A Fair Fight (22 page)

When he caught his breath, he began to speak, "That flair for diplomacy is going to get Your Majesty into trouble someday. Aside from fighting to make sure the deal remains on the table, just what might gain your good graces today?"

Riocard smiled, gesturing casually for his men to stand down. "Swear your allegiance. Do it quick enough, and I'll not ask for bowing, even. The realm needs its strongest." Riocard smiled. “Excuse me. Realms. I do realize you're not all from An Teach Deiridh, but you may recall both that we do well with international affiliates, and that this is clearly an international affair.”

Jack glanced at his colleagues. Tsonoqua nodded, and before checking with any of the others, the shackled ogre held out an open hand towards Riocard, closing it into a fist as he started to speak. "I so swe—"

"Oh, not to me. I already have no doubt that you'll be good for your word for a chance of the cauldron's return and fair dealing. But my daughter was the one who recovered it..." Riocard glanced aside at Tiernan, and then towards the Greeks, and finally back to Jack. "And some folk still have questions about ages of heroes and such. I'd just as soon they knew that the answer to those questions might have very large teeth."

The ogres exchanged glances again, then, as one, they each made the odd salute towards Megan, letting Jack speak for them. "Then by the realms, we so swear. Should you ask for it, our strength is yours."

Tsonoqua added, "But only on the Unseelie King's word. Our loyalty depends on a fair chance for the return of the Dagda's Cauldron."

"So she's to have her own troops now?" Tiernan said, drawing eyes his way.

"Apologies," spoke one of the tengu, "But I think your question was phrased incorrectly. She arrived in a group who seemed to be following her. And she did bring the cauldron, and thus the ogres. So, would it not be 'so she's to have more troops'?" Tiernan turned to glare at the tengu. Ignoring the look, the group of tengu glanced amongst themselves, before all of them nodded at once, and the speaker turned back. "To which, the answer is yes. We begin to see the Unseelie King's moves upon the board. And so, we will play. Our swords and our lore, as it pertains to the enemies of all the realms, are yours." Megan couldn't quite tell if the tengu was addressing her father, or referring to her, but having seen the tengu before, and recalling their odd questions, she also thought that might be intentional on their part.

Before Tiernan, or anyone else got another word in, Riocard gestured towards the cauldron. "I think we've been in discussion for some time, and yet I've not fed anyone sufficiently. That's sure to raise tempers. Dearest, unless you've some objection, I think it best that you join us at the table, and we’ll see to feeding all of our guests, yes?"

Megan gestured to Cassia and Justin, and the pair moved the cauldron to the head of the table. Brownies showed up with their usual timing, the two in the lead bearing ladles, while others carried stacks of bowls. Yet others started setting out goblets for each guest. They started an efficient delivery system, taking the soup to each guest.

Despite the arguments and tension before, no one objected to being fed, and no one questioned the cauldron's authenticity as more and more soup was doled out without any sign of it emptying.

Despite the changes, it was clear that a lot of ground remained to be covered. Many ate in silence, and parties who had been arguing before still glared at one another, but everyone shared the same table without raised voices or signs the difficulties might turn physical.

Whatever Megan might have hoped, the effect was subtle but, she thought, noticeable. The meal together and the power of the cauldron didn't rid of millennia of bickering and division, but people talked of other things over dinner, and groups exchanged old in-jokes or started asking questions. It became apparent that the cauldron didn't so much erase everything to start anew as judiciously apply some white-out to the narrative.

The meal went on for some time, with the combination of Kerr's cooking and unlimited quantities proving quite popular amongst the guests, on top of the feast Riocard had already arranged and eventually served. By the end of it, more parties had begun to talk. Megan and company had seats suitable for the Princess of the hosts and her entourage, with Justin at her right side, and Ashling and the Count getting their own place settings in the middle of the table, just in front of Megan.

As the brownies were taking plates and goblets away, and some companies had retreated for a while to rest and discuss amongst their own, Riocard finally addressed Megan directly again. "Tell me, dearest, aside from the souvenir, any other news from your trip?"

Megan started to answer, when Lani nudged her, tipping her head towards the Queen and General Inwar, both of whom were obviously listening in, even if a lot of the table was absorbed in their own discussions.

Megan looked back at her father and took a deep breath, taking a moment to think through everything they'd learned, trying to decide what would help him the most. "We didn't talk to the dokkalfar very long. But they mentioned that they're waiting on the Fimbulwinter."

The people nearest them got quiet, and a few more eyes turned Megan's way.

Inwar and Riocard exchanged a glance, then Riocard and Orlaith. Finally, he turned his eyes back to Megan.

"So my people were right." Inwar spoke up, "If the Fomoire can stop the seasons turning..."

"Your people were at least partly right," Riocard answered. "The Fomoire, intentionally or not, are harbingers. Unless we stop them now."

"Then we must ensure that they're stopped," Orlaith said, looking to Tiernan. "And it's time for all the forces of Faerie to return to the fold."

Tiernan narrowed his eyes, considering her with suspicion. "Does this mean the exile is lifted?"

Orlaith's expression didn't shift. "Perhaps, if you can demonstrate that you're once again a greater threat to the enemy than to your own people."

Tiernan tensed and even started to stand up, but after a deep breath, he settled in again. "And how would you propose I do that?"

“
Destroy your pikes. Or bury them deep. Whatever works.”

“
You cannot—” Tiernan began, but Orlaith interrupted him.

“
You
cannot harm your current enemy with them, only arm them. Don't they have arms enough?”

There was a long, long pause.

“
Very well,” Tiernan said. He gestured to his men. “Get our other pikes. They're better for the task at hand. Make sure the iron ones cannot be used by the Fomoire.” He looked to Orlaith. “I'm not taking orders from the Northman.”

