“No, I’ve invited a special guest.” Lia smiled and carefully put a few drops in Ama’s tiny cup. “She’ll be here soon and asked that we begin without her.”
“Thank you, Lia, this looks wonderful.” Gabe eyed the plates of iced cookies, steaming fruit pies, and tiny cakes. Rolling my eyes, because we’d eaten before we came, I grabbed one of each and put them on his plate. Lia stifled a giggle, but Ama had no such reservations.
Bird cackles were creepy as hell.
We sipped tea and enjoyed the best pastries that would ever touch my lips (sorry, Mom). The summer’s antics with my family had added an inch to my waist, and these weren’t helping—but I knew Lia’s baking a mile away and wouldn’t dream of turning them down.
“You look really happy,” I ventured, testing the waters.
“I am happy,” she confessed. “I don’t think I could be any happier. Before I Ascended, I spent many days searching to find my place, to know what I could do for others. I worked at the Gaelic Park, I volunteered at the soup kitchen, I did everything I could to help others find happiness and comfort without finding fulfillment. I knew something was wrong—that something was missing. But I never knew what to do with myself.” She smiled, and her eyes lit like a flame behind her irises. “Especially when it came to dating.”
“Now you have all the fae to care for and watch over.”
“Yes. Oberon is quite involved with our people, and he encourages my projects.”
“And you still bake.” Gabe held up a berry pie, grinning. “I can tell these are yours.”
Lia flushed with pleasure. “Yes, I still enjoy creating new things in the kitchen. It makes me happy.”
“Good to hear it,” he said before returning to his meal.
“And your parents? You still get to see them?”
“Of course. We went and visited them for two weeks during the summer. Then invited them here to the palace for a time with all of my brothers and sisters.”
Eagerly, she regaled us with the tale of her many human siblings visiting Avalon Palace and the wonder in their eyes. She’d guaranteed her family would never go hungry again, but they were good, hard-working folk, and her father didn’t want her blessings to be used for their benefit. He wanted her to help others who weren’t so capable of getting out to work.
So Lia started a foundation in his name, and right that moment, there were dozens of fae running improved soup kitchens across many different major cities, providing fresh-baked goods and complete meals.
“What a sweetheart,” I said. “No wonder you’re as kind as you are.”
Lia chuckled. “Perhaps. Fate does work in unusual ways.” Her gaze trailed to Ama. The sun conure had jumped down from Gabriel’s shoulder to the table, standing on its edge while she sipped tea from her tiny cup. Gabriel broke off a piece of a cookie for her, and she took it in her small foot-hand.
Also creepy. I’d never grown accustomed to watching that, even before she turned fae.
“My queen, forgive my tardiness.”
One of the most beautiful fae I’d laid my eyes on entered the garden alcove. She was all feathers—her gown, her hair—the deep blues and iridescent greens reminding me of a peacock. Ama flew to her at once, landing on her shoulder where she then proceeded to rub her beak against the woman’s jaw. Even Gabe seemed startled by her affection.
Lia rose at once to welcome the other fae, who had turned her head to nuzzle Ama with unconcealed affection. “Welcome. Please, don’t worry about it. It was rude of me to provide so little forewarning.”
The mysterious fae chuckled. “As if I need forewarning, Your Majesty. But it is my great honor to meet the family of little Amaterasu.”
They turned to face us then, and a niggling stab of insecurity pricked me in the chest. These two full-blooded fae wore resplendent gowns of rich jeweled tones, while I stood from the table woefully underdressed in jeans and a T-shirt.
“Sky, Gabe, I’d like to introduce you to Gamayun.”
“It’s such a pleasure to finally meet you.”
Gabe jumped to his feet first and bowed. “You’re the fae who sheltered Ama when she had her little adventure last year. Thank you for keeping her safe.”
Gamayun smiled and closed the distance between them. She kissed Ama’s beak then lifted the sun conure from her shoulder and brought her back to Gabe’s. “I was pleased to meet her and call her friend. As I hope to call you both.”
