Allegiance (23 page)

‘Was?’

‘
Am
. But you’re not mine, so I’m trying not to dwell on it.’

‘So… you and Ameyah?’

Jack shook his head. ‘It wouldn’t be fair.’ He hesitated, seemed to be searching for the right words. ‘I want you to know, if there’d been no Leif, there would be no Ameyah. Sometime soon I would have made my move on you, and the two of us would have grown old and been happy together.’

His words mirrored my feelings exactly. I wrapped my arms around him. We held each other for a long while and I wished more than anything there was a human version of me to go along with the Fae one.

We came to the river and turned onto a narrow trail skimming the edge of the riverbank. ‘What are you going to do about Ameyah when you both go home? You’ll be thousands of miles apart.’

Jack took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh. ‘Well, first I have to convince her to go. She’s dead serious about running if the king tries to force her. She tilts that cute little chin up and says he’ll never find
her
because
she
knows the forest better than anyone since she’s had to rely on her feet to get around.’

‘What will you do, Jack?’

He looked at me, fully aware of what I was asking. ‘Is this conversation just between you and me?’

‘I won’t repeat anything if you tell me not to.’

‘I’m telling you not to.’

‘Done,’ I said without hesitation.

‘I’ll go with her,’ he admitted, his eyes on the ground in front of him.

‘Oh Jack, you can’t!’

‘What would you do if you were me, Marla?’ He caught my eyes as he said it.

I looked at him, pleading. ‘Oh God, Jack!’ I let go of his hand and put both of my arms around his waist—as though holding on to him would make him stay.

He stopped and took me into his arms again and, after a moment, smoothed my hair with his fingers as gently he told me, ‘If she goes, I have to go with her.’

‘But King Telophy’s a psycho, Jack. I hate to think what he’ll do when he finds you! And what about the Shadow Fae? People are going missing all over the place!’ It had become a regular occurrence for me to go with Leif to investigate the disappearances and help him calm the families of the victims. But I knew my words were pointless. There was no way Jack would watch Ameyah go into the forest alone.

‘Why would the Shadow Fae bother with us? It’s the sun they crave from the Fae.’

‘They might be dangerous.’

‘Ameyah says they’re not.’

‘Still…’

‘Marla, if you’ve got a better plan, now would be the time to tell me.’ He kissed my forehead, then released me, before catching my hand again and carrying on. ‘Otherwise, try not to worry. If it comes to it, we’ll be fine.’

‘Leif would know what to do. Won’t you let me tell him?’ I kept his hand and ducked behind him as the path narrowed further still.

‘Definitely not!’ he said, turning back to eyeball me.

‘Does she know you’ll go with her?’

‘Of course not, she doesn’t need that kind of encouragement—but I
will
go with her, Marla. I’d do the same for you.’

‘I know,’ I murmured, feeling helpless. ‘But you’ll tell me when you’re going, right? You won’t just vanish.’

‘I’ll tell you.’

The trail beside the river grew narrower, almost vanishing around tree trunks broad with age. We’d just about decided to find another path when the forest opened to a sparkling waterfall tumbling into an enormous pool—so deep the bottom was just a distant shimmer. I stopped, stunned. Sunlight fell in a hazy gold shaft directly onto the water’s surface and within it danced a plethora of butterflies, their wings flashing with glitter. A burst of laughter drew my eyes to the bank on the other side just in time to see two faeries tumble from amidst the roots of an ancient tree, landing with a splash and a squeal. I traced the tree with my eyes—up and up and up. Someone had carved a slide into the trunk. Shiny with use, it spiralled so far into the tree’s branches that it was impossible to see where it began. I looked back
down to see another group of Fae tumble from the slide. Others swung from vines, while still more jumped from the edge of the waterfall, arms spread wide as they flew through the butterflies. I looked at Jack and smiled.

He smiled back and said, ‘I’m
so
going on that.’

