Fragile Destiny (The Aether Chronicles) (20 page)

Noli rolled over and gazed at V, stifling a gasp of surprise. She hadn’t expected him to be done with his meetings.

V pulled her to him, so that her head lay on his chest. “Let’s go to sleep, Noli. We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow.”

Sleep. Yes, sleeping in his arms sounded splendid.

“Do you regret all this?” she whispered.

V gave her a long and smoldering kiss. “Not for a mo-ment. Good night, Noli. I love you.”

Noli got cozy under the blankets, using V as a pillow. She could hear his heart thumping in his chest. The sound was comforting. “Good night, V. I love you too.”

Seventeen

A Hunting We Will Go

Kevighn’s head pounded. He opened his eyes and stared at an unfamiliar ceiling. What had happened? He rolled over, half-expecting to see some strange female sleeping beside him.

The bed was empty, and he remembered that he was at Ciarán’s.

Last night’s events came back to him as he sat up and rubbed his head. Yes, last night, after learning his fair blossom was lost to him forever, he’d gotten
very
drunk. Stretching, he padded out of bed. Ciarán always knew the best remedies for hangovers.

Ciarán’s room was empty, as was his office. At this time of the morning the tavern was closed. The smell of baking bread wafted from the kitchens. He found Ciarán sitting on a stool in the kitchen at the small table in the corner, like an ordinary man. Mug in hand, he hunched over something, frowning.

“So serious so early?” Kevighn plopped down on the stool next to him, head pounding.

Ciarán set the paper in his hands in front of Kevighn. “She wants to trade Aodhan for our pieces of the artifact.”

He read the missive, written in Magnolia’s own neat but girlish hand. It was succinct and polite.

“Did you expect any less?” he replied.

Ciarán turned the mug around in his hands and sighed. “No.”

“Do you have any intention of making the trade?” Kevighn eyed Ciarán’s mug, since Luce was nowhere to be seen in the cozy kitchen. She was probably out in the garden.

Standing, Ciarán walked over to the stove. “No.”

“Should I steal him back tomorrow?” Something twanged inside him; while he understood that the game was over, he still wasn’t sure he wanted to see Magnolia wed that earth court whelp.

“I have a feeling she’ll be expecting that. But we should try.” Ciarán busied himself by taking down containers and mixing them into a mug, to which he added hot water from the kettle atop the stove.

“She won’t harm him.” This he said more to himself than anyone else as he laid his head on his folded arms.

“No, and Aire will make sure of that—good choice, by the way.” Ciarán carried the steaming mug over and set it before Kevighn. “I’d thought a lady’s maid would be the best choice, but your idea was much better. It also puts me at ease to know someone I trust will take on this role.”

Kevighn took a sip of Ciarán’s brew, allowing the taste to roll over his tongue and wake up his senses … and hopefully the rest of him. Ciarán had a knack for making potions that actually tasted
pleasant.

“Aire has grown up.” When Kevighn had left the dark court to be the old high queen’s huntsman, she’d been but a girl, her older brother their friend. Now she was one of Ciarán’s best female soldiers, and off to the earth palace to pretend to be a guard and spy for the dark court.

“Children grow up.” Ciarán took his seat.

“Yes, they do.” His sister had and one day his nephew would as well.

For several moments silence coated the kitchen. Luce returned, giving each of them slices of hot bread thick with jam. The jam was made with those berries Noli liked so much, the same kind that Ciarán used in his wine.

Finally, Kevighn felt nearly … normal, though a warm bath and a change of clothes wouldn’t go amiss. He only wore one shoe.

“What are we going to do about … ” Kevighn indicated Noli’s missive with a sweep of his hand.

“I want you to find her father. You’re the best tracker I have. Not that I expect you to discover much. But I don’t want to give her what she’s requested.” Ciarán polished off his bread and jam.

“I understand completely.” Relief flooded him as he drained his mug. If he was out searching for Noli’s father he wouldn’t have to attend the coronation—or the wedding. “It could take a long time, if I find anything at all,” Kevighn added. “After all, something probably ate him as soon as he arrived.”

“True.” Ciarán rubbed his chin. “However, you
will
attend tomorrow’s events with me.”

Kevighn’s mood soured. “Why?”

“Because I’m your king and I command you to.” Ciarán straightened himself, looking every inch the dark king, even without his hood. Perhaps it was the scar, or his regal bone structure, or the imposing look in his eyes.

He drooped. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

Ciarán’s look softened. “Who will help me steal Aodhan back if not you? Perhaps we can steal Elise back as well—even if they are expecting us.”

