Fae's Promise

Chapter Two

Chapter Two Riona

Riona followed the narrow stone path along the Dalur River through Raudur City. Even after weeks of occupying the city, she still couldn’t get used to the exotic people of Eldur with their spicy food and robust personalities. Or the infernal blazing hot sun.

In Eldur, clear sunny skies were a daily occurrence—not even a cloud to offer a respite from the heat and endless bright light that still hurt her eyes.

Sliding her sunglasses back in place, she followed the directions Rowena had given her to the marketplace.

Rowena. Now there was a fae she wouldn’t mind helping escape the Eldur Palace. Maybe then the woman would finally stop trying to be her lady’s maid. In all her life, Riona had never known what it was like to be waited upon. Not until she arrived in Eldur with Egan’s army and watched as he laid waste to the beautiful city, taking it for himself. He’d moved Riona into what Rowena said were Brea’s old rooms and set the servant on her, saying the old woman was his gift to her for showing her loyalty by returning to his side.

At first, she thought she might like having a servant, but she found out rather quickly that lady’s maids were an opinionated lot, and she avoided hers as much as possible.

Riona picked up her pace, feeling the fine hairs on the back of her neck and wings stand up straight, like she was being watched. The boarded-up windows and soot-covered mounds of rubble were a sorry sight to behold of the once beautiful city. Riona had never seen anything like it. Even in its current war-torn state, the city was incredible, carved right out of the canyon walls far above the Dalur River. She imagined crowds of Eldurians must have filled the narrow streets before the Dark Fae arrived. Now only the bravest of souls—or the most desperate—ventured out of their hiding places.

Taking a turn down a dark alley, Riona checked her directions again. She wasn’t looking for just any marketplace. The mainstream market was all but closed these days, anyway. She was looking for someone with special skills. She just hoped they would be willing to help her.

She pushed through the screen door and stepped into the dark shop.

“Can I help you?” A kind voice met her in the cool darkness.

“Yes, please.” She took her sunglasses off and approached the counter of the apothecary. It wasn’t the usual shop. That was destroyed in the battle. This was the temporary shop the local apothecary set up to help the Eldurian people get through this difficult time with the essentials that could still be had. It was supposed to be a secret shop.

“You’re one of them.” The man’s previous kind tone disappeared as soon as he caught sight of her wings. “We do not serve dark beasts in this establishment.”

The cutting remark hurt, just as it was intended to, though the Dark Fae had destroyed their city. She’d heard all sorts of insults since her arrival in Eldur. She shrugged it off. If nothing else, Riona Nieland had a thick skin. “I have coin to spend. Coin I would rather see put to good use in this city than spend it in the human realm acquiring what I need.”

“You have access to the human realm?” The tall, thin man stared down his crooked nose at her. “You’re the one in charge here?”

“Yes. And as I said, I have coin to spend. I would see it used to help your people.”

The man gave a doubtful snort before he approached her at the counter. “What do you need?”

Riona took her sunglasses out of her pocket. “I was told you might have the skills to create something like this.”

The shopkeeper picked up the glasses, examining the dark lenses and their unusual construction.

“You want me to make dark glasses for your beast brethren? So they can see better to kill more fae?” He placed the glasses back in her hand. “Not interested.”

“We are all fae,” Riona said softly. “Light and Dark Fae.”

“You are killers, Madame. All of you.”

“By that logic, am I to believe all Light Fae are exactly the same? You are all good and kind creatures of magic who have never waged war against your brothers, usurped thrones from young princes, or imprisoned an entire nation of fae?”

The man met her gaze and shook his head. “You may have a point, my dear, but I cannot—will not help you.”

“There is an entire army of Dark Fae fighting alongside the leaders of Fargelsi and Iskalt this very minute. They need the protection these glasses can give them. Not to fight against you, but to fight with you.”

“I’d like to believe that, but it is difficult to trust such a thing.”

“What if I hire you to make the glasses, but you can deliver them to one of your own kind? A friend of mine who works with this army will take delivery of the glasses, and he can vouch for their use.” At least she hoped they were still friends.

“You will pay up front,” the man relented. “I can make the dark lenses, but I will need a smithy to make the frames. How many do you need?”

“As many as you can make, sir. And the lenses as dark as you can make them.”

“Evan.” He held out his hand. “I hope I don’t live to regret this.”

“Thank you, Evan.” Riona shook his hand. “You have my word, you will not regret this. Send word to Rowena at the palace when you have them ready.”

Is operation ‘make it stop’ a go?

Riona rolled her eyes as she stared down at her journal. The boy had spent far too much time with Myles, and he had a fondness for talking like a human, but his idea for the sunglasses was a good one.

Yes, I found someone who has agreed to make them. You may tell Hector he can stop complaining about the blasted sunlight very soon.

You should also warn him, the light here in Eldur is more miserable than anything he’s seen of this land so far.

I’ll just let him find out that for himself. Gulliver’s neat handwriting shot across the page. It was a lot more fun talking to him through the journals than it was when King Egan had the mate to hers.

How is your journey?

