To Wed The Goblin King (The Realm Trilogy Book 2)

by Lisa Manifold

  “We should have another and let it go to the end,” he said, stepping closer and taking my hand.

  I pulled my hand from his, but he didn’t step away. Instead, he reached a hand up towards my face. I took a step back.

  His hand hung in the air for a moment, and then he dropped it. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to be an asshole.”

  “You’re not an asshole,” I said, “I’m just not…” I didn’t know how to tell him about Brennan, about our wrecked date, about anything.

  “It’s okay. I’m not an asshole, so I’ll say, thanks for the excitement today.” He stopped to look down at his phone. “Tad’s here. He was close by. Walk out with me?” He held out his hand again.

  I moved around it and him and headed for the restaurant and hopefully the front door.

  He fell into step with me. We left the restaurant and I could see a car idling out front.

  “Well, I’ll see you later,” I said.

  He pulled me into a hug before I could say or do anything. “I’ll hold you to that,” he said, and then as quickly as he’d hugged me, he let go and loped to the waiting car.

  I watched as he turned to wave as the car pulled away. Heath hadn’t been that pushy when we’d gone out. What in the name of heaven had my father told him? He kept pushing, even when I was giving off the don’t touch me vibes.

  Dad had to have said something.

  I turned around and marched back. I spotted the three of them sitting in the back and made my way towards them.

  I stopped and didn’t sit down. “You want to tell me what the hell you’ve been doing?”

  Chapter Eight

  Brennan

  He held the mirror in his hands, waiting to see her face. After a moment, he saw something moving in the darkness of the mirror. A hand? He couldn’t tell. Then he could hear conversation. What was she doing?

  A burst of laughter from the mirror made him lean in, as though that would help with hearing what was going on. He listened carefully. Iris, her laugh was music to his ears. He could hear two—no, three other people. Her parents? Made sense. Another, lighter feminine laugh? He couldn’t tell who that was.

  Then he heard a man’s voice, and that one sounded like Iris’s father. And then he heard the name Heath.

  He dropped the mirror.

  What was the human boy doing there? With her parents? Why was she spending time with another man? Or boy, which is what Heath was. A boy. Why hadn’t she mentioned this? Is that why she’d refused to answer the mirror? Because she was with another?

  The pain pierced his heart with an intensity he’d not known he could feel. He actually clutched the area where his heart lay as though that could ease it. So much for his smugly feeling no jealously earlier. He gripped his chest harder, wanting to make the pain go away.

  It didn’t.

  No. No, Iris would not play him false. Iris was not Ailla, saying one set of words to him, and working to harm him when not with him.

  But the thought of betrayal was strong, and it wouldn’t leave.

  Drake found him later, sitting in a chair in his study.

  “Bren, I’ve heard from my spy within the Dragon Realm.”

  “Oh?” He knew his voice was listless.

  “Yes, and she has some interesting news. What do you know about dragons?”

  This wasn’t what he expected and, in spite of his concern about Iris, he felt interest. “There are not many left. The Dragon Realm guards them carefully, and they spend a great deal of time sleeping. Probably a good thing given their general temperament.”

  “Did you know that there are dragons that can shift into fae form?”

  That made him sit up. “No! Are you sure that your spy is not merely repeating a rumor?”

  Drake sat down in the other chair. “Shall we call for something to eat and drink? I know you haven’t eaten yet, as you look terrible.”

  “Thank you for your opinion. I have been sitting here thinking, and—”

  Drake held up a hand, laughing. “Spare me, lordship! I have no desire to go down your paths of worry and what-ifs! You’re like an old man!”

  “Being aware of many outcomes is part of being king, as you should have learned over the past, oh, six hundred years.”

  “Oh, I’ve learned, to my great sorrow. Makes me happier than ever I am not and shall not ever be a king. That’s beside the point, lordship. If you’re not hungry, fine. But I am.”

