by Amy Sumida
“I don't know,” I sighed. “They may, in light of the lives it would save.”
“Or they may decide they don't want to negotiate with terrorists,” Councilman Teagan added.
“They're not going to help us,” Wasutke scoffed. “We're on our own.”
“If we attack them, we put my son at risk,” Raza joined us and accepted a pair of pants from Ainsley. “Thank you,” he nodded to my knight.
“Anything to get you covered,” Ainsley chuckled.
“I am a perfectly normal looking dragon-djinn,” Raza huffed. “The weapon between my legs is nothing compared to what the rest of me can do.”
“And on that note,” I blinked wide eyes at the others. “Let's get back to deciding on a course of action.”
“I'd like to bring the Coven team in on this,” Sarah said. “They'll ask to be included as soon as we update them anyway.”
“I'm alright with that,” I nodded. “Councilman Teagan?”
“Yes, that's fine,” Teagan agreed.
“Well of course we're bringing them in on it,” Jennifer Wasutke huffed. “We found the culprits and we know where our people are.”
“Thank you, Elder Wasutke,” Sarah said snidely and then gave Tristan a look.
Tristan walked away as he pulled out his cell phone.
“Would you rather wait till we rejoin them before we make a decision?” I asked Sarah.
“That would probably be best or we might end up making the same arguments twice,” she sighed. “They should still be in San Francisco and that's where we were headed anyway, correct?”
“Yes, there's a rath there which we can use to get to Twilight,” I looked to Tiernan.
“I don't know how you're father will feel about it,” he answered my unspoken question.
“We might need to bring them with us,” I argued.
“Into Fairy?” Frederick, the Storm witch, asked. “Are you discussing taking us into the Fairy Realm?”
“It may be a possibility,” I admitted. “But I'd have to speak to my father before I bring any witches into our kingdom.”
“I would like to volunteer to go, if you do decide to allow us in,” Frederick's eyes flashed eagerly.
“Why, Frederick,” I teased. “This is the most animated I've seen you so far, and that includes the glimpse I had of you fighting dullahans.”
“I would very much like to learn who my ancestors were,” Frederick confessed. “Beckoning now is certain they are descended from dullahans. Storm would be very excited to learn whom we are descended from as well and I believe I may be able to trace our roots in Fairy.”
“I don't know about that,” I frowned. “Your magic isn't one so easily traced. It's an elemental power and most fey have such abilities.”
“We would have to learn more about the nuances of your magic,” Tiernan offered when Frederick's shoulders slumped. “But honestly, this isn't the time. Perhaps after we sign a truce.”
“Of course,” Frederick brightened. “Do you think they'll allow us into Fairy if we sign?”
“Uh,” I gaped at Tiernan, totally unprepared for that question.
“Most likely, they'll allow chaperoned visits,” Tiernan took over. “Like they do with human council members and extinguishers.”
“Wonderful,” Frederick nodded. “I would like to see Fairy for purely aesthetic reasons as well.”
“That's fantastic,” Wasutke snarled. “I'm so happy that you're excited about going into Fairy when my people are being held hostage by a bunch of death-loving freaks!”
“My apologies, Elder,” Frederick cleared his throat and settled back into his boring self.
“The Coven team will meet us in San Francisco,” Tristan announced as he returned. “They want us to call them when we land.”
“Very well,” Raza growled. “Let's be on our way. I'm tired of wasting time on trivialities.”
“Well said,” Sarah smiled at Raza and he stopped, cocked his head at her, and smiled back.
Internally, I sighed in relief. Maybe the dragon would find another maiden to eat... er... to be his sacrifice... uh, to ah... oh whatever. Maybe he'd lay off me for awhile.
Chapter Forty-Six
Councilman Alan Murdock, Head of the San Francisco Council House, was in a bit of a tizzy. He hadn't expected a slew of hunters, out of town extinguishers (including the telepath twins), witches, a Head Councilman, a dragon djinn, and a puka to show up on his doorstep. I'd given him only the briefest of warnings when I called him from the Artesia airport before we took off. Murdock was a little relieved when I told him that none of us would need to be put up for the night but he was concerned that his meeting room wouldn't be large enough to hold all of us.
