As Maelgwyn made his declaration I felt something, a sensation deep in my chest; it was pride, and I hadn’t been proud of myself for a long time. I could help find Maelgwyn’s missing children. I would tap into whatever ability Mom had given me, find out who had taken them, and where they are today. I was certain of it.
And if I could do that, I could do anything.
Chapter Twenty One
Anya
I STOMPED UP THE STAIRS and into my chambers intent on that bath, and began shedding my dusty clothes as soon as the door was closed behind me. By the time I reached the bathing chamber I was fully nude, and only then did it occur to me I’d never requested a bath. My time in the mortal realm had accustomed me to the luxuries humans favored, such as hot and cold running water piped directly into their homes. I wondered if we could have water pipes installed here in the palace, and perhaps a radiator or two. For all that I embody winter I do prefer a bit of warmth.
No matter how many luxuries beckoned me from the mortal realm, the Winter Palace possessed one advantage the humans would never have: Sarmi. She must have overheard my desire for a bath, and had somehow gotten the tub filled with steaming water before I made it upstairs. As I sank into the water up to my chin I wondered what I ever did to deserve her.
My bath was quiet, and solitary, and the water was the perfect temperature, all of it due to Sarmi’s exquisite ability to transform my every want and desire into reality. Despite all of that I emerged from the bath as agitated as when I’d trudged into the room covered in dust and dirt like a filthy beggar. That lying, scheming fuath had almost gotten us killed, Nicnevin was still missing, and the Seelie Court remained vacant, and therefore vulnerable. As if that wasn’t enough we had disturbed Crom for no good reason, and he wasn’t likely to forget the affront any time soon.
Add this latest problem to the ever-growing list, and it was almost too much to contemplate.
I dried myself off and put on a pale blue silk robe, all while my mind filled itself with images of Crom; Crom raising himself from the muck, rearing back to strike at us, and how his rocky slab of a face had twisted as he bellowed his anger. I’d seen many beasts and beastly creatures in my time, but Crom Cruach was truly terrifying. That, coupled with his amazing strength meant he was more than a worthy foe. He was entirely capable of destroying us and claiming the whole of Elphame as his.
I paused, my comb halfway through my hair. What if Crom had been after the Seelie portion of Elphame all along, and we’d played into his hands?
“Sarmi,” I called. She poked her head into the room an instant later.
“Yes, mistress?”
“What do you know of the fuath?”
“Not much, I’m afraid. However, I know of a few who aren’t shy about asking. What would you like to know about them?”
“Everything.”
Sarmi nodded. “Give me twelve hours,” she said, and she disappeared from the room.
I put thoughts of the fuath out of my mind, and entered my bedroom. The books about the Wild Hunt Christopher had requested from our libraries had been sorted and delivered, along with a stack of paper, pens and ink, and an entire wooden desk and matching chair and footrest. The more I worked with Sarmi, the more I understood why Mum had found her indispensable.
I sat at the desk, leaned on my elbows and held my head in my hands. I hadn’t even been Queen of Winter for a full month, and I was already close to losing my title, my power, and perhaps my life. Crom had not only defeated us, he’d nearly entombed us. What if he returned?
I heard the door open and close. Assuming it was Sarmi, I stayed where I was. A moment later Christopher entered the room.
“Hey.” He sat on the desk next to my elbows, and stroked my hair. “You okay?”
“Just wondering if we’ve angered an ancient deity, and if that deity will exact his revenge in blood.” I tossed back my hair and wiped my cheeks.
“You sound like Rina.”
“Yes, well.” I leaned back in my chair and regarded him. “You frequently say she’s the most intelligent person you know. Perhaps if she’d come along with us she would have cautioned against antagonizing Crom in his home, where he’s strongest.”
He laughed softly. “That’s where you’re wrong. If Rina thought confronting Crom was the next step we needed to take she’d have led the charge herself. She’s fearless, and I have the gray hairs to prove it.”
