by Dani Harper
“Ya cannot change what was.”
“I know. But I can ensure that neither I nor anyone else will have any reminders of this place or of those who ruled here. Work your magic, Ranyon, and may your people rest easier because of it.”
The task they had set themselves took the better part of a mortal week, though the fickle faerie sun crossed the sky only twice. When they finished, a rich orange-gold sunset cast long, soft shadows across a new landscape. The castle was completely gone, razed to the ground, and every stone of it pushed into the chasm. Trahern had insisted that even the massive blocks of the foundations be torn from the bedrock like rotted teeth and cast into the rift with the rest. The earth itself had heaved and settled until the castle site was level with the surrounding land.
All that remained was the immense crevasse. The great quantity of material from the castle had done little to fill it. Trahern utilized a spell to call water, and a distant river answered. Serpentlike, it reassembled its shimmering coils, carving out a new bed that led to the narrow end of the rift—and plunged over the rocky edge. For a time, the torrent resembled Palouse Falls swollen with spring meltwater. But while the earthly river would never fill its basin, this one was enchanted. The chasm filled completely to create a long, deep lake, drained only by small streams that watered the land.
“It is a great pity that it will take time to regrow the forest,” he said, deliberately injecting notes of sadness and resignation into his words.
“Ha! I’ve a charm fer that!” Ranyon set to work immediately, and Trahern hid his smile.
The dense forest of oak that had surrounded the castle had been utterly destroyed by Fox’s defensive magic. Now, under the little elemental’s skilled direction, a green blush overtook the blasted land. Ash trees supplanted the former oaks, rapidly rising to great heights. Bright, blooming bushes, star-shaped wildflowers, and soft, striped grasses sprang up around the new trees. Even the former castle site became indistinguishable from the rest of the forest, and the lush greenery clustered close to the banks of the lake.
“Truly, it looks better than it ever has,” said Trahern, and the admiration in his voice was genuine. “I find there is but one thing left to be done.” He knelt and presented Ranyon with a very large bound book, thick with many pages of leather parchment.
The ellyll groaned and staggered a little as he repositioned its awkward weight. The book was nearly half his height. “’Tis kind and all, but if this is a story, I’d be happy to wait fer the movie, dontcha know.”
“It is not a story. This contains the deeds to all the territories of the Ellyllon that were stolen by my mother, and full title to this portion of land as well. I believe you will make a good and honest steward on behalf of the remnants of your people scattered throughout the Nine Realms and beyond.”
Ranyon sat down so abruptly that it was a good thing he wasn’t far from the ground to begin with. He stared at the enormous book in his lap, running his twiggy fingers over it in a kind of stunned wonder.
“I spoke with Cadell,” continued Trahern. “He is looking forward to learning more about the Ellyllon and says he will be most pleased to assist you in searching them out.”
“I—I can’t put two words together fer such a gift. There’s not a thanks worthy of it.”
“None are necessary. It is precious little reparation for a dark and foul deed.” The sun disappeared below the horizon, but there was light enough to reveal the soft dappled gold of a horse’s hide as it trotted out of the trees. Cyflym. “I cannot linger more. I have not seen Lissy since I was taken to the den of the Hunt to heal. You are welcome to travel with me this night.”
Ranyon shook his head. “I’ll just be sittin’ here awhile. Maybe a long while. Seems I’ve a lot of thinkin’ to do.” He waved Trahern off with a long spindly hand. “Off ya go, then. I’ll be along after you two get all yer snoggin’ out of the way.”
It was a birthday party . . . of sorts. Other kids liked lots of guests, rowdy games, presents, surprises, and decorations galore. Fox preferred his immediate circle and everything as low-key as possible. Which meant it was practically indistinguishable from a normal day, except for the groaning table of food in the backyard. Brooke said that Ranyon had spelled the table before he left. Lissy suspected the magic steadily added to the feast, too. That pirate ship made of chocolate toffee éclairs certainly hadn’t been there a few minutes ago.
And today’s unseasonably warm and sunny weather—imagine shirtsleeves in mid-November!—had nothing to do with global warming and everything to do with the ellyll’s desire to please Fox. I hope he makes it back in time for the party. But I’m glad he went to visit Trahern.
For the hundredth time today, as every day, Lissy wondered about the man she loved. The top drawer of her bedroom dresser bulged with notes and letters from him, through which she could follow the course of his recovery. The first few were brief and dictated; the next flurry was in his own hand. It was plain that as he felt better, he wrote longer, as the notes were followed by letters. Still, she wished she could see for herself how he was doing. Maybe I shouldn’t have left. But Fox, for all his newfound earth-shaking powers, was still a little boy who needed his own familiar environment, and so a band of Hunters had escorted them home with great deference.
She hadn’t realized just how long it would take Trahern to heal.
Summer ended. Lissy returned to her classroom, and Fox returned to school—not without taking a toll on her nerves, of course. She worried every day that she’d get a call that Fox’s desk had exploded or the playground equipment had mysteriously melted. Or, just as bad, she’d get a note asking for a parent-teacher meeting because Fox was telling fantastic stories about the faery realm and what he’d done there. But so far, nothing more than a minor disagreement over homework had occurred. And he hadn’t said a single word about his adventure to anyone—not even to his grandmamma when she came home from her trip at the end of August.