“
That's an argument I'm willing to delay,” the Seelie Queen said. “Consider your people an independent unit for now. But I'll want your word.”

“
Oh, here it comes.”

"Swear yourself and your soldiers to the defense of Faerie. The realm must endure. We lost our cities, so many of our people, our unity. It must not happen again. No more time in the dark while our enemies run free."

Tiernan seemed surprised. “...I can do that.”

Chapter 32: Flowers, Silk, and Reality

The feast had gone over well. It wasn't that everything was settled, or even close to it. The discussion had gotten quite loud at times, but it was a discussion in earnest about how precisely to face the problem of the Fomoire, rather than whether to.

Eventually, all delegations adjourned to their tents. Despite the peaceful advantage of the cauldron, Megan noticed, Riocard posted extra guards near hers. She didn't let it worry her. She couldn't afford to: her recent 'nights' of sleep had been spread over too many days.

The next day, after more negotiations and lunch, a break was called in the debates, allowing tempers to cool—or side deals to be made, perhaps. Ashling busied herself tending to errands for the king, and Cassia was preparing to go talk to the apparent cyclopes and ogre coalition.

“
Are you going to be okay with them?” Megan asked.

“
Yeah,” Cassia said. “The other satyrs are keeping their mouths shut. And I think I saw the dryad talking nicely with the huntin. Granted, there's probably only one kind of Greek-Xhosa relations that she's interested in, but it's better than picking fights.”

“
Huntin?” Megan realized some of the introductions had been lacking.

“
African nature folk. Trees, specifically.”

“
Nature folk called huntin? Are there any called fishin?”

“
Do you have any idea how often we get that joke?” asked a low, susurrating male voice somewhere behind and to the left of Megan. She turned to see a figure that could certainly be described as tall, dark, and handsome, but the hair made of fibers interspersed with red flowers was certainly atypical.

Megan blushed. “Sorry. I guess it's a lot?”

He flashed a smile. “Nope. Why would we? The word for ‘hunt’ is 'zingela.' Cassia, I believe we have a factional meeting of sorts?” And off they went.

Megan, Justin, and Lani spent a little while talking amongst themselves, letting Lani explain who some of the host of unfamiliar folk were, as well as going into more detail about some traditional alliances and animosities. Then they went in search of Lani's father, ultimately finding him walking and talking with Riocard.

It was quite a contrast to see them. The Unseelie King, in briarmail armor up to his neck, stood six and a half feet tall. With no Earthly distortions, the Kahuna of the Menehune Engineering Corps was barely more than half that. They both seemed likely to get a crick in their neck during the discussion as they walked.

“
Obviously, we're going to want to stand our ground as near the 'Fishing Hole' as possible,” Mr. Kahale said. “But there will still be much to decide in terms of where precisely. I'd like Your Majesty to have both pixies and sprites scouting the terrain, as they'll catch different issues.”

“
Granted. What's the next point of concern?”

“
We'll want all blueprints finalized before work begins, so the diurnal crews won't worry about 'correcting' the nocturnal crews, or vice versa.”

“
Dad?” Megan and Lani said in unison.

Mr. Kahale went to them directly. "I'm glad you made it, but I'm sorry you're here," he said, hugging his daughter. After all the times she'd seen them on the other side, Megan wasn't sure she'd ever get used to seeing Lani as so much taller than her father when he looked like his true self.

“
Do you want me to go home?” Lani asked.

“
You can't send away one of the heroines of the hour, Kahuna,” Riocard said as he put a hand on Megan's shoulder.

Mr. Kahale was still addressing Lani. “Not now. I'm not going to neglect a good resource while we're sorting so much out. But you 'officially had the flu' for long enough, young lady. Come Monday, you're going back to school. You can go to An Teach Deiridh for the May Day Dance that evening. You can come here—or wherever we agree on—every afternoon and weekend afterward until graduation, if you choose. But I won't have you disappointing yourself by dropping out of school to spend all of May arguing fortifications with dwarves. Deal?”

“
Deal,” Lani said, smiling.

“
Good. Now did your mother say anything in reply to your latest message?”

Lani blinked. “I...didn't send a message,” she admitted. “I've been a little … out of it today.”

Megan was even more wide-eyed. She'd turned her own mother's world upside down and sideways, left on a dangerous errand, and hadn't even thought of sending word that she was okay.

Mr. Kahale frowned, then looked to Megan's father. “Could a messenger sprite please be sent?”

“
Sure,” Riocard said, not yet noticing Megan's expression as he raised a hand to call for one. “The things you fret about, at a time like this. I guess that's what you get for taking solemn vows every time you put flowers in someone's hair.”

The Kahuna rolled his eyes. “That, twenty of the best years I've had in centuries, and responsibility for two of the potentially brightest minds in more than one world. Yeah, weep for me, Majesty.”

“
Dad!” Lani muttered weakly, blushing.

Whatever may have been the Unseelie King's retort, he apparently dropped it when he finally noticed Megan's face. “Is... your mother all right?” he finally managed.

“
Not really,” Megan said. "I told her."

Riocard nodded, looking distant for a few moments. "I can only imagine that was difficult. But she let you travel here?"

Megan nodded. "She may not be happy with it, but she and I are... doing better. She knows I'm committed to being here when I'm needed, even if it's dangerous."

"So you'll be staying?" Riocard said.

Megan shook her head. "Lani needs me at least half as much as I need her. I'm also not going to be any help with a lot of the tactical things, engineering things, or other preparing things. I still want to try to finish school, and not all with brownie assistance. But I'll come back."