Diadem

by Kate Kelley

  “I’m not ready for that, Oriel.” His hands were light on her shoulders and his mouth was inches from hers. He rested his forehead on hers and brushed her nose with his. A sweetness brushed Lyra’s aura. He lifted his head from hers to peer into her eyes.

  “Do you remember our first kiss?” Oriel asked, laughter in his voice.

  “Oh yes, quite a romantic thing caused by my clumsiness. You said ‘At least I took you to dinner first.’” She mimicked his deep voice. Laughter bubbled up out of both of them. His hand came up to cup her cheek again, and his thumb brushed her cheek, then over her bottom lip. He leaned in and Lyra felt his breath on her lips.

  A movement on the bank directed her vision past Oriel to the right.

  Terrin stood rigid, watching them, his face murderous. Oriel whipped around and looked at Terrin for a tense moment, then dropped his hands from Lyra.

  Terrin’s voice was dark, his words wrenched from his throat as if by force. “Alec is injured.”

  He turned stiffly and stalked away.

  Chapter Four

  Lyra splashed forward, the water slowing her down as she ran to the bank. She tugged on her dry chemise and pants, then her vest over top, not bothering to tie the stays. She tucked her thin shirt into the waistband of her pants and pulled her boots on, then took off in a run toward Terrin. Oriel was close behind her. Tense voices rose and fell as she approached, on Terrin’s heel. She got around him, sprinting the rest of the way. Alec lay prone on the forest floor, his chest heaving, his eyes opening and closing dazedly. Iris bent over him, her hand clamped over the side of his neck, her face white but her eyes focused. Freydis held a flask to Alec’s lips, blue liquid spilling down his chin. Her eyes were sharply flitting around as if looking for something. Terrin’s aura glowed red in both palms. He stood shielding Alec from the direction of the forest. Poppi knelt nearby, holding one of Alec’s hands.

  “What happened?” Lyra fell to her knees next to Alec. “What are you giving him?”

  Freydis’ eyes turned dark as she capped the canteen and pocketed it. “Nymphs. Shot him with something poisonous. Nasty little things.”

  “Aren’t nymphs the same as Fae?” She swallowed, watching Alec’s paling skin.

  “No. They’re several notches down on the ancestry line. Tiny, vicious insects, they are.”

  “What’s the blue liquid?”

  “A multipurpose antidote. It should work on nymph poison,” she murmured, frowning, as if not sure.

  Something whizzed through Lyra’s hair. She flattened herself to the ground and rolled, blasting her aura in the direction it had come. Terrin and Oriel joined in. Their blasts bit into the air and fell into the river, spraying them repeatedly with water. A tiny, strangled cry broke through the clatter.

  Terrin lunged, landing in the river and going under. A few seconds passed and Lyra took a step forward. Terrin emerged with a giant splatter, his hair flat on his head, eyes full of death. He marched onto the bank, clutching a chipmunk-sized creature, the arms and legs contained within his tight fist. It wriggled and slung what Lyra imagined were curses had she been able to understand it. It’s eyes were completely black, no white shone there. Coarse, wavy, blonde hair stood on end as it bared a mouthful of sharp, needle-like teeth. It’s features were androgynous; it appeared neither male nor female. Webbed feet kicked violently, not putting a dent in the prison of Terrin’s fist. Swinging its feral head, it sunk its teeth deep into his pointer finger. Terrin swore and ignited his aura, zapping the creature. It jerked and hung its head for a moment before rearing back and biting again. Terrin growled and zapped it again. The creature slowed but bit again. Terrin blasted bright red and when he severed the connection, the nymph lay limp. He dropped it and it fell to the ground in a tiny heap, its head bent at an awkward angle. Terrin shook out his hand and walked to Alec who was drinking water from Iris’ canteen now, his eyes looking much more steady.

  Freydis stood and glared at Terrin. “Great. Just fantastic. You’ve unleashed the fucking wrath of the nymphs on our heads now.” She handed him the canteen of the blue liquid. He took a small swig and handed it back. The tiny puncture wounds on his finger were bleeding and bubbling with foam. In a second, the bubbling stopped and the wounds closed.

  Lyra frowned at the nymph corpse. “Should we bury it?” she asked.

