“Again.” I sighed. “Real helpful.”
“Glad I could be of assistance.”
Creighton put his arm around me. “You will do well. You are fully ready for this.”
The door dinged and the elevator doors slid open. Two young women peered in at our group. “We’ll wait for the next one.”
The door slid closed again. Jared inserted a card, and the elevator started down again. There was another ding, and the doors slid open. We stepped into near darkness. After a few steps I realized we were back in what Jared referred to as the basement. I wondered if it had been as dark last time but I hadn’t noticed, or if it were darker because of the council meeting. I decided not to ask. I would save my questioning for the ones that were more pressing.
Jared led the way down a long corridor. I leaned into Creighton’s arm. I was grateful he was with me. He both calmed me and kept me alert. He gave me strength, yet it wasn’t in a dependent sort of way.
“Will they allow all of us in?” Elron asked.
It wasn’t quite so dark anymore, as sconces lit the way.
“You will all be allowed in.” Jared stopped in front of a set of double doors. “They may request a smaller audience at some point, but I suspect that small group will include all of you.”
“Lacey isn’t going anywhere without me.” Creighton tightened his hold around me.
“You okay with him saying that?” Jared pointed a thumb at Creighton.
“I want him with me, so yeah I’m fine with it. I made him promise he wouldn’t make me do this alone.”
Jared gave me a funny look. “I wouldn’t have suspected you were the kind of woman who would feel she needs a man around.”
“I don’t need him, but wanting is —” I stopped. “Wait. You are trying to rile me up. Is this supposed to help me?”
Jared put a hand to his chest. “Me? Try to help you? I’m a bad guy, remember?”
“We stopped that whole thing already.” I relaxed. Jared had guessed right that by getting me annoyed he would ease the stress. He had read me well. “I now trust you and your motives.”
Jared laughed. “Oh yes. You trust me. Well, then trust you will be fine.”
I sure hoped he was being truthful about always being honest.
Four men, all dressed similarly to the men in our group, walked around us toward the doors. They nodded to Jared as the doors opened, and they walked inside.
“Shall we?” Jared gestured to the doors that swung closed behind the group.
“Yes.” Obviously it wasn’t only my opinion that mattered, but I was the one who unequivocally would have to speak. “Let’s get this over with.”
Jared stood in front of the doors, and they opened. I wondered if it were automatic, but once we stepped inside, I saw two guards standing inside the doors.
“Thank you.” I nodded in their direction before following Jared further inside.
The cavernous room was teeming with people. All different sorts of people, or creatures, as I knew very few if any were human. Most were men, but there was a sprinkling of women as well. There were two large chairs, or thrones, as that is what they looked like, in the center of the room. It was strange seeing thrones when I didn’t know the owners. I knew the royalty of the other courts nearly as well as I knew my own family. But this whole situation was strange. There was a circle of stadium style seats around the room but most were currently vacant as groups stood talking in small huddles.
Jared led the way over to an empty section.
“Lacey is going to come with me to wait on the other side. The rest of you can sit here. This section is reserved for visitors.” He gestured to the open set of seats.
“Why am I the only one waiting somewhere else?” I knew I would be fine either way, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t question the distinction.
“Is anyone else royal?” Jared addressed our group.
“I am.” Elron barely glanced at Jared. “If you wish, I can speak for my people.“
“Oh how the intrigue continues.” Jared grinned. “I’ve brought two royals with me. I should win a prize.”
“And wait. There’s another royal Fae in all this. And you are mated to her, huh?” Jared turned to Frost. “Does that make you royal?”
“Eventually yes.” Frost seemed to have just realized it. “But we have to make it back home first. And I’m perfectly fine waiting with the non-royals right now.”
“I have royal blood, but I am not royal.” Creighton moved his hand up around my shoulders.
“Wait. What?” How had I not known that? And I was ready to mate with this guy? I had a lot to discuss with him.
Jared laughed. “Wow. All four of you with royal blood. What are the chances?”
“We aren’t exactly a random assortment.” Elron glanced around the room. “I don’t think all that many random people cross over between worlds.”
“I think you are perfectly right about that.” Jared followed Elron’s gaze as it moved. “Even when someone seems random, there is usually more of a story behind it.”
“Is anyone random?” Elron stopped his perusal. “Every individual has a role to play. Whether someone is royal or not says nothing of their importance in the grand scheme.”
“As a non-royal other than through marriage I have to agree.” Jared put a hand in his pocket.
“Vera is royal?” I don’t know why that surprised me. Nothing should have surprised me.
“Yes. So in theory I’m part of your club. At least in the way Frost is.” He shrugged. “Well, and I am one of the king’s best friends. Always have been.”
“The king.” I looked over at the empty thrones. Jared hadn’t said much about the king and queen, but so much was in their hands. Council or not, they would still be sitting separate from everyone else, presiding over the meeting. “And I take it he and his queen use those thrones.”
“You got it.” He glanced over at the empty seats. “They are very chill. Very reasonable. You are fine.”
