by A. L. Knorr
"It was the ithe who glamoured Jasher's letter, not me." He looked stricken. "I never would have bid you come here. It was far too dangerous. You're my daughter," he murmured. "My blood. Daracha commanded the ithe to bring any offspring here should their Wisdom manifest itself. Through me, the ithe knew when you'd inherited your powers. But once you were here, I was desperate to find a way to warn you. After Daracha's resurrection, the ithe didn't come to the garden regularly any more, but it did come under her command sometimes. When it came, I made it eat as many blossoms as I could and gathered enough strength to ask the faeries for help."
"The little ones?"
He nodded. "I could call them to me, but they were difficult to communicate with. The roses only gave me enough power to give them a drop of blood and a very short message. I wasn't sure the message would stay intact."
"So the little fae used your blood to put the message in the treasury? That seems like a complicated request for them. My interactions with them have made them seem very simple."
"It was easier than it perhaps seems on the surface," he explained. "My family already owned the vault in the treasury, as well as the messaging device. All it took was a drop of my blood, and they had access. Normally, that cylinder can deliver a moment in time in full color, as though you were actually there. I wasn't certain the message wouldn't fall apart, so weak was my magic."
"In fact, the quality of the message was very poor. There was no visual at all, just a broken recording. All I got out of it was the well at Dundee, but it was enough to know I had to go there."
Byrne nodded. "I'm thankful you got enough. I owe the little faeries for their service. If you had been anyone other than my daughter, it never would have worked. Only our blood could access the treasury and unlock the cylinder's message. I thought that if you went to the well at Dundee, you could at least see what happened. And if I could get the ithe to consume more roses, I might be able to get a warning to you that the garden was Daracha's weakness. When your consciousness brushed up against mine in the well, I was astonished and frightened for you. It was the first time I felt another presence come into the well where my mind was trapped. I was afraid you'd end up trapped there too."
"That explains the shoving," I said with a laugh.
The early morning air smelled of the hybrid rose once more, and the dew was heavy on the grass and leaves. The shadows of the castle slowly paled as the first of the sun's rays touched the tops of the turrets. Byrne glanced at the castle as a light came on in a window.
"I should probably get inside. I want my friends to know everything is okay. And you'll be wanting to get to Stavarjak." I smiled. "I know a certain Wise who will be very happy to see you."
Byrne nodded. "I'll be very happy to see her too." He took one of my hands and I looked at them, how alike they were. "When will I see you again?"
"I'll come visit as soon as I can, hopefully later today if I can slip away for a few hours." We got up from the bench and faced one another, Fyfa's roses slowly opening to the sun around us and filling the air with their scent.
Byrne put a hand on my shoulder. "Don't make me wait too long, Daughter."
I put my hand over his. "I won't ... Father."
He planted a kiss on my cheek and stepped back, hand raised up in a goodbye.
Then he was gone.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The castle was quiet as I closed the door behind me. Looking down at my dirty feet, I realized I'd left my shoes outside. I returned to the garden to fetch them. Wiping the worst of the dirt from my feet, I went upstairs to the bathroom in the hallway to rinse them. After drying off, I padded down the hallway to the room I had shared with Lachlan to shower and change my clothes. Lachlan would be at his home, along with Jasher and Evelyn.
I made my way down town on foot as the sun came up and the first of the morning traffic droned through the streets. Lachlan’s house was unlocked, and I slipped inside his front door, listening for sounds of life. Someone gave a snore. I crept past the spare bedroom where Jasher and Evelyn were sleeping and went to Lachlan’s room.
Opening the door quietly, I poked my head inside. Lachlan made a long lump underneath the duvet, with only a few hairs visible on his pillow. The sense of joy and safety that came over me just seeing him was so overwhelming that tears sprang to my eyes. I entered the room and slipped beneath the covers, snuggling up next to him.
Lachlan made a groggy sound and rolled over, pulling me into his arms. "Georjie? I was dreaming about you," he murmured as he pulled me next to his big warm body. "This is much better."
