by Amy Sumida
I was actually very familiar with the knight. Hideo's mother was a kitsune, a type of Japanese fox fairy. Thanks to her, he had slightly Asian features, a Japanese name, and a nice fluffy white tail. He also had certain mannerisms gained from the time spent in Japan, where he'd gone to learn the art of swordplay from his mother's people. He gave me a stiff bow before continuing.
“We will have to console ourselves by assisting the Star's Guard in seeing to your protection,” Sir Hideo declared.
“Actually, I have a more important use for you,” I glanced at Chad and he smiled. “The situation with the Court of the Nine Sons has escalated with King Uisdean's rescue and we're now posting guards along the shoreline. I need you to add to their numbers.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” he bowed.
“Oh, and by the way, did my father happen to give you any money?”
Sir Hideo chuckled and pulled out my father's famous black American Express card.
“Thank the Goddess,” I snatched it up. “Mama needs some new clothes.”
The twilight knight blinked at me in surprise.
“I fled the Court of the Nine Sons with what I had on my back, that's it. I've had to rely on King Chiwen's generosity,” I waved a hand to my borrowed clothing. “Plus, we're going to have to pay for lodgings.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Sir Hideo bowed.
“I'll drive them to the sites,” Chad grabbed his coat and we all filed out, heading down the stairs and over to the cars. “I believe we'll need to make a few trips,” he looked over the knights and pointed to three of them. “You three come with me and the rest of you get inside and make yourselves at home until I return. Have some tea.”
I laughed at the knight's shocked expressions.
“Go on,” I shooed them. “He won't be gone too long.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” they all said and headed into the house.
I really couldn't blame them. I'd been just as shocked the first time King Chiwen offered me tea.
I got into the driver's seat of the van while Tiernan and Raza got into the back, along with half of Uisdean's King's Guard and half of my Star's Guard. The rest of our knights were on their way to take the first watch. Uisdean had already claimed the passenger's seat, so that left me stranded in front with him.
“Do you know of any lodgings fine enough for a fairy king?” Uisdean asked me with a straight face. I waited for him to crack but he was completely serious.
“I don't really know the area,” I rolled my eyes. “But I kind of doubt they'll have anything that meets your exacerbating standards.”
“I believe you mean; exacting,” he corrected me. “Exacerbate means to worsen or annoy.”
“Nope,” I smiled sweetly. “I said precisely what I meant.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
We ended up getting rooms in a couple hotels because there wasn't a single hotel which could fit all of us on such short notice. My Uncle Uisdean, Brett, Tiernan, Raza, and I took rooms at a place called Pearson's Pond Luxury Inn. It was set back a bit from the main part of the city, within the forest's embrace, and it did indeed have a pond in front of it. The lady who checked us in introduced herself as Maryann and was very friendly. She barely looked twice at our unusual mix of attire. Just checked us in and handed us our keys.
The Inn was rustic looking on the outside, a sort of wood cabin feel, and had a country cottage décor within. I was perfectly happy with my cozy room and its canopied bed but just two doors down from us, I heard Uisdean exclaim in distaste as his knight opened their door. They had to share a room, which was strike one against the hotel in Uisdean's opinion. For a minute there, I thought he was going to make Brett sleep in the van.
“This is a luxury Inn?” Uisdean scoffed and I rolled my eyes.
“Goodnight, Princess Seren,” Raza gave me a sweet smile before nodding stiffly to Tiernan. “Lord Tiernan.”
“Lord Raza,” Tiernan practically pushed me into the room.
“Okay, okay,” I pulled away from him angrily and headed to the bathroom.
“Seren,” he followed me.
“I'm getting a little tired of the tug-of-war between you two,” I jerked on the water in the shower and then started to strip.
“Would you prefer me to just wave him into the room and let him have at you?” Tiernan growled.
“No,” I huffed. “I'd prefer you to be secure in our relationship and just... I don't know... smirk at him. That would really piss him off.”
