As the Crow Flies (Book 19 in the Godhunter Series)

by Sumida,Amy

  Dex jumped up happily and flopped over our feet. At least he was warm. Not that I noticed, since I was too busy fuming about fish-women.

  “Not Aalish?” I just couldn't believe it.

  “Not Aalish.”

  “What the hell?” I flopped back against Arach. “I was so sure it was her.”

  “I know, A Thaisce,” he sighed. “I was fairly certain myself.”

  “Why would a mermaid want to kill our children?” I wondered aloud, and then looked to Arach with even greater shock. “Why would they want their own prince dead? It makes no sense, Arach.”

  “Nonetheless,” he reached over to our bedside table, and snatched up a small wood box. He brought it between us, and flipped open the lid to show me its contents. Inside, a pale pinkish scale glinted in the low light. “It appears to be true.”

  “It does at that,” I scowled at the scale. “Who do you belong to, you fishy, little, evil scale?”

  “We'll figure it out later,” Arach closed the lid, and put the box back on the table. “Right now, we both need some sleep.”

  “You have no idea,” I muttered right before I passed out again.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “You were really tired,” Arach observed from the foot of our bed.

  He was holding a squirming Rian while Brevyn wobbled on hands and knees, making his way towards me on the mattress. Brevyn's little face was beaming as he started to move forward, but then his arms gave out and he landed on his face. At least it was on the blankets and not the hard floor. I gave a little laugh and picked him up. The fall hadn't bothered him at all, he was still smiling as I extracted him from his fluffy face-plant.

  “Yeah, about that,” I tucked Brevyn in beside me. “I was actually in the God Realm.”

  “Pardon?” Arach's face went still.

  “It was just for a moment,” I held up a warding hand. “Alaric said I needed to go right away, and that you were walking up the stairs. The babies were only alone for a few seconds before I returned.”

  “You know I don't like you leaving without telling me,” Arach set Rian down beside his brother.

  “I know, but Al and Faerie were insistent, and they said they'd watch over the boys.”

  “What was Alaric doing here?”

  “He came in with Faerie to tell me that I needed to go back and take care of some stuff, so I could save Kirill,” I grimaced. “But it became so much more than that.”

  “Did you save Kirill?”

  “Not yet,” I looked at Arach, and let him see how worried I was over it.

  “You will,” he settled in beside me. “But you won't have a chance at saving him if you leave Faerie without telling me again,” he growled suddenly. “Because I shall murder you.”

  “Okay, I get it,” I laughed. “That wasn't cool.”

  “No, it was very cool,” he snapped. “As cool as a water-sidhe.”

  “Ouch,” my eyes strayed to the box on the bedside table. “Did you tell King Cian about the scale?”

  “Yes,” Arach sighed. “But I warned King Guirmean first. One of his people has betrayed him, and he needed to know.”

  “Oh crap, King Cian,” I said as I remembered who was coming to Faerie.”

  “What about him?”

  “He has a son,” I dropped the bomb, and watched it explode in Arach's mind.

  He gaped at me.

  “It's a long story, but I met Cian's son, who didn't know he was Cian's son. Kirill will be bringing him to Faerie, so he can meet his father. Cian's son, Lugh, will meet his father, not Kirill obviously,” I jumped out of bed. “But we gotta go meet them at the Great Tree.”

  “We what?” Arach was still trying to put his brain back together. “Kirill is coming to Faerie?”

  “With Lugh,” I nodded as I pulled a dress over my head, “Lugh is the High King's son. He's half god. Well, full god since his other half- fullness- whatever is Fey.”

  “A goddess bore the High King of Faerie a child?!” Arach shot up to his feet. “How did you discover this?”

  “I met him, pure chance,” I shrugged. “He's the spitting image of Cian.”

  “Huh,” Arach flopped back down. “A son.”

  “Don't just sit there,” I grumbled. “Gather up our children. We're going to the Great Tree, and then we're heading to High Court.”

  “What, right now?”

  “Yes right now,” I rolled my eyes. “It's going to take awhile to get out there, and I don't want them waiting at the Great Tree, all by themselves, at the edge of the Forgetful Forest.”

