The Heart Between Kingdoms

by Mary Dublin

  "Your Majesty," Aeron chortled. "Have I ever disappointed you yet?"

  Daniel had a difficult time refuting him. Aeron was a good man, and one of the first on Evrosea's council to rally support for the human-fae alliance. Without him, marrying Esmae could have been a great deal more awkward when visiting her once-home in the forest.

  Carefully, he lowered Aveline to her feet. She clung to his leg with a mumble of shyness, her blue eyes fixed imploringly up at his.

  Daniel gave her a reassuring smile. "It's alright, sweetheart. Just go say hello."

  Avie was quiet as she padded across the carpet, looking a little disoriented as she looked from fairy to fairy.

  "H-hello," she chirped politely.

  Aeron glided down to her level, his wings wink gold from the firelight.

  "You grow more beautiful each time I see you, Aveline. There's so much of your mother's grace." he declared, as proud as though she were his own. He inched closer, his easy smile dropping somewhat. "Are you nervous, child?"

  Aveline hesitated, then nodded.

  "I can feel it," Aeron murmured. "Why are you nervous?"

  Curiously, she did not answer. Daniel caught her glancing at him out of the corner of her eye—or rather, his jacket. To his relief, Aeron didn't see.

  "This is the same influence she had as an infant?" he asked in a sharper voice.

  Daniel glanced to Esmae. "As far as we know, yes. It seemed to be getting less potent for a time," he said. "But lately—"

  "No. Not anymore." Aeron stretched out a hand towards Aveline as though he was warming himself before a fire. "I've never felt it like this before."

  Aveline's little shoulders stiffened as she faced forward again, distracted from the coat. "I've been doing my best to use my gift right," she said, an apologetic whimper in her voice. "I don't mean for it to be like this."

  "There's nothing wrong with it, my dear," Aeron said reassuringly, dropping his hand slowly. Fascination was plain on his face as he turned Esmae's way. "Have you considered formal training for the little princess? It seems to me that restraining it may no longer be an option."

  "Restraining?" Esmae echoed, sounding a bit taken aback. "It isn't about limiting her. It's about her knowing how to manage it in a way that's most comfortable for her and those around her. Even fairies her age are not formally trained until much later."

  "Fairies her age—or any age, for that matter— don't carry this type of influential magic so naturally," Aeron pointed out.

  "Be that as it may, my lord, she's still so young. It'd be best for her to know how to control it before she goes testing its limits."

  Daniel thought Aeron would continue trying to convince her, but the fairy lord paused and relenting, focused back on Aveline. "I see. And what has been troubling your dreams, young one?"

  Aveline hesitated, fiddling with her sleeve hem. "Sometimes I can't remember," she admitted. "But… usually I'm all alone, or something's trying to get me, a-and trying to hurt me." As her voice tightened, the fairies in the room all shifted uncomfortably in response to her influence. Aveline was quick to notice. "I-I'm sorry, I'm trying."

  "You don't have to apologize," Aeron said kindly. "Your bad dreams may simply be because your gift is becoming stronger. With any luck, it'll pass. But all the same, I'll let the healers know about this."

  Daniel spoke up, uncertain but hopeful. "Do you really think it's her gift causing this?"

  "Nightmares aren't uncommon amongst children. But understand that she has a gift for emotion, and dreams are largely based on emotion. More than likely, her affinity makes even simple nightmares all the more vivid."

  Daniel nodded distractedly. The pearl-haired fairy was moving again, squirming slowly in the pocket as though she were pawing for some other escape from within.

  "What, er, exactly are you proposing, Aeron?" Daniel asked, growing blunt as the squirming worsened along the crook of his arm.

  Aeron Bogdan did not reply. His gaze was fixed unblinkingly upon Aveline's face, studying her bright blues with his much smaller, narrowed lapis eyes. It was as though he hadn't heard him at all.

  Daniel frowned, unused to being so blatantly ignored. He cared even less for the way the fairy lord was eyeing his only daughter, making her shift nervously under his scrutiny.

  "Aeron," he said again, sharper this time.

  Aveline, Brennan, and one of the tiny guards jerked their heads towards him all at once. That seemed to do the trick. All at once, Aeron was all smiles, returning to his perch on the mantle.