  Brennan humored him. He knew Drake was bursting to tell him all he knew. Better to feed him and get this over. He went over to the bell and rang it. Within moments, one of the kitchen goblins appeared. He sent her away with orders for trays overflowing with food.

  Then he rejoined Drake. “All right. Food’s on the way, as you can see. Tell me what you know. I can see you’re near to expiration. And add into the tale how we can believe this spy of yours. Do not linger overlong on the telling; our parents are expected at any time.”

  “Taranath contacted them?” Drake asked. When Brennan nodded, he continued. “It makes sense. I also sent them a copy of the note I received. I haven’t told them it’s Carlianah. Father responded, if you’re interested. He mentions that this is not anything he’s experienced, so I’m sure he wants to talk with you. I know you’re mad at them, as you have a right to be, but don’t be stupid and ignore the fact that Father may have knowledge you do not.”

  “Taranath informs me Father was colorful in expressing his anger at Cian.”

  “I agree. Damn the man. Why couldn’t he die as he was supposed to?”

  Brennan sat back in shock. “You think it would have been better had he died?” Of course it would now, but…he struggled with the idea.

  “I do.” Drake didn’t hesitate. “You’ve carried the burden of thinking you killed him for all these years, and when you do find out he’s alive, all he does is come ‘round to plague and harass you.” He made a disgusted face. “Where is the sense in wishing for something different? I think you need to accept that the brother you knew and loved is long dead, and in his place is whatever it is we’re dealing with.”

  He studied Drake. Could this be jealousy? He tested the atmosphere of the room. It didn’t have that feeling. All he felt from Drake was anger—righteous, indignant anger.

  “I appreciate your anger on my behalf,” he said, testing to see if his assessment was correct.

  “I’m livid for you. I’m furious with our parents, but I’m livid that Cian, having been spared, is wasting his life doing whatever the hell it is he’s doing. You realize he has two women who are taking up for him?” There was a slight edge in Drake’s tone.

  “The old King’s daughter, Dhysara, and Ailla, you mean? But we saw his affection with Dhysara. I would bet a great deal that she believes their feelings for one another are true. Surely Ailla knows of that. Dhysara grew up in the Dragon Realm and was at court, from what I understand.”

  “Who knows what the bastard is doing or what he’s told them.”

  Brennan realized that, in spite of Drake’s disavowal of Ailla, he still cared for her. He felt the pain and conflict that radiated from Drake and wished he could take it away. But he couldn’t. There was nothing short of removing memory that could remove pain. He knew that Drake would agree to neither.

  “I feel for both of them, then,” he said.

  “I don’t. That means that Ailla is nothing that either of us thought she was. She agreed to become engaged to you, to further her and her father’s and Cian’s plans. She simpered up to me, beguiling me to a point I am ashamed of in order to attempt to drive a wedge between us. And she is extremely fond of Cian, according to my spy. To the point that she acts most…familiar with him. If she knows about Dhysara, it means there’s one more person she doesn’t give a damn about. Which says to me Cian and Ailla are perfectly suited.”

  “A match made in some torturous level of hell, perhaps.”

  “Well, nothing that they both don’t deserve,” said Drake.<
br />
  At that moment, several goblins burst in, carrying trays loaded with food. Goblins never went anywhere quietly. It was one of the things Brennan loved about them. They lived, no matter what they were doing, in the moment.

  “Thank you,” he said, as the three of them bobbed and scurried from the room. “Well?” He looked at Drake. “Food is before you. Eat. I want you to tell me everything you need to before Father and Mother arrive. There will be no time for us to talk once they do.”

  Drake fell to the food without words. Brennan picked at his, forcing himself to eat. The silence allowed his mind to wander back to Iris, and the sound of laughter, of all the people there, including the boy Heath, laughing as though they were having the best day of their lives.

  Iris loved him. No matter what human boy was with her now.

  “All right, so here is the surprise. I mentioned that there are dragons who can shapeshift?”

  “Yes, you did. I’m not sure I believe it. How do you know this is true?”