  “Good point,” he huffed. “Especially when there's a mad mermaid on the loose.”

  “Do you think it's safe to take them with us?” I nodded to the babies.

  “Safer than leaving them behind,” he grimaced.

  “Yeah, but High Court,” I scowled, thinking of my past experiences at the High Court of Faerie.

  “Your trouble at High Court began with me, if you'll recall,” Arach walked over with the boys and kissed my cheek. “Here, take Rian, he's too fidgety with me.”

  “Yeah, it began with you, but you weren't the only trouble I found there,” I rolled my eyes.

  “The babies won't leave our sight,” he assured me, and I gave in. We headed downstairs with them.

  “Maybe it would be better if you stayed home with our boys,” I began, but Arach glowered at me. “Oh fine,” I shifted Rian to my shoulder when he started to wiggle, and took Arach's hand with my free one. “Rian, sweetheart, stop that.”

  Rian stopped wiggling.

  “I don't understand why he settles down for you and not me,” Arach grumbled.

  “My voice is more soothing than yours,” I smirked.

  “My King, my Queen,” Isleen came rushing over to us. “Has something happened?”

  “Not yet,” Arach muttered.

  “We're on our way to pick up some friends at the Great Tree. We need a carriage, Isleen,” I explained.

  “Yes, my Queen,” Isleen nodded and hurried ahead of us.

  “We aren't telling Isleen about Lugh?”

  “Don't you think we should tell his father first?” I shot back.

  “I suppose,” Arach sighed. “But it's Isleen.”

  Isleen had raised Arach after his parents died. It was hard to argue with that. She was pretty much family to him. His adoptive mother.

  “Go ahead then,” I nodded, and he gave me a quick kiss before chasing after Isleen.

  I heard her shocked gasp as I strode across the drawbridge, glancing down to our magma moat. The sight of it always steadied me. I loved the sluggish drift of bright yellow and deep orange magma, dragging along little islands of sharp, black crust. It was a physical reminder of my element and the depth of its power, how it could run thick and slow or ignite and incinerate in an instant. I walked with a touch more confidence up to Arach and Isleen. We stood on the expanse of grass before the Road of Neutrality, and Isleen looked to me with wide dark eyes, glinting with bits of fire.

  “Truly?”

  “Yep,” I backed up my husband's astounding claim. “He's on his way here to meet King Cian, so we need to hurry.”

  “Yes, of course,” Isleen waved the carriage up. The phooka driver was still settling the reins into place when we climbed in. Isleen stuck her head in after us. “Please give the High King my congratulations on this most glorious news.”

  “We will, Isleen,” Arach nodded to her, and she shut the door with a snap.

  Then we were headed towards the Great Tree, our sons giggling with delight. They were sure getting out a lot these days. There had been a nice span of peace in Faerie following their birth. I lamented its loss. I'd known it wasn't going to last, but I'd hoped to at least make it to their first birthday before exposing them to my fickle luck.

  At least for them, this was a great adventure, and I hoped it would continue to be so. The alternative would mean I'd screwed up horribly along the way, and my screw ups could very possibly me
an death this time. So, no screwing up Vervain. Sure, no problem. I sighed internally. I was the biggest screw up I knew.

  The journey to the Great Tree went by without any assassination attempts. No holes filled with water, tidal waves, or any other type of liquid attack. Not even a water balloon. I suppose it seemed obvious now that it was a water faerie behind the attacks. But that look on Aalish's face had been so damning. Why had she been so smug when the sea had rushed into Under? It didn't make any sense. There had to be something I was missing.

  I let these musings go as we circled into the packed earth turnabout in front of the Great tree. Kirill and Lugh were standing in the meadow there, waiting for us. Kirill was smiling brightly at me, his hair loose and flowing down to his hips like a cape. He'd fit right in among the beautiful sidhe of Cian's court, even with his T-shirt and jeans. Roarke had actually started a fad by wearing human clothing to High Court, and quite a few faeries had bartered with me to bring them back items of clothing just like the ones Kirill was wearing. Though they probably wouldn't want to wear this particular shirt. It read, My Pride is bigger than yours, and had a picture of lions prowling beneath.

