Page 6 of The Crown the Fae Forgot
The last remnants of suspicion vanished from the lady’s face and she was suddenly all softness.
“No need to cry, Aurra,” she said, her head cocked to the side as she took me in with a compassion I’d yet to find on the face ofanyfae. “I can only imagine what you’ve been through. I promise you, you’ll not be caught up in the crossfire of these courts. You’re an innocent here. We’ll get you home, I promise you that. If you’re one of my sister’s, then I’ll make sure you make it back to her in one piece.”
That was what finally dried the tears.
The lady looked pleased with herself, but little did she know it wasn’t gratitude that made the sobs suddenly stop. It was, instead, guilt.
The Lady released me, finally, only to let out a small and slightly mocking laugh when she took in the three golden-haired fae still standing in front of her. “As for you…I’m not sure how much I believe the rest of your story. This wouldn’t be the first time lord has used an innocent to gain entry where he’d normally not find welcome.”
Innocent?
That only made that twisting guilt tighten.
The lady had promised to return me to her sister, but would so actually be so ready to do that if she knew the truth? How loyal was she to the queen? IF she knew who I was, that it was the queen herself that had abandoned me and tried to get rid of me, would she still return me to my rightful place?
Or, more likely, would she simply set out to finish what her sister had started?
Shiel, meanwhile, bowed his head and answered the lady’s last accusation. “Are you saying we’re not welcome here?”
“Oh, of course not,” she said, all too quickly. But she was leaning forward again, her eyes taking on that studying way. “At the moment I have no reason to distrust you, or, at least, not enough to turn away your asylum. You cannot hide your secrets from me forever, though, Shiel. You know that. Fornow…I’ve arranged for a house for you four. Eldrin will take you to it. Please, utilize it as long as you need. Since you’re here, I hope you’ll choose to participate in Midsommar with us as my honored guests. Until then, go get some well-needed rest. My court and all its offerings are at your disposal. Let it not be said that I didn’t open my arms when you needed me. Have no doubt, however, I’ll call on you again. I can guarantee you, Lord Shiel of the Western Court, whatever you’re really here for, it will be more easily found with my help than without.”
CHAPTER FOUR
We were guests yet again,but yet again, I had a feeling we were really closer to prisoners.
Shiel managed to maintain his fae form just long enough to lead us in a bow before shifting back to the smallest fox pup I’d ever seen. Finch picked up the freshly shifted Shiel before I had the chance, the void his shivering form left in my arms filled as Zev took my arm and led me after Eldrin, already taking us towards our promised refuge.
I wasn’t foolish enough to demand my own quarters this time.
Back outside, Eldrin leads us to a different part of the Court, taking us back towards the edge of that invisible barrier, where the streets grew quieter and the buildings lining their sides were narrow houses instead of shops. One of these was given to us, a tall, narrow house with three bedrooms and a shared courtyard garden in the back.
It was a garden overflowing with flowers and fruit trees, their branches so heavy with ripe harvest that they dipped down nearly low enough to brush the ground. My stomach barely had time to rumble before Finch was suddenly stumbling over at thetop of the stairs as Shiel suddenly shifted back to his fae form again.
In a second, Zev was at his side too, his footsteps thundering up the stairs just in time to keep Shiel from falling backwards down them. By the time I’d followed them up, the two fae were helping their lord into the bed closest to the stairs, their faces set as he let out a groan of pain. His own face was white as he settled back into the pillows piled up against an ornate headboard, his hands instinctively reaching for his leg.
“I saw you trying not to put your weight on it earlier, is it broken?” Finch asked, kneeling at his side as Zev reached for one of the extra pillows to prop it up.
Shiel’s face twisted into a grimace at the touch.
“If it wasn’t before, it is now after standing there in the court.”
Finch pressed his lips together. “Zev and I could had represented you. You wasted too much energy shifting back just for that.”
Shel’s eyes shifted over towards me, if only for a second. “It was no time to be showing weakness.”
Guilt tinged my already twisting gut. Who’d he really put on that show for? The Lady of this court…or me?
The last thing I needed from Shiel was for him to be injuring himself evenmorefor my sake.
“I’ll be fine now,” Shiel added, before any of us could complain. “The worst of it is over.”
A knock sounded at the door before he had to time to elaborate. Without waiting for us to answer, the sound of a creaking door and feet on stairs flooded the hallway outside. A moment later, two healers appeared with bags under each of their arms, their breaths labored and nostrils flaring, as if they’d scented Shiel’s injuries and come running.
Not a moment too soon either, it seemed, because somehow in the short time it took for me to look back at Shiel, his pale face had already begun to noticeably grey.
We were rushed out of the room without ceremony, our footsteps naturally taking us to the only place in the house where Shiel’s groans of pain couldn’t be overheard.
The garden was walled in on four sides by the three other townhouse-style homes adjoining ours. The scent of something cooking in one of the kitchens wafted out to join the scent of sweet fruit. It would have been mouthwatering if it weren’t for the way my stomach was too impossibly knotted up to feel anything other than nausea at the very idea of eating.
