The Seven Year King (The Faerie Ring #3) (33 page)

Chapter Forty-Four

A
fter visiting for more than an hour, Arthur called a carriage round to take Tiki, Rieker and the others back to Grosvenor Square. Geoffrey drove Rieker’s carriage with the Bosworth’s and Juliette. Toots and Clara chattered the whole way home about their adventure with the royals.

“An’ then Leo said,
‘they must come with us’
,” Clara pronounced dramatically, imitating the prince, “an’ Shamus said we couldn’t go without ‘im, so off we all rode in the carriage.”

“They’ve more than one dog, too,” Toots said eagerly. “The queen has loads of them. And next time Arthur said he’d take me to the mews to see the horses!” He bounced up and down on his seat with excitement.

“What did you think, Shamus?” Tiki asked, nudging the older boy’s knee.

Shamus shook his head, even more quiet than usual. He finally spoke. “Me sittin’ with the princes of England in Buckin’ham Palace.” A slow grin spread across his face. “It was like a bloody faerie tale.”

WHEN THEY ARRIVED back at Grosvenor Square, Tiki wrapped her arms around Fi. “How are you?” she whispered in the other girl’s ear. “Do we need to go pick a pocket or two to liven you up?”

Fiona gave a half-laugh and hugged Tiki tight. “Do you think that would help?” She clung to Tiki for a long moment, then stepped back and blinked her eyes rapidly. “I’m glad you’re home. I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too.” She cupped the other girl’s face with her hand. “Things are going to be back to normal again soon, you’ll see.”

Fiona smiled, softening the sharp edges of her thin face.

“When has life ever been normal for this lot?”

Shamus approached and held his hand out to Tiki. “Welcome ho—” He shot a guilty look at Rieker— “I mean, welcome back, Teek.” Tiki brushed his hand away and stood on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his thin shoulders.

“How are you, Shamus?”

“Better now that you and Rieker are here.” He looked into her face with a serious expression. “Things haven’t felt right. It’s not the same without you, Tiki. We need you here.”

“And I need to be here.” She forced a smile, choking back a cough. Her relief at finding everyone safe and knowing the
liche
was no more made her feel lighter than she had in months.

THE NEXT DAY the clock tolled ten p.m. as Tiki and Rieker sat in his study. The others had gone to bed, but only after Fiona had insisted on fixing some tea with lemon and honey for Tiki’s cough.

“I don’t like the sounds of that, Teek,” Fiona had said. “You need some bed rest and somebody taking care of you, for a change, instead of you always bein’ the one to take care of others.”

“Look who’s calling the kettle black,” Tiki had grinned, before she’d started coughing.

“Drink this now.” Fiona had forced the warm cup into Tiki’s hands and stood there with her hands on her hips, like a miniature version of Mrs. B., until Tiki took several sips. The mixture was surprisingly soothing on her throat and Tiki had nodded her thanks.

“Do you think it’s safe for the others to stay here now that the
liche
is gone?” Tiki asked Rieker. Her voice was little more than a rasp.

“We have to be realistic—there’s no guarantee as long as Donegal wants the Seelie throne. If Larkin is right and he’s identified that you live here in London, then there is risk.” Rieker moved a bishop in a diagonal across the chess board that sat on a table between them. “But the Macanna are still outside and can keep an eye on things here. Grosvenor Square is probably the safest place for the others to stay at this point.” He lifted his head. His eyes were shadowed, the expression on his face intent. “You realize I’ve got to go back and help Dain. There’s got to be some way to free him.”

Once again, Tiki fought the sensation of being pulled equally in different directions—she needed to be two places at once. How could she possibly choose? An image of Dain’s masked face, with its bottomless eyes staring at her—as if silently begging her to
do something
to save him, hovered in her mind’s eye. But even as she thought of Dain, an image of the happy and relieved faces of Clara, Toots, Fiona and Shamus warred with the image. What good was it to be a faerie queen if she didn’t have the power to protect all those she loved?

Tiki exhaled slowly, staring at the intricately carved black and white chess figures, frozen in an unfinished game. “I know. We’ve got to return to the White Tower and try again to find a way to get Dain out. There’s only a few days until Samhain.” She pushed a pawn forward to block the path of Rieker’s bishop, wondering how they were possibly going to free Dain this time when they hadn’t been able to figure out a way before. “Maybe you should ask Larkin if she has any ideas on how to release him?”

Rieker’s voice was solemn when he spoke. “We may not be able to get him out.”

Tiki glanced up. “I’ve thought the same thing. But if we can’t get him out—” she couldn’t finish her sentence. They
had
to get him out. “I shouldn’t have—”

A sound made Tiki turn. Clara peeked around the corner of the door.

“What are you doing up at this hour, Miss Mouse?” Tiki asked.

“I couldn’t sleep.” Clara skipped into the room. “Maybe if you read me that story ol’ Potts gave us again, my eyes would stay closed.” She pulled the
Field of Boliauns
from behind her back. “I’ve got it right here.”

“Well, isn’t that convenient,” Tiki teased as she held her arms out for the little girl to climb up on her lap.

“I’ve missed you reading to me at night, Teek,” Clara said softly as she snuggled into Tiki’s arms. “Toots’ misses it, too, even if he doesn’t say so.”