I pointed to the forest beyond the pool. Flashes of colour peeked through the trees in the distance. ‘Leif says there are markets through there. Mind if we look at them first?’

He took my hand. ‘Come on.’

We scrambled down the bank to the water below. When we got there Jack scratched his head. ‘This is where wings would come in handy.’

I laughed and held my hand out to him. ‘Give me your pants.’

He grinned. ‘Marla, I’m shocked!’

I snapped my fingers in a hurry up kind of way. He chuckled and stripped down to his underwear, handing the pants over.

‘See you on the other side,’ I said, opening my wings. I flew through the butterflies, alighting on the sandy back and waving to Jack when I got there. He grinned and dived into the water, shaking himself off when he joined me before getting dressed again.

The carpet of brown and gold crackled beneath our toes as we wove our way back into the forest, the colours through the trees growing brighter and the market sounds louder—flutes, violins, a distant burst of laughter, and as we drew nearer still, the music of wind chimes lifted on a breeze, bringing with it the scent of spun sugar and fresh cut apple. I could almost taste it on the back of my tongue. And then the forest opened to reveal a rainbow of floaty skirts—layers of gossamer strung between the branches of an enormous tree. As we ambled past, Jack grinned and told me I’d look cute in the blue one, that it would match my eyes. I laughed and told him ‘nice try’ before stopping abruptly. The faeries who
just a moment before were weaving gems into garments were now on their feet and dropping curtsies in my direction. I blinked my surprise away and curtsied back before hurrying to catch up to Jack.

We strolled amongst the stalls, faeries flitting through the branches that scattered sunlight across the forest floor or choosing from the array of things on offer—everything from bunches of sweet-smelling flowers to sacks filled with grain. It was here I stopped, taking a small fabric bag from the larger one I’d brought with me. Jack watched, amazed. He said, ‘So I couldn’t interest you in that delectable little blue thing back there, and you didn’t want any of that jewellery we just passed—which I’m sure was diamond by the way, and you didn’t even stop to look at all that glittery stuff.’ He waved a finger at the sacks. ‘But you’re taking… this?’ He leaned over and peered into one. ‘What is it anyway—oats?’

‘Healthy stuff for Fae,’ I told him, then after being granted permission, I found one with pasta and began filling my bag. Jack laughed and asked me if I was planning on getting cooking lessons. I just laughed with him, thanked the provider, who bowed low in reply and put the pasta into my bag. Next I stocked up on large quantities of tea and chocolate and the sweet purple melon I’d become addicted to.

‘Nothing like a girl with a healthy appetite,’ Jack said, giving me a strange look as we carried on.

I smiled and followed my nose to the bread, the hot aroma wafting from the sunstone oven built into what remained of the trunk of a long gone tree. On the ground around it were several trays piled high with loaves. I chose two, the first round and crusty and dotted with nuts and the second still hot and sprinkled with tiny black seeds. After adding them to my bag, I thanked the provider with a curtsy.

She curtsied right back, lower and longer, and I had a moment of shock when she said, ‘It is my honour, Princess.’

‘Ah,’ Jack said, while I pulled myself together. ‘Your cover is blown… and since when do princesses do the weekly shopping by the way?’

‘Everyone should pitch in, Jack, and anyway, I’m not a princess.’ I spied sticky fruit buns, added three to my now bulging bag and moved right along.

‘Curiouser and curiouser,’ Jack said.

Next up I selected three squares of lemon and herb soap—freshly cut from a slab—before taking out the bottles and jars I’d brought with me. Then, going from one stand to the next, I began filling them—with the spicy scented water Fae men liked to splash on after shaving, shampoo made from the mildly fragranced lavelia plant and minty fresh toothpaste.

‘Um, are you getting that stuff for me or Leif?’ Jack asked. ‘Cos I gotta tell you, I’m already well stocked.’

I shrugged.

‘I’m guessing Leif is too,’ he continued. ‘People bring that stuff to the castle every day.’

‘Really?’