  “Because Ailla and her father have one who serves them at court.”

  Brennan sat back, stunned at the news. If this were true, the rest of the Fae Realm would be up in arms. Many thousands of years ago, the Dragon Realm had ruled all the realms. The dragons were so fierce and so willing to go to war to take what they thought was theirs, that no other realm could withstand them. All the realms had conspired to work together to bring down the dragons, and after they had won the war, decided that the Fae King would be the ruler of all the realms. That is when the Fae King’s son at the time had been proclaimed the Goblin King, and the responsibility of controlling the magic of the entire realm had come with the throne. The leaders of the realms had insisted the Fae King take some measures. In an oddly trusting step, Brennan remembered Jharak telling him that no one wanted to know what it was—that they had given the Fae King of the time free rein to make the arrangements.

  Ostensibly, the son of the king had been installed as the Goblin King because the Goblin Realm was the nearest to the Dragon Realm. In reality, the first Goblin King of fae descent was a skilled mage and capable of monitoring what his neighbors might get up to.

  The measures had worked for many years. Now it seemed that the Dragon Realm had once more found their way around it. The Dragon Realm was ruled by fae—called dragon fae—who were different from those of the Fae Court. Over thousands of years, they had taken on many of the qualities of the dragons they lived with. Secretive, self-centered, plotting, and jealously protective of what they saw as their own. He’d been surprised when his father suggested Ailla. Typically, dragon fae married within their kingdom. Everyone was happier that way.

  “How did this come to pass?” He asked Drake finally.

  “I do not know, nor does Carlianah. She resides within the castle and happened to overhear Ailla and her father talking. They were discussing the half-breed, as they called her. Carlianah hid so that she would not be discovered, for she knew if she was, there would soon be an accidental death for her.”

  “She must have been mistaken! Fae do not kill in such an indiscriminate manner! Are you sure you can trust her? How did she get this information to you?” Brennan was shocked.

  Drake shook his head. “Carlianah has a great deal to say regarding what really goes on in the Dragon Realm. I received a mirror yesterday by way of a goblin. He could not tell me where it came from. I held onto it, so that I might discover who had sent it. I’m not an idiot,” He added, seeing Brennan’s look. “I’m well aware of the dangers here. But last evening, Carlianah contacted me, hiding in her wardrobe. She is scared. If she’s not, she’s doing an impressive impersonation of one who is. I’ll keep an eye on Niko and his father, Bren. Can I continue? This is important, even if it’s only half-accurate!”

  Brennan nodded. It seemed a little too convenient, this informant.

  Drake said, “Dragons are still alive and well, but the king breeds them carefully so they cannot achieve the level of power they once had, but they are still strong enough to have magical abilities and be a force for the court.”

  “I thought dragon and fae were equal within the realm. And I was unaware, as I am sure Father is, that there is any sort of active breeding occurring,” Brennan frowned. Given the history of dragons, breeding them carried the potential for disaster. You could not breed away the nature of a being.

  “Well, perhaps they were once equal. No more, according to Carlianah. Eilor is not taking any chances that the dragons would be able to rise again. And there is a breeding program.”

  “Interesting that this has never come into conversation when Father was negotiating with Eilor, don’t you think?” He looked at Drake. “What of the half-breed? Dragon and what else?”

  “Human!” Drake said.

  “That cannot be! How can they have mated?”

  “Carlianah thought the same thing. Once she’d heard them discussing the half-breed, she began to eavesdrop as much as possible. Apparently, the father of the dragon-girl is a dragon who could take fae form. The girl’s mother, from what she gathered, is human.”

  “How is that even possible?” Brennan found it difficult to get his head around such a thought. Certainly citizens from the different realms had married, although it was not common. But for a human to mate with a dragon? How had the two even come met? “There is more to this story.”

  “Carlianah thinks so.”

  “I want to meet this dragon-girl.”

  “I knew you would, lordship. Carlianah is not certain she can facilitate this, but she promised to try. If she should be able to, we will need to go to her immediately.”

