Chapter 29
Chapter
Twenty-Nine
Adisturbance at the wards had me making my way outside, wobbling as I adjusted to the kitten heels I wore. I shoved a pair of slippers in my bag in case I changed my mind, or in the event of needing to run.
Either scenario was highly likely when it came to my luck.
Marek, Rowan’s wolf, waved at me. He’d come back yesterday with little fanfare, though the relief on his face when he spotted me hale and hearty had thawed my heart a little.
Next to him stood a man of my similar height with pale skin and swirling green eyes.
Birch, the strange tree man I’d met at my father’s introduction party.
I reached back inside and grabbed my shawl, then headed toward him.
Birch gave me a little bow once I was outside the wards. “Well met, Evie. You look lovely this evening.”
“And you look quite handsome, Birch.” He wore a shiny suit of forest green with a black shirt and green tie. His nut-brown hair was swept away from his face, showing off his strange eyes.
“Thank you, my dear.” He held out his arm. “I am your escort this evening.”
I wrapped my fingers around his elbow and turned to Marek. “I’ll be home around—”
Birch’s eyebrows lifted. “The fae have no concept of time, but if I had to guess, I’d say a few hours.”
“Around eleven, I hope, though there’s no reason to be concerned if I’m a little later.”
Marek nodded, his gaze drifting away from me to rest on Birch. He was young enough to have never met a fae.
“This is Birch, a friend of the Fae King.”
Birch offered Marek a tiny bow of his head. “Well met, wolf.”
“Marek,” I said. “He’s one of Lord Rowan’s.”
“Ah,” Birch said. “I do not personally know your Lord, but he seems like a fair ruler.”
Marek nodded eagerly. “He is, sir.”
Birch smiled with a little too many teeth making Marek blink in surprise.
“Keep an eye on our dear Evie’s house.” He reached into his pocket and handed Marek a small round device.
“If anything happens, you can reach me by speaking my name into this device. It will only work once, so make sure to use it only for an emergency.”
“Th—thank you,” Marek said, tucking the device into his pocket.
“I’m assuming I’ll have no cell service?”
Birch gave me an amused look. “Hold on, dear Evie, and I’ll have you there in a jiffy.”
I tightened my fingers. Seconds later came a disorienting jolt and a sense of strange otherness.
Seconds after that, I stood in a hall of gleaming marble and gold.
“Welcome to The Hall of Fae,” Birch said.
I gawked. “There’s no sports memorabilia,” I murmured.
Birch gave me a strange look. “Sports?”
“Hall of Fame?”
His brow furrowed.
“Never mind,” I said with a sigh. “It’s a human thing.”
“Of course it is,” Birch said.
We were alone, our voices echoing in the massive chamber.
A glowing fountain stood in the middle, sparkling, iridescent water flowing up and over, the sound settling my nerves.
Fae art was displayed on lined pedestals—everything from carved musical instruments, strange stones I’d never seen before, vases and pottery, and other strange and fantastical things.
Portraits lined all three walls, a mix of male and female fae, only two I recognized—Mom and Cernunnos. “What’s the purpose of this place?”
Birch grinned. “Vanity.”
Sounded about right. “Fair enough. Anything I need to know about this council?”
Birch stared at me for a long moment. “Your father didn’t tell you anything?”
“Not much,” I admitted. “He seems to have a laissez-faire attitude about a lot of things.”
“Hmm.” He stepped forward and headed toward the large silver doors at the back of the room. “I’m not of your father’s rank and will not be allowed in the room. Do you know what this is about?”
“A half dozen things come to mind.”
Birch laughed with delighted surprise. “I see your father in you and yet, you are your own unique and mischievous person. Cernunnos got up to his fair share of shenanigans in his youth, but I think you’d give him more than a run for his money.”
“It’s hard to imagine him as a child.”
Birch nodded. “He is an ancient and has long since forgotten many things. It’s difficult for any of us to remember so long ago when fun was the most important thing in our lives.
” We stopped at the door a few minutes later, after I’d gawked suitably at some of the more interesting treasures set up on the pedestals.
He lowered his voice. “Have you done anything illegal?”
I blinked. “Erm. According to whose laws?”
Birch shook his head. “I should have been more specific, but I wasn’t aware I was in the presence of a criminal mastermind,” he said dryly. “The fae have many laws, but only a few bring consequences if they are broken. The rest are flexible.”
“If I did break one, I wouldn’t know. I haven’t killed any fae or anything like that.”
“A good start. Killing one of our kind can bring a death sentence, though some get extremely creative with murder.”
“Good to know.” I think?
“If you’ve committed no crime, then I can only assume you have nothing to worry about. Perhaps they only wish to meet Cernunnos’s whispered-about daughter.”
I grimaced. “I would have preferred to have a barbecue or something rather than travel into the faelands in uncomfortable shoes.”
“Wouldn’t we all.” Birch dropped my arm and stepped back, bowing low with a dramatic flourish. “Best of luck, Evie. The doors will open in just a moment. When you are finished, they will send you home.”
“Wait. You’re leaving already?”
The doors boomed open.
Birch disappeared.
