The Darkling Lord: Court of the Banished book 1 (Annwyn Series 4) (9 page)

So he was sending her away with his odd right hand man who liked her about as much as she liked him. Which wasn’t much. And she trusted Kaid less than any other fairy she’d met this side of the veil. She fixed a smile on her face. “What time do we leave?”

“Bright and early. Don’t be late. Kaid isn’t a patient man.” Henry opened the door and he glanced back. For a second, Darah thought he was going to say something. Then he left, closing the door with a soft click.

She wasn’t sure who had just used who, or if she was any closer to gaining if not his trust, then his attention and confidence. Perhaps this was just a test to see how far she was willing to help his cause.

If working with Kaid was what it took, she’d do it was a smile. But she’d much rather be working with Henry.

B
reakfast was in the bar
. Henry, Marlis, Penn, and Kaid were already there eating fruit and bread. Conversation stopped when she walked in. She lifted her chin and met their gazes, refusing to be intimidated by them.

Marlis smiled, her gaze taking in too much. It made her face seem far too harsh. Darah was sure Marlis knew exactly what had happened last night.

“Join us.” Marlis indicated to a chair. Darah took it as an invitation, not an order, and she sat. There was no point in taking offense. “Since we shall be working together, it is best you start attending our little meetings.”

How uncivilized, holding breakfast meetings. Breakfast was to be savored leisurely. It was the one safe meal in Annwyn. Darah forced a smile and helped herself to a piece of still warm bread. There was a small jar of honey on the table, no butter.

“Yes. I believe I’m assisting Kaid today.” She glanced at the man. His brown hair hung loose around his shoulders and she was sure there were a couple of shells woven into the few random braids. Something tugged at the edge of her mind, but she couldn’t remember the information. Or had it been gossip? She wasn’t sure.

“You are.” Henry said, giving Kaid a look that suggested he and Kaid had already had words and Kaid was not pleased with having her help.
Great.

The two Greys remained silent.

“So where are we going and what are doing?” The bread was coarse, but the honey was sweet. Mortal food wasn’t all bad. Plenty of fruit and raw ingredients came from here across the veil, where it was then turned into something much more edible. Annwyn didn’t make all of its own food. There was no need.

“We’re going to buy chickens, a cow or two and some seeds. Henry is determined to start up a farm.” Kaid sounded thoroughly bored by the idea.

She was tempted to agree. Couldn’t the people move if they didn’t like it here? She didn’t say that though, as she’d seen his reaction to the farming community on the news. “And how are we going to get there?”

“Horse.” There was a glint in Henry’s eye and the corner of his lips twitched as if he was amused at some private joke. When she caught his gaze he gave no indication that anything of any note had happened last night. Because he didn’t want others to know, or because he didn’t care?

“Okay, and how are we getting back with all those things?” Certainly not on horseback, unless they were expected to walk the cows back. She’d never been a farmer and didn’t know the first thing about looking after cows, or chickens for that matter.

“Truck of course,” Henry said as though that was obvious.

“I can’t drive.” She’d never needed to, nor wanted to.

Kaid nodded. “I can, but I don’t have a license so if we get pulled over you’re going to have to work some of your magic.”

And the real reason for her presence became apparent. She was there to glamour the unsuspecting mortals.

“Are we paying for the produce or just taking it?” While she had no problem with tricking people, outright stealing was different, especially if the people were relying on the cows themselves. Cattle theft was serious, even in Annywn.

Henry pulled something out of his jacket pocket. It was a roll of bills just like Felan had given her. “No stealing.” He placed the money down.

“And no fun.” Kaid pushed the money toward her.

She glanced at Kaid and then Henry before picking it up and putting it in her pocket. They were waiting for something, and the joke would be on her, she was sure. The banished were no different than fairy in some respects. Always trying to gain the upper edge. She had no idea what it was she needed to side step. “This is a test of my loyalty.”

Henry nodded. “You want to stay, then you have to help like everyone else.” He stood up. “I need to gather up the others and start making preparations.” He tossed another, smaller roll of bills at Penn. “You know what to get.”

“I hate hardware stores, they’re full of iron.” But the little man hid the money away.

“But you get to steal and you like that.” Henry’s voice was like silk, promising his subjects what they wanted while getting them to do what he needed, without ever making a deal with a Grey.