“True.” However, if he reunited Magnolia with her father she’d be grateful … and he knew precisely where to start his hunt.

The protective magic of the House of Oak was much stronger than the last time he’d muscled his way in. Also, this time, he needed to go all
the way
into
the house.

Kevighn crossed through a small garden, the one where he’d found his fair blossom crying in a tree. No. She wasn’t his fair blossom anymore. As much as he wished it wasn’t so, she belonged to someone else—and there was nothing he could do about it.

With a heavy sigh, he opened a door, which led into a library. Using the stealth that had earned him his position as huntsman, he crept from room to room until he found what he sought. Magnolia’s room.

The feminine room hummed with her essence. Now, was it here? If it wasn’t, he’d need to go into the mortal realm, to her home in Los Angeles.

He didn’t see her toolbox. Her valise caught his eye, her enchanted bag that held much more than one would expect.

It felt almost … indecent … to open it. Kevighn pulled out item after item until finally his hand clapped around the handle of the battered brass toolbox.
Victory.
Setting it on the bed, he put everything else back inside the bag so it didn’t look as if he’d been there.

Once the box served its purpose he’d return it, after all, he knew how much it meant to her. Looking both ways, he darted out of her room and went back the way he came. Hopefully, he could use the toolbox to track her father.

As soon as he left their lands, he began to whistle.

Eighteen

Secrets

“Noli, will you take a walk with me?” V asked as they left the war room.

“A walk would be nice.” She’d been cooped up all morning—and this afternoon she had an audience with her subjects. Just the thought made her shiver. Yes, being outside among the trees would keep her from screaming in frustration.

“Good.” He took her hand and squeezed it. “We have amazing gardens, though would you mind if we stopped by the kennels first?”

Kennels? Dogs lived in kennels. Oh. “You found Urco?”

V’s eyes gleamed. “I think so … I hope he remembers me.”

“Of course he does.” She squeezed his hand back.

As they walked down the hallway, Noli sensed movement behind them. Guards. James had selected them himself. One of them, named Aire, was a girl. With her cap of brown hair and her uniform, she looked like a boy at first glance, much like Vix did—which was probably the point. V had made noises about it until James explained that girl guards could go places boy guards couldn’t.

They wove through the palace. All the hallways confused her—it would take ages for her to learn to navigate this place.

Her entire body relaxed the moment fresh air kissed her face.

V led her past the stables to the kennels. “Urco,” he called. “Urco.” He gave a strange little whistle.

There was a rumble and a black dog the size of a small pony leapt at V, knocking him to the ground and licking his face.

“Urco, I missed you so much, boy.” V wrestled with the hound right on the floor of the kennel. A few people stopped and stared, probably not expecting a near-grown prince to behave in such a fashion.

Noli had to admit it was cute. Endearing, even.

Urco’s head popped up and he eyed Noli. Unused to dogs, especially ones so very large, she took a step back.

“Easy, Noli. If you run, he’ll make chase, he’ll catch you, and it won’t be good for anyone.” He popped up from the ground and put an arm around her waist. “Urco, this is Noli.”

Urco sniffed her and she tried not to show fear.

“He’s so big,” she breathed.

“Here.” V took her hand in his and showed her where to scratch Urco behind the ears. His fur was silky soft beneath her fingers and his tail thumped the ground so hard the floor vibrated.

V leaned over and whispered something to the dog. “Come, Urco.” He gave another whistle, took her hand, and they walked out of the kennel, Urco bounding behind them. “Urco’s a good hound. I wouldn’t mind keeping him in the wing with us—it would make me feel better.”

“They’re fierce, aren’t they?” She’d heard stories of fae hounds tearing people to shreds, not to mention she’d seen them, once, when Tiana had sent the Wild Hunt after her.

“Yes, and smart.” He nodded in agreement. “Much smarter than mortal dogs.”

They walked hand in hand through the magnificent grounds. Unlike the high queen’s gardens, which were showy and perfect, these were more natural—vegetable plots, herb gardens, flower beds, forests.

“Where will the royal tree house be?” Noli swung V’s hand as they walked. He’d promised her a tree house and she intended to hold him to it.

His eyes gleamed. “Let me show you.”

They came to a flower garden; the sweet smells making her nose twitch in delight. In the garden sat a faery tree—it wasn’t overly large or grand, but …

“It’s perfect.” Letting go of his hand, she ran to the tree. Little faces peeked out of the knotholes. High-pitched squeals filled the air as they perched on the gnarled roots of the tree. The boy wood faeries bowed and the girls curtsied.

“What’s this?” she whispered. Never before had they greeted her like this.