“I…Yes,” Gabriel blurted, at a loss for words. He and I had wondered for months about Ama’s mysterious benefactor. I caught Lia’s eye, but she only smiled at me.
Once we settled at the table again with refilled cups, Gamayun shared the story of her first meeting with Ama in Tir Na Nog.
“It happens from time to time, a creature from your realm finds a…” She pursed her lips, apparently searching for the word. “A rift between the two planes, where our world and the mortal realm overlap. Such is how new fae have always come to be. As I had foreseen our meeting in my dreams, I went to find her, but I knew not where she belonged. Only that she and I were destined to meet.”
“That’s amazing,” Gabriel said. “And I can’t thank you enough, really, for taking care of her.”
We spoke of other things related to the fae realm and mortal creatures occasionally stumbling over and finding themselves pressed into the service of a mischievous fae, only to return to their plane decades later and find the world had moved on without them. It was clear to see on Gabriel’s face that he was relieved that hadn’t been Ama’s fate.
“Perhaps now is the time for Gabriel and Gamayun to discuss Ama’s developing gifts,” Lia suggested.
“She’s going to have gifts?”
“Of course,” Gamayun said, her laughter a melodic trill like bird song. “Come, Gabriel. Let us talk.”
They wandered off through the gardens, leaving Lia and me to ourselves. I sipped my tea and studied her, not wanting to rush into a real interrogation. She seemed happy, it was true, but there was something she was holding back.
“You can ask,” she said softly.
“Are you really okay? Happy?”
“I am, yes. Truly. But there is a complication.”
“What? Is there anything I can do?”
“Oberon has spoken of me remaining in the palace. Indefinitely.”
“He can’t do that! He promised—”
Lia held out a hand. “I know. His blessing was that I resume my junior school year, but we never discussed the final term.”
“Sneaky, sneaky king,” I muttered under my breath. I should have known better. Fae loved their word games.
“Would you expect anything less of Oberon?” She smiled, but the fondness in her eyes was short-lived. “Now the danger is greater than ever and he fears it will be an unnecessary risk.”
“What risk concerns him? Is it because of the Plague Doctor and what happened in the hospital?”
“Not necessarily.” Lia stirred another spoonful of honey into her tea. The starlit glow in her eyes dimmed. “He is afraid I may be a target. And while he knows I will ultimately do what I want, neither of us desires an argument when we’ve only just reunited. I love him. I love him so much it pains me to think of how long he ruled without me at his side this time. And he has a legitimate fear of losing me once more. How long will it be the next time? Decades more? Centuries? My soul is weak. I am spent. Two seasons are not enough to reclaim the power I once held.”
As much as it saddened me, I could see her reasoning.
“The school is safe. They’ve proven that time and time again. Sure, there have been a few hiccups…” A death curse in my townhouse bedroom to name one.
“I know. He’s not forbidding me, but it has caused tension. That’s partly why I asked you here.”
“What, you think I can change his mind?”
“I do.”
To give myself time to mull that over in my mind, I sipped tea and enjoyed another cookie. Lia didn’t press—s
he never did, and that hadn’t changed.
“I’ll do what I can, of course. We miss you, Lia. It wouldn’t be the same without you.”
“I want so very much to be with you this year. It’s…there is much here to grow accustomed to again. I need more time to learn to be the Titania they need me to be. Centuries of knowledge returned to my thoughts all at once.”
“Look at it this way; if we can convince him that your return to PNRU isn’t a mistake, you’ll be the best study buddy, and all those assholes who treated you different are going to really regret it.”
Lia laughed. “Yes, I suppose they will. Is it selfish of me to want to return there when I have a whole realm here to rule?”
“Not at all, Lia. This is your first time in a body not born to two fae, right?”
