The Changeling (Book One of The Síofra Chronicles) (16 page)

Chapter Nineteen

I tried hard to enjoy my Thanksgiving dinner with my family, knowing that it wouldn't be long before I was back in school and Elliott was back across the country at his military base.  I didn't know when we would have the whole family together again
, so I forced myself to keep my attention on the things going on in front of me. If I chose to be Fae, this would be my last Thanksgiving with them ever, and the thought made me feel like crying.  How could I even consider giving this up?

I was excited to see that Becca and Elliot
t had stopped ignoring each other and had taken to sneaking long glances at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking.  My brother was a lot of things, but an idiot he was not. Most of the time. Okay, he was usually an idiot, but at least he was getting something right for once.  Whenever I asked Becca about it, she just gave me a sly grin and told me that she would tell me if anything changed but that in the meantime she was going to make him realize what he didn't have.  I could only laugh at her and feel pity for Elliott, knowing that he would soon be eating every word he’d said about Becca being like a kid sister to him. 

Things with Aleksander and I weren't faring as well
, much to my dismay.  Even though I was resigning myself to the fact that what had happened at the Pool was mostly my fault, I still didn't want to be the first one to address it.  Unfortunately, Aleksander didn't seem to up for talking about it either and our interactions had been strictly about my role as a Síofra but with long, awkward silences and unspoken apologies.  I had never felt so miserable. 

By Friday night
, I was ready to cave and leave my pride in the real world.  When I awoke on the beach, I found him waiting for me expectantly, a solemn look on his face that made my apology catch in my throat.

"We've been summoned,"
he said grimly, his mouth drawn into a tight line.

"Wait, we
? As in both of us?" I sputtered.

Had Aleksander told them about the fiasco with the nightmare?  I felt the blood drain from my face.  I knew it.  I wasn't fit to be a Fae and they wanted to make it formal. Or maybe it was my kiss with Aleksander.  Maybe we were both in trouble for fraternization or something.

"All of the Síofra and their Caomhnóir's have been summoned.  You're the last one to get here, so we need to hurry."  He turned and set off down the beach toward the road, setting a brisk pace.  I chased after him, trying to keep up with his long strides, but soon enough I was huffing with the exertion, forcing air into my lungs.

"What's going on?" I asked, my voice climbing with worry. 

"I'm not sure, but if they're calling everyone in, it's got to be pretty big," he replied, grabbing my hand and tugging me along, speeding my progress.

A strange tension flared between us
, and I snuck a glance at him to see if he had felt it too.  His eyes were firmly on the road ahead of us so I squeezed his hand instead. 

"I'm sorry," I said sadly as we walk
ed.  "About what happened.  You were right.  I wasn't being careful enough.  I saw how helpless she looked and I couldn't not do something to help her.  I would have hated myself if something had happened to her while I just watched."

He stopped abruptly and turned to face me, his brows drawn together as he studied my face, my hand still clasped in his.
"Don't be sorry," he argued.  "Your instincts were right. Your desire to help her is in your nature.  I was scared when I found you and I let the fear speak for me. I didn’t prepare you fully, and if something had happened, it would have been my fault.  It’s my job to train you, not to freak out when you try to do what you were created to."

"You were scared?" I
asked, heat building in my chest and climbing up the back of my neck as I searched his face.  "Why?"

He pulled me back along the path
, resuming the brutal pace.  "We'll talk about it later," he promised.  "There's no time right now.  The messengers said the Queen was upset, and if you had ever met her, you would know it takes a great deal to upset her.  There will be time to talk about what lies between us later."

I had to stop myself from dancing when he admitted that there was something between us and concentrated instead on keeping up with his pace.  When we entered the gate, instead of leading me through the center of town to the gardens where I liked to spend time with Caroline, he pulled me down a wide walkway on the right toward the large spires looming over the rest of the rooftops.

I wasn’t sure what I had been expecting when I imagined the Court of a Faerie Queen, but I had anticipated a medieval castle with lots of stonework and turrets and imposing architecture.  Instead, he pulled me up a set of wide stairs into an open pavilion that seemed more fit for a party than a Court.  The room was set in a giant circle, surrounded by stone columns covered in ivy and honeysuckle vines.  There was no ceiling, allowing the light from the double moon to stream in under the calm skies and cast their glow upon the people gathered along the edges of the room. Banners with beautiful threadwork that changed colors and shimmered as they moved in the breeze were draped along the columns.  Baskets of hanging flowers floated in the air above us, lending their delicate scent to the room, the centers of the flowers glowing gently like lanterns.

Seated on a raised
dais on two intricately carved chairs were two of the most beautiful people I had ever seen in my life, and I knew immediately who they were.  Queen Titania and King Oberon, the rulers of the Seelie Fae.

They both looked like they
had been carved out of warm marble and pure sunlight.  The Queen was tall and willowy, with pale skin and long golden curls tumbling over both of her shoulders that made her delicate features look like they belonged on a china doll.  I had a sudden irrational urge to touch her and see if her skin felt as warm as it looked.  Oberon was as fair as she, although he wore his blond hair in a closer cut.  His features were strong and angular where hers were delicate.  They looked as young as I did on first glance, but they held themselves with an air of command and a wisdom shining in their strange eyes that spoke of a life that stretched beyond the imagination.

When the
Queen glanced at me and smiled sadly, her jewel-like eyes shining with unshed tears, I inhaled sharply and had to physically restrain myself from rushing to her side to comfort her. She seemed so dainty, and I wanted to protect her from anything that could upset her.  The need to make her smile was so consuming that my lungs burned for need of air before I realized that I was holding my breath.  I forced myself to stop staring, sweeping the room to look at the others gathered near us.

