were packed with onlookers from the city. I was backstage, standing beside my uncle. Sharne looked incredibly uncomfortable, though handsome, in his formal dress. He was wearing the colors of TirNaNog, deep indigo and dark plum and silver, with purple and blue trim. He fidgeted as I straightened his boutonniere, which was a white rose.
“Hold still. You’re messing up all the work your valet did.” I gave him a playful frown, still feeling out of place. The last thing I wanted to do was walk out there in front of hundreds of people who I knew would sneer at me, given the chance. But at least it wasn’t me in the hot seat.
“You know, you’re taking this very well,” I said, giving him a long look. “You could still back out. You could leave TirNaNog and make a new home somewhere.”
He shook his head. “No. Saílle would track me down and make me pay for embarrassing her. And her vengeance is usually deadly.” He spoke in low tones, but we both knew that we were probably being overheard. “And she would punish Neallanthra for my acts.”
“Well, I hope that you’re happy. At least Neallanthra seems nice, and I really do like Unkai, so there’s some consolation there.” I grinned. “In fact, I’ve promised to show him the city, once the wedding is over and he’s free to return to Annwn. He’ll stay for an extra day or so. I promised when we first met that I would guide him around if he ever came over through the portals, and now I get to make good on that promise.”
I finished straightening his jacket. “You look good,” I said, patting his chest. It felt so odd. He looked so much like Farthing, but he truly was nothing like my grandfather in nature. Impulsively, I gave him a quick hug.
Sharne smiled fondly at me. “My great-niece, I hope you know how grateful I am you’re in my life. I wish I could have known your father better, but…well…water under the bridge, I suppose.” He looked around as the director—apparently important Fae weddings required their own theatrical attendants—motioned for us to get into place. “Are you ready?”
“As I’ll ever be. Let’s get this show on the road.” I took my place in front of him. Instead of having a best man, Sharne had asked me to be his “best niece” and I had accepted, not wanting him to stand up there alone.
Taking a deep breath, I let it out slowly and began to walk forward as the director motioned for me to go. I was wearing a long gossamer ballroom gown with such a full skirt that I felt like a princess. It was black as night, with a thousand silver beads dappling the surface, and every step I took, the beads shimmered. I had allowed the queen’s coiffeur to curl and coil my hair into a massive bouffant with curls draping down to my shoulders. I felt like an idiot—it wasn’t really me at all—but hey, weddings were all about the bride and the other women were just there to make her look good.
As I stepped onto the stage, I caught my breath, staring at the massive crowd who were watching. They were silent as I crossed the stage, and I felt so conspicuous that I wanted to melt into the ground. But finally, I was at my mark, and I stood to one side as Sharne took his place beside me. I felt inside the secret pocket that had been sewn into the dress to make certain the rings were still there.
A solemn march that reminded me more of a dirge than a wedding song began to echo through the crowd, and then—from the other side of the stage—Neallanthra appeared.
I caught my breath. She was so beautiful that it was hard to look away. Dressed in a long flowing gown of pale lavender that shimmered with crystal beads and covered by a veil of the same color, she began to walk across the stage to Sharne.
Three women led the way, each in a black sheath, and each had been picked by Saílle herself. My uncle and Unkai’s sister-in-law were pawns in a game far more deadly than anybody could imagine, and both of them knew it and accepted their parts.
As the ceremony wore on, I looked around and caught sight of Saílle. She was sitting in a box seat in the amphitheater, and she was staring at me. I gazed back at