Fragile Destiny (The Aether Chronicles) (26 page)

V lounged on the bed in naught but a nightshirt, reading something, hair damp from his own bath. He looked up at her and a blush rose to his cheeks. Setting his reading on the nightstand, he gazed at her in a way that made her heart leap.

The room glowed with candles. There were flowers everywhere, their perfume delicate, yet sensual. Rose petals sprinkled the top of the bed.

“Miri left these for me. It’s so soft. Feel?” She walked over to the bed, trying to be beautiful and confident. So many emotions fluttered in her belly.

V pulled her onto the petal-covered surface and ran his hands over her shoulders and down her arms, pulling the robe with it, her skin sizzling where his fingers caressed her.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered, voice warm on her ear.

“So are you,” she breathed back, running her hand through his still-damp hair. Fresh out of the bath, he looked quite … ravishing, and it made the fire in her belly grow. Leaning forward, she kissed him as he peeled the robe off her. “You’re mine, V.”

He put his arms around her and leaned forward, gently lowering her to the bed, his eyes never leaving hers. “Yes, I am. I love you so much, Noli. I’m yours, forever, to do whatever you wish with. What do you command of me?”

Those soft words awakened everything. Her back arched slightly in anticipation.

“Love me forever.” She tilted her face up, asking for a kiss.

“Only if you love me forever in return.” His lips brushed hers as his hands slid under her back, bringing her to him, deepening the kiss.

“I love you, so much.” Noli lost herself in his green eyes. “I feel like I can do anything with you by my side.”

His kisses trickled down her neck. “I feel the same. Now, what do you wish of me? Do you wish for me to kiss you here?” He kissed her collarbone. “What about here?” The kiss went a bit lower.

“Oh, that tickles.” She laughed and wiggled as he kissed her again and again.

“What about this?” He took a flower and ran it down her face, her body curving as he trailed it down to her navel, then kissed her through the fabric of her nightclothes. “So … ”

A coy smile spread across her face. “You know exactly what I want.”

She was a faery queen. All those old-fashioned things her mother had drilled into her no longer applied—if they ever really had.

V kissed her on the lips. His kisses got lower and lower, which made her body shiver with anticipation.

His eyes danced. “As you wish, My Queen.”

She pulled him to her and kissed him with all her might. The past few days had been difficult, but she no longer regretted any of it. Regret wouldn’t change things. It was time to accept this new fate and give it her best—and she could, with V by her side.

V’s hands caressed her body. A happy sigh escaped her lips and she surrendered herself to the one she loved most.

Twenty-Five

Discoveries

Steven gazed at Noli, who slept peacefully, her head on his bare chest, curls tickling his nose. He tried not to sneeze, afraid it would wake her. The sneeze came out anyway, and even though he tried to stifle it, her eyes fluttered open.

“Good morning, V.” She gave him a sleepy smile.

“Good morning.” He kissed her on the forehead. “I … I love you.” Last night …

Words couldn’t begin to describe it.

Her hand caressed his face and she smiled. This wasn’t sleepy; no, it was coy, and it assured him that last night had been everything she’d wanted.

“We can do this,” he told her, filled with a new sense that perhaps this
would
turn out all right in the end. “We’ll work together and do what we need to in order to recover from the attack, we’ll create and implement a plan for the kingdom,
we’ll go to the Academe and study. I’m sure you can study plant magic—that’s a bit like magical botany, don’t you think?”

“Magical botany, I like that. Though perhaps I’ll start with that tutor first.” She yawned. “I’m so tired. I don’t know if it was all that magic, or the stress of yesterday, or … ” A blush rose to her cheeks in a way that made him want to kiss her and start last night all over again.

So he did.

“V … ” She laughed and pushed him away, gently.

“I’ll see about those tutors today. Elise’s nursemaid, too. And … ” He pulled her close. “Since we don’t have meetings this morning, perhaps after breakfast we can hunt for a good place to set up the royal workshop? Then we can send for your things from the big house, and when we go back to the mortal realm we can get whatever you like from your house.”

Noli glowed with happiness. “I’d like that so much. Last night all I could think of was how much easier it would have been to fight the fires if we’d had our hoverboards.”

That was his Noli, always thinking about better ways to do things.

