"Now tell me, boys, who of you is the strongest?" Aunt Nessie grinned widely, while Macey wanted to sink into the ground. Luckily, her men were taking it in their stride.
"I usually win in arm wrestling," Cam said cheerily, knowing exactly what he was evading the older kelpie's question. "But we're all pretty well matched."
Nessie smiled patiently. "And what are your weaknesses?"
"Water." Flint cringed, but then hurried to add, "Not Macey, though."
Jared chuckled. "I'm an incubus, I think you can imagine what my greatest weakness is."
Cam was frowning, obviously trying to come up with a good answer. "Boredom," he said eventually. "It's like a windless place, no movement, no energy."
"Good answers," Nessie admitted. "But if you're all so strong and wise, why didn't you rescue my niece?" Her expression turned serious. "Why did she have to escape herself rather than be freed by the three of you?"
"Auntie, I'm not a damsel in distress," Macey protested. "I didn't need rescuing."
Nessie looked at her with a piercing glance. "Can you honestly tell me that your imprisonment did not hurt you? That it would have been less painful if you'd been rescued earlier?"
Macey averted her gaze, unable to lie to her aunt. She was right. It had been a terrible experience. She could feel the scars inside of her, waiting to burst open in a quiet moment. She was going to have to work through all that happened. But not now. She had work to do. They all had. She just hoped that Amber could leave the past few months behind as well. The beithir had been in captivity for far longer than she had, and she was surprised at how well Amber was taking it all. Too well, almost. The big crash was going to be terrible, if it happened.
"We were searching for her," Cam said quietly. "But Izban's tracking spell didn't work, so we had nothing to go on. We tried all sorts of things. Izban stayed behind to research spells, but the three of us travelled on the Staran, asking them to bring us to Macey. They never did. So, we asked around."
"We went back to the fir na ghorma," Flint continues their story. "And to Malan, of course, and even to the sìth. But they were hesitant to talk to us, being men and all."
"Wait, what?" Macey asked in confusion. She didn't quite see the logic behind that statement.
"The sìth are matriarchal," Jared explained. "Their women are the ones in power, and men are commodities at best. So, three men wandering into their queendom to ask for help didn't go down well. They did make a few comments about the Staran though, as if they know something. We should definitely go there again, but this time, with you and Amber. They're more likely to talk to you."
"Sounds like a plan," Macey agreed, glad that they had a new lead. If the Staran were no longer letting people travel as before, time was running out for all of them. They needed to find a solution, fast.
"I hate saying this, but you should also talk to the selkies," Nessie said with a grimace. "I've heard rumours that they've started coming on land more and more because they're having trouble at sea. Maybe that's something to do with the same mess you're trying to fix."
Macey shuddered. She really didn't feel like talking to a selkie, or several at that. She'd never met one in person, but with all she'd heard about them, she didn't want to. They were the ones spreading bad rumours about kelpies, and after meeting Mhara, it seemed the same was true for the ceasg.
All in all, visiting the sìth sounded a lot better than going to the selkies. Macey knew it wasn't very grown up to do the easy option first, but she felt like she deserved it after being imprisoned by the Voice. The universe had a lot to make up for.
"I've been wondering," Nessie suddenly said. "When you take your men to bed, do you take all of them at the same time?"
"Auntie!" Macey called out, mortified. "That's none of your business."
The old kelpie chuckled. "Indulge me, darling."
"No way."
Luckily, Amber and Izban chose that moment to come back, walking hand in hand. Macey smiled in relief. It looked as if they'd had a proper chat. And judging from Amber's red lips, they maybe did even more than just talk.
Good. Now they had a couple and a quad in their Wardens relationship. Where did the seventh Warden fit in though? Macey didn't really feel like adding another person to her strange harem. Three men were enough work. She knew that they were all aching to spend some time with her, and so was she. Not just all three of them together, but some one-on-one time with each of them. But there was likely not going to be a chance for it in quite a while.
They had a world to save.