My eyes rested on a tall boy standing near Oberon.  I couldn't be sure what it was about him that
had drawn my eyes, but I felt myself unable to tear them away.  He had hair so black that it almost seemed blue where the moonlight danced up on it and full lips that would have looked feminine on anyone else.  I let my gaze travel up his face to his eyes, which somehow looked different than anyone else's.  Neither fully human nor Fae, but somewhere between. They were larger than a mortal’s but didn't appear as wild, as terrible as the monarchs’ he stood near.  It intrigued me, and I studied him, chewing on my bottom lip as I puzzled it out until he swung his eyes to mine, meeting my gaze.  The corners of his lips turned up in a smile and he bent slightly at the waist, as if bowing toward me.  The white-haired Fae he had been speaking with turned to see what had drawn his attention, and I felt myself stiffen as the shock of recognition overtook me.

It was Niall. He
' recognized me as easily as I had recognized him.  He smiled coldly, exposing rows of sharp pointy teeth and affected a deep mocking bow, and I felt my stomach twist with panic.

The blood drained from my face
, and without thinking, I wrapped my arm around Aleksander's and stepped closer him, struggling to stifle my gasp.  Aleksander frowned at me and looked to see what had frightened me.  I knew the moment his eyes set on Niall because he shoved me behind him and made a noise like a growl deep in his throat.

"There is no need for that
, Aleksander,” the Queen spoke, her voice sounding like the tinkling of small bells, quietly dispelling my fear and putting me instantly at ease.  "Cassandra is quiet safe.  Niall is here as my guest and has given me his word that there will be no mischief."

"Of course," Aleksander responded stiffly, inclining his head before reluctantly pulling me to stand beside him but keeping me close to his side, his hand clasp
ing mine.

Niall smirked at me mockingly
, and I struggled to rein my fear and my anger in.  I shot him a hostile glare, mad at myself for letting him see that I was frightened of him.  I took a steadying breath and forced myself to free my face of emotion.  I glanced over at his companion and was surprised to see pride on his face as he smiled at me.  I frowned at him, confused.  He met my gaze steadily, his smile growing even as my frown turned to a grimace. I made a face at him and was rewarded with a loud guffaw from him, his eyes sparkling.  I tore my gaze away as the Queen commanded our attention.

"Now that everyone is here," she said as she stood, "
it pains me to tell you that you are all in grave danger."

She had my full attention now
—and that of everyone in the room.  I felt Aleksander stiffen beside me and he squeezed my hand.

"Niall and Finnian have traveled from Mab's
Court to deliver unto us a warning.  There have been several disappearances of Síofra from their Court in the last several months, and they recognized the dangers and were kind enough to warn us as well."

Someone snorted derisively.  "It's not a disappearance if they choose to stay a mortal rather than live there,"
the Fae jeered. “Not that anyone could blame them.”

"It is not only their Síofra who have disappeared
, Keegan," she answered sadly, fixing the outspoken Fae with a hard glare, her eyes like ice. Keegan paled and withered under her gaze.  "We have unfortunately confirmed the disappearance of one of our own as well. No formal declaration had been made to stay mortal.  Indeed, we have been led to believe that it was her intention to make her choice to stay among us shortly."  She stopped, her eyes glazing over in sorrow.  Great glittering tears filled her eyes and slid down her cheeks.  Impossibly, she looked even more beautiful in her despair, and again I felt the compulsion to comfort her, to protect her from harm.  I could see from those around us that they felt a similar compulsion to comfort their Queen.

The Faerie King stood next to her, gently gathering her in his arms and whispering in her ear before facing us, his face a mirror of hers. Grief etched lines into his beautiful face. 

"The Unseelie Court has reached the same conclusion that we have,” he announced loudly.  “We believe that there is an Erlking on the loose, and until it is found and destroyed, any undeclared Síofra is in danger." 

The
Court erupted into chaos as the assembled crowd shouted loudly, arguing with one another.  Their voices climbed as they tried to be head over each other. 

"What's an Erlking?" I whispered to Aleksander,
alarmed by the fierce blackness that had overtaken his face. 

"How can you be sure?"
he demanded of the King, ignoring my question.  "Is it possible the girl is stuck in the mortal realm somehow?"

The Queen sobbed into her husband’s chest as he answered.  "I am afraid not.  There are no barriers that would prevent her from returning that would not have affected the others."

"What is an Erlking?" I asked again, raising my voice to be heard above the din.

"An elf," a low voice answered me.  I swung my gaze to the
dark-haired boy the Queen had called Finnian, my eyes widening in shock. "Legend says that the elves that were trapped in the mortal world when the portals were closed became starved for the magic that permeates our world.  It twisted them into something worse, something darker than even the darkest among us."   His gaze flicked toward Niall before capturing mine again.  "They are shape shifters and addicts, searching for any magic that they can find from our world to steal for their own to survive in the harshness of your world."

I frowned, feeling my stomach churn in fear.  "Where would they find that?" I asked, my voice trembling. 

"Why
, little changeling, haven't you guessed?" Niall grinned, his voice thick with cold amusement.  "What else travels between the worlds?  Who else could possibly be gathering the energy of this world and taking that magic with them?"

The blood drained from my face and Aleksander tensed, gripping my hand tight and keeping me steady, as if he could feel my knees weakening beneath me as I struggled to breath
e. 

"What?" I
asked, blood roaring in my ears.

I felt dazed and scared as I realized what he was getting at.  Finnian looked at me balefully, a strange protective gleam in his eyes. He took a step toward me
, and Aleksander moved in front of me, shielding me from him as he glared at him.

Finnian’s eyes seethed with anger as he stared at Aleksander.