  "You can't feel it, can you?" he chuckled, glancing from himself to Esmae. "If you can forgive my meddling, I'll send for Evrosea's best healers at once."

  "Is that your solution?" Daniel couldn't help but blurt. It was only when the room went quiet again that he heard the desperation that had crept into his voice. He would have been willing to grasp at any answer Aeron came forth with, but this was merely a gateway for more questions.

  "Forgive me, Your Majesty," Aeron purred. "I'm a politician, not a healer. If you won't consider training the girl, I don't see what options are left to us."

  Aveline's small shoulders slumped as she regarded Aeron. "You can't make the bad stuff go away?" she asked timidly.

  The fairy lord gave her a sympathetic smile. "I'm afraid not, little Princess. I can only offer theories, but that won't do you much good, will it?"

  Brennan leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, looking disappointed, though he said nothing.

  Esmae, however, was not silent. Her polite demeanor of earlier became strained. "Please don't misunderstand, my lord. We're grateful about your concern, but I'd prefer to at least be warned of if and when healers arrive. If your theory is that Avie's growth in magic is what's causing this, perhaps more magic is not the solution."

  Aeron cocked his head at Esmae, looking as though he wanted to refute her. With what looked like an unusual amount of effort, he warmed his expression and gave a deep nod.

  "Well… Whatever you desire, naturally, I'm at your command." He paced along the mantle to murmur something to his guards, then gave them a sharp gesture that prompted them to rise in the air. "Brennan, we're off."

  "I'll stay a bit longer," Brennan returned.

  "As you wish." Aeron shrugged and took flight with his guards, their path graceful as ever. He paused midway to the open window, giving the room one longer look. "I'll see you soon, little one."

  One more glint of wings in sunlight, and they were gone.

  Esmae sank into the nearest armchair the second they were out of sight, heaving a great sigh and scowling at Brennan. "I told you I didn't want magic yet."

  "I didn't know Aeron was going to storm down here at the crack of dawn!"

  "You practically invited him to ogle Avie like some sort of spectacle!"

  Brennan flew to her, determined to catch her eye. "It wasn't like that. I didn't even know the man was listening when I said it."

  "And we don't know where that poor girl has run off to," Esmae went on, hardly giving a pause. "She could be anywhere at this rate."

  "Girl?" Brennan's eyebrows shot up. "What girl?"

  "You don't need to worry about that anymore," Daniel grunted, sinking to his knees. The moment the other fairies had gone, the pearl-haired maiden had begun squirming like mad again. He dipped a hand gingerly into the uppermost pocket. "I found our friend."

  "I'm not your friend!" came a voice from within.

  His fingers brushed against warm limbs. He recoiled for a moment when she shoved at him desperately. He knew apologizing wouldn't make it any better, but he did so all the same as he wrapped his hand around her middle and hastily pulled her out into the light. She ducked her head and refused to look at him, breathing short, quick breaths.

  "Oh, thank the gods," Esmae sighed, sitting up to get a better look.

  "Who is that?" Brennan glanced between Esmae and Daniel with round eyes, words failing him beyond that.

  "Tessa!" Avie bounded
away from her rooted spot near the fireplace. She came to a stop before Daniel, examining the fairy with concern.

  Daniel shared a look with Esmae. "Avie… you know her?"

  Aveline nodded distractedly. "It's okay, Tessa. You don't have to be scared of my daddy. He's not like the bad people who hurt you. He doesn't hurt fairies."

  In the background, Esmae and Brennan carried on a muttered conversation as she caught him up on yesterday's events. Meanwhile, Tessa tentatively shifted her gaze up to meet Daniel's, though she said nothing.

  He hesitated, then offered a relieved smile. "You scared us half to death, you know. What were you doing in my coat pocket?"

  When Tessa offered no answer, Aveline readily chirped, "She helped me go to sleep."

  "I told her a story," Tessa blurted. Daniel looked down to meet her widened eyes, and she turned her head away. "She was frightened."

  Aveline nodded dutifully. "Yes, she… she's so nice, daddy."

  Esmae looked as stunned as he felt. Ever the same, he gifted the fairy—Tessa—with another warm look. "You've done us a great kindness."