An ancient voice beckoned me inside.
I smelled flowers first, a mix of rose and jasmine, combined with the heady scent of a floral bloom I’d never smelled before. Making a mental note to ask about it before I left, I straightened my shoulders and walked inside.
Flora surrounded me, fat green glossy leaves hanging from the ceiling and climbing up the walls. A riot of blooms entangled in vines wrapped around large marble supports. The floor was made of grey stone, the sound of my heels loud in the silence.
Before me rested five ornate chairs. One made of antler horns, one made of greenery and thorns, another of pure gold, one of silver, and the last pure gleaming crystal.
I was the only one in the room.
“Come closer, child,” the ancient voice said.
I did as they bade, my gaze everywhere all at once as I looked for threats. My magic was calm and lazy inside me, feeling at home in this strange place. I stopped a few feet away from the thrones and waited, my senses seeking out the flower with the irresistible scent.
There. I itched to step closer but didn’t want to seem overly curious.
“You may explore, daughter of Cernunnos,” the voice said.
Had I detected a note of amusement? The voice was deep but female.
I didn’t wait to be told twice. Moving from my spot, I made a beeline toward the crystal chair. A strange double-bloomed flower waved in a phantom air. The color was mixed with vivid purple and burgundy, its glowing filaments bright, electric blue.
Taught at a young age to be wary around unfamiliar plants, I came close enough to examine it but stayed far enough away to avoid any airborne pathogens or pollen.
A shimmer in the air revealed five fae.
I turned. My mother sat in the crystal chair.
Cernunnos took the antler horn seat. A massive red-haired man with two axes strapped to his back took the silver one.
A stunning woman with flowers woven in her pale hair took the greenery chair, and an older woman with long silver hair and proud features took the gold.
I moved away from the flower to retake my original place. Knowing I should do something, but also conscious of my position, I dipped my head and offered them a short bow before rising.
“Welcome, Evangeline,” the silver-haired woman said. “Thank you for attending our summons.”
The invitation literally said attendance was not optional, but I chose not to point that fact out.
Look at me. Maturing already.
I dipped my head again and stayed silent.
Mom’s azure gaze rested on me, but Cernunnos looked past me, at a point over my shoulder.
When no one spoke, I cleared my throat. “May I ask about the unique flower I was looking at before you entered?”
The pale-haired woman smiled. “We simply call it a fae flower. It blooms only when and where it wants to, but seeing such a bloom is a good omen.”
Evie - 1, I guess. “Is there a way to grow it in the human world?”
“I’m afraid not,” she said. “Earth’s atmosphere isn’t quite right for the bloom to flourish, even on fae owned land.”
“Too bad. It’s stunning. Is it poisonous or in any way harmful?”
“No. It’s merely what it appears to be—a rare, stunning bloom.”
“Thank you for the knowledge.”
A small dimple peeked from the woman’s cheek. “I am always happy to share knowledge of flora and fauna. Please call me Aine.”
A goddess. One of summer, I think. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Aine.”
“Likewise.”
“Do you know why you are here?” the huge red-haired man asked.
“No idea,” I said honestly.
“You are Cernunnos’s chosen heir. We wished to see you for ourselves,” the giant boomed.
Again, this could have been a casual barbecue. “Alright,” I acknowledged. “I’m here.”
“We know,” he said. “We can see you.”
“Right.” Maybe the red-haired man had been hit in the head too many times.
Silence fell again and went on for so long, I jerked a thumb over my shoulder and said, “Is that all? Am I free to go?”
“Patience, child,” the silver-haired one said. “We are examining your aura.”
“Oh.” Internally, I was screaming. What could they see inside me and were they secrets I wanted them to know? Suppressing my almost overwhelming urge to squirm, I did my best to wait patiently for their perusal to end.
No one had mentioned the tree, so maybe they hadn’t noticed? If that were the case, and I skated out of here without having to answer for that debacle, I was going straight to the gas station and buying lottery tickets.
My mother’s brow furrowed, just a slight mar on her perfect face. I stilled and tore my eyes away. Was it me or something else?
“Enough,” Cernunnos snapped. “You’ve ogled my daughter enough. There is nothing alarming in her aura or her magic.”
“That is for us to decide,” the silver-haired woman said tartly.
Cernunnos turned those strange ancient eyes to her. “Enough,” he said again. “Evie is not used to our ways. She was not raised in our world.”
The furrow in Mom’s brow grew deeper.
I chanced sending a message to her, something I hadn’t done in so long, I wasn’t sure I remembered how.
Mom?
Evangeline. Something is wrong.
With you?
Faint exasperation came down our bond.
No. But something.
I almost sighed aloud. Entirely unhelpful, but okay.
Cernunnos rose.
A shift of air, three gasps of surprise, and a tug at my arm revealed a flustered Tess. Her hair was in tangles, and her skin was chalk white. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
My mouth dropped open. “Tess,” I breathed. “What in the hell are you—”
“Death,” Tess moaned. “Marked for death.”
I froze. “Me?”
“Evangeline,” my mother snapped. “You must—”
Tess opened her mouth and screamed.