“Well I suppose it would,” he blinked. “Yes, you're absolutely right. I'm playing right into his plans by acting the fool, aren't I?”
“A bit,” I sighed and gave him a little smile. “Now, you wanna forget about Raza for awhile and come scrub my back?”
“And your front and your-”
“Yes, I get the idea,” I laughed and stepped into the shower as he started removing his clothes rapidly.
“Just one question about Raza before we forget about him.”
Tiernan groaned.
“Why did his family give up the Unseelie Throne?”
“They didn't,” Tiernan stepped in and got under the warm spray with me. He sighed, “They were killed.”
“Oh,” I pressed my cheek to his chest and felt his arms slide around me. “I remember him saying that now. But I thought you couldn't kill fairy rulers?”
“Except in battle.”
“They all died in battle?” I pulled away from him. “The human wars or-”
“The Fairy Wars,” he confirmed. “There are those who've suggested that the killing blows came from their own men.”
“Wait, what?” I gaped at him. “You're telling me the unseelie used war as an opportunity to kill their own king?”
“And his immediate heir,” Tiernan nodded. “It's rather suspicious that nearly all of the dragons were killed during one battle, don't you agree?”
“Yes, I do,” I whispered but I wasn't lamenting the tragedy of all those dragon deaths, I was mourning the survival of the few who had to live through it.
What horror that must have been for Raza. I wondered how old he was at the time and how he had escaped the slaughter. He must have been terrified that his own people would try to kill him. He didn't have the protection of a crown, so the unseelie didn't have anything restraining them from extinguishing an entire race.
“The surviving dragons decided not to pursue their claims to the throne,” Tiernan went on. “That's the truly telling part. No dragon would have given up ruling Unseelie without deadly force placed upon them.”
“But why?”
“You've seen Raza when he's in a rage,” Tiernan huffed. “And he's only a quarter dragon-djinn. A full-blooded dragon is ten times worse. You may think Uisdean is evil but Raza's grandfather, the first Raza Tnyn, was far worse. The unseelie lived in fear.”
“Oh,” I whispered again.
“But Raza's right,” Tiernan started shampooing my hair, his fingertips massaging my scalp until I nearly began to drool. “His claim is still valid. He never actually denied his ties, just vowed that he wasn't interested in taking the throne.”
“Do you think he really would take it now?”
“I don't know, Seren,” Tiernan gently eased my head back into the spray. “A year ago I would have said that Fairy would freeze over before another dragon sat on the unseelie throne. But Raza has changed and I think he really does care about Unseelie now. If Uisdean proves himself to be a bad king, Raza may indeed challenge him for the throne.”
“And he'd have to kill Uisdean to take it,” I looked up into Tiernan's startling silver eyes.
“Yes,” he said grimly. “Unless King Uisdean surrendered, which I doubt very much that he'd ever do. The shame would be too much for him. I believe Uisdean would sooner die than surrender his crown.”
“Well, that would be one way to take care of the problem of my uncle,” I sighed.
“I almost wish you meant that,” Tiernan chuckled.
; “Maybe I do,” I started soaping up his pale skin, my hands sliding over the curves of his muscular chest before heading lower.
“If you did, you'd never have rescued him,” Tiernan kissed me. “Now, can we talk about something other than your uncle and your very obvious admirer?”
“How about, we don't talk at all?” I suggested.
Chapter Twenty-Five
In the morning, Uisdean wasn't in his room and neither was Brett. We headed to the other hotels and found that all of Uisdean's men were missing. I assumed they had found their own way to Chad's house and expected to find them there, waiting for us. But when we got back, Chad informed us that Uisdean had rented his own vehicle and taken his men out to relieve the first watch, intending to also check in with the fey he'd posted at the mining site. He was supposed to return to Chad's after he finished.
