“Oh, I don’t know, Drake. How about because she’s still here, despite promises to the contrary? Or that we still have no idea of who this Scarface is? Or that he hurt my mother?”
“You didn’t tell me that.”
“She scryed him while you were fetching the mirror to the Dwarf Realm, and said he saw her. Basically pushed her away.”
Drake rubbed his chin. “That makes things a lot worse.”
“Your grasp of the obvious is outstanding.”
“She didn’t recognize him?”
“Not that she mentioned.”
They rounded a corner and ran right into Nerida.
“Watch where you are going, clumsy boy!” She scolded.
“Why are you still here, Mother? I thought you had to get back to Father.”
“I messaged him and gave him all the details. Once I’d spoken to Iris, I knew I needed to be here.”
“Why were you speaking to Iris?” Brennan snapped. In spite of his irritation, he saw that Nerida didn’t have on her usual mask of calm. Interesting.
He also didn’t miss the glance that Nerida and Drake shared. “It came out of some of the questions Taranath had for her. Based on that, I went to the castle histories. There is something you need to know, Brennan.”
“Well? No need to draw this out. What is it?”
“I think I know the reason that Iris is fading the way she is.” Nerida looked pleased with herself.
Brennan rubbed the bridge of his nose, stalling for time.
“What is it, Mother?” He felt like for every step forward, he took several steps back. All he wanted was to get back and speak with Taranath, and get Iris home. Nothing had gone right since they’d come upon her. Nothing. If he was being logical, he’d concede that nothing had gone right since he and Drake had been ambushed. It was easier just to blame Iris. Made it more palatable.
“Iris is fading, but hasn’t died. She’s being kept alive.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Iris is part fae.”
He glared. “Mother, you’re going mad. Iris is not part fae. She’s human, albeit troublesome, but human. And she’s going home.”
“She may not be able to,” Nerida said.
“Why is that?”
“I think the human side of her is dying, just like they do when they come here as babies, but because she is part fae—I believe her grandmother was fae—that is keeping her alive.”
“What is it you want me to do about it?”
Nerida gasped. “You’re not going to tell her? She has a right to know, Brennan!” Her face showed her shock. Even in the semi-dark corridor, he could see the disbelief on her face.
“What difference will it make? Her world is not ours. She doesn’t have a life here.”
“She could.” Drake had been silent up to now. “I think you need to tell her.”
“Why am I to be the one to tell her?” Brennan couldn’t stop the irritation.
“I can tell her,” Nerida said. “I knew her grandmother.”
“What happened that she ended up with a human granddaughter?” Drake spoke before Brennan could. “I’ve never heard anything about it.”
“We don’t speak of it. You both know that it’s not done for us to involve ourselves with humans. Too many complications.” When Drake nodded, she continued. “When her grandmother, Imara, was younger, she accidentally opened a portal, by falling through it, actually. It’s why your father and I made an effort to find all the spots that were weak, where the portals were easily available,” she directed that at Brennan.
He gave a tight nod. He couldn’t tell how he felt, how a flare of hope had spiked in him at his mother’s words. He didn’t want to hope, hope for…what? He didn’t want to go there. So he crossed his arms and said nothing, willing Nerida to continue, while the hope flickered around the edges of him. He did his best to ignore it. He hoped that Mother and Drake couldn’t feel his emotions.
Nerida continued. “But before we did that, Imara fell through, and she ended up in the Human Realm. She was there for some time. While there, she met a human man and fell in love with him. She came back to Fae, of course, but she was greatly changed.” Nerida stopped, her gaze distant.
Brennan could tell that she wasn’t with them just then, that she relived things from the past.
Nerida shook her head. “I asked and asked her, what happened to you there? Prior to falling through, she’d been happy, merry. Many fae asked for her hand, and she’d not accepted anyone yet. With her odd behavior, her parents were pressing her to choose a suitor. They were worried. They were right to be.” Nerida sighed. “She came to me, right before she left forever. She cried,” Both Brennan and Drake drew back in surprise. Fae did not cry often.
