“Looks painful,” I said, feeling bad for him. “Thought you were a goner there.”
“So did I,” he said.
Realtín tapped my nose. “I can’t believe you killed a pooka!”
“I didn’t actually mean to kill the thing.”
“You saved my life,” Grim said. “Pooka leave no witnesses. They’re too hungry for that.”
“Anytime,” I said. “Who do you think sent the pooka?”
“Sadler, perhaps,” he said.
“Who is this Sadler chap?”
Grim made a face. “He’s a distant relative of the old queens and of old royal blood. He was once Brendan’s father’s right-hand man, but it all turned sour. It’s said that he took a human wife for the summer, but Brendan stole her and made her crazy. He was one of those who helped get rid of Brendan in the first place.”
“So he’s old?”
“They say he hasn’t visited the human world since he lost his human wife,” Grim said. “He had her beheaded in the end.”
“I heard he loved her,” Realtín said. “That she wasn’t just a summer wife and that his heir is her son. One of the old sprites once told us that he treated her as an equal. Brendan made her his dog to spite Sadler, all for laughs. That was the beginning of his end.”
“But he’s reborn,” I muttered. “He sounds like a monster.”
“He was,” Grim admitted. “Perhaps he still is. Either way, Sadler wants his revenge. I can’t fault him for that. It’s his right. But it’s now Brendan’s right to take the throne.”
“Are there any other contenders for the throne?”
“Some,” Realtín said. “None of any consequence. Sadler and Brendan have the biggest claims. You’ll see them all during the week of the ceremony.”
“Am I going to make it to the ceremony?” I asked.
“We hope so,” Realtín said.
“What will happen there? Nobody’s told me much yet.”
“There’ll be a feast,” Grim said. “People will speak for their choices, and the main players will be paraded. You will likely be alongside Brendan for this. It will be safer and make you a part of the ceremony. If you reach that point, you’ll probably make it. There will be trials, but none of us know exactly what will happen. The crones will decide on the day. They’ll read the stones and tell us all our roles. That’s how the game is played.”
“I’m starting to get scared,” I admitted.
“You killed a pooka,” Realtín said. “You can do anything.”
***
The next morning, I rang the number V.G. Love had sent me. An old lady answered the phone, and after much shouting and repeating myself, I arranged to meet the author that afternoon at a café.
I skipped my last class and got to the restaurant twenty minutes early. I fidgeted nervously, wondering if the author was ever going to show.
A woman sat in the chair opposite me, wearing sunglasses. Her hair was almost platinum, and when she removed her sunglasses, she revealed pretty blue eyes.
I knew her. “You!”
“And you,” she replied. “The one who sneaks into the back of my lectures and thinks I don’t notice. Introduce me to your friends. I noticed them in my room, too.”
I swallowed hard. “Their names are Grim and Realtín. They’re kind of… watching over me.”
“I can see that, Cara. Sorry if I kept you waiting. I wasn’t sure if this was a good idea. I knew it was you when I saw that email. It had to be. There are no coincidences.”
I gazed at her intently. “So you’re V.G. Love.”
“My real name’s Veronica Greene. We haven’t actually spoken before. You’re the quiet one, even when you were officially part of the course, but I noticed you, even then. Like I said, no coincidences. I suppose you can call me Ronnie.” She smiled, but it seemed fake. And she could see.
“This is kind of a surprise,” I said. “I didn’t expect to know you.”
“Life can be surprising,” she said briskly. “Looks like you’ve gotten tangled up in something big.”
“Somehow,” I said. “I can’t believe you write those books. And teach that course. Aren’t you afraid they’ll come back for you?”
She lifted her bag onto the table. “I can’t talk in front of those two.”
“Can you give us a minute?” I asked the fae. They obliged after a little persuasion.
“Thank you,” Ronnie said. “I appreciate it. As for my work, the fae can be full of themselves. They love to be talked about, especially since the world has almost forgotten about them. They’re losing their power here. Their infamy is fading, and it will never be the same again.” She pulled out her purse. “Besides, I want them to come back for me.”
That surprised me. I had been hoping she could tell me how to get over that feeling. “What’s your story?” I asked.
She avoided the question by ordering a coffee from a passing server. I couldn’t stomach anything. Ronnie asked me polite questions about my classes until her drink arrived.
She took a few sips as if working herself up. “I spend my evenings telling stories, but somehow my own is the hardest to tell. I was a little older than you and staying with family in the south of the country. I walked a different way to the market one day and found myself in a field I didn’t recognise. I got so sleepy that I lay down and fell asleep right there. Can you imagine? I woke up in the bedroom of the most beautiful creature I’ve ever laid eyes on. He was quite astonishing. But cruel. I still bear the marks.”
She pulled down the collar of her jumper and showed me a ring of scars around her neck. She rolled up her sleeves, which covered similar scarring. I couldn’t help gasping in horror.
“He chained me, humiliated me, but I was in love. I let him do anything he liked. Even when it hurt, I found pleasure, as long as it was with him. I saw horrible things, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t care. I was found a few days later in the woods, bleeding and hallucinating, my clothes torn to shreds. My body took a while to heal, but I still dream of him every night in all of his… glory.”
“I don’t know what to say,” I said. “That sounds awful.”
“Awful?” Her voice grew playful. “No, it wasn’t. Not then. Afterward, the memories made me scream. But for that one night, I felt pleasure that most humans never dream of. I craved more. I was desperate to return, to touch him just once more. The years passed and the addiction diminished, but I still wanted to go back.”