  "I didn't do it for you," Tessa answered, her voice cold as her skin. "I did it for her. One night. End of story."

  Daniel could feel her tensing every time she brushed a limb accidentally against one of his fingers. She flinched away from each of his fingers as though she might be able to will them out of existence entirely. He bit his lip, hoping he wasn't making a mistake in taking pity on her.

  Gingerly, he set her down on a chest of arms that lay between the fireside seats. Aveline pushed in front of him, sitting cross-legged before Tessa.

  "I thought you left," the little girl went on in a hushed voice. "I couldn't find you when I woke."

  "I should have left," Tessa muttered. Her pale skinny arms were wrapped around herself, looking from person to person, worry lining the space between her eyes. "I should have just stayed with Highwater."

  Esmae balked. "You can't possibly mean that."

  "Highwater?" Brennan inquired.

  "The man who was holding her prisoner," Daniel said, staring at Tessa in surprise. He was at a loss of what to tell her anymore. Nothing seemed to get through, and he feared the becoming overly insistent would only further embed her distrust of them.

  Brennan, however, did not take a delicate approach. He gave a humorless laugh of disbelief and flew down closer, contemplating Tessa. She bristled and shuffled back from his approach, glaring at him with as much wariness as she did Daniel and Esmae.

  "Are you absolutely mental?" he said. "You'd rather be locked in a cage and shown off to humans that be taken into safety? There's pride, and then there's madness."

  "Don't call me mad! Do you honestly expect me to believe that I won't be in a cage after this? After trying to leave?"

  Snorting, Brennan threw his arms out. "I don't see any bars. Do you?"

  "It's only a matter of time." Her tense gaze roved the room again, pausing helplessly on Avie's worried face before hardening on Esmae.

  "Surely you can see now that I wasn't lying," Esmae implored. "Evrosea was my original home, and it now has close ties with Mirrel. Fairies have nothing to fear from us."

  "Fairies who aren't outsiders, perhaps," Tessa countered, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at Brennan. "Fairies can be just as cruel as humans when given the opportunity. Both kinds together? That's madness."

  Brennan hummed. "Tell me, what horrible things have been done to you since your arrival?"

  "Do not presume to tell me I'm being unreasonable!" Tessa looked away with flushing cheeks when she could produce no answer. "I've been sold and stolen more times than I can remember. This is far from the first time I've been coddled and assured that I was going to be comfortable. Safe. There is always a motive. That's certainly not going to change from one owner to the next."

  "If you would listen instead of spouting this ridiculous jabber, maybe you would understand that Esmae hasn't the slightest intention of owning you!" Brennan fired back. "Nor Daniel, nor anyone else in this bloody room!"

  Tessa looked him up and down from his teal tunic to his silver-stitched trousers. "And what are you to them exactly?"

  "A friend. You're familiar with the concept?"

  She was breathing audibly now, quick and halting. "I don't know what exactly is going on a-and I have no intentions of—" Tessa choked off. She flinched as though she had been hit and sank down onto her knees.

  Daniel sent a befuddled look at Esmae, who murmured, "It's her wings. They're damaged. Infected too, no doubt."

  "They're fine," Tessa croaked weakly.

  Brennan flew past Daniel, landing behind Tessa on the chest. He knelt quietly, ignoring her weak attempts to shoo him off as he studied her back. His eyes were grim and dark.

  "This is sick," he announced, disgust thick in his small voice. "We need to get those cords out of there immediately. How long have they been bound like this?"

  He gently touched Tessa's shoulder.

  "Two years," she murmured, barely audible from where Daniel stood.

  Moving as furtively as possible, he moved to take a closer look. When he was near enough, his eyes widened. The skin around the low back of the dress was pink and irritated. It was covered in small, white speckles that looked like tree rot, leading up to the base of her wings. Once long and slender, they were riddled with scars and bruises, bound together with coarse thread that left ugly discoloration on the gauzy wings.

  "We're getting these out, now," Brennan said, dropping to his knees behind Tessa while he pushed locks of white hair over her shoulder to access her back.

