25
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When I crossed the threshold of the throne room minutes later, Killian having entered a few minutes prior to me, I was expecting utter rage to be painted across Raegan’s face.
Instead, the Prince who sat at the head of the table had only a knowing smirk on his face as his eyes narrowed at me. It was a good thing so much royalty sat within those four walls, because I felt the need to swing a lengthy stretch of curses his way.
As I started my slow creep towards the table, I noticed the faces.
King Ronan of Choilltean, who sat on the opposite head of the table still looking far too furious at Raegan to even notice me.
Adjacent to King Ronan and looking as elegant as ever was Queen Tonn of Uisge, a male pixie on one arm and her son sat across from her.
Trying my best to remain small and insignificant, I made to walk right past them until Tadgh reached out and grabbed onto the bend of my elbow.
“This is her, Mother,” he said, his eyes whipping from my face to the Queen of Uisge.
Tears lined the Queen’s eyes as she jumped up from her seat, unwrapping her hand from the pixie at her side and walking around the bend of the table until she was standing before me.
My whole body tensed, growing even more rigid when the Queen of Uisge grabbed onto my hand and dropped down to both knees, pressing her lips to my knuckles. Everyone around us gasped as they watched the strange scene, but I couldn’t seem to breathe as I watched her down the length of my nose.
“My dear,” she breathed, her voice moist over my skin. “Thank you does not begin to describe my utmost gratitude.”
“Er,” I groaned out, my knees already starting to wobble from the task of remaining upright. “That’s okay, really.”
Please stand up. Not a single pixie in the room wasn’t looking at us — King Ronan, Killian, Raegan, Niamh, and Shea, even the King of Speur had one brow raised from where he sat a few chairs down from Raegan.
“You saved my son's life. How can I ever repay you?” she muttered, tears beginning to stream down her face.
I caught the back end of Raegan leaning back against his chair, folding his arms over his chest and looking far too pleased with my embarrassment.
“You owe me nothing. Please, please just rise.” I tried not to sound too bothered by her outward display of gratitude.
She nodded as she sniffled, Tadgh having risen from his seat to help his mother to her feet. They both looked at me as if I was the sun before offering me a curt tip of their chin and returning to their places.
Feeling even more wobbly, I pushed my feet to continue moving until I found the first empty spot. Dropping into it, I almost missed that Niamh was on my side, Shea was across from me, and an unknown pixie was to my right.
The moment I found reprieve in the simplicity of a wooden back of my chair, Niamh took my hand in hers and giggled.
“What’s so funny?”
In her best attempt at being covert, she pointed down the length of the table to Tadgh.
“Looks like you’ve caught the attention of another prince of Saoghal.
” Niamh thought her own statement was so funny she couldn’t help but to laugh.
She was right, though, Tadgh was staring at me with a roguish smile on his face before he turned away upon my noticing it.
Another Prince – that sounded a little farfetched.
So I pivoted my attention to Raegan, who was doing me no favours by proving Niamh’s point – staring at me only to blink away the moment I caught him.
Which should have been a blessing, but that was when he caught Tadgh staring at me.
I no longer wondered what Killian had warned me about — if looks could have killed, Tadgh would have been dead.
I swallowed those thoughts, instead searching the eyes amongst me to find Killian. He was sitting at Raegan’s side, where I imagined he would always be, and shot me a hearty wink as our little plan managed to successfully land me in this meeting.
The meeting kicked off when Raegan, who was growing more impatient with every second that ticked by, rose from his chair and cleared his throat.
“I would first like to say thank you all; King Ronan, Queen Tonn and her King Corail, and King Nevan, for being here. We do have a last minute guest.” Raegan motioned to the throne-room doors, which opened upon his small gesture.
Leading them all, chin held high and shoulders square — yet shaking — was Diarmuid. Following him, quietly and with a wish to remain that way, was a young pixie who I assumed to be his consort, and Rory.
I nearly leapt from my seat with joy at seeing a familiar face, but I pinched my lips together and simply blinked at Rory, hoping he could see the excitement in my face. He tipped his chin ever so slightly as he passed, taking a seat with Diarmuid and the others at the far end of the table.
“Please, all, welcome the Regent King, Diarmuid.”
The silence in the room was palpable as eyes swivelled between Ronan and Diarmuid.
Raegan cleared his throat again, snapping the tension into a thousand shards as pixies found the ability to breathe once more.
“I have gathered you all here to speak about the growing threat of the Rachainn.”
Mutters erupted around the table, sparked off initially by King Ronan who scoffed and rolled his eyes, followed up by King Nevan and his wings that grew rigid at the mention.
