Chapter Sixteen

 

 

Benton

I stared at the ceiling in my room at The Scren Palace, feeling the ache of the trip back from the Pyren swim across my bones. Isolde was already tucked into bed asleep, worn out as I was. But she didn’t have insomnia. I did.

Dammit if my mind didn’t run away from me when I wanted to rest. Instead of disturbing Isolde with my tossing and turning and groaning with frustration, I decided to get up for a midnight walk through the palace. It wasn’t like I was there too often, and sometimes it was nice to see the palace grounds when everyone was asleep and silence reigned.

I made my way through the halls and out into the gardens tended to perfection and filled with an array of blooms, plants, and herbs. It was a good place to resupply my own stash of magical plants.

The night sky was darker than usual, with a sliver of moon left before the new moon. I stared up at the twinkling stars that were never as bright in the city back home. Regardless, I still preferred it on the human side where the bustling technology made life a whole lot easier, but in a different way. Here, life was simpler, yes, but the danger was all too real. I preferred to deal with the grit of the city than the treachery of faeries.

Unfortunately, my sister Shade was part faery, so there I was, ever the loyal brother. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

The silent twilight breezes brushed my long, overgrown hair up over my shoulders. Some of it whipped down into my face, and I closed my eyes to keep them from being stung. It felt amazing, just warm enough to relax my thoughts but cool enough to keep me from feeling stifled.

“You’re far from home, elemental.”

I snapped my eyes open and stared at an apparition. I blinked, and my fury raged through my innards until I felt like I was going to burst. “Evangeline.”

“It’s nice to see you too, nephew.”

“I’m not your nephew anymore. You locked me up in the stupid Withering Palace when I had a mission to complete. How dare you?”

“I apologize. Truly. I had to.”

“That wasn’t your problem.”

“Yes, it was. I was going to help you, but you don’t need help now, do you? Just like Jade—stubborn to the marrow.”

I saw red.

“How dare you speak of my mother? You were just as responsible for her death as any Unseelie soldier. You weren’t there with her, were you? You failed her.”

My last words bit into Evangeline, and I watched her flinch as her confidence crumbled. Her jaw set as she tried to blink away tears, but it was useless, for they escaped and streamed down her cheeks. I felt a pang. She was also part human, and nothing about holding back sobs was easy.

I almost regretted what I’d said. Almost. The trust was that as bad as she might feel, she had to accept the consequences of her actions.

“You’re right,” she whispered.

I perked up, surprised. “What?”

“I failed your mother. I live with it every day. I will never be able to atone for that. Her death is on my hands, yes, I wasn’t there when she needed me. I’m sorry, Benton. I truly am. I’ll spend the rest of my life making up for it, even though I know I can’t.”

“Damn straight!” I crossed my arms, but watching my aunt’s tough exterior disintegrate before my eyes wasn’t as awesome as I’d thought it’d be. I avoided looking at her as she wiped her eyes and stared back at me.

Creepy. I could see why she’d been an excellent second lieutenant to Queen Aveta when the woman was alive. She had a way with her ghastly dark eyes that drilled into your soul and latched on with talons. I shuddered under her glare.

“What are you doing out here, Benton? Don’t humans rest at this hour?”

Was she out of her mind? Had it been that long since she’d understood what “human” meant?

“I’m not tired.”

“Neither am I.”

“You’re part human. Why aren’t you in bed?”

“I’ve been in Faerie far too long. Ironside is not comfortable to me anymore.”

“Ironside?”

“That is what the Unseelie call the human realm, where the cities are filled with noxious fumes and the unbearable iron is woven throughout everything.”

I lifted an eyebrow. “You’re vulnerable to iron?”

“Like your sister, I’ve always been more fey than human. She’s fortunate to have none of my weaknesses.”

“I’ll say.”

Evangeline scowled while wiping the last of her tears away. “Speaking of Shade, I’m here to see her.”

“She’s resting.”

“Of course. I was going to wait until she rises.”

“You’re on speaking terms I take it?”

She looked surprised. “Yes. I have Anna under my care at the Unseelie palace. I report anything unusual to Shade and make sure Oran keeps his filthy hands to himself until the wedding.”

