They’d gone from pampered kids to fugitives overnight. “Teach you how to fight?”
“Yes, and some magic. I’m not that great with it, but Rhys has been able to funnel some of his Fae magic into powerful Earth magics,” Evan explained. “Sasha was insistent that we all train to our capabilities. We found a ridiculously cold plane where Fenrir was taught by a werewolf mentor. There was some discussion about leaving him there while the rest of us learned our own skills, but we rebelled. The kids, that is. We wouldn’t let ourselves be broken up, so we all learned new skills.”
How hard had it been for them to stand up to their leaders and keep themselves together? Even I could see the benefits of breaking them up and placing them with mentors and guardians who matched their talents. Rhys needed to be around other Fae, and Fenrir was a wolf king. He would long for others of his kind, but it seemed he wanted his family more. “I’m glad you stayed together. Lee mentioned that you didn’t meet Shy until a few years ago.”
“Yes, after we settled in here in Frelsi.” By the firelight my daughter’s skin was warm toned, her eyes flashing with intelligence. “We came back to the Earth plane often, and this last time we met with Ingrid and Halle, and they’d found this place for us.”
My godparents. Ingrid and Halle were trolls who’d lived under the bridges of Dallas for all of my life. I’d spent most of the summers of my youth with them. Daniel and I would get out of school and head for the bridges, searching until we found them and then walking with them all summer long. “They’re okay?”
It was terrible, but I would have to make a list of everyone I knew to find out if they were alive or dead or had been taken to the other side.
“Yes,” Evan replied. “They prefer the bridges to the mountains. There are lots of bridges around here. I can help you find them when you’re ready. We’ve hidden here in Frelsi for years now. It’s good to have a home. We still run raids and prepare for the time when Dad will lead us into war, but it’s given us some normalcy.”
I was smart enough to not say what I wanted to say—that her father wouldn’t be leading her into anything like a battle because we would find a way to erase this timeline. I would give her normalcy again. I would give her the childhood she’d been denied.
I sat up and glanced around. There was a small window, and it looked like darkness had fallen. Though shouldn’t it always be dark since we were under a mountain? “Are we in a sithein?”
A sithein was a piece of Faery, a bubble attached to the Earth plane with its own sun and moon and time. There were two attached to the Earth plane—the Seelie and the Unseelie. Devinshea was the High Priest of both. His children were the grandchildren of the Seelie Fae queen. It made sense that they might be granted a piece of Faery for their own.
“No,” Evan replied. “It’s a pocket world the Huldrefólk have used for centuries. We came here eight years ago.”
“Why aren’t you in Faery with your grandmother?” Devinshea’s brother, Declan, should have come for his nephews and niece. Rhys was a powerful Green Man. The idea that Prince Declan wouldn’t protect him was ludicrous. With Devinshea gone, Rhys would have been needed. Even as a child, his power would have helped the Fae. “Your uncle should have taken you straight to the sithein. Come to think of it, Albert should have taken you there himself. You shouldn’t have been dragged across the planes.”
Evan stood, her expression shuttering once more. “You’ll do much better if you somehow manage to not sound outraged at every decision that was made, Mother. I understand from Papa that it has only been a few days for you, but we have dreamed of this reunion for years. I’m willing to make allowances for the shock you’ve had, but so far I have to think that the stories my brothers told me of you have been exaggerated.”
It was hard to deal with the fact that not only was my baby girl not a baby, she was standing up to me, challenging me. “Stories?”
“Yes, they told me how much you loved me, and I’ll be honest, I don’t feel that at all. Papa shows up and all he cares about is my relationship with Fen. Dad…well, Dad has much he must do. I understand that, and at the very least he’s pulled me aside, given me a hug, and asked if we can spend time together after he’s done his duties. The only one of you I don’t share biology with and he’s the one who seems to care.”
I was screwing this up. “Evangeline, of course I care. You’re my daughter.”
“But I’m not. While you’ve slept I’ve given this some consideration. You need time. I had this vision that you would walk in and we would be a family again, but it’s going to take longer. I’m not the baby you left behind, and honestly you’re not the parent I made up in my head. So perhaps we should begin as queen and…advisor.” She moved for the door. “Are you hungry? There’s stew and Albert’s brown bread. I heard he was talking about making potatoes for you. He claims you eat a lot of potatoes when you’re pregnant.”
I felt oddly vulnerable against my daughter’s steady confidence. She said I’d hurt her, but her expression was unfazed. When she’d been a child she’d cried readily. It hadn’t been an annoying thing. It had been because she was open and unafraid to show her emotions. She’d obviously changed because the look on her face reminded me of Devinshea when he had to deal with a particularly tricky political situation. He dropped all emotion and navigated the person or situation as carefully as he could.
As carefully as Evan was navigating me now.
“Albert’s here?”
Evan nodded. “Of course. He would never leave us.”
I didn’t want to do this. I wanted to lie back down and sleep and pretend this wasn’t happening, but it was obvious I was already having a negative impact on my children. It wasn’t fair. I was a ball of emotions, but I was their mother, and we have to shove down our own needs in times of crisis. Or times of their need. I forced myself to sit on the edge of the bed and hold a hand out to this beautiful creature I didn’t know at all. She was my daughter. It was time to start getting to know her and giving her the same courtesies she was giving me. “I’m not hungry right now. I would rather talk to you. Please, Evan.”
She hesitated for a moment and then moved back into the room. “All right. You should know that I’m going to Atlanta with Kelsey in the morning. Trent has to finish up his visit with the primals, and Kelsey doesn’t want to wait for him to come home. Fen wants to go with her, so I’m joining them.”
“You’re leaving?” But I had just gotten here.
“It’s best if I stay close to Fen. He can be reckless. We’ve been told he’ll settle once we’re properly mated, but until then, my presence can help to calm him. It helps so he doesn’t wipe out whole packs when they come for him.”
“What?”
Evan sighed. “Some of the packs don’t like the thought of a wolf king being in existence. Fen can bend them to his will. He doesn’t, but he can if he likes. So they try to assassinate him. It’s been explained to us on many occasions that if Fen would take his place at the head of the great pack, he could quell these sorts of rebellions, but then he would have to leave us, and he won’t do it.”