The Last Lullaby (The Spellsinger Book 1)

by Amy Sumida

  Then a flicker of something crossed my vision. A flash of black and silver distracted my narrowed glare. Deep blue eyes, like the Pacific on a sunny day. Deep enough to dive into, clear enough to peer past fathoms. I smiled softly and something shook in my chest. An abrupt inhale. A startled gasp. Warm hands enveloped mine, and my stare lowered to a pair of sensual lips. They moved, empowering their words with resonance.

  “Elaria, my love,” Torin said gently, calmly. He had no need to shout. His voice became everything. “This is not who you are. You are stronger than the relic. Stronger than us all.”

  I sang on.

  “It's no good,” Banning groaned.

  But then the lyrics became personal. Virulent. Something burned inside me, made me stumble and fall against Torin. The threat seemed directed against my lover, and that was not acceptable. I began to shudder, fighting the pull of violence, righteousness, and fury.

  “Little bird”-Torin's lips brushed mine-“remember who you are and who you belong to. Come home to me.”

  Then he kissed me. The song strangled in my throat as emotion took over. Stronger than magic, stronger than revenge, even stronger than the relic. Love lifted inside me and burned away the collar's control. The light from the gems winked out as Torin's body surrounded mine. The taste of him revived me, his scent awakened me, his touch reminded me of who I was. This was real. This was me . . . and Torin. He was mine, and I was his. No masters here. Not even the relic.

  A relieved cheering filtered up to us as Torin pulled away slowly.

  “There you are.” Torin stared into my eyes, revealing the barest flicker of relief inside his. “There's my little bird.”

  “Is it over?” I asked with a hoarse voice.

  “As over as it could ever be,” Cerberus answered before Torin could. “You demolished them, Song Queen.”

  “It's over,” I sighed, and leaned into Torin.

  With my words, the clasp at the back of my neck released, and the collar slid down my chest. I jerked back and tried to catch it, but the relic disappeared.

  “What in the world?” I leaned back and laid my hand to my bare chest. “What happened to it?”

  A rumbling shook the earth, and we braced ourselves. It went on for maybe five minutes, while people pointed into the distance and shouted. All of us on the little hill looked off to see Relic Mountain rising up to the heights it had previously held.

  “The relic has returned to its slumber.” Torin smiled broadly.

  “Looks like our work here is done,” Cerberus said to Banning.

  “It appears so,” Banning said softly, as he stared forlornly at me.

  “Yes,” I agreed, but then frowned at Cerberus. “Cer, why are you naked?”

  The Relic War concluded with the booming laugh of the Hound of Hades.

  Chapter Forty-Six

  It had been a week since the Relic War, or the Sapphire Slaughter as some were calling it. King Galen had survived. His brother, Finbar, did not. Torin had kept his promise to me and found Finbar on the battlefield. Found him and killed him slowly. I've heard speculations that even with his grisly death, Finbar was still luckier than some of the men killed by my magic. I mean the relic's magic. It wasn't mine anymore, and it would hopefully stay that way.

  Whenever memories of the battle surfaced, I sank into a dark place where I experienced it all over again. The savagery. The pull of power. The feeling of being both master and slave. The tightrope I had walked over complete destruction. Not of my body, but of my mind. I had been a step away from becoming the relic. Of losing everything that made me Elaria Tanager. Everything that made me a person, not some unfeeling, merciless weapon. At first, it took a while for me to shake off the horror, but it was slowly becoming easier to work through the anxiety. One thing was certain: I didn't miss the relic. All the power in the world wasn't worth losing your soul.

  Still, the relic had been necessary, and it had done its job well. The sanctions imposed on Sapphire and its supporters were enough to discourage any fairy from ever looking covetously at Earth again. A collective of Shining One royals had stripped King Galen of his magic. Torin had led the collective. I thought it was kind of poetic. Galen had used his sister as an excuse to bring me to Tír na nÓg, when in actuality, he'd been the one to force Nila to flee. Now Galen found himself in her shoes, and by the hands of the very same king who had grounded Nila's magic.