Nerida nodded at their expressions. “I was taken aback, as you might imagine. She told me of her time in the Human Realm, how she’d met a human man and she’d fallen in love with him. She came home when she could, but once home, she didn’t want to be here anymore. She told me she no longer felt this to be her home. She wanted to go back. Back to the Human Realm and her human mate. She wanted me to sneak her across one of the portals.”
Nerida sighed. “She asked for my help. I was shocked and told her I couldn’t. I begged her to go to her parents. I told her that they’d rather see her happy than miserable, even if it was in the Human Realm.” Now she looked away.
Brennan could see the sadness, and…guilt? On his mother’s face.
“I was wrong. Oh, I was so wrong. She took my advice. She did go to her parents, and her father was so angry. It shook the court, the level of his anger. He went to the king, to your grandfather, demanding that he send her far from here and bind her from portals. Before that could happen, Imara disappeared. We all knew where she’d gone, of course.”
She met both their gazes. “I’ve never been able to shake the thought that I gave the worst advice possible to Imara. Had I made another suggestion, she might not have come to the point she did. Because she followed my advice, she was exiled. Her father died pretending Imara never existed. And now, her granddaughter is here. We have to tell her, Brennan.”
“To what end? Do you think she’ll actually want to stay here? Where will she live? How will she be cared for? There are no families that will take her in.”
“I will,” Nerida’s tone brooked no discussion. “I failed my friend, her grandmother. I will not do the same to her granddaughter. If you will not tell her, Brennan, I will. She may decide to go back. If she does, I will support that. It’s her choice. But she must be able to make the choice with all the information that she has a right to know. She needs to know how she might be changed when she returns. It’s not easy being of two worlds.” She turned, walking towards the door to Brennan’s chamber.
“What, you’re going to do it right now?” He leapt forward, trying to get between Nerida and his door. “We don’t have to do it right now!”
Nerida shoved him away. “Yes, we do. Who knows how much time we have left? How much time she has left? It is my responsibility. Let me pass.”
“Mother,” he said, unable to deny her.
She didn’t answer, but opened the door and swept in.
Drake followed her, and Brennan slowly walked in behind the pair of them.
Why did he continue to feel such unease about the girl? The mage would determine if there were any magic within her. If so, Iris herself was not aware of it. He’d questioned her carefully, paying attention to her reactions and answers, and didn’t feel that Iris had anything to do with Scarface, or why he and Drake had ended up where they had. Brennan could tell, without any discussion, from the way Taranath spoke to Iris that he felt it all just a series of coincidences and nothing to concern himself over. Brennan had learned to trust his mage over the years.
So why did Iris elicit such strong emotions from him? He felt a pressing need to get her out of the Fae Realm altogether, while at the same time, he felt an overwhelming desire to
keep her here, by his side, forever. He found he was jealous of anyone who spent time with her. Odd, as he seemed to snap at her every time they were alone together.
“It’s her choice. I will not take it from her,” Nerida tossed over her shoulder.
“How is it you support this?” Brennan turned his frustration onto Drake.
“My concern stems from questions regarding whether or not she is a spy, or working against you,” Drake said levelly, not meeting Brennan’s eyes. “We both know Taranath doesn’t believe so, given the way he is speaking with her. You know that as well as I. Therefore, I have no opinion either way. I am, however,” He looked up at Brennan now, “In support of people being told the truth at all times. You know that.”
Brennan made a noise that sounded like a strangled yell. “You and Mother will be the death of me. Who is king here?” He didn’t realize Drake read the mage as he did.
He could see the ghost of a smile turning up the corners of Drake’s mouth. “Why you are, Your Majesty.”
“Yes, and the two of you are very respectful. Move,” He walked past Drake to where Nerida stood in between the mage and Iris.
“Mother,” he put warning into the one word.
“No, Brennan. She has a right to know. As would any other of our realm.”
