by Bonnie Lamer
After a quick trip to the bathroom, Kallen and I dress and head for the Great Hall. Kai and Arie are already there watching over the Mermen, waiting for the first to awaken. They look worried. Do they think I’ve put their people to sleep permanently?
Dagda motions for us to join him in the middle of the sleeping Fairies. “The Sirens have stopped singing but I fear that like yesterday, there will be ones who still want to answer their call. I would like the four of us,” he glances at Isla who is coming to join us, “to walk among them as they waken. Look for signs of the Sirens’ spell.”
“Since they will be making a dash for the doors, it should be easy to spot them,” Kallen says, only half joking.
“Xandra, how are you holding up this morning?” Isla asks.
“I’m fine but you two look like you haven’t slept in days,” I tell her, referring to her and my father. They both have dark circles under their eyes and I swear they have aged years since yesterday.
“Xandra and I can handle whatever this morning brings if you two would like to rest a bit,” Kallen assures them. “We do not mind.”
Isla smiles at him, but it’s a tired smile. “Thank you, but our place is here.”
“Not if you fall asleep on your feet,” I push.
Voice gruffer than it needs to be, Dagda says, “We are fine.”
“And to think I left the Mr. Sunshine award I made for you at home,” I smirk. Kallen hides a chuckle with a cough.
Before Dagda can snap back at me, a Fairy about twenty feet away begins to stir. His eyes open and he has to orient himself a minute when he realizes he’s not in his own bed. With a dazed expression he looks around the room. “How did I get here?” he asks no one in particular. He’s one of the Fairies Sindri brought in on his magically made gurney.
“I will explain,” Kallen says and he strides toward the Fairy. In hushed tones, he explains what happened.
The Fairy groans. “My wife is going to kill me if she finds out. I was here working the nightshift but someone is bound to tell her.”
I’m glad there were only a handful of stragglers that had to be brought here. If yesterday was bad in the village, today is going to be a lot worse. Turning to Dagda, I ask, “If there are married couples who don’t love each other anymore, why can’t they get divorced?”
“Divorce?!” the Fairy Kallen is talking to cries out. “I do not want a divorce. I would lose my best friend. I may not love her the way I did when we were hand-fasted, but I do care deeply for her.”
“Xandra,” Isla says softly. “There is magic at work in a hand-fasting that is not present in marriage ceremonies in your previous realm. A bond is created that is nearly impossible to break. As he said, even if the passionate love is gone, there are still ties that bind them.”
“Are you saying that the Siren song is only heard by males who do not passionately love their wives? They may still love them, just not in that sense?” My head is going to explode if I keep trying to twist logic into something resembling sense.
Isla purses her lips and ponders my question. Finally, she says, “I suppose that is a reasonable description of the males who answer their call the first few nights.”
This actually makes me feel better. One thing Kallen and I are not lacking is passion for each other. It also makes me feel better about the guys who unexpectedly fell asleep last night. Perhaps some of them didn’t know there was a shift in their love from passionate to something akin to the love one has for a best friend. That would explain their not coming here on their own. Still, it will be quite a blow for their wives if their feelings haven’t done the same.
Fairies all around us begin to stir now. A few, like the first guy, are confused about where they are. Most of them wake up simply happy to be alive. I get a lot of thank yous that make me uncomfortable. Actually, it’s more the hugs than the thank yous. A couple of the Fairies are kind of handsy, forcing me to magically remove them from touching range. There is a thick line between gratitude and just wanting to cop a feel from the Princess. Since I am handling it fine on my own, Kallen tries not to react himself. No sense in putting the Fairies to sleep just for them to wind up being killed by my husband when they wake up.
It takes about half an hour for all of the Fairies to rise. Some who were not quite ready to get up and fell back to sleep need to be roused by Sindri and other palace staff members so the bedding can be cleaned for tonight. There are only a handful of Fairies and Mermen who still feel the Sirens’ call. They are restrained by guards and brought to a room in the palace Sindri set up some time last night. They are locked inside with a guard to make sure they do not hurt themselves trying to escape. Hopefully, as the sun moves higher in the sky, they will recover from the magic’s hold.
Now, it’s time to find answers.
Chapter 11
“You let her escape?!” Kegan bellows.
“Kegan,” Isla admonishes.
“This could have all been over if she captured the Siren Queen,” Kegan persists.
“Or they could have brought even more Sirens here to sing until we gave her up,” Kallen counters.
“I didn’t know where she was,” I say for the tenth time. “I am not a human GPS.”
“Technically, you are not a human anything,” Taz reminds me.
I glower down at him. “You are so helpful.”
“You want me to be more helpful, give me more bacon.”
“Just what I need, a Familiar too fat to walk.”
“Walking is overrated. Bacon, on the other hand, is not.”
This conversation is going nowhere. “Taz, shut up.” Felix snickers next to him. I like Felix. He’s so quiet.
Kegan is not letting me off the hook. “If you are done conversing with your forest creature, can we get back to the subject at hand? Namely, you letting the Siren Queen escape.”
Kallen reads the anger growing inside me. “Cousin, I suggest you move past it before my wife offers you up as a sacrifice to the Sirens.”
