Phoenix (Tuatha De Danann Book 1)

by Vanessa Skye

  “Most likely, yes. But we cannot rely on ignorance as our only defense. Alys killed a full fae on Earth, and I suspect he was not the only one there. They were looking for her. They knew who she was, and they wanted her dead.”

  “And yet they did not follow you back?”

  “No, Sire.” Baird shrugs. “I do not understand why.”

  Nuadha sighs. “This is troubling, on many levels. I should send you both back to the humans to rot…but I won’t.” He looks at me with tears in his eyes. “What you have done today is…a miracle. You have saved a beloved beast, and the last shred we have of Danu. For this alone, you will have my protection as well as my gratitude for eternity, child.” His expression, while not exactly kind, isn’t quite as frightening.

  Several fae run into the field carrying sacks of food, with even more fae following. Apparently, word has spread throughout the city. Soon, a small stadium’s worth of speechless fae gather as the bearers of food approach. Most appear to be war fae or are dressed in the drag garb of Talentless, but I do spot some ivy, dreadlocks, horns, and feathers in the crowd as well.

  They bring their offerings silently, almost reverently, dropping the food near my feet while being careful not to touch me in any way. Whether they are more wary of me, or the king standing guard over us like a glowering sentry, I cannot be sure.

  Mandrake stirs. He has recovered enough to raise his head and eat the apples whole, right off my palm.

  As he thoughtfully crunches and swallows each one, a low murmur of incredulity ripples through the horde.

  After about fifty apples, Mandrake reaches for the bright orange, yellow, and purple carrots with their impossibly fluffy green tops and makes his way through a large pile in minutes.

  Soon enough, the sky darkens and the crowd disperses, no doubt late to whatever task they have around the city.

  “Come, faeling. It is dark and cold,” Nuadha whispers, holding out his hand as Mandrake settles in with a bloated stomach for another sleep.

  As badly as I want to touch him, I shake my head. “I’m not leaving him. I will stay here.”

  Nuadha drops his hand, makes a snort of irritation, turns, and strides back to the city.

  Baird walks over and gives me a hug. “That went as well as can be expected, I think. You are safe now, Alys. With Nuadha protecting you, there is nothing to fear.”

  I hug him back without jostling Mandrake. “Nuadha himself is scary enough, so…we’ll see.”

  He smiles and whispers, “I will bring some food and warm blankets later.”

  “Okay, thank you.”

  Baird follows the same direction as the king into the darkening evening.

  I lean against Mandrake and rest my head against his chest. His slow breathing and the now-steady, strong heartbeats comfort me. While I can hear laughter, music, and voices from the city carried on the light breeze, the silence and total darkness in the field is absolute.

  The temperature drops, and I snuggle closer to Mandrake to keep warm but can’t stop shivering as I drift off to sleep.

  ***

  “Faeling.”

  I murmur something resembling “Go away” to the soft voice.

  “Faeling…Alys.”

  I peel open an eye and see Nuadha holding a lantern. His mighty sword and breastplate are gone, and he could almost pass for a normal fae in his blue tunic and leather pants if not for his beauty and size.

  “Here, you’ll freeze, you ridiculous child.” He settles a thick blanket over me. “Are you not familiar with the chill of late autumn?”

  “I am, but we call it fall,” I mumble.

  He snorts. “How uninspired.” He places a plate of food in front of me. “Eat.”

  “Thank you,” I say, surprised by his kindness given he wanted to kill me only a few hours ago.

  “Keep the lantern,” he says, as he places it on the grass next to the sleeping Mandrake and me.

  I nod my thanks, and he returns the nod warily.

  “Well…sleep deeply.” He rises and stalks off into the black night—alone and unarmed, a wave of isolation following in his wake.

  I watch him as he disappears, wondering if I’ll ever understand the strange and beautiful king of this magical world.

  Chapter Twelve

  Soft, nibbling nudges on my cheek pull me out of a deep sleep.