  Lugh wasn't smiling, he was gawking. He stared around himself at the softly breathing fey trees, the stabbing blades of grass, and the entrancing creatures you couldn't find anywhere else. His golden eyes were round, his thick arms hanging loose at his sides, and his mouth was open. Hopefully a faerie bug wouldn't fly in. He'd braided his hair, one thin braid to either side of his face, while the rest hung down his back in snowy, sparkling glory. I was once more struck by how much he resembled the High King.

  “Welcome to Tir Nan Og,” I called out as I threw open the carriage door. “Now stop gawking at the flowers, Little Prince. It's time to meet your family.” Then I smiled at Kirill, “Hey, honey, how was the trip?”

  “The usual,” Kirill shrugged and nudged Lugh over to us.

  They climbed inside, and I waited until they were settled on the luxurious velvet cushions before I introduced Lugh to Arach. The Fire King was nearly dumbstruck by the Celtic god/faerie. He shook Lugh's hand woodenly, and then just stared at him, head shifting side to side to take in every angle. Lugh began to fidget in his seat. A dragon stare can do that to you.

  “Don't mind him, he's just surprised by your resemblance to the High King,” I said to Lugh. “These are my sons, Rian and Brevyn.”

  At the mention of his sons, Arach snapped out of his daze and slipped into proud papa mode.

  “Our Rian is full blooded dragon-sidhe and fully human,” Arach laid his hand fondly on Rian's red hair. “While Brevyn is completely god as well as completely human, with a recent addition of some dragon-sidhe essence.”

  “You make them sound like wine,” I chuckled.

  “Full bodied god, vith sharp human undertones, and a hint of faerie,” Kirill joined in.

  “Whoa,” Lugh looked from the children to Arach, and then to me. “Your sons have dual souls, like me?”

  “Rian is like you, but Brevyn is now closer to me; a triple souled being. Though he isn't fully sidhe. So I guess he's two and a half souled,” I chuckled. “He'll be two and a half men someday.”

  Kirill was the only one to get the joke, but he only shook his head at me before reaching for Rian. He often told me I needed to adjust to suit my audience.

  “However many souls he has,” Kirill took Rian from me and bounced him on his knee. “It doesn't matter. He is loved. Zat is most important zing.”

  “I agree,” Arach smiled as Rian screamed in joy, his little baby fists held high as he bounced. “But the extra magic doesn't hurt.”

  “I don't even understand how I could be completely two things at once. That's too much completeness,” Lugh frowned, and then a bird caught his eye, and his head jerked in the direction of the window.

  “Do you remember that dog from the movie Up?” I whispered to Kirill and looked pointedly at Lugh.

  “Da,” Kirill laughed. “Squirrel!”

  Rian giggled harder. At least he got my jokes.

  “It's called a partrain,” I said to Lugh as the bird he'd been watching dove directly by our carriage. “They're cousins to owls.”

  “Sure, I can see the similarities,” Lugh said sarcastically. “It's just like an owl. Except for the glowing eyes, the mammoth size, and the blood red feathers.”

  “A partrain is the least of what Faerie has to offer,” I smiled. “And to answer your question, faerie essence can't blend with a god soul, it can only blend with human. So when a god conceives a child with a faerie, they get a full amount of both.”

  “Oil and water, huh?” Lugh pulled his gaze away from the window to smile at me. “Fascinating. All of this is,” he nodded to the forest.

  “I vas amazed too on my first visit,” Kirill nodded. “Beautiful, dangerous, and irresistible. Faerie is a lot like my vife in zose vays.”

  “Our vife,” Arach corrected Kirill, and then looked embarrassed and corrected himself. “Our wife, I mean.”

  “Da, ours,” Kirill conceded with a nod.

  “She must be something incredible,” Lugh gave me a wink, “for all of you to be okay with sharing her.”

  “It's a long and complicated story,” I shrugged. “And we're here, so I'll have to tell it to you another time.”

  “Saved by ze Castle of Eight,” Kirill laughed.

  “The Castle of...?” Lugh's question trailed off as he got a good look at his father's house. “Are those living trees?”