Awful. We’ve been riding forever, and we still haven’t reached Eldur. We are out of the mountains now. Lochlan says we will reach the border soon, but then the journey across Eldur is a long one and very hot. He won’t tell me what a desert is. Says I complain too much, and I should talk less.

Riona snorted a laugh at the thought of the icy King of Iskalt up against Gulliver’s curious mind.

Give the poor man a break, he misses Toby.

How is Toby? I hope he isn’t as bad as Tia. She won’t talk much. She misses him something awful.

He is about the same. Riona cast a glance across the sitting room where Tobias sat looking out the window at the courtyard below. He sat there most days when the king didn’t have need of him. Riona thought he intended to sit there and watch until his sister arrived.

“Toby?” Riona called. “Do you want to send Tia a message?”

“She knows I miss her.” Toby didn’t glance her way. He just kept staring at the palace gates across the courtyard as if he expected his sister to walk through them any moment.

“What about your parents? Do you want Gulliver to tell them anything?”

“No. I’ll see them soon.” His voice was so small and distant it broke her heart to hear the pain he fought to hide. He was a lot like Griffin in that way. A little softer and a great deal kinder, but that was likely Brea’s influence. There was something about Toby that reminded her so much of Griffin it almost hurt to look at him sometimes.

She glanced back down at the book on the table in front of her. Gulliver’s scrawl appearing on the page. You know you can ask me about him, Riona.

She knew she could. And she knew Gulliver would tell her. But she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. Not yet.

I know. She wrote. I’ll ask you about Griffin soon. I promise.

Where is Egan? Gulliver asked instead. The kid was good at not pushing her to talk about things she wasn’t ready to talk about. He was wise beyond his years.

He is here in Eldur at the moment, gathering information from his generals. But he remains in the human realm with Enis at Aghadoon most of the time. I believe they are searching for ways to fight against the Light Fae, but Enis assures me, she will not show him anything of value. Riona wasn’t sure how much she could trust that woman. She went wherever the book of power went. Right now, Egan had it and the library that contained knowledge of all magic.

And when he’s gone, you’re in charge of Eldur? Gulliver asked.

Yes. It wasn’t something she was proud of.

Then why don’t you just take control of his army and come join us when he’s gone and can’t do anything about it? His army will go where the money and the food is. And I’m guessing there’s a lot of both of those in the palace.

Because when the king leaves Eldur for Aghadoon, he takes Tobias with him to open portals for him, and I will not leave without Toby. That was why she was here. For Toby. For Griffin’s son. As much as she might want to leave, she refused to turn against Egan when he had Toby O’Shea under his thumb.

Griff’s yelling at me. Gotta run, TTYL.

Riona didn’t know what that last part meant, but she wiped her hand across the page, letting the book’s magic recognize her touch before their words faded away. She shut the book, hiding it in a secret compartment she’d discovered in the table beside the settee. Her journal could not fall into the wrong hands. It was her lifeline to Gulliver, and through him, Griffin too. It was the only thing keeping her sane.

“Tobias?” She crossed the room to sit on the empty chair beside him. The warm breeze blowing in through the open balcony doors was soothing. This oasis city was so beautiful, she could almost see herself living here if the world wasn’t such a giant mess right now. War was coming for them all. She couldn’t think beyond that. “Would you like some tea?” Rowena seemed to think tea was the answer to everything.

“No, thank you,” Toby murmured.

“You want to go visit Logan and Darra? Your cousins might like to have someone to play with. Especially Logan, I hear he’s pretty bored with just his baby sister keeping him company.” Unfortunately, Riona could do nothing for the young Prince and Princess of Eldur, left behind with their grandmother, Faolan in the absence of their parents. Egan was all too eager to take the royal family as prisoners upon his victory over Raudur City.

“Maybe later.” He turned toward her, his glassy eyes almost looking right through her. “I’m okay, Riona.”

She sighed, sitting back in her chair. “I just can’t believe that, Toby. Not when you look so sad.”

“I’ll be okay … I think.”

“Why don’t you tell me what’s on your mind? Maybe it will help.”

Toby turned his sad eyes on her. “Do you think my papa will be mad?”

“Mad? At you?”

Toby nodded, his eyes misting over.

Riona leaned in closer. “Your papa could never be mad at you, Toby. Nothing that has happened is your fault.”

“I led the king’s army into that village through my portal. They killed all those people. It’s all my fault.” His lip trembled, and she was terrified he was going to cry. Riona never knew what to do with crying children. She found herself wishing for Rowena to return. The grandmotherly woman would know just what to say to make Toby feel better.

Riona took his hand in hers. She sympathized with the boy more than he would ever know. “That wasn’t your fault, Toby. Sometimes when we’re forced to do things we would never willingly do, it can feel like we’ve done a bad thing. But the responsibility for those things does not fall to us. You didn’t kill all those people. Egan did. And he will pay dearly for all the wrong he has done. Trust me, your mother and father know exactly who is at fault for the destruction of Aghadoon and the sack of Eldur. They will never think badly of you for doing what you had to do to survive.”

Toby leaned over and wrapped his gangly arms around her, nestling his face against her neck. “Thank you, Riona. I’m glad you’re here with me.”