by Sumida,Amy
I hadn't even realized I'd been rocking Brevyn while Meara was trying her best to comfort a squiggling Rian. It just came automatic to me.
“You said faerie crystal wouldn't break,” I said, almost in accusation, because in moments like that I tended to say stupid things.
“Obviously I was wrong,” Arach squared his shoulders, decidedly unhappy over his error. He looked intent on correcting his mistake though.
“You're going to repair it,” I felt my eyes widen.
“And we'll need all of the elements to do so,” Arach tossed his clothes aside and shifted. His scales were tinted purple in the bluish algae glow but his eyes, when he turned them in my direction, were their usual bright yellow. “Get on.”
“What; me too?” I asked as the kings began to climb aboard his back.
“No, Vervain,” he growled. “You stay here and protect our young.”
“Right, got it,” I nodded a little too quickly. “Don't worry about us.”
Arach launched himself into the air, carrying the kings of Faerie with him. King Fionn could have flown on his own, he had a pair of massive Monarch butterfly wings on his back, but I suppose riding Arach was faster. I strode to the end of the tier to watch the rare sight of a dragon soaring over the city of Under.
The queens and several water fey came with me, gaping after the kings with hope in their eyes. Below the glorious sight of my husband, the soldiers who had been running for the gates, and the other faeries of Under (who were on their way to the castle to celebrate with their rulers), stopped in the streets, craning their necks to watch the rare flight as well. But they weren't just staring at the kings, they were looking back towards us, at their prince.
Morgan dropped his hands to clap in delight, as children do when they get positive attention, and the water began to rush back into the city. I heard Lorna trying to coerce him gently to renew his efforts, but Morgan's attention span was that of any toddler. He'd done his bit and now he wanted to play with something else.
“Please take him,” I handed Brevyn to Queen Breana.
She nodded and held Brevyn to her chest, closing her Monarch wings around him. He looked so pale against the true black of her skin and it made me pause. For a moment, he seemed too pale, the pallor of death. Then I shook my head and the image faded. Brevyn was fine, he'd even stopped crying and was staring at me serenely, much more at ease than the queen who was holding him. Breana gazed at me with wide, terrified, emerald eyes.
“What are you going to do?” she asked tremulously.
“I'm going to fix whatever she did,” I pointed in accusation at Aalish and the crowd around us gasped.
Aalish looked as if she were about to protest but I was already running down the tiers to the street. I held a hand before me as I ran, willing my moon magic forth. I wasn't sure how much water I could handle but if the Moon could shift the tides, couldn't I as well? I hoped that I could, the fate of Under might depend upon it.
A shimmering glow stretched out from my fingers and hit the foaming water. The glow spread out and began to turn the tide, literally turning it back on itself, just as Arach reached the gate. His massive head swung round and he spotted me. He gave me an approving roar and closed his wings tight, speeding through the gate and into the crystal tunnels.
I continued to race after him, making much slower progress through the streets of Under. Thank goodness I was on the single straight path in the city, the main path which led from the castle to the city gates, and thank goodness that the faeries crowding that path were smart enough to get out of my way. I almost shifted into a lioness to get some speed but that would mean releasing the moon magic, which probably wouldn't be a good idea.
But then Morgan decided to be helpful again. A surge of magic shot through the gate and added its power to mine. I hate to admit it but that little boy's water magic was much stronger than mine. He flung the tide back till the sloping path before the gate was completely dry. I chuckled and let go of my Moon while I started pulling off my dress.
Normally, I would cringe against the thought of public nudity but when the lives of my children were concerned, getting naked in front of thousands of faeries was the least of what I would do. I dropped my dress and shifted, sprinting up the path and giving the faeries of Under one more spectacle to gape at. I raced through the city gate and immediately lifted my head, scenting the air. Arach was near. I put on a burst of speed, my paws digging into dry sand (damn that kid was amazing) and soon reached the spot where Arach had stopped with the other kings.