“And you are best friends with them. Easy for you to say.”
Frost chuckled. “Yes, I’ve learned being best friends with a royal does change how you interact with them. I’m sure now that I’m mated to one it’s going to be even more different.”
“What would your friends versus subjects say about you, Lacey?” Jared asked.
“I’m not a queen yet. Plus they are my people, not my subjects.” I was getting nervous again. When was the council going to convene?
“But you will be the ruler, right?” Jared tried to make eye contact.
I eventually met his eyes. His were friendly, and I wondered if this was another attempt, as with riling me up earlier, to help. “I will.”
“Then they are your subjects. Semantics don’t change that.” He broke eye contact. “But you do need to come with me. Elron? You going to join us?”
“I will. Frost or I need to explain our experience with being marked. I suggest we have Lacey do much of the talking, but I will have to speak to the more unique experience of tumbling through the chasm the way we did.”
“You are going to do well.” Creighton took both of my hands in his. “You have this.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you had royal blood?” Yes, there were more immediate concerns, but I had to know.
“Because it is not a part of who I am. I didn’t want you to think I was using it to try to woo you. I’m not a royal. If you only seek a royal mate, I am not the one for you.”
“You already know you’re the one for me. It’s not as if I have a choice.”
He moved one hand to my hip. “Of course you have a choice, but I agree. Fighting our connection would not be easy. And I do not believe anyone can make you happy and satisfied the way I can.”
“Nor bring out my powers…”
“Okay. So you won’t be using me for my royal connection, but you will use me for your powers?”
“It’s an important power. An important gift.” I put a hand
on his chest.
“I was only joking. I understand, and I am eager to watch your gifts grow.”
“Okay, lovebirds.” Jared did nothing to hide his impatience. “The council isn’t going to wait on you guys exchanging every promise and desire.”
I groaned. “Yes, because that is exactly the conversation we were having.”
Creighton left a small kiss on my lips. “I will be right here. You have this.”
“Thanks.” I gave him a small kiss back before following Jared and Elron around to the other side of the thrones to wait in a small opening between segments of the seating. I guess we would be standing, which was fine by me.
There was a loud knocking sound from the doorway, and the room grew quiet as the small groups dispersed and individuals hurried over to their seats.
I kept my eyes fixed on the door. Once everyone stopped moving there was another knock and then the doors opened.
Everyone in the room stood and faced the doorway as a couple walked in arm in arm. They were both tall with brown hair. He wore black and she a red dress with black heels. The couple went together perfectly, moved together perfectly. I deduced from talking to Jared that the king was the one born as a royal, but that wasn’t immediately obvious from watching them. The queen had the same poise and general air about her. But that could easily come from their years spent together. My own mother appeared to any observer to be of royal blood. Well, that is before she fell into a coma. Now she looked weak and frail.
No one in the chamber made a sound as the couple made their way to the thrones. They each stood in front of the seats.
The king raised up his hand. “Please be seated.”
Everyone sat down. Well, aside from Jared, Elron, and me, as we weren’t near any seats.
“Welcome, everyone. Thank you for convening at such short notice.” The king remained standing even though the queen had taken her seat. “Please know that we appreciate every effort you have made to be here. I strive to give you all notice of these sessions, and I do respect your time. However, some matters have come to my attention that could not wait.”
I looked away from the king long enough to take in the audience. All eyes were on the king. No one made a sound. He certainly commanded respect. “I will turn things over to my head of security for the time being. He has been part of the new developments.”
“Hey,” Jared walked over to stand near the thrones. “I know this last minute council was not convenient for most of you. And it is quite unusual. However, as the king explained, we didn’t see any other way. Although the king has the authority to unilaterally make decisions within The Society, when it comes to decisions involving other worlds, we try to garner additional support and feedback. I assume you will all listen to what is shared today and consider how you can support us and our guests in this endeavor.”
There were some murmurs and chatter in the crowds. Evidently they did not reserve the same absolute silence for Jared that they did for the king. That was exactly the same way things worked back home, so it came as no surprise. People treated the actual royal differently than anyone who worked for them.
Jared did not appear surprised or annoyed. “I am sure by now many of you have heard about the chasms.”
There were a few murmurs in the room, but overall it was hard to tell if people knew what he was talking about or not.
“These chasms are unsteady. Impossible to predict. And dangerous.”
“Who is creating them?” Someone yelled.
Here we went. He was going to lay it all out. I felt my hand ball into a fist at my side. I was already on the defense before he said a word.
Instead Jared surprised me. “That doesn’t matter at the moment.”
“Of course it matters,” the original speaker replied. “We need to know if they are friend or foe.”
“And the identity is going to help us determine that?” Jared’s voice dripped with skepticism. “Friends and foes come in lots of different packages. But really, what does that matter? Friend or foe, the person behind it has not meant to create them. Therefore the who does not matter as much as the why. And the what. Also, how we stop it? But I can assure you, the person creating the chasms means no harm.”
