by Zora Marie
“I would like her to sit with us,” Farin said as he moved toward a chair.
Sighing, Arlen took the spot on the end of the couch closest to Farin, letting Rina have the far end. He knew Farin wouldn’t hurt her, but his power and presence was daunting for most. Even the fae who had known them since they were children had shied away from Farin for a while after he’d inherited his father’s power.
Sitting down, Rina perched a little further back on the couch, but she still didn’t touch the pillows mounded behind her. Dorn came and sat between them, something he always did when he acted as an emotional buffer for someone. This was why Arlen had wished Dorn had been there in the glade; he always seemed to know how to make someone feel safe.
“Rina, you have nothing to fear here. I just want to know how Arlen found you and what happened to your mother,” Farin said before turning to Arlen to begin.
“Actually, she found me. I was sitting in the glade where I had last scented Lyra and she…” Arlen trailed off, remembering how scared she had been at the sight of his anger.
“I tried to shoot him; he was in wolf form,” Rina said.
He was surprised at how she held Farin’s gaze, even if it was for just a moment.
“Instead of running when I shifted, she came out to face me, to own what she had done. That’s when I caught her scent and realized who she was.”
“So she managed to sneak up on you in human form?” Farin asked with more than a hint of amusement.
Arlen sighed. “Yes. I was trying to come up with what Lyra would have done, where she would have hidden.” Tilting his head, he sought a way to make this conversation as quick and painless as possible. There would be time to razz him about that portion of the incident later. “Rina didn’t know what she and her half-brother were.”
“Brother?” Farin looked to Rina for answers.
“He’s dead. Our Fa— Jake killed him. That’s why I was that far in the woods. I no longer had a reason to stay. At least, not after I buried him.”
I should have gone sooner, tried harder. Maybe I could have saved him.
When Dorn pulled Rina into a hug, Arlen forced himself to relax. He knew Dorn wasn’t just comforting her; he was blocking her from feeling and seeing his anger.
Across from him, Farin took a deep breath and studied Rina for a long moment. “Rina, how old are you exactly?”
“I’ll be seventeen in August.”
“How long ago did Lyra die?”
“She died a few months after Tomilin was born, fourteen years ago.”
Arlen hadn’t realized it before, but Rina would have been three when Lyra had died. He couldn’t help but wonder if she’d had to bury Lyra by herself too and he dreaded the answer.
Farin nodded. “Arlen, may we speak outside?”
Standing, Arlen followed Farin from the room and down the hall to where Rina would no longer hear them.
“Do you feel we can trust her?” Farin asked.
“What?” Taken aback for a moment, he rocked on his heels. Logically, he knew Farin only wanted to protect all of them. Rooting himself in that fact, he answered, “Yes. She thought she was human until yesterday.”
“What do you know about her?”
“She was abused—”
“And how do you know that?”
Arlen seethed with anger, the anger he hadn’t allowed himself to feel while Rina was so close. “Her hands were mangled… Farin, that man made her mend nets until her fingers bled and then killed her brother when she didn’t do it fast enough.”
“Why wasn’t her brother helping?”
In the face of Farin’s calm, the fight went out of Arlen. His lord wasn’t accusing anyone; he was trying to protect his family—their family.
“I wondered the same thing until she told me how his back had been broken when he was little.” He was silent for a moment as he thought back through everything Rina had told him. “Tomilin had been trying to convince her to leave him for a while, to save herself.”
Arlen rubbed a hand over his face, trying to brush away this grief he felt for a boy he had never met. “Farin, please just give her a chance. I know you can tell as well as I can that she’s Lazziar and Ryfon’s daughter from her scent alone. I—" His voice cracked. “On the way here, she admitted that she had nearly given up. I think she had gone to that glade to kill herself… Then we crossed paths. I can’t turn her away. I failed Rye, Lyra, and her brother. I can’t fail her, too.”
“All right, just keep an eye on her. Even if all is as it seems, she’s going to need a lot of guidance.”
