by T K Eldridge
Sid nodded. “That’s it exactly.”
“Ethan was having the same trouble. I haven’t slept well in weeks because I keep waking to check the house. I didn’t think anything different was happening last night, but it could have been. Mira was awake all night. She and Ethan were finally asleep in his bed together when I left for work.”
“Alec McGinty said that every single child with fae blood called in sick, and all of the teachers with fae blood are either out sick or at work, but not wholly functional,” Grampa said.
“Bast at work or home?” I asked.
“He’s in the office, but he said he barely got any sleep last night. They checked all the absences and Bast noticed the link, so Alec called,” Grampa replied.
“Finn said they were going to be coming back over with Peyton and Samantha to return them home. Said he’d call me when they got to this side of the Veil. I haven’t received a call,” Sid said.
A knock at the door as it opened and Aunt Sett stepped into the room. She looked like she had the flu or something – pale and unsteady.
“I need to go home. I don’t feel well,” Sett said as she grabbed the back of my chair.
I got up and helped her sit, then opened a bottle of water for her from Grampa’s mini fridge. “Here, Auntie. Sip this.” My gaze went to Grampa. “Call Grandma. Make sure she’s okay?”
Grampa called Grandma and it went to voicemail. I pushed the bottle of water into Sett’s hand and looked at Grampa.
“Sin, you come with me. Ladies, please stay here, in this office. Stay hydrated and get something sweet into you. There is juice and some fresh fruit in the mini fridge,” Grampa said. He pulled his Glock out of the drawer and holstered it, grabbed his keys and headed for the door. I followed.
“What the hell is going on, Gramps?” I asked as we got into his truck.
“I don’t know, but we’ll figure it out, son.”
Chapter Sixteen
Sid
After Sin and Grampa left, I went to his fridge and got out a couple of bottles of juice and some fruit for us. I opened one of the bottles and handed it to Sett, and once she’d taken a few sips, she seemed better. I opened the other and drained it, feeling a shot of energy that I hadn’t realized I needed.
“What the hell is going on?” Sett asked.
“Seems like something is impacting every fae-blooded person in the area. Bad sleep, feeling off. The more fae blood the worse they feel. Ethan and Mira are home, asleep after being up most of the night, Sin said.”
“What else?”
“The headmaster of Collegiate called Gramps and said all of the fae blooded are either out sick or barely functional. That’s over a hundred people.”
“And they’re going to go check on Mom, right?”
“Yes. Neither you, nor I, are in any condition to drive right now.”
“That’s fine. We can get someone else to drive us. The juice helped. Let’s get this fruit into us and go find a chauffeur, shall we?”
Twenty minutes later, we were in Tasha’s car as she drove us to the farm. Outside the farm’s gates, I spotted a familiar figure.
“Tasha, stop the car.”
“Who is that?” Sett asked.
“Prince Finn,” I replied as I got out and walked towards him.
He stood there, hands out to the side, showing he was not armed. “Sidonie Boudreau, thank you for stopping. My phone did not work and there are no more public phones to be found. I have waited here in hopes you would come by. I brought the children to their homes, even Timothy Sanchez. Missy and Justin are also back home on this side of the Veil. There is something I need to tell you and your family, as it will impact all of you. May we go somewhere to talk?”
I nodded and led him to the car. “Sett, Tasha, this is Prince Finn. We need to take him to Gram’s house so we can all talk.”
Tasha nodded and Sett muttered under her breath. I got into the back with Finn and we drove through the gate and onto the farm.
Once we passed the wards, Finn’s shoulders sagged in relief. “That feels so much better. The pressure out there is brutal.”
“What is the pressure from?” I asked.
“I’ll explain when we’re all together. It’ll be easier to just say it once than backtrack over the story,” Finn replied.
I was frustrated by his answer, but I got it. When we pulled up to the house, Tasha let us all out and said she’d go visit the three families with Ian and get statements on the returned kids. I thanked her as she drove off and I followed Sett into the house, Finn beside me.
