“What about—” Ever began to ask when he realized the two blue-eyed children weren’t going to be grouped, but Isa stopped him.
“They’re coming with us.”
Ever raised his eyebrows in question, but Isa ignored him. Very soon, the smallest children had been placed on their prospective horses with the guards, while the older children walked alongside Isa and Ever. Ever wanted to ask Isa about what had happened in the other world, as well as what exactly she was planning to do with the orphans, but he knew better than to question her when she wore that expression. Besides, it took all of their time and energy to keep even their little flock of twelve under control.
Ever couldn’t push their horses back home as fast as he had before, thanks to the children. So even with the small aid of his power, they were only halfway to the Fortress by the end of the first day. Only after all of the children had been laid out and wrapped in spare blankets did Ever get to finally talk with Isa.
“So?” Ever threw his cloak over her shoulders as she stood watching the children, her arms wrapped around herself and her shoulders hunched. “What happened?”
“I’m not sure.” She shook her head, still looking at the children. “I mean, I know what she told me, but I still cannot decide whether I believe it or not.”
“How about you tell me, and we can choose to believe or not believe it together.”
“How long has it been since the Fae world was sealed off?” She finally turned and looked up at him, the blue fire in her eyes moving in uneven bursts.
“Nearly five centuries. Why?”
“If we are to believe her, and I really can’t find a reason not to...” she drew in a deep breath, “then the children and I were in the world of the Fae.”
Ever was speechless. He’d known they were in some other world, but he’d never guessed it to be that one.
“I know the veil between worlds was sealed by a Fortier. So it couldn’t just tear on its own.” She looked up at him with frightened eyes. “Could it?”
He frowned down at her, unable to form any sort of coherent answer himself. “We need to talk to Garin,” was all he could finally say. To this, Isa nodded and leaned into him. Ever wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “Aside from breaking every rule in the book,” he said into her hair, “you did well. I would never have been able to do this without you.”
“I only hope we haven’t poked a hornet’s nest.”
Ever was hoping the exact same thing.
Despite their somber words the night before, Isa was nothing but smiles and sunshine the next day. She moved between the horses, talking to each child in turn. Little giggles would be shared with the younger girls, particularly the one with big blue eyes, whose name was Genny, Ever found out. To the boys, she would assign all sorts of tasks, such as watching for bandits and dangerous animals, which miraculously kept many of them occupied for hours. To the older children, she would move about asking more direct questions about their homes and families. Always busy, always moving, Isa never seemed to stop. And Eloy, who seemed nearly as enthralled with the children as Isa, was little better.
Part of Ever was a bit put out. He had more questions that he wanted to discuss without the children hearing them, but every time he tried to get her attention, one of the children stole it. And yet, he couldn’t bring himself to be angry. She was happier with them than he had seen her in a long time. Caring for the children appeared to be the most natural calling in the world for her. Isa acted as though she had been born to mother them.
And that’s when it hit Ever. She finally had someone to mother.
This was all well and good for the children, but it wasn’t long before Ever was ready to have her back to himself. By the end of that second day, he was exhausted and felt most out of sorts. The sight of the Fortress’s front steps, however, cheered his heart to no end, as did the sight of his steward, waiting with a smile to receive them.
“Garin!” Ever dismounted and clapped the older man upon the back.
“I heard reports that the outing was successful.” Garin smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
“The last three groups shouldn’t reach their destinations for a few more days at least,” Ever said, handing children down from the horses to surprised servants. “But all reported missing are accounted for. This group didn’t even have time to be reported missing.”
“Gigi,” Isa called, “please help me find these children places to stay until their parents arrive.” Immediately, Gigi, as well as a horde of servants beneath her, were out on the Fortress lawn, each taking a child and fretting over him or her, immediately dragging them back to the Fortress for what Ever guessed to be baths, new clothes, and cider. Only two children remained, half hidden behind Isa’s skirts.
“And who are these—” Garin was staring at Genny and her brother, Henri. Before he finished his sentence, however, Garin’s eyes went flat. “What are they doing here?”
Ever was taken aback at the poison in Garin’s voice. Surely he didn’t mean the two orphans. And yet, the steward was outright glaring at the children with a look that would wither any adult. Henri’s eyes grew large, and he pulled his sister as close to him as he could. Even chirpy little Genny looked frightened.
“These children have no parents,” Isa said, her voice suddenly as icy as Garin’s glower. “They were taken as well, and need someplace to stay.”
At a loss, Ever looked back and forth between Garin and Isa. For the first time in his marriage, he was stuck between his wife and his mentor. And, he decided immediately, he wanted out. “Let us take a moment and then continue this in the study,” Ever said cautiously, aware that the other servants, who had been swarming about them when they first arrived, were also watching the scene.
“That is a masterful idea,” Isa said, her voice still hard. “I am tired, and in horrible need of a bath, as are the children.” She took the Genny and Henri by the shoulders. “We will talk about this after everyone has been fed, bathed, and changed.” By that time, all of the other children were gone. “I will take Genny. Ever, would you take Henri?”