“What is it?” Iris asked. She looked from Nerida to Brennan.
“I believe we have discovered why you are so ill. Do you remember your grandmother?”
Taranath’s brows raised, and he sat back in his chair, awareness dawning in his expression.
Iris hadn’t gotten to the same place yet. “No. My parents aren’t very close with their families, on either side. They always said that they didn’t see eye to eye with their parents.”
“What are your grandmother’s names?” Nerida asked.
“Uh…well, my dad’s mom is named Carolyn, and my mom’s mom is Mara.”
Nerida gave a triumphant glance to Brennan. “Are either of them still alive, Iris?”
Iris shrugged. “I guess so? I don’t know. I wasn’t kidding when I said we didn’t see them. We don’t.”
Taranath leaned forward. “Do they know of your mother’s illness?”
Nerida cocked her head. “Your mother is sick?”
Iris’s entire demeanor changed. Suddenly, she looked like a scared little girl. Watching her, Brennan wanted to take her in his arms and comfort her fear away.
“My mom has brain cancer. It’s not operable. That’s why I have to get back. If I disappear, it’ll kill her faster than the cancer will.” She bent her head low, and Brennan could tell that tears weren’t far off.
The mage rested his hand on hers. Brennan wanted to knock it away, but he couldn’t. It wasn’t done, not for the king. A king with a betrothed, and a fae king who had no business holding hands with a human. He stood very still, struggling with his emotions. Drake moved closer to him. Probably alerted by the strong emotion he felt coming from Brennan. He’d always been able to discern Brennan’s emotions more than anyone other than Brennan himself.
“Let go of that anger,” Drake murmured towards Brennan. “It won’t do anything for you. The mage isn’t where you need to focus your anger.”
Brennan looked at his friend. His brother. “Thank you.”
Drake shrugged. “It’s what I do. Keep you out of your own way.”
Brennan leaned in, wanting to hear what Nerida said to Iris.
“I knew your grandmother, Mara,” she said. “At least, I think I did.”
“How do you know?”
“I believe she is a fae named Imara, who left here to live in your realm, the Human Realm, with a man she fell in love with.”
“Wait, wait, what? You’re serious. You think my grandmother is a fae? That would make…” she stopped.
Nerida smiled. “Yes, that would make you part fae. Shall I tell you what I think is happening?”
Iris nodded.
“Has Taranath shared with you how our world affects those from your world?”
Iris nodded again.
“I think the Fae Realm is killing your human side. You are ill, but since you are one-quarter fae, that quarter is keeping you alive.”
“What will happen if the rest of me dies?” Iris looked very small as she asked, looking first to Nerida, then the mage.
Iris
I couldn’t take it all in. Why hadn’t my parents known about this? Why hadn’t I ever met my grandmother? Was this why my parents didn’t talk to their families? I could tell that Nerida thought she’d uncovered a great secret that solved things, but for me, the questions had just multiplied exponentially.
“I’m having some trouble here. What does my grandmother have to do with anything?”
“Are you not listening? You are not dead because you are not fully human! Or so my mother thinks.” Brennan glared at Nerida.
“What do you think?” I didn’t understand what he was so pissy about.
“I think that while I question the theory, my mother is not given to flights of fancy. She’s terrifyingly practical. So it’s worth it to see if she’s correct.” The words sounded dragged from him.
“I don’t understand why you’re being such a jerk about all this!” I burst out. “Aren’t you glad that I’m not dead? I mean, you know, since it’s your fault I’m here? Even if I am part fairy too?”
“We are not fairies,” Nerida and Brennan said together, giving me some royal stink eye. Oops. I’d forgotten my conversation with Glynan.
“Actually, it’s my fault.” Drake leaned in, giving a small wave of his hand. Unlike Brennan, he didn’t look bothered at all. He seemed to be trying not to laugh. “I’m very glad you’re not dead.”