"It's all over, Lachlan," I whispered. "We finished it. For good this time."
Lachlan's head moved, and I looked up to see his eye crack open. The other one followed shortly after, then both sprang wide open. Lachlan pulled back so he could get a better look at me, astonishment in his eyes. He touched my face as if making sure I wasn’t a dream. “What?”
I nodded. "It took some doing, some magic roses, some transfiguration. But she's finished."
Lachlan pulled himself up to sitting, leaning his back against the headboard. I sat beside him, and we wrapped the duvet around our legs.
“What happened?" He took my hand, enfolding his fingers with mine.
"The ithe was actually a fae man named Byrne, Fyfa's lover from a long time ago." I took a deep breath and squeezed Lachlan's hand, "And my father."
Lachlan gaped. "How is that possible?"
I told him everything that my father had explained to me. Lachlan listen quietly, stroking the back of my hand with his thumb, brow wrinkled with thought. When I explained how my father and I had come together to defeat the black witch, Lachlan's whole body tensed, and it seemed as though he stopped breathing.
"So, Queen Elphame betrayed you?" He shifted away from the headboard and sat cross-legged to face me better.
"She led me to believe that she was going to appear, so that's what I expected. But, if it hadn't been for the rosehip and the combination of Byrne's magic with mine, I would be ashes by now. I'm not sure how I feel about what the Queen did."
"She strikes me as fickle and unpredictable," ventured Lachlan. "Now that this whole horrible nightmare is over, maybe it would be better just to let things be. Do you have to go back?”
"I need to go see Fyfa and Byrne ... and Laec," I added hesitantly. "While I'm in Stavarjak, I might try to visit the Queen."
"Please just be careful Georjie." Lachlan leaned close and planted a kiss beside my mouth. "You just got out of trouble with the powerful magical entity, don't go getting back into trouble."
"I won't. I expected Queen Elphame to manifest and kick Daracha into next week with her magic, and she let me think it by being vague. But when I remember what she actually said to me back then in her private chamber, it was to give aid. That's all. So maybe instead of being upset with the Queen for not doing what I imagined she was going to do, I should have kept an open mind regarding how she would give her help."
"That's fair enough, Georjie. I'm just thankful for the outcome." Lachlan reached out and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. "You don't know how much I wish I could've been there for you. I'm a pretty capable guy, but I've never felt more helpless than I did in this situation."
I leaned forward and captured his lips with my own, slipping my arms around his neck. He pulled me against himself, fitting my body into his lap as he deepened the kiss.
The sound of water running from the bathroom broke us apart.
"Let's not make Jasher and Evelyn wait too long to feel the same relief that you and I feel," said Lachlan, putting the tip of his nose against mine. "As much as I would like to keep you in this bed and all to myself."
I nodded and crawled out of his lap. "I'll go knock on their door."
Lachlan threw back the covers and his bare feet were on the floor in a moment. Snatching up the denim trousers laying over the back of a chair, he nearly tripped trying to get into them with both legs at once.
"Easy." I laughed. "I'll wait for you."
Lachlan dressed and ran a toothbrush around in his mouth, then we made our way down the hall to Jasher's room. Tapping on the door with the back of my knuckle, I called gently.
"Come in, Georjie." Jasher’s answering call sounded stressed.
Lachlan and I entered the room to see him standing at the window in a pair of pajama bottoms, yanking a T-shirt over his head. There were lines bracketing his mouth, and his movements were tense. The sound of a toilet flushing from behind the bathroom door gave away Evelyn's whereabouts. I followed Lachlan to the bed where we sat down.
When he saw my expression, Jasher's anxiety melted away. "You look as though you have good news. Please, say you do?"
"She has the best news ever." Lachlan grinned.
"Wait! Wait for me," called Evelyn from the bathroom. "Don't say a single word without me."