  Freydis shook her head, her earrings swinging with the movement. “It won’t bloody matter. They’ll know one of theirs is missing. They’ll smell the death. We need to leave. Now.”

  Alec stood, Iris’ hand on his back, concern softening her regal, pristine features. His eyes flicked over her and his eyes softened. “I’m okay,” he murmured to her. Iris blinked and her face became impassive once more.

  Her head snapped to Freydis. “What happened to the glamour?”

  Freydis let out a short, humorless laugh. “I told you my glamours aren’t going to hold up like Lubena’s. She comes from a powerful line, all specialized in glamour and finer magick. My ancestors were fighters, soldiers, rum makers. I must regenerate the glamour every few hours.”

  Iris bristled and looked down her nose at the Fae woman. “They couldn’t have sent someone more capable?”

  Freydis took a step toward Iris, coiled tension winding through her form. Iris squared her shoulders, pinning her with a dark stare.

  “You’re bloody lucky I’m even here, human.” Freydis spat the word like it was a great insult.

  Alec pulled Iris’ arm back and she rounded on him, yanking her arm from his grasp. “You dare touch your Queen in such a manner?” Her words frosted the air.

  Alec’s eyes tightened and he inclined his head, bowing slightly toward her. “Forgive me,” he said dryly, then turned and stalked ahead, disappearing into the shield of green foliage.

  ✽✽✽

  The sky bloomed to a dusky orange, the light slanting toward them from the horizon. The air had cooled, much to everyone’s relief. Lyra walked behind the rest, deliberately slow. She didn’t feel like speaking to anyone for the rest of the day.

  Freydis had regenerated a glamour as they had reached a spot to camp by a thin, shallow section of river. The trees were young and thinned, leaving room for a fire and places to lay. Terrin pulled his cloak and sleeping bag out of his satchel and laid them on the ground. Alec and Oriel left to gather firewood. Terrin left to snatch dinner, ordering Iris to stay with Poppi and Lyra. Freydis worked on the glamour. Across the river, a short but wide waterfall fell down slick rocks into the water, interrupting the gentle direction of the stream. Lyra was sweaty again, but not nearly as profusely as earlier. Poppi handed her a canteen and sat next to her on soft clover.

  “How are you feeling?” Lyra asked her before taking a long swig of water.

  “Fine,” Poppi said shortly, her voice weary. She stared ahead. After a short silence, Poppi spoke again, so quiet Lyra almost didn’t hear her. “I feel so useless.”

  Lyra glanced sharply at her, taking in the defeated look in her eyes. “You’re not useless Poppi, you caught the Lyrebird, you made my outfits. You gave me back the pendant, you gave us very important information about Navi, including how to heal the adlet bite. You saved Terrin’s life.”

  Poppi’s brows lowered. “He wouldn’t have needed saving if you hadn’t come to the castle to get me.”

  “We didn’t come to save you. We came for answers. We would have come regardless, and we would have saved you no matter what.”

  Poppi looked down at her hands, her fists opening and closing. “I can’t defend myself like you all can. I can’t even walk for much of the journey. I feel like a child.”

  Lyra watched her profile against the moon’s glow, the fan of her thick lashes as she looked down at her hands. “Do you want to wear the pendant so you’ll have magic?”

  Poppi shook her head. “It only lets me see inside people’s heads at times, and I can’t control it. Nothing like blasting aura or anything useful.”

  Lyra sighed. Out of the cor
ner of her eye she saw Freydis making quick, sure movements. She looked at her, only to find her removing the last of her clothing and walking into the river. She launched herself fully into it with no fear or shame, swimming with long breaststrokes toward the waterfall. She stood, the water reaching just under her pert breasts, letting the water wash over her hair and body. She cupped her hands around her mouth, “Come in, ladies, the water is marvelous!”

  Iris’ head snapped up and a look of pure disgust overtook her countenance. She looked away and continued her busy work with some stitching. Poppi glanced at Lyra, her eyes wide and her face beat red. “Gods, the Fae aren’t a shameful bunch, are they?”

  “They aren’t” Iris said in a flat voice.

  “Bunch of human pusses!” Freydis called out, her voice full of laughter. Lyra bit back a smile when she glimpsed Iris’ shocked face. For being alone in the wilderness for ten years, the woman had retained a surprising amount of propriety.

