Heart Of The Goblin King (The Realm Trilogy Book 1)

by Lisa Manifold

“That’s…” Brennan started.

  “Suspicious.” Drake finished.

  “You cannot still suspect her?”

  “I would have had an answer to that question had Taranath not stopped me.”

  “From what?”

  “From whatever it took to get the answers I sought.”

  This didn’t bode well. He knew that tone. “What did you do, Drake?”

  “I…attempted a bit of persuasion,” Drake hedged.

  “You pulled a weapon on her?” Brennan didn’t know whether to laugh or be angry with his brother.

  “I did. Taranath seemed to share your incredulity. He made me stop. Had he not, we’d have no questions regarding the girl.”

  “Don’t you think that perhaps a weapon might have been a…”

  “Appropriate?” Drake supplied.

  “A bit much is more what I had in mind.”

  “No. You are my brother and my king. She’s been in the wrong place too many times, Bren. We need to get the truth from her.”

  “You mean you didn’t when you had her at the point of your weapon?”

  Drake snorted. “She actually said she’d come because she knew you were hurt. How would she know, Bren, unless she had reason to know that you’d be attacked? No one but you and I knew where we went today. And Iris was here directly after I got you back here. Just as she happened to be there when we passed through the portal into the Human Realm. I don’t believe in so many coincidences.”

  Brennan pushed himself off the table. “We must go and find them. I don’t think that she is involved, but you are right. We cannot afford even the smallest chance that she might be.”

  Drake caught his arm as he steadied himself.

  “Thank you, brother. Thank you for getting me home. I have no doubt that I would have perished if not for your quick actions.”

  Drake rolled his eyes. “Stop. You’d do the same. That’s what it means to be brothers.”

  Not always, Brennan thought.

  “It seems I owe you twice,” he said, keeping his thoughts on brothers to himself.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I heard you, right before I opened my eyes. You asked me to live. For you. It forced me to open my eyes. I remember it clearly. Thank you, brother.”

  Drake lifted a brow. “That wasn’t me.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Iris

  Me and couches were getting real comfy here in the Fae Realm. At least I’d gotten to try out a different one, being in Taranath’s rooms rather than Mr. Damned King of the Ingrates. After I’d used the pouch to come here and helped to heal him! First words—take that human home!

  I swiped the traitorous tears that fell without permission. Taranath had installed me in here and sent for goblins to help Brennan and to get me a hot drink.

  “Something restorative,” he’d said.

  Nice gesture, but I didn’t think that would help. I still needed to talk to him about the tie Mara was sure existed. And break it. As soon as humanly—I laughed without humor—possible.

  My spiraling thoughts were broken as Taranath bustled back in. He held a cup in his hand, and I could see steam rising from it.

  “This will ease you a bit. Not as much as you might like, but I find it easier to work through problems when my mind doesn’t fly like a flock of scattered birds.”

  I nodded, taking the cup as he held it out to me. “That’s exactly how I feel.”

  “I think you might also give some allowance to Drake. He’d only brought Brennan right before you appeared, and I believe he still felt the urgency of the battle from which they came.”

  “Please! Don’t make excuses for him! I’m no threat to anyone, particularly the great king’s guard dog!” I could smell the drink, and it smelled warm, and soothing. I took a sip, then another.

  “Have you ever been in a situation where you were frightened? Did you not act first and then think rationally later? Not anything trivial, but a time where you or others were in danger?”

  I opened my mouth, then shut it. I had been. We’d been on the boat, and a squall had come up while we were under sail. It had been so fast that we hadn’t gotten the sails down, and the boat was skidding across the waves like a toy jerked on a string as gusts of wind hit the sails. We’d had to time our efforts so we could drop the sails when the wind gusts passed. Not that the steady wind had been any picnic. Mom, Dad, and I worked as a team. At one point, Mom, kneeling next to me, stood up just as a gust hit the boom and sent it towards her.