  Queen Ava's power was also drained, but not fully. She was left enough magic to assure her a place in a Jewel Court. Not nearly as bad a punishment as her husband received, but enough of one that she couldn't claim Sapphire in his place.

  Humiliated and powerless, Galen left Tír na nÓg for the world he had wanted to conquer- Earth. I'm told that he asked Ava to join him, but she refused, withdrawing to a small property her parents had left her in Bloodstone. She took her dog with her. Galen was pretty broken up over his wife's rejection and went off to find his sister, hoping that Nila would give him comfort and sanctuary. Nila had laughed in his face, and slammed the door on her brother's pleas for help. Good for her.

  Sapphire's castle had been reduced to rubble by the relic, and the rest of the kingdom became a sort of no-man's land- which Torin said will stay that way until someone rises up as the new monarch. He wanted me to claim the kingdom for myself, but I pointed out that without the relic, I wasn't actually a queen anymore. I couldn't control the stones. Not any of them. There was no way I could claim a Shining One kingdom. I couldn't even hear the damn walls anymore. Torin had grudgingly agreed.

  The way home from Sapphire had been a strange journey. Our allies had headed immediately to their own kingdoms, and the Onyx army had once again been left with Cerberus, his shifter security force, the blooder soldiers, and Banning as travel companions. There was a general sense of satisfaction among the troops, but at the same time, they were traumatized. Very few of them would meet my eyes, and most skittered away from me when I got too near. I didn't blame them. How could I, when I had nightmares over it myself?

  Thankfully, I was Elaria Tanager once more. Not Queen of Song or Warrior Witch. Just Elaria the Spellsinger, and that was good enough for me. Though I wasn't sure it was good enough for Torin.

  The first night after the battle, we had made love with a wild abandon, relief and triumph heating our blood. The night after had been more sedate. We had come together slowly, sweetly, both of us glorying in the fact that we had survived. The third evening started to get awkward, and the sex felt strained to me. By the time we reached Onyx, I started to wonder if Cerberus had been right. Was the end of the war also the end of me and Torin?

  The last few days at the Onyx Castle had been a rush of activity. Torin had to speak with several monarchs who hadn't allied with either side. After hearing of how we'd crushed Sapphire, they were afraid that their neutrality would cost them. So they'd come in person to feel Torin out, and see if they needed to make amends. They brought lavish gifts for him, and for me as well, the Queen of Song. No one told them that I didn't have my power anymore, but I was sure the gossip would spread eventually. Until then, I'd take the presents. I wasn't one to refuse a gift.

  Torin seemed to be busy constantly, meeting with the monarchs and settling the mess that came in the aftermath of war. Each of our allied kingdoms had taken tributes from Sapphire and their allies; Malachite, Diamond, Jasper, Opal, Tiger's Eye, Carnelian, Selenite, Kyanite, and Blue Lace Agate. It was the spoils of war, but Torin said it was more than that. Basically, the loser paid the winner's expenses. Kind of like winning a legal case.

  Anyway, the neutral kingdoms were coming to pay tribute after the fact, and their groveling was both tedious and satisfying for Torin. The Mongrel King had become more powerful than any of them, and I think it pleased Torin immensely to listen to their ass-kissing. But it also annoyed him, and by the end of each day, he was irritable. We hadn't been intimate since we'd returned from war. In fact, I'd taken to sleeping in my guest room.

  I was exiting
it, when I saw Oonagh coming out of Torin's bedroom.

  I froze, staring at her with wide eyes. No way. She flinched when she saw me, then straightened her shoulders, and gave me a smug smile as she sauntered by. I grabbed her arm just after she made it past, and her smugness flashed to fear.

  “What the fuck were you doing in Torin's bedroom?” I growled at her.

  “Nothing.” She yanked her arm out of my grip. “At least nothing that's any business of yours.” She fled down the hallway as soon as she was free.

  I turned my narrowed stare to Torin's door and strode over to it. I didn't bother to knock, just barged in, and there he was, in the process of pulling on a tunic. I gaped at him.

  “Seriously?!” I shrieked as he settled his clothing in place.