I gave him a what the hell? look. This is the guy who had been as rude to me as possible, and now he decides to be nice? And fae call humans odd, not to mention all the other uncomplimentary things I’d heard since I’d been here! I didn’t get these people all.
Brennan divided his anger—why anger?—between his mom and Taranath. “Figure out what needs to happen to send her back. I don’t see why her heritage stops her from being returned to her own place.”
Nerida stood, anger showing. “Because if I am correct, which I know that I am, she has a right to be here as well.”
“Being less than half fae?” Brennan stepped closer to Nerida, even angrier. “I don’t know why you’re hanging onto this so fiercely, but Iris is more human than anything else. She needs to go back to the Human Realm.”
He whipped around and stalked from the room. No one spoke, then Drake burst out laughing.
“I haven’t seen him this rattled in…I can’t even think how long.”
Nerida looked at him, her face sad. “You think that’s something to laugh over?”
“Oh, I do. I’ll go, make sure he doesn’t cast himself off the tower walk. It’s not a bad thing, Mother. Trust me.”
With a smile—a smile!—at me, he left.
Nerida turned back to me. She started to speak, but I held up my hand.
“If my grandmother is fae, and we don’t know that yet, that means my mom is half, right?”
Nerida nodded.
“Then can you save her?”
Both Nerida and Taranath glanced at one another.
Taranath spoke first. “What do you mean?”
“Is there some kind of fae medicine, some healing or magic or whatever, that can help her? That can save her?” I could hear the pleading in my voice.
I didn’t have to hear the answer. The expressions of the people sitting with me told me what I didn’t want to hear.
“I don’t know,” Nerida said. “We would need to go to the Human Realm and see her. Could you tell?” This was to Taranath.
He shrugged. “I can’t answer that from here. But I would be pleased to see if there is something I can do to help.”
I felt hopeful about something for the first time since I’d been dragged here. “Then maybe you could help her? Let’s go
back home, back to my realm! Let’s see!”
No one spoke. “What? You can help my mom!”
“There is no guarantee,” Nerida said quietly. “I would hate to raise any hope.”
“I’ve already accepted that she’s going to die. What I don’t accept is that there are people who can help her not helping!” I stood, feeling the anger well up.
“Iris—” I cut Nerida off. I didn’t care if I came off as rude.
“No! If you can help her, you have an obligation to do so. If she’s part fae, isn’t part of your job taking care of your people? She’s one of your people, even if she’s not fully fae!”
“I don’t know that it’s my place to interfere with this.”
“You certainly felt it was your place to tell me about my grandmother and make my life more complex than it already is. No hesitation there!” I struggled to keep myself from screaming at her.
Taranath started to laugh. “I do beg your pardon, Your Majesty, but she has an excellent point. I am willing to make the trip, and we can see if Imara is still in the Human Realm. Perhaps we can help her—we may not be able to, and I won’t have your abuse if not—” this directed to me.
“But let’s try. With you at my side, I can focus on what I need to do for the woman, and maybe even Iris, and you can help direct us.” Taranath glanced between Nerida and I, wanting something. I didn’t have the energy to try and figure it out.
His comment reminded me of something else. It gave me a break from wanting to smack Nerida into doing the right thing, so that could only be good.
“Why do you all need to help one another so much? The magic you use seems so…hard. I thought it was supposed to be easier.”
Taranath shook his head. “Magic is not something that can fix all things. It’s a helpful tool, something we can use to ease some aspects of life, but it’s not there to take all your cares from you and make life simple.”
That thought blew my mind a little. I’d always thought magic involved the waving of a wand, and all would be well. Here, in the Fae Realm, it seemed far more complex.
“Will you come? Please. I don’t want to lose my mom.”
For the first time, Nerida’s eyes softened as she looked at me. “I can understand. No one cares for losing a parent.” She stepped away from us, looking out the window. No one spoke, even though it nearly killed me to be quiet.
Heart Of The Goblin King (The Realm Trilogy Book 1) Page 7
