Silver Hollow (55 page)
Amie remembered a passage in the family chronicle from Feather’s library. “But you weren’t expecting
the golem.”
“No, we were not. So driven we were to rid the earth of dragons we drove the last of the ancient race from their true purpose. The Freargde were made to protect us all, Jessamiene. They were guardians of the source, the ancient
flame. They kept the golem, gremlins and other sorts from destroying us all. By destroying them we only invited the darkness that still inflicts the human world. Merlin did not understand his own foolish actions. All he could see was the means for his release. By the time my father realized this, my mother had already been captured.”
“Drustan offered you protection.”
Dameri nodded eagerly. “We were given Xcalibure, as
my
father was already made old by losing my mother. Eventually the Merlin was put back in his place. The
Freargde
were cursed to eternal sleep, their king to serve Wenderdowne, and the human world forgot the truth of it all. Drustan b
ound the B
orderlands so tightly,
none of the E
xiled could return without his permission. Few humans have been invited in ever since.”
“And where does Henry come into this?” Amie nearly pleaded, knowing she might not survive the task she had yet to face.
Dameri shut her eyes, binding herself with her arms around her chest to ward away the pain. “They both fell in love with me. I could not choose betwixt them, dividing them forever
when they were so much stronger together. I was not meant to rule at Drustan’s side. I was not his equal
.
A
nd then after you were born, I never knew how to tell him.” Tears spilled over her cheeks, though her voice wavered, she never ceased her telling.
“My father?” Amie whispered, desperate for a straight answer.
Dameri’s smile was brilliant if not weakened. “Do not judge him so harshly
,
Jessie, for he never meant to deceive you. He didn’t even know you were his at first. I am ashamed to say I loved them both. In spite of everything it was Drustan my heart longed for most. I was promised to Iudicael, but did not feel the rush and power of Drustan’s passion when we touched. We despised ourselves for betraying him, but I knew whose you were from the beginning.”
Amie stood, choking on a sob at this unpleasant revelation
,
and Dameri rushed to her side, gathered her tall daughter into her arms.
Sick idiot proba
bly thought of me as partly his.
“You are so much like Drustan, it is uncanny at times
,
dearest.”
“Why didn’t he tell me? Why didn’t any of you tell me? And why did you send me away in the first place
?
” Amie clung to her unable to push her away.
“Drustan thought you were his. I could not tell him the truth. You had his eyes, so he believed
,
and when the
golem
came, I knew it was because of you. You aren’t like the other
Seelie
. You are human, bound to the earth, to everything that nourishes it. Should we fail, they will use you to control and conquer the rest of the Vale. Before they came the last time, I told Iudicael the truth in secret. Even though he was furious at our betrayal he agreed it was best to send you away. I allowed Drustan to take you the night he left. He believed they were after him at the time because he was the heir.”
Amie said nothing. What was there left to say, after all? She was jaded with the rush of too much, with revelations beyond her comprehension. And she was
Seelie
enough that to half of her changeable nature, it all made perfect sense.
Dameri stood, paced with her hair hanging like a curtain around her sweet heart
-
shaped face. Twisting her fingers
,
she turned to Amie at last. Hesitating, she placed a smooth metal object in her hand. “This belonged to my mother. It holds no enchantments, only a brief lifetime of happiness with my father.” She removed her hands and Amie held the necklace to the light. It was a simple crest, a symbol she had seen in the pillars of Xcalibure, a single large pearl encircled with twisting silver wire. It was beautiful.
“Does he…know about me?” She thought of Arthur and his long white beard and fine clothes, the strength of his arm in spite of his age.
Dameri paused beside her bed, opened the covers and waited for her to climb inside. “You lived with us for fifty years
,
Jessie, of course he knows you.” Dimming the lantern she paused in the shadow of the doorway, saying, “
A
nd do try to rest. Tomorrow will not be any easier for you
,
I fear.”
…
Sleep
. Y
eah
,
right
.
An hour later Amie was still wide awake, reeling from the unfolding of so many secrets. This was exactly why she had avoided relationships and anything surplus three close friendships over the last ten years. People invited drama and this fairy tale society Amie had been indoctrinated into was quickly turning into a cultish nightmare.
Who would have thought magical people would be twice as complicated as humans?
“Amie? You awake?” a voice hissed from the end of her bed. “Wait
,
it’s me!”
Amie sighed and lowered her
nixy
-
charged hands
.
“Faye, I’ve had enough big revelations tonight, okay?”
“Shh!” Faye cautioned with a finger to her lips. “They won’t like it if they know I’m in here. There are things you don’t know yet and they want to keep it that way.”
Amie released a gust of air that was half laugh and half despair. “Like you could possibly tell me anything more upsetting?”
Compassion filled Faye’s glowing golden eyes. “Want to talk about it?”
Amie gave a noncommittal shrug but was secretly relieved when Faye sank onto the mattress by her feet. Crossing her legs
,
Faye
leaned forward on her elbows and clasped her hands expectantly.