“And I’ve missed you and Toots.” She tweaked Clara’s nose. “Pretty soon you’ll be reading books on your own.”

“I like it better when you read.” Clara smiled up into Tiki’s face. “An’ when you talk with an accent.”

“You mean like a good Irish lass?” Tiki said, affecting a thick Irish brogue.

Clara giggled. “Yes! Exactly like that.”

“Let’s see what Clever Tom is up to in this story,” Tiki said, as she turned the opening pages of the book. Rieker crossed his legs and watched them, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

“Yes, let’s,” Clara said, doing a spot-on imitation of Tiki’s accent. “I think he’s goin’ta find himself in a wee spot of trouble.”

Tiki began to read out loud. “The story begins on one fine day in harvest—it was indeed Lady-day, that everybody knows to be one of the greatest holidays in the year—and clever Tom Fitzpatrick was taking a ramble…”

Clara’s eyes grew heavy as Tiki read the story and she fell asleep before the book was finished. Tiki held the little girl in her arms, and gazed down at her perfect face, a sense of pure love warming her heart. She so desperately longed to stay here, safe in this room, but she knew her happiness would never be complete until Dain was safe here with them.

THAT NIGHT, TIKI dreamed of a thousand red garters fluttering in the wind. The landscape of her dream was dark and a terrible fear filled her. She was running, looking for the garter that marked the hidden gold, when the air was filled with the thunder of approaching hooves. Panicked, she looked over her shoulder to see who chased her, but the shadows were too dark. Though they remained unseen, she knew it was Donegal and the Wild Hunt—hunting her.

She turned and ran. The noise got louder and louder until the ground shook with the power of the beasts chasing her. Tiki couldn’t keep her footing and began to fall….

Tiki awoke with a jerk, her heart pounding like the horse’s hooves of her dream. Through the first light of dawn that crept into the room, she surveyed the familiar corners. Convinced she was alone, she relaxed against her pillows and stared up at the ceiling.

The one thing her dream had made clear was that they had to free Dain before the Wild Hunt. Before Donegal gained control of the Otherworld again. As much as she didn’t want to leave London, she and Rieker needed to go back and find a way to release Dain—immediately. Even if it meant asking Larkin for help. Tiki threw back the covers and climbed out of bed, the movement causing a spasm of coughing. She hurriedly donned her clothes shivering in the cool morning air. They didn’t have a moment to waste.

“GOOD MORNING, DEARIE,” Mrs. Bosworth called out from where she was kneading bread as Tiki entered the kitchen. Flour dusted one side of her middle-aged face as well as her apron and hands. “Another one up early this morning.”

“The sun is barely above the horizon,” Tiki said as she poured some hot water into a mug for tea, hoping it would help to stop the coughing. “Has Shamus left for the bakery already?”

“Shamus
and
Master William have come and gone already.” Mrs. Bosworth wiped a wisp of hair from her forehead with the back of her hand and left another streak of flour. “Master William left a note for you.” She nodded toward the other counter.

Tiki froze. “A note?”

The older woman gave Tiki a coy smile. “Over by the pitcher, dear. Couldn’t wait until he saw you again, I s’pect. Seems quite taken with you, Miss.” She focused on her kneading, humming under her breath. “Quite taken, indeed.”

Tiki snatched the small white envelope off the counter. Her name was written in black, block letters on the front. Any other time she would have paused to admire the neat script but she barely noticed as she broke the seal and yanked out a fine piece of embossed stationary, marked with the name Richmond.

‘Tiki, I’m sorry I left without talking to you, but it’s better this way. We’re running out of time. I’ve got to help Dain and you’re needed here. Be safe.

Love,

Wills

Chapter Forty-Five

T
iki stared at the page. He’d gone back to the Otherworld without her. He was going to try and release Dain alone.
“Damn him.”

Mrs. Bosworth froze. “Beg pardon, dear?”

Tiki jerked her head up and looked at the housekeeper with a guilty expression. “Nothing, Mrs. B., I…”

“What’s wrong?” Fiona’s voice came from the doorway.

“Another early bird.” Mrs. B. shook her head. “You’d think I live with a bunch of farmers.”

Tiki shoved the note into her pocket. “Nothing. Rieker just had to go out of town unexpectedly.” She added some honey to her tea and took a sip, trying to suppress the urge to cough. She sank onto a chair next to the small wooden table, her mind racing. She needed to follow Rieker but should she go to the Palace and get a horse, or should she go straight to the White Tower?

Fiona walked across the room to get a mug. “Are you going to join him?”

Tiki hadn’t forgotten how angry Fiona had been when she’d left for the Otherworld last time, when Larkin had insisted she claim the throne. Fiona hadn’t said she wanted her to stay, but Tiki knew the other girl needed her now, more than ever.

“Only for a few days, Fi, then I’ll be home again.” A congested cough rumbled in Tiki’s chest.

“You sound like you should be in bed,” Mrs. B. said. “I don’t like the sounds of that cough, one bit.”

Fiona was quiet as she poured hot water from the kettle to make tea. She sat down at the table across from Tiki. “Do you need help?”