Blood And Breath

7

I snapped back to the present, responding to Becca’s comment that Aileen sounded cool. “One time, she collected a jar of butterflies and glued them each to a string attached to a small cutout of Peter Pan. She said she was helping Peter fly like Tinker Bell.” “Holy crap! That’s not weird. It’s insane.” “Tom-a-to, tom-ah-to.” “Well, I’m glad you got an alibi, and I’m sorry to drag you into this. I told Lochlan I was staying with Ashley tonight, so my car needed to be parked back home.” “Don’t you always stay with Ashley, you know, since you live together?” I asked with confusion. Becca gave a shy smirk, and her hands fiddled with her sleeve. “Lochlan asked me to move in with him a while back, so I’ve been staying with him as I move my stuff.” “Rebecca Peterson!” I said in a chastising gasp. “How is it you haven’t told me this already?” She shrugged sheepishly. “It all happened kind of fast, and it just didn’t come up. I’m still adjusting to the idea myself.” “That’s so exciting! I’m really happy for you.” “I am too, and I feel bad not telling Lochlan what I’m doing, but I don’t want to put him in the middle. As the Erlking, he and Queen Guin have a tenuous relationship at best. If she finds out he was a part of Fenodree’s escape, it could lead to war. Hopefully, she’ll never know Fen got away, but if she figures it out, I want Lochlan to be able to honestly say he wasn’t involved. Ashley is in the same boat, except she’s even more vulnerable—it wouldn’t take much for the queen to revoke her free pass to live here on Earth.” “I wonder what it is about Merlin’s relationship with the queen that she grants him the freedom to roam?” I mused, knowing none of us had a concrete answer. “Lochlan says Merlin uses his power to help both the queen and the Hunt, so I can only assume she needs to stay in his good graces. I’m just glad he claimed Ashley as his apprentice so that the queen would grant Ashley the same privileges as Merlin, but that all hinges on the queen not changing her mind. Should the queen decide to push the issue, Ashley would have to go. I was the reason Ashley got dragged into this life, and I’d never forgive myself if she was forced to live in Faery.” I didn’t fully understand why the Faery queen had erected her magical wards a thousand years ago to keep our races separate, but I knew it was definitely for the best. There were too many nasty creatures in Faery to allow free travel between the worlds. The Huntsmen were the only group of Fae who were exempted from her wards. The group had long ago established their autonomy from the queen bet maintained a long-standing truce with the Seelie monarch. “At least you’re in the clear,” I offered hopefully. “With your power to use the Twilight Realm, it’s not like the queen could stop you from going where you pleased.” “I’m not so sure about that. I’d be more worried that if Guin wanted to stop me, she’d simply send someone after my head. I try not to think about those possibilities. The man we’re helping, Fenodree, he taught me what no one else could, and he was under no obligation to do so. Had he not helped me, I would never have survived my clash with Morgan. I owe my life to Fen, and the least I can do is try to return the favor,” she said grimly. I admired her courage. Just going behind my mother’s back made me nervous. I couldn’t imagine defying a queen. “I think what you’re doing for this man is inspiring. I want to hear more about him, but first, where exactly am I going?” “Sorry! To Strabane, he’s staying at a hotel there. We could have made a day trip if we could have gone on a weekend. I want to be able to run to any stores or help him tomorrow morning if there is anything he needs.” I flicked on my blinker before making the nearest turn in the proper direction. “What else can you tell me about Fenodree?” “Be prepared. He comes off as a little brusque and uptight. He’s lived alone for a long time, and before that, he lived in a very different time than us. The poor man had been exiled to the Shadow Lands for hundreds of years—” “Hundreds?” I cut in, too shocked to stop myself from interrupting. “Yeah,” she confirmed sadly. “I’m not sure what you know about the Shadow Lands, but it’s a savage, desolate place, and he lived a life of total solitude.” I had whined about being sheltered, but this man had his entire life stripped from him. I sat quietly as I contemplated how someone could survive such a loss. Would he be jaded and bitter? Surely not if Rebecca was willing to risk so much to save him. What had his life been like? How would I have handled being exiled to another land where I had to live entirely alone? I wasn’t exactly a social butterfly, but being alone for hundreds of years was enough to make even a hermit crazy. “How long has he been here?” I asked. “About a week and a half. I’ve stopped in a few times, but now that Lochlan and I are living together, it’s hard to disappear without an explanation.” Guilt tugged at her voice. “How has he adjusted so far?” She pulled her lips into her mouth, biting down on a smile. “I think as well as can be expected, considering the circumstances.” “He hasn’t been living off neighborhood cats or something, has he?” She lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “I couldn’t say for sure, but I wouldn’t put it past him. I’ve tried to show him the basics and provide for him the best I can, but there’s no telling what that man does when I’m not around.” “Good Lord, that’s a little terrifying.” Becca had brought this man to Earth for a second chance—would he be able to reintegrate into society after such an experience? How had he managed on his own since Becca brought him over? Even more intriguing, what had he done to be punished so severely? For the remainder of the trip, we chatted about random bits of gossip as the passing landscape fell into twilight. The drive wasn’t long, just enough time for my stomach to knot and my palms to line with moisture before we arrived. What was I worried about? If Rebecca trusted him, then I should do the same. I looked up at the chipped siding of the ordinary hotel where we’d parked and thought about how odd it was that an ancient Fae man was staying in a room inside those walls. Everything about the place looked ordinary, yet this man was anything but. We strolled past the reception desk, and I took a deep breath as Becca led me to a room, knocking softly at the door.