Amie looked
her
over and frowned. “You sure you don’t need the rest? Looks like you could use it more than me. You look like you wrestled a gator.”
Faye’s smile looked strange on her bruised face. “Oh
,
I’ve had worse before. You should have seen some of the weirdoes they’ve sent after you in the past.”
Amie stared at the duvet beneath her hands, fingered the fine embroidery. Again she wondered how she could have been so oblivious while her guardians were constantly saving her arse. “So, did you know Emrys was the one who killed my parents? Or that Dameri’s my mom,
Uncle Henry’s my father and apparently I was born sometime in the nineteen twenties?” She left Dearg’s secret out of the proverbial pile of crap. Somehow that felt more personal and most people could never understand her forgiveness.
Faye exclaimed, “O-M-G! That’s crazy!”
“Still want to try and shock me? Come on and give it your best shot.”
Faye’s mouth slid into an easy grin and already Amie felt leagues better for telling
someone
.
“First
,
I need to tell you the big news.” Some of the light faded from her luminous eyes, and the skin around her lips tightened as she prepared to tell what Amie feared the worst.
“Henry?”
Faye shook her head. “I don’t know. We haven’t been able to get inside the house since they broke through your defenses. Ginuog is still on the roof with Slaine trying to pick them off, but most of the other creatures retreated to the woods. The house is surrounded and none of the golem ho
rde
found a way inside yet, but nobody’s coming out of that fortress either.” Wrapping her arms around the slip of a ball gown, now torn in several places, she focused hard on the twitch of Amie’s fingers atop the lace. “We’re still hoping we’ll find Jo and James…”
“What happened?” Amie quickly interrupted.
Faye’s face hardened. “We were almost at the Borderlands when they attac
ked us. That’s how we knew the E
xiled factions were planning something. Ben said he’d never seen so many
golem and Unseelie in
one place before. Jo wanted to pierce their defenses so we could warn you. But they knew we were coming.”
This was the end of her story and Amie knew her oldest friend feared if she said more, she wouldn’t be able to hold her emotions back anymore. “So why do you think they’d be there?”
Faye smiled fondly. “The
Unseelie
aren’t easy to get along with. There are a lot of factions. Just so happens our parents belong to one who believes in atoning for our crimes against the Vale. Our guild was formed to prepare for the fight we knew would come. We were picked for you for a reason
,
Amie. Jo and I are the best there is and I know my sister. She’ll blend in with them if she has to. I’d bet my guild money she’s out there trying to get in.”
“And James probably has a crap load of weapons,” Amie added with a grin.
“That’s right! If Ben spots them first he agreed to bring them here. We’re set to get you out of the Borderlands,
as
far and fast as possible
,
if you want.”
“I’m going to fight, Faye. Y
ou know that,” Amie deadpanned.
“I know.” She sighed and nodded. “Did you know you’ve been gone for
seven
years on the outside and
you were
declared dead?”
Okay, I was wrong…this tops the bill.
“Dead, for
seven
years?”
Faye grinned like it was the best news in the world. “Yeah
,
they had a ceremony for you and everything. Course us and the folks knew better. We knew how time worked on the other side. It almost took us that long to find out the truth anyway.”
Amie leaned back against the headboard, shut her eyes and rubbed her temples. “This is too unreal.”
“Yeah
,
after the funeral and everything, your agent asked another author to finish
the
last chapter for your book.” This time Faye had the decency to look sheepish.
“
They
what
?
Who did they get
?
”
“
Some chick named Melissa Wright.
Don’t look at me
. It’s not our fault you weren’t smart enough to make a will.
”
“
Well it’s not like I planned on being
dead
at twenty-seven.
How did
she
end it
, anyway
?” Amie asked, groaning through the hands she had hung her face in.
“We brought a copy with us so you can read the ending yourself. Figured you’d want one. You should know it became a bestseller in just a week. People are still raving about it.”
Hands falling into her lap with a light thud
,
Amie stared. “Are you kidding me? That piece of crap trash?”
“I know! And it was real good by the way. I know you don’t believe it but you always had so much talent.”
Of course I don’t get famous till I’m dead! Like Edgar
freaking
Poe!
“Hope y’all have been cashing in on my success,” Amie finally said, coming to terms with the madness of her situation.
“We signed the royalties off to
M
om and
D
ad. We figured they’d be able to build up our resources, you know, for the return and everything. They’ve been meaning to recruit more from outside factions. Not all of us are out to kill you, Amie.”
Amie shrugged
.
“Well
,
isn’t that the icing on the cake
? Oh
,
by the way
,
Amie, you’re dead so don’t bother coming back.”
“Would you
want
to go back?”
She was so
surprised by the
Unseelie’s
question that
it
was
some
time before she could reply. “No. I’m way too brainwashed for that.” And somehow they both found the time to laugh, not caring who heard them downstairs, while in her mind Amie began forming a plan.
“Are you sure we aren’t going to get attacked by vampire bats or anything?” Faye hissed in the burgeoning darkness of the caves. Amie pushed the range of the glowing orb held aloft in her palm for more light.
