Chapter Fourteen

 

 

 

Soap

The pinnacles of The Scren Palace towers reflected the sun into our eyes, making us avert them until we passed out of the overbearing glare. Shade had been silent the entire trip back except for small yes and no answers to mine or her entourage’s questions.

Her dark demeanor told me everything I needed to know. Dylan was gone. His absence caused the entire group to feel glum along with the queen. I wondered if Shade realized how much her emotions affected us. Most likely, she was oblivious to it. It was just as well because nothing would cheer her up, not even my untimely and unsavory jokes.

They used to work well, but this time, a piece of her heart was missing. She’d expected Dylan to follow behind and accept the dual marriage, but he’d done something neither of us had expected: he’d refused to return to The Scren with Shade. Divorce had not been requested, but the implications of it were hanging in the air nonetheless, and it tasted bitter to all involved. Especially Shade.

I’d never meant to cause her this kind of pain, though I knew it was possible. There was no magic to cleanse it from her mind or soothe the wound. I’d racked my brain to see what I could come up with, but there was nothing. Dylan had been my enemy, then comrade, and now, enemy once more, from the looks of it. Something told me his internal struggle included accepting me as Shade’s second husband, but the other side of him, the insecure and yet determined side to remain Shade’s true love, had stepped above the other and had churned up a mess no one knew how to resolve. Not even my love, Shade.

“We’re almost home!” I exclaimed. Shade glanced up momentarily at her castle, but the joy of seeing home once more dimmed her eyes even further. My heart wrenched as I watched silent tears form in her eyes as we approached the gates. To Shade, it meant she was here without him, and as always, I might never be enough. Not alone. Not without him there too.

The thought I’d have to accept Dylan even more than he accepted me was inevitable. It was then that I decided I’d help her convince Dylan to return, even if it meant I’d only have her half the time. It was better to have her happy than to never see her smile again.

A voice greeted me the moment we stepped past the castle gates. “Sir, your mother requests your presence.”

I peered at the manservant questioningly. “Already? We’ve just arrived.”

He bowed and retreated, leaving me to my dimmer mood.

“It’ll be good to see my mother again, all settled in her room. I’ll have to check the wards while I’m there. Is there anything you need, Shade?” I wanted to scoop her into my arms and fix all the wrong in our lives, but there were matters pressing on both of us right now. There was no rest for the weary.

She shook her head, never looking my way. “I need to get in contact with Corb or even Ursad. For some reason, I can’t sense Corb. If anyone else has ice blood, it’s Ursad. Even if it’s dormant, it could be of use when we go to The Heart of Fire and Ice. After that, I really need to lie down. These travels are wearing me ragged.”

She rubbed her temple while quietly sliding her hand over her stomach.

“Are you ill?” I asked.

She shook her head. “No. Just tired.”

“Okay, but if you need anything, let me know. Let Camulus fetch his master Ursad. You’ve done enough traveling for one week.”

She gave me a small smile, agreeing to the terms I’d set.

“Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” I hoped her headaches had not worsened. Since her torture in the Unseelie castle, the subsequent attack, and nearly dying at the hands of Aveta and Arthas’s army, she’d suffered from increasing headaches.

“Yeah. I just need to rest. Exhausted.”

“Okay. I’ll see you later.”

She nodded and threw me another weak smile then leaned in for a kiss. I let my lips linger on hers. It felt like pure bliss and made my head swim, a feeling I was craving even more now that I had her back. The smile on my face couldn’t get much wider without ripping my cheeks, but she could feel my elation, and it brightened her mood enough that she whispered a “thank you” before slipping away.

My heart pounded as the warmth of her body faded with the increasing distance between us. There would never be a time I didn’t crave her, and nothing would ever get between us again.

I paused, watching her as she led away her strange horse, and I wondered why she even kept it. It was downright demonic and had belonged to the long-deceased Aveta, the former queen of the Unseelie Realm. I’d long wondered how much of Aveta’s power she’d absorbed when the queen had given her command of the realm. It was enough that the kelpie, the demonic water horse, followed her everywhere, even back to The Scren Palace in the Seelie Realm. It kept its dark form and wouldn’t let anyone ride it except for Shade.

Now Shade loved the darn thing. It was gruesome looking with its dark mane, partially scaled body, and reddened eyes. She’d ridden one before when Corb had taken her prisoner for Aveta, but she hadn’t ridden this one until Aveta died and it had followed her home, like a stray. Mary had a little lamb—err, demonic kelpie horse. A shudder ran along my spine.

I turned away as a stable hand took the reins of Shade’s kelpie and she entered the palace. I could distantly hear her voice as she directed the servants to prepare dinner. These commands were interrupted by words of congratulations from her court. At least some people thought it was a joyous occasion, which lightened my mood as I made my way around to another entrance; I didn’t want to get caught up in the commotion in the main hall. Once inside, I headed toward the makeshift prison cell where my mother, Iana, was being held captive.

It wasn’t exactly a prison. It was an enchanted suite of rooms in the east wing which were now given over to her use with the understanding that she was to be restrained via charms set by witches who worked for the Scren royalty. They’d helped us before, after the Faerie war against Aveta and Arthas, to repair the broken wards and boundaries of Faerie. Now they held Iana captive inside her suite.

I doubted Shade would ever trust my mother. I barely did. Though we were getting to know each other after so many years, the woman was more a stranger to me than a mother. I hoped our relationship would change sooner or later, but I wasn’t holding my breath.

My mother could be a handful, and she’d been conscious a bit over a week. Her magic was special, different from other fey, and it had taken several witches, an oracle, and Shade’s magic to raise the barrier which her within her chambers and contained her magic. Her magic had run wild for far too long and had increased so much from living in a vortex of power atop the Teleen Caverns. She’d grown into somewhat of an abomination of magic.

I didn’t care. It gave me the opportunity to keep her safe, near me, where I could tend to her needs and learn more about her. We’d spent a lifetime apart, and I wasn’t going to waste any more time without either her or Shade.