  In sailing, the one place you do not want to be is where the boom is. It’s the horizontal arm that the bottom edge of the largest sail is attached to. If it hit you on a small boat, it would knock you overboard. On Sorcha, it would catapult you overboard and kill you.

  I saw the boom coming. It moved in real time and in slow motion for me. I ran at Mom and slammed into her, knocking her into the cockpit.

  We’d both been bruised after that, and she had a limp for nearly a week where she’d hit her knee when I’d fallen on her.

  But she lived.

  Damn the man. “Yes,” I admitted.

  “Then you know what it is to take action and speak later. While he may not be very happy, Drake’s concern is the king. And he acted accordingly.”

  “Doesn’t mean I have to like him. Or forgive,” I added with emphasis, taking another sip of my drink. Whatever it was, it was delicious. There were flowers and honey in it. I could taste it. Anything else, I didn’t have a clue. I didn’t care, even as I suspected there was something like fairy Xanax in it.

  “No, but you may understand. That is as important as anything else.”

  I didn’t say anything. I didn’t want to agree with him. Damn him.

  The door burst open. I jumped, spilling a little of the drink down the front of me.

  Brennan came through, followed by Drake. Great. Just who I needed to see right this minute.

  “You really should allow yourself more time to rest, my lord.” Taranath’s brows raised to nearly his hairline. “Even with your generally robust constitution.”

  “I need to speak with Iris. Then I will head straight to my chambers. My word,” Brennan offered the ghost of a smile to Taranath. Which dropped as he moved his focus to me.

  Awesome.

  “I apologize for Drake’s hasty actions earlier, Iris,” Brennan said.

  It sounded sincere. I sighed and looked at the wall.

  “As does Drake.”

  Drake made a non-committal guy noise. Then he grunted. Apparently Brennan had given him a little encouragement.

  “I am sorry I had you at the end of my knife, Iris. I can only plead concern for my king.” Drake moved as I looked at him. He’d sidestepped an elbow from Brennan. I’d been right about the encouragement.

  “We still do not know why you appeared when you did. Can you please tell us what happened?” Brennan took over. I guess he realized Drake was a lost cause in the Iris Fan Club at this point.

  “I was sitting at home, and then I had…I don’t know what you’d call it. Insight? That you’d been hurt. I…” I hesitated. I didn’t want to share that I’d felt it.

  “We need to know all that occurred,” Taranath said in his soft voice.

  It calmed me, even with the ingrate and his insane buddy.

  “I felt like someone slammed me in the chest. I couldn’t breathe, and I saw stars. Like when you’ve been hit hard. When I could speak, I said your name,” I made eye contact with Brennan. “I told Mara you were hurt.” I stopped.

  Three sets of eyes looked at me expectantly. “What? That’s it! Really. My grandmother and I talked, and she told me if I was seeing you get hurt, I needed to talk to Taranath. That’s why I came to him. He gave me a bag of some kind of tricks to bring me to him. That’s it. I didn’t know you’d be there.”

  I couldn’t tell if they believed me. It did sound rather fishy, but I had no other information to give. I’d spoken the truth. They could take it or lea
ve it.

  Drake started to speak but Brennan held up a hand to stop him. Brennan himself walked carefully towards me. That was new.

  “You felt something hit you in the chest? That is where I was hit, correct?” He glanced at Drake for confirmation.

  A short, tight nod from Drake. He looked pissed he had to admit even that.

  Brennan turned those remarkable eyes to Taranath. I felt my shoulders sag a little with relief at no longer being the focus. Even if for only a moment.

  “Why?” Brennan asked.

  Even I could feel the weight of that one word.

  Taranath took his time responding. “I am unsure of the cause of this, Majesty. It is something I need to think on. In the meantime, let me escort you to your chamber. You’re up faster than I thought you’d be. That way, I can reassure myself that you are healing as you need to.” As he spoke, he walked past Brennan and Drake towards the door.

  “Iris, I’ll leave you here. I’d advise finishing your drink. I’ll return shortly.”

  Taranath opened the door, and stood back, waiting for Brennan to precede him.

