Chapter 21
“We’ll leave first thing in the morning,” Gabriel said. “Providing Michael gives you that letter.”
“I’m sure he will,” Ro said. She ate another grape off the platter of cheese, fruit, and bread that had been brought up. “He seems eager to have his family here.”
“Can’t say I blame him.” Gabriel helped himself to a slice of brown bread, buttered it, then added a slab of cheese. “If I were in his position, I’d feel the same way.”
She nodded. “Agreed. Have you heard anything about how my response to Beatryce was received?”
“Nothing. Malveaux has been quiet. We have no updated information on Anyka, either. For all we know, she might have passed. Although, if that is true, I’m sure we’ll find out soon.”
With a deep sigh, Ro sat back. “I hate not knowing what’s going on. I feel like it would at least partially prepare me for what’s coming.”
“You think they’ll strike back.” He said it as a statement, not a question.
“Don’t you? Especially if Anyka dies?”
“Maybe. But Beatryce is not her mother. She might decide enough is enough and meet you halfway. If anyone was going to come to the table to talk, I’d think it would be Beatryce.
” He held up a finger. “However, she might also be too unsure of herself to do anything. A third possibility is that her uncertainty might cause her to listen too much to her great-uncle.”
“Ishmyel.”
“Yes. I don’t know that he’d want war, exactly, but if he could orchestrate a plan that would remove Beatryce from the throne…” Gabriel shrugged.
Ro blinked before she answered. “That would put the crown on his head.”
“It would indeed. And I’m not sure what kind of ruler he would be.”
She exhaled and tipped her head back. “Maybe I should have offered to send someone to help, just so we could have an idea of what’s going on over there.”
One corner of Gabriel’s mouth lifted. “I am still at your service, your highness.”
“You mean you’d go over…undercover.”
“As it were.” He gave a little nod. “I could.”
“I’ll consider it. But not until this matter with Dove is settled.”
The door to JT’s apartment opened and Mrs. Wigglesworth ran into the room. “I smell cheese.”
Ro pointed at the platter they were sharing. “Our dinner. Go on, help yourself.”
Wiggy grabbed a hunk of something and ran back into JT’s quarters.
Laughing, Ro glanced at the platter. “That’s the end of the cheddar.”
“It’s all right,” Gabriel said. “I had enough to eat.”
Someone knocked on the door. He got up to answer it without being asked. He came back a moment later. “Michael sent word that the letter is ready, but he would like you to read it and tell him if it’s enough.”
“I suppose that means we’re going back down to the sitting room.” She grabbed another cluster of grapes and stood up. “Let’s get it done, then I’m going to bed. I still haven’t caught up on my sleep.”
He accompanied her to the sitting room.
Ro wasn’t surprised to find Star sitting there with Michael. He got to his feet as Ro came in. Star continued sitting, looking unsure, then she rose as well.
Ro spoke to him. “I understand you finished the letter and would like me to look it over.”
Michael nodded. “That’s right, your highness.”
“I read it,” Star offered. “I think it’s perfect. Dove will understand what you’re saying is real when she gets it.”
Ro had already decided she’d be the judge of that.
Michael picked the letter up off the table and held it out to her. She carried it to the same chair she’d been in before and sat down to read.
My dearest Dove,
I know this letter is going to sound impossible. If it helps, I still wake up some mornings thinking I’m dreaming. But this is all real. I’m real. And I’m very much alive.
I have very few memories of what happened after the accident.
I know I was in the hospital, then there was a moment of blinding pain, and then nothing.
The next thing I knew, I woke up in a place called Silverglen, located in the kingdom of Summerton.
All within the fae realm. Yes, actual fae.
I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. And this new life.
It’s a good life, but it would be perfect if you and Mason were in it. Because despite the fact that I’m alive and breathing, I’m missing you and Mason more than I can put into words. Bean, too.
I’ve been working as a carpenter. It’s quiet work. It gives me time to think about you and our son every single day. I miss everything about you, from that tiny freckle above your bellybutton to the way Mason used to mispronounce strawberries. I’m sure by now he can say the letter S, huh?
Please, believe Queen Sparrow when she says that you’re her sister and that Star is her birth mother. Star is here with me, and she’s confirmed that it’s all true.
Queen Sparrow wants to bring you and Mason here so we can be together again. I don’t know how any of this works, but I trust her enough to write this letter at her request. If she’s shown you this, it means she’s telling the truth.
Dove, if there’s even the smallest part of you that can believe this, please come.
Bring our boy. I want to hold you both again.
I want to show Mason the silver stream that runs behind my cottage and watch his face when the fireflies here light up like tiny stars.
I know it sounds crazy. I know it’s a lot to ask.
But I’m here and I so desperately want you both with me.