“It is.” Her cheeks flushed warm, and the light returned to her eyes. “Accepting motherhood was strange. This body has never given birth, but I remember it. I know I am their mother. I know I am queen. I remember everything, but at the same time, I don’t…it’s like…like when you’re sitting at an exam and you’ve studied the material for weeks, but the answers elude you.”
“You need time to adjust instead of being dumped into it to drown in responsibility. And that’s what I’ll tell Oberon—err, King O—”
“Oberon is good enough.” Her kind smile never wavered. “You are my closest friend, Sky. Please help him see that I’ll be safe.”
“I will. Or maybe… Maybe Gabe would be better. He’s an official sentinel now, which means he knows more about the school protections, things they don’t tell us students yet. He might know of plans that I’m unaware of.”
“I’d be grateful. Then I can show you around the castle.”
“Yes. That would be ideal.” For the first time since our arrival, the smile on Liadan’s face diminished, fading beneath stress and something I couldn’t quite read no matter how much I extended my fledgling sense of empathy.
And I knew without a doubt that she hadn’t yet told me everything concerning our impromptu visit to her home.
2
Prophecy
Our tour ended in the great hall, and it as hard as it was for me to believe after exploring so much splendor, the room was even more beautiful than anything else I had seen.
“It’s like I walked into Hogwarts, but prettier,” I whispered in awe. Lia laughed.
I wasn’t exaggerating. Despite being in the center of the palace, the ceiling appeared to not be a ceiling at all, but the open sky instead. Stars twinkled in the rainbow-hued sky, and pixies fluttered around, resembling jeweled butterflies from a distance. The floor shimmered as well, glowing ripples appearing with each step we took, as though we walked on water made of moonlight.
At the far end two trees grew, only as we drew nearer, I realized they were thrones. The floor became mossy, speckled with flowers. The blossoms grew along the thrones, wrapping around them and up the mighty trunks before vanishing into the verdant foliage. Rather than take her throne, Liadan veered to one of the curved benches set off to the side.
“No matter how many weeks I spend, I still can hardly believe this is real. I have so many memories of a life that does not yet feel like mine.”
“Oberon isn’t rushing you, is he? Because I’ll…” Do what? What the hell was I going to do against the king of the fae that Liadan couldn’t do herself?
Despite my stupidity, Lia smiled. That was all I’d wanted in the first place. To make her smile again.
“No, he has not rushed me at all. Every milestone seems to fill him with joy, but he’s wondered why I’m different. I know he has. I suspect it’s…because I was born to a human mother this time. For eighteen years, I knew nothing about this realm.”
“What about the other fae? Do they treat you well?”
“They do. They are overjoyed to have their queen return. I’ll admit, a few look at me…oddly. Not with contempt, mind you—more like curiosity. This is new for everyone, not only Oberon and me.”
As much as I wanted to ask about the host of children born to Titania and Oberon, I bit my tongue to avoid too many invasive questions at once.
“I’m happy the fae have been more supportive than our fellow students.”
“It’s envy,” she said, smiling sadly. “So many had hopes of becoming me once Oberon visited the campus. But here, it is different. So few of the fae have been born in recent years. Yet another trouble we must navigate in this realm, atop all others in the mortal plane.”
That explained why Oberon had taken to searching the mortal realm for his beloved’s reincarnation, having exhausted his source of potential brides in Tir na Nog.
“Why is that? I mean, if it’s okay to ask.”
“You can always ask me whatever is on your mind, Sky. As for your question, I honestly do not know. Some believe it is due to the unrest in the world. That as the mortals stray further and further from nature, we are weakened, for our worlds are bound in ways I still don’t fully understand. Others think it was because I was gone, as if my energy is what provides life to all fae.”
“So more fae might start popping out babies now because you’re here as a nurturing, sexy queen?”
She laughed, and I silently high fived myself for the success. “I suppose that’s one way to put it.”
A sobering thought came to mind. If anything happened to Liadan again, the opposite could also hold true. With Oberon commanding the fae to assist with more mortal matters, and their numbers dwindling, Titania’s presence would be more necessary than ever.