“He does look an awful lot like you,” I muse. “Maybe the Sirens wouldn’t know the difference.” Kegan glares at me from across the table.
“I would prefer that not happen,” Alita says quietly.
Great, now I feel bad. “Sorry,” I murmur.
“Moving on,” Dagda says from the end of the table. “We are obviously not sacrificing anyone. Kegan, did the researchers from last night come up with anything new.”
Kegan shakes his head. “Not a thing.”
How long did I say I would give them before I go down into the archives myself? “I should be searching the dark magic section,” I insist.
“My love, it is not safe for you to be down there,” Kallen says quietly. “You are a powerful being and you witnessed for yourself how some of the items down there can feed off your power. You could set things in motion that are far worse than our current situation.”
“Lover boy has a lot of faith in you. Good thing he’s not a wanker,” Taz says through a full mouth of bacon.
“Shut up, Taz,” I grumble again. I know Kallen’s right. There were things in the dark magic section that tried to glom onto me last time. Hmm, that may be the first time I’ve ever used the word glom.
“Xandra, I know you simply want to help, but we are not to the point where we need to use black magic,” Isla assures me. If only her eyes told the same story as her mouth, then I would believe her.
Kegan’s eyes light up. “Hey, what do you think our chances are of being able to torture the information out of Raziel? He knows everything so he must know the answer to this.”
“We do not torture our houseguests,” Isla drawls. “We cannot ask Raziel to give up his place among the Archangels by insisting he violate universal law.”
“One Archangel for a thousand Fairies? Seems like a fair trade to me,” Kegan argues.
“I seriously doubt you would be able to best him in a fight let alone capture him to torture information out of him,” Kallen tells his eag
er cousin. There is more glaring from Kegan’s side of the table now.
“As entertaining as this conversation is,” Dagda interrupts. “I would like to hear positive, realistic suggestions.”
“The scribe has sent up at least a hundred more books,” Tana tells him. “There is still hope we will find the answer in one of them.”
Dagda nods. “Kegan, you and Alita will continue researching. Arie is gathering her team of female guards and they are going to patrol the waterways. Now that we know Irena is willing to come inland, we may have an advantage. If they spot her, they will do their best to contain her until Xandra is able to render her magic useless.”
“Um, what?” Brilliant comeback, I know. “I am supposed to do what?”
Dagda’s eyes narrow in my direction. “You have rendered Witches powerless. Why should it be different with a Siren?”
“No pressure, though,” I mutter. I get a chastising glance which I completely ignore. I know hardly anything about the magic of Sirens. That doesn’t put the odds in my favor for being able to squash it out of them.
“Tana, please work with Sindri. We will need more space for sleepers this evening.” At least she gets a please and something simple to do. I get orders to render people powerless.
“What would you like us to do?” Kallen asks.
“You and Xandra will be going to the village. You will handle any crises which come up.”
“We just hang around town all day? Couldn’t we be doing something more useful here?” I ask. There is so much to research. Kegan and Alita can’t get through it all.
Isla shakes her head. “It is best one of us has a presence in town to reassure the villagers that they are safe.” And to keep them from killing the flaky males before the Sirens can. She doesn’t need to say this. It’s implied.
“So, we’re babysitting,” I grumble.
“We will be keeping the peace,” Kallen corrects though I suspect he isn’t any happier about this than I am.
“Semantics.”
“Yes,” he agrees with a twinkle in his green eyes.
“What will you be doing?” I ask Dagda.
He sighs. “Unfortunately, there are realm matters outside of the current crisis we face which must be dealt with. Isla and I will be managing those as well as helping wherever we can.”
I don’t know what could be more pressing than half the realm drowning themselves, but I don’t ask. I’m certain the explanation would be long and painful. “Fine,” I say, standing up. “We’ll head out now.”
“I certainly hope you’re not planning to walk,” Taz says.
My brows rise. “Are you deigning us with your presence today?”
“Yeah, but I’m only in it for the croissants at the market. The Fairies can kill each other if they want. More food for us, that way.”
“You are so compassionate.”
“Who needs compassion when you can have croissants?”
“I take it we will have the company of your Familiars today,” Kallen says as he rises from the table.
“Lucky us,” I snark. Grinning, I add, “It’s a nice day for a walk, don’t you think?”
Kallen looks down at Taz and his round belly dubiously. “Are you certain he will make it?”
“Wanker,” Taz growls as he heads for the door with Felix close behind.
Kallen and I make our way out of the palace through the back in order to avoid the chaos of the Great Hall. It’s a relief when we finally make it outside. I’m not much for palace living. Too many people milling around all the time. Then again, Isla’s house is pretty crowded. It’s different there, though. We’re a big family.
“What are we going to do with ourselves all day?” I ask Kallen.
“How about wanker hunting. I hear they taste great with baked potatoes,” Taz suggests. “Look, there’s one now.” I ignore him.
“You have spent very little time in the village. There are several shops you will enjoy. There is an open air market and several café’s.”
“I would feel so guilty if I spent the day shopping and eating. We should be doing something important,” I whine.
