“I see. So, you returned the sprite and all is well.”
“I did no’. My cousin is returnin’ with the sprite. Seems they’re in love!”
He rolled his eyes in a universally understood gesture of have-you-ever-heard-of-anything-more-lame?
“In, um, love?”
“Aye. Irish faerie is too mild for Eevi. That’s the name of the snow sprite. And Cass says he can no’ live without her. Poor devil. So, he’s goin’ there to live.” Diarmuid nabbed another cookie and ate half. “’Tis like those human royal alliances. We can no’ go to war with them now because one of us is part of their court.”
“I see,” I repeated. “Well, lucky for us. Long live love.”
Diarmuid barked out a laugh. “So, they say.”
“I’m getting that you’re not a fan. Of love.”
“No’ this sort. Romantic love. ‘Tis pure pish and middle. An excuse for people grown too lazy to look for their next…” He hesitated as if searching for a polite word and finally settled on, “Encounter. O’ course, for a person such as myself with an unlimited supply of eager partners, there’s no’ much effort expended.”
His self-satisfied chuckle left no doubt that fae don’t consider vanity a fault.
“Congratulations, Diarmuid. I believe you just won my prize for most cynical statement I’ve ever heard. As in ever.” Thinking this line of dialogue was going nowhere, I changed the subject. “So, it’s true that you’re about to be crowned king?”
“No ‘about’ to it. ‘Tis done.”
I inhaled deeply. “My courtly manners education is in the early stages. Am I supposed to address you with some sort of honorific now? Your Highness or Your Majesty or Di Anu?”
With a surprised chuckle, he said, “This is the first mention of Di Anu that I’ve heard. ‘Tis what people are sayin?”
“Some. I suppose.”
“Hmmm. Well. Diarmuid’s fine. Technically you and I are equals.”
I doubted that anyone in faerie would see Diarmuid and I as equals, but it wasn’t a point I wanted to argue.
“Does this mean that, going forward, you’ll agree to submit to the judgments of the court?”
He looked stupefied. “O’ course. What else would ye be thinkin’? I’m no’ foolhardy nor shortsighted. The future of our race depends on keepin’ faith with our recent institutional progress. Even if the structure’s a wee bit more flexible than you’re used to, ‘tis what humans call a guardrail.
“’Twould no’ be in the best interest of fae to mount idiotic little skirmishes. The world, includin’ faerie, has changed. We’ll adapt. No’ just survive. But thrive.”
My respect for Diarmuid was growing by the minute. I didn’t know if I could legitimately be called a deep thinker, but the new king appeared to be the real deal.
The mudroom door opened and closed. I heard Keir stomp twice and tracked the sound of his approaching steps.
Naturally, he was surprised to see Diarmuid sitting in the kitchen having coffee.
“Look who’s here,” I said nonchalantly.
“Afternoon, little brother,” Diarmuid said.
Keir’s eyes slid from the king to me. “All good?”
“Better than good. We’ve averted a war and set up diplomatic channels.”
“Have we now?” Keir looked at Diarmuid.
“Yes,” I said. “And guess what else? Diarmuid is king.”
“Um-hum,” Keir responded.
Diarmuid got to his feet. “I was just goin’.”
“I’m a little curious.” I stopped him with another question. “You don’t have to answer, of course, but I have to ask. Why is Maeve stepping aside?”
His eyes flicked to Keir before he smiled and said, “Sorry, Magistrate. Family business.”
“Okay. Had to ask. It was a good idea you had,” I said, also rising, “talking face to face.”
“Saves time,” he said.
“It does.” I walked him to the front door. “Well, you know where to find me. But I don’t like the bird spying thing.”
His brow crinkled slightly, like he was confused. “What do you mean? ‘Tis what birds do.”
I blinked. “Are you saying all birds spy on people?”
“Well, aye. O’ course. They do no’ report what they see unless someone such as myself asks. Hard to work with at times. They’re extraordinarily particular about the phrasin’ of questions and they’re deliberately cryptic and misleadin’ with their answers.”
“The phrasing of questions,” I repeated drily. I felt my final tether to reality as I’d known it slipping out of reach. “Right. What do you offer them in return?”
He laughed. “We’ll have a good reign together, Magistrate.”
“Just let the crows know that, if I see them around here in the future, I may become very interested in shotguns.”
“Were it no’ for their valuable insights, I’d be pleased to join you in that pastime.”
I glanced behind me to see Keir’s reaction, but he wasn’t there. When I turned back to the door, Diarmuid was gone and there were no prints in the fresh snow.
I shuffled back to the kitchen. Keir was in the kitchen putting a kettle on the stove.
“He called you brother,” I said.
“I heard,” he replied without looking up.
“Are you, um, upset about his visit?”
He stood up straighter then turned to look at me. “Should I be?”
“Of course not.”
“Alright then.”
“Keir, what is this? You’re not jealous of Diarmuid. Is this about me or is it a sibling rivalry thing?”
After a small, but exasperated huff, he said, “I didn’t like coming home to find him sitting in our kitchen.”
I couldn’t help but feel a little thrill of feminine satisfaction. The sephalian who shared my bed was worried that the fae world’s most eligible bachelor was interested in me. In that way. And he called the kitchen “our” kitchen. That made my tummy warm.
Annnnnnd. Wow. It had been less than three months since I was a lower income insurance adjuster with unpaid bills and no marital love life or companionship to speak of. Today I had the most interesting people in Hallow Hill for lunch, had the king of Irish fae for coffee in my kitchen, and then had the most desirable male in existence act jealous about it. And, as my daughter pointed out, I’m rich.
Life had definitely taken a turn for the better.
“He’s just trying to pave the way for amiable relations with the court. He told me to call him Diarmuid and said he thinks of me as an equal.”
Keir smirked. “Yes. And the bloody blaggard called me brother, too.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“The bother is that I don’t remember him having ever spoken to me before. Or acknowledging me in any way. He’s cunning. Sly. And wants something.”
“I won’t dismiss that as a possibility. I agree I shouldn’t be too quick to trust. I’ll keep my guard up. For one thing, I can’t be thought of as fraternizing with various contingents. It would make people see partiality in rulings even when there was none.”