Radiant Shadows
Page 41
The High Queen’s entire posture shifted. Her arrogance faded under unmistakable excitement. Her silvered eyes glimmered as if full moons hid there. She smiled at Rae, not affectionately, but with pleasure.
And Rae had rarely felt as frightened as she did in that instant.
“It works.” Sorcha looked at the mortals and said, “Make ready.”
The two girls sat up. One came to take the High Queen’s outer garment. The other arranged the pillows on an ornate bed that was suddenly there in front of them. The frame was cut of stone, and on it thick quilts were piled in lieu of a mattress.
Sorcha leaned close to Rae and whispered, “I will see my son. You will make it so.”
Rae couldn’t move for fear.
“You will depart from my dream once I can see him.” Sorcha ascended the half-dozen stone stairs to the bed. After she reclined on it, clear glass walls raised up on either side of her. “Only Devlin or Seth will have the ability to wake me. Tell him—when he returns—that I am safe in my bed.”
Both mortals curtsied. Neither spoke.
“You will do as ordered, and each day, you, Rae, will visit me to tell me what my ears and eyes”—she looked at the two mortals—“report.”
“Your Highness—”
“My Queen,” Sorcha corrected. “I am the queen of all in Faerie. Do you wish to live in Faerie?”
“I do.”
Sorcha raised one delicate eyebrow.
Rae curtsied. “I do, my queen, but what if there is danger? Shouldn’t we be able to awaken you?”
“No.” The High Queen closed her eyes, and the glass expanded over her, encasing her. “I have spoken. You will obey.”
Chapter 19
As Ani worked through her anger, Devlin stayed as silent as he could be—which after centuries in Faerie was akin to the stillness of the earth. However, unlike his experience in Faerie, staying still with Ani beside him was challenging. The more the car raced forward, slipping in and out of small spaces between vehicles, the more Ani radiated calm.
Unlike me.
Devlin found the steed’s resemblance to a mortal car unnerving. Being trapped in a steel cage wouldn’t make him physically ill as it would many faeries, but it was disquieting nonetheless. Moreover, the steed’s choice of a smaller vehicle meant he was physically uncomfortable. Gone was the spacious Barracuda, and in its place was a ridiculously tiny Austin Mini. It was cherry-red, convertible, and, according to Ani, “a 1969 classic.” Nothing about it was subtle or designed to blend in—or fit anyone above average height. Added to that was Ani’s need to play music at a volume that undoubtedly would cause permanent damage to mortal ears. It was the final aspect in a trifecta of discomfort.
“Ani?” He raised his voice over the din of someone singing about being “tired of cheap and cheerful.”
She ignored him, so he turned down the volume.
“Ani, I’d like to discuss our plan.” His voice revealed none of his frustration or worry.
“Our plan?”
“Yes. Our plan. Do you think you could stand against my sister alone?” Devlin tightened his grip on the door as she sped up again.
“I might as well be alone. You were absolutely no help when I wanted to attack her.” Ani glanced his way and bared her teeth. “You were useless. I ought to just leave you along the road somewhere. Maybe if we’d tried—”
“You would’ve been taken or killed.” He closed his eyes for three seconds, opened them, and tried to find a sentence that wouldn’t reveal how disquieting both of those possibilities were to him. He settled on, “This was the best decision. We need to keep moving, find a place reasonably free of faeries if we rest for long. Perhaps if we are gone, my sister will redirect her attention. She is not always constant in her interests, and there is much discord in Huntsdale to distract her.”
Ani was silent, staring ahead at the increasingly congested road in front of them. She downshifted and then slammed through the gears as she darted past a large truck. Devlin wondered what she’d have been like if she’d been raised by the Hounds. Her temper was less fierce than Hounds’, but her impetuousness was more extreme.
She broke the silence. “She asked me to kill Niall, and I considered it.”
His calm faltered. “You probably shouldn’t tell this to many people.”
“I know. I didn’t consider it much. Niall being gone would upset Iri.” She frowned. “I’m Dark Court so I should be okay with the murder thing, but even if it wouldn’t upset Iri, I don’t think I could kill Niall. He doesn’t deserve death.”
“Could you kill to protect Irial?” Devlin prompted.
“Sure.”
He continued, “Wouldn’t killing Niall be betraying your court?”
“I suppose so, but I never swore fealty. Hounds don’t. Mortals don’t.” She swerved into a minuscule space between two cars and then back out, passing a sports car going too slow for her taste. “He’s not really my king then, so I mean, technically—”
“You’re not really a mortal,” he interrupted. “Hounds are loyal. Irial has earned your loyalty, so your choices are perfectly rational and within the expected parameters for a Hound of the Dark Court.”
