by Bonnie Lamer
Isla has remained quiet during these exchanges. Her watchful eyes are taking everything in, but I think she’s curious to see how I’ll handle it. She’s sitting back in her chair with her legs crossed and a nondescript expression. I wish I knew what thoughts are churning in her mind right now.
We’re not really accomplishing anything with this conversation and I don’t want to sit here all day. With a sigh, I say, “Fine, keep two.”
“Two?” Dagda says but I’m pretty sure he knows what I mean.
I roll my eyes. I can’t help it. Really. “Two guards. They can do twelve hour shifts apiece pretending they could do anything if I really wanted to kill you.”
Kegan apparently can’t hold in his snicker. Which brings him to Dagda’s attention. Dagda narrows his eyes on him and then on Alita; she was right, he doesn’t like her. He doesn’t seem to think much of Kegan, either.
“I know that you lived among Cowans, Xandra. But, it is really too much to bring some home.”
Well, it probably wouldn’t be good idea to hit him. So, I do the next best thing. With a rush of magic directed at him, I say, “Good lord, if all you are going to do is pick, pick, pick, then write me a memo. Because I don’t want to hear it.”
He tries to say something, but he can’t. In a rage, he stands up to come after me. Guess he forgot my wall is still up. Ouch, I hope his nose isn’t broken. That looks like it really hurt. And that’s a lot of blood. His guards are screaming threats and profanities now and pounding on the wall, so I take their voices as well.
I feel him trying to draw enough magic to tear down my wall, but I’m way too annoyed with him for my magic to waver. Standing up, I say to Isla, “I’m going to go do a perimeter check. Make sure no one followed him here.” I look around. “Who wants to come with me?”
“Would love to,” Kegan says right away.
Alita is too shy to say anything, but she nods her head. Kallen gives Isla a questioning look and she nods her head once. Rising from her own chair, she says, “Dagda, you should not push someone whose temper is as short as your own. As they say, like father, like daughter and all that. Once you cool down, I am reasonably sure that Xandra will release you from her hold.” And then she follows us out the door.
No one says until we get downstairs. Isla speaks first, but all she says is, “Xandra, do be sure you do not leave him there too long. He needed a display of your strong will and strength, but poking a caged tiger with a stick is never a good idea. He may get loose some day.” With that, she goes in the opposite direction that the rest of us are going.
It takes a minute for the shock to wear off. “I thought she’d be mad,” I say.
Kallen grins. “You have no idea how much Grandmother has wanted to say the things that you have said to him today.”
I crinkle my forehead. “She’s stronger than him, right? Why doesn’t she just say it then?”
“Because she can do more good by remaining the High Chancellor. She must pick her battles very carefully.
That seems reasonable. “I guess we should actually do a perimeter check. Someone really could have followed him here.”
“Can I just say, that was the most impressive use of magic I have ever seen,” Kegan says with a grin. “Every minute in your presence proves more and more what I said earlier. You are way too special for the likes of my cous…” He doesn’t get to finish because Kallen punches him in the arm.
“Come on, you two. Let’s go walk around the house.”
Chapter 12
Half an hour later, we are convinced that no one followed him. So, we decide to go in search of lunch. “Hey, I’ll catch up with you guys. I have to go take care of something,” I say.
“I will come with you.”
“No, stay here with Alita and Kegan. This is something I have to do on my own. For me.” I think Kallen’s going to argue, but after a minute, he nods and goes to the kitchen with the other two.
I take a deep breath outside the east parlor door before opening it. Dagda is pacing back and forth with a deep scowl on his face. His five guards are backed against the wall with their arms crossed over their chests trying to stay out of his way. It’s not until he turns to go the other way that he notices me.
I’m pretty sure I don’t want to hear the words that he’s trying to say so, I don’t give him his voice back yet. “Are you done?” I ask. He clamps his mouth shut and tries to bore holes into me with his eyes. I walk to the wall that’s still holding him prisoner and stand in front of him.
“The first time I met you, I told you that you cannot decide whether I live or die, but I can decide if you do. That’s still true. You have to understand that I honestly and truly feel no allegiance to you, nor do I harbor any secret daddy fantasies. You mean nothing to me. If there was anything less than nothing, you wouldn’t even mean that much to me. The only reason I am here is to keep my realm safe. A byproduct of that, whether I like it or not, is keeping you safe for the time being. But hold no illusions; I will sacrifice you in a heartbeat if it comes down to choosing between you or my friends. I will also not tolerate you insulting my friends. If you do it again, I will personally remove you from this house and I will no longer participate in keeping you safe. As I said earlier, it would probably be easier to accomplish my goal if you are out of the picture. Don’t push me, and certainly don’t expect me to respect you. That’ll never happen. So, you have a choice to make. I’m going to let you out of here and you can either play nice and stay out of my way, or you can go back to your palace. Without my help.”