“And you’re the responsible one? Never done a rash thing in all your days?”
“You know me better than that.”
I appreciated his attempts to cheer me. They almost worked. “I fear we’ve made a grave error.”
“Everyone makes mistakes. What matters is how you fix them.”
Christopher took my hands and I let him pull me upright—or did I? “How strong are you?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I’d say average adult male strength. Why?”
“More than average, I’d say.” He was wearing a blue button down shirt and tan pants; such the professor, he was. I tugged the shirt up and out of his pants and started unbuttoning it from the bottom up, revealing the smooth planes of his abdomen. “Much more.”
He put his hands on my hips and drew me closer. “How so?”
“Your mother.” Having unbuttoned his shirt all the way, I slid my hands over his shoulders and onto his back. He was delightfully warm. “Volva’s are known for both mental and physical strength, and resilience. And here you are, a scholar with the body of a warrior.”
“I’m no warrior.” He dipped his head so he could nuzzle my ear. I stretched my neck to the side, asking for kisses. He obliged. “You’re the brawn and the beauty around here,” he said, his warm breath awakening sensations across my skin.
“Does that make you the brains of our operation?”
“Nah. You’re much smarter than me.” Christopher untied my robe’s belt and slipped his hands underneath the silk. “No idea why you keep me around.”
“You do have one talent that I particularly enjoy.” He raised his head, his brows pinched together.
“Just one?”
I burst into laughter. I hadn’t realized how much I needed to laugh, but Christopher knew. He always knew.
“Yes. You have this uncanny ability to always give me exactly what I need, even when I don’t know that I need it.”
“Do I.” He stood, then he lifted me against him with his hands underneath my thighs. I wrapped my legs around his waist and let him carry me to bed.
“I have an idea of what you need now.”
“Show me.”
AFTERWARD, CHRISTOPHER laid on his back with his arm around me, snug and safe. He stared at the patterns on the ceiling while my head rested on his shoulder and I made patterns of my own in his chest hair. “You really are quite strong,” I murmured.
“Am I? I’ve always been athletic, but I’ve never considered myself to be particularly strong.”
“You lift me as if I’m a feather, and we both know I’m much heavier than a human woman.”
Christopher looked down at me. “Anya, you’re not that heavy at all. In fact, you’re pretty light. If I had to guess I’d say you weigh less than Rina.”
“But, giants are denser than—”
And I shut my mouth.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I... I forgot.”
My hands were trembling and the backs of my eyes burned, so I rolled away from Christopher and hid my face in the bedclothes. His arm snaked around my waist, keeping me close as I wept into the pillows.
“It’s okay,” he said. “It’s still new, and now he’s here. You must have all these emotions swirling around inside.” He tightened his arms around me. “It’s okay.”
“Da almost died earlier,” I choked out around my sobs. “First, he outright rescued Maelgwyn, then when the cave collapsed he pushed both of us to safety and the entire cavern landed on top of him. All of it! I was so mad at him for getting drunk and hounding Mum, and then for
destroying my throne room, and then for smashing those foolish stones, but then he almost died.” Christopher gently turned me to face him, and he wiped away my tears with his thumb. “What would I ever do without him?”
“You would go on,” he replied. “You would remember him, and honor his memory by living. That’s all we can do, when we lose someone.”
I remembered that Christopher had lost both of his parents some time ago. “Is that what you did after your parents... After they were gone?”
“Eventually, but not at first. Rina was still very young, and I had to get myself named as her guardian so she wouldn’t end up in the foster system.”
“Foster system? What is that?”
“When a child loses their parents, if there isn’t any family or a guardian able to care for them they could end up in a group home, or they might get adopted by strangers,” he replied. “We didn’t have any other family, and I was only twenty... But there was no way I was letting Rina end up living with a bunch of people we didn’t even know. I promised her that as long as I was alive, I would take care of her.”
