by Amy Sumida
“I think it more likely that she was scared by her transition, and Dexter brought her here to look after her,” Arach mused. “The animals have had a long time to adjust to their winter forms; she's just shifted a little early. Perhaps this is her first time.”
“You're beautiful,” I said softly to Dexter's daughter. “Especially lying against your daddy; you look like Yin and Yang.”
“Yin and Yang?” Arach asked.
“The Chinese symbol for opposite but complementary forces,” I said. “It can also represent male and female aspects. It's a circle filled with one swirl of black and one of white, and dots of the opposite color in the fullest part of each swirl.”
I motioned to Dexter's dark fur laid along his daughter's white.
“Very poetic,” Arach murmured as he got dressed.
“We'll have to give her a name.” I crept to my wardrobe; trying not to startle her.
“If we name her, she'll probably stay,” Arach warned me.
“What's wrong with that?”
“Nothing, I suppose.” He glanced back at the female nurial who was still staring at him warily. “As long as she wants to stay.”
“You can stay as long as you like,” I said to the nurial. “And we'll come up with a name for you.”
Dexter happily licked his daughter's face.
“We'd best get to the boys before they burst in here and startle her,” Arach said. “Come along, A Thaisce; slowly.”
We eased toward the door; the new nurial tensing as we moved. But Dex nudged her cheek with his, and she laid her head back down. We left the door open a crack so they could get out, and then went to tell the twins about our new baby.
After talking the boys down from their excitement and curtailing their desire to go running into our bedroom to meet the new girl, we took them downstairs for breakfast in the castle's dining hall.
Castle Aithinne's dining hall also served as its throne room when necessary. But most of the time, rectangular tables were set lengthwise in a line along each of the side walls, and one final table was set before the dragon thrones on the dais. The décor was understated for such an important room; the tables were devoid of linens to show off their polished wood tops, and the tall, thin windows on the right side of the hall were also unadorned. The only fabric in the room was the red velvet upholstery on the chairs and the clothing worn by the Fire Court.
Braziers on iron posts were set out to line the central aisle during court, but for meals, they were set back along the walls. They were large but simple in design. The most ostentatious things in the room were the thrones; both solid gold and carved with dragons. The throne on the left was Arach's and slightly larger; with a peaked back that held a ruby the size of my fist. My throne was to the right; crowned by a yellow diamond. Because of the austere nature of the rest of the room, the thrones immediately caught my attention when I walked in; gold and sparkling jewels against glossy black. I suppose that was on purpose. Dragons were some of the most arrogant fey, and I wouldn't put it past them to have designed the room to force everyone to notice them first.
Even with them empty, I looked first to the thrones, and then to the people sitting beside them. Isleen, Castle Aithinne's steward and Duchess, was sitting at the High Table with her boyfriend, the High Prince Lugh. It had taken a lot of work to get Isleen to sit at that particular table. Despite her rank, she didn't think she deserved to be there.
Isleen had been made a duchess by the High King Cian because of her service to the House of Fire (raising Arach after his parents died) and also because High Prince Lugh was in love with her. Lugh could have been with anyone, and the High King would have been happy as long as Lugh was, but it made things a lot easier if Lugh's lover was royalty. I believe the High King would have gladly bestowed the title on Isleen simply based on Arach's testimony of her loyalty and service, but the added benefit to his son wasn't lost on him. It sped up the process from what would have taken weeks to something accomplished in minutes.
Whatever the reason was for her receiving it, Isleen deserved the prestige, but she didn't see it that way. What finally did the trick—as far as dining at the high table went—was Lugh's numerous visits. As the High Prince of Faerie, Lugh had to be served at our high table, and since he was there to visit Isleen, he wanted her sitting beside him. She could hardly refuse the High Prince. And they looked damned good together; his golden hair complementing her raven locks.