His fears were warranted. With the addition of the witch group who was already in SF (including the fairies and humans we'd sent with their party), along with the SF council members who wanted to sit in on the meeting, we had close to a hundred people who wished to be included in our discussion. Well, that just wasn't going to happen so we had to whittle it down to those who were integral. Even with the whittling, the room was packed. I was of course included and my title even warranted me a seat at the table, but due to the lack of space, I asked Gradh to take Cat for a walk, disguised in her Newfoundland glamour of course.
On the table before me was the San Francisco House's crystal ball (they were the only Human Council House with one), a telephone speaker with the combined Human and Fairy High Councils on the other end of the line, and Sarah's cellphone connected to yet another large speaker with the Coven Elders on that line. All groups were as fairly represented as possible.
The Councils and Coven had all been informed of the dullahan's deception and their ultimatum. Now they were arguing with each other while I sat back and listened, hoping for a solution to fall into my lap. Or barring that, for everyone to just agree on a plan of action.
I looked over my shoulder to Tiernan, who was standing directly behind me. He was concentrating on the conversation but as soon as I set my focus on him, he seemed to sense it and looked down to me. He lifted a brow in question.
“I'm starving,” I whispered to him and his lips twitched.
He turned, waved Conri forward, and whispered something to him. Conri looked over to me and gave me a sexy wink before he turned and left the room. I just shook my head and sighed. Conri's flirtations had become so commonplace that I hardly noticed them anymore. It was just a normal part of interaction for him.
I went back to dejectedly staring out the windows as I waited for Conri to return with sustenance. I was one of those people who found it hard to think on an empty stomach. So what was the point in paying attention to the discussion if I couldn't contribute anything until my food arrived?
“What do you think, Princess Seren?” Someone asked, startling me out of my dining daydreams.
“Um,” I cleared my throat. “About what now?” I guess the point of paying attention was to not look stupid when someone asked me a question.
“Are we boring you?” Elder Wasutke asked snidely.
I ignored her like she was a playground bully.
“You've freed prisoners from both the Seelie and Unseelie dungeons,” a voice came out of the speaker box on my left, the one connected to the High Councils. “Do you think you could free these prisoners from Dathadair?”
“First off, I don't know what you're talking about,” I said innocently. We'd decided that it would be best for me to never admit to the crime of infiltrating the courts and freeing their prisoners. Deny, deny, deny, just like Bill Clinton. “Second, if I were going to attempt a rescue, I would think that new tactics would have to be employed. The fairies previously freed were done so from open courts, not a secure site expecting such an attempt.”
“So that's a no?” I realized it was Councilman Greer asking.
“That's a maybe,” I corrected with a grin. “As I said, I've never done such a thing before but I'd be willing to try with the Council's app
roval.”
Greer chuckled, “Can anyone assist the Princess in coming up with a plan to rescue prisoners, since she's so ill-equipped to do so?”
“Hey now,” I grumbled as Conri placed a plate with a sandwich down in front of me. A glass of lemonade followed. “Thank you, Sir Conri. You're a kind and beautiful man.”
“You're welcome, Princess,” he chuckled.
“Does Sir Conri have a plan?” Greer asked. “If so, we weren't able to hear it.”
I started to say; No, he didn't have a plan, he had a sandwich, when Conri spoke.
“Well, if it were up to me,” Conri smirked. “I'd just walk in through the front gate.”
“Explain, if you will,” Greer prompted.
“I'd set something on fire nearby,” Conri shrugged. “Make it look like our Lord Dragon here is closing in,” he waved a hand at Raza. “Then I'd wait for the dullahans to come out to investigate. When they did, I'd sneak in under glamour. I doubt any of them will be focused enough to spot fairies under a cloak of invisibility when they're worried about a dragon attack.”