He had changed back into human form and was standing with the other men, staring at a massive crack in the curved side of the crystal tube. Arach had once told me that each kingdom had parts of it which had been constructed with the help of all of the elements combined. It was a way of unifying the Fey. In Water, the crystal tunnels had been made in this manner. So it made perfect sense that all of the elements would be needed to repair them.
“Vervain,” Arach said, keeping his gaze on the crack. He must have scented me too. “It turns out that we need you after all.”
I changed back into my human form and went to stand with him in front of the wall. Before I said anything, I added my magic to Morgan's, pushing back the tons of water trying to force its way through the widening crack. A rippling wall, with a sparking film of magic over it, formed just outside of the crystal tube.
“Morgan got distracted,” I shrugged. “But he held it back long enough for me to get here.”
“Yes, we've been lucky,” Arach nodded to the water. “Now King Guirmean can concentrate on adding his magic to the crystal instead of having his attention divided.”
Arach waved King Cahal forward as he stepped back beside me. And there we stood, like Adam and Eve in the Garden, not even a fig leaf for our modesty. I wasn't concerned though, the other kings were too focused on repairing the tunnel to pay me any mind. And I was too focused on holding up a wall of water to care, even if they had been.
Cahal started making swirling motions with his hands and the sand on the ground before him rose in thick ribbons. The sandy strips flowed into the cracks of the crystal and settled there. He motioned again and something darker lifted through the beige of the ocean floor; little pieces of grayish-blue metal. Lead, I was betting. These slipped within the sand, spotting them like chocolate chips in cookie dough. We were making crystal after all, not just glass.
Arach stepped forward and blew a stream of fire over the sand and lead mixture, melting it along with some of the surrounding crystal. I began to wobble as the weight of the water suddenly became a strain. Morgan must have lost interest again. But I wasn't about to say anything and distract the men.
As Arach melted the sand, King Fionn strode forward and started to blow across the crack too. But where Arach breathed fire, Fionn simply breathed. It would have been funny to see the two men standing there, breathing onto a wall, if the situation hadn't been so dire. The heat of Arach's fire intensified with Fionn's breath and the melted sand started to glow white. Then Guirmean stepped forward and held out his hands.
“Let go just a little, Queen Vervain,” Guirmean said as I began to feel him pulling at my wall of water. “Not too much, the crystal is still fragile.”
“Sure, I'll just let go a little,” I swallowed hard as my whole body began to shake.
“A Thaisce?” Arach was immediately behind me, his arms holding me as his body supported mine. “Just a little longer.”
“Okay,” I whispered and let go... a little.
“Perfect,” Guirmean said in approval as a thin stream of water flowed out of a hole in the magic film.
It hit the molten sand and sizzled, smoke filling the thin pocket of air between the tunnel and my wall. The crystal hardened, our side smoking slightly as it settled. Then King Cian stepped forward and laid his hands directly onto the hardened crystal.
“United by Spirit,” he said reverently as a pale purple glow seeped from his hands and filled the ne
wly healed crystal.
“Now,” Arach whispered. “You can let go, Vervain.”
I did. I let go of the water and of my consciousness.
Chapter Seven
“Vervain?” Arach's voice guided me back to awareness.
I groaned and tried to lift my hand but it was stuck beneath something heavy and soft. My body ached like it needed a good stretch but it wasn't so bad considering I'd almost burned myself out; and not in the good, dragon sort of way. I blinked my eyes open to find Arach leaning over me.
He was seated on the bed beside me. Behind him was Guirmean, Nora, Lorna, and Darius. Lorna held a giggling Morgan while Darius held Brevyn, and Nora was holding Rian. I breathed a sigh of relief to see my children safe.
“Are you alright?” Arach asked as I drug my arms out from beneath the numerous blankets they'd piled over me.
“Yeah, I'm okay,” I pushed myself up and found that I was back in my gown. “Babies please,” I held my arms out towards my children and made the gimme-gimme fingers.