Theirs was a complicated relationship that had weathered a few storms before it had calmed into something beautiful. Isleen is a leanan-sidhe—a faerie blood-drinker—and she was also a proud woman who respected Fey traditions. But as much as she respected the traditions, she didn't take kindly to someone using them against her; as Lugh had done when he announced his love for her in front of nearly all of Faerie. It had put her on that proverbial spot and nearly destroyed their romance. But Lugh had wised up and made amends, and now the couple was happily breakfasting at our high table. Which meant that they had happily spent the night together first.
On the way to our seats, we passed another happy couple; this one engaged to be married. My wildcat, Roarke, had finally proposed to and been accepted by, Anna, the mother of his son. Anna and Roarke sat with their son, Hunter, between them; placing food on his plate in between bouts of kissing. Hunter looked as if he'd had enough of the funny business going on above his head, and was mightily relieved when he spotted Rian and Brevyn.
“Rian! Brev!” Hunter jumped up onto the table and climbed over the breakfast dishes to escape his parents and reach the safety of his friends.
“Hunter!” Anna called after him.
“I gotta go, Mom,” Hunter said over his shoulder; very much like a human child.
“This is your doing,” Anna accused Roarke as she waved at their son. “You've allowed your fascination with human ways to influence our son.”
“He's fine.” Roarke huffed. “He's finished his breakfast; let him go.”
“Cats shouldn't go climbing over tables,” Anna declared. “It's not seemly.”
“Yeah; good luck with that,” I said to her. “I've been trying to tell my cat that for years. Nick just stares at me as if I'm a fool who doesn't know that they're all his tables.”
“A cat uses every surface available to him,” Hunter declared in the manner of a student quoting his teacher.
“Very good, Son,” Roarke said approvingly.
“See?” Anna huffed and stood up.
“My love!” Roarke jumped up after her. “Hunter, stay with the Fire Princes; I must brave your mother's claws.”
“Okay, Dad! Good luck!” Hunter called after Roarke; who was already chasing Anna out of the hall.
“It's never a dull moment in Castle Aithinne,” Lugh said as we stepped up to the high table.
“Good morning, Prince Lugh,” I said. “Have a nice night?”
“Good morning, Queen Vervain.” Lugh nodded respectfully to me before doing the same to Arach. “King Arach. And yes; I had a lovely night. Thank you for asking.”
“Welcome back to the Fire Kingdom, Prince Lugh,” Arach said graciously.
“Dad, can we go play with Hunter?” Rian asked as soon as the greetings were over.
“After you've broken your fast,” Arach said.
“Come here, little princes,” Isleen called as she held her arms out to the twins. “You too, Hunter; you can sit with the princes while they eat.”
This wasn't a concession. Technically, Hunter was also a prince. The Cat-Sidhe were a subgroup of faeries and had their own royalty. When Roarke had become the first fire cat-sidhe, he'd also become the first fire cat-sidhe king (he was a prince before that). Hunter is Roarke's heir. The whole family could have sat at the high table, but Roarke and Anna were more comfortable when they weren't on display. Cats prefer to watch the world from their safe perches, not be watched.
The three princes ran ahead of Arach and I and took the seats beside Isleen. She smiled brightly as s
he filled plates, and I wondered if she had missed having a little dragon-sidhe boy around to nurture. Whatever the case, I was glad for it; it gave Arach and I some time to eat in peace. Little boys are messy eaters and half of my meals were usually taken up by wiping their faces.
“How is everything in the God Realm?” Lugh asked me. “Have you seen the Celts lately?”
“No, I haven't,” I admitted. “I've been a little busy with an issue that's recently come up.”
“What's that?” Lugh asked.
“Two of Luke's demons were”—I dropped my voice to a whisper and leaned in so the children wouldn't hear me—“murdered. We're trying to find their killer.”
“How awful,” Lugh said sincerely; his golden eyes widening slightly. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Not unless you know anything about Yama,” I said flippantly as I filled my plate.
“The death god that was trying to raise Dvaraka?” He asked in surprise.
“Yes; Brevyn had a vision last night of the man who I believe is the murderer,” I lowered my voice again. “He appeared to be a Hindu god, and Yama was known to have a tool that could harvest souls.”