The sound of faucets squeaking and water running followed this request. A moment later, Evelyn burst from the bathroom, curly brown hair wild. She wore a colorful kimono, belted at the waist, and a thick pair of fuzzy pink slippers on her feet. She tripped over them on the way to bed and bounced onto the mattress.
"I don't think I've ever seen the two of you looking so relaxed." She crawled onto the bed and sat cross-legged beside Jasher. "Either share what you've been smoking, or tell us that this whole crazy nightmare has finally come to an end. Because that's what it looks like."
Lachlan and I smiled at one another, and he took my hand as I began to talk.
Later that afternoon, I made an excuse to Bonnie, Gavin, and Ainslie that I wanted to get some work done at the café. Slipping into Stavarjak where it was easiest—from the garden—I soon found myself walking up the path toward Fyfa's cottage.
Birds twittered musically in the bushes and the sun glimmered through the branches as they twisted in the wind, sending coins of sunlight dancing across the ground. I walked quickly, gaze darting around at the woods and the path for any telltale blurs. The last thing I needed was to defeat Daracha only to end up as breakfast for an otrikar or some other Stavarjak predator.
As I stepped into the clearing, I was pleased to see Fyfa and Byrne sitting on the step outside her front door, their fingers intertwined. They were laughing at some private joke. I had never heard Fyfa sound so light. A grin burst across my face spontaneously as they saw me at the same time. I broke into a jog. Fyfa stood and held her arms out, I ran straight into her hug.
"You did it," she whispered, squeezing me close. I heard the tears in her voice and felt my own tingling at the corners of my eyes. I felt Byrne wrap his long arms around us as Fyfa and I held one another.
She pulled back to look at me, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her smile was transcendent. Fyfa shook her head and tried to speak but sounded choked up; she pulled me into another hug instead. She held me for a while, finding her voice again after she released me. "You've given me back not only my health but the happiness I thought I'd lost forever.”
She stepped back, clasping hands with Byrne, like they couldn't bear to be separated.
"Does the Queen know?" I asked.
Byrne pulled Fyfa into his side and put an arm around her shoulders. "I'm sure she does, though not because we told her."
"You'd better go see her.” Fyfa snuggled into Byrne's side and put her hand on his ribs. "Shall I get a gown for you? I have a beautiful red one that would color up your cheeks and set off that amazing hair you got from your father." She cast him an affectionate look.
I gave her a grateful smile. "I think I'll just go like this. Thanks, though."
Fyfa nodded. "We'll walk with you. I heard you're allergic to otrikar venom."
"Speaking of which, where is Laec?"
Fyfa's smile faded a little. "I'm not sure. The moment I felt better, he slipped away. He seemed ... embarrassed about something." She had a question in her eyes, but didn't probe.
We walked to the castle together, enjoying the oversize flowers and the fluttering insects, chatting and laughing. As we approached the gardens, the silence of the grounds struck me as odd. Usually Queen Elphame's home was full of fae. Musicians, gardeners, guards, and guests. But though the gardens were full of life, there were no fae to be seen.
Fyfa gently touched my elbow and when I turned to her she pointed at a little alcove surrounded by a gazebo wrapped in blossoming wisteria. Queen Elphame was sitting alone in the gazebo. She inclined her head to us and we approached. Byrne bowed deeply at the entrance to the gazebo and Fyfa dropped into a graceful curtsy. I gave my own awkward dip.
"You may approach, Wise," the queen said, making it clear she wanted to speak only to me.
Fyfa and Byrne backed away, presumably to find some private corner of the gardens in which to canoodle.
I stepped into the gazebo and took a seat on the bench across from the Queen. Her gown this time was a rich, mint green with darker leaves embroidered at the hem and the neckline. A single green rose blossom crafted from sparkling beads wrapped itself around her hip.
"Do you like my dress?" She straightened, pressing her bosom out and lifting her chin. She ran her hands down her ribcage and across her lap, fleshing out any wrinkles. "I chose the color to celebrate your victory."
"How appropriate," I replied. "It's very pretty."
