The Doorway of the Great Hall
A Moment Later
Michael couldn’t tell if the fairies were blindly following their new ruler or if they were up to something, but he braced for another fight. His left arm still tingled, but at least he could move it, thanks to Athena’s balm. He got through the doorway, as did Emily with Beau, Eamon, the two old ladies, and a few of the fairies, who made a hasty departure from the scene. He couldn’t help but look back to see if Jen was coming, too, and then he saw Jen, Maeve, and most of the fairies clumped together in the doorway. “Sophie?” he called softly.
She turned and smiled with a wicked gleam in her odd eyes. “Never take food or drink from strangers, especially strangers you can’t see,” she said. “It looks like you’re stuck in the palace.”
“You’re going to leave us here?” Maeve whined.
“I’m not sure even I could free you. It wasn’t my spell.” Sophie moved forward until she was practically on the threshold, face-to-face with Maeve. “And why should I? You kidnapped my sister—twice. You can expect no help from me. In fact, I think my palace needs staff.” In an instant, all the fairies’ fanciful clothes turned into servants’ uniforms—and not cute French maid stuff, either. They looked like the downstairs staff in the costume dramas Jen used to watch. In spite of the dire situation, Michael almost smiled to himself. If that didn’t lure Jen out of the palace, he wasn’t sure what would. She’d hate being forced to dress that way.
That seemed to be Sophie’s plan. She turned away from Maeve and gestured toward Jen and the other woman, her expression softening. “You two can come with me. You didn’t eat or drink in the palace, so you aren’t bound here. I’m afraid Maeve can’t hold true to her promise to make you a princess. But I could, if you come with me.”
Michael held his breath to see what would happen. He wondered if he should say something or if he should leave it to Sophie. When Jen glanced to him, he couldn’t stop himself from speaking. “Jen, please,” he said, surprised by how badly his voice shook.
For a heartbeat, he thought he’d actually reached her, but then the other human woman hooked her arm around Jen’s, and Jen’s fairy paramour put his arm around her shoulders, shooting Michael a defiant glare. Maeve smiled smugly at Sophie. “It seems your power isn’t absolute,” she purred.
Although Michael was exhausted and sore, and just a few minutes ago he wasn’t sure how he’d make it home from the park, a surge of adrenaline shot through him as his body geared up for a fight. “Why don’t you just let her go?” he shouted at Maeve.
Maeve turned to him, acknowledging his presence for the first time. “I’m not doing anything,” she said, her eyes wide with feigned innocence. “She’s making her own choice.”
Michael would have sprung forward to attack or to grab Jen or to do something, but an arm caught him around the waist and held him back as the giant doors slammed shut.
“You can’t get to her like that,” Sophie said.
She was small, but she was too strong for him to break her grasp. “I’m not leaving her.”
“We’ll have to get to her another way.” With the slightest of smirks, she added, “I know people here, people in very high places. I should be able to get something done.”
But he couldn’t go, not when he was so close. “I’m not leaving her,” he repeated, his voice breaking.
“I’ll figure something out, I promise. Now, let’s get Emily home, okay?” He still couldn’t bring himself to move, and she said gently, “Michael?”
“Don’t you dare enchant me,” he said, turning on her with a snarl.
She didn’t flinch from his anger. “Okay, I won’t, if you’ll be reasonable,” she snapped in response. “Do you want to stand here looking dramatic and tragic, shouting to the heavens, or do you want to accomplish something worthwhile?”
Her appeal to common sense made it past the red haze filling his mind, and he took a few deep breaths before saying, “I guess you’re right.”
“Of course I am.” Keeping one arm around his waist, she gently turned him back to face the others. “And now I desperately need to eat something and sleep for about a week, so let’s get Emily home.” He noticed as he walked with her that she was leaning on him almost as much as he leaned against her, and he slid his good arm around her shoulders to offer support. Whatever it was she’d done back there couldn’t have been easy, and there was all that blood. This hadn’t been easy on any of them.
He felt like he was leaving his heart behind as they moved away from the palace.