  “Living trees with faeries living inside them,” I nodded. “Seven trees form the outer walls. As you can see, their trunks have been magically coerced into growing outward into narrow lengths, and joining together with the trees beside them, forming walls. Their trunks have been hollowed by the same magical means, and are home to the knights of Spirit as well as the members of the High Court.”

  “And here are the elemental gardens,” Arach continued for me as we passed beneath the arching gate of smooth wood.

  The guards on the wall above us had already seen our House crest, and were calling out our approach to others in the courtyard. Soon the High King would be notified of our arrival. But for now, we were free to enjoy the sights within the outer walls without having to rush.

  In the enormous courtyard surrounding the central tree, elemental gardens sprawled. Each one featured plants and landscaping showcasing a particular element. The water garden for example, housed an elaborate fountain in its center. I didn't particularly like that garden though. I'd been attacked in it once. Come to think of it, I'd been attacked in the Fire garden too. I grimaced. I couldn't even enjoy my own element's garden. That sucked.

  “Beautiful,” Lugh breathed, and then pulled his head back into the carriage quickly.

  I followed his gaze to see a spriggan sauntering by. Spriggans were pretty grotesque looking faeries. They were really hairy too, and could alter their size from being about a foot tall to the nearly gigantic form this one had inflated himself to. When they did grow, it made them look fluffy, and reminded me of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. Yes, spriggans gave the term inflated ego new meaning. They tended to swagger about when they were fully puffed.

  “Is this your first visit to Faerie?” Arach asked Lugh.

  “Yes,” Lugh blinked and floundered, “My father... I mean Manannan... said he didn't want me to visit. He said Faerie would be a dangerous place for a half-Formorian god,” Lugh grimaced. “I realize now of course that they just didn't want me to meet my real father. My real father...” he whispered. “I can't believe I'm here, about to meet him. My entire life I've thought my father was dead, and my mother lost to me. Now the Formorians are free, and my father is alive. How my life has changed in a single day!”

  “That's happened to me before,” I said sympathetically. “It can be disorienting. How are you feeling?”

  “I'm still hurt,” he shrugged. “I'm sure that pain will take awhile to heal. But at the same time I'm excited, Queen Vervain. I ho
pe he likes me.”

  “He'll love you,” I reached over and gave his knee a pat. “I told you, children are treasured here.”

  “My... our wife,” Arach changed his wording with a look at Kirill, “is right. Our fertility failed us for a very long time, especially the sidhe. Our sons are some of the first sidhe children to have been born in Faerie for many years. The High King will be beyond pleased to meet you.”

  The carriage came to a gentle stop, and Lugh took a deep breath.

  “You're gonna do great,” I gave Lugh another pat as I got up.

  Kirill handed me Rian, and got out of the carriage first. Then I handed the baby back to him, and Kirill helped me down with his free hand. Arach handed me Brevyn and stepped out. It was always a dance to get out of a carriage with the babies.

  Lugh took a few moments to himself before he exited. We waited, exchanging concerned looks, until finally, Lugh stepped down onto the gently sloping, living wood stairs of the central tree. He stared up at the soaring trunk, up into the branches miles overhead, and then looked back down to the arching doorway looming before us. He turned to me and gave me a crisp nod.

  I handed Brevyn back to Arach, I wanted my hands to be free in case Lugh needed one to squeeze. But Lugh didn't reach for me, just started up those smooth stairs with a determined stride. We hurried after him.

  There was a faerie standing on the top step waiting for us. He had been a knight of the House of Air when last I'd seen him, but it looked as if he'd been sent to replace Sir Danal, when Danal had been released from his service to the House of Spirit. It was considered a great honor to serve the High Court, but it could take its toll on a faerie. They preferred to live within their elemental kingdoms. It was one of the reasons the gardens had been built, to help the numerous types of faeries feel at home while they resided in the Castle of Eight.

  Moth wings rose up above the knight's shoulders, and his blonde hair was braided severely back, giving his already harsh features an even sterner cast. Black eyes, so like his daughter's, surveyed us coolly at first, but then his lips twitched, and he came forward to give us a deep bow.