  “I’m only half human, remember?” Lyra called back.

  Freydis disappeared under the water and popped back up. “Doesn’t look it from where I’m standing!”

  Lyra bit her lip. She knew Freydis was challenging her, testing her to see if she was “Fae enough.” And she felt an obligation to prove herself, to prove that her mother’s blood indeed ran through her. She stood and began stripping until she got to her chemise.

  “What are you doing?” Poppi hissed. Iris flicked her gaze over her and then returned to her stitching, her expression bored. Lyra pulled off her chemise, exposing the evening air to her flushed skin.

  “Bathing,” Lyra said. Poppi didn’t know she had already bathed earlier. “The men aren’t here. We can be in and out before they return.”

  Poppi bit her lip. “I am rather disgusting at the moment.” She sniffed under her arm and wrinkled her nose. She turned to the woods and, satisfied no men were nearby, stood and hid behind a tree to undress. Lyra jumped into the river, the cool water enveloping her. She swam lazily, alternating between wading and floating. Faint stars appeared, twinkling in the deepening indigo canvas above them. A crescent moon marked a corner of the sky like a signature.

  “Close your eyes!” Poppi called out from behind her tree. Freydis snorted. Lyra closed her eyes and opened them when she heard a gentle splash. After a few minutes Poppi seemed to have forgotten her shyness and moved freely about the river, not bothering to block her breasts from view. She washed in the waterfall, the water freely flowing down her pale skin. Freydis waded, drinking from a canteen as if she had not a care in the world. She handed it to Lyra and leveled a stare at her as if daring her to drink.

  Lyra brought it to her lips and tipped her head back. A honeysweet liquid reached her tongue, turning slightly sharp and spicy at the end. It was lovely. She took another long swig and returned it to Freydis who grinned at her. “Fae rum, best you’ll get.”

  Freydis passed it to Poppi who peered into it with a skeptical eye, then tentatively brought it to her lips and sipped. She contemplated it and then returned it for a longer swig before handing it back to Freydis. “Delicious!”

  “Have all you want,” Freydis said, the nicest thing Lyra had heard her say.

  “I don’t want to drink all of your rum,” Poppi replied with a shake of her head.

  “You can’t,” Freydis said with a wink, tipping its contents into her mouth. She giggled. Giggled. The feminine quality suited her, though Lyra didn’t think it could. She handed it to Lyra. The canteen was still heavy--just as heavy as it was before they all drank from it.

  “It replenishes magically,” Freydis said, “It’s what my family does for a living. We make rum and sometimes we enchant it. Well, that and fighting. Bit of a lowly job, even though it pays well. My family is as rich as the families at the peak of society, but no one sees them that way.” Her words slurred slightly and she lay on her back again, drifting across the water.

  Poppi took another swig of the rum and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “I never got to go outside much, before. This is my first river bath. I’d never known any of this existed. I mean, I’d seen pictures, but, Ursa is an iceland and at Gem Navi forbade me to go beyond the castle grounds.”

  Lyra touched Poppi’s arm. “You’ll never be cooped up again.”

  Poppi shuddered out an exhale. “If Navi doesn’t find me, that is.”

  “She won’t,” Lyra promised.

  “What will happen when we go back?” Poppi said in a small voice. Her palms skimmed the surface of the water as she swung them in wide circles. “Is earth still standing? Will there be anyone left?”

  Lyra had wondered the same. It was too much to contemplate. She took a swig of the rum, her body buzzing with the lazy magic of the spirits flowing in her veins. “Speculating doesn’t help anything. Our goal is to cross over through the portal, put Iris on the throne. The earth should go back to normal. Beyond that, I have no idea what the future holds.” Shadows crept into Lyra’s mind, darkening her mood.

  Will Edwin and Ganymede come after me? And what is Ganymede planning?

  A hard tug on Lyra’s ankle threw her off balance and she was drug under the water. Water assailed her nose and stung the back of her throat. She kicked at her assailant, pushing off the river floor and kicking away as if her life depended on it. When she burst through the surface, sputtering, a loud cackle greeted her. Whipping around, she pushed her wet hair from her eyes. Freydis shook with mirth, pointing a finger at her. It took Lyra a moment to understand what was happening. Poppi stifled a laugh and covered her mouth.