Nora and Dare laughed as they dutifully handed over my sons. I sighed again as I leaned back against the pillows, one boy in the crook of each arm. They were sleeping again but they nestled in against me as if they knew who held them. I felt the bonds between us thrum with contentment.
“What happened with the water magic?” Arach asked as he absently stroked Rian's bright red curls.
Rian's hair was nearly to his shoulders now but I couldn't bring myself to cut it. He was also bigger than Brevyn, so his feet were angled beneath his brother's, but they still seemed to fit my arms perfectly.
“Moon magic, actually,” I corrected. “I just couldn't handle the strain. Morgan's water magic is way more powerful than the water controlling aspect of my Moon,” I smiled toward the happy toddler.
“That was pretty impressive,” Darius agreed, sliding his arm around Lorna's waist.
“Imagine what he'll be capable of when he gets older,” Arach nodded to Guirmean; proud father to proud father.
But I didn't have to imagine. I'd been to the future. Well, I'd been to a future. I'd seen the affects of Morgan's magic first hand and knew exactly what he'd be capable of. I felt my face go slack as I remembered all the horrid details. Morgan had been the one who killed me. And then Roarke had killed Morgan. How had he managed it? Roarke was no weakling but Morgan was obviously going to be an extremely powerful faerie. Roarke must have resorted to some underhanded tactics.
“Vervain?” Arach looked at me in concern. Then his eyes cleared. He knew; I'd told him everything I'd seen in that future. He glanced at the little boy Guirmean was now holding and then back to me. We shared a grim look. “That's not going to happen this time.”
“I know,” I whispered.
“What?” Nora, ever the sharp one, zeroed in on our conversation. “What's wrong?”
“Nothing,” I shook my head. “It's in a future that will never be.”
“The future shouldn't be meddled with,” King Cian chided as he came into the room. “But since it saved our realm, perhaps it's fine just that once.”
“Those rings weren't made for that sort of use,” Meara said as she strode in behind her husband. “But never mind that. How are you, Queen Vervain? We were concerned.”
“I'm fine,” I waved away her worry and backtracked to the word that had caught my attention. “I'm sorry, did you say 'rings'; as in plural?”
“Yes,” Meara frowned and came over to the side of the bed, opposite from where Arach sat.
“There are more Rings of Remembrance than mine?”
“Of course,” Cian chuckled. “Do you think we only made one and handed it over to a dragon-sidhe?” Cian cleared his throat when he caught Arach's furious stare. “Not that there's anything wrong with dragon-sidhe. I simply meant that if there had been only one ring, it would have obviously been kept in the House of Spirit.”
“Obviously,” I muttered under my breath distractedly.
“Is there something wrong, Queen Vervain?” Meara asked. “You know we made the rings only to go back and relive our pasts. We cannot change things we've already done. You're the only one who uses the ring to time travel and actually experience the time you travel to.”
“Yes, I realize that,” I frowned. “I just... I don't know... never mind.”
“You helped to save Under today, Queen Vervain,” King Cian said. “We greatly appreciate your assistance.”
“Yes, we do,” Guirmean nodded.
“Aalish,” I snarled suddenly, remembering the look on her face. “Where is she?”
“Queen Aalish?” King Cian blinked at me in shock. “She went home with her husband shortly after we returned from fixing the tube.”
“Of course she did,” I muttered.
“Queen Vervain believes Queen Aalish had something to do with the crack,” Meara told her husband.
“You believe Queen Aalish somehow orchestrated the tunnel break?” Cian focused his gold eyes on me. “Why? How?”
“I don't know the how, but just before the water came rushing in, Aalish gave me a smug look,” I said.
“She gave you a 'smug look'?” Cian was getting really good at repeating me. “I can't use a smug look to convict a faerie queen.”
“She also had a breathing pearl with her,” I went on, “and she had it out before anyone knew what was happening.”
“That is suspicious,” Meara said to her husband.