One of the mermen came in with a couple of the pack witches and he offered to drive the rest of the fairies out to relieve the remaining first watch. It looked like I was exempt from watch duty along with Chad and Raza. We were needed at headquarters, AKA Chad's house, to run Operation High Tide (I just made that up, that's not really what we were calling it). Tiernan felt obligated to take a turn at the watch, though he rethought it when it became apparent that Raza would not.
“Maybe I should stay,” he said as he stared hard at Raza.
“What did I tell you?” I gave him a pointed look.
“Right,” he chuckled and changed his hard stare to a smirk. “My lady,” he kissed me goodbye and got in the van with the others.
Raza stepped up to me as they drove away.
“You should scry your father,” he said simply.
“You're right,” I sighed. “If nothing else than to bitch at him for sending me babysitters when I already had my Guard.”
“He acts out of love,” Raza said as he continued to stare after Tiernan's van. “And that cannot be faulted. Besides, those babysitters are seasoned soldiers and you'll be grateful they're here if the sea dragons show.”
“True,” I conceded. “But you know he's going to tell me to come home.”
“And why shouldn't you go home?” Raza shrugged. “This is over. All that's left is the clean up. We must guard the coast from the dragons but that isn't anything new. Chad will work something out with Uisdean and it will be handled. It will be just fine without you here. Or me for that matter.”
“So you think I should go?”
“I see no reason for you to stay.”
“Except for this horrible twisting I have in my gut when I think about leaving.”
“Could be the shellfish you ate last night,” he said with complete seriousness.
“What?”
His lips twitched.
“Damn it, Raza,” I punched his bicep. “I mean it. I have this strange feeling that this is only the beginning. That I... missed something.”
“Do you think that might have anything to do with the shifty look on Uisdean's face last night?”
“Yes,” I hissed and pulled Raza over to a corner of the garden. I didn't want our conversation overheard. “Uisdean gave up too quickly and then he looked smug when we told him he could post guards at the mining site.”
“The mining site,” Raza frowned. “Clearly this wasn't just about precious metals. There must be something else there that Uisdean wants.”
“But what?” I shook my head. “What could possibly be buried in Alaska that Uisdean would want?”
“Treasure?” Raza shrugged.
“Isn't that what gold is?”
“Yes, sorry,” he cleared his throat. “It's a dragon thing.”
“But there are different types of treasure,” Chad's voice carried down from the porch steps and we looked up at him guiltily. “Come inside, you two. I think this bears further consideration in warmer conditions.”
We trudged into the house like a couple of kids caught breaking a window with a baseball. Chad chuckled and led us over to the breakfast bar which separated the kitchen from the living room. The house was nearly empty, what with the change in watch taking place. Even the grindylows were gone. I hadn't realized it was just the three of us left.
“I think your instincts are right, Princess,” Chad said as he set the kettle on the stove. “This is the beginning of something, not the end. Though I don't believe our troubles will originate with the dragons.”
“No?” I asked in surprise.
“If they're planning on continuing the theft of resources, I doubt they'd try so soon after Uisdean's escape. They'll know we'll be on our guard now and they'll wait until that guard is lowered before they make an attempt. But as disconcerting as the theft of the Earth's resources is, I think it's become the least of our concerns.”
“Uisdean is still up to something,” Raza agreed.
“I could argue that he always looks like he's up to something,” I offered.
“Because he usually is up to something,” Raza grimaced. “But this feels different. More important than his usual schemes. If Uisdean is after something beyond the resources, that means he has set up a masterful maneuver of layered manipulations.”
“Yep, he's a manipulative bastard alright,” I muttered. “But, Chad, what did you mean when you said there are other treasures?”
“Have you read anything about the losses we took during the Fey-Human Wars, Princess Seren?” Chad answered me with a question.
“Both side lost many lives,” I said gravely. “That's why the truce was called.”
“Lives were not the only things lost,” Chad shared a look with Raza and the dragon made a shocked exclamation.
“The weapons,” Raza ground out.
“What weapons?”