Arlen couldn’t help but let out a shaky breath of relief. He wasn’t sure what he would have done had Farin turned her away.
Farin paused as he turned to leave. “And Arlen, you need to get her to join us for dinner or Ash and Amber are bound to come hunting for you.”
“Of all the nights for them to actually be here for dinner…” As much as Arlen loved the girls, they could sometimes be a bit much. He’d wanted Rina to have a chance to settle in before meeting everyone. But Farin had a point; they would behave themselves more at the table than if he left them to track him and Rina down. Knowing them, Amber was probably snooping around already. The thought would usually amuse him, but tonight it just fell flat.
5
Rina
Lacking anything else to fiddle with, Rina picked at her nails. She hated the unknown. With Jake she had always known where she stood. The way he’d shown his anger had been unpredictable, but it had almost always been with violence. Here, she floundered. The others seemed upset, but not angry. Would they kick her out? What if she couldn’t shift? Did Farin believe her? What would happen to Arlen if he didn’t? Unable to stand it any longer, she asked, “Is Arlen in trouble?”
“No. Farin is just going to ask him for his full report.”
The energy buzzing off Dorn told her that while his ‘no’ was honest, the rest of his statement was not. “Farin doesn’t trust me, does he?”
Dorn sighed. “No, but he’ll come to trust you in time. He just wants what’s best for everyone.”
Rina nodded even though that tightness in her chest returned. She understood Farin’s need for caution, but part of her was terrified by the idea that they may send her away. She couldn’t go back to being alone.
“Hey, Farin wasn’t lying when he said you have nothing to fear here. Arlen and I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
She flinched as love and compassion brushed up against her senses. She’d never feel that from Tomilin again.
“Would you tell me about Tomilin?” Dorn asked.
Rina’s jaw quivered. She opened her mouth to answer, but words failed her. How could she describe the way his cheeks had dimpled as he smiled or the way he’d drag himself through the dirt and mud to pick flowers for her? How could she describe all of that when she’d failed him? “I had promised him I’d protect him.” Her voice cracked. “I should have worked harder. Maybe then he’d still be here. I should have fought to take him to a healer when Jake broke his back, damned the consequences.”
“I understand wanting to blame yourself, but would Tomilin want that for you?” Dorn asked.
She shook her head. Tomilin had always tried to protect her, too. “He’d want me to move on, but he was all I had. I thought about joining him… I had nothing left to live for. Then I came across Arlen and he realized who I was, who Mom was.” Rina forced herself to take a deep breath. “I must seem like a pitiful mess.”
“Not at all. Expressing your feelings takes a lot more courage than you may think. Yeah, it makes some uncomfortable, but it’s unhealthy to bottle it all up. Actually, Arlen is horrible about trying to hide his feelings.”
“Really?” Rina asked. He’d seemed so open with her, but maybe she had just been feeling his emotions rather than seeing him open up about them.
“Yes. He bottles everything up until he explodes or something bursts his bubble.”
Her thoughts turned to
their time back in the glade. How he’d snapped at her only to deflate a moment later. He had gone from anger to sorrow and desperation so quickly.
“I take it you’ve seen this shift in him… What did he do?”
“Nothing. He was pissed off when I shot at him, understandably. He’s been overly nice ever since.” She rubbed her hands over her face.
The door opened on silent hinges as Arlen stepped inside. He was tense, but some of the worry that had creased his brow had now eased.
“How’d it go?” Dorn asked.
“Fine. He wants us to join him for dinner. All of us.” Silence hung between them. “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to, Rina,” he said slowly. “Just be warned that Ash and Amber are here, and they’ll come looking if we don’t head them off.”
“The fire girls?” Rina asked.
Dorn let out a cheery laugh. “You described them as the fire girls?” he asked Arlen. “Oh, they are going to love that.”
Arlen let out an exaggerated sigh. “Yeah, don’t call them that out loud. I’ve teased them about their fiery personalities and red hair since they were little.”