“V … I hate to change the subject, but … when will they expect us to have children?” She gazed up at him. “I know we used magic to prevent them, but I have no idea what people will expect here. In the mortal realm it would be my duty to have them as soon as possible, and … I’m not ready,” she blurted. “We have so much work to do and I don’t want to disappoint anyone, but—”

He stroked her hair, soothing her. “No one will expect us to have children right away—especially given that everyone
here pretty much considers
us
children.”

“Oh good.” She sighed with relief. “I’d like to make our dreams come true and spend time with you before little feet pitter-patter about this place. Also, we have Elise.”

“I’m not ready to be a father,” he admitted, glad she shared his feelings. “You’ll probably be ready to be a mother before I’m ready to be a father, because girls always seem to be more ready for these things.”

She shoved him as she laughed. “That’s not very modern of you.”

“But it’s true,” he mock-pouted. “We’ll need to come up with a cover story for your mother, something that explains us being out of touch and not visiting much.”

Noli nodded in agreement. “But we should tell Jeff and Vix the truth.”

“Yes.” As much as he didn’t want to, it would be helpful. “I … I was thinking we could tell your mother that we’re studying abroad, since she doesn’t like airships—and that we’ll be terribly busy with our studies and such. We can work out a system for messages with Jeff, and James can retrieve them for us. I … ” He took a deep breath. “I think we need to examine the rest of Quinn’s research on the staff, especially what Uncle Brogan had, and send James to track down any remaining pieces. Maybe he can even work with Jeff.”

“Or Hittie and Hattie.” Noli laughed. “I never got to meet them, but they sound like fun.”

He shook his head, remembering the sisters. “I think you’d get on well with them. Are we protecting the pieces … or have things changed?”

Steven wasn’t sure if the Bright Lady still spoke to her.

Noli drew the glyph in the air. He should set strong protections around their bedroom as well. After all, there were spies among them.

“I think we’re going to need to assemble it once we have all the pieces. We need to find out what pieces the dark king has,” she admitted.

The last thing he wanted to do was to work with Ciarán. However, she had a point.

“How exactly do we do that?” he asked. Stealing them wasn’t going to work.

“We could ask him,” Noli replied. “Also, I think we’ll need to start preparing Elise to take the throne.” She put up her hand when he opened his mouth to protest. “We can do it covertly. But we’ve been charged with ensuring that she’s the right type of queen to wield the staff. Which unfortunately isn’t … ”

It wasn’t Tiana. He gulped. “I know.”

Would it really come to this? He was unhappy with his mother, but he didn’t want to kill her. Perhaps they could discover a peaceful solution and solve things with words instead of swords.

“We should think about regents as well, someone to rule on her behalf and advise her until she’s of age. We can’t be regents, and James isn’t of age. Though he’d refuse anyway.” Steven sighed, this was even more complicated than he’d expected it to be. “Quinn would have been perfect.”

“One thing at a time.” She squeezed his hand. “I think breakfast might be in order before we decide to change the Otherworld as we know it.”

He kissed her neck. “I suppose.”

“That’s not what I meant by breakfast,” she laughed as she tried to get up.

Steven pinned her to the bed and grinned. “No?”

She wiggled out, then pinned
him.
“This is better.”

“Is it?” He liked this playful, feisty Noli, her nose touching his, her grin wide as the Cheshire Cat’s. “Why don’t you show me?”

Kevighn sat up with a start, blankets around his waist, light streaming in through the window. Where was he? What had happened? He rubbed his throbbing head and looked around.

This was Ciarán’s room. Last night …

His fingers went to the sigil around his neck. No. Last night wasn’t a dream.

Nor did he regret it.

A hand clasped his wrist, eyes meeting his. “Don’t run—and that’s an order. I’m through being patient with you.”

“I won’t. Not ever.” He meant every word. Why had he waited so long?

Yawning, Kevighn turned to look at Ciarán, who sat up as well. “I want to get an early start,” Kevighn told him. “The sooner I find Magnolia’s father, the sooner we can bring Aodhan home.”

“I was thinking … perhaps Aodhan could become caretaker of your sister’s grove and tree house—if it’s all right with you,” Ciarán said quietly.

Kevighn took a deep breath. “Yes, the grove has been neglected for too long. I think he’s of a good age for that.”

His sister’s grove deserved a real caretaker. Who better to do that than her son?

“Excellent.” Ciarán stood and got dressed. “Take whatever provisions you need.”

“I will. I hope I won’t be gone too long.” Kevighn dressed as well. “Do you want to come with me? It’s been a long time since we had a reckless adventure.”