He narrowed his eyes. ‘Like you didn’t know… What’s going on, Marla? I know how this place works—only take what you need and all that. Who’s all this stuff for?’

I watched him, excitement bubbling inside me. When I could resist no longer, I said, ‘You can’t say a word to
anyone
. If the king finds out…’ I shook my head. ‘Urgh, I can’t even think about what might happen if the king finds out.’

‘All right,’ he said slowly.

‘It’s for Lysander!’

Jack’s eyes snapped open. ‘What?’

I told him the whole story as we continued to stroll through
the markets. When I was finished, I said, ‘But the poor guy’s all bones, Jack, and his skin’s really bad. So I’ve decided to make it my mission to look after him. He’s my brother after all.’

‘And how exactly are you going to look after him?’

‘I’ll start by taking this stuff to him when I go with Leif to pick up Claudette. After that it’s just a matter of keeping him stocked up.’

Jack didn’t look happy. ‘Now who’s taking risks with the psycho king?’

While Leif slept the next morning after being up all night hunting Shadow Fae, I sat with Atara on her balcony. Together we painted the mountains and got to know each other. After telling her about my first meeting with Leif, the conversation turned to how she’d met the king. She’d been out on the plains gathering the feathery tufts called shefa that are used to make fabric when King Telophy spied her as he flew overhead. He alighted and, after greeting the others with her, singled her out.

‘What did he say?’

‘That he knew my beauty from the sky. And that he was aware I was young because he could sense I had not yet sworn allegiance to him—but that he would like to know
how
young.’ She chuckled. ‘When I found my voice, I told him I would soon be seventeen. He smiled and offered me his hand. The sensation brought me to my knees. I did not know anything could feel so wonderful.’

Intrigued, I lay my paintbrush down. ‘Then what happened?’

Atara placed her brush on the palette beside mine. ‘He began to woo me—showed me a life I could not have imagined… We wed on my eighteenth birthday.’

‘What about your betrothed?’

Atara frowned. ‘I wish Telophy had not mentioned him to you.’

‘It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me.’

She sighed. ‘I will confide in you, Marla, but you must not mention anything to Leif. As I’ve told you before, he thinks my betrothed no longer lives and I will not add to the problems between father and son.’

I agreed—it seemed like everyone wanted me to keep secrets these days.

‘The day I met my king he asked me if I knew my betrothed. I told him I did not—that he had not yet called to me. Telophy requested I tell him the moment he did. I obeyed and it is the one thing I truly regret, because soon after, Bryn’s voice vanished from my mind. When I asked Telophy the reason, he told me that all I needed to know was that he is well.’

‘Oh Atara… you must miss him!’

‘How can I? I don’t know him—our connection is incomplete.’

‘But you would have
made
it complete if you’d had the choice.’

Atara sighed. ‘Of course the desire was there, Marla. But even if Telophy had offered me a choice, I would have forsaken Bryn. The trouble is my husband will not believe it. He says he gave Finelle a choice and she betrayed him in the end.’

I scowled. ‘How could he expect her to even
consider
marrying him?’

‘Why would she not?’ Atara said, her eyes widening. ‘Telophy was her king. Have you not seen with your own eyes the way females behave around your own betrothed? And Leif does not even have their allegiance!
All
females desire my husband.’

I screwed my nose up. ‘Not me!’

‘Tell me that when you are allegiant to him,’ she said with a knowing smile.

I knew in my case she’d be proven wrong. I despised her revolting husband. ‘You must at least resent him for forcing you to marry him?’

‘I do not, Marla. Telophy was already king when we met. He was under enormous pressure to fulfil his duty—provide his kingdom with a queen and Faera with a new prince. As his subject, it was my duty to put my king’s needs above my own. Nor do I consider myself forced. If it had
not
been my desire to marry him and I had told him so, I do not know he would have insisted. But more than all of that, I love my husband.’

When I could speak, I said, ‘You
love
him?’