That said, I give him his voice back and let down the wall. I’m still standing just a foot from him. I half expect him to reach out and try to strangle me, but he doesn’t. He stands there looking at me for a long time. I think he’s trying to figure out how serious I am.
Finally, he says, “You are most certainly my daughter. You are every bit as courageous and ruthless as I am.”
“I am nothing like you.”
He smiles. “You are more like me than you care to admit. I accept your terms.” Turning his back on me, he says to the guards, “Drake, Brokk, you will stay with me. The rest of you may go back to the palace. Make sure the instructions I have given for security are being followed.”
The five men look both surprised and confused. I assume they’re not used to anyone talking to Dagda like that and getting away with it. Finally, with nods in Dagda’s direction, the other three Fairies file out of the room. They all have their voices back as well, but they don’t say anything.
Turning back to me, he says, “Now, if you will excuse me, I still have a Kingdom to run.” Walking around me, he and the two guards who are left walk out of the parlor.
It feels like a great weight has been removed from my chest. Now, we both know where we stand. Apart.
I go downstairs and join the others for a quick lunch, and then it’s time for my training with Kegan. Both he and Kallen walk me to the door of the training room on the second floor. It’s convenient that there is already one set up.
Kegan opens the door and with a swooping gesture with his arm, says, “After you.”
I take a step towards the door, but a hand on my arm stops me. I look up at Kallen and I just barely register the possessiveness in his eyes before his lips are on me. I should probably be mad that he’s obviously marking his territory, but the fantastic kiss he gives me makes me not care at the moment. I’ll talk to him about it later. With a last, lingering kiss, he steps back and smiles smugly at Kegan before he leaves us to my training.
“My cousin acts as though I find you attractive,” Kegan says as I follow him into the massive room. One side is full of weights and other exercise equipment that I’m not familiar with. I’m pretty sure they don’t exist in my realm. The other side of the room is covered with mats, but nothing else.
“You don’t find me attractive?” Not that I care; I’m just curious.
His lips purse as he thinks about it. “You are tolerable most
of the time, I guess.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“I will say, you are drop dead gorgeous when you do not have that cousin of mine draped over you.”
I laugh and shake my head. “Can we focus on training now?”
“Of course.”
After the first hour, I’m worn out. I’m not exactly a couch potato, but I’ve never even had a PE class and it’s hard to run marathons in the mountains. Kegan’s having me do lunges and parries and my hamstrings are sending hateful messages to my brain. Right after lunch, Tabitha had changed my clothes into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and I’ve sweated through the tee.
Flopping down on the mat, I try to catch my breath. “You know,” I say as my lungs continue to protest against me taking a deep breath. “if you’re trying to kill me, there are less painful ways to do it than this.”
Kegan chuckles and says, “You are too beautiful to kill.” He holds his hand out to me and I let him help me up, scowling at him the whole time.
“Why do you do that?” I ask.
“Do what?”
“Flirt with me when you know that I’m with Kallen. Is it just the competitive thing you two have going on? Because I really don’t want to be in the middle of that.”
“I believe you give yourself too little credit. I love my cousin, but I have not quite figured the two of you out yet. You are nothing like the Fairy I thought he would choose. You are headstrong, not afraid to have a differing opinion and you are more powerful than he is. A trifecta of traits he would have spurned before travelling to your realm.”
I shrug. “People change. We grew on each other, I guess.”
“You do not seem like the type of person who would be happy with someone like Kallen.”
“Why?”
His gaze is becoming more intense and I’m starting to get uncomfortable. “I have watched you with him and have seen how frustrated he makes you. You are more carefree; you do not let the little things bother you. How long do you think you can be happy with someone so unlike yourself?”
“Are you done?”
He smiles. “Yes.”
“This is the deal. I’m not going to leave Kallen for you. I love him. I don’t know if I’ll always love him, but I do right now. I’m happy with him.”
He smiles and holds his hands up in front of him. “Point taken. Are you ready for more?” I’m not sure what he means until he says, “Let’s work on some basic self-defense techniques.”
I’ll sound like a wimp if I say no. My muscles are okay with that, but my brain isn’t. “Okay.”
He teaches me several types of maneuvers and I expect him to be all handsy, but he’s not. He’s actually a really good instructor and I learn quite a bit over the next hour. Still, I am so glad when he says, “I think you have had enough for today.”
With a grateful sigh, I flop on the mat and fall backwards. “Thank goodness.”
Kegan chuckles and sits down next to me. “It gets easier.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “So you say. I don’t believe you.”
With raised brows, he says, “I understand that you have the ability to heal yourself.”
Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. I close my eyes and concentrate on my sore muscles. Slowly, they begin to feel less and less strained. After a couple of minutes, I open my eyes and smile. “Much better.”
Kegan shakes his head. “You are a wonder.”
Feeling good again, I stand up. “A wonder who needs a snack after burning all those calories.”