  “Why does she do this? Take the risks?” Brennan asked. He couldn’t shake his suspicion.

  “Because she wants you to exert influence with Niko’s father, Gardalion. She knows him for what he is—if your father went to him and said, ‘Your son Niko would be lucky to have such a wife, even if her court is in shambles,’ the sun-chaser would give in. You know that.”

  Brennan nodded. Love was a powerful motivator. So was his father’s approval—at least to a member of the court. “All right. I can see why she’d take the risk. But how are we to manage that? You know that we’re dealing with a magic that I am unfamiliar with. I have great concern that we will be found out. Worse, that Carlianah or the girl will be. I cannot have either of them hurt on my behalf, Drake, even if there are less than pure motives at work here.”

  Drake looked hard at him. “Are you sure you are feeling better? Have you taken leave of your senses? This is me you’re speaking with.”

  Brennan let his head fall into his hand. “You’re right. I am sorry. I should know better than to question your amazing powers, oh great spy!”

  “That’s better. Don’t forget it, either, lordship. If you’re done, I’ll tell you that Carlianah is afraid, so I feel that she won’t take any risks. She told me,” Drake looked away, but not before Brennan saw a flash of something—regret? Guilt? Pain? Cross his face, “that Ailla is cruel, but not outwardly so, and if Ailla or Eilor discovers that she knows of the girl, or that she’s talking to me, she fears she will die.”

  “Then we’d better not gather any more information from her,” Brennan started.

  “No, she’s our best bet for keeping up with what’s going on in that cursed realm. Wait!” Drake held up a hand. He got out of the chair and started to pace. “Have Father speak to Nico’s spineless father. Tell him that he is disappointed that he won’t be seeing Carlianah. It gives her a reason to come to the Fae Court, to be away from Ailla. Then see if we can arrange a way to get in touch with this dragon girl. We’ll manage from there.” He looked at Brennan, his eyes alight. “Well?”

  “Well, what?”

  “What do you think?”

  “I think you want to get us all killed.”

  Drake glared, but Brennan glared back. Then he leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes. “I will think on it. I’m tired, Drake. Perhaps I am not feeling well, much as I hat
e to admit it before you.” Brennan got up, and Drake moved toward the door. “No, stay. Eat. Please. Don’t let all this go to waste. I’ll retire and we’ll talk on this tomorrow.”

  “Do you want me to wake you if Father arrives?”

  “Of course. But you could take your time about it. Feed him, too. Bring him up to date with what we know.”

  “I shall,” Drake grinned as he sat back down, and for a moment, Brennan almost felt sorry for his father.

  The moment passed. He went into his bedchamber and, closing the door, tossed his clothing onto the bench at the end of the bed before wrapping himself into a robe, getting into his bed, and closing his eyes. He didn’t want to think about the missed communication with Iris, the laughter of the boy he’d heard in the background. Jealousy was for children, for those unsure. He was neither.

  He felt not hundreds, but thousands of years old tonight.

  What had Cian done to him?

  ***

  He opened his eyes and wasn’t in his chamber. He was…he didn’t know where he was. Somewhere dark. He could see, with a light source coming from…somewhere. He couldn’t tell where.

  Then a figure appeared before him. Golden hair, lovely skin…Iris! She’d finally come to join him! He’d never let her leave again. Ever. She looked at him with warmth, and a glow suffused her face.

  “You’re here,” she said. “I’ve been waiting.”

  He made a move to meet her, take her in his arms. When she held out her hand, he reached for her and saw the shadow of another move past him.

  The woman had skin as pale as the bright moon and red hair. She was clothed in red, flowing garments that moved with a breeze Brennan could not feel. Iris, too, had on the same sort of flowing garments, but hers were a soft green. She glowed, not with the light of the sun as she usually did, but with the cool, distant light of the moon.

  Like the woman in red.

  The woman took Iris’s hand, and they turned and walked from him. The woman looked over her shoulder, and opened her mouth.