V linked his arm through hers. “They’re greeting their queen.”

“What do I do?” Noli asked. They kept bowing. It was so odd.

“Nod and say,
you may rise
,” V whispered to her.

She bobbed her head. “You … you may rise.” The words felt so odd on her lips.

Two faeries brought her a flower.

“I appreciate that,” she told them, accepting it. “This would be the perfect place for a tree house. Don’t you think?” She could see it now …

V put a hand on her shoulder, body close to hers. “This was always Aunt Dinessa’s favorite place.”

Her heart wrenched. Dinessa. Who was dead. Because of her. Tears pricked her eyes. Once again, it was all her fault. “I … I’m sorry, V.”

“It’s not your fault. I understand.” He tilted up her face with his fingers. “She understood, too. She always knew that someone would eventually kill Brogan, and that she would also die. Aunt Dinessa made her peace with it long ago.”

Noli couldn’t even imagine that.

They took a seat at the base of the tree, leaning against the trunk. Noli spread the skirts of her green gown out around her. Urco romped through the garden, but politely—neither chasing the faeries nor disturbing the flowers.

Noli put her head on his shoulder. “I’m afraid for this afternoon. Why would the people listen to a mortal girl like me?”

V scooted closer to her, his arm around her waist. “Noli …
you’re … ” He took a deep breath. “You’re still not mortal.”

“What?” She jumped backward out of his arms, as if burned. “But I’m me again.”

“You are … but you aren’t.” He raked his hair with his hands. “You got your personality back, but you’re not mortal. A mortal could no more be queen than a sprite.”

The impact of his words hit her in the chest like a cannonball. “What do you mean I’m not mortal? I have to be mortal.” Her voice rose in pitch and she chewed on her lower lip. If she wasn’t mortal, what was she?

Sensing her unease, several wood faeries flew over and settled on her shoulders. One played with her hair.

“I’m sorry, Noli.” He took her hand and she snatched it away. “But you’re you again, isn’t that more important than being mortal? I’m not mortal, James isn’t mortal. You can still go into the mortal realm to visit—”

“You mean go to university.” Her heart tightened. V was hiding something, she knew it. “We’ll get things settled here and then we’ll attend university and come back on weekends … won’t we?” She tried to keep the wail out of her voice. Her dream was everything.

“Noli.” V’s face went tight. “I … I don’t think we can do that. We can visit the mortal realm. We really should spend Christmas with your mother. But even if we could get things to a point where we could leave for an extended amount of time, you can’t be a recreational queen—going to school during the week and being a faery queen on weekends. I … I’m sorry Noli.” He pulled her to him, her body heavy and limp. “But the mortal world isn’t your home anymore. You belong to the Otherworld now.”

“But we’re going to university.” It was difficult to force the words out. “I … I sent off applications. I’m going to be a botanist.” She looked up at him, eyes blurry with tears. “How can I be a botanist if I don’t go to school?”

Silence. All she could hear were the sounds of dreams shattering.

He stroked her hair. “We’ll go to the Academe, if you’d like, though at first we’ll probably have to settle for private tutors while we get things situated.”

The Academe was the Otherworld version of a university.

“But can you even study botany here?” Her dreams, her secret, dear dreams, crushed like a bug under the heel of a shoe.

“You’re queen of the earth court—soon you’ll be able to control any and all plants, both here and in the mortal realm. It’s botany, just with magic.” He gestured to the garden. “And this place, this garden, is always cared for by one of the royal family. You can have a garden, a tree house, a workshop … ”

“It’s not the same,” she hiccupped.

“I know.” He wrapped his arms around her. “But you have me. We’ll … we’ll start a new life. Me, you, James, Elise.”

She guessed sending Elise to school in the mortal realm was out of the question.

“But I don’t want this,” she wailed. “I never meant to kill Brogan. I was just trying to defend myself. Your dream has always been to come here and be the king, but me … I just wanted to be a botanist.”

Everything was ruined all because of a rash action that had seemed good at the time. That seemed to be the story of her life.

“I know.” His voice was soft and tinged with regret. “We can do this together. The Bright Lady chose
you
to be our queen. She wouldn’t have done that without a good reason.”

What did the Bright Lady have to do with this? It was the magic that chose her. Then again, he believed everything was the will of the Bright Lady.

A thought struck her like lightning. “When did you know I wasn’t mortal?”

It crawled under her skin, making her squirm away from him. The wood faeries continued to try to soothe her.

“Um … when I read your magic yesterday.” The blush rose on his cheeks, high and red. “Considering you’d just taken the kingdom it didn’t seem the right time to tell you.”

