need you to understand something and I don’t know if it was made clear to you. I want you to know why you’re here.” I ran down what had happened. “Once she realized I’m going to become a goddess with power over her, Saílle laid this little plan into action.”
“She must resent you a great deal. Unkai told me you were tralaeth, and to have you rise above her, to become a goddess?” Neallanthra shook her head. “I can’t imagine that the Fae Queens would be happy. I am not saying they’re right to feel this way, but…”
“But they do feel this way. You’re correct in that. Farthing, my grandfather—Sharne’s brother—plotted with my maternal grandmother to execute my parents. They would have killed me too, if I had been home. I was fifteen. Then, last year Farthing tried to destroy me.”
She gasped. “I’m so sorry. What happened?”
I sighed. “I killed him. To avoid rumors, Saílle tried to buy me off. I took the money—hell, to refuse it would have set her up against me even more than she already was. But I will never forget what this incredibly stupid war between the Fae has wrought in my life. It murdered my parents, it tore my world apart, it almost killed me… There are days I’m ashamed to be Fae.” I shrugged. “But I can’t run away from who I am. I have to accept myself and make things better.”
Neallanthra was a short, plump woman with gorgeous hazel eyes. She gazed up at me, smiling softly. “I have not been treated graciously by our people, either. Oh, Unkai and my sister treat me well, but I’ve never seemed to fit in. I have always felt like an outsider, looking into a world that I’m supposed to belong to, but never quite meshing with it.”
“Welcome to Earth. Oh, there are cliques and groups and snobs and racists and xenophobes here, but you know what? The world is so diverse. There are many different kinds of people. You might fit in better here. Just don’t be too surprised by the technology.”
“Lord Cernunnos warned me about that. He didn’t want me to be frightened. I’m actually looking forward to seeing some of your inventions. I like making things—I enjoy stretching my mind.” Her eyes were glowing. Neallanthra’s hair was caught back in a long braid. It was golden brown and her eyes were hazel, and she had that spark in them that indicated a quick mind and intelligence.
We came out of the park then, and Herne opened the gate that led to his yard, which buttressed up against Carkeek Park. Unkai and Neallanthra froze, looking around at the house and the car beyond. Unkai rubbed his temples.
“The noise—is it always this loud?”
I realized he was hearing the sounds of traffic, including the jets flying overhead. “Yes, most of the time it’s this loud, at least in the city. When you get out in the country, it’s not nearly as bad.”
Herne motioned for us to follow him. “Come, let’s break for a snack at my home, then we can drive you over to TirNaNog, where you can begin your new life.”
And with that, we headed into his house to eat, and then to head over to meet Saílle.
Chapter Twenty-One
We had barely stepped up to the gates of TirNaNog when Saílle’s guards swept Unkai and Neallanthra out of sight with a terse thank-you. I had been hoping to see more of Unkai, but he needed to stay with Neallanthra, at least until she and my uncle were married.
Herne glanced at me as we headed back over the floating bridge. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah, though I wish Saílle could just keep her nose out of my business.”
I was pissed. Saílle had disrupted Neallanthra’s entire life, co-opting her as though she might grab a tool away from someone else. Except that Neallanthra was a woman, not a tool, and my uncle was a man, not a pawn.
“Well, get used to it. I have the feeling that until the wedding, Saílle will be doing everything she can to incur your favor or take you out. She’s going on the premise that if you favor her, you’ll align against Névé.”
“A very black and white view of the universe.” I sighed, resting my head against the headrest. “Listen, what—” I paused as my phone rang. “Viktor,” I said, glancing at it. “Hello?”
“Ember, are you and Herne free yet? An emergency’s come up.”