A Tale of Two Kingdoms (13 page)

“Aye. And I was already too busy gettin’ us away from here.” There was no response except that he thought he might have heard a little catch in her breathing. Finally, he said, “Song? Do you hear me?”

She started to say his name, but her voice did break and then she was crying. “Duffy. Are we really goin’ then?”

He didn’t know exactly what he’d been expecting, but he hadn’t expected tears. He sat down on a bench that was cold through his jeans. “Thursday mornin’ early. You tell The Order you’re goin’ home for a visit. Pack your warmest. ‘Tis really cold where we’re goin’. And take your keepsakes cause we can no’ know for sure we’ll be comin’ back.”

“I know.”

“Be sure. ‘Tis a bell we can no’ unring. You can say no, but do it now.”

“Stop your teasin’, Duff. ‘Tis you I’m wantin’ and no other. And ye know it.”

His chest filled with the burn of that. “If what you’re describin’ is only a little of what I’m feelin’… Be ready to go by seven. I’m havin’ someone drive you to Aberdeen. I’ll be waitin’ for you there.”

“Someone? Who?”

He smiled. “Someone with outrageous pink hair who’s married to your brother.” Pause. “Speechless, are ye? I have a feelin’ I should relish these times as they may be few and far between.”

“‘
Tis easy to say when you’re standin’ who knows where? ‘Twill be a sight different when I can get my hands on you.”

Duff lowered his voice. “Aye. ‘Twill be different when
I
can get my hands on
you
.”

The words hung in the air with all the promise, anticipation, and excitement of fanfare. Her body recognized his meaning and tone and responded with a shiver that was more like a quake. If she had known that he was standing atop Calton Hill, and that a dash out the door, down the street, five blocks and a breathless run straight up could bring her into his arms, she wouldn’t have been able to stop herself. She took a deep breath and let it out. “Aye. Agree.”

“Song.”

“Aye, love.”

“Do no’ forget your passport.”

“I will no’.”

“Four days. Will ne’er be without you again.”

“Four days.”

Song didn’t need as much as two seconds to regret leaving her job at The Order just as she hadn’t hesitated to accept when she’d initially been approached by the recruiter. Her brother had never talked to her about his life, what he did, the organization or anything about it, of course, but her talent enabled her to see quite a lot. She’d been dazzled by the idea of being a cog in a wheel of such monumental importance and, though she might not ever be a legendary vampire slayer like her brother, she was eager to make a difference with her own gift.

She had spent the entire time in testing. Not doing testing, being tested. A year and a half later, she had not been called upon to do one thing of consequence other than the Alternate-Storm project for which she was specifically requested, by name, by the temporary acting head of Jefferson Unit, Glendennon Catch. As soon as the results were compiled and filed, she was sent right back to testing and all resumed, as if the trip to New Jersey had been a dream. Nothing had changed. At all.

Elora had to do some quick thinking to come up with a plan that would enable her to help her sister-in-law without lying to Rammel outright. She wouldn’t be needed at all if it wasn’t for the fact that Aelsong was an elf living in the Fae Kingdom. Otherwise, she could simply walk out the front door, smile at the doorman, and stroll away.

She could do that regardless and, if she never spoke, she’d be safe because certainly no one could tell the difference between elf or fae on sight. But anyone could be alarmed or put in danger and vocalize spontaneously. If she was caught alone and discovered, she would be assumed to be a spy. Someone had to help her get away and Elora was the only candidate.

Fortunately, she was able to talk Litha into combining a short shopping trip to London with a one night stopover at the apartment The Order kept for Storm and Litha at Headquarters in Edinburgh. All Elora had to do was make sure she was there Wednesday night.

With a lot of fast talking about how much she needed a break from Helm and trainees and assassins, it was hard to argue with all that. So Rammel gave his blessings and, of course, Litha provided transportation. After Litha gave the bell service a tip, not much of one because they didn’t have any luggage, he closed the door to their suite at the Hyde Park Hotel and left. She walked through the parlor into the bedroom where Elora had sprawled across one of the overdone beds.

“Spill.”

“Spill?”

“Right here.” Litha pointed to a spot on the rug with her shoe. “Must have tumped the tea cart.”

“Oh.” Elora got up on an elbow to look.

“No! Not that kind of spill. The kind that means now is the time to shed the light of truth on what’s going on here.” Litha waved her arm at their surroundings. “You’re not a spend-the-day-at-Harrods kind of girl. You’re a shop-online-while-Ram’s-watching-rugby-on-TV kind of girl.”

“Maybe I did need a couple of days away.”

“Maybe you did. But not for shopping.” As Litha’s eyes narrowed, Elora’s got bigger and more innocent looking in inverse proportion. “So what did you need the time away for?”

Elora sniffed and looked away. “I admit it wasn’t shopping. Although, now that we’re here, we do have to shop since there’s no way to ride the passes with luggage.”

“Elora.”

“Well.”

“Spit it out.”

“I can’t spit it out without implicating you and I need you plausibly ignorant.”

Litha took a deep breath that ended with shaking her head and that turned into a chuckle. “I couldn’t possibly be more scandalized than to have my best friend think it would be possible for me to be plausibly ignorant. Whatever happened to good old-fashioned plain-Jane ignorance without the modifiers?”