  Brennan looked from him, to me, and to Drake. It made me wince to see the healing wound on his chest. No blood, though. At least not now. How had they cleaned that up so fast? I could see blood on his shirt. Something passed between the two of them. He gave me a brief bow and turned on his heel without saying anything else.

  The door shut behind them, and I found myself alone.

  Brennan

  “Why did you hurry us out of there?” The door had barely closed before Drake questioned Taranath.

  “I didn’t want to speak of this before her.”

  Brennan admired how Taranath allowed nothing to ruffle him. Drake in high emotion, as he was now, had a forceful manner that intimidated many. That, as well as many other reasons, had decided him on Taranath as the Court Mage.

  “Speak of what?” Brennan asked.

  “There is a tie between you and Iris, Your Majesty.”

  “What does that mean?”

  Taranath sighed. “I suspected it before, but I hoped my suppositions were incorrect. However, her return confirmed things. You and Iris have a tie.”

  “How is that possible? She’s human!” Brennan grasped at the first thing that came to mind in order to not blurt out what he wanted.

  Taranath shrugged. “She’s not entirely human. You saw what happened with her mother. That is not human in the least. That’s her fae side. And now, knowing that you were hurt. The tie means that you two are bound together in a manner. You do not have to remain so, if you do not wish it.” Taranath looked straight ahead as they walked.

  Brennan stared at him. He couldn’t find the words. Did that explain his vision just before he fell? Iris dressed as fae?

  Thankfully, Drake jumped in. “What does this mean, being tied?”

  “It means that something in them feels so strongly for one another that their souls have become bound.”

  How could Taranath make these pronouncements as though he discussed the weather? It rocked Brennan to the core.

  “She’s supposed to be here.” His voice came out in almost a whisper.

  Taranath heard him. He stopped, put his hand on Brennan’s arm. “Forgive my presumption, Your Majesty, but yes, I think she is. Whether we like it or not. I think, perhaps, you aren’t as upset about this as one might suspect.”

  “Wait!” Drake threw up his hands. “We haven’t established she’s not here to harm him, not here at the behest of that cursed fae!”

  Taranath faced him. “She is not part of a scheme to harm the king. This is a coincidence, Drake. I know it’s hard to see, but I see no evil or harm in Iris. I’ve looked.” His tone spoke to the depth of his surety.

  “You’d stake your life—the king’s life—on such belief?” Drake asked.

  Brennan held up a hand. “I believe him, Drake. When has he been wrong before in the advice he’s given?”

  “I don’t like it.”

  “Did you not say something similar not one day ago?” Brennan couldn’t help but interject a teasing note into his question.

  “That’s before she showed up one too many times when you were at risk!” Drake didn’t back down.

  “Will you trust me?” Brennan quietly asked his brother. His heart felt like a bird breaking free from a cage. The challenges presented by this were enormous, but the mere fact that someone other than himself said she should be here made him feel good. Happy, almost.

  He ignored the concern over having too much feeling. He would handle it. He glanced down as a pair of goblins scurried past, giving head bobs when they saw him look down.

  Who said goblins didn’t have a high level of sensitivity? He’d never understood such an idea. His experience showed him otherwise. As the two who’d just gone by showed.

  “I don’t have a choice, do I?” Drake made a sound of disgust.

  Or maybe because Drake made no move to hide his emotions. “How can you change your thoughts on her when you argued so strongly in a different direction?” Brennan wondered aloud.

  “After I saw you lying unconscious, and she turned up just as I got you to safety. Again, right after we saw Scarface who bespelled us both times! Does this completely escape you?” Frustration made Drake’s voice rise.

  “No. I understand your concern. I think, though, that this is one of the few times where I will say it has been an unfortunate set of coincidences,” Taranath replied.

  “Drake, I am glad you are by my side,” Brennan said walking forward again, forcing the other two men to follow him. “Please be watchful. I hear the truth in what Taranath says. I also hear it in your words. So keep watch. Do not harm her. At all. If you feel something is off, come to me immediately.” He turned to look at Drake, to make sure he understood.

