The Earl's Childe (31 page)

Dad gave him a mirthless half-smile. “When I'm manic, I have insomnia anyway.”

“What work are you doing, then?” I asked. “What's the plan? Because the masses out there aren't buying the cover story. Even less so when they saw Joe come down the stairs. Well, Lily's group of friends saw him, and they kept it quiet to try and help.”

“Lily's still asleep?” Dad's face grew even more worried.

“Aye. She was when I came down.”

He took a deep breath and held up two insulated lunch packs. “I am offering Tom an Apology Breakfast—well, Brunch—in a manner of speaking. Your mum said if I were genuine and brought the right offerings, he might speak to me and bring our message to the Seelie lord and lady. And I need you to tell your kelpie to watch my back, because I have to do this where Tom can come to me.”

“Dad!” About a hundred different things that could go wrong with this plan ran through my head. Not the least of which was the sickening thought of the red caps…
getting
…my dad. Because I certainly didn't trust Calbraith to actually hold off until sunset if he could find an excuse not to.

“Heather,” both my parents started, but Mum nodded to let Dad continue. “Heather, I was wrong. Really wrong. And I truly am sorry for that. And if this is a way we can get a message to the fey who might possibly help us, it's worth the risk. But, that's why I need you to be specific with… Ehrwnmyr…because, well, he and I haven't been on the best terms, as you know.”

I nodded. Boy, did I know that!

Holding up a piece of notebook paper filled with lines of his handwriting, Dad continued. “Your mum gave me very specific instructions on how to make a safe spot in the yew trees just past the gardens and what else to do. And if the kelpie is watching my back, taking me there and back, it's as safe as we can make it.”

I clenched my teeth. “But last time you tried magick—”

“I was in a very bad place in my head. I was angry and panicked. I was hurt, and I had no concept of what I could even do. I have a better idea of that now.”

“But being near Ermie…you know, makes things worse.”

“Your mum gave me a few tricks to try and help with that, too. Heather, we have to do something. You know this. And the way it works is, I messed up, so I have to be the one to make amends. You know this, too.”

I nodded but felt a stinging in my eyes. Dad pulled me into a hug, and I hugged him tighter than I'd ever hugged anyone before.

I heard Mum stand up and walk over to us, talking. “What you need to do, Heather, is call Ermie to the castle again. Have him meet you and your father as near as he can. Explain to him the situation and tell him, specifically, that he must guard your father as he would guard you and listen to him
exactly
as he would listen to you. Michael, you and Ermie wait to leave until Heather gets inside safely, and then go. Are we all clear?”

“Aye, Mum.” I finally pulled away from Dad.

He leaned around me to kiss Mum on the lips. Even with Joe in the room, I couldn't be embarrassed, not this time. Dad was putting himself in a lot of danger. “And you'll at least try to get some sleep while I'm gone, love?”

She kissed him back. “You seriously think I'm getting
any
sleep while you're out there? Maybe,
maybe
, I'll consider a nap once you're back, safe and sound, telling me the cat fey is on his way to Lady Fana and Lord Cadmus.”

“Yes, ma'am.” Dad shook his head and kissed her again. I glanced around them, relieved to see Joe turned away, looking at another of Mum's books from the pile beside Rowan. Rowan, who was staring.

“Come back safe, Dad?” There was a crack in his voice.

Dad blew him a kiss. “I'll be safe, Rowan. I promise.”

“Good luck, Mr. MacArthur,” Joe said, looking at him.

“Thank you, Prince Joseph.”

Dad took my hand and, after yet one more kiss with Mum, we headed outside, while I reached out to Ermie in my head.

The kelpie was waiting on the embankment of the castle as he had last night. He pranced nervously.

What is happening? Mickey chased in peahens to feed me this morning, but I have heard nothing from any of you!

“I'm sorry. I— Well—”

“I'll fill you in on the details,” my dad said. “I don't want Heather out here longer than necessary. I don't trust Calbraith to not do anything.”

A wise choice, Heather's Father. But why am I here? What do you request of me?

Dad made a face and cringed each time the kelpie drew close. Shaking his head, he took a few deep breaths. “Michael. First. Please. And…and…” He rubbed his forehead.

“Dad—”

“I can do this, Heather.”

I frowned. “He needs you to take him to the yew trees so he can apologize to Tom and maybe get Tom to speak to Lady Fana and Lord Cadmus on our behalf. Let them know Calbraith was lying, and we don't want a treaty with him. And you have to protect him. Like he was me and something awful would happen to you if something awful happened to me. Do you understand?”

I understand
. He stopped prancing in place and looked at my dad.
Can
he
do this?

“Well?” asked Dad. From his expression and his tight jaw, I realized he hadn't “heard” what Ermie had just asked.

No. I only spoke to you. I…dislike the feel of speaking to him. And I believe he feels the same
.

I turned to Dad. “Ermie knows he's making things worse with you, so he isn't using his telepathy stuff, because he doesn't like how it feels and is pretty sure you don't either.”

“He would be correct. Will he let me ride him and watch my back? I'll just tell him everything, and he can, I don't know, just nod or something so he understands?”