  Peeling open an eye, I see I’m lying in the grass, under the shelter and still covered by the thick blanket Nuadha brought, and Mandrake is bumping me with his head.

  I grumble and groan. “Okay, okay. I’m getting up.”

  I stretch, and the realization that Mandrake is on his feet—on his own—fully registers in my half-awake brain. “Holy crap…”

  I’m not sure what I expected in terms of unicorns, but this mammoth beast isn’t it. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I assumed Mandrake would be small, perhaps about the size of a pony, with a sweet little, rotund belly and a cute-looking horn—like the unicorns on a carousel.

  Mandrake is none of these things.

  Standing next to him, the top of my head barely reaches his muzzle. And while his belly might be round and full with food, he is not, in any way, shape, or form, cuddly. Even after starving for who knows how long—which is already improving—there is no doubt he is powerful. His chest is broad and his legs long, strong, and roped with twisting tendons and veins. His thick white coat is less like that of a horse and more like soft waves and curls found on a longhaired dog, like a Labrador, even covering his large bucket-sized hooves with soft fluffiness. His gold and white mane falls to his knees in twisted dreadlocks.

  And his horn…

  The gleaming three-foot-long golden pike with its wickedly sharp point glinting in the sun isn’t even a little cute.

  “You’re a war beast,” I whisper as I stroke his long neck.

  Of course. What were you expecting?

  “Oh, I don’t know. A pony with a saddle?”

  Mandrake’s snort is loud and unmistakable in its mirth. I was bred for war, not faeling entertainment.

  “Sorry, my mistake.”

  He nuzzles my hair, sniffing it.

  “Why me?” I ask.

  I told you, I have been waiting for you.

  “What for?”

  I do not know. I just know you are my fae.

  “Well, if you’re looking for a war, you may have picked the wrong person. I was born to prevent war, apparently.”

  Sometimes, the road to harmony involves war. To be the most peaceable, you must also be the strongest.

  Now it’s my turn to snort in amusement. “You are more suited for Nuadha, not me.”

  Nuadha is a fine king, but he is not my fae.

  “I thought Danu was your fae?”

  Danu is gone.

  I sense his deep sadness at the thought. “Is she dead?” Even as I ask, I don’t want to know the answer. I have no desire to deliver bad news to the cranky royal. There’s no question it’ll be the last thing I ever do.

  I cannot tell. But she is no longer my fae. I mourned her loss for a millennium.

  “Well, your fae is hungry. How about you?”

  No, I have taken my fill.

  I look at the leftover piles of food, which have been considerably diminished while I was sleeping.

  I grab one of the last red apples and bite into it. Its flavor is more sweetly intense than any apple I ate back home, and I smile.

  Your father approaches. Yet…

  I turn to see Baird walking across the fields toward us.

  He is not your father. Explain.

  “It’s a long story.” Gathering up the blanket and the empty plate, I stride out to meet him with Mandrake following behind and occasionally stopping to nibble on grass.

  Baird’s eyes widen as we meet. “That’s quite a pet you have, Alys.”

  Mandrake snorts and paws the ground, shooting Baird a dark glare.

  I laugh. “Careful. He’ll turn you into a kebab.”

  �
��My mistake,” he says to the unicorn, who does not look the slightest bit appeased.

  Baird walks back the way he came and I follow.

  “The king has moved you to new accommodations, next to a stable. He says, and I quote, ‘I hope it suits the ridiculous girl who likes to sleep on the ground,’ end quote.”

  I smile. “He brought me a blanket and food last night. Himself.”

  “I know. I was going to have someone bring them, but he insisted. I think he is, in part, grateful for what you have done and, in part, curious about you and your origins.”

  “His mood changes faster than the weather around here.”

  “It does. I would not expect his tolerance of your arguing to continue for much longer, though.”

  I nod. “I know. But he just irritates me. I can’t explain it. I’ll stop arguing with him, I promise. And…maybe he’ll be able to find out about my parents?”