“And look at the wonderful job you did.”
“I’d do it all again, too. Gray hair be damned.” He sobered, and said, “I hope nothing ever happens to Bod or Beira, but if something does I am not adopting Angus, or any of your brothers.”
“Neither am I,” I said quickly. “That lot can look after themselves.” I settled against his chest, my ear over his heart.
Christopher resumed stroking my hair. “Do you think Angus stole Maelgwyn’s crown?”
“It’s certainly something he would do,” I replied. “I suppose the better question is why would he take it? What would he do with it?”
“Would he give it back to Fionnlagh?”
I bit the inside of my mouth. The thought had occurred to me, too, since Angus had been present when the fuath had shared with us the untrue information that led us to Crom. “I don’t see how he could. Fionnlagh remains frozen in the world’s coldest ice.”
“Good.” Christopher kissed the top of my head. “I want you safe from him.”
“Angus or Fionnlagh?”
“Both.”
I repositioned myself so I was propped on my elbows above his chest, looking down at him. “Such the caretaker, you are. You’ve spent your life caring for your sister, then your students. Now, you’re taking care of me.”
“It’s my job.” He pulled me in for a kiss, then I settled the length of my body against his, my head tucked underneath his chin. “My number one job is to make sure you’re happy, and safe.”
I kissed his throat, and let my eyes close. “It seems we have the same job, because that is all I want for you.”
“Good. I plan on doing it for a long, long time.”
Chapter Twenty Two
Chris
WE LAZED ABOUT IN BED for a while talking about everything and nothing, and I could have stayed there with Anya for the rest of the day. Or the week, or even forever. However, a seasonal deity’s work is never done, and soon enough Sarmi knocked on our door to remind us of that.
“Enter,” Anya called.
“Please tell me you’re covered,” Sarmi said through the door.
“Of course we are.”
Sarmi opened the door, and scowled when she saw us in bed. Evidently, Sarmi’s definition of “covered” meant by more than just sheets and blankets. She shook her head, then pushed a serving trolley laden with a pot of tea and snacks toward us.
“Thank you, Sarmi,” Anya said. “How goes things in the rest of the palace?”
“Everything is coming together quite well, as always,” Sarmi replied. “We’ve got the bulk of Bod’s messes cleaned up, and the walls are shored up so nothing will topple them in the meantime. Just like the old days,” she added with a chuckle.
“Is Da still here?” Anya asked. “And what of Maelgwyn?”
“Maelgwyn went home to your mam,” Sarmi replied, her expression carefully blank. I wondered how she felt about her longtime mistress staying at the Unseelie Court instead of here at the Winter Palace. “As for Bod, he’s gone off in search of Angus. When the rest of your brothers woke up and heard the news, they went in search of Bod. And before you ask,” Sarmi added, spearing me with her gaze, “the Ninth have kept well to themselves. I’ve never seen a group of men who needed anything less than that lot.”
“Legionnaires were trained to rely on themselves,” I said. “Besides, Lucius adores you, and has instructed his men to not be a bother. He’s complimented the efficient way you run the household several times.”
Sarmi harrumphed, but she did slide an extra cookie onto my plate. “I’ll leave you to your repast. Ring if you need anything.”
As soon as Sarmi was out the door, Anya stole my extra cookie. “Hey!”
“Complementing Sarmi so she would bring you sweets is a ploy I perfected long ago,” she said, then she ate my cookie. “We should bring our plates to the solarium. I’ve a bit of work to do.”
“We can bring what’s left,” I grumbled.
We dressed and relocated to the sunroom, which boasted an entire wall of floor to ceiling windows. Even though it was an ideal place to set up a greenhouse there were very few plants in the room; Beira hadn’t been one for houseplants, so Sarmi had limited them to a few potted citrus trees, and a very robust climbing red rose. I thought the rose was overgrown, but Sarmi claimed it was a rare specimen behaving exactly the way it should. What the sunroom had in abundance—aside from dried up rose petals—were several upholstered chaises and polished wood tables, all of them clustered around a large crystal globe.