“Well look who isn't just a pretty face,” I smiled proudly.
“Sir Conri,” Greer said crisply.
“Yes, Councilman?” Conri straightened as if the fairy was in the room.
“Well done, the Princess is lucky to have you on her Guard.”
“Thank you, Councilman,” Conri swallowed hard, looking a little shook up by the praise, and went to stand back beside Tiernan.
We hadn't been able to bring more guards into the room and frankly, my Guard deserved a break anyway. It wasn't like I was in any danger in the basement council chambers. So it was just Conri and Tiernan watching over me. I looked back at Conri, caught his eye, and winked. His serious expression disappeared and he smiled brightly.
“Is everyone else in agreement with Sir Conri's plan?” Greer asked and received complete approval. “Excellent. Now we just need to decide who will be on the rescue mission.”
“Besides myself, you mean,” Lord Raza said.
“Yes, Lord Raza,” Greer's voice had an undercurrent of sarcasm. “Besides yourself.”
“And me,” Wasutke added.
“I would like to volunteer as well,” Sarah said and I looked over to her with a bemused smile.
Was she volunteering because of Raza, because she wanted to see Fairy, or just because she wanted to see this thing through? She looked over and smiled back at me. I chuckled; maybe it was all of the above.
“Are witches able to glamour themselves into invisibility?” Greer asked.
“Since I was a little girl,” Sarah grinned.
“It's not a problem,” Wasutke huffed.
“Then you're both most welcome,” Councilman Lorcan declared. “All of us here in the High Councils hope that this mission will help to forge a bond between our people so that we may move forward with establishing a truce.”
“We in the Coven understand that what the dullahans did was beyond your control and we hold no grudges for it,” Elder Gabriel's voice came from the speaker attached to Sarah's cellphone. “We too hope that this will go far in establishing common ground between us.”
“Great,” Tiernan whispered. “Now, it's not just about rescuing people, it's about fighting a common enemy to establish a bond.”
“The dullahans are screwed,” I sighed.
Chapter Forty-Seven
The rescue team was to consist of Lord Raza, myself, Tiernan, Sarah, my Star's Guard, Frederick, Aidan, Elder Wasutke, Tristan, Lord Eadan, and his team of hunters. The other witches would return to Ireland to await the results of the rescue mission and hopefully witness the signing of a truce. As far as the extinguishers, they couldn't use glamour, so it was decided that it would be better for them to remain behind.
When I told the Fairy Council that I needed to speak to my father before I brought fairies into our kingdom, the Council informed me that I wouldn't be taking them into Twilight at all. Dathadair, the dullahan village, was in the Unseelie Kingdom, and King Uisdean, the Unseelie monarch, had been contacted as soon as we'd come to a decision. He had freely given his consent to our mission.
Part of me was grateful that Uisdean had given his consent but another part of me wondered why he'd acquiesced so easily. My Uncle could be nefarious and it wouldn't surprise me in the least to find that he'd allowed us to enter his kingdom just so he could set us up with the dullahans. He couldn't kill me himself but he could trick a dullahan into doing it, thus keeping himself out of the path of the Sluagh.
But my evil Uncle Uisdean wasn't my only concern.
“We're going where?” I blinked at the speaker box.
“Dathadair is alligned with Papa New Guinea but there are no raths which lead directly to the island. So you will have to fly to Australia and then use the Australian rath to cross into Unseelie, where you will have a days journey to the village.”
“Yeah, that's what I thought you said,” I sighed.
“Quake has a large group in Australia,” Elder Jared Turner's voice came through the other speaker. “Perhaps you should go along, Al. Just in case they need some help down under.”
Al was Albert Fremond, Quake witch and all around timid guy. He had sad, lackluster hair, even sadder gray eyes, and pale skin prone to blotchy redness. He was thin-limbed, weak-chinned, and had a tendency to address the ground when he spoke. He was not my first choice in a team mate.