Kallen opens his mouth to agree, but the words that come out are, “That bloody, bloody bastard!” His hands are holding his head. I’m assuming Kallen sent him another painful message. Suddenly, his eyes shoot up to me. “We need to go.” He jumps to his feet and starts walking to the door.
“Kegan, what is it?”
“Xeniaa has sent a messenger.”
“Who?”
“Rhiannon.”
I roll my eyes. Doesn’t she know when to quit. I look down at myself and am annoyed that I can’t change my clothes. I don’t dare try it. I don’t want to show any of my cards at this time. She’ll just have to see me in my sweaty t-shirt and shorts. I at least grab a towel from the stack near the door and drape it around my neck. I don’t smell the greatest either, I notice as I walk out after Kegan.
“Where are they?”
“In the sitting room off the main living room on the first floor,” he says and leads me to it.
The room is smaller than the parlor upstairs but it is brighter. The walls are a pale blue with white trim and there are book shelves lining two walls. Several wing back chairs and a chaise lounge occupy most of the room, but it’s cozy, not crowded. This would be a great place to hang out on a rainy night and read a book.
Kallen is in one of the wing back chairs and he looks more annoyed than I’ve ever seen him. He’s saying to Rhiannon as we walk in, “This is not a negotiation. You can inform your sister that her offer is not accepted.”
“What offer is that?” I ask.
Rhiannon looks up at me and her disdain is clear. “You prefer that over my sister?”
Now, I’m annoyed, too. I choose to ignore her, though. “What offer, Kallen?”
Through a clenched jaw, he says, “If I admit that Xeniaa and I are hand-fasted, she will stop the rebellion.” I’m actually beginning to wonder if there really is a rebellion, because I haven’t seen any evidence of one. Then again, I’ve only been here for a day and a half.
“Kallen, really. She does not even have the grace to enter a room with dignity. Where was she raised? Oh, right, among the Cowans. I know how much you love anything that has to do with them.”
Kallen’s eyes snap back to her. “You have no idea how I feel about anything. What you can be sure of, is that your sister will never call herself my wife.”
Oh, it’s weird to hear that word coming out of his mouth. This is real. This Xeniaa person really wants to be married to him. How does someone become so desperate that they’re willing to cause a massacre to force someone into marriage?
An explosion outside shakes the house and through the noise of the blast, I hear a scream. Alita. Good thing I already warned Dagda that my friends’ safety means more to me than him. But, I find I can’t be completely heartless. My mind snaps into action and I start giving directions, but I’m going to take care of Alita myself. “Kallen, see to Dagda. Kegan, come with me.”
Rhiannon is smiling, as if she’s not surprised at all. In a way, that’s good. If she’s not running out of the house, then nothing should be exploding in here. “You, stay put,” I say to her on my way out the door. Out of the corner of my eye, I see her trying to get up only to discover that she’s practically glued to the chair. She begins swearing up a storm. Wow, she puts together some interesting words to get her point across.
I run out to the terrace where I’m sure Alita’s scream came from. She’s on the beach, and I can already see there’s blood. I’m off to a great start protecting me friends. When I finally get to her, I drop in the sand next to her. Kegan follows suit. “Alita, are you okay?”
She has tears in her eyes but she’s keeping them trapped there. I can’t imagine how hard that must be since her leg is a bloody mess. I can’t see what exploded, and at the moment, I don’t care what it was. I need to heal her. Fast.
I may not have felt the first attack, but now I recognize the new hum in my head that was disguised earlier by the hum of so many powerful creatures in the house. I think this one is aimed at the terrace. Rhiannon must have been trying to get out of the house before this one hit. But, this one isn’t going to hit. I throw up a defensive wall, but whatever is flying towards the house explodes in mid-air. I turn to see Isla standing on the terrace. She’s the one that stopped it.
“Can you heal her?” Isla asks. I nod and turn my attention back to Alita, confident that Isla will stop any attack while I’m healing her. At least I hope so, because I’m pretty sure I’m not bomb pro
of.
“Xandra, leave me. Go attend to King Dagda,” Alita says and her grimace tells me how much pain she’s in.
“Before saving you? I don’t think so. Lie still, I’ll try to make this quick. Kegan hold her hand.” He grasps her hand tightly in his own.
Another explosion in the sky tries to break my concentration, but I don’t let it. I focus on Alita and her leg that is losing blood at an alarming rate. Her bone is exposed in several places and there’s massive soft tissue damage. Closing my eyes, I imagine her tissue knitting back together. After a moment, I open my eyes hoping to find it more healed than it is. This is taking longer than usual, which tells me how great her injury is. Closing my eyes, I ignore the next explosion as I did the last, even though this one is much closer. Pulling more magic than I did the first time, I concentrate on healing Alita’s wound again. A whimper from her makes me open my eyes. Her wound is healing but I think the amount of magic I’m pushing through her to make it happen is hurting her more than her injury. “I’m so sorry,” I say to her brave, stoic face. And then it’s done. Her leg is still covered in blood, but it’s back to being how it was half an hour ago.
