The Changeling's Fortune (Winter's Blight Book 1)

by K. C. Lannon

  So she went with James to protect him…

  Iain’s expression slackened, and he glanced away, struck by her seeming concern for his brother, if it was genuine. He was also struck that she had sense enough to know how much trouble James could get himself into after only knowing him a few days.

  When he looked up again, he met Deirdre’s gaze steadily. “You mentioned General Callaghan like you knew him. Explain that to me.”

  “Alan Callaghan, right? I don’t know him. I just ran into him once though.” She sniffed and folded her arms. “I think he might’ve done it on purpose. I was shopping in the market by the city park, and as I was leaving he ran into me. He knew I was an orphan, and he asked if I needed help buying anything. I said I didn’t, because it was really weird that he knew I was an orphan, and he didn’t even explain himself or introduce himself or anything. Then he dropped a ring… I guess it was iron. I picked it up and put it back on a booth, then I left.”

  She shuddered. “It was creepy. And then I was talking with Mother Superior, and she said he had been there to look at my files and stuff. He suspected I was a faery, or at least part faery, I guess. And I’m pretty sure it’s his fault I got locked up… They took me in right after I ran into him at the market.” She shrugged, her expression sour.

  Iain tensed as he listened, an angry heat rising in his chest. He planned on blaming her, locking her up for his crimes. Dévla… What kind of man does that?

  He merely nodded in reply, taking in all the information.

  “Thank you,” he said quickly and stood. “Thanks for cooperating.”

  “Um… you’re welcome.” She smiled just a bit.

  After calling James to come back, Iain turned to Deirdre again. “Deirdre,” he said firmly and with sincerity, “I believe you.” She looked up at him, her eyes bright. “But that doesn’t really matter. What matters is this: I don’t want my brother getting hurt, by accident or otherwise. And since you’re a faery… I can’t trust that won’t happen.”

  She balled her fists. “I wouldn’t ever—”

  “Good. Let’s keep it that way.”

  Deirdre’s eyes narrowed. She looked at him the same way the faery and the human at the cottage had, the same way most people did. It shouldn’t have felt any different—he shouldn’t have felt anything, but he did, and it was shame. The feeling confused him.

  She hesitated, then asked, “So you’re not taking me back to the city?”

  As James trudged up to them with a scowl on his face and his arms tightly crossed, Iain said firmly, “We’re not going back to Neo-London.”

  Saying it out loud felt final and strange, when only hours ago he had been adamant about going back. He and Philip had been going to return together, to speak to General Windsor together. He’d made a promise to figure everything out once James was safe, but it wasn’t one he was sure he would be able to keep even if he tried his hardest. He knew that Philip had picked the wrong person to help him.

  James isn’t safe yet, Iain reminded himself. He’s not safe until we find Mum, until we find answers. Deirdre isn’t safe yet either.

  Once again, he thought of his mum’s chilling words about James, about the dark magic that had ahold of him. That put everything in perspective. The only concern that should matter to him now was James’s safety, and there was something out there that wanted to claim him. As long as that was true, James was in danger.

  For the first time since she left, Iain was able to consider a different narrative than the one he’d accepted. Mum hadn’t left because she was unhappy or because raising them was too difficult or to get away from their father. She had left to protect James. She may not have wanted them to find her, but he supposed that didn’t matter anymore.

  “We’re going to find Mum,” Iain announced.

  James looked at him with an expression he hadn’t seen in a while. Iain suspected it meant that James was surprised but also proud of him. “What made you change your mind?”

  “You made a good argument, James.” Iain took out his radio and then added, “Don’t think that gives you permission to argue with everything I say.”

  “What’re you doing with that?” James asked, pointing to the radio.

  In answer, Iain chucked the radio in the opposite direction. It went quite far, disappearing into the brush.

  “Wow, you have a really good arm!” Deirdre commented.

  Iain murmured an awkward “thank you” before turning back to his younger brother. “Now they won’t be able to track us.”

  “How would they track us?”

  “There’s a device in the radio that sends out the location—”

  “Then why not just remove the device?” James asked.

  Iain’s face grew warm. “I have my reasons.”

  “Right. Is one of those reasons being a dramatic ninny?”

  “I’ll go and get it then.”

  “Good luck finding it.”

  “Hang on.” Iain took one step in the direction of where he saw the radio vanish and then stopped. “I’ve just remembered something.”

  “What?”

  “That I don’t take orders from my cheeky little brother. You fetch it.”

  When James returned with the radio in hand a few minutes later, he looked too tired for any snarky remarks, which is exactly what Iain had been hoping for. The radio was undamaged, so James was able to remove the tracking device with little difficulty.

  “The city isn’t safe anymore. For any of us,” Iain informed James and Deirdre. “They’ve imposed martial law.” He paused, thinking. “I don’t know if anywhere is safe, to be honest.”

  James got to work, showing Iain the maps he’d collected, different paths he’d swathed through scarcely populated areas with marker. He explained to Iain the several places on the map where Travellers set up camp.

  “We’ll keep going north then,” Iain said, pointing to one of the circles on the map. “If Mum’s family is still traveling, this is where they’re most likely to be.”