“I will take the boy,” Garin grumbled. When Isa fixed him with her deadliest stare, he rolled his eyes. “I will make sure he’s taken care of. You have my word.”
To this, Isa finally consented, and before Ever knew it, they were all off on their own separate ways. As he walked, Ever decided that he wanted nothing more than a hard drink and his own warm bed. He had a sinking feeling, however, that those two desires would not be granted for a while, considering the daggers Isa and Garin had been sending at one another through their glares.
What had just happened?
CHAPTER TEN
What You Are
“What is that?” Henri stared at the gigantic basin before him as the servants filled it with buckets of steaming water.
“A bath,” the tall, grumpy man answered in a dry voice. “Have you never taken a bath?”
Henri scowled up at him. Of course he had bathed. But never inside the house. Instead, his father would take him to their nearby creek. Did this man expect him to undress in front of so many people?
“Where’s Genny?” Henri asked, hoping the man might forget the bath if he could distract him with questions. He was to have no such fortune though.
“The queen is giving your sister her bath, but she will join you here when it is time for bed, should the king and queen decide, for the time being, to keep you. Now, I will be waiting outside this door.” The grumpy man seemed to read his mind. “When you are undressed and in the tub, let me know.”
Henri certainly did not intend to let him know. As soon as he was stripped and inside the warm water, which did admittedly feel rather good after their long walk, instead of calling the man, Henri set to examining the room. It was the largest room he had ever seen, big enough that his entire cottage could have fit inside, woodpile and all. There were two tall beds, draped in thick layers of coverlets and pillows, rather tha
n straw mattresses laid upon the floor. A fireplace nearly as tall as Henri roared not far from his tub, and tall, rectangular windows stretched all the way up to the ceiling, which must have been nearly the height of four men. He didn’t have long to enjoy the richness and splendor of the chamber, however, for just then, the door opened, and the grumpy man, as well as a plump woman with ringlets of snow white hair, waltzed in.
“Hello there, love. My name is Gigi. Now, let us get you clean!” Without hesitating, she plunged a brown, squishy blob in the water, lifted Henri’s arm, and began to scrub it with the blob. “Oh now, no need to howl like that,” she said with a smile.
“I can wash myself!”
“Psh, I doubt that, love. You have dirt caked behind your handsome little ears, and your face looks as though you’ve been rolling in it.”
“You had better listen to her.” The grumpy man wore an annoying grin, as though he were enjoying Henri’s discomfort. “She won’t stop until she’s finished.”
Gigi was surprisingly strong for her age. The more Henri resisted her scrubbing, the more determined she seemed to do it, humming happily the whole time. “Now, Garin, why do you look as though someone’s fed you a lemon? Goodness, the king and queen come home, and everyone is a wreck! There, love,” she turned back to Henri, “you sparkle like a newborn babe. Here’s your drying cloth.”
Henri did not want to sparkle at all, particularly not like a baby, but before he knew it, she had him out of the tub, and wrapped in a thick, warm cloth. As he dripped water on the brightly colored rug that had been placed in front of the fire, Henri stared in wonder at his own arms. Had his skin always been that shade of white?
“I hope these fit you. Of course, we’ll have to have some made up, but I was able to find some of the king’s old clothes from when he was about your size.” She stopped and pursed her lips to the side for a moment. “You do seem ever so much skinnier than he was, though. I shall have to fatten you and your sister up a bit. You look as though you haven’t eaten a day in your life.”
At the mention of food, Henri’s evening suddenly seemed a little less dismal. If this woman wanted to feed him, surely she couldn’t be so bad. As soon as she had him dressed in the brown trousers and white, long-sleeved shirt, she scurried off, Henri hoped, to find him some food. When she was gone, however, the grumpy man, or Garin, as everyone called him, closed the door and approached him, stopping only when they were very close.
“I do not know your history,” he said in a menacing voice, “nor do I know how you were raised. And for that reason, I shall abstain from making a final judgment of your character... for now, at least. But know this. The king and queen might not know what you can do, or what you are, but I know. And I will be watching you carefully.”
Henri swallowed, and his hunger melted. Suddenly, he found himself wishing for Miss Isa or even Gigi. “What are you going to do to us?”
“Nothing, so long as you behave and act as any boy should who is a guest in the king’s home. But if you try to hurt them, even the smallest bit, I will have you wishing you had never laid eyes on the queen. Do you understand me?”
Henri glared back at him, but worry thrashed about in his gut. Maybe he should have tried to slip away, rather than allowing Miss Isa to bring them here. He hadn’t realized she was the queen until they were on their way out of the forest. And how did this man know about his trick? Henri hadn’t used his fire since the night he got lost. But Henri had no answers.
The man finally stood and went back to the door. “Gigi will be back soon with your supper. When you are finished, I will come and fetch you.”
“Where are we going?”