Aos Sìth
Chapter 7
Leaving her Aunt was hard. There was something about her that made Macey feel safe and secure. Probably just the blood connection. And she was missing it already.
On the other hand, not having her Aunt about did mean that the awkward questions wouldn't happen anymore.
Hopefully.
Even so, telling Luch and Amber about her love life seemed far less weird than telling her Aunt. More like telling friends, even if she wasn't sure if that's what Luch was.
The seven of them were expelled from the Staran with a great thump, resulting in Macey sprawled on top of Jared. Not the worst place to be, but she'd much rather they be up to something different.
"Well, hello there." He waggled his eyebrows at her, and she smiled suggestively in return, before winking at him.
Now wasn't going to be the time for anything fun like that, but she didn't want him thinking she'd lost interest in the past few months. Maybe her men would get the wrong idea the first time they saw her new mark. She mused over whether it would be fun to let them think she and Amber had been up to a lot more than pretending to kill each other when she got it or not. It would certainly be interesting to discover how they felt about it. There was no telling whether they'd come down on the side of it being hot, or if their jealousy would get the better of them.
Not that it mattered anyway. She wouldn't do anything with Amber even if they didn't have their own men each. The beithir wasn't really her type.
From the way she was giggling and leaning into Izban, he was hers though. Even her tail was getting in on the action, as she'd curled it around his waist.
Macey frowned and cocked her head to the side, briefly wondering what it'd be like to have a tail while in human form. Weird and annoying, was her guess. But Amber didn't seem bothered by it. And it actually kind of suited her. An evolutionary trait of beithirs no doubt.
"Are we in the right place?" Macey asked Cam as she got to her feet. She wasn't sure when he'd become their resident compass, but he always seemed to fill that role.
"We sure are." He swallowed nervously, looking up at the slightly imposing building before them.
"It glitters," Macey blurted.
"Yes," Cam replied. "But don't be fooled. Not everything in the queendom is what you expect. The sìth are master magic wielders, and conjuring is their pleasure. What looks like one thing, may in fact be something very, very different. Be prepared for that."
"Sounds ominous." Macey considered back through all the stories she'd heard about the sìth, which admittedly, wasn't many. She'd learned more of the different races since meeting her men than she had before that. And if her men said to be wary, and that not everything should be taken at face value, then she was going to listen.
"Izban, if you'll do the honours," Flint instructed.
The blue-haired mage unentwined himself with Amber and held out his palm flat. He twisted what looked like a wooden ring, and after a moment, a small blue creature appeared.
Macey let out a squeak of surprise. She really should be used to the weird things that happened when she was around her men. This entire adventure had been a crazy ride. And yet, things just kept taking her off guard.
“Is that a baby Gollum?” she asked in confusion but Izban ignored her.
The blue creature made a series of chirping noises, leaving everyone but Izban looking a bit bewildered.
"Yes, I know you haven't had long to recover. I'm sorry about that, but we're at the sìth queendom now, I'll find you a great offering," he said with a sigh.
The creature chirped again.
"Yes, the others will find you an offering too."
"Hold on a minute," Luch butted in for the first time. "You're not making me beholden to an aos sìth."
The tiny blue fairy put its arms on its hips and glared at Luch. It was about the same size as the mouse shifter, who was riding in Macey's shirt once again. It looked humanoid, except that it was blue, had long pointy ears and limbs that looked a little too large for its body. And right now, it was very, very annoyed.
"Fine, I'll find you something," Luch gave in when the aos sìth began to shout angrily. "Now, can someone explain how that blue-haired mage got himself one of the Folk?"
Izban shrugged. "I inherited him, he's been with my family for a long time. I gave him the chance to leave when I got him, but he decided to stay. He comes in handy, and all I have to give him to make him happy is milk and bread."
The aos sìth turned to Izban and swung his tiny fist while continuing to chirp.
"He wants me to tell you that he's also the main source of my magic," Izban translated. "And that I'm honoured to have him. And that I can be a right bast... No, stop it."