Ciarán put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m always up for a good adventure—and I never shirk from a fight—but when you have people under your care, you can’t be reckless for recklessness’s sake.”

Kevighn threw a shirt at him. “You sound like your father.”

“He was a wise man.” Ciarán balled up the shirt and threw it back.

Kevighn pulled on his shirt and they went downstairs, where old Luce was baking the day’s bread. She took one look at them and put the kettle on, then went down into the cellar. When she came back she made them tea and fried sausages.

Fried sausage sandwiches went well with Ciarán’s hangover remedies. Which they both needed. Maybe he
did
drink too much.

“Where exactly are you headed? Do I need to ask for safe passage on your behalf?” Ciarán asked as they ate at the table in the kitchen.

Safe passage? Ah, yes. When adventuring on another court’s lands, it was customary to ask for permission. A new life meant playing by a new set of rules.

“I … I don’t know, precisely,” Kevighn replied slowly. “I was just following the tracking spell. The place itself is in the wild lands, riddled with patches of wild magic. Can people survive wild magic? I don’t know much about it.”

Luce toddled over and slapped a coil of rope in front of him. “You’ll need this. Be quick, time runs different in them patches.”

That was good to know. “What’s the rope for?”

“It can be very easy to become distracted and lost. Before you enter, tie one end to something, then the other around your waist so you can find your way back and not wander around forever. It’s enchanted, so there will always be enough,” she added. “Also, mind your thoughts. Wild magic is meant to be formed.”

“I appreciate that, Luce.” He smiled. Luce, being ancient, knew all sorts of useful things.

Ciarán put a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t do anything stupid. We want you back.”

Kevighn wasn’t quite ready to say it out loud, but he wanted to come back, too.

Toolbox in hand, Kevighn entered the wild lands. Everything around him was dark and dismal, as if something had sucked the color and the joy out of it.

Yet it wasn’t lacking in life. No, the gnarled branches seemed to claw at him as he passed. Strange birds called from twisted trees. Rocks popped up from out of nowhere to trip him. Wild lands often took on a life of their own, which was why many didn’t like to travel through them. Also, the threat of being eaten by the odd creatures that lurked in these parts was high if you didn’t know how to be stealthy and smart.

He followed the tracking spell until he came to a place where everything just … ceased. While the wild lands were ordered chaos, the patches of wild magic were akin to dense fog.

Frowning, he gazed into the wild magic, then redid the spell several times—just in case the sheer amount of magic had wreaked havoc with it.

No. Mr. Braddock, or what was left of him, was in …
that.

He took the coil of rope out of the basket and tied one end to his waist and the other to a nearby tree like Luce had instructed. Taking a deep breath, he entered the magic.

Twenty-Six

New Beginnings

“If it’s not the dark court or the fire court, then who could the culprit be?” Elric grumped as they wrapped up their daily meeting in the war room.

“Everything is … inconclusive.” Bran frowned.

Noli and V exchanged glances. With every passing day, they grew more certain that Tiana was behind it. Not that they could say so, even to Bran.

“Is there anything else we need to address today?” Noli asked. The injured had returned to their homes, the remaining damage to the palace had been repaired, the banquet had been rescheduled, and things were slowly settling into something that might be considered normal.

Padraig shook his head. “Not that I can think of.”

Elric looked over his list, frowning as he checked things off. “No, Your Grace.”

Bran shot her a glance that meant he needed to speak to her alone.

“Then I think we’re done.” She smiled and stood.

As usual, V and Elric put their heads together, consulting lists and books, researching and planning everything to death. She left the room and, as expected, Bran followed.

“Your Grace?” His voice went low. “When
do
you expect to make the trade with His Majesty for the boy?”

“I’m not sure, I haven’t heard back from him.” Strange. What was he waiting for? “I’ll send another missive.” Of sorts. She knew exactly what would garner a response.

“I see. Your Grace.” Bran left without another word.

What an odd man.

Noli returned to their chambers. Their things had been retrieved from the big house; tutors and governesses were being found; Quinn’s journals and research had been brought back from Los Angeles and ensconced in V’s father’s private library, which V had taken over as his own. There hadn’t been much free time, but gathering all the pieces of the staff was a priority. She had a feeling she wasn’t just supposed to protect the pieces, but that she was going to have to
assemble
them—and ensure that Elise could wield the staff in a way that wouldn’t anger the magic.