Kallen stops walking and waits for me to turn and face him. “My love, keeping your realm safe includes giving emotional as well as physical and magical support. Yes, it is important to find a way to fix this, but it is also important to let the Fairies know what is going on. They need to know that you care about their wellbeing.”
I close my eyes and sigh. “I know. My Princess duties.”
He moves closer to me and puts his hands on my waist. I open my eyes and look up at him. “Would it help to know you are the most beautiful Princess this realm has ever had?”
I smile. “I think you’re biased.”
He shakes his head. “Not at all.” He leans down to kiss me.
“This isn’t getting us any closer to the croissants,” Taz snarks. “Oh, wait. I just lost my appetite.” I try to kick him without breaking the kiss but the stupid little devil is too fast.
After a moment, Kallen pulls back. “If we do not stop, I fear we will not make it to the village anytime soon.” His voice is deep with lust. I like it when his voice is deep with lust.
“Oh, give me a break. Can’t you two keep your hands to yourself for two minutes? You have Fairies to calm and croissants to buy.”
Taz is right about the Fairies but wrong about the croissants. “I am not buying you anything to eat until I’m hungry.”
Kallen scowls down at Taz. “He is hungry? He ate at least a pound of bacon at breakfast.” Taz bears his teeth at him which makes Felix chuckle.
We continue on to the village. Taz’s breathing becomes more labored with each step. I should bring him on more walks, it’s kind of fun torturing him like this. When we arrive in the village, there isn’t much going on. I guess I expected fighting in the streets, women chasing their husbands with frying pans or something. But, it seems everyone is going about their daily business as if all the males present are not at risk of dying this evening. It’s not until I look closer that I see it. The lines of tension around everyone’s eyes, the nervous movements, the overall lack of friendliness to each other. The Fairies may be trying to act normal, but the signs of fear are all around us.
Not long after we enter the village, we’re stopped by a small group. One female Fairy approaches us. “You will stop this, right?”
“We are doing everything we can,” Kallen assures her.
She turns to me. “You are so powerful, why do you not put an end to these Sirens once and for all?”
My mouth drops open. “You want me to kill them?”
“Is that not what they are doing to us?!” she exclaims.
Well, not her personally. But, yes, the Sirens are killers. But, I am not. “A very wise woman recently told me that two acts of darkness cannot bring light. I’ll do whatever I must to stop the Sirens, but killing them is last on my list of possibilities.”
The rest of the Fairy’s group joins us. One of them, a male, moves to her side. “You value their lives over ours?”
Kallen moves closer to the Fairy. “That is not what my wife said.” The Fairy, who is considerably smaller than Kallen, takes an unconscious step backwards.
“Look, everyone, I don’t know what to do about the Sirens yet. That aside, I will always choose your safety over theirs, your lives over theirs.” In my heart, I know this is true. As much as I fight against my Princess status, I have come to see the Fairies as my people. Even if there are some who still aren’t on board with having a half Witch/half Fairy Queen someday. Most of the Fairies are honest, hardworking, friendly beings. They certainly treat me better than the Witches do. My loyalty rests with the Fairies.
“Leave the poor girl alone,” an elderly Fairy woman tells the crowd. I recognize her from the time I let evil loose and the villagers started to attack me. She told me then that not all Fairies hated me, or something to that affect. “You know darn well she will do her best. She has st
opped more deaths in the universe in her short life than any of you can even imagine. Putting your trust in her is the wisest thing you can do.” Hmm, I wonder who her source is.
As if reading my mind, the elderly Fairy pats my arm. The skin over her fingers and hand is paper thin. “I am clairvoyant, honey. I knew you were coming before you were even born. My name is Florinda.”
“Nice to meet you, Florinda.” A thought hits me and I excuse us, practically dragging Florinda behind me. I finally stop in a spot where I don’t think we’ll be overheard. “If you’re clairvoyant, you must know how this is resolved.”
Sadly, Florinda shakes her head. “I only see the big picture, dear. The details elude me.”
“But, we do make it through this, right?”
“I have said too much already. Anything else I tell you could alter your path.”
“Only if my path needs altering,” I counter.
Once again, Florinda pats my arm. “You do your best, honey. That is all we can ask of you.” I wish I was clairvoyant simply so I could annoy others as much as the ones I meet annoy me. “
“Florinda has always been careful not to share her visions,” Kallen informs me. “Like Grandmother, she is afraid of what would happen. The entire course of history could change.”
He’s on her side? “I can think of a lot of instances in my realm where changing the course of history would have been a good idea.”
Florinda glances down at her watch. “Dear me, I should be going.” With that, she is gone. She disappears into the crowd.
“Do you think she really needed to be somewhere?” I ask Kallen.
He smirks. “No.”
“Me, either.” Looking around, I ask, “What do we do now? Preferably not get stopped by an angry mob if we can avoid it.”
“We need to be a visible presence. We can wander through the market.”
Suddenly, shopping doesn’t seem like such a bad way to spend our time today. At least, it’s better than defending my lack of omnipotence to angry Fairies.
Slipping my arm through his, I say, “Lead the way.”