Grandma and Grampa were seated at the table as he fed her bits of fruit. She still looked pale but she was talking up a storm.
When Grampa saw us come in, he said, “This doesn’t look like my office.” Then he saw Finn and rose to his feet. “Who is this?”
“Prince Finn MacCumhaill, may I introduce Alicia Fortin and Liam Walsh. This is also my aunt, Cosette Fortin, and my brother, Sinclair Boudreau.”
Finn bowed to the room. “Liam Walsh, husband of Bride Murphy and Alicia Fortin, daughter of Margaret Fraser?”
“Yes, that’s who we are,” Grampa said. “To what do we owe this honor?”
Grandma stood up and lifted her chin. “You are welcome to my home, Prince Finn. Would you like a drink or something to eat?” The queen of hospitality was in rare form. Of course, she wore one of her infamous t-shirts. It was black with a cartoon witch on a broom, that said “Ride it like you stole it.”
I pulled out a chair for Finn, and he sat down. “I’d be appreciative of whatever you wish to offer me, daughter of Margaret.”
Grandma went and fixed a plate of pastries and fruit, then put a pot of fresh herbal tea on the table. “I hope you find this to your liking.”
She sat back down, between Finn and Grampa, then poured the tea for everyone.
Finn sipped the tea, took a bite of one of the pastries, wiped his mouth with a napkin and looked at each of us. “It is good to find myself back among family.”
Grandma looked confused, but the expression faded to one of wonder as Finn explained he was descended from her half-brother, and that she was his aunt.
“Prince Finn,” Grams said, and he interrupted her.
“Just call me Finn, Auntie. That’s good enough for me.”
“Fine then, Finn. You talk about my mother, Margaret, as if you know her. She left well before you were born, and has been gone from this world since my own daughters were young girls. How do you know her?”
Finn leaned over and took one of Grandma’s hands in his. “Because she came back across the Veil, and is alive and well. And she wants to come home, but didn’t want to do so if it would upset or hurt those she left behind.”
Grandma squeezed Finn’s hand and I saw tears start in her eyes. “Mama is alive? And she wants to come home?”
Grampa pressed a hand to his chest and stared at Finn.
“She does, but much has changed. You see, Margaret is now Queen Margaret of Faery, wife of Fionn MacCumhaill,” Finn explained. “My great-grandfather, King Fionn, is still a vital man, but he had lost interest in ruling the lands. He felt shame when my own father caused a corruption of his rule and locked him away. As my father’s reach continued to grow, even from his tower room, King Fionn stopped caring. He retreated. Margaret worked with me to stop my father’s reach and just a few days past, my father ended his own life when he learned his attempt to steal the crown was ended.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I told Finn, as I remembered him speaking about his father at Missy’s table. “But, how did you get all of the children returned without destabilizing the dimension?”
“That,” Finn said, “was all Margaret’s doing. She had been working with witches, fae magic users, alchemists and so on. They figured out how to end the need to feed the pocket dimension. No more children will ever be kidnapped and taken to Faery again.” He looked up at Sin. “Ethan is safe.”
Sin gave Finn a faint
smile, but I saw the relief in his eyes. “Mira will be pleased to hear that,” Sin said.
Grampa finally asked, “What happened? Because something has caused every fae-blooded person in the area to have the worst night ever.”
Finn took a sip of the tea, then gently set the cup down. “Remember the chain of small islands on the south east end of the cove?”
“Yeah, we used to play on them as kids. We’d row out there, pick berries and have bonfires as teens,” Sett said.
“Well, now they are quite populated, and there are a few more islands added to the chain,” Finn said. “But anyone not of fae blood will feel compelled to avoid the islands and forget them once they’re away. There is a dome of protection over the area, to protect the newly transported fae folk.”
“Wait…what?” Grampa asked, as everyone pretty much asked the same thing and stared at Finn.