“But again, not enough,” Cian frowned and then turned to Guirmean. “Have your soldiers discovered what actually broke the tunnel?”
“Not yet,” Guirmean sighed, “and honestly, King Cian, I don't know if they will. It could have been anything. A maenach may have hit it on accident.”
“Those walls have held firm for thousands of years,” I passed Rian to Arach so I could push back the blankets and get out of the massive, fluffy bed. I could manage the maneuver holding one child but not two. “You're telling me that one hit from a maenach cracked it?”
“No, of course not,” Guirmean scowled. “You're right. It must have been an attack. No sea creature would have hit the tunnel, they've been living alongside the tubes far too long for that. And even if they had, they wouldn't have hit it with enough force to break magically created crystal.”
“So it was a direct attack on the royals of Faerie,” Cian said and then clenched his jaw.
“What do you mean; the royals of Faerie?” I gaped at him.
“Has it not occurred to you, Queen Vervain, that all of the faerie royals were in attendance today?” Cian lifted a winged white brow. “This was indeed an assault and whomever the culprit is, they timed it perfectly. Unfortunately, I think that rules out Queen Aalish.”
“Why would it rule her out?” Arach asked.
“Well there may be a reason for Queen Aalish to hurt Queen Vervain,” Cian huffed. “But what would her reason be for hurting all of the royals, including her own husband?”
“Flooding Under would hurt Under. It would damage the city, but the water fey themselves would be fine,” I said slowly. “Anyone would assume that faerie royals could also handle themselves underwater. The only ones truly at risk were my sons.”
Arach began to growl.
“That's not true,” King Cian protested. “You can drown a non-water faerie.”
“But they'll come back,” I grimaced. “I know, I've been drowned before.”
“A Thaisce,” Arach said gently. “You came back because you're a goddess too, remember? Drowning would have killed you, if you had been merely a dragon-sidhe.”
“What?” I frowned. “Oh, that's right. Faeries can be killed using the elements they're not born of.”
“So we all were at risk,” Cian nodded. “Except for you and the water fey.”
“Brevyn could have saved himself,” Arach swallowed hard as his eyes flashed, “but not Rian.”
“But Aalish knew to have a pearl with her,” I pointed out again. “Did anyone else think to bring a
breathing pearl with them, just in case the tunnels cracked?”
Everyone went silent.
“High treason,” Cian whispered. “This is even more serious than an attempt on the life of a single queen. This was an attack on the lives of all our royals.”
“And Under,” I added. “Don't forget that. Even though the water fey would have lived, their city would have been destroyed, possibly even the castle.”
Guirmean exchanged a grim look with Arach.
“We cannot act until we know for certain That Queen Aalish is guilty,” Cian said reasonably.
“Say we do, for the sake of argument, find out it's Queen Aalish,” I studied King Cian. “What would her punishment be? I know you tend to go easier on royalty.”
Arach huffed. He had spent time in the dungeons of the Castle of Eight. In one of their element-leeching cells. Of course, so had Aalish, the last time she tried to kill me.
“For attempted assassination of all the royals of Faerie and the destruction of a faerie city?” King Cian lifted his brows. “A crown wouldn't save her.”
“She would be executed,” Meara added for clarity.
“Good,” I looked over to Arach and then at Rian, asleep in his arms.
That dirt-bitch had tried to kill my family. I was certain it was her. As bloodthirsty as it may sound, I was going to make sure I had a front row seat at her execution.
If I didn't kill her myself.
Chapter Eight
“Do we have any more of these Rings of Remembrance?” I asked Arach after we got home. I laid Brevyn down in his crib and turned to face my husband.
“No, of course not,” he laid Rian down in his diamond cradle. It was a good thing the pixies had made it extra large or Rian would have outgrown it by now. “I would have told you if we had.”
“Oh, okay.”
“And I would have used it to travel to the God Realm with you,” he slid his arms around my waist. “An extra ring would have come in handy.”