“Imprison him.” A second speaker interrupted from somewhere high up in the stadium seating. “That will stop the chasms, and we can work from there.”
“And if it doesn’t, we kill him.” What sounded like the first speaker added. “Nothing to it.”
Kill him? First of all, why did they assume it was a man? And second, kill them? That’s what this council was all of about? My stomach turned. I needed to get out of there. I was full on regretting agreeing to show up. Or leaving Incentris. Or leaving home. If we hadn’t left, would we even know Wren was behind the Chasms? Life was so much simpler back then. But then again there if we hadn’t left there would be no Creighton in my life. I couldn’t bear that thought.
Before I could lose my mind the king rose from his throne. “No one is killing anyone. Let Jared finish. Then we can civilly share our thoughts and concerns.”
Jared made a motion of wiping sweat off his brow. The king smiled. Even if Jared hadn’t specifically mentioned their friendship, it would have been obvious they had one. Jared cleared his throat. “As I was saying, stopping the chasms is important, but there is no telling whether they will simply start again. Things like this never happen in a vacuum. They are happening for a reason, and as they are being done by someone without an apparent evil agenda, the reason is even more important.”
Without an apparent evil agenda? Is that the best he could do? Why was he tiptoeing so carefully around the friend or foe thing? He’d assured me we were all on the same side, and he needed to have that same confidence when he addressed the council. But maybe this was all part of an act. Politics were just that, politics. And to be fair, I’d doubted him plenty. He was entitled to harbor some doubts about Wren. I only hoped he didn’t allow some sort of witch hunt to ensue.
“I mentioned already we had some guests here. I can assure you none of these guests mean us any harm. In fact they want to return home more than anything. However, that does not appear immediately possible. I am about to call up a royal representative of the Fae. She has inside information to share with us. In return I ask that any who can provide advice give it without judgment.”
“I second that request.” The king stood again. “And I officially remind you that any guest of The Society is under my protection. It would be wise to remember that before any harsh words or actions are taken.”
Harsh words or actions? Because that made me really excited to go up there and talk.
Jared gestured for me to join him. I didn’t want to, but I had no choice.
“Go ahead. You will do well,” Elron encouraged. “If you need backup, I will come right over.”
“Thank you,” I whispered before walking over to meet Jared by the thrones. “Hi everyone. My name is Lacey. As Jared said, I’m a Fae. Royal Fae. I’m Heir to Spring Court.” It was strange having to introduce myself. I was used to everyone already knowing who I was before I went anywhere. It was one thing to be in Icentris with small-talk conversation. This was different. Standing in front of a large group of very unfriendly looking leaders. I really hoped I could pull this off.
Creighton
She was such a natural standing up there by the king and queen. I knew she was nervous, but she sure hid it well.
“I am here because some friends of mine stumbled into your world through a chasm, and we were sent for. These individuals are friendly and want to go home, but for some reason they can’t.” She paused long enough to look around the room. “I promise you none of us mean anyone harm. We only want to go home and find a way to protect everyone from the dark forces slipping through the chasms.”
“That’s easy!” A man yelled from one of the front rows. “We find whoever is making the chasms and force them to stop.”
“It’s not that easy.�
�� Lacey looked down at her hands and then back out in the direction of the declarant. “If it was, why would I be standing here?”
“Why are you standing there?” The man asked. “You still haven’t told us.”
“Because we need help. We were told this council could help us. But maybe Jared was wrong.” She stayed so composed, but I noticed the subtle change in her voice. “If someone has any idea how to remove a mark from someone that makes it impossible to cross between worlds, please tell us. And if anyone knows how someone controls the power of creating chasms that would be very helpful too. We could use any help we can get.”
The queen rose. “Lacey, if you don’t mind. I have something to say.”
Lacey nodded.
The queen continued. “We brought the council together today because we didn’t believe you would be happy if we left you in the dark. We knew we would face criticism and consternation if we acted independently in this matter. I am starting to regret our decision.”
The room was completely quiet, watching.
“Everyone one of us in this room has faced difficulties, either on a personal level, or in our capacity as leaders, and we have turned to each other for support when needed. Here we have an opportunity to extend an olive branch to leaders from worlds we barely know. Worlds we clearly need to work with, as our worlds are facing challenges that cross our borders. I reiterate what Levi and Jared have already asked, if you can help in any way please do. If not, please refrain from showing disrespect.” The queen looked around the room. “We will take a quick recess so we may talk more with our guests. If anyone has any ideas while we are gone, please be ready to share them when we return.” The queen walked over to where Lacey stood. She extended her hand. “Lacey, my name is Allie. I think it’s time we had a chat.”
Lacey nodded. The king stood up and followed his queen and Lacey to the doors. I caught Elron’s eye. Jared made a gesturing motion.
“That was incredibly helpful.” Frost went heavy on the sarcasm as we followed everyone out of the chambers.
“Something tells me that was all pretense.” I refused to believe things had gone so completely off the rails from what Jared expected, or that he would have wasted everyone's time. There was another reason behind it.
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