Ermie deliberately nodded.

“Then we're good.” He handed me the two lunch bags, then gestured to the kelpie. “Stand, here, on the lower edge of the embankment. It's been a while since I've mounted bare back.”

With a grunt, he took a step back, grasping Ermie's mane, and hoisted himself up. Had it been a regular horse, he would have fallen back to the ground. But Ermie's tentacle fur caught him and pulled him the rest of the way up.

It would be disrespectful of me to describe his reaction. Especially since he was risking his life on the hopeful chance that making amends with the cat fey could get us some unlikely backup. So, I'll simply say it was not one of the bravest or coolest-looking moments in his career. In Dad's defense, he had never even come close enough to touch Ermie before, ever, so this was his first encounter with the “fur” that could grab you and stick you on.

He finally got himself situated, after a few squicked-out shivers and shakes, before taking the two lunch totes from me. Fortunately, for his part, Ermie was more amused than offended at my dad's reaction. Well, about as amused as one can get when one is worried about an evil fey who is looking forward to enslaving and torturing you.

Ermie trotted a tight circle while my dad got his bearings.
I will guard him for you, Heather
, he said, which actually made me feel better because it
felt
honest.

“Be good for your mum, love! I'll be back for tea,” Dad called, trying to sound casual. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, Dad!” I blew a kiss as I headed back into the castle. “See you at tea!”

I did love my dad, and we told each other that a lot. Yet this time hearing him say it and me saying it gave me a sick twinge in my stomach as I thought,
What if this is the last time…?

No. I'd see him by teatime. I had to believe that.

No one was in my parents' office when I came in, so I headed back to the kitchen. The last time I'd pulled an almost-all-nighter I was starving, and this time wasn't looking any different, no matter what kind of emotional wreck I was.

I had just taken a bite out of another sandwich when I was surrounded again. The usual suspects. Plus Lily.

“Do you know where Max is?” asked my sister, who annoyingly did
not
look like she'd lost almost a night's worth of sleep.

“No, why would I?”

“‘Cos he
likes
you, and we can't find him anywhere,” Chris answered.

I rolled my eyes, then caught Lily's eye. Before I could think of some way to ask if Tony had taken him without letting on about the djinni taking everyone, she gave me a
look
and said, “All his stuff is still here.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Livy asked.

Jared frowned. “‘Cos all the other
stuff
of kids who've disappeared has disappeared, too.”

“You
are
holding out on us!” Chris said.

Lily and I looked at each other in a totally not-guilty kind of way. Really, I swear.

Sara-Not-Beth drew herself up to her full height, which was definitely taller than I was and almost as tall as Chris, looked
me
hard in the eye, and said, “Spill it. What's going on?

Now.”

“Hey!” Lily got between us. Despite being several inches shorter than me, she looked pretty imposing. “Back off. That's
my
sister you're talking to.”

“Then
you
tell us what's going on,” Sara-Not-Beth demanded, pushing her blonde bangs out of her eyes. “You're in on it. It's something to do with Joe's family, isn't it? They were attacked or something, and we're all under some royal guard black-ops watch with men in black secreting everyone away once they know they're not terrorists or anything? We're not thick, you know. And we see the news.”

“The truth is,” Lily said. “We're not
allowed
to say anything, so yeah, we do know
stuff
is going on, but we don't want to get anyone in trouble.” She made her bottom lip quiver just a little, but not so much that she wasn't convincing. “It's all really scary, and we don't know what's going to happen. Just that we all have to stay inside and listen to them. Please?”

And the award goes to… I guess my dramatic sister was more useful than not.

Sara-Not-Beth took a step back, mouth open.

“You mean, there really are, like, men in black here?” Chris asked, looking over his shoulder. Livy followed suit.

Jared narrowed his eyes and frowned. “I bet the one they want
is
Max. And that's why he's disappeared!”

“What?” the rest of us chorused. While the other three had their eyes on Jared's pale face and black-lined eyes, Lily and I shared an “oh crap” look. And I hadn't even brought up Ermie's weirdness about Max smelling “off.”

“I mean
everyone
knows Lily's older, so why's he hanging around Heather when he's, what, our age? No offense—” Jared looked at me, and I tried
really
hard to not look offended “—but everyone knows that Prince Joseph and Heather are best mates.”

“What do you mean ‘everyone knows' we're best mates? You all do, aye, but Max never met me before!”

“It was in that rubbish tabloid that had those dead kids' pix when that murderer was out here,” Jared continued. “So, like,
everyone
knows. You're lucky you don't have paparazzi banging at your door regularly!”

I groaned, leaning against the fridge. I hadn't read the whole article. The pictures had made me ill enough, along with the headline that had said Joe's family didn't care about anyone but themselves, or something awful like that. As for the paparazzi, fortunately the whole castle area had been closed off to everyone but those who lived here and emergency services. And my dad had an excellent relationship with the local authorities, who helped us keep away unwanted press in general.

Jared held up a finger for attention. “So Max tries to get close to Heather, thinking that will get him close to the prince's family. And now that we're onto him, he's gone missing. I bet the whole being sick thing was a show while he was, like, calling enemies of the crown or something.”