“The demons had their souls taken?” Lugh's eyes went wider.
“While they were possessing humans,” I said with a nod. “I know; it's a lot to take in.”
“Brahma would know better than I,” Lugh said. “But I'm fairly sure that Yama had a wife.”
“He did?” I asked.
“I think so.” Lugh grimaced. “I didn't pay all that much attention to other pantheons; there was so much drama in mine.”
“It's okay; I can ask Brahma,” I said. “I was just hoping to get some research done here.”
“Researching gods in Faerie?” Lugh asked. “Good luck with that.”
“Yeah; I suppose this isn't the best place for it,” I agreed. “It's just that with the Ring, I can jump back to when I last left the God Realm. So, it's like I've been given some extra time to look into this.”
“There's always the Inter Realm, my Queen,” an imp said as he passed by the high table.
“I didn't think of that,” I said with a chuckle. “Thank you, Scotaidh.”
“My pleasure, Queen Vervain,” he said. “I can even look into it for you if you like.”
“I would appreciate that,” I agreed readily.
“I'll be back in a jiffy!” Scotaidh announced excitedly as he ran from the room.
“I stand corrected,” Lugh declared. “I guess you can research Gods in Faerie.”
“All while you enjoy the comforts of your faerie home and husband,” Arach added as he pulled my throne closer to his.
I was about to kiss my not-so-subtle husband when Rian shouted, shifted into a dragon, and flew out of the hall. Brevyn and Hunter cheered him on and chased after him; waving their little fists in the air like revolutionaries.
“Rian, you come back here and eat your apple!” Isleen called after my son.
As I said; Isleen is big on tradition, and apples are sacred fruit for faeries. They weren't, however, sacred to young dragons. I just shook my head as Isleen huffed. You have to choose your battles with children; they are some of the most devious foes around.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Scotaidh was true to his word and by the time I'd finished breakfast, he had returned.
“Queen Vervain,” Scotaidh said and then bowed; making his three-foot-tall body into a little mound of fur. “I have found the information you sought.”
“Yes! You go, Scotaidh!” I exclaimed.
Normally, a statement like that would have caused some confusion, possibly even sent the poor faerie stumbling from the hall at what they thought to be my command, but the Imps were as familiar with human colloquialisms as I. They'd been stuck in the Human Realm when the paths to Faerie were closed. They'd lived there, among humans, for all these centuries; immersing themselves in our ways. It was how they'd learned to navigate the Internet.
“Thank you, my Queen.” Scotaidh bowed again. “The High Prince is correct; the God Yama did have a wife. He also had a son named Katila.”
“Who is the wife?” I asked.
“She is the Hindu Goddess, Dhumorna, also known as Kalaratri,” Scotaidh said.
“I've never heard either of those names,” I murmured.
“Avenging a husband or father is quite a motive,” Lugh noted.
“My Queen, you mentioned demons?” Scotaidh asked.
“Yes.” I looked back at him with interest. “Why? Does that make a difference?”
“Dhumorna is the Goddess of Auspiciousness and Courage,” Scotaidh said. “But she is known as the Destroyer of all Demons, Ghosts, Spirits, and Negative Energies.”
“She's the Destroyer of Demons?” I nearly shrieked.
“All Demons, my Queen,” Scotaidh said smugly. “That's what I would call damning evidence.”
Scotaidh giggled.
I blinked and then laughed with him “Yes; well done, Scotaidh; on both the information and the joke.”
“Thank you, Queen Vervain.” He bowed again. “Will you be slaughtering the Demon Destroyer?”
“Most likely,” I said and then sighed. “Tell me more about her son.”
“Not much on him to find,” Scotaidh said. “Katila seems to have been born without magic, although he is technically a god.”
“A god born without magic,” I murmured.
“Not to say that he has no magic at all,” Scotaidh hurried to correct. “I'm sure he can do the normal god things, but he has no personal power of note; no talent.”
“That's gotta rankle,” I noted.
“Indeed,” Arach said. “Would this talentless son have inherited Yama's cord?”