“Okay. So I knew it was unlikely that I’d get this past you. I guess I just hoped you’d let it slide.”

“If you need me to play dumb for you, I will. Just as long as you know I’m not dumb and I’m not one of those you’re trying to play.”

“Oh, for all the gods, Litha.” Elora slumped on the bed. “When you say it like that, you make me feel like something that should slither off through the storm drain never to be seen or heard from again. The one I’m trying to protect isn’t dumb either.”

Litha sat on the other bed facing Elora’s. “You kept me propped up when Rosie was on the way. You helped keep things together when Storm was lost. After all that you don’t think you could trust me with anything?”

Elora sat up and cocked her head. “Sure. It’s not that. Not that at all. It’s that I don’t want to put you in that position if it isn’t necessary. And it’s not when you could just be my partner in shopping crime.”

Elora’s brows were wrinkling in the middle.

Litha smiled. “Okay. Tea and a toes up?”

Elora grinned. “Yeah. It was a hard trip. Are you going to call room service or conjure up the tea?”

“Already checked the closets. No cauldron,” Litha deadpanned as she reached for the room service menu.

She set the menu down in her lap.

“What is it?” Elora asked.

“I know where my mother grew up. I even know where I was born and where my people lived for generations. It’s funny. I’d never had the slightest desire to go there or even thought of it until just now.” She looked closely at Elora. “Would you like to go there with me some time?”

“Of course. I’d love it.”

CHAPTER 6

Song pulled her things out into the hallway as quietly as possible to keep from waking her roommate, Gaia. She’d gotten a text from Elora the night before with instructions to meet in the garage beneath the building at seven. The Order kept a small fleet for use of the staff and visitors.

Elora had claimed one of the vehicles, a silver Vauxhall, the most common car in all of Scotia and least likely to draw notice. The sun would just be coming up and Elora wanted to be away from the city before anyone who might recognize Song was likely to see her.

When the elevator opened, Elora was waiting with a big grin on her face. Song started to laugh, but somehow the laughter turned into something that was a confused fusion of crying and laughing. She went as fast as she could rolling the bags she had un-nested and packed for the trip.

Gaia had said, “Seems like you’re taking a lot for a trip home. And it’s not
that
cold.”

Song had lied like she was used to it. “I’m thinkin’ of changin’ some thin’s out. Leave some. Take some. You know.”

She dropped the luggage handles and threw her arms around Elora who said, “Quick kiss. We can cry all the way there if you want, but we’ve got to get started.”

They more or less threw her bags in the boot and jumped in. Elora had to produce credentials. She wasn’t recognized on sight since she didn’t normally drive when she was there. The gate opened. They drove up the incline and out of the garage. When they turned onto the open street, the two women looked at each other and laughed spontaneously like they had just escaped from a prison.

“You know, Song, your brother is the hero. But this may be the most
romantic
moment of the century. How are your map reading skills?”

“Map readin’? Does this automobile no’ have geo-guide?”

“No. That’s a feature of higher end cars. Um. How’s your driving?”

Song grinned. “I’m your girl.”

“Maybe we should trade places. You’re used to left side anyhow. Makes sense.”

“Just past that roundabout, pull over at the market.”

That turned out to be easier said than done. After listening to Elora’s tirade on roundabouts, Song was all the more sure that she was the one who should be driving.

“Bloody fucking roundabouts! If you go, they honk at you. If you don’t go, they honk at you. If you go fast, they honk. If you go slow, they honk. It’s just one big bloody honking country full of honking idiot drivers.”

Song was laughing when they switched places. “Is that my brother’s influence I hear? Ne’er mind. I’m all about the roundabouts. I shall steer the steely beast. You shall navigate.”

Aelsong was masterfully at ease with the rules – and quirks – of the road, not to mention gear shift on the left instead of the right. By the time they got to the Forth Road Bridge going north over the water toward Perth, they were speeding along and the tension in their bodies was melting away.

Elora had never taken a road trip in Scotia and was thoroughly enjoying the scenery.

“I suppose you were plannin’ to drive back by yourself?”

“I was. Yes. I am. Did you eat before we left? Are you hungry?”

“I did no’ eat. I can no’ say I’m hungry exactly.” She looked over at Elora and smiled shyly. “More nervous, maybe. Should we stop for somethin’?”

“We can’t stop and sit down, but maybe we could get take-out.”

“We have no’ quite perfected the art of to-go like the States. What did you have in mind?”

“I’ll settle for a bottle of water and a bag of nuts if I can’t do better.”

Aelsong looked at her and laughed. Fifteen minutes later they were pulling away from a roadside grill with a to-go breakfast of eggs, lamb goulash for Elora and latte for Song. Elora was ecstatic enough to hum yummy sounds while she ate.

“Do you know where in Aberdeen we’re goin’?”

“Hmmm.” Elora had finished and was reconciling containers into trash for the backseat floorboard. “It’s a row of private plane hangars on the outskirts of the airport. I’ve got the address and a code to give security when we arrive.”

“So we’re flyin’ somewhere. What else do you know?”

“Not much, Song. I get the feeling that Duff wants to be the one to tell you everything else and, not that it’s likely I’ll be tortured, but it’s probably best I don’t know everything.” Song nodded. “I’ve been wondering how you feel about, you know, leaving everything.”