“Not stealing if I leave money.” Penn jumped down from the table and left the room.

“Good luck today.” Marlis glanced at Darah and almost laughed as she stood, before gliding away from the table. Her bearing and her attitude said more than the words that left her mouth. Henry must value her presence, or her influence. Unless he still liked her…had he once loved her? Had she loved him?

That Marlis had wished her luck pushed Darah even closer to the edge. This was definitely a set up. She glanced at Henry but from the look on his face it was definitely her turn to push this game forward. Kaid’s expression revealed nothing.

She just wanted to get this over with. “Well, I’m done with breakfast. Shall we go and find these horses?”

“Horse.” Kaid corrected. There was a touch of mirth in his words even if his face was firmly in neutral.

She looked at Henry. “I’m not sharing a horse with him.”

Henry started laughing and then Kaid joined in. Her cheeks heated and there was nothing she could do to stop it. However, she refused to give voice to her embarrassment, so she lifted her chin and pretended that there was nothing amiss.

Henry looked at her, a smile dancing on his lips. “Kaid is the horse.”

A frown formed as she looked at Kaid. He didn’t look like a horse. Again there was that tug at the edge of her mind. There was some fact or lore she was forgetting, but she still couldn’t dredge it up.

“Put her out of her misery,” Henry said.

“Just a little longer…A clue, lady Darah. I know Annwyn as well as you but I saw it from a very different perspective.” Kaid looked at her as if waiting for her to guess, but she was still drawing a blank. He wasn’t fairy, of that she was sure. His eyes were wrong…something about him was not quite right. “Did you never wonder what becomes of the fairy animals that cross the veil?”

She shook her head, even as the whispers in her mind started to make sense. “They aren’t allowed to cross the veil. The Hunter makes sure they don’t.”

“Arwan was careless toward the end. Some slipped through. I slipped through.” His lips curved, but as always his smile was like ice.

What he was saying couldn’t be true…and yet…she wished she was back in Annwyn and able to consult the singing stones. “You were a fairy horse?”

He gave a single nod. “I was. I was captured and given a bridle this side of the veil. But living here isn’t like living in Annwyn and I grew hungry.”

“What Kaid is trying to say is he killed. Closing the door to Annwyn forever for him. Once a fairy animal has tasted blood, they change.”

The pieces fell into place in rapid succession. The Hunter before Dylis, before Verden, was Arwan. One of the many strikes against him had been because he’d supposedly let one of his hounds attack a mortal, thus tasting human blood. The hound had become a black shuck and terrorized a whole town, leaving scratches in the church door before being stopped. She hadn’t thought it possible. The Queen had claimed it was all lies and that mortals were weak minded at best.

Verden had been right, but it had taken him time to oust Arwan as Hunter.

“So if hounds become shucks…what exactly are you?” Was he some kind of evil horse?

“I have the ability to become a man.” Kaid said as if it were a skill he picked up as easily as breathing.

“So you’re actually a horse?”

“No, not anymore. I’m a kelpie. A water horse. I need to spend time in the water. I need blood and occasionally flesh.”

“You mean people.” Her voice had a strange wobble. Kelpies did have a reputation as seducers and killers if the old tales were to be believed. Or were Kaid and Henry just toying with her?

“You are what you eat.” There was no smile as Kaid spoke, just the cold facts. Fairies could be harsh, but Kaid lacked even a modicum of compassion. He was human on the outside but it was barely skin deep.

The bread she’d eaten turned leaden in her stomach. For a moment she thought it was going to come up, but she swallowed hard.

Henry fixed Kaid with a look that would’ve made a human wilt. “Only those that deserve to be eaten. The same way the souls I take are only from criminals now. We have learned not to kill indiscriminately.”

“Do the shucks become human?” Did they also eat people? Is that where the power to change came from?

Kaid shrugged. “How else would a shuck hide so well? They are no doubt drawn to souls like I am. Living in Annwyn left an odd craving in my blood.”

Darah shuddered at the idea of a bloodthirsty dog who could become human. “Is this the reason fairies don’t eat meat?”

Henry shook his head. ‘I have no idea. Ask one of the Greys; they might have more insight. Perhaps it is an affliction of the escaped animals.”

“I don’t call being a man an affliction.” Kaid crossed his arms. “Nor do I consider myself an animal.”

