.
I looked at my brother. ‘I have to go see Ruby.’
The following afternoon, after a quick visit with Mum and Dad, Jack and I flew to Ruby’s place. We exchanged a glance when she finally answered our knock. She’d lost weight and looked as though she’d aged ten years. Her skin was pale and tissue-paper fragile, and her once crisp blue eyes appeared coated in milk. I told her we’d come to take her to the cemetery to see Hilary as promised. She looked a little unsure, but invited us to come in and sit down while she went to get her bag.
She shuffled down the hall, her small bent figure fading away.
‘She looks terrible,’ I said when she’d gone.
‘Can’t say I’m looking forward to old age
,’ Jack replied.
He’d said it innocently enough, but it felt like a slap. Jack was going to get old and die. I’d stay young while everyone I’d grown up with would die. Hilary was just the first. I couldn’t think about it, so asked Jack how things were going with Ameyah to divert my attention.
He happily chatted about their increasingly close friendship until Ruby returned, a beaded clutch clasped in her hand and a cardigan draped over a trembling arm. She attempted to struggle into the cardigan and I stood up to help her. ‘There’s no hurry,’ I told her. ‘Sit down and I’ll make tea if you like.’
I held on to her as she lowered herself gingerly into a chair, relief washing over her face.
After I’d served the tea, I went back to the kitchen for the cake tin, removing the lid to see four little cakes, iced and decorated with tiny flowers. They were perfect replicas of the ones I’d just left with Mum and Dad.
I put the tin on the table. ‘Where did you get these, Ruby?’
‘A friend brings them. I told her my appetite has flown away, but she seemed upset so I said it was just a passing thing … My neighbours enjoy them.’
I took a sip of tea and carefully placed the cup back on its saucer. ‘What’s your friend’s name?’
‘Olette. Pretty girl.’
‘Pretty name too.’ I glanced at Jack. But if he’d made the connection, he wasn’t letting on.
We finished our tea, a single thought whirling in my head— how had my great-grandmother come to be friends with a human woman?
I got to my feet. ‘Do you think you’ll be all right now, Ruby?’
‘I think so.’ She started to get up but fell back into her seat with a small cry.
I was there in an instant, crouching before her. ‘Are you sick? In pain?’
A tear slid down her cheek. ‘I don’t feel well at all.’
Gently, Jack said, ‘Hilary would be the first person to understand if you’re not up to going out, Ruby.’
‘But … she was good to me. She used to visit me.’
The room fell into silence. Jack finally broke it. ‘Let me help you back to bed. We can take you another day.’
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