  “You little imp!” Lyra screamed, lunging at Freydis and pulling her tiny body down into the water. Freydis twisted and kicked away, laughing. Poppi giggled. Lyra splashed them both with a hefty push of her hand. Poppi squealed, jumping away. Freydis swore, wiping the water from her eyes.

  “Don’t call me a bloody imp. Imps are ugly little bitches.”

  Lyra blinked at Freydis before she let her head fall back as she laughed deeply, clutching her stomach. Poppi joined in, followed by Freydis. They laughed for a long time, the laughter returning in a raucous explosion as soon as it faded. They hardly knew what they were laughing about anymore. Lyra wiped tears from her eyes.

  An orange light burst on shore. The girls turned to it, their laughter fading sharply. A fire burned on kindling, and three men stood around it, staring out at them. The evening was darkened enough now that Lyra didn’t suspect they could see them in very good detail. She couldn’t make out their faces. Oriel’s aura burned low with excitement and desire.

  What else was new these days?

  Iris was standing and brushing her skirts. She blocked Alec’s view from the bathing women. Whether on purpose or not, Lyra didn’t know. Terrin turned his back to them, squatting by the fire. His shirt was still missing, and Lyra stared at his rippling muscles. He appeared to be roasting meat. Rabbit, by the smell. Feeling rather bold, Lyra reached for the canteen again, taking three long swigs.

  “Careful, minx, it’s awfully strong. Puking in front of your man wouldn’t be sexy.” Freydis’ voice floated to her. Her golden eyes shone with intrigue. Lyra wanted to ask who she thought her man was, but a deep baritone vibrated closely to her.

  “One bath wasn’t enough for you today?”

  She turned, her torso completely exposed. Terrin’s jaw ticked but he kept his eyes on hers. He swallowed heavily before moving past her more deeply into the water. Lyra let out a slow measured breath as her skin tingled with warmth.

  “Now that’s just not fair.”

  Lyra turned to Freydis. “What?”

  She quirked a brow at her. “How did you manage to snag two beautiful men all for yourself?”

  “Uh, no. That’s not what it is at all--” Strong arms wrapped around Lyra’s middle.

  “Hello, beauty,” Oriel said into her shoulder. She turned in his arms, and glowered at him. He let go, and winked before swimming backward.

  Freydis chuckled behind her. �
��So not fair,” she mumbled. The world was fuzzy around Lyra, the breeze a gentle stroke, the water a silky embrace. She sighed and enjoyed the moment, thinking of little else than the present. She heard the murmurs of the others. Oriel and Alec were drinking the rum now. Poppi and Oriel were paired off, they spoke together in hushed tones. Oriel said something funny, Poppi laughed, covering her face as if in embarrassment. Alec and Freydis played some sort of game under the water with their auras, the glow blinking on and off. Lyra walked ashore, not caring if her naked body was on display. The night made her feel bold. The rum had something to do with it too.

  Her shirt provided protection from the ground as she sat and munched on the roasted meat and bread that was set out. She felt free. Iris lay on the other side of the fire, her back facing them, her black hair splaying out of the sleeping bag.

  Of course Iris took the sleeping bag. Lyra shrugged. She didn’t actually mind. The woman was Queen, after all.

  She lay back and rubbed her full stomach, her bare back cushioned on clovers as thick as carpet. As she breathed a sigh of contentment, she imagined she could sleep just like this. The sounds of raucous laughter and conversation filled the air, flowing closer to Lyra. She tore her heavy eyes open. Terrin stood a few feet away from her, drying off with a discarded shirt. The firelight danced over the planes of his skin. She let her gaze linger over his his shoulders, arms, abdomen, those long, muscular legs, and what lay--or rather, stood--between them. She swallowed and searched his face. He looked beyond angry.

  “You’re either a statue, or you’re about to kill someone. There’s no other emotion with you.” Lyra let the words fall out of her mouth. Terrin approached her slowly, and sat down next to her, his arms draped over his legs. He stared into the fire, then contemplated his shirt before throwing it at Lyra without looking at her. “Put it on.”