  “What?” Torin looked shocked. “You don't like my choice of tunic?” He looked down at it, as if he couldn't fathom how a piece of clothing could offend me so much.

  “No, I don't like your choice of lover,” I spat.

  “You don't like yourself?” Torin looked baffled.

  “Stop the bullshit, Torin,” I stalked forward and got in his face. “I just ran into Oonagh... coming out of your bedroom.”

  “Yes.” He shrugged. “She came by to ask me if she could have my portion of the tribute from Tiger's Eye in exchange for what she received from Kyanite.”

  “What?” I deflated.

  “Oonagh said she's had trouble getting her hands on tiger's eye lately and needed a fresh supply of the stone for several of her people.” Torin cocked his head at me, then he looked down to his tunic. “You thought that I had . . . what? Fucked Oonagh while you were right across the hall?”

  “Maybe,” I said in a little voice.

  “Elaria . . .” He sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. “I know these past few days have been rough, but I'm trying to settle things among the kingdoms so we don't have another war stemming from this one. I'm busy with politics, not . . .”

  “Pussy?” I finished with a chuckle.

  “Not other women,” he amended with a smile. “Come here.” He pulled me against his chest. “You don't have to sleep in that guest room. I didn't ask you to do that.”

  “No, it's fine.” I sighed and eased away from him. “I want you to be able to come and go without worrying about waking me.”

  “I appreciate that”-Torin leaned his forehead to mine,-but I've missed sleeping beside you. Why don't you sleep here tonight? I promise I won't schedule any late meetings.”

  “All right,” I agreed.

  “But for now, I must attend to the Topaz royals.” He sighed, and then looked hopeful. “Would you care to join me?”

  “Oh hell no.” I laughed when he made a disgruntled face. I had opted out of all the ass-kissing. I just couldn't handle it. Diplomacy was not my strong suit. “You go ahead and have fun. I'll meet you back here later. Be sure and bring me my presents though.”

  “You're a heartless woman.” He kissed my cheek, and then we headed out of the room together.

  We parted ways in the hall, Torin going downstairs while I headed back into my guest room. Oonagh's deception had soured my sociability. I formed a new plan to hide out in my room and read all day. I'd borrowed a few books from Torin's study and they looked promising. They were all works of fiction by Shining One authors, and several of them were set in the human world. I found it terribly amusing that fairy fiction would be about humans. I guess that was fantasy for them.

  But just a few minutes after I'd settled on the bed, a knock came at my door. I debated not answering it, and then decided that was both immature and stupid. It could be important. So I got up and trudged over to the door. I wasn't entirely shocked to find Banning standing on the other side.

  “Hello,” he said in a low voice.

  “Hey.” I swung a hand in toward the room. “Come on in.”

  “Thank you.” He looked nervous. “I won't be long. I just wanted to come by and tell you goodbye.”

  “You're leaving?”

  “I have to make sure my gura gets home, and then I need to see to the soldiers the European Falca sent me,” he said. “I'll have to make my report as well. There's a lot to be done.”

  “I understand,” I sighed. It seemed like everyone was busy except for me.

  “So, I . . .” He cleared his throat. “I'm not giving up on us, Elaria.”

  “Banning . . .” I shook my head, but he stopped me from saying anything further.

  “No.” He held up a hand. “I know that you're with Torin, but we're immortals, and things change. I just want you to know that should this relationship between you and Torin change, I will be waiting for you. I will always want you. It will never be too late for you to return to me.”

  I didn't know what to say to that, but he saved me from replying by leaning forward and kissing my cheek.

  “I want you to be happy, Elaria,” Banning said sincerely. “If that happiness is without me, then I can accept that. But I will never love anyone as I love you, and no matter what happens in my world, there will always be a place for you in it. I need you to understand that before I leave.” He pressed a card into my hand. “Just in case you lost the last one.” He gave me a sexy wink. “Goodbye, Elaria.”

  “Goodbye, Banning.” I clutched his business card. “I wish you happiness as well.”

  He didn't say anything to that, just smiled a little sadly and closed the door behind him.