“The blood hunger then,” Henry said. It was clear they’d had this argument before.

“I don’t call that an affliction either.” Kaid stood. “We should get going. I warn you, I’m not as pretty as I used to be.”

Darah looked up at the kelpie. He passed for human, he was probably even considered handsome. Given that she’d never met such a creature before and what she knew was whispers twisted by time and re-telling, she had no idea what to expect. “What do you mean?”

“Where once my coat was white, now it is grey.”

She let out a small sigh. If the banished became ugly in the mortal world, it stood to reason that a fairy horse would also lose its looks.

“Hold on and dismount before he drinks…just in case he forgets I told him not to drown you.” Henry smiled. There was nothing in his expression that suggested they’d been intimate or that it had meant anything to him beyond satisfying an urge. She ignored the sting and vowed to work on him some more, after she’d proved that she was on his side. “Have fun, Darah. I look forward to your safe return.”

For a second his expression softened, but it was gone so fast that she could’ve imagined it. She hoped she made it back.

H
enry had spent
the day pulling down fences that divided some properties and then turning over the earth and making it ready for planting. He hadn’t worked alone. The Greys had been there doing their bit, where they could, and so had some local people. People that had been involved in his first failed attempt and had been willing to try again.

Maybe it was because they just wanted food, or maybe because they believed in what he was doing. He didn’t really care about their reasons, only the end result. That was also how he viewed Darah. She was helping and he didn’t care why; as long as she told Annwyn good things and they left him alone, they would have no problem and plenty of fun.

Some people had offered their yards—whether they owned the houses or were squatting Henry didn’t know or ask—but from the street nothing had changed. The cops and the Mayor would have a harder time taking from private property. He hoped.

This was becoming more like a bootlegging operation by the day.

Except with vegetables.

Not quite as much fun as booze, but that would come. If people were fed, they would want fun. With the Mayor still in play, he hadn’t been able to get any of his other plans off the ground. So he’d win the people’s hearts with their stomachs, then get rid of the Mayor, and start breathing life back into the city.

Simple.

He used the edge of his t-shirt to wipe his face and gave the day’s work a final once-over. It looked like progress. That felt better than anything. He needed plans and direction. Always had. That was his scheming fairy blood.

Throughout the day he’d wondered how Kaid and Darah were getting on. He was almost sure they’d both make it back in one piece. He hoped Kaid didn’t bite off more than he could chew. Darah could take care of herself. While he wouldn’t admit it to anyone, he was looking forward to seeing her again.

Last night had been more than he’d expected and also less treacherous. He didn’t want people knowing what was going on yet. Like Kaid, they would assume he was thinking with his dick. He could separate sex from work. Probably more easily than most. Sometimes it concerned him. Most of the time he did what he had to. While not as essential as food and sleep, sex was something that he missed and that most people took for granted.

Food was being brought out for the workers. Food he’d paid for, but couldn’t be bothered to eat. Until something started turning a profit, he was hemorrhaging green.

Which was still less disturbing than the actual color of his blood.

Henry glanced at his dirt encrusted hands. All he wanted was a shower.

He slipped away and made his way back to the casino. As soon as he walked into the cool dim building, he knew something was up. There was an air of expectation.

While his back remained straight, inside he slumped. He was tired after working all day. And he smelled. He looked like a beggar, not a leader, and yet they were waiting for him.

A semi-circle of Greys had formed around a woman with a child. She was human, he could almost smell her soul from here, but her child was not.

She looked at him, a frown forming. Obviously she couldn’t see the Greys, but her kid could—a girl, from the dark curls and purple dress—as she played peek-a-boo with a tiny delicate Grey that had maybe weeks to live, if she were careful with how much magic she used.

“Are you Henry?” The mother stood up. Her gaze took in his clothes and her frown deepened into distaste. He was obviously not what she’d been expecting.

“And you are?” He never admitted to being Henry—or whatever name he was using—until he knew who was asking.

“A man called Verden said you could help me. That you’d know what to do.” She grabbed her child’s hand. “This is Peridot, Peri; she turns four in a couple of days. Verden said she’d get sick, but that I couldn’t touch her and I couldn’t help her.” She sniffed and her composure started to crack, her eyes pleading even though her words were strong. Her child was more important than what Henry looked like. “She sees thing I can’t.”