At the mention of Anna’s impending wedding, my heart sank. My younger sister was betrothed to the monster Unseelie King Oran. If I could, I’d off him myself to prevent her from marrying him. Unfortunately, to keep the peace and the Unseelie court under control, Anna had to marry him. There was no preventing it. The only good thing was that he had to wait until Anna reached the age of consent, which was eighteen.

“How is that mongrel, anyway?”

“He is fine. A major headache when it comes to decisions having to be made; he always wants to make the final call, as if Jack and I are not the interim rulers until he marries Anna. It’s annoying.”

“I bet.”

“I’ve come to speak to Shade about Nautilus.”

At her words, the night air woke me up even more, my fatigue immediately dissipating. “Nautilus? Why?”

“His infatuation with Anna has become a concern, and I’ve come to ask Shade to recall her soldier so he leaves the girl alone.”

I knew better than to believe what she was saying to be true. Nautilus would not act inappropriately with Anna, no matter how he felt.

“That so? Okay, what’s the real reason?”

Evangeline frowned. “Anna is… she’s in love with Nautilus.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“How can you be so dense? She’s supposed to marry Oran.”

“Yeah, but Nautilus is a better match.”

Evangeline groaned, looking more frustrated than I’d ever seen her. “If she rescinds her promise to marry Oran, he’ll start a war with the Seelie. Can’t you see how much of a disaster that would be?”

“Oh.” I blew a breath out. Well, shoot. She was damn right. I’d let my dislike for Oran color my feelings about the matter. I had to try and look at it rationally, but I hated the idea of Anna being used as a pawn in these power struggles. “So you want Shade to recall Nautilus to keep him out of the way? Make sure Anna doesn’t break off the engagement herself?”

“Yes.”

“Can’t it wait? Shade doesn’t need the distraction, not with all these issues going on with Dylan and Soap.”

Evangeline’s face darkened. “I’ve heard she is now engaged to the changeling.” She scowled as though she was talking about filth. “He is a low born Teleen. Not worthy of marrying Shade.”

“That’s not up to you, now is it?”

Evangeline was taken aback by my comment but composed herself immediately. “Regardless, I need Nautilus gone. The last thing Shade needs is a war.”

I frowned. Shade didn’t need the extra problems, but my aunt was still right. That was such a bitter fruit to taste. “Okay. Well, you tell her yourself in the morning. Nice talking to you, Vange.”

“Benton, you know you can call me Evie.”

“Yeah, sure.”

I spun on my heel and headed back toward the palace leaving Evangeline scoffing in the middle of the abandoned garden. Who cared what she thought? Even though my aunt had a point, I doubted Shade would recall Nautilus. His presence in The Withering Palace kept Oran at arm’s length, away from Anna. That was all we could want for our sister. Nautilus was insurance in the best sense of the word. Oran was just going to have to be patient. But what if Anna did rescind her offer of marriage? She wouldn’t, would she?

Maybe. And if she did? Crap.

I hurried down the hall to wake Isolde and ask her for an opinion on the situation. Maybe she could convince me to stay out of it. But my fears plagued me as I made my way back to my room. Could Oran kill Anna for falling in love with another? How could we resolve this mess at the Unseelie palace? The place didn’t even speak to Oran as it had to all its other sovereigns, which meant he wasn’t the true ruler of The Withering Palace. Was he?

I shuddered thinking about the time it had spoken to me. I wondered, would it talk to me again if I returned there? I hoped not. It had only done so because Shade had ordered it to help Dylan, Soap, and me escape. It could stick to chats with my sister for all I cared.

But maybe if I could find another fey it would speak to, I could present him or her as the genuine Unseelie ruler and save Anna from her fate. If only. Where would I find such a person? Where would I find the rules and regulations for this kind of stuff?

My thoughts wandered back to Stone Rock Island where the main Faerie archives were held, where I’d found Rowan trapped under a curse her sister Kilara had placed on her. I doubted the Ancient spring queen was still there, but I’d find my answer in the archives. I just hoped the archivist who’d died had been replaced by a new one by now. Ilarial should have seen to that.

Dammit if another journey wasn’t in my future yet again, and I had to do it and return before Shade traveled to The Heart of Fire and Ice. She was counting on me to be there as her back up. At least Isolde would be with me this time, and perhaps Rowan and her pet beasts would be far away from the archives. I could only hope.