I woke twice on the way home. Once when Aethan climbed down from the saddle with me still cradled in his arms. I stayed awake long enough for him to lay us both down and wrap one arm and a blanket over me.
The second time was when he picked me up and climbed back into the saddle. I knew I should stay awake. But I was exhausted and despondent and I didn’t want to be awake in the world as it was right then.
Orion was dead and Santanas was back.
Days don’t get any worse than that.
‘Izzy. Oh no Izzy.’ Grams’ voice woke me.
I lifted my head to find we had arrived back at the castle. ‘I’m fine,’ I said, but my voice was garbled with exhaustion.
‘She lost a lot of blood.’ Aethan held my hands as I slid from the saddle. Grams wrapped me into a hug as soon as my feet were on the ground.
‘I’m fine Grams.’ I kissed her cheek and looked around at the chaos unfolding.
‘Orion.’ I winced as I heard Queen Eloise’s voice. ‘Where is Orion?’
Isla grasped her mother’s hands and pulled her into her arms. I saw her whispering in Eloise’s ear as tears streaked down her face.
‘Noooooo.’ Eloise’s scream made the hair on my arms stand up. ‘Nooooo.’ She pushed Isla away. ‘I don’t believe you.’ She raised her hand and slapped her daughter across the face.
Isla lifted a hand to her cheek as she stared at her mother.
‘You,’ Eloise hissed. ‘You treacherous slut.’ Her eyes blazed and spit flew from her lips. ‘Did you plan this? Did you?’ She pounced on Isla, clawing at her with her nails.
‘Mother.’ Aethan grabbed her arms and pulled her off Isla. ‘It’s not her fault.’
Bloody streaks marred Isla’s cheeks.
Eloise turned towards Aethan. As she threw herself into his arms her howls were that of a wounded animal.
Isla pressed her hands to her face as fresh sobs took her. She resisted me for a second as I wrapped my arms around her, but then she sank into my embrace.
I had been kidding myself if I’d thought I hated Eloise before. Now though, feeling Isla’s heart breaking as she shuddered against me, now I knew what real hate was.
Eloise let out another scream and flapped her hands at Aethan. ‘What is it?’ she screeched.
Mia arched her back and hissed, revealing shiny teeth.
‘Kill it.’ Eloise pointed. ‘Kill it now.’
‘Mia is a hero.’ Aethan scooped her off his neck and held his arm out to me.
I scooted forward and Mia jumped into my arms, scampered up to my neck and hissed at Eloise again.
‘You.’ Eloise’s eyes bulged. ‘You… you….’ Her face turned first red and then purple as she shook her arm at me.
‘Isla, Izzy,’ Rako said. ‘You two get out of here. Izzy, take Isla home with you.’
I nodded as I backed away from the Queen. She seemed to be having some sort of fit.
‘How did you get here?’ I asked Grams.
‘Your car is parked around the side.’
‘Come on,’ I said, grabbing Isla’s arm.
She stumbled along beside me, the fight gone from her. In the space of a few days she had lost her lover and her brother. Now it looked like she had lost her mother too.
We reached my car and I helped Isla into the back. Her eyes stared at nothing as Scruffy pressed up against her leg. Lionel climbed into the front passenger seat and Grams started the engine. She backed up and drove past the front of the castle.
Ebony stood on the stairs. One hand was pressed to her mouth and the other to her stomach as King Arwyn spoke to her.
A group of faeries stood at the end of the drive. As we slowed and then stopped, two of them started to open the veil.
‘Service with a smile,’ I said.
Isla blinked her eyes a couple of times and looked out of the window.
‘Poor Ebony.’ I actually felt sorry for her; coming all this way just to have Orion killed before they were married.
‘They’re getting ready to close the veil,’ Isla said.
‘Close it?’
‘It will be sealed during the official mourning period for Orion. For thirty days.’ She pivoted and looked at the castle through the back window.
The veil was open in front of us and Grams put her foot on the accelerator.
‘Wait,’ Isla said. ‘We have to stay.’
‘We can’t,’ I said. ‘Your Mum, she doesn’t mean it. But she’s a little crazy at the moment and you and I make it worse.’
‘You don’t understand.’ Even in her grief her brain worked better than mine. ‘Ebony came to marry the heir to the faery throne. Not Orion.’
As we drove through the veil I spun in my seat to stare out the back. Aethan was standing on the front stairs of the castle and Arwyn was placing Ebony’s hand in his.
‘Stop,’ I screeched, but it was too late.
The edges of the veil started to flutter back together. The last thing I saw before the veil was sealed, was Ebony rise on her tiptoes to press a kiss to Aethan’s lips.
************* THE END **************