“It didn’t?” Anger swirled inside her like a dervish. “And not going to university—you knew that yesterday, too, and didn’t think to tell me?”

“You have a lot going on. It wasn’t as if I was intentionally lying to you,” V fired back.

She flew to her feet. “My dreams are crushed. I will
never
be able to accomplish them—meanwhile, you have yours even quicker than expected. How could you not tell me? I thought you loved me.”

“I do love you. I know this is difficult, but you have to think about the entire scheme of things now. You’re not only responsible for yourself, but a court. There’s so much to learn, people to impress, a kingdom to manage.” He tugged on her hand. “It’s going to be another long day. Why don’t you sit next to me and have a little rest before someone finds us with urgent matters to take care of.”

She couldn’t quell the stream of anger and betrayal flowing from her. He knew how important her dreams were.

“What else didn’t you tell me?” Her arms crossed over her chest. “Um … ” His face went scarlet.

“Steven Darrow you tell me this instant.” Noli’s voice went up the octave.

Betrayal flashed in his eyes. “Why, so you can yell at me some more?”

“Fine.” She ran out of the garden. V didn’t follow her, which made her heart drop.

A couple of guards followed her, but she ignored them, bumbling around the grounds until she heard familiar shrieks. Wiping her face with her sleeve, she squared her shoulders and sailed into a small garden. A Mintonette net had been set up. Nissa and Breena played Miri and Elise as they lobbed the golden ball back and forth over the net using nothing but magic.

James lounged nearby on a blanket with Aodhan, watching the girls play.

“It looks as if they’re having fun.” Noli plopped down ungracefully next to James.

He shook his head. “Stupidest game ever.”

“I agree.” She shook her head.

“Where’s Stio?” James’ head whipped around.

“Who?” Noli brought her knees to her chest as she watched. Miri and Elise’s team seemed to be winning.

“V.” James fell backward onto the blanket, conjuring images of lazy summer picnics in the hills and hoverboard rides.

Things according to V she’d never experience again. She opened her mouth to ask James, but closed it again. Not only was Aodhan right there, but V didn’t lie. Delay or omit the truth, yes. Lie, no.

While she understood that he was trying to protect her, she didn’t appreciate it and it didn’t lessen the sting. That dream had gotten her through so much—her father disappearing, Jeff leaving, her friends abandoning her. It was all she had that was hers alone.

Now it was gone.

“Are you well, Noli?” Aodhan peered at her with a gaze older than his years. “You look like you need a strong cup of tea.”

“I … I’m fine,” she sighed. “And I don’t know—or care where V is.”

The game ended and Elise, in a pretty, pale green dress, ran over to them, the others following.

“Your Grace.” Miri bobbed. “Can I help you with anything?”

“Yes, please, can we help you with something?” Nissa chirped.

Elise tugged on Noli’s sleeve. “Why does everyone keep calling you that?”

“Later.” James brushed her off.

A deep frown creased Elise’s face as she looked around. “Where’s Dadaí?”

James shuddered a little as he exhaled. “Later.”

Her face screwed up in a petulant pout. “I want to know
now
.”

The pain in her voice wrenched Noli’s heart.

“Elise … later,” James sighed.

Elise made a huff of frustration—something Noli understood completely.

Noli looked up at the sprites, who gazed at her expectantly waiting for orders, a half-baked plan forming in her mind.

“Breena, Nissa, I’ll need a dress for my audience this afternoon. Could you please make sure I have everything I need? Also, check on my dress for tomorrow. I will need other dresses of course—and my dresses from the big house. Also, Elise will need a wardrobe as well.” There. That should keep them busy.

“Of course, Your Grace.” Nissa and Breena curtsied and flounced off.

Miri’s lower lip quivered as her gaze followed her friends.

“I have a special job for you. Could you please have someone bring a lunch up to the tea garden for Elise and me? With little sandwiches and cakes and tea?” Noli looked at Elise. “I thought we’d have a lunch, just us girls … ” She looked at James. “And no boys.”

Elise gave Aodhan a long look. “That sounds nice.”

“Yes, Your Grace.” Miri bobbed. “Perhaps the cook has some of those green cakes you like.” She bounded off.

Noli stood. “Elise, let’s have tea.”

And if she happened to tell Elise everything her brothers wouldn’t tell her … well … they shouldn’t be keeping secrets from her anyway.

Steven entered their suite of rooms. It felt so odd to be back. They should redecorate; it would make him—and Noli—feel more at ease. Urco trotted at his heels. Hounds were extremely loyal and protective. Having Urco around would be as good as any charm or spell. Better.

James and Aodhan sat in the parlor playing a game.