Amber laughed brightly and Macey smiled at seeing the beithir so cheery. This was the first true laugh she'd heard from her. Hopefully, everything was going to be okay with her and Izban.
"You don't have your own magic?" Macey blurted out, instantly regretting it. That had been rude of her.
"I do," Izban replied calmly, in a way that suggested it wasn't the first time he'd had to answer that question. "But it's limited to certain things. For others, I rely on my aos sìth. It's the same for other mages too."
"And is he the reason your hair is..." she trailed off, not believing how rude she was being. This wasn't the diplomacy she'd been brought up to exhibit.
Izban just laughed. "No, he's nothing to do with my hair. That was one of my cousins when we were younger. She got a little carried away, and it's been blue ever since. I tried to dye it once, but trust me, it's not something you want me to ever repeat again."
Macey smiled at the mage, noting he was already more relaxed than he had been. And far less aggressive. Even less so than when the Voice had given her and Amber the horrible vision.
The aos sìth's head had been turning back and forth as they spoke, but now, he looked towards the palace in front of them.
"Go," Izban commanded.
The little blue creature gave him a look that Macey could only describe as sassy, before leaping into the air, and floating off towards the drawbridge.
"Why do we need to send him?" Macey asked.
"The sìth tend to be a little more receptive if it's one of their own kind knocking on the door. With Cat-Man still missing, the aos sìth is pretty much what we have," Cam explained.
"What happened to Cat-Man?" Macey asked. She hadn't really expected the cat-sìth to still be with her men, but she was still sad not to see him. They'd become friends of a fashion, at least, she wanted to think so. His sister did make a prophecy about her after all.
"We're not sure. When we left the warehouse, he was gone. I think he'll be back if you ever need him," Cam replied.
"You do?" She frowned, not sure where the thoughts were coming from.
"Yes. You made an impression on him, whether he wanted to admit it or not. I don't think he'll show up for just anything, but if you need him, he'll be there."
"I hope you're right," Macey answered, a sense of dread filling her. She wasn't sure how this was all going to end. But she hadn't ruled out some kind of battle. Against what, she wasn't sure. But the Voice could control people, it wasn't inconceivable that he would take over the minds of an army.
Which would leave them completely screwed. Seven Wardens standing against an army of warriors with no minds of their own. It didn't sound like a very even match to her. Or to anyone.
She was pulled from her thoughts by the loud clanking of the drawbridge lowering. Everyone's attention was drawn that way. The aos sìth chirped again as it landed back on Izban's hand, before disappearing as quickly as it came.
"We're going to have to find some really good bread and milk before he'll do anything for us again," Izban muttered.
"What counts as really good?" Amber asked, leaning on his shoulder.
"Some kind of fancy sweetened bread, I'd guess? I'm not really sure, he's never told me what he likes and what he doesn't."
"Typical man then," the beithir teased.
Macey laughed as the men began to mumble.
"Oh shh, let's just get going," she ordered them.
"Do we have a plan?" Amber asked softly.
"I think it's basically, they say nothing, us three do all the talking." Macey shrugged. That was in line with everything they'd said so far.
"Oh no, not me. I'm waiting here for you all." Luch shook her head wildly and took a step back. "No chance. No."
"Are you okay?" Amber asked, her brow creasing.
"I'm not going anywhere near any sìth."
"You were just near one," Amber pointed out, nodding in Izban's direction.
"That's different. I'm not going into a sìth palace. Trust me, it'll hurt your cause."
Macey frowned at the mouse, trying to make sense of what she was saying.
"But you'll be here when we come back out?" she asked, hating the idea of having another ally just vanishing after they went in somewhere.
"Yes. You're not done with me yet," Luch replied. "There's far more to our story together."
Macey didn't comment. She didn't really know how. The wording was odd to say the least, and made it sound a little ominous. There was very little doubt that Luch was more than just the mouse she claimed to be.
"Alright then, we go in there, and Amber and I take the lead. Luch stays behind," she changed the plan.