“Their mothers are from the Fire Court,” Dorn explained.
Rina nodded. “Who else do I have to meet?”
“Farin’s son, Fen.”
“So just three more new people?”
“For today,” Dorn said.
She stared down at her hands as if they would tell her whether she could handle eating dinner with so many people she barely knew. Over the years, she’d only ever seen and heard others from afar. Jake had made it clear that if the village folk didn’t hurt her when they saw her, he would. So she’d made a point to stay hidden. It hadn’t even been hard since she spent most of her hunting time sitting in trees and humans never looked up. She sighed as she glanced at her threadbare shirt.
“If you’re questioning your clothing, don’t. It’ll give the girls an excuse to take you shopping.”
“As though they need a reason to go,” Arlen said. “I hate to rush you, but if we leave them waiting too much longer, they just might come barging in.”
Her stomach growled, betraying her answer.
“Did you two stop to eat on the way?” Dorn asked.
“No. He did give me what food he had though.”
“Oh, you mean that dry lump of cheese and stale crackers he kept in his vest?” Dorn playfully glared at Arlen.
Rina couldn’t help but smile at their antics. She wasn’t sure if this was normal for them or if they were just doing it for her sake, but either way she liked the playful atmosphere.
“Well, come on. I’ll see to it that you get a proper meal.”
6
Fen
Fen stared at a knot in the wood on the far wall as he waited for his father to return. Dorn had asked to speak with Farin alone, yet Amber had still shifted into her fox form and followed. When she returned in fae form, the fiery glow that radiated off her skin was dimmed. It was if someone had snuffed out her inner fire, leaving nothing but the embers to shine through.
“What’s wrong? Why are they being so secretive?” Ash asked.
“Lyra’s dead and Arlen found her daughter…”
So she’s truly gone forever. Fen’s heart ached at the loss of the only mother figure he’d ever had. He had suspected for some time that Lyra was gone, but some part of him had still held hope that he would get to see her again. Sometimes, when he read one of her favorite books, he could feel her presence sitting there beside him.
He felt rather than saw Ash glance toward him. Lyra had been like a big sister to the girls, and Rye, their big brother. “We all suspected she was gone for some time, let’s try not to dwell on it,” Ash said, her usually chipper authoritative tone soft and soothing.
“So?” Amber asked as Farin returned. “Is she really Lyra’s daughter?”
Farin let out a long sigh before retaking his seat between him and Amber. “Yes, she is. But you should know that since you were spying.”
Amber scoffed. “I would never.”
Fen rolled his eyes as his father raised a brow at Amber. “All right, so I might have overheard Dorn telling you, but I didn’t follow you any further than that. Besides, my curiosity is why you love me.” She flashed a smile at him.
“So tell us about her,” Ash said.
“She’s about to join us, so just play nice. She’s been through a lot,” Farin said sternly.
The stern tone his father used piqued Fen’s curiosity. He seldom bothered to tame the girls, the two having spent their days here while their parents helped Farin with dealings across the court. They usually had free rein, but there had even been an undertone of sadness in Farin’s voice. He knew his father had felt guilty for what had happened to Rye and Lyra. That’s why he let Arlen leave to search for Lyra even after all these years, even though he needed him here at home.
“Is Lyra truly gone?” Fen asked.
Farin nodded slightly, sadness filling his eyes. “She died fourteen years ago. That’s why Arlen couldn’t find her.”
“Oh… The girl, she was three when Lyra died?” Fen whispered more to himself than anything as he tried to piece together what little information he had.
“Yes, but she was born in human form, so she’s aged like one. Though she does seem to still have a memory like ours.”
“Does she know how to shift?” Ash asked, a softness in her tone that was uncharacteristic of her.
“I don’t think so. She wouldn’t have been able to shift on that side of the wall. She thought of herself as human until a couple days ago, so give her time to adjust, all right?”