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Cerberus left shortly after Banning, and I suddenly felt very alone in the castle. Everyone was bustling about constantly, even Sara, who barely had time to help me dress in the mornings. She had a list of bustier orders to fill for several queens, including Queen Teagan, and most of her free time was spent sewing. I was happy for her, but lonely.

  I had spent a sweet evening with Torin, but after that, things had gone back to the way they were. I had returned to sleeping in the guest room. I spent most of my days in there too. Either that or I'd sit in Torin's private garden. I had breakfast with him most mornings, but other than that, I rarely saw him.

  Despite Torin's explanation for Oonagh's presence in his bedroom, I began to grow more and more suspicious. It seemed that whenever I wandered into a meeting I wasn't expected to attend, or a room I had entered by chance, I found Oonagh hanging on Torin. She'd be sitting next to him, leaning in to whisper to him, or gripping his arm conspiratorially. They always broke apart when they saw me, which made it seem even more fishy. I wasn't sure if I was just imagining things. If I was letting that first encounter screw with my head or if there really was something going on.

  What I did know was that it was time for me to go home.

  Whether or not our relationship was over, my staying would only make things worse. If Torin wanted someone else, I didn't want to stick around to watch him struggle over it. If he truly loved me, he'd be able to see that more clearly when I was gone. Plus, I needed to get back to my life on Earth, and touch base with my family so they knew I was okay. I couldn't stay in Tír na nÓg forever. This wasn't my home.

  Now I just had to tell Torin that.

  I walked through the halls, lost in my own thoughts, and almost collided with King Declan. A few of the monarchs who had allied with us had returned for a sort of post-war pow-wow/celebration. After seeing my self-imposed seclusion, Declan had made several attempts at coercing me to celebrate with him personally. You'd think I'd be annoyed, but the fact was, I liked Declan. He was never pushy, just very flattering, and he made me laugh. Plus, from interactions I witnessed between him and others, he seemed like a good guy. He was honest, nearly to the point of rudeness, which I appreciated. But he delivered his truths with such finesse that you failed to be offended. He'd simply smile and shrug, as if he couldn't change the facts. The perfect picture of poise.

  At the moment, he looked panicked.

  “Uh, Queen Elaria,” Declan grabbed me by the upper arms, and started pushing me backward, away from the corner I w
as about to round. “I'd like to speak with you, if you don't mind.”

  “I can't right now, King Declan,” I slipped out of his grasp. “I need to talk to Torin. I'll find you afterward.”

  I tried to go around him, but he snatched at me again, “He's not in that direction.”

  Declan was usually so honest that his lies had become vivid to me. I could see the falsehood painted across his mouth like red lipstick on a librarian. My eyes narrowed, and I jerked my arm away. I stalked to the corner, dread pooling in my belly, and peered around it. There was Torin, leaning against the wall, with Oonagh pressed tight against him. Her arms were around his neck, her mouth moving over his, and his hands were at her waist. I flinched away from the sight. Then I started walking back the way I'd come.

  “Elaria.” Declan followed me. “I'm so sorry. I had just seen them, and I wanted to spare you.”

  “You're sweet, Declan.” I barely recognized my own voice. It was constricted, a breathy whisper. “But I needed to see that. It's good. Closure. All us girls like closure. Besides, I'm already packed. I knew something was up with Torin. Now it's confirmed. I have to admit though, it surprises me.”

  “It surprises me as well.” Declan's jaw twitched. “Why bed an ice queen when you could make music with the Queen of Song?”

  “That's lovely,” I said. “Poetic. Thank you for being such a gentleman.”

  “You deserve better than that,” Declan huffed. “Just because she's more powerful than you are now, you shouldn't be cast aside for her. What does magic have to do with love anyway?”

  I stopped and stared at him. Magic. Love. Dear gods, had our bond broken when the relic returned to its hibernation? That spell we cast, those words, maybe it had faded along with everything else at the end of the battle. All the demons went home to their underworlds, the toxic radiation dissipated into harmless mist, and the insanity that had taken over the enemy ranks subsided. The warding spell I had cast over the Veil had disappeared. Maybe our vows had disappeared too.