Sheesh, I haven’t told Mama yet, either. And I don’t even know where to start . . . At least Olivia had been amply distracted by the welcome news that her daughter was finally in a relationship, even accepting the fact that Trahern was fae without turning a hair.
Over by the fire pit, Brooke passed tiny Griffin to his father. Griff was practically lost in Aidan’s big hands, but the man had proved a natural when it came to babies. Fox was unexpectedly fascinated with his new “cousin” and spent time lying on the floor with him, usually surrounded by the trio of cats. Lissy couldn’t prove it—and Fox didn’t say—but she was sure they all talked to each other, Griff included.
Right now, however, Fox and the cats were camped under the food table with Jake the Dragon, studying a new geology book and sorting a fresh box of crystals and stone specimens. She’d half expected Jake to once again become just a pretty picture on Fox’s wrist after they returned to the mortal world, but that didn’t happen. At least the little dragon was as friendly as he was cute. And he’d only burned a hole in the rug once.
It had been harder to get used to Braith not being around as much. After all, for a while he’d been Fox’s shadow every minute of every day. Fox appeared to take it in stride, though. He seemed to understand that his large friend was happy, and certainly the presence of Jake helped smooth the transition. The great gray grim still spent plenty of time with her son—they unquestionably adored each other—but Braith now had another love in his life to pay attention to.
Speaking of which . . . Lissy looked around until she spotted the pair sitting together in the ivy in the far end of the yard: a beautiful fae woman, impossibly long white hair tumbling to mingle with the silver-green leaves, had her arms around Braith’s great gray neck. With their heads gently touching, they were the picture of bliss. Braith had found Saffir not far from the Oaken castle—or what was left of it—and the spell that produced her canine disguise had been completely undone. With Eirianwen’s power dissolved, Saffir was confident that a cure would eventually b
e found to restore Braith to his true form as well. In the meantime, she was now able to talk with him, mind to mind, as easily as Lissy could with Trahern. They weren’t exactly a typical couple, but after being apart for so long, they were content with whatever connection they could have.
It was Saffir who had told Lissy of Eirianwen’s sentence at the hands of the Wild Hunt. Poetic justice for certain, but kinda creepy just the same.
Lissy welcomed the distraction when Cadell bounced over the fence as a huge black rabbit. The powerful spell that had knocked the pwca from the sky had left him stuck in the form of a winged horse until very recently. Whatever his shape, he’d inexplicably taken to sitting in on her science classes at the college—though thankfully her students were unaware of their otherworldly classmate. The pwca devoured morsels of information like Ranyon devoured pickles, and human knowledge was a great novelty to him. In return, Cadell helped her better understand some of the physics of fae magic.
His best friend was clearly Fox, however. The pair had bonded instantly, and the pwca joined her son’s little circle of four-footed friends as often as possible. Like right now, she thought. Just as expected, he thumped his big hind foot on the ground in greeting and dashed under the table.
As she turned to gather a couple of Tiger Ninja paper plates—the only nod to birthday decorations Fox had agreed to—a familiar voice caressed her mind, warm and intimate as sin, causing her insides to heat up even as her heart leapt.
I am confused. Is the party in the yard or beneath the table?
Trahern! Where are you?
Watching from your bedroom window. I would see you first before I greet the others.
Ever so casually, not wanting to arouse attention from her friends, Lissy picked up the used plates and walked slowly into the house . . . then threw them in the general direction of the kitchen and took the stairs two at a time. She stopped in the doorway, though, to look. Just look. To drink in the sight of him as he turned from the window. A dark cloak was thrown back over one shoulder, and his riding leathers seemed black with the bright daylight behind him. Sun haloed his snowy hair and threw fascinating shadows over the ethereal planes of his face. An angel of darkness and light, she thought. His eyes—still not a color she could define—lacked the predatory gleam they’d had the night she met him, however. Instead, there was warmth. Hope. Yearning. And as she looked deeper, she saw the one thing she wanted most.
It was impossible to tell who moved first, but suddenly they were in each other’s arms in the middle of the room. The world was a blur of hands and lips and—
“Gross, dude!” Fox stood in the doorway, rolling his eyes. “Do ya have to kiss her?”
They pulled apart, though Trahern kept his arm firmly around Lissy’s shoulders. “Yes, I do have to kiss her. But since you find it distasteful, I might promise to kiss her only when you’re not watching.” Which I believed I was, he said in Lissy’s mind.
Welcome to dating while parenting.
We are not dating. We are Pâr Enaid.
You know, I think it’s about time you explained—
Without warning, Fox launched himself from the doorway and threw his arms around Trahern’s waist! “You were gone, dude. I don’t want you to be gone.”
Both hands pressed tightly over her mouth, Lissy hardly dared to breathe. But Trahern wisely did not attempt to hug him back. Instead, he accepted the gesture, and when Fox let go, he knelt in front of him. “I will not be gone again,” he said gently. “Would it be acceptable if I remained here with you and your mother?”
“Are you going to kiss her a lot?”
