Slowly, the Queen turned around again. “Speak, Phasmoria, Queen of the Bean Sidhe.”
“I am proud of my heritage. But I claim my daughter’s side and as of this moment, I renounce my ties to the Ante-Fae. I will make certain that the Morrígan hears of what happened this day. I turn my back on you, the Banra-Sheagh, and your entire court. You have no power over me or my daughter.”
And with that, she slid her arm through mine and—with Kipa behind us—led us out of the throne room. As soon as we were in the outer chamber, my mother motioned for us to lean close to her. “Close your eyes, Raven,” she said.
Kipa seemed to know what she was doing, because he wrapped his arms around both of us. My mother closed her eyes and the next thing I knew, we were on the astral, though I wasn’t sure what realm we were in. Another shift, and I opened my eyes, and we were home, in front of my front door. I took a look around, realized where we were, and burst into tears.
As we entered the house, I saw to my surprise that Ember and Herne and Angel were still there, along with Vixen, Apollo, and Trinity. Raj was asleep, curled up beside Angel. When I stepped into the living room he woke, jerking his head so fast he almost headbutted her, and then he bounded off the sofa, racing over to me.
I fell to my knees, opening my arms so that he landed smack in the center, almost knocking me over. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and planted several kisses on his head. “Raven’s home. Don’t worry—Raven’s home and she’s safe.” I knew he had been scared—I could feel the energy rolling off of him.
“Raj was so worried,” Raj whispered, low enough so the others couldn’t hear him. Of everyone who was there, only Kipa, my mother, Ember, and Angel knew he could talk. “Raj thought those bad people took Raven away from him.”
“It’s okay. Raven’s okay,” I said, wishing I was telling the truth. To be honest, I had no clue what being excommunicated from the Ante-Fae community would mean. I did know that Vixen and Apollo—any of the Ante-Fae, for that matter—were walking on thin ice if they continued to communicate with me, and I owed them the knowledge. They had to make an informed decision.
My mother paced, a scowl lining her face. Kipa looked angry too, and I knew that I was buzzing with nerves as bad as a beehive.
“What happened?” Ember said, a worried look on your face. “And don’t tell us nothing—it’s apparent from all three of you that something big went down.”
“Oh, it went down all right,” I said. I dropped into the rocking chair. “This concerns all of you, in a way. Ember, first, you should know the Banra-Sheagh is pissed at you for killing Blackthorn.”
“Don’t tell me there’s a bounty on my head,” Ember said, groaning.
“No, but you’re considered persona non grata among the non-Exosan Ante-Fae.” I grimly turned to Vixen, Apollo, and Trinity. “And you three…the Banra-Sheagh has declared me pariah. Any of the Ante-Fae who communicate with me are subject to losing their status, too. I’ve been kicked out of the Ante-Fae community.” My heart dropped as I added, “I’ll understand if you decide you can’t talk to me anymore. I truly do.” I bit my lip, hanging my head.
“What she’s not telling you is that she was kicked out because she refused to stop being Ember’s friend—because Ember killed Blackthorn in self-defense. And she refused to return to Scotland and live with her grandfather and father.” Kipa’s eyes narrowed. “I wanted to wipe that smug look off the bitch’s face.”
Ember gasped, stiffening. “Is this true? You were kicked out because of your association with me?”
I gave her a shrug. “Yeah. I think I’m being used as the scapegoat to remind the Exosan where their true allegiances are expected to fall. The Queen is feeling threatened by the Exosan’s forays into the human communities. Anyway, my father and grandfather have disowned me. I won’t be able to come to the Burlesque A Go-Go anymore, or I’ll put all of your customers in danger,” I said to Vixen.
Shaking my head, I sat down. “It’s hard to take in. I still feel like this is a nightmare. I can accept my grandfather cutting ties with me, that doesn’t surprise me. But my father…” I looked up at my mother, stricken. I loved my father and he had always championed me. “I feel like he kicked the world out from under me.”
Phasmoria muttered something under her breath and sat down next to me. “I think your grandfather must be holding something over his head.”
I leaned into her shoulder. “Thank you for standing by me.”
“You’re my daughter. Of course I stand by your side. I couldn’t be there while you were growing up, but I never once abandoned you in my heart.” She wrapped her arm around me. “I believe you’re right, however. The Banra-Sheagh is terrified of the Ante-Fae growing too close to the human world, and so she is making an example of you to show the Exosan where their allegiances should lie. That’s a dangerous game, though, since it can all too easily backfire.”
A wave of exhaustion swept over me as I sat there and I found it hard to even talk. My thoughts were such a whirl, I couldn’t sort them out.
“Everyone, thank you for staying. But I need to sleep now,” I said, still staring at the floor.
Ember gave me a long hug, whispering in my ear. “I’m so sorry, Raven. I never meant my actions to backfire onto you.”
“You were protecting yourself. Blackthorn was dangerous and had the upper hand. You did what you had to do. I never once blamed you or felt you did the wrong thing,” I whispered back. “And I won’t abandon my friendship with you because you killed him to save yourself.”
Ember gazed into my eyes, and even now, I could see that she was changing and growing into the goddess she would soon become. “I won’t forget this. Maybe, when I go through the Gadawnoin—when I am a goddess—I’ll be able to talk to the Banra-Sheagh and settle matters.”
I wanted to tell her not to bother, that any such ritual would be fraught with nuances that could endanger the relationship between the Ante-Fae and the Fae, but that could wait for later. Instead, I kissed her cheek—and Angel’s—and gave Herne a hug, then watched them leave.
Vixen, Trinity, and Apollo were still sitting in the living room. Vixen was gathering their things, but stopped for a moment to say, “I count you a friend. I will always count you a friend. The Banra-Sheagh has been trying to close down my club for years. This time, she’ll probably excommunicate me as well but I honestly don’t care. Most of my clientele are Exosan and most feel cut off from the monarchy, anyway. We’re all a little bit of a rebel, aren’t we?” They laughed then, a rich throaty laugh that sounded like a lounge singer who had been smoking too much.
Apollo, his golden hair hanging halfway down his back, gave me a quick hug. “Vixen speaks for me as well. I don’t care about being on the outs with the old guard. I’m here if you need me.”
“Can you drop by my house to talk about that case that I mentioned?” Vixen asked.
“Around one tomorrow work for you?” I asked, opening my phone’s schedule.
They checked their own schedule. “One would be good. Come to lunch. Kipa, you’re invited if you like, as well.” And with that, they left, nodding to Trinity, who merely waggled his fingers at them.