“All right.” Ash sighed and stared at the food spread across the table. “Oh, we need another place setting.” She jumped to her feet and headed for the door to the kitchen.
“I’ll get another chair,” Fen said, heading for the room down the hall. Six years had passed before they had removed Lyra’s chair from the table. It felt fitting that they’d bring it back out for her daughter, like it was something Lyra would have wanted. As he gave it a quick dusting, he wondered what Lyra and Rye’s daughter was like. She would be seventeen now—still a baby. He shook his head. If she aged like a human, she would be his age. Almost an adult.
He lifted the wooden chair and nudged the closet door shut behind himself. After making his way back to the table, he paused. Ash and Amber were up to something. They had made a spot for her next to him, but he always sat between his father and Arlen.
Knowing it would only encourage them if he said anything, he put the chair next to his and retook his. Just as he took his seat, Arlen appeared at the door. The male stopped midstep, his eyes darting to Lyra’s chair.
The girl behind him stayed mostly hidden by his bulk, but Fen caught a glimpse of black hair and tanned skin. He leaned back, reaching for a better look at her. She was shorter than Lyra, her features softer. Every bit of her human but her eyes, they gave her away. He’d never seen a human with eyes as vibrant of Rye and Arlen’s.
Something in Fen deflated a bit as she stepped back out of view. Dorn stepped up behind Arlen and the moment they touched, Arlen continued into the room. He took the seat beside Fen. Ash and Amber frowned at Arlen before glancing at each other with a conspirator’s smirk. It took everything Fen had not to groan, because that was apparently not to be the end of their antics.
The girl definitely looked human. She even sat like one, slouching in her chair. And her clothes were definitely from south of the wall. They were straight cut, baggy, and falling apart. Even slaves in other courts were provided better attire than that.
“Rina,” Dorn said as he sat on her other side, “this is Ash, Amber, and Fen.”
“Hello, Rina, welcome to the family,” Ash said.
“Thank you.”
There was a tightness in her tone that Fen couldn’t quite place. It made him want to sweep her away from the others. The girls alone could be off-putting to anyone, but they were bei
ng far tamer than usual right now.
“Well, go on,” Dorn said to Amber. “I know you’ve been waiting for me so you can eat.”
Grinning, she reached across the table and grabbed a spoonful of potatoes. Plopping it onto his plate, she teased, “There. Now you can’t say I served myself first.”
“This time, maybe.”
A hint of a smile tugged at Rina’s lips and some of the tension in her shoulders disappeared. The sight of her settling into her surroundings allowed the tension to leach out of him, too. For him to stop feeling the need to shoot eye daggers, or real ones, at Ash and Amber.
They passed various bowls of food around the table. Ash had kept the food warm with her fire magic, a trick he sometimes found himself jealous of even though he had tricks of his own.
He found himself glancing past Arlen to Rina when he leaned forward to take a bite. Three bites in and he noted a distinct change in her. She stared blankly at the table, sorrow heavy in her gaze. Sitting back in his chair as he chewed the mouthful of seasoned chicken, he wondered if it was something the others had said that brought that sadness to her gaze. He couldn’t be sure since the conversation was lost to him, a steady buzz of chatter in the background.
The next time he risked a glance, quiet amusement lit her gaze. Her features didn’t seem so drawn, yet no smile curled her lips, like even that much would be too much effort. It made some pirmal part of him desperate to make her smile, to see the light in her eyes shine a little brighter.
He glanced at her again and couldn’t help but notice how her fingers were slightly bent. They had clearly been broken—multiple times if he had to guess. The thought made him cringe and flex his own fingers. He’d broken a couple while training, but they’d set well enough that you couldn’t tell.
Another glance and he froze as her eyes locked on his. She held such sorrow in her eyes, and he longed to take it away. A bone deep need to go to her, to soothe away her worries and sadness, clawed at him—and that terrified him. He’d felt the need to comfort and soothe before, but never like this. This was foreign and strange, and all-consuming.