Lia took my hand, startling me out of those dark thoughts. “I’m here now and that is what matters. You and Oberon have so much in common, worrying about my well-being constantly.”
Heat surged into my face. “Sorry. I wasn’t trying to be a worrywort.”
“But it’s what you do. I know.”
Before I could utter another word, I heard the low and harmonic allegro of Oberon’s heart song, blooming into an orchestral number that swelled and filled the entire throne room with music.
Lia’s eyes lit up immediately at the sight of her husband.
Relief coursed through me. She hadn’t asked to become Titania. Her reaction was all I needed to know she’d found happiness and love.
Coming to my senses, I jumped to my feet and bowed. As friendly as Oberon was with me, he was still my king.
“Lady Skylar, you look radiant as ever.”
I didn’t feel radiant. Next time I would glamour up some proper attire for court. Still, there was no sarcasm in his words and I knew he truly meant them.
“Thank you, Your Majesty. And thank you for having us here.”
“We must have you visit more often,” he said, taking my hand and kissing my knuckles. Then he turned his attention to Lia, his smile dazzling. “Would that please you, my love?”
“Of course. Sky and all my friends will always be welcome here.”
I smiled, watching the affection between them, and feeling it as well, my fledgling sense of faerie empathy picking out the deep, fathomless love between them.
Oberon whispered something in Lia’s ear, and she blinked, gazing up at him. “Only for a moment,” he said.
“All right.” Her mouth twisted into a faint frown. “Sky, there is something that requires my attention, but I’ll return shortly.”
Uh-oh. Lia leaving could only mean that Oberon wanted a word with me alone. And considering Lia’s earlier fears, I had to wonder if he was going to try and convince me to convince her to stay.
Crap. Where was Gabe when I needed him? He would be much better at this.
Oberon waited until Lia was gone before he gestured for me to retake my seat on the bench. Then, to my surprise, he joined me there.
“How do you find the palace?”
“It’s very beautiful,” I said carefully, but honestly. “Not crowded though. I guess I expected fae to be all over the place.
“They come and go as they please. The palace
is always open to our people.”
“Aren’t you worried about your safety here? In the mortal realm, they’re always concerned about thieves and assassins.” This revelation made me wonder if Tir na Nog was some ideal wonderland where theft and danger never occurred.
“It is, and it is not. Ti—Liadan and I are not helpless, and our guards are ever present, though unseen by those who may do us harm. I wish to be available to my court to always hear their concerns and set them at ease.”
“Oh.”
“Which brings me to what I hoped to discuss with you, Lady Skylar.”
“Just Skylar is fine,” I mumbled.
“If you will call me only Oberon.”
“Oh, um, okay…” I’d try to remember, but I didn’t have high hopes for myself.
“Good, then we can move on my reason for speaking with you. As I am sure Liadan mentioned, I am hesitant to see her return to the mortal realm.”
“You really think it’s that unsafe? Have you…seen something?”
His faint smile crinkled his eyes at the corners. “No, I have had no visions. Only an overwhelming sense of darkness.”
“The same darkness as before?”
He nodded. “The same dream of you persists, surrounded by darkness on all sides until all goes dim. As always, I see nothing beyond it of your fate. But I fear for her safety. Liadan is at her most vulnerable now and will be for many years until this physical form grows to match the power she has inherited from her past incarnations.” He sighed, and his proud shoulders sagged. “I do not want to lose her again, Skylar. Not so soon. If she were to die, it could be decades more before her soul regained the strength to return to us. If…she were to return at all.”
“But she’s a phoenix. She always returns.”
“She has always been at her former strength in past times.”
“Oh…” And she’d expended a lot of power immediately after her Ascension, saving us from a zombie horde. Probably all the power she had.
“You understand my hesitation.”
The Puppet Master: The Paranormal University Files: Skylar, Year 4 Page 2