  “What about Deirdre?” James asked after a minute of discussion. “She’s got to get to the Summer Court.”

  Iain frowned. “Guess it’d probably be the safest place for you since you’re one of them.”

  Deirdre laughed a bit wearily. “I don’t know about that.” When Iain looked at her, she continued, “I mean, sure yes, I’m a faery but… I don’t think they’re safe. Mother Superior told me to be careful.”

  “And the faery ring wasn’t exactly safe either,” James said in undertone, though he didn’t sound quite as certain as Deirdre.

  “Besides, I don’t want to leave James just yet,” Deirdre said, glancing at him. “I mean, I promised I would help you find your mum. And also… there was something else…” She frowned, trying to recall for a moment before her eyes lit up, and she continued more quickly, “You said something about being marked by magic or something? That sounded bad. You wanted help with that, right?”

  Iain shot a look at James. “You’ve announced this to everyone in England then, as well?”

  James shot a look right back. “I’ve just told Deirdre because I knew she would understand. She didn’t flinch at it as much as you did.”

  “That’s because—” Iain broke off, glancing at Deirdre. He lowered his voice. “It doesn’t matter. Whatever it is, we won’t flinch at it again. We’re gonna figure it out, whatever dark magic it is.”

  Iain was about to suggest that they merely escort her to the nearest town on their way and find someone there to look after her or find her a job or find someone to take her to the Summer Court, make sure she was safe, when James spoke up.

  “Finished.” He held up the tracker, which reminded Iain a little of an insect with long, wiry metal legs.

  Iain took it, then gestured for them all to get up. “Let’s get a move on.”

  Deirdre jumped up immediately, wobbled a moment, then she and James began heading toward the trees. Iain looked down at the tracker in his hand,
one last piece of his father’s will, the way his father had planned this mission would go.

  He flung it in a high arc back toward the ruins, not even watching to see where it would land before he turned and followed Deirdre and James into the woods.

  Final Words

  Dear reader, if you enjoyed this book, please leave a review. Thank you and happy reading!

  Authors' Note

  Some people are unaware that the Roma are not a fictional people associated with magic, but a historically displaced ethnic group who nowadays often don't travel in caravans or demonstrate many of the stereotypical elements one might associate with being Roma. The Roma are often viewed as mystical and romantic—something not quite of this world.

  It could be argued that writing a book in which Romani people live in a magical world filled with faeries and other such beings might contribute to this image. However, we think that all groups should be welcome in fantasy, our favorite genre, without being reduced to a stereotype.

  When possible, we have researched and checked facts and cultural references and have used the services of a Romani sensitivity reader to try to ensure cultural awareness and accuracy. However, we are human and thus may make mistakes. Some liberties have been taken with the Romani culture and other cultures for the sake of building the story world where magic and faeries are real. For instance, in the real world, magic is not considered marhime, and many Roma do not believe in magic at all. However, it made sense to us within the context of the story universe for magic to be considered marhime and taboo.

  If you want to learn more about Romani culture, we suggest reading non-fiction and fiction books written by Romani authors.

  Acknowledgments

  Special thanks first, of course, to my very innovative and very patient friend and co-writer, K.C. Lannon. You were enthusiastic about this book every step of the way, and your persistence is exemplary! Thank you also for pushing the both of us out of our creative comfort zones; without that, I doubt we would have taken quite as many risks with this book.

  Also many thanks to my family and friends for providing vital, initial feedback, especially my sister for urging us (i.e. yelling at us) to go the extra mile with the book’s conclusion.

  And thanks be to God, the author of life, who is the source of all the best creative inspiration, including sub-creations.

  Last but not least, thank you for reading, dear reader! I hope you enjoyed the first step in this story, and that the rest of the series will take you on a happily unforgettable journey!

  -M.C. Aquila

  In writing this novel, I was able to reconnect to a lost part of myself—the childlike part that once believed in myths, legends, and faeries and dreamed of finding adventure. I was able to go on this magical journey with the help of some wonderful people.

  Firstly, I need to acknowledge my friend and writing partner, M.C. Aquila. Thank you for plotting with me for hours until we were both aggrieved with headaches, drinking lots of tea at my house, making me laugh with your amazing sense of humor and comedic timing, and just putting up with me in general.

  Thank you to Scar from Bohemiacademia for taking the time to read for cultural sensitivity and check for those pesky Americanisms. Your feedback was valuable, thoughtful, skillful, and greatly appreciated.

  Thank you to Courtney Diles for editing. You are an inspirational person, a great writer, and a great editor.

  Thank you to my family for cheering me on whenever I would tromp around the house in frustration or stumble in dazed like a zombie after a tiring writing session. Even though you had no idea what was going on, your encouragement was enough.

  Thank you to my big sister for always looking out for me and believing in my vision. Also, thank you for exclaiming in surprise when I read one of the drafts out loud to you, “This sounds like a real book!”

  I thank God for helping me through this process every step of the way. Without Him, my words mean nothing.

  Finally, thank you to those who picked up this book. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it.

  - K.C. Lannon