  “That is his intention. In fact, once you are settled in your new quarters, he has summoned you to his war room with discussing your origins in mind.”

  We reach a small paddock, and Baird ushers me toward a courtyard bursting with flowers and potted herbs. To the left is a stable and heaps of bright yellow hay. To the right is a small gray stone cottage, complete with a wildflower-sprinkled thatched roof and bright green new growth sprouting in the crumbling white mortar.

  Grinning, I rush inside, clapping and giggling while taking in all the cozy details—the bed, fireplace, and a two-person table holding a heavenly smelling breakfast waiting to be eaten. “This is perfect!”

  Mandrake pokes his head through the door, as if to check all is acceptable, and then ambles off to his stable.

  “Good.” Baird looks quite pleased with himself as he chuckles and rocks back and forth on the balls of his feet. “Eat, change, and I will meet you there.”

  “Baird?”

  “Yes?”

  “Why didn’t you tell me about Estrild?”

  He sighs. “I am sorry, Alys, but you had enough to contend with—what with finding out about magic and coming from an alternate world. I did not want to overwhelm you with tales of goddesses, witches, and prophecies.”

  “Wait. What? There’s a prophecy?”

  “In this world, there is a prophecy for everything. If there is one thing you could say with absolute certainty about Estrild, she was prolific. You could drive yourself mad trying to figure them all out, or you could just get on with life.” He shrugs and shoves his hands in the pockets of his thick pants. “You know as much about your birth now as I do. I still cannot explain how or why you could do magic on Earth, or why some fae see you as a threat.”

  “What are the chances that we’ll ever figure out the truth?”

  He shrugs again and sighs. “What happened in the past cannot be changed. It is what you do in the present that matters. In the end, now is all we have.”

  He gives me some complicated directions for finding Nuadha’s war room, only half of which I understand, but I nod and eye the waiting food with mouth-watering longing. With Mandrake sated for the moment, nibbling on hay in his stable, it’s all about my growling stomach at this point.

  I pounce on breakfast the moment Baird shuts the door then, regretfully, change out of the grass-stained dress into my everyday clothes, and braid my hair as best I can. After strapping on my sword and placing my dagger in my boot, I set off to find His Royal Pain-in-my-ass’s war room.

  Baird’s directions were completely unnecessary. As soon as I enter the main building, Nuadha’s bellowing is unmistakable, and while I can’t make out his words, he clearly isn’t a happy camper. What does someone that gorgeous have to be cranky about?

  I follow the sovereign’s less-than-noble barking up a flight of stairs and down several corridors into the heart of the citadel.

  As I push open the wooden double doors, conversation ceases midsentence, and all eyes turn to me.

  “The beast?” Nuadha asks, rising from his chair. His sword and breastplate are back in place and covering a red tunic this morning. His hair is tied at the nape of his neck and hanging in a thick plait over one shoulder, much like mine.

  “Is well, eating and walking around today,” I reply with a deep bow.

  “Good. Then your continued presence is not a total waste.”

  I keep my eyes down for several seconds, fighting to hold my tongue, then glance around the room. Both Aiden and Baird are in attendance along with another ten fae I don’t recognize.

  Everyone is seated at the long table, and I take a chair as far away from the king as possible while still being in the room.

  “The first matter to be dealt with is the Talentless,” Nuadha says, sitting. “Aiden?”

  “I—”

  Sounds of a scuffle and shouting in the hallways have Nuadha and Aiden on their feet and drawing their swords.

  A fae with twisting vines cascading down his back pushes open the doors and marches in dragging a struggling, plainly dressed fae behind him by the collar. “Sire!”

  Nuadha regards the forest fae coolly, sheaths his sword, and resumes his place at the table. “You are interrupting an important session. Come back later with your petty quarrels.”

  “But, Sire! I caught this one trying to escape my farm after stealing weaponry. I think he is attempting to arm the Talentless rogues.”

  The accused fae tries to pull himself upright. “That’s a lie!”