  Drake glared for a moment, then expelled a breath. “If you say so, Bren. I won’t harm a hair on her head. Unless she comes at you armed.”

  “Perhaps you should also promise not to threaten her with any sort of weapon,” Taranath interjected mildly.

  “Yes, perhaps you should use some restraint,” Brennan agreed. The thought of Drake putting a knife to Iris filled him with…not rage, but a protective feeling. He couldn’t be angry with Drake. Of all those around him, Drake had proved time and again himself to be Brennan’s true brother.

  Unlike Cian.

  Why thoughts of his lost brother came to mind now, he didn’t know. He hadn’t thought of him in so long. Drake was the only brother he had, and the one who…Brennan pushed the unworthy thought away. From the distance as an adult, he knew Cian to be a child, with a child’s temper, and what could be explained as a child’s cruelty.

  Drake had never been cruel. Ever.

  Brennan shook his head. He had no time for thoughts of the past. Enough lay before him that needed to be addressed now.

  First, Iris. “Taranath, I will need you to explain further this tie between us. What does it mean? What will it change for me? For her? I need to understand it before I do anything else. I don’t want to hurt her due to lack of knowledge.”

  Drake muttered something, but Brennan ignored it.

  They’d reached Brennan’s chambers.

  “May I join you within, Majesty?”

  Brennan nodded. They entered into his study, and he went to his favorite chair, throwing himself into it. He felt very tired, as if the weight of all the realms sat on his shoulders.

  Maybe they did, in a fashion.

  Drake and Taranath sat also.

  “Majesty,” Taranath began, “I didn’t want to speak so openly in the corridor, but will you tell me honestly of your feelings for Iris?”

  Brennan drew back. He hadn’t expected such a direct question. “I…I don’t know what I feel,” he answered. “I feel for her, which is more than I expected.” How to keep some of what he felt hidden?

  “Your Majesty, I mean no disrespect, but you are not being truthful. Tell me the truth.”
<
br />   Only Drake and Taranath—and his mother—could speak to him so. Brennan felt relief that Taranath had saved this for the privacy of his chambers.

  “He likes her,” Drake rolled his eyes. “Why he can’t admit it, I don’t know. He couldn’t before this mess, and apparently that challenge exists still. As it should,” He glared at Brennan.

  “Enough,” Brennan said. “I felt an attraction to her that I haven’t felt…”

  “Ever,” Drake supplied.

  “I can speak for myself, Drake.”

  “I don’t know about that, Your Majesty.” Sarcasm dripped from Drake’s words.

  “I think she cares for you as well.” Taranath had an amused expression on his face.

  “That’s been apparent from the beginning,” Drake muttered.

  “Has it? Were you aware, Your Majesty?” This to Brennan.

  “I hadn’t thought about it, Taranath. I,” He smiled ruefully, “I found that I had a great deal of focus on my own feelings.”

  “What of your intended? How does she fit into this revelation?”

  Brennan shook his head. He noted that Drake had clamped his lips together. “I don’t know. I don’t know, Taranath. I never expected to…” He stopped. If he said it aloud, it could never be taken back.

  “Feel for a human? Or anyone at all?” Taranath asked quietly.

  Shock prevented Brennan from any sort of immediate response. How did Taranath know? How could he know?

  “So what is to be done?” Drake, ever practical, changed the topic slightly.

  “She will stay here, with me.” Brennan found his voice.

  “That will get back to Ailla faster than you can order breakfast,” Drake said.

  Brennan shrugged, emboldened by the fact that he had a reason to allow Iris to be here. “Will she be all right?” He asked Taranath. “When she was here before you said her human side fell ill.”

  “That will probably continue. But,” he held up a finger, “Given what I have seen of Iris, I think her fae side will compensate.”

  “She could die,” Drake said.

  Brennan glared at the hopeful note in Drake’s statement. “No, she will not. We’ll send her back before that happens. I am to be told immediately if you notice anything of the sort,” he spoke to both men, giving Drake a hard look.