  She gasped and ducked away from his hands, scrambling to see him face to face. The distrust in her expression was riddled with pleading. "It hurts to even touch them," she said. "Taking them out would be agonizing."

  "I think dying from infection might be a little more agonizing," Brennan answered. He made a visible attempt to soften when Daniel huffed in quiet reproach. "Don't you want to fly again?"

  "I won't be able to either way. The damage…"

  "Tessa, please," Aveline piped up softly.

  Daniel watched in muted awe as Tessa's stubborn face faltered upon looking at his daughter. "You can trust my Uncle Brennan," the little princess went on. "He only wants to help you."

  Tessa opened and closed her mouth, turning to look over her shoulder at her ruined wings. An imploring nod from Aveline was what finally pushed Tessa to turn around, exposing her wounds to Brennan.

  Daniel knelt by Aveline, putting an arm around her middle. He had half a mind not to let her watch, but as it was, she was the only thing keeping Tessa from spiraling into panic again.

  "Ready?" Brennan murmured.

  Tessa swallowed as he laid his hand on her shoulder. She shut her eyes tight, as if convincing herself to stay seated, and nodded bravely.

  Brennan ignited a palmful of magic in his other hand. Silently, he outstretched two fingers and jerked the hand upward. Esmae flinched in time with Tessa as if feeling her pain for her as the spell razored through the threads.

  Brennan began to unravel the knotted thread. As the seconds ticked on, Daniel could see sweat forming on her brow. All it took was a knot snagging in the gash on her lower right wing to bring about a new paralyzingly wave of pain.

  "Stop!" she pleaded. "Please, stop! I've changed my mind!"

  She was hiking up her skirts, trying to squirm out of Brennan's grasp. In his attempts to soothe her, the other fairy received a backhanded slap to the face.

  "Someone grab her hands!" he growled.

  Before Daniel could move, Avie had Tessa's hands in hers. It was astonishing, how easy she made it look to keep a hold on her little hands without causing Tessa more pain. Her soft face was determined, pensive beyond her years.

  "Just leave them!" Tessa gasped, not looking at anyone in particular. "P-please…"

  All at once, she slumped forward. Brennan rose to his feet behind her, breathing heavily as he tossed an a
rmful of thread to the side.

  "It's all out," he announced. When she didn't answer, he marched around to her front and gently pushed Avie's hand away. Tessa rocked forward unsteadily. Brennan flinched forward, catching her shoulders in his hands.

  "Hey, did you hear me? You're free."

  Tessa lifted her gaze to meet Brennan's eyes. She shuddered, rearing away from his hands and cringing back as though Brennan would pursue her. When he merely stared at her with a frown, she straightened.

  "That hurt," she said accusingly.

  Brennan glanced at the severed thread in disgust. "It had to be done. You're welcome."

  She squared her shoulders with a scowl. "Thank you," she muttered, craning her neck to the side to glimpse her back. Her wings, bearing jagged holes from where the cords had been lashed through, still looking nothing short of agonizing to be attached to.

  It was with little warning that her wings gave a sharp flutter. Daniel tensed, realizing she meant to fly.

  "Don't—" he started, but her attempt ended with an immediate whimper of pain.

  Tessa's flickering wings came to a rigid standstill. She looked up, past Daniel and Aveline to regard the window. The yearning on her face was painfully desperate. Aveline gave a small, agitated sigh and fidgeted in Daniel's arm, no doubt sensing the desperation.

  "You're in no state to fly," Brennan told Tessa grimly. "This infection is beyond what I can heal. Not properly, anyway. I suggest you allow someone to take you to Evrosea."

  Tessa shook her head stubbornly. "I am not going to a fairy kingdom."

  Daniel blinked. He threw a look over his shoulder to Esmae, looking for help. She looked as shocked as he did. Turning back to the fairies, he pursed his lips.

  "But if not with your own kind, where?" he asked.

  Tessa's eyes were glistening when she regarded him, neck craned back to hold his gaze. "Just… Somewhere else."

  "It can't be safe for you in the wild, on your own. Not at your, er…"

  "Size? And what exactly would you know about that?"

  Brennan stole her attention when his wings gave an agitated flicker. "Are you determined to make an enemy out of us? Where on earth are you planning to go?"