The only people who didn’t look so shocked by the declaration were those that had seen or reaped the consequences of the Rachainn. Queen Tonn and Tadgh, myself, Niamh, Shea, Raegan, and even Diarmuid who set a strong angle to his jaw as he frowned at them all.
“Son, this is absurd–”
“You will let the boy speak, King Ronan,” Queen Tonn hissed like a snake, some of the tendrils of seaweed twitching as she made abrupt movements. “My people were not slaughtered within my own territory just so that I could sit here and hear you make out like it was imagined!”
I started to chew on the inside of my cheek.
“We know of the reach of the Rachainn all too well,” Diarmuid began, his voice growing with every word. “They struck our kingdom not a week ago, taking it upon themselves to raid our dragon den.”
King Ronan shot upright, his fisted hands slamming the table. “It is not your dragon den, amadan.”
“Amadan?” I whispered to Niamh.
“A fool,” she whispered back.
Both of my eyebrows rose just as Diarmuid began a slow climb to his feet. “They choose our kingdom to nest in. As such they are our responsibility. And we failed them.”
King Ronan tutted as if only such results could be obtained by the people of Cluaineach.
Raegan was losing the world to live in the corner of my vision, his jaw feathering, one hand pressed to his brows.
Queen Tonn made a low snarl that I imagined was capable of taming sharks. Once she had earned everyone's attention, she softened her face and looked at Raegan. “What is it that you would have us discuss, young Prince?”
Raegan looked more like a young foal amongst stallions than he ever had as he tried to clear his throat again. “We’ve sat back and let them have their fun for too long. It is time for us to rally, as one people once more, and take the fight to the Rachainn.”
Unfortunately for Raegan, not a single pixie save for those closest to him held back a bitter laugh at his declaration. Pinching my face tight, I frowned at the monarchs around the table who would laugh with such ease at a reasonable suggestion.
I was so angry, actually, that I slammed my own hands down on the table and leapt to my feet before I had any idea what I was doing. Niamh tugged at my shirt sleeve just as everyone looked to me, a mix of disgust and confusion in their eyes.
“You all laugh,” I groaned, trying my best to even out my hoarse voice, “—at a reasonable suggestion from the one person here who was brave enough to make it!”
King Ronan, far from the kind King that had welcomed me a week prior, scowled at me. “You have no right to speak in such a way to us. You have no right to even be in this meeting. What would you–”
I probably shouldn’t have cut off the King of Choilltean, but I did.
“I have no right?” I tipped my head and cackled, starting to wonder what exactly was in the medication the healers had been given me as strength renewed in my soul.
“I was there, Your Majesty. I watched as the Rachainn rained terror down on the streets of Choilltean.
I witnessed as they dropped down from the sky and made an attempt on the Prince's life. I saw the wounds that they were capable of inflicting on dragons. And as if that is not enough, I saw the havoc they wreaked on Uisge. I counted the bodies with my own eyes. I listened to the whispers of the dying. I watched light leave innocent eyes. So forgive me if I believe that perhaps, of everyone in this damn room, I have the most right to speak of the Rachainn.”
Whatever had fueled me to have such an outburst died out, leaving my body limp as I slumped back down in my seat. Adrenaline rushed over me as I dared a look around the table, seeing the shock on Killian’s face followed by the awe on Raegan’s.
King Ronan said nothing.
Queen Tonn did, though. “She speaks the truth. It is only because of the human that any of my people survived the attack, my own son included.”
I sort of wished she hadn’t said anything, because the shock and disgust on each of their faces shifted into admiration in the blink of an eye, forcing me to look away and down at my hands.
King Nevan lifted a hand to Raegan. “Continue, Prince.”
Raegan dipped his chin momentarily before strengthening his jaw. “We gather a host, a host from every kingdom, and we end this fight once and for all.”
“Forgive me, Prince Raegan, but how? They are scattered amongst the humans, tucked away into the lands and as difficult to locate as seeds of a dandelion,” Diarmuid said.
“Shea, Killian?” Raegan lifted a brow to two of his ceadan, who nodded and rose to their feet without a word. They strode out of the room, returning only moments later with a body between them.
A pixie, wings cut to nubs and ears burned off of their skull.
A Rachainn, in the flesh, in brambled chains between Killian and Shea.
“I think you’ll find, Regent King, that the Rachainn have found themselves a kingdom of their own to rule,” Raegan said as he dropped back down into his seat, petty amusement in his eyes as he watched the monarchs gawk at the Rachainn before us all.