“Hello, Noli,” Aodhan said as she entered the sitting room. He and Elise were sitting on the floor around the low table, playing a board game that was a bit like chess.

“Aodhan, would you like to write your father a letter? I won’t look, I promise.” Yes, a letter from Aodhan would be much more effective than anything she could say.

“I’d like that very much. Would you like me to do that now?” Aodhan captured one of Elise’s pieces with his own, causing her to pout.

“Please?” Noli eyed the board. “I’m sorry, I have no idea how to play this game. But once he’s done, let’s go out to the garden. I want to try something. Perhaps you both could help me.”

She needed to be outside. Gah, there were so many meetings. Indoors. How did anyone stand it? Shouldn’t all of earth court be
outside
?

Elise brightened. “Oh, good. I’m tired of this game anyhow.”

Aodhan stood and grinned. “You’re just mad because I always beat you.”

“Am not.” Her cheeks flushed.

“Are too.” Eyes dancing, he left the room.

Noli helped Elise put the game away.

“Why do I need a governess? Isn’t Miri enough? Am I not going back to my old school in Los Angeles?” Elise made a face as they sat down on the settee.

“We’re staying here for now, and apparently you need a governess, not a nursemaid. Also, for some reason, sprites can’t be governesses,” she replied. Urco came over and begged for affection. Noli scratched behind his ears in the way he liked. “Don’t you like Caít?”

Evidently, lesser royals often took on positions like governesses and such for royal children. Caít was a cousin, and she reminded Noli far too much of Charlotte with her impish ways. She’d be moving into the palace soon to start her duties. V had wanted to find a governess for Elise before Tiana gifted them with one.

Elise reached out to pet Urco. “I like Miri.”

“Me too, and she’ll still play with you.” Noli smiled. “Why don’t you find Miri and ask her to get us a picnic, and I’ll check on Aodhan?”

“Perfect.” Beaming, Elise set off to find Miri.

“This is hard,” Noli told V. He was helping her form a tree house out of the faery tree in the earth court palace’s flower garden. V had the faery tree at the big house—and now she had this one, at the palace. However, she missed her tree back in Los Angeles.

“It is hard, isn’t it?” V replied as they worked. “They say it took hundreds of people to craft the palace. I’d always thought it was an exaggeration, but now I believe it.”

“This is fun,” Elise chirped as she helped.

Noli looked over and saw her and Aodhan both hard at work on their part of the tree house construction. He had such an intense contemplative expression on his face.

“V—” She nodded toward them. Aodhan had earth talent. Like his mother.

What else could the boy do?

He sucked in a sharp breath. “I see.”

James stood below and gazed up at them. “What are you doing?”

“Making a tree house, silly,” Elise laughed.

They’d made quite a bit of progress, and it actually looked like a two-room house without a roof, and missing a wall.

“Sounds boring.” James plopped down on the ground below and helped himself to the remains of their picnic, feeding crumbs to some wood faeries who thought eating was more interesting than helping. “V, are we still going to the big house tomorrow?”

“Yes, we are. Also, did you see to those things I asked?” A look of concentration covered V’s face as he made a window in one of the walls under the direction of a cadre of wood faeries.

“What things?” Noli directed the branches to weave together, creating a roof.

“Surprise. Here, let me help.” V helped her finish the roof as Elise and Aodhan brought the last wall up to meet it.

They climbed down from the tree and observed it. Several little wood faeries sat on Noli’s shoulder. One was the purple faery from Kevighn’s who’d decided she liked it here better. A green one sat on Elise’s head.

“What do you think?” Noli asked everyone. It was simple, with two rooms and several windows, but they could add on to it later.

“It needs furniture, like Uncle Kevighn’s,” Elise told her.

“My Uncle Kevighn has a tree house?” Aodhan asked. His limp was gone and he seemed in good health.

“You should ask him to take you there,” Elise replied.

“Ours is better.” V’s arms wrapped around Noli protectively. His tone was jealous, but he didn’t comment about “Uncle Kevighn.”

“It is,” Noli replied. It actually was, in many ways, though that hadn’t been her sole intention. “I give you, the Royal Tree House.” Her gaze traveled around the garden. “We need more roses—oh, and star blooms. I’d like to plant them around the base of the tree.” She’d grown partial to the fragrant night-blooming flowers.

James lounged on the grass with Urco. “Oh, we got a message from Queen Tiana asking if we needed anything.”