  The forest fae backhands the Talentless fae across the face before the vines on his scalp snake out and snare the helpless victim, wrapping him thoroughly from neck to ankle in bright green ivy.

  The man’s face turns bright red and I half-rise, intending to help, but Baird catches my eye and shakes his head slightly. I scowl but sink back into my chair.

  Nuadha leans forward in his seat. “Arming the rogues, you say?” he asks quietly. “A serious accusation.”

  “Yes, Sire,” the forest fae says, staring at his feet and shuffling on the spot.

  I frown.

  “Explain.”

  “I-I caught him stealing swords and daggers from my farm, not three miles from here, Sire. New weapons kindly provided by your armory to replace what previously disappeared under suspicious circumstances. He must have done it!” He points at the struggling Talentless.

  Vines cover his mouth, muffling his words completely, but the Talentless fae insistently shakes his head back and forth.

  Nuadha looks at Aiden. “Did you recently supply weaponry to this man?”

  Aiden nods. “Yes, we did.”

  “And it is now missing once more?”

  The vined guy nods but refuses to meet Nuadha’s eye. “We will be defenseless against the increasing raids in our community without weaponry, Sire. Perhaps you could see to it that we receive more.”

  Nuadha examines both men, the forest fae acknowledging nothing but his feet, and the Talentless fae bound in vines so tight he can no longer move his head, before speaking. “Aiden, supply this man with more weaponry. The Talentless will be banished.”

  A muffled scream pours out of the restrained fae as I shoot out of my chair.

  “You are not even going to ask the Talentless fae for his version before you banish him? Nothing this fae just said makes any sense!” I slam my fist on the table. God! The man is nothing but walking, talking stubbornness in a breastpla—

  The entire room goes eerily silent. Even the Talentless fae’s screams stop, and his eyes bulge as he stares at me.

  I hear Baird sigh and glance at him just in time to catch him closing his eyes and bowing his head in his hands before my knees give out in a strange, gradual way.

  Oddly enough, Nuadha stands and casually makes his way around the room at the same slow pace as my backside lowering into the chair.

  I shrink in my seat in the hopes of disappearing into the cushions before he can reach me.

  “Do you question how I rule my kingdom?”

  “N-no…of c-course not. I just thought maybe
you should hear what the Talentless fae has to say before you punish him for something he might not have done.” I hate that it sounds as if I’m asking, rather than stating, but somehow the quiet tone of Nuadha’s voice is more threatening than any order I’ve heard him bark.

  “You think the forest fae is lying?”

  I look at the bright scarlet face and twisting hands as the guy still refuses to meet anyone’s gaze. “Yes.” I lift my chin and defiantly stare into Nuadha’s eyes. “I do.” Go big or go home, right? I can be just as stubborn, and if I’m going to die, I may as well do it telling the truth.

  “That’s outrageous!” the forest fae yells. “Sire, I—”

  Nuadha holds up a hand and the ranting immediately stops. “I will deal with you in a moment. First, I would like to hear why this faeling thinks she has any say in the running of this kingdom?”

  My heart pounds, and I sink further into my seat. “I…don’t. I-I…just feel for anyone being wrongly accused is all. I…suppose I apologize.”

  A smirk plays at the corners of the king’s mouth. “Do you? Know this, child. As of this moment, the only reason your head is still sitting on your impertinent shoulders is because of your care for Danu’s beast. That unicorn is keeping you alive while your tongue will see you dead.” He turns his attention back to the fae. “Release your hold on this Talentless, immediately.”

  The forest fae’s vines snap and pop as he instantly pulls away.

  Nuadha grabs my arm and yanks me out of me seat before gesturing toward the fae. “Question him.” He turns and strolls back to his chair.

  “Um…” I gulp air and try to remain upright. “Did you do as this fae accuses?”

  A sharp scent of pine permeates the air.

  “Release your mind control!” Nuadha glares at the forest fae.

  The guy has the decency to look embarrassed at being caught in the act and lowers his head.