“Yes, Sir,” Al's milquetoast monotone had everyone staring at him dubiously but he didn't notice since he kept his gaze fastened on the floor.
“Excellent,” Jared declared like he'd just given us the key to defeating the dullahans. “May the Goddess guide you.”
I couldn't help rolling my eyes a little. I was someone who had never put a lot of stock in religion until I had heard the Goddess' voice. But there was no way these witches had ever spoken to Danu, much less seen her, and it annoyed me that they would presume to have relationships with her when I knew it was impossible. On top of that, it shocked me a little that a race who was so familiar with magic, who saw the proof of it constantly, would believe in a divine being whom they had no evidence of.
But perhaps I was being too harsh on them. People needed something to believe in. Even witches. Who was I to dispute their claims and destroy their faith? It wasn't my place or my concern. They had the right to believe in whatever divinity they chose. I'd do something smart for once and keep my big mouth shut.
“Did he just say Goddess?” A hushed tone came through the speaker box connected to the Councils and I nearly laughed.
“So, when do we leave?” I asked before someone could acknowledge the awkwardness.
“As soon as possible,” Lorcan said through the speaker.
“Immediately,” Raza added.
“I'm ready whenever all of you are,” Elder Wasutke nodded.
“I think we need a little time to freshen up; change our clothes, take a shower, get some food, stuff like that.” I held up my sandwich, which I had yet to be able to take a bite of. “And then we can head to the airport.”
“Fine,” Raza sighed.
“Perfectly understandable,” Lorcan added.
Elder Wasutke just glared at me.
The high council members and witch elders called the meeting to a close and I stood up, intending on getting out while I had the chance. I took my sandwich with me.
“Uh, Princess Seren?” Councilman Murdock stopped me.
“Yes?” I gave him a weary and wary look.
“I have some rooms available for your use but not enough for everyone,” Murdock looked concerned.
“Oh,” I said in relief. “Don't worry, we'll work it out. Some of us will eat while others wash up and change.”
“Great,” Murdock nodded. “I'll go have the chefs prepare something and lay out a buffet in the dining room.”
“Thank you, Sir,” I smiled. “I'm sorry to have descended upon you like this but you're handling it admirably.”
“Yes?”
“Your father's in Ireland.”
Chapter Forty-Eight
“I beg your pardon?” I asked Murdock as I followed him out of the meeting room and into the hallway, where a long line was forming in front of the elevator.
“Why don't we speak in here?” Murdock led us into his office. I say us because Tiernan followed me. Murdock shut the door and turned to face us. “Extinguisher Ewan Sloane has been sent to Ireland to witness the signing of the truce.”
“Who sent him?” I asked, a little surprised that I wasn't happy with the news.
I'd been trying to get my human father to forgive the fact that I wasn't his biological offspring ever since the news about my fey heritage had first come out. Ewan had remained steadfast in his decision to boot me from his life, even going as far as to say that I wasn't his daughter. I knew better; I would always be his daughter. He had raised me and he was my father. But our last meeting had been traumatic for both of us and I found that I wasn't ready for a repeat quite yet.
“The High Council asked for his presence,” Murdock sighed. “I had nothing to do with it. And there's more; his mother went with him.”
“Grandma is there?” I felt my eyes go wide. “Wonderful, both of my grandmothers under the same roof. One is psychotic and the other is indifferent. I don't know which is worse.” Then I frowned, shared a look with Tiernan, and together we said; “Psychotic.”
“Your family sounds lovely,” Murdock grimaced.
“I have told you about my Uncle Uisdean, right?” I shot back.
“You have my deepest sympathies,” Murdock gave my shoulder a pat. “Now why don't you go upstairs while I phone the kitchens. There will at least be coffee to be had immediately.”
“Thanks but I have my sandwich,” I lifted the plate, getting a good look at the sandwich for the first time.
“What kind of sandwich is that?” Murdock asked as he peered at the strange colors oozing out from between the bread.