I love you more than yesterday, today, and all the tomorrows we thought we’d lost.
Forever yours, Michael
Ro took a second before looking up. The letter had touched her. She gave Michael a nod. “That’s perfect.”
“I can write a letter, too, if you want,” Star offered.
“Michael’s should be sufficient,” Ro answered. Star and Michael were seated again. Gabriel had stayed near the door. “Lord Nightborne and I will be traveling to the mortal world in the morning to see Dove and do our best to convince her to come back with us.”
“I could go with you,” Star said.
Ro kept a tenuous grip on her patience. “No, you can’t. I explained that if you passed away in the mortal realm, you cannot return there.”
She shook her head. “That’s not true. I talked to someone who said sometimes it’s possible with special permission.”
Whoever had told Star that was getting fired. “I’m sorry, but that person gave you some bad information.”
Gabriel stepped closer. “Special permission has never been granted in my lifetime.”
Star cut her eyes at him. “And you know about everyone who’s ever gone back to the mortal world, do you?”
Ro cut in before the conversation went any farther. “Lord Nightborne is the head of security. He would know. And the matter is decided.”
Michael hadn’t said a word, but he spoke up now. “What if Dove doesn’t agree to come back with you?”
Ro hadn’t given that much thought. “Ultimately, it is her decision, but I believe she’ll see the value in what the fae realm can offer her and her son.”
Unless that value was diminished by any kind of direct threat to Dove from Malveaux. Ro wouldn’t allow Dove or her son to be used as pawns. If there was the slightest hint that might be a possibility, Ro would bring guards with her and have Dove and Mason personally escorted to Summerton.
Even if it was against their will. They would soon come to understand how much better the fae realm was. And seeing Michael ought to seal the deal.
“Michael, as I said earlier, I would like you to stay here so that you can be present when we return with Dove and Mason.”
He nodded eagerly. “Yes, your highness. I’d like that, too.”
She spoke to Gabriel next. “Send a footman to make sure a guest room near Star’s is ready.”
“Yes, your highness.” He left the room.
She gave Star and Michael her attention again.
“When Dove and Mason return, I am prepared to house all of you in an apartment here in the castle. It will provide you with plenty of space and privacy, while keeping you safe. And if it’s determined that Mason is aetheryn, he will be given the very best training the kingdom can provide. ”
Michael smiled tentatively. “You’ve been very kind. We won’t ever be able to repay you.”
“There’s no need to repay me, but I hope that someday, when the time is right, Mason will be able to serve his kingdom in some capacity.”
Gabriel returned. “The room is ready and there is a footman waiting to escort Michael to it.”
Ro stood. “Thank you.” She nodded at Star and Michael. “Good night. I’ll have word sent as soon as I can to let you know about Dove.”
She walked out with Gabriel and immediately noticed Uldamar in the hall, a few lengths back from the sitting room door. She waited until Michael and Star had left with the footman before approaching him. “Is everything all right?”
He gave her a short bow. “I don’t know, your highness, but Ecclesia and I were dining together when we both felt something. I confess, Ecclesia felt it more strongly than I did.”
“What do you mean?” Ro asked. “Felt what?”
Uldamar sighed. “I wish I could be more specific, but the best we could decide was that it had to be troll magic. It’s so connected to the earth that for those of us who use magic, its use becomes perceptible. Almost like a vibration that travels up into the bones.”
Ro frowned. “I don’t like the sound of that at all. Do you think they’ve unleashed the Mourning Fog again?”
“I’ve seen no sign of that yet, but I did send a message asking the wyvern guards to keep watch for it when they patrol.”
“Excellent idea. Tell me, are the Grym able to detect our magic at work?”
“No,” he assured her. “Just as we cannot detect theirs. But troll magic is a different thing.”
She glanced at Gabriel. “Honestly, I thought the trolls had gone home.”
“I’m sure some stayed with the prince who’s betrothed to Beatryce. It would be standard for him to have some with him as part of his court. And now we know that court includes a stonecaller.”
She looked back at Uldamar. “Any idea what the magic might have been used for?”
Uldamar shook his head. “As to what kind of magic it is, that’s beyond my and Ecclesia’s understanding.”
She didn’t like the idea that something might be afoot, and she had no way of knowing what.
She thought a moment, then spoke to Gabriel.
“Can we send a pair of the wyvern guards out to do a little stealth surveillance? At the very least, they might be able to determine if there are any signs that Malveaux is preparing to move against us.”
His expression looked as grim as she felt. “If Uldamar will escort you back to your quarters, I’ll see to that immediately.”
“I will,” Uldamar said.
Ro took hold of Gabriel’s arm before he could leave. “I want word of anything they find. Regardless of the time.”
There was no point in sleeping if Summerton was about to be attacked.