Azuri Fae (19 page)

Griogair turned to the conclave. “I couldn’t agree more.” He took his time and told them about Trath, including the long-held secret that the heir to the throne was gifted in the Path of Stars.

Munro watched as the conclave questioned Griogair for hours, but he seemed relaxed and comfortable. The prince was uncommonly frank and open, revealing the extent of the queen’s obsession. She planned to purge the Otherworld of all who followed the Path of Stars. She’d only pretended to consider the reunification of the kingdom because of the pressure caused by Eilidh’s rising popularity, as stories of her saving the kingdom spread.

The meeting came to an abrupt halt when someone brought word to Oron. The messenger slipped in and whispered into the elder’s ear.

Oron’s brow wrinkled and his face creased into a deep frown. “Prince Griogair,” he said. “Do you know a faerie named Mira?”

Griogair blinked in surprise. “Of course. My bodyguard and friend.”

“She was brought here by one of our earthbound children. They just arrived.” When the prince looked confused, Oron went on to explain. “Not all of our offspring are gifted in the Path of Stars. Our enchantments mean they would be impotent and miserable here. So we foster them with willing allies in the kingdom who raise them as their own. When they come of age, some patrol the borderlands nearest us, helping to protect our colony as they can, trading, sending messages, whatever is necessary.”

Griogair nodded, his brow furrowed slightly. “May I see Mira?”

Oron nodded. “You should go quickly. She is severely injured.”

Griogair stood, just as another faerie entered the room. She was taller than most and had fine, sculpted features. She looked shaken and ill, so Munro assumed she must be a kingdom faerie. “Forgive me, elders,” she said, addressing the conclave. She turned her sad eyes to Griogair. “Your Highness,” she said, bowing. “I am Sennera. Mira…Mira is dead.”

The prince’s features tightened. “Show me,” he said.

Munro felt a wave of rolling earth power surge as the prince left the room. The rush of power fought for a moment against the enchantment. He turned to the other druids, but they hadn’t noticed it. He had never been affected by the enchantment that prevented the faeries’ connection to the Ways of Earth. He could sense something was different here on Skye, but because he could tap into his limited abilities the same here as anywhere else, he never thought much more of it.

“It is nearly sunrise,” Oron said. “We should allow our guests to rest.” He looked at the druids and smiled. “Thank you for coming. You have arrived, as you see, on a very busy night. But we have not forgotten you, and your presence brings joy in dark and uncertain times.”

Munro felt his friends shifting uncomfortably beside him, unaccustomed to so much attention and praise. He’d had the chance to introduce them to the conclave before Eilidh and Griogair arrived and to reiterate his conditions that none be forced to bond if he didn’t want to. Somehow, he became the official go-between, and they established that he would oversee the introductions. It seemed every faerie on Skye—several hundred even before the huge influx of faeries from abroad—wanted the chance to be considered for bonding with a druid.

“Munro,” Oron said, “I’m afraid my home, while large, is not adequate to accommodate four such important guests, five, counting yourself, of course. As the leader of the Higher Conclave, I am obliged to host the prince.”

Munro wanted to laugh. He didn’t doubt for a minute that Oron would rather boot the prince in favour of the druids if he could get away with it.

Galen, a sour elder who had never liked Eilidh, and therefore by extension Munro, spoke up. “The house of my sister Beniss, may the Father of the Azure cradle her soul in his bosom, still stands empty. It should serve the druids well. I’m afraid it may need attention, but I can have it stocked and prepared within an hour.”

At first Munro wasn’t sure why she would make such an offer, considering she held Eilidh responsible for Beniss’ death, but then he realised she, and most others, would do just about anything to get more of a chance with one of the druids. Such a bonding would allow them full access to the Ways of Earth, something they could never dream of touching beyond a faint trickle of power.

“That’s very generous of you, Galen,” Oron said. “Munro?”

Munro turned to the others, who nodded. “Sure,” he said to Oron. “That sounds great.”

“While you and your friends are getting settled for the day, I will have a word with
Lady
Eilidh.” He gave Eilidh a meaningful look. To the room, he announced, “Thus concludes the conclave.”

Eilidh went to the elder without even glancing back at Munro. Maybe, he thought, it was better if he stayed at Beniss’ place after all. He didn’t know what had happened between him and Eilidh all of a sudden. Things had blown up, gone wrong for no reason. At least he could sense her again, even if it was a more subdued connection than before. But if he knew anything about her, it was that pushing never did any good.

True to her word, Galen had Beniss’ house prepared, and everything the druids might need was provided: beds, food, and some privacy. The only additions they could wish for would be a telly and maybe a games console. The others were restless, and Munro thought they could use something to keep distracted while they processed their new situation. They’d learned a lot in just a few hours and been exposed to a world they only caught a glimpse of before.

“What now?” Phillip looked at Munro as they sat in the front room. Phillip seemed a quiet type, but he was the one the group trusted.

“To be honest,” Munro began, “I’m not sure how all this should work. When I met Eilidh, I felt something right away. I could sense some spark between us, even before we bonded.”

Aaron laughed. “Or it could be you noticed those legs of hers. Crikey, she’s hot.” When Munro shot him a look, Aaron added, “Sorry, mate, but she is.”

The others joined in with a chuckle, nodding that they agreed with Aaron.

“Did you feel anything with one of the elders? Something tugging or…” Munro’s voice trailed off. He didn’t even know how this was supposed to work. They all shook their heads.

“That’s okay,” Munro said. “There are hundreds of faeries here, and you’ll get a chance to meet them all eventually. It might take some time. I really don’t know. But we’ll figure it out.”

“What if we don’t ever feel it with any of them?” Rory was stocky, had flaming ginger hair and narrow eyes. He was the happy-go-lucky one of the group, but now his face furrowed with worry. “I mean, I don’t have all that much keeping me in Perth, you know?”