“I'd say it's likely, my King,” Scotaidh said.
Arach and I shared a grimace.
“A god without personal power now in possession of his father's soul-harvesting weapon,” I said.
“I know what I would do with it,” Arach said.
“And I know what I would help my son to do with it,” I added, “if I happened to be the Destroyer of All Demons.”
“It appears that you've found your killer, Wife,” Arach said proudly.
“I believe I had some significant help.” I looked to Scotaidh pointedly.
I couldn't tell with all that fur—Imps look like miniature Wookies—but I was pretty sure that Scotaidh blushed. He also did another bow; a series of them actually.
“I am honored to have been of service,” Scotaidh murmured.
“How are you and your fellow imps doing, Scotaidh?” I asked. “Are you all happy here?”
“Oh! Of course, we are, Queen Vervain,” Scotaidh stammered in surprise. “How could we not be? We are finally home.”
“But the Human Realm also became home for you,” I pointed out. “Do you ever go back to visit?”
“We can visit it through the Inter Realm,” he said serenely. “Here, we have the best of both realms.”
“Wonderful,” I said. “I'm glad to hear it.”
Scotaidh bowed one last time and rejoined his fellow imps at a table on the left side of the hall. They cheered his return like a hero and high-fived him with their little, clawed paws. I smiled to see such human behavior among my people. The Imps made me feel less awkward and more at home in Faerie, and for that, they were very special to me.
Then there was a commotion at the entrance to the hall.
My sons had returned with Hunter, but they weren't alone. Fearghal, the Red Cap Captain of the Goblin Guard, came lumbering in behind them. Rian was still in his dragon form; small enough to maneuver the hall easily but large enough to cause serious damage if he wasn't careful. Thankfully, he was careful. Rian came to a landing on the back of his chair; perching perfectly as he settled his wings and curled his tail around the front of the chair. Brevyn and Hunter clambered up to the high table after him, but I was only half paying attention to the boys. Fearghal had escorted in some gues
ts.
“My King and Queen,” Fearghal intoned dramatically. “I present the King and Queen of Darkness, the Royal Dark Prince and Princess, and their entourage.”
King Rowan and Queen Liatris strode into the room, followed by their twin children; Prince Baidhen and Princess Sinnea. Behind the twins came the Royal Guard; a unit of ellingran—dark fey hounds who were currently in their human forms. They all looked elegant and dangerous; dressed in several shades of purple and black.
“Welcome!” Arach stood and held his hand out to help me up. “May blood flow and fire burn for you.”
“Thank you, King Arach,” King Rowan said. “May darkness conceal you. And greetings to you, High Prince Lugh, and you, Duchess Isleen.”
“Well met,” Lugh declared as Isleen nodded.
Arach and I went down to greet our friends, but as soon as she was within reach, I hugged Liatris. I felt a special bond with the Dark Queen; mainly because she had a part of me inside her. And outside her, for that matter. Liatris and I could have been twins if it wasn't for her coloring. Like all the dark-sidhe, Lia had pure black skin and hair, and eyes that were a shade of blue. Her blue had a tinge of lavender to it, and Rowan's was a deep cerulean—a shade similar to Kirill's.
Rowan had been attracted to me once, but it was only because of my connection to him and his wife. You see, Faerie and I made them. Faerie used me as her avatar to take the element of Darkness and transform it into living beings; the Dark Fey. But when we formed Rowan and Liatris, a little piece of me had gone into them. She had been formed in my image, and both Lia and Rowan had later transformed into dark dragon-sidhe. Which was why Arach was so excited to have them visit; especially their children. Especially their daughter.
When I first met Arach, he had believed that he was the last of his kind. He had no hope for heirs or the continuation of his race. Only pure dragon-sidhe could shift into a dragon, and shifting was a prerequisite to ruling. So, having a child with a woman of another race wouldn't have cut it. But then I came along; the last female dragon-sidhe in existence. Arach had hope again, but I could only take us so far. Our children would have been the end of the dragon line.