“Star flowers from her greenhouse, of course, in every color. Also, I want a hover-chariot like she has,” Noli replied. “What?” she added at V’s expression. “If we don’t tell her something, she’ll give us the Otherworld equivalent of a white elephant.”

Her gaze fell on Elise, who was frolicking happily with Aodhan. They needed to do something about the fact that Elise thought her mother was dead. Soon. Before the queen made good on her invitation to come to tea and give royal lessons.

V chuckled. “You’re right.”

“I suppose I can make the tables and chairs.” James stood. “V, do we have any royal engagements tonight? We could have supper here.”

Noli and V exchanged looks.

“No, no royal engagements tonight,” Noli replied. “I like that idea, don’t you?” She looked at the children, who grinned with excitement.

“Supper, here?” A scandalized look crossed V’s face.

“Oh, don’t be a fussy old bodger,” Noli laughed.

V shook his head, a grin playing on his lips. “All right, a tree house supper it is.”

At the big house, Steven stood by the faery tree and the three tumuli, which were now filled in and covered in white rocks. He supposed his father and Dinessa should have been entombed in the family plot, where he’d had Brogan buried. But it had seemed more fitting for them to be here. They’d always loved it here, and now Quinn, in death as in life, was at his father’s side.

But the more he read of Quinn’s journals and research, the more he realized how little he truly knew about the man.

Noli squeezed his hand and gave him a small smile. She’d come with Elise and James to pay their respects. Aodhan had stayed behind with Miri. It wasn’t his place to tell the boy who his real father was.

“I miss you, Dadaí.” Elise put a bouquet of flowers on his tumulus. She placed another on Quinn’s. “Quinn.” Tears streamed down her face as she flung herself on the grave. “Quinn.” Over and over she sobbed his name.

Noli took a step forward to comfort her.

“Let her cry.” Steven pulled Noli closer to him and he buried his face in her shoulder as he finally allowed himself to mourn the man who’d been more of a father to him than his own.

Eventually, he let go of Noli and picked up Elise, holding his little sister to him. She rested her head on his shoulder.
He took Noli’s hand as well, which was slightly awkward with Elise in his arms.

“Let’s return to the big house. We’ll have a snack, see if there’s anything else we need, then go back to the palace,” Steven told them.

“I like that idea. My toolbox wasn’t in my valise when my things were brought over.” Noli glanced over at his brother. “James?”

James held a bouquet of flowers in his hand. “I … I’ll be there in a bit.”

Without another word, he disappeared.

“Where’s he going?” Elise asked as they walked to the big house.

“He’s going to visit Charlotte. She’s buried not far away,” Steven said softly. With everything that had happened, it was so easy to forget that he’d lost her not long ago. But if the Staff of Eris was all he suspected it would be when they assembled it, no one would have to endure the sacrifice ever again.

“No peeking.” Steven covered Noli’s eyes with his hands as they stood right off her flower garden before a little cottage that looked straight out of a fairy tale.

“Why?” Noli laughed.

“I owe you a wedding present, remember?” He couldn’t keep the grin out of his voice. He was quite proud of what he’d been able to do for her—in secret, too.

“Oh, but I don’t have anything for you.” Disappointment rang through Noli’s voice.

“I have everything I want. Also, you created the tree house.” Steven pressed his lips to the top of her head, then removed his hands. “Open.”

She opened her eyes and gasped at the small building in front of them. “Is this a secret hideaway just for us?”

Why hadn’t he thought of
that
?

“Look.” He opened the door. The place looked like a cross between a cottage and a barn. “Behold the royal workshop.”

None of the spots they’d found in the palace had been right for her workshop, so he made her one of her own. He led her inside.

“This is … this is amazing.” She examined the work bench, the cupboards, and everything else. “I want to get the rest of my tools from Los Angeles.” Her face fell. “I can’t believe I lost my father’s toolbox.”

“Maybe you left it on the Vixen’s Revenge?” Steven wrapped his arms around her. “We’ll ask Jeff. Do you like it?” His belly twitched in apprehension. It had been difficult to find the time to create this for her in secret with everything else they had going on.

Noli turned around and gave him a deep and passionate kiss. “It’s the best gift ever.”

“What are you going to do first?” he asked.

She thought for a moment. “I think I’m going to make a hoverboard.”

“That’s my Noli.” He wouldn’t have her any other way.