“Unlike your hideous human getup.” She shuddered but smiled as I laughed and agreed. My jeans and jacket were definitely hideous next to her gown.
”That was quite a show." The Queen tilted her head. "Thank you. We haven't had such wonderful entertainment since Laec tried to tame Duirrin"
I blinked at her. "Why would he even try?"
"He wanted the best mount possible for the great race I hosted back in sixty-five. I suppose he thought it was worth a shot."
"I'm surprised he survived."
"Yes and imagine how he felt when he learned you'd ridden a mare of the Vargilath." Queen Elphame looked quite smug.
I blinked at her. “Is there anything you don't know?"
She shifted in her seat, her fingers tracing the wooden arms of her handsomely crafted chair. "Why do you think you're here?"
I tucked my hands into my jacket pocket. “Because I know something you don't?"
Queen Elphame arched a fine brow. "Is it true that Byrne is your father?"
"It has to be. Daracha was prevented from lying when she said so, by Fyfa's roses."
She gave a single, tiny nod as my words confirmed it. "Fyfa always was very clever with plants. Trust her to take something I created and find a way to share a little of that magic with the place of her birth."
"If she hadn't, I wouldn't be sitting here in front of you and Byrne would still be enslaved."
"Has Byrne told you who he is?" Her gaze sharpened and I felt intensely observed, not an overly comfortable feeling coming from the Queen of Stavarjak.
"I'm not sure what you mean, exactly."
"Byrne Silverlight is a son of Bayren Silverlight. A fae king of lands south of here, lands we of Stavarjak hold a tenuous relationship with. I've reason to believe you could be useful in improving that relationship."
My heart fluttered. This conversation was starting to make me nervous. "In what way?"
"I'd like to invite you to join my court." She waved a hand, graciously gesturing to the castle and its surrounding lands. "Make a home here. I can give you land, a home you can call your own."
I recoiled in surprise. "Why? What do you get out of it?"
"An alliance between one of my more valuable subjects with a granddaughter of Bayren Silverlight?" She gave an elegant shrug. "I forsee a time when such an alliance would strengthen my position."
Wow. There was a lot to unpack in those few sentences. I shook my head, starting with: "Bayren Silverlight doesn't even know me. What makes you think he would place any value on me?”
"He will know you. His son will of course give credit to you for rescuing him from an unthinkable eternity. I fully expect Byrne to take Fyf
a and return south to his homeland, but if you, his daughter, remain here as a beloved subject ..." She raised her brows to emphasize and slowed her words. "A very well treated, well respected subject, then it would be advantageous for all parties."
"And this valuable subject I would be allied to ... that's another word for marriage. Am I right?"
"Naturally."
I narrowed my eyes. "Who did you have in mind?"
The Queen actually looked surprised, and I realized it was the first time I'd ever seen her truly caught off guard. "Who else? Laec Fairijak of course. I'm told he has affection for you."
Aha. “Was this his idea?"
Elphame looked mildly insulted. "Of course not, but I know him well enough to see he is besotted. I see an opportunity to make everyone happy."
"Not me." My voice was soft. I didn't want to insult the Queen but she was way out in left field. "I'm in love with a human named Lachlan Hamilton."
Queen Elphame's eyes rounded as she took a second to process. "You mean to tell me that even after you discovered your true heritage, and in the face of all I offer you, you would prefer to stay on that side of the veil? With a human?"
"Not just for Lachlan. There are others on that side whom I love. They're my family."
"What about Byrne? Is he not your family?"
"Of course, and I look forward to visiting him whenever I get a chance."
The queen pulled air through her teeth, making a low hissing sound of disdainful surprise. "Well. Humans always go for the riches. You are more unpredictable than I expected."
I shot her a meaningful look. "As are you. You led me to believe that you would fight Daracha at midnight, but really, your aid came in the form of that little rosehip. Before midnight, I was convinced you would come to save me. After midnight, I was convinced I was going to die. Until Byrne realized I had your rosehip and knew what to do with it."
