Chapter 9
KAS
Now that our banishment has been lifted and our titles reinstated, first as princes, now as kings of the Neverland fae court, Bash and I visit the palace often to conduct our duties and to repair our reputations.
We’ve tried to do it all respectfully, chatting with small circles in the courtyard, or visiting the scribes in the library, or the cooks in the kitchen, sampling their foods and complimenting their talents.
Our relationship to our royal lineage has always been fraught with conflict, uncertainty, and frustration, but we take our role as their rulers seriously.
So when we step into the fae palace, I’m almost relieved to feel the warmth of the surrounding fae.
They bow to us, as is customary, before calling out hello or waving a greeting.
I had half expected that Doren had poisoned the entire court against us, even though it’s only been a few days since we last visited.
Though I’m sure it doesn’t hurt that we have Peter Pan, the star god, with us.
Half the fae court is in love with him, even more now that he’s been revealed as a divine entity from the glittering sky.
The stars, the constellations, the movement of the planets, all of it has always been extremely important to us and our culture.
So while our family has either snubbed Pan or outright fought him most of my life, all of that was quickly shoved aside for the much greater opportunity of existing in his orbit.
Pan, for his part, continues to remain distant and aloof behind us, letting us hold the show as best we can next to his godliness.
While most of the fae court considers themselves day creatures, a good portion prefers the night, so the palace is always full of energy and laughter. It was one of my favorite things about growing up there. Bash and I could always get up to some trouble, no matter the time of day.
Down the hall, there’s a shuffle of movement and an approaching flurry of noise. I spot Lanez at the head of a group of four fae fast approaching us.
Lanez is now Chancellor of the Court and has been indispensable as she’s reoriented us in the life we were banished from.
“Your Majesties!” she calls. “So good to see you.” She hurries forward in a rainbow cloud of billowing fabric.
Her pink hair is braided into several small braids, then woven in and around one another at the crown of her head.
She has the pointed ears of her line and the smaller, more rounded wings of her maternal family.
Despite the late hour, she looks put together, even though I’m absolutely sure she only had a handful of minutes to prepare. If she was roused from bed to greet us, I admire her ability to do it well, and quickly.
Breathing heavily, she says, “I wasn’t expecting you.”
Her assistants come to stand behind her, their arms clasped behind their backs, awaiting orders.
“Lanez! You gorgeous burst of sunshine.” Bash bends down and kisses her cheek, and Lanez blushes. “So happy to see you. Apologies for our late visit. We were wondering if we could speak to Doren.”
“Oh.” A flicker of emotion pinches around her eyes. She hasn’t ever come right out and said it, but I have a secret suspicion she does not like Doren. It makes me like her even more.
“I’m sure that can be arranged.” She flicks a finger at the man over her left shoulder and he nods, scurries away. “Doren has been here all night overseeing a renovation project in the oracle deck. Come.”
Bash and I look at one another. Being in the palace all night doesn’t automatically absolve Doren of guilt, but it doesn’t help us.
Lanez leads us through the halls of the palace. The oracle deck is in the west wing between the library and the Night Archive. It’s a place for the fae with gifts of sight, intuition, or fortune casting to do their work.
“I didn’t realize the oracle deck needed renovating,” I say.
“Oh yes. Well, need is subjective, I suppose? You may remember that Doren’s mother was the previous Oracle High Priestess, so the place has real significance to him.
We’ve replaced some of the cracked plaster and molding, and polished the stone floor.
They’re painting now. Final touches! So you’ve checked in at the right time. ”
“Doren does know we’re building a new palace, yes?” Bash says.
Lanez laughs. “Of course! Of course. Have you decided what will become of this palace?”
“An academy,” Bash says.
“Oh. Oh! Well. Lovely.”
It’s hard to distinguish whether or not Lanez actually thinks this is lovely.
Bash and I have discussed this at length. The fae are our people, but we’re not splitting from Pan and Vane and making Darling rotate her time with us like a fucking child of divorce.
We all stay together. That’s the rule.
But I know it will cause some frustration within the fae. We are asking them to leave the home they’ve known their entire lives. Hopefully, in the end, bringing us all together under one roof, in the new palace we’re constructing on the south end of the island, will be for the greater good.
Transitioning the former fae palace into an academy was an idea we all agreed on.
It makes the most sense. We can welcome people from all of the seven islands within the Seven Isle Chain, and give us the opportunity to officially train the fae soldiers without the constant distraction of court life.
It does, of course, make me wonder if part of Doren’s objection to all of this includes moving the court to the new palace and blending the fae with the Lost Boys.
He’ll have to come around if he wants to remain within the court. And if he doesn’t, we’ll drive him from the island. I’ll make sure of it.
We turn into the Oracle Deck and find Doren directing a few fae who are flying two stories up near the domed ceiling of the deck, paintbrushes in hand. “We need a second coat here,” he’s saying.
“Doren,” Lanez calls. “The kings have arrived to see you.”
There are a dozen or so fae working in the Deck and upon seeing us or hearing Lanez’s announcement, drop everything they’re doing to turn to us and bow.
Doren though, walks forward, straight as an axe, and barely bows his head. “Your Majesties. It’s rather late for you, isn’t it?” He glances at Pan. “I wouldn’t want to risk your star god seeing the light.”
“I can taste sunlight,” Pan says, scanning the Deck, checking who is in attendance. “And the dark. I’m not worried.”
“Of course. What can I do for you?” Doren asks.
He’s looking at me and Bash, hands clasped in front of him, docile and open. But the way he asks this, with no hint of curiosity, sends the hair along my neck upright.
He knows why we are here.
If only I could prove he was part of whatever this thing is with Merry.
“We’ve just received a report that is troubling us,” I say. “One of ours has gone missing.”
“Oh terrible.” Doren makes a show of furrowing his brow. “What can I do to help?”
“We just wondered —”
My brother cuts me off. “No. Fuck this. Did you take her, Doren?”
“Who?”
“Merry Darling.” Pan is now looking directly at Doren, and Doren is trying his damndest not to fidget.
“Is that…a relation to your Darling?” He looks at me, because I’m notoriously the safe one, the bleeding heart, as Pan always says. I am the nicest out of the four of us, yes, but even my claws can draw blood. He would do well to remember that.
“Merry Darling is Winnie Darling’s mother.”
“Oh. Right.” Doren shakes his head. “I can assure you, I did not take her. That would be woefully beneath me and a personal affront to you, Your Majesties.”
I narrow my eyes at him, trying to dig deeper, because what I hear in his answer is the truth.
And yet I still get the impression he’s hiding something.
“I’m sorry I can’t be of more help.” He gestures at the painting going on behind him. “Now if you’ll excuse me, we have a project to finish up. We wanted to wrap the painting by dawn.”
“Of course,” I say.
“If you think of anything,” Bash adds, trailing off, waiting for Doren to fill in the blanks.
“I’m sure I won’t,” Doren answers and then he’s leaving us, back to directing his workers.
“We all thinking what I’m thinking?” Bash whispers.
“Yes.” Pan scans the Deck again. “But I don’t think Merry is here.”
“I don’t think so either,” Bash says, glancing over his shoulder to check Doren one more time. “You know what that means, yeah?”
Pan nods. “We’re going to the mortal realm. All of us.”