“The dimension was going to shatter and kill everyone inside if we didn’t find a solution. Margaret discovered a way to transport the buildings and people to the islands. It took all night, but this morning, the sun dawned on a new home for the fae, and everyone is safely settled.”
“Are we all going to feel like shit now, because the realm is off our coast?” I asked.
“No,” Finn said. “That was just the result of the magic used to bring everything out of the dimension into your world. Like having a magical hangover.”
“Well, that’s comforting,” Sett muttered.
Grandma had been quiet for a while, then she reached out and took Grampa’s hand. He slid his arm around her shoulders and held her close while she spoke. “So, if I understand this correctly, my mother is now Queen of the fae folk and is presently on an island about a half-hour’s journey from where I sit right now?”
Finn smiled at Grams. “Yes, Auntie. And she hopes you might want to see her. She can come here, or you go to her. It’s your choice.”
Sin came to some realization and sucked in a breath before he looked at Finn. “Mira’s parents. Are they on the islands too?”
Finn’s smile faded and he shook his head. “No, I’m sorry. They died shortly after Mira was sent through the Veil. It was a political thing and the reason behind them secretly sending her through to save her life. She does have some cousins there still.”
Sin sighed. “Well, at least I can prepare her for that and she won’t be expecting her parents to be there. That is going to be a difficult conversation.”
“How is this going to work?” Sett asked. “Will the realm stay separate and have its own rules and laws, or will it become part of Belle Cove eventually and conform to our rules and laws? You do realize technology is beyond advanced and satellites probably already figured out there was something going on out there, right?”
“To be honest,” Finn said, “We didn’t work through all of that. It was a matter of survival. If we are seen by satellites or whatever, then we’ll deal with that when the time comes. It’s not hard to plant ideas or shift mental concepts and have folks believe it’s been that way all along and some glitch in their system never fully recorded it. For now, I believe, the plan is to stay separate and work out how to slowly integrate visits back and forth. There are quite a few who are eager to see if family still remains here, although explaining how someone looks old enough to be the great-great-whatever of their actual parent is going to make life fun.”
“Wait, time is different there?” I asked.
“Margaret looks much younger than her years. She and Aunt Alicia could be sisters,” Finn explained.
Just then, Grams spoke up. She had been murmuring quietly to Grampa and they seemed to have come to some kind of consensus. “I would like my mother to come here. Just her, not the whole entourage. You’re welcome to join her, Finn. We can have a visit and then she can join us for dinner that evening to welcome Sin’s Chosen, Mira, into the family. Have her come around three tomorrow afternoon?”
“I will let the Queen know of your request, and I will call you,” Finn replied, then he looked over at me. “Sid, could you help me replace my phone so I can make these calls?”
I laughed and nodded. “Sure, Cousin. We can take care of that. Why don’t we head out now and pick you up a new one before the stores close? I am going to be getting to bed early tonight.”
* * *
And that’s how I ended up at a phone store, picking out the latest in smartphone technology for the Prince of Faery, my cousin Finn. Oh, and Pru Corby? She lost her shit when she found out she was half fae, and then had to deal with the Fae Flu, what we were all calling the craptastic feelings we got the night the realm shifted. She showed up at work two days later, handed in her resignation, and left town. Seems she was done with Belle Cove and wanted to try something new. I hear she’s enjoying exploring witch history in Spain or Italy or somewhere like that.
Her gorgeous restored Victorian on the cliffs of Belle Cove was purchased by Finn MacCumhaill. He is wholly embracing the earth style of living and I hear he’s even taking classes at the university.
Margaret’s visit was interesting for about ten minutes, then Alicia and her mom hugged and cried and all was well. I heard Margaret tell Grandma that it didn’t matter how many lifetimes had passed, she was her daughter and love knew no boundaries. After that, I slipped away to my apartment to take a long bath and get ready for the party that night. It wasn’t just a family dinner. Sett, Grams, Grampa, and I had planned out an engagement party with a cake and decorations, food and a playlist that even Grampa said was dance worthy.
