Page 50 of Beauty

“He had no other choice. When the light came, he didn’t walkinto it. He couldn’t because he had work to do. His children still needed him.He stayed for you. He molded me into his emissary. As far as I know, only Torinand myself have ever seen him. He’s not haunting anyone but his brother. He hada different use for me.”

“My father turned sluagh, and he knows I’m alive?” Itdoesn’t add up.

“He saw the Unseelie princess make her way out of the palacewith you. He would have followed, but he was weak at the time. He was tied tothe place of his death. He still is for some reason. When the other sluagh leftthe plane, he wasn’t able to move past the caves. He’s bound to Torin now. Hecan only go where Torin goes. So he trained me to find you. I’ve been moving upin the guard, and I’ve served ten different noblemen, all the while looking foryou. I knew I had finally found you a couple of days back, but I wasn’t surehow to get you out of here. Now I don’t have a choice. Gillian is talking tothe villagers. She’s trying to find a way to get you off the plane.” He staresat me for a moment. “That is not what your father wants.”

“What does my father want?” My father ignored me with theexception of pats on the head and telling me I was pretty and a wee bit insane.What can my father want for me to do?

Niall takes me by the arm. “Lead them. Take your crown back.Your brothers are gone, and it seems they will not be coming back. You’re hisblood. That crown is yours. I am going to take you north to Sir Giles’sprovince and then on to Aoibhneas.”

The mountain province. I’ve never been to Aoibhneas. It’sdifficult to get to and rumored to be an odd place. The Fae who live there havealways been outspoken and considered a bit difficult. They’re strong fightersand use the land to their advantage. Aoibhneas. I can make my stand there. Therebellion can start there.

I’ll gather Fae along the way. Yes, it can work, or even ifit doesn’t, at least I tried. At least I can say I finally stood up. If I canonly get my legs to work.

“We must tell Gillian. And I have to take the brownies withme.”

Niall’s voice lowers to a deep growl. “Not possible, YourHighness. I am taking you to Sir Giles where he will make arrangements to seeus safely to Aoibhneas. This must be done with the greatest of secrecy. Time isof the essence. And under no circumstances are we to tell Princess Gillian ofour plans.”

Not tell Gilly? I try to pull away. “I can’t leave withoutmy sister.”

“She is not your sister, and as far as your father and I cantell, she has a completely different agenda than our own.”

“She’s saved me time and time again. She raised me. Shetrained me.”

“Because she always intended to take you to the Unseelieplane. This is not her fight. You’re a bargaining chip for Gillian McIver. Iwould have completely left Gillian out of the planning if I could have. As itstands, she only knows I’m trying to help. We’re going to keep it that way. Youcannot leave the plane. There must be a Finn in Tír na nÓg or all is lost.”

There’s a shuffling upstairs, and I hear a male voice callout. “Guards? Where is the witch?”

Niall’s jaw firms, and he pulls at my elbow. “Follow mylead, Your Highness. I will protect and defend you with my life. This I vow. Iwill see you on your rightful throne and not that of the Unseelie.”

He begins up the stairs, stepping around the bodies of theguards he killed. My mind races. What’s going on? What does he mean aboutGillian? Gillian tried for years to take me to the Unseelie plane, but thatmakes sense. It’s her home plane. Where else would Gillian go?

I follow Niall into the main hall, my eyes on my potentialally. Niall is a handsome young man roughly my age. I try to remember moreabout him. His father was kind enough, but all I remember of the boy is a shylad who brushed my pony’s coat and gave me carrots to feed it. Can I believehim? Do I have a choice?

“Hurry along now.” Micha stands frowning. There’s a circulardisc around his neck, tied with rough twine. It doesn’t fit with Micha’s normalelegant dress. The mayor presses a second one into Niall’s hand. “Wear this.It’s a ward to protect you from the bitch’s magic. And hopefully the potion hasstarted to work.”

“Potion?” Niall asks. His eyes take in the room. Threeguards stand at attention, Micha’s closest men. The door to the grounds standsopen, and the sounds of workers shuffling as they build the great bonfire waftin. Already I can smell the scent of the oil they douse the wood in.

Micha shrugs. “I had one of my house women concoct adampening potion. It should keep her calm and compliant. I slipped it into herwater this morning. She should be a mess by now. It’s actually an aphrodisiac,but it has the added benefit of making the user very submissive.” His eyes findmine. “Did you think I’d give you your last words? Not a chance. I have toomuch at stake. But you shouldn’t be able to talk at this point.”

I try to back away. At least I know what’s happening to me.

Micha grabs a vial off his desk. “Hold her.”

Niall stops, obviously not sure what to do. Poor Niall. Noneof this has gone how he planned. I’m sure he hoped to slip me out of theprovince with no one the wiser. Now he has to get me away from more guards anddeal with a drugged princess. He’s forced to watch as one of Micha’s personalguards holds me and forces my head back.

The substance is vile, and I recognize the bitter taste.There was only a hint of it in the water. This is undiluted. It rakes throughmy system, burning as it makes its way down my gut. The effect is almostinstantaneous. A horrible ache, so much worse than before, chokes me.

I need. I need them.

“Shim. Lach.” I feel my head lolling back.

“That’s better.” Micha’s muddy eyes look down at me. “See,my dear, now you’re compliant, more like the lady you should have been.”

“Hurts.” I seem to only be able to speak single words now.“Shim. Lach.”

He shakes his head. “Are they your lovers, dear? I shouldhave known you would be a whore, too. I should have taken you and left it atthat. You ungrateful wretch. You don’t deserve to be my wife. Go and see if thefire is ready yet and bring the magistrate. Our witch has confessed.”

I feel my body falling and the cold stone floor against myskin. My head aches, a sharp pain, but it’s nothing compared to the fires thatlick at my body. Fire. Fire should be sweet, but now it’s only pain. Shim. Shimis fire. Like a shimmer. Lach is cool like a lake. Yes, that’s where I gottheir names. One mystery solved. Will I see them soon?