“To see the king and queen. They need to know exactly what you are.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Behind Closed Doors
Though the hot bath and clean clothes relaxed Ever’s sore muscles, they did little to clear his confusion and dread. It was already growing dark outside, and if the choice had been left to him, he would have been in bed an hour ago. Instead, however, he was on his way to his study, although he got the feeling it would become less his and more Garin and Isa’s domain if the evening continued the way it had begun.
Isa, Henri, Genny, and Garin were already there by the time he arrived. Garin hurried him inside, and immediately began to plug the key holes with cotton pieces. From Isa’s expression, it was clear that she was just as dumbfounded as Ever.
“Did either of you,” Garin asked as he continued on to check the windows and close the tapestries, “see any other being leave the Fae world as the children left?”
Isa and Ever looked at one another with raised eyes.
“How did you know I was in the Fae world?” Isa asked. Ever wondered the same thing. They hadn’t had the chance to tell Garin anything of their journey.
Garin ignored her question and asked again. “Did you see any other creatures leave that world?”
“Uh... no,” Isa stuttered. “It was only the children and me.”
Garin walked back to them. “But you swear, you saw nothing leave with you?”
“Garin, what is this about?” Ever finally broke in. Since when had the steward become so paranoid?
“What I am about to tell you has not been uttered to a soul in over five hundred years,” Garin said, staring distantly into the fire.
Ever’s heart nearly stopped. How he had longed to know Garin’s origins! And yet, something told him this would not be the exciting adventure he’d dreamed it would be as a boy.
“Are you speaking of the Fae?” Isa asked.
Garin nodded his silver and black hair glinting in the firelight. “I know that you’ve read what little the annals have to offer on the subject of that people.” He looked at Ever. “I made sure of that myself when you were a boy. There is still much you don’t know, however, because it was never written down. So few survived the battle with the Fae that no Fortress scribe was left alive to record it after.” He turned and faced the fire, cutting off Ever’s line of sight to his face.
“The Fae were a race capable of greatness,” Garin said in a low voice. “They could not only create temporary bridges between worlds, but they could also create temporary worlds within their own. When the Fae happened upon Destin in their travels, King Nel and Queen Chantal invited them to the Fortress in order to discuss new diplomatic ties.” He turned to Ever. “I do not know if even you are aware of it, Ever, but the Fortress’s cornerstone and inner walls are made entirely of blue crystal, rather than common stone.”
“I didn’t know for sure,” Ever said slowly, “but I had always guessed as much.”
“Well, you were right. As were the Fae. As soon as they entered the Fortress, they could sense its power.”
“Did the power affect them?” Isa asked.
“No,” Garin said, “they simply liked the way it felt.”
“They could sense it... unaided?” Ever asked. That a whole race might feel the power of his beloved home was more than a bit unnerving. Only humans with gifts or the Sorthileige could do that.
“Without giving the king even a warning to leave, the Fae decided to claim the Fortress as their own. The slaughter began at midnight and lasted until the first rays of morning. The king’s entire army was nearly wiped out, while most of the Fae remained untouched.”
“How so?” Ever broke in. “Surely Nel’s power would have been strong enough to defeat them.”
“Oh, I’m sure it would have, had he known how to use it. The Fae’s bodies are like their creations, only temporary. Every so often, they must dissolve into the mist they are and then recreate themselves, in the same way they create their temporary worlds. When their emotions get the better of them, which is often, or they’ve waited too long to rebuild, they become a mixture of hot green light and wind. You can only imagine what kind of damage such an army could inflict on human soldiers. Disappearing then reappearing, the Fae moved across the soldiers in their sleep like a plague.”
�
��And the servants and families?” Isa asked, her face taut.
Garin only shook his head sadly. “The Fae had all but taken the Fortress completely when one of the Fae soldiers found the infant prince...” Garin’s voice suddenly broke.
Ever glanced at Isa, who looked very much as though she would like to go and comfort him, but neither of them moved until Garin seemed to recover himself.
“Before I go on,” he said, drawing in a deep breath, “You need to know that in addition to their ability to create temporary works of beauty and intrigue in both themselves and their surroundings, they seek power of any kind, like moths to a flame. The Maker gave them the ability and physical substance to travel wherever they want, to see the world and not worry about hunger or shelter. They did not need such hindrances. For when the weather got bad or they ran out of food, they could simply transform and wander the earth as air and light until they found the next place they wanted to live.”
As he continued to speak, Garin’s voice began to harden, and he stood taller. “They are beautiful creatures, but when they reached the Fortress, the power here changed them, or rather, their desire for it did. Covetousness twisted their vision, and jealousy so warped their spirits that they became new creations entirely. Their innate vanity, and their inability to see the world from others’ points of view prevented them from living with men. Their greed rendered them incapable of love. They forgot all that they were, and strove to hold what wasn’t theirs to begin with.”
“How do you know this, Garin?” Ever asked, dread making it suddenly hard to speak.
Beauty Beheld: A Retelling of Hansel and Gretel (The Becoming Beauty Trilogy Book 3) Page 7