"I'll stay with her," Jared put in. "That way you'll know for sure she'll still be here."
Luch made an odd huffing sound. "I'm hardly going to run off, incubus. And if you think you could keep me here if I didn't want to be, then you have another thing coming."
"I'm sure you could give anyone the slip," Jared responded. "But realistically, it's safer for us all if we're not split up too much."
"That is true. Though I don't think Mahoun can touch me." The mouse seemed confident about that, and Macey supposed she should be. There was no telling how long she'd lived in the Voice's fortress, but it was long enough to have known Amber the whole time she was imprisoned, and to have a good knowledge of the whole place.
"Will you be okay?" Macey asked Jared, turning to face him. She didn't like the idea of leaving him behind, but the logic was sound. She didn't want Luch escaping until she had some answers from the woman.
Mostly about what she really was, because a mouse shifter certainly wasn't the answer. Not with how at odds she'd been with Aunt Nessie. Or how knowledgeable she'd seemed with Fedelm. If Macey had been a younger, and less worldly, kelpie, she'd have thought Luch was one of the gods she knew didn't really exist. In some ways, it was the only explanation.
"Yes," he said, stepping towards her. He cupped Macey's cheek in his hand and lifted her face so she was looking up at him. "I'll always be okay so long as I know you're safe."
Jared leaned down and captured her lips with his, giving her the sweetest kiss she'd ever received from her incubus. He wasn't normally this restrained. Her captivity really must have been hard on him.
"Alright, you two, time to get going," Flint said, breaking Jared and Macey apart.
"Just because you want some time with her," Jared teased.
"You're damn right, I do. But maybe not when we're waiting outside the sìth's home. I'd rather not be at their mercy any longer than necessary."
"Flint's right," Izban added. "For the same reasons you don't want to go in there." He smirked at Jar
ed.
"Wait, what's going on? Why don't you want to go in there?" Macey demanded of her incubus.
"The sìth view men as playthings if you will. And we're no exception," Cam answered instead, exchanging a quick glance with Flint.
"They also like to share," Luch piped up, drawing dirty look from the two men. The mouse shrugged. "It's true. They'll see Macey and Amber as having surplus men, and therefore, those men are fair game. And an incubus… well, there's not a woman on earth who wouldn't want one of those in her bed."
Macey growled, a sound she was pretty sure she'd never made before. But no one was even going to suggest touching any of her men.
"I didn't say I'd do anything about it," Luch added hastily, holding up her hands in surrender. "But doesn't mean I'm not thinking it."
"Find your own," Macey snapped.
"Oh, I just might. You've given me some rather interesting ideas, kelpie." The mouse sounded almost too happy, but Macey didn't wait for clarification.
"Erm..."
"Just where did you find them? I should go there to look for myself," Luch mused.
"They found me," Macey said, bewildered by the turn of the conversation.
"Oh, what a pity. Guess I'll just have to find myself some men elsewhere."
"I don't know how you'd cope," Amber muttered, looking at Izban under her lashes.
Macey smothered a laugh. The beithir had made it pretty clear that she didn't want more than just Izban. Macey found it sweet, but couldn't help but compare it to how she'd felt before meeting her men. There'd been no thoughts of having more than one of them from here either. Not even in her wildest imagination.
"Problems for another day, you'd better get going, the sìth will be expecting you."
Seelie
Chapter 8
Beyond the drawbridge and the gate, a beautiful sight awaited the Wardens. Macey had a hard time not walking around with an open mouth, gaping at the scene presenting itself. She'd expected buildings made from the same glittering material as the outside walls. Instead, she was walking on clouds. It wasn't the mist of the Staran, no, it was thick, white clouds that were covering the ground - or maybe they were the ground? It was the same with all the buildings that reached far into the distance: they were made of clouds, their walls white and uneven and looking incredibly soft. Macey was tempted to touch one of the walls to see if she could walk through it. But after what she'd heard of the sìth, she didn't want to make a bad impression on them. This was the time to show some diplomacy.
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