Finn had managed to find a couple of Mira’s cousins that had been close to her when they were all children, and asked if we could welcome them. I told him to bring them, as family was family.
The celebration was full of laughter and tears of joy. Seeing my great-grandmother with her daughter and granddaughters was so wonderful.
Yes, I said granddaughters. The biggest surprise, besides Mira’s cousins, was my parents. They wouldn’t miss Sin’s engagement party for anything, so I got them at the airport and took them home. Later, they pulled up after Sin, Mira, and Ethan had arrived.
* * *
Things were winding down and I was seated with Mom out on the porch by my apartment’s door.
“Did you and Dad enjoy the travelling?” I asked.
“We needed it. I’m done wandering the globe for a while, though. My business needs some attention. Even though my assistant was wonderful, I’ve come up with some great ideas. And I want to be here with my family,” Mom said and sighed. “I can’t believe it. Grandma Maggie, here and alive.”
“And Queen of the Faeries. Don’t forget that, Mom,” I laughed.
“Right, and that. Besides, Mira asked me if I’d help her plan the handfasting and I couldn’t be happier. She seems so lovely, and Ethan is a little charmer, isn’t he?”
“He is. He calls me Auntie Siddie.”
“I about fell over when Mira said we were his grandparents. He’s calling me Nana and your father Poppa. How cute is that?”
“I heard Mira say she wanted to have another soon, so Ethan wouldn’t be too much older than his siblings. Sin got a little pale, but he smiled. The idea of Sin with a baby makes me snicker. A lot. The first time he changes a poopy diaper? I’m gonna want to be there with a camera, for sure.”
Mom and I laughed, and I rested my head on her shoulder. “I heard about Pierre and everything that happened, Mom. I’m so sorry.”
“It was a long time ago, Siddie, and I don’t even remember him. I’ve had family when I needed it and now I’ve got even more. Life is good.”
“It really is, Mom. I’m happy, seeing Sin be happy. Grams seems to be enjoying her romance with Grampa Walsh and he is crazy about her. You and Dad are more relaxed and connected than I’ve ever seen you, and I’m enjoying having my own place and this new job.”
Mom kissed my cheek and hugged me against her. “We’ve got so many things to be grateful for. Let’s not forget that, hmm?”
The lights from a car passed across the yard and came to a stop a few feet from us. I stood up and handed Mom my wine glass as I took a few steps towards the new arrival. I didn’t recognize the car, but I did the man that got out of it.
“Stumpy, what brings you by?” I asked.
Mom got to her feet and frowned. “Paddy, is something wrong?”
“One second,” he said and opened the back door, helping someone get out of the back. He removed the handcuffs and handed the man a backpack and gestured to the house. “I suggest you get up there and explain to your family what happened.”
“Stumpy, who the hell is this and what’s going on?” I asked.
“This is Micah Harpur. I pulled him out of a fight at Belle’s and brought him here once he told me who he was. Figured with everything else going on, the last thing you needed was your Grandma having to bail out her grandson for solicitation or assault.”
Mom sucked in a sharp breath, then completely ignored Micah. It took me a minute, but then I realized Micah was like Mom’s little brother, seeing as how they’d been raised by Grandma together. And he’d left the family and dropped all contact. Yeah, no wonder she wasn’t really excited to see him.
“I thought you were gonna let me tell them?” Micah said, the thick Cajun accent making it almost hard to understand him. He moved into the light and I got my first look at my cousin. It was like seeing an older, blond version of Sin standing in front of me.
Mom offered Stumpy to come in and say hi to Dad and have a drink, and he agreed. Not a word was said to Micah.
Micah smirked at me. “What’s the matter, cher? Ain’t you never seen a real man before?”
I knew then I wasn’t going to like this particular cousin, and while I’d thought things were about to settle down, I should reassess my idea of ‘settled’.
“That’s cousin, to you, Perp. Or Officer Boudreau if you want to get particular.”