“When great fairy leaders fell, their weapons were often stolen by the humans,” Chad explained. “Several of our artifacts were lost in such a manner.”
“I don't know of any weapons held by the Human Council,” I considered it. “I'm fairly certain they'd want us to know of such advantages if they had them.”
“They wouldn't if they buried those advantages,” Chad lifted a brow.
“Why would they do that?” I blinked.
“You encountered a powerful fairy weapon once,” Raza cocked his head at me. “What would you have done with the Blue Hag's staff if you were just an extinguisher again?”
My mouth fell open as I realized exactly what any sane human would do when faced with a weapon so powerful that, in the wrong hands, it could destroy the world.
“I would have tried to destroy it and if that proved impossible, I would have hid it,” I whispered. “Locked it away so no one could use it.”
“Like burying it deep within the earth,” Chad nodded. “Perhaps even in a tomb.”
“A tomb?” I frowned.
“What better place to hide a fairy weapon than right beneath fairy noses?” Chad asked. “Perhaps even near an unseelie rath. In the tomb of an extinguisher.”
“There's an extinguisher buried out here?” I scoffed. “Who?”
“Your ancestor, Seren,” Chad said gently. “Bowen Sloane, slayer of the great-”
“Dagda,” Raza whispered. And then he let out a vicious curse. “No, Uisdean wouldn't dare!”
“Dagda?” I frowned as I searched through what I knew of the name. “He was the first seelie king, wasn't he?”
“Yes,” Chad said in a tone of deep respect. “A greater king has never been born and his death was a heavy blow to our side.”
“And my ancestor killed him?”
“Yes,” Chad sighed. “Ironically, Dagda is also your ancestor.”
“Damn,” I whispered. “But how did Bowen Sloane get all the way to Alaska? The Fey-Human Wars were in Ireland.”
“His body was moved several times, leaving its final resting place open for debate,” Chad ignored Raza's expletives and continued. “One theory is that a team of extinguishers carted it into the Alaskan wilderness during the gold rush. It gave them the perfect excuse to be di
gging in the middle of nowhere.”
“And you think he was buried with a weapon he took from Dagda?”
Raza was still cursing but with my words, he stood and added pacing to the mix.
“Why else move him?” Chad asked. “There had to be more than bones in his coffin.”
“What was it? What did they bury with my ancestor?”
The screaming of the teakettle made us all flinch. Chad hurried over and took it off the burner, then poured the boiling water into his delicate porcelain teapot. Steam surrounded him and when he turned to face us, it made an ominous backdrop to his grim expression.
“The club,” Raza answered for Chad.
“A club?” I lifted a brow. “Like a big, rounded piece of wood you smack people with?”
“The club of Dagda was much more than a piece of wood,” Chad chided me. “Many have sought it over the years and one of the places they've looked for it was here.”
“Here in Juneau or here in Alaska?” I asked.
“Juneau,” Chad confirmed my fears.
Raza cursed again.
“Okay, let's take a breath,” I held up my hands as Chad brought the tea tray to the kitchen's breakfast bar, where I at least, was still sitting. “This is just a theory right now. We don't know anything for certain. Just because there's the rumor of a weapon being buried out here, doesn't mean that's what Uisdean is after.”
“Seren,” Raza stopped pacing to stare at me steadily. “Dagda's club was one of the greatest magical weapons of all time.”
“It could kill nine men with one blow,” Chad nodded.
“And yet Bowen Sloane managed to kill Dagda,” I noted.
“Now you understand why his body was given such respect,” Chad handed me a cup of tea. “Bowen Sloane was a hero to the humans.”
“Okay,” I sighed. “So Uisdean is after a club that can kill nine people with one swing... why? I mean, yes, it sounds bad ass but Uisdean is pretty bad ass all by himself. I can't see him going through all this drama for a killer club.”
“Dagda's club could also bring the dead back to life,” Raza declared, as if that little tidbit explained everything.