“It is very probable.”
Fox heaved an exaggerated sigh. “I guess that’s okay. She probably likes it. Are you coming to my party?”
“I would not miss it.”
Satisfied, her son raced from the room and down the stairs. Omigod, what just happened here? What just happened? Shock gave way to reaction. As hard as Lissy tried to keep herself together, the tears would not be denied. “He—he hugged you!” she managed between sobs.
Trahern brushed her hair from her eyes and kissed her forehead. “I am deeply sorry. It is you he should have embraced.”
“No, no, you d-don’t understand.” The words came out as a series of hiccups, and she gave up and turned to mind speech instead. I’m not sad! I’m not sad at all! He hugged you. You’re the first person he’s ever done that with. It’s a huge accomplishment, Trahern. Bigger than what he did at the castle—way bigger! She slid her arms around him and held on, just held on as sheer elation rocked her to her very foundation. I don’t care that Fox didn’t hug me—okay, I care a little bit, but I finally got my own fist bump, so I’ll be fine. I’m just happy he hugged anyone, and I’m glad it was you.
“So was Fox correct when he said that you probably like my kisses?”
You know I do.
Tenderly, he kissed every tear from her face. By the time he finished, comfort had become something else entirely. He cupped her face in his hands and brushed her lips lightly with his before kissing her long and deep and slow until every nerve ending was at attention. Arousal rippled through her until she nearly moaned aloud.
You told me that you loved me, but I did not get the opportunity to respond. Melissa Santiago-Callahan, you are the very heart of me.
Does that mean you’re finally going to explain what Pâr Enaid means?
He drew back with a confused expression. “Did I not instruct you to have Fox obtain the information from Braith?”
“Are you kidding me? A woman doesn’t want to hear tender words relayed through a series of messengers.” She laughed. “I waited for you to tell me yourself!”
“What makes you think Pâr Enaid has anything to do with tenderness? Perhaps it means we are efficient hunting companions or perhaps even awesome ninjas,” he teased, then grinned when she punched his shoulder.
Damn, she loved that pirate grin. She’d have to see what she could do to coax it out of him more often. Meanwhile, his expression sobered, and she saw her own heart in his eyes.
“Twinned souls,” he said softly. “It is very rare among the fae, rarer than love itself, but those who are Pâr Enaid are so close as to be twinned souls. That is what you are to me.”
“Then it’s true what you said to Fox? You’re really going to stay here with us in our drab little human world?”
It was his turn to laugh. “I like your world very much. And all that I need is here with you. Of course, should you tire of me, I do have a place with the Hunt.”
“I don’t think I’m going to tire of you anytime soon. But I have no magic—at least, nothing to speak of.” It was an issue she’d been thinking a lot about lately, and she might as well confront it head-on. “I’m mortal, Trahern, and you aren’t. I’m going to age, and you won’t. And then—well, it’s going to be hard to deal with for both of us.”
“I will hold precious every moment I have with you . . . ”
She looked at him sharply. “I hear a but.”
“But your years cannot be known. The presence of magic bears much influence on the body. The greater the magic, the greater the influence. Eirianwen lived far longer than most Tylwyth Teg, and it was due to her power alone. With mortals, the effect is even stronger.”
“I just told you I don’t have much magic.”
He smiled at that. “I find your touch to be quite magical.”
“Come on, you know what I mean!”
“Let me begin by telling you that your Fox will live a very long life. The magic he possesses is like that of Merlin himself. And Merlin yet lives. Lurien called upon him to aid in my healing.”
She could feel her own eyes widen until her lids hurt. “I—I thought he was a storybook character. Even if he’s real, how is that even possible? Merlin was—is human, right?”
Trahern nodded. “His powers, his magic, have extended his lifetime far beyond that of most.”
“And you think that Fox is going
to—” It was so fantastical, she couldn’t even say it.
“There is no doubt. You witnessed his ability for yourself, and he has only begun to learn. However, you forget that you have been in Fox’s presence, and therefore surrounded by extremely powerful magic, from his very conception. It cannot help but have a potent effect. And then, of course, there is my own magic as well.” He kissed the top of her head just as she felt it would explode. “So we may have a little longer together than you anticipate.”
“You have a real knack for dropping bombshells on people, you know that?”
Brooke’s voice rang out from the kitchen below. “Lissy? Lissy, are you okay?”
“I’ll be down in a minute!” she called back, and sighed as she leaned against Trahern. What I really want is to dive into that perfectly good bed with you and not leave it until next Tuesday. But I think we’d better go down to the party.
“I did promise Fox I would attend.” You and I will come together tonight, in the garden. And I will make it last a very long time.
Instantly, her entire body lit up like a Christmas tree—and he hadn’t even touched her yet. Dammit! She had to force herself to leave the room before she couldn’t. As they headed down the stairs, she tried to change the subject. “By the way, you have a living, breathing, flame-producing little blue dragon to explain.”
“Merlin has a red one.”
Of course he does.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Behind every published writer stands an entire team! I’m tremendously fortunate to have a great one in the form of family, friends, and professionals who help me make my stories the best they can be—and keep me sane with coffee, kind words, and unbelievable patience.
