Chapter 10 #2
"It's probably because you've been scooped up into the Wild Oak Woods world of weirdness with absolutely no explanation for how you got here." Wren grins, her little acorn earrings bobbing as she nods.
"Don't make it worse," Piper tells her, rolling her eyes.
"Listen, it's going to be all right. I know it doesn't feel like it right now, but we're witches too.
You don't have to hide, we're your coven now.
And you're going to be perfectly, perfectly safe with us, do you understand?
If you don't want to be with Malakai, or whatever it was that shadow person's name was—"
"It's Malakai," I tell them, rubbing at my eyes like it will make them stop leaking.
"—then you don't have to be.” Piper hands me a handkerchief.
“We'll make sure that you don't leave the Wild Oak Woods with him if that's what it comes to," Wren agrees, ushering me to sit down.
The table they've put me at is not the grand dining table of Shadow Keep or whatever Malakai's strange, sentient home is called.
Rich red and yellow rugs blanket the floor, warm wooden tables scattered all over, candelabras filled with flickering light, and what appear to be lit sconces along the far walls.
If it's my castle too, then I'll have to rename it, I think to myself, the thought surprising me.
Both women study me with worried eyes. Wren's lips are pursed, and I can tell that she's already planning something to help get me free of Malakai's clutches at one word from me.
The mere thought, however, takes me aback. There's something completely wrong about the idea of leaving Malakai's side that everything inside me was repulsed by it. Which makes absolutely no sense.
"I—I think I'm supposed to stay with him," I say slowly. "Right?"
"But you don't have to, you know that, don’t you?" Wren tells me, looking between me and Piper for support.
"Absolutely," Piper says. "We won't let him take you anywhere. Why don't you eat something?" Piper says, pointing to the platter. "This is what was left of all the food from the festival."
"I ruined the festival," I say, my voice shaking for some reason. This seems like the appropriate time to start crying again, because I certainly didn't mean to ruin their day.
"You didn't ruin the festival," Wren says with a laugh, tipping her head back. "You know, I like her," she tells Piper, as if I'm not standing there—sitting there blubbering in front of them as I tear into one of the many delicious-looking sandwiches and treats they've offered me.
"And I'm not a witch," I say, finally landing on that as a reason all of this is ridiculous.
"You don't have to lie to us," Wren says easily. "You're safe here."
"But I'm really not a witch," I insist, some of that shakiness finally leaving my voice. This, at least, I am sure about.
"Oh, really?" Wren brushes a finger across an acorn earring, sending strange sparks dazzling through the air.
Piper smacks her on the arm, motioning at her to be quiet.
"What? You think that it's better to just lie to her about this?" Wren gives her a half-smile, then pins me with a long look.
"But I'm really not a—"
"So you've never had anything," Wren interrupts, "strange happen around you that you can't explain?"
Caelan starts to walk through the door, aimed like an arrow at the platter of food.
Wren gives him a dirty look and shoos him away. "No men allowed. Witches only," she says. "Keep that shadow… person busy."
She turns her attention back to me, and I laugh a little bit around the food in my mouth, definitely feeling at home with Wren's protective bossiness and Piper's gentle touch on my arm as she continues to hand me food.
It heals something in me I didn’t know was hurting.
I swallow hard, trying to get a grip on my emotions.
"Well," I drag out the word, "some strange things have happened, but how do we know for sure that it was because of me?
" I ask them both, finally looking up from the platter.
They're blurry, and I blink the tears from my eyes then brush them away with the back of my hand, refusing to acknowledge the fact that I've shed them.
"OK, here's what we know," Wren says.
"Don't you think we should let her eat?" Piper interrupts.
"No. Well, yes, you can eat while I talk to you, how about that?" Wren narrows her eyes at me.
Piper rolls her eyes and blows out a breath, then laughs a little bit when I nod.
A red fox slinks into the room, then pads over to the fire, stretching out before curling up into a fluffy circle.
"That's just my familiar," Wren tells me in a worried voice. “He won’t bother you.”
"Mine's here too.” Piper refills my cup. “She doesn’t like commotion though, I think she’s out back eating grass.”
“Piper’s familiar is a doe,” Wren explains.
"That's the thing; I don't have a familiar.” I spread my hands wide.
A great black bird flies out from the high ceiling and lands in front of me.
"She's in denial," Ter says.
"See? You even have a talking familiar," Piper tells me heartily, as if this is excellent news.
