The Rebel Queen (Outlaw #1) - Lexi Blake Page 0,104
high in the world of the Fae, right? Tell them to let us go.”
He went silent again, and I got the feeling we were in for a superlong punishment.
If he wasn’t willing to deal with the situation, then it was time for me to take control. “Hey, Hidden Folk, I’m the goddess of the High Priest of Faery and this is my Green Man son. You want fertility? Let me out. I’m very sorry you got your butt hurt by a snowball, which considering where we are, you should be more used to.”
“Mother, please stop.” It was easy to hear Rhys’s frustration.
“You can’t rule a kingdom if you’re skittish about ordering people around.”
“I don’t intend to rule anything at all, and the longer you talk the longer this will likely take. I pray Lee is smart enough to bring Lily with him or he’ll have to figure out how to deal with invisible rope. I’m fairly certain it’s magical.”
So we were stuck. We were supposed to meet Neil in an hour or so, but I worried I would freeze to death before then.
We sat there in silence for the moment. They’d looped the rope around our torsos so we sat back to back, unable to see each other. I had a lovely view of a half-frozen stream. Slushy ice made its way downriver, and the bridge over our heads was a rickety wooden contraption that no one with any sense would actually try to traverse. I could have told Rhys that my godparents would never have considered it a proper bridge. Maybe back in the 1800s when it had been constructed it had been a luxurious place, but not now. It was a murder bridge.
And I couldn’t even get to my gun. Not that I would have known where to point it. Also, if the grand invisible ones had been upset about a snowball, I can’t imagine what they would do if I shot one of the fuckers.
“I thought silence would be more comfortable, but I was wrong. Now I wonder if you’re plotting.” Rhys managed to make each word an accusation.
My son had a bad impression of me. “I promise, I’ll sit here and freeze to death and then you won’t have to talk to me again.”
His head dropped back slightly, leaning against mine. “I don’t understand what you want. Why did you think throwing a snowball at me would make me… See, I don’t even know what you were trying to do.”
I sighed and wished I could see his face. “When you were young and you would shut down because you couldn’t handle what you were feeling, sometimes your dad would make you hit the punching bag in the gym. You would punch and kick and yell, and it seemed to help you.”
He chuckled. “Yes, I do remember that. But you should understand I don’t do that anymore. I fight enough these days. I don’t need to hit things that don’t hit back.”
I thought he kind of did. Rhys was wound tight, but he didn’t seem willing to admit it. Every word I said seemed to make things worse. “So you’re perfectly fine and don’t need any help from anyone. It would have been easier if we’d never shown back up again.”
“I didn’t say that. I’ve been looking for you for years. It was logical to bring the king back so we can free the supernatural world from the wizard. Through careful studies and much discussion I came to the conclusion that Dad is the only one who can deal with the problem.”
“Not according to the prophecies.” The academics had been studying the prophecies for years. Sasha had whole notebooks of different interpretations, almost all of which led back to Lee and some mysterious other—who we now believed was Dean—to be the ones who could save the plane.
“Lee can’t take out Myrddin on his own. And now I’m even happier we have Dad back since Lee’s turn will be easier with Dad close. King’s blood will calm him and help him find his footing, so to speak. The goddess only knows what would have happen if he’d turned without any of us knowing what was going on. Human Lee can be chaotic. I can’t imagine what he could do as a newly risen vampire.” He paused and then continued in a lower voice. “It was also good to get you and Papa back. I’m sorry it’s been so awkward.”