“Riiight. The parameters.” She pulled her attention from the road and scowled at him. “Your court must be a nonstop party.”
And Rae had rarely felt as frightened as she did in that instant.
“It works.” Sorcha looked at the mortals and said, “Make ready.”
The two girls sat up. One came to take the High Queen’s outer garment. The other arranged the pillows on an ornate bed that was suddenly there in front of them. The frame was cut of stone, and on it thick quilts were piled in lieu of a mattress.
Sorcha leaned close to Rae and whispered, “I will see my son. You will make it so.”
Rae couldn’t move for fear.
“You will depart from my dream once I can see him.” Sorcha ascended the half-dozen stone stairs to the bed. After she reclined on it, clear glass walls raised up on either side of her. “Only Devlin or Seth will have the ability to wake me. Tell him—when he returns—that I am safe in my bed.”
Both mortals curtsied. Neither spoke.
“You will do as ordered, and each day, you, Rae, will visit me to tell me what my ears and eyes”—she looked at the two mortals—“report.”
“Your Highness—”
“My Queen,” Sorcha corrected. “I am the queen of all in Faerie. Do you wish to live in Faerie?”
“I do.”
Sorcha raised one delicate eyebrow.
Rae curtsied. “I do, my queen, but what if there is danger? Shouldn’t we be able to awaken you?”
“No.” The High Queen closed her eyes, and the glass expanded over her, encasing her. “I have spoken. You will obey.”
Chapter 19
As Ani worked through her anger, Devlin stayed as silent as he could be—which after centuries in Faerie was akin to the stillness of the earth. However, unlike his experience in Faerie, staying still with Ani beside him was challenging. The more the car raced forward, slipping in and out of small spaces between vehicles, the more Ani radiated calm.
Unlike me.
Devlin found the steed’s resemblance to a mortal car unnerving. Being trapped in a steel cage wouldn’t make him physically ill as it would many faeries, but it was disquieting nonetheless. Moreover, the steed’s choice of a smaller vehicle meant he was physically uncomfortable. Gone was the spacious Barracuda, and in its place was a ridiculously tiny Austin Mini. It was cherry-red, convertible, and, according to Ani, “a 1969 classic.” Nothing about it was subtle or designed to blend in—or fit anyone above average height. Added to that was Ani’s need to play music at a volume that undoubtedly would cause permanent damage to mortal ears. It was the final aspect in a trifecta of discomfort.
“Ani?” He raised his voice over the din of someone singing about being “tired of cheap and cheerful.”
She ignored him, so he turned down the volume.
“Ani, I’d like to discuss our plan.” His voice revealed none of his frustration or worry.
“Our plan?”
“Yes. Our plan. Do you think you could stand against my sister alone?” Devlin tightened his grip on the door as she sped up again.
“I might as well be alone. You were absolutely no help when I wanted to attack her.” Ani glanced his way and bared her teeth. “You were useless. I ought to just leave you along the road somewhere. Maybe if we’d tried—”
“You would’ve been taken or killed.” He closed his eyes for three seconds, opened them, and tried to find a sentence that wouldn’t reveal how disquieting both of those possibilities were to him. He settled on, “This was the best decision. We need to keep moving, find a place reasonably free of faeries if we rest for long. Perhaps if we are gone, my sister will redirect her attention. She is not always constant in her interests, and there is much discord in Huntsdale to distract her.”
Ani was silent, staring ahead at the increasingly congested road in front of them. She downshifted and then slammed through the gears as she darted past a large truck. Devlin wondered what she’d have been like if she’d been raised by the Hounds. Her temper was less fierce than Hounds’, but her impetuousness was more extreme.
She broke the silence. “She asked me to kill Niall, and I considered it.”
His calm faltered. “You probably shouldn’t tell this to many people.”
“I know. I didn’t consider it much. Niall being gone would upset Iri.” She frowned. “I’m Dark Court so I should be okay with the murder thing, but even if it wouldn’t upset Iri, I don’t think I could kill Niall. He doesn’t deserve death.”
“Could you kill to protect Irial?” Devlin prompted.
“Sure.”
He continued, “Wouldn’t killing Niall be betraying your court?”
“I suppose so, but I never swore fealty. Hounds don’t. Mortals don’t.” She swerved into a minuscule space between two cars and then back out, passing a sports car going too slow for her taste. “He’s not really my king then, so I mean, technically—”
“You’re not really a mortal,” he interrupted. “Hounds are loyal. Irial has earned your loyalty, so your choices are perfectly rational and within the expected parameters for a Hound of the Dark Court.”
“Riiight. The parameters.” She pulled her attention from the road and scowled at him. “Your court must be a nonstop party.”