"All right, enough coddling. She needs the cold, hard truth,” Ter snaps.
I sniffle, nodding, feeling foolish—but absolutely wanting the cold, hard truth, as the raven put it.
"She needs to know what's going on," Wren agrees.
"Please. Please tell me what's going on.” I rub small circles on my temple.
Wren blows out a long breath then looks to Piper for help. Piper, however, just piles more food on my plate.
"Well, the truth is, we don't really know what's going on other than there's some kind of problem." Piper exhales, pinching the bridge of her nose.
I get the feeling that this is not how they planned to have this conversation.
"The problem is, my dears," Hash says, merrily materializing on the chair across from me, "is that we are in the midst of an eons-long power struggle between the Seelie Courts and the Unseelie Courts. And while that’s nothing new, what plagues us now is that they have decided to make this the Wild Oak Woods issue, because the Wild Oak Woods has long been the barrier and anchor of reality here on this plane that helps to keep the Fae influence out. "
"Oooh." Piper puts her chin on hands, sagging a little into the table.
I take another bite, munching. They're not doing much to restore my confidence.
"We said no men allowed," Wren finally tells Hash, an eyebrow arched.
The huge yellow dog bounds in, tongue hanging from its mouth, gazing adoringly up at Hash and boofing in greeting.
"That's a good boy, Boner," Hash tells the dog, ignoring Wren completely. He takes a sandwich and pops it in his mouth. "Well, I'm not a man, am I? I'm one of the Seelie Fae, how about that, Miss Tiersen?"
Wren gives me a look that's fully exasperated, and I choke on a laugh as I swallow down some of the flaky pastry of the meat pie I'm eating.
"That's not the letter of the law.” Wren wags a finger at him.
"That's the thing about dealing with the Fae, ladies.
" Hash grins. "We're not so concerned about the spirit of the law nor the letter, which is why..." Hash pauses to give me a long look. “Well, it’s why we’re all in trouble. Because Fae tend not to care about the spirit of any laws that they haven’t personally brokered.”
He pauses to take a bite, and the fox at the hearth stares at the huge dog, who’s sniffing its fluffy tail.
"Three of the witches in your coven have been taken by these Elder Gods; the crossed bloodline is an old agreement between your coven and the magic here."
"Three?" The word vomits out of me. “Two more?” It's not my coven, but I don't feel the need to tack that on when clearly Piper and Wren are extremely upset about this turn of events. "I'm so sorry," I tell them.
Both women turn and regard me with strange expressions.
"Why are you apologizing?" Wren asks, her forehead creased with befuddlement.
"You're one of the three," Piper adds. I put my hand over my teacup before she can fill it up again.
"Well, yes,” I start,” but you don't know me, and you do know your friends, and—"
"You're part of our coven now," Wren interrupts. "You may not understand exactly what it means to be a witch yet, or even accept that you are one," she says, waving a hand as I try to tell her once again that I'm no witch.
"You were the first," Piper says slowly, running a hand through her dark brown hair. "The first one taken, though you volunteered. There will be two more after you."
An orc ambles in, and even though I've never seen one up close, I am one hundred percent sure that's what the green-skinned, huge man must be.
Sitting down, he puts an arm around Piper's shoulders, holding her close.
I stare until I remember my manners and shove some more food in my mouth to give myself something to do.
"Good grief," Wren mutters, looking at me. "I should have been more precise."
"Orcs aren't men either," the green-skinned male says, grinning at me around two huge tusks. "I'm Ga’Rek. Piper's mate. I'm pleased to meet you." He gives me a courteous dip of the chin and I manage a small smile.
“I’m Aveline.”
“She’s the Witch of Day,” Ter practically yells. “Queen of Shadow Keep.”
“I already like you better than the Queen of the Underhill.” Ga’Rek squeezes Piper’s shoulder, pressing a kiss on the top of her head.
“You know the Unseelie Queen?” Now that… that is news.
“Knew. She kicked the three of us out after Caelan and Kieran… well, they upset her. Can’t say I’m too sorry about it.”
I don’t know what to say to that, so I drain the rest of my tea.
Piper promptly refills it.
"You see, Wren?" a quiet voice sounds from the doorway. "There's no reason to exclude us, as none of us are truly men."
The purple-skinned Fae from before… Caelan, I think he said his name was, settles down across from me, placing a hand on Wren’s thigh. She gazes at him adoringly.
It’s clear to see they care about each other deeply, and I can’t remember a time when I saw anyone look at each other like that.