Anya seated herself in front of the globe and drew it closer to her. She used the globe to monitor weather patterns, and to make sure winter was proceeding as it should. I had no idea how winter or any season should proceed, but I loved watching her work.
“Can you affect the weather everywhere?” I asked. “Make it snow in Jamaica, maybe?”
“I suppose, but to branch out beyond Scotland would be a wasted effort,” she replied. “In hot climates, such as near the equator, any wintry weather I summoned wouldn’t last long. Besides, if I did something so bold I could anger the local wardens, and that wouldn’t do at all.”
I paused with my teacup halfway to my mouth. “Wardens? That makes it sound like you keep the seasons locked away until you need them. Is... Is that how it works?”
She popped a tiny cake in her mouth and winked at me. “Is it?”
I wasn’t falling for her teasing. I’d just ask Sarmi later, when Anya wasn’t listening. Sarmi knew everything, except proper rose maintenance. “Then tell me, Warden Anya, how goes winter in this neck of the woods?”
“Well, mostly.”
“Just mostly?”
Anya waved her hand over the globe, and Scotland increased in size while the rest of the world shrank away. “There is one location on the eastern coast that refuses to cool down, and for the life of me I don’t understand why.”
“Where is this hot spot?”
“Crail.”
“Oh.” The exact place where my sister’s house was located. I’m sure this recent development had nothing to do with the fact that the house was a gift from Fionnlagh. “What are you going to do about it?”
“I’m not sure. Before I do anything I would like to understand why it’s staying so warm to begin with. It’s possible that this is a known temperature anomaly.”
“And if it’s not?”
Anya blew out a breath, then she waved her hand over the globe and everything went back to its regular size. “Then, I don’t know what it could be.”
“Looks like we have a mystery to solve.” I stood and rubbed my hands together. “Let’s go check it out.”
“What about Crom?”
“What about him? Oh, do you think he’s the one heating up Crail?”
“I mean, what if he strikes back at us?”
“Oh. That.” I sat heavily; from what Anya ha
d told me Crom was more terrifying than Fionnlagh, stronger that the Bodach, and—based on his steady diet of sacrificial victims—more evil than Nicnevin. A trifecta of fun, then. “Do you think he will?”
“I’ve no idea.” Anya leaned back on her chaise and rubbed her eyes. She looked like a heroine from a Gothic romance, and I loved it. “Gods below, I don’t know anything today.”
“Then let’s figure it out.” I got up and started pacing across the room; my mind always worked better when my body was in motion. It’s how I got started playing basketball. “What do we know about Crom? He’s powerful and awful, and if he attacks it will probably be with something earth-based. What do we have in the way of defenses?”
“That’s the problem,” Anya replied. “If Crom were to attack the Unseelie Court, Maelgwyn could easily stop him. The same would be true if he went after Beinn na Caillich, the Winter Palace, or the seat of anyone’s power. But, large swathes of Elphame are currently undefended.”
“Such as, the Seelie Court,” I said, and she nodded.
“Exactly. Crom could decimate that portion of Elphame without breaking a sweat, assuming a being such as he does sweat.”
I remembered what Rob told me about Elphame being full of innocent people. “All right, so what we need is to either find a power to match Crom, or someone to hold the throne in the Seelie Court against his possible attack. Let’s go to Crail.”
“Why Crail? Because of the anomaly?”
“Yes. Something tells me Nicnevin’s at my sister’s house.”
Anya stood, took my hand, and blinked.
The next moment we were in Crail.
“What makes you think she’s here?” Anya asked. She’d teleported us to the meadow that stretched behind the cottage, probably so we could attempt to sneak up on whatever or whomever was in there. The first thing I noticed was the mellow sea breeze.
Giant's Daughter Page 13