“Afraid you’ll be the last one without a date to the dance?” Aaron asked with a smirk.

Phillip grinned. “Wouldn’t be the first time. Would it, Rors?”

The ribbing was good-natured, but Munro could tell they all felt some anxiety about the many unknowns. “I’ll talk to Oron,” he said, “but I’m sure we can all stay as long as we want, no matter what. I’ve heard there are lots of new faeries here, ones that follow the Path of Stars, and more will be coming all the time. I don’t see them sending away anyone who wants to stay.”

Douglas weighed in. “I could get used to this. Free food, free house, being treated like a rock star. Did you see some of those women? Yeah, I’m in.” He was the youngest of the group, only just out of high school the year before. He talked big, but Douglas had taken the events of last summer the hardest. Munro was glad he’d come. The only one who hadn’t shown up was Jay, and Munro couldn’t say he was sorry about that. He suspected Jay had more than a small hand in the deaths last year, although he couldn’t prove it.

“First thing,” Munro said, “is you’ll have to get used to being awake all night. They sleep at various times during the day, but some barely sleep at all. Anything official though, that’s always at night. I think it’ll get easier once you’re bonded. I know it seems a lot more natural for me now.”

“I didn’t like to say anything,” Phillip said slowly, “but how long before you started looking like that? Or is that one of Eilidh’s illusions to hide your normal ugly mug?” The others chuckled at the joke.

Without thinking, Munro put his hand up to one ear, reassuring himself that he hadn’t grown a full, spiralling twist. “Not until I visited the Otherworld.” Now that Griogair had spilled the beans about his and Eilidh’s involvement in finding his son, Munro could tell them about his venture beyond the human realm. “Everything changed: my speed, endurance, my eyesight. I don’t really know what happened.”

“When do we get to go there?” Rory asked.

“Not for a while,” Munro said. “If ever. You heard them. There’s a war brewing.” He told the druids more about the political situation, about the Halls of Mist and his one and only encounter with the Caledonian queen. “Let’s do one thing at a time. Today, get some rest. Sleep if you can. Eat if you want. Their food is different, but pretty good. You’ll get used to it fast. I’ll have to come and go. I’ve got to check in with work in the morning, and I promised Griogair I’d help him find his son.”

“You mean you’re still on with the polis?” Rory asked. “Looking like Link?”

“Who?” Munro asked, and the others laughed.

It was Phillip who explained. “Didn’t you ever play Legend of Zelda as a kid? You know, Link? The elven guy who saves the princess?”

“He wasn’t elven. Technically, Link was Hylian,” Rory corrected him.

Aaron chuckled. “Only you would know that, Rors.”

Munro laughed too, but he’d wondered about the changes, thinking he should ask one of the elders how far it would go and what to expect. It would get harder for him to keep up his normal life if he got more deeply involved here, not to mention that his eyes glowed in the dark. On the other hand, Eilidh didn’t want him around, and the guys seemed fine with the new environment. He had every confidence they’d know if they met someone they could bond with. So it was really up to him what he should do next. Maybe he could go on as he had, splitting time between the two places. In some ways, it was good he had the job holding him in Perth. It provided him an excuse to get away and breathe from time to time.

“Munro,” Phillip said.

When Munro looked up, he realised that while he’d been lost in thought, the others had stopped talking. They all stared at the wall behind him. He turned and saw Prince Griogair standing in the doorway, looking pale and drawn.

Munro scrambled to his feet. “Your Highness,” he said. He didn’t much like being formal, but he figured he’d better set a decent example for the others.

Griogair looked shaken. Hollow. “She’s going to kill my son.”

“Come sit down,” Munro said, offering Griogair his own seat. “Rory, will you get the prince some water? There should be cups or something in the kitchen.” He pointed toward an open doorway.

“Sure,” Rory said.

Munro went into cop mode. “Let’s start at the beginning. Did Mira bring a message?”

Rory came back with a wooden cup filled with water, and Munro handed it to the prince, who looked at the cup, slightly puzzled.

“Drink,” Munro said. “It’ll help.” He didn’t know why, but just the action of taking a sip of water was often enough to snap people out of a shock. It gave them something to do, something to concentrate on.

The prince did as instructed, and Phillip whispered, “Eilidh’s here.”

Munro turned for a second and saw her in the back of the room, looking on with a worried expression that matched the unrest Munro sensed in her emotional state. Focusing on the prince, Munro said, “Mira’s message. What did she come to tell you?”

“She’d been bound,” Griogair said.

Munro turned to Eilidh with a raised eyebrow. She explained. “Mira had been stripped of her magic. Severed from the Ways of Earth.”

Munro could tell it pained her to think about it. His eyes back on the prince, he said, “Griogair, I need you to focus. For Trath. What was Mira’s message?”

“Cadhla has ordered a fifth of her personal guard, the
rafta
, to pass through the Ashdawn gate. They’re the best, and their orders are to find Trath.” Griogair stared at Munro, his violet eyes dark and unblinking. “To find him and kill him.”

The other druids sat back, mystified. Munro frowned. “She would kill her own son?”

“She knows where I am, so she’s smart enough to know I’d tell the Higher Conclave about Trath. Yes, she’d rather see him dead than have people know she’d given birth to a child gifted with the Path of Stars. You don’t understand the depth of the prejudice amongst my people.”

“No,” Munro said. “I do.” He’d seen how Eilidh was condemned to death not because she’d done what they called casting the stars, but because she was merely able to. If she hadn’t discovered this then-hidden colony on Skye, she would have lived her entire existence running from the kingdom, always feeling the executioner’s axe hanging over her head. “Do they know where Trath is?”