“You want to spend another night with him?”
Her expression grew cold. “No, I want to punish him. I want to do to him exactly what he did to me. I want to go there, knowing I can hurt him. You see, I’ve learned quite a few things since then.”
“That’s not a good idea. He’s probably dead in any case. The queens are dead, and there’s a king waiting to be sworn in, but he happens to have been reincarnated into another faery’s body. They led me there the night everything changed, intending to sacrifice me or use me. I’m a witness now. This king needs me so he can regain his power. I’ve got a target on my back. I… I killed a pooka last night. It’s out of control.”
She tutted. “Just a child.”
“Can you help me? I don’t know what to do. A banshee’s threatened to kill everyone I know if I don’t help, and the king reckons the fae will destroy everything if he isn’t there to rein them in, but if I help him, the fae who owns the body he inhabits will fade away. And he’s the one who saved me from them all the first time.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Interesting story. You need to protect yourself, but nothing works on all of the fae. They’re secret-keepers, the lot of them. Oh, they play and frolic and laugh and act, but they hold their secrets fiercely. Their magic is different from one fae to the next, and most of them fake limitations so nobody will figure out their true weaknesses.”
“Then how do you know how to hurt the one who took you?”
Her laughter was harsh. “Even warriors die, Cara. I’ve spent decades researching them, spe
aking with victims, and piecing together every bit of information there is. Most people don’t even realise what’s happening to them. Most paranormal experiences can be blamed on the fae. Ghosts, poltergeists, even UFOs—it always comes back to some branch of the fae. They’re sneaky.”
“In your book, you spoke about iron, but all of the fae I’ve met are in the middle of a city, surrounded by iron and everything else.”
“If they’re strong enough, they can mask the effects. Your little friends are not affected, and that might be because they’re owned by a powerful fae who protects them, or it might mean they were born in the human world. Some fae can acclimatise. You’ve heard of changelings, yes?”
My cheeks burned. “A little.”
“Well, when cities began to appear, the fae discovered that the progeny of changelings could easily survive in the cities. Fae rarely reproduce, of course, but the changelings seemed to produce a kind of fae who had evolved to resist iron. It’s quite a special trait.”
“So iron never works?”
She held up a hand. “I didn’t say that. Only fae who spend time in this realm can avoid the effects of iron. Those who spend too long in the fae realm will suffer horribly. They are too pure for this world. If you ever enter their realm, take some iron with you, just in case.”
I rubbed my face. I felt so hopeless.
“Don’t thank fae for their help unless you want to insult them. They take it as you wanting to forget what they did for you, acknowledging it so you can toss it away and no longer remain grateful. A debt takes a lifetime to repay, and a thank you means you refuse to pay it. They have unusual ideas when it comes to manners. Their traditions are extremely outdated. They believe they’re superior to us. They might call you by your full name, but don’t expect them to reveal theirs. They began the naming traditions among humans to take away their power, or so the fae legends say.”
“Really? A name has power?”
“They believe your name is like a collar on a dog. Hold the collar, and you have control of the dog.” She shrugged. “That’s how most of them think. You can break their laws without ever realising it. Tread carefully and learn how to read between the lines. They respect trickery above all else, so your only hope is to trick one of them into protecting you for a lifetime. Often, the fae warn you without really warning you, and it’s only later that you realise what they meant. Learn how they twist words, and you’ll have the upper hand.”
“I don’t know how to use any of this,” I admitted, feeling stressed.
“Most people don’t know how to use information until the right time comes. Oh, they can’t out and out lie. They can riddle and twist and weave words until it’s hard to find the sense, but they detest lies; they see them as a weakness. Remember this and use it if you need to make a deal. Their deals are unbreakable, so be careful.”
“So, basically, I have to outwit them?”
She cocked her head. “Pretty much. But please, whatever happens, tell me about it. I think it would make an amazing book.”
“Yeah, okay,” I said.
“Another thing. The royalty sometimes gain power from certain mythical weapons. Keep an eye out for those. If something seems like it might be important, but they downplay it, then it’s probably huge. Their most prized possessions look old and broken but are worth gold to them. Be smart. Don’t eat or drink their food. Don’t look them in the eye for too long. Don’t kiss them or touch them frequently, and whatever you do, don’t fall in love with one! Losing your heart is worse than losing your name. The cravings will be immense when all of this is over. You’ll end up going cold turkey when they tire of you. Be prepared.”
I bit my lip. Um…
She rose from her seat. “I have to go. Keep my number and get in touch. If you can… perhaps you could invite me along to this ceremony. And Cara, keep your distance from me on campus. I think we both know it would be a bad idea to be seen together very often.”
She left, and I waited for Grim and Realtín to reappear. They hadn’t left, only concealed themselves. Ronnie might have seen them, but she didn’t sense their presence like I did.
“Try not to tell Brendan any of that,” I said under my breath.
“You knew we were here?” Grim asked.
“If you had so many questions, you could have asked us,” Realtín hissed.
I gave her a sad look.
“We would be forced to tell him what questions she asked,” Grim said. “She keeps us all safe by asking someone else.”
Realtín kissed my cheek. It felt like damp butterfly wings.
“In case you didn’t know,” I said, “if I say thank you, I’m just trying to be polite. I’m not being ungrateful or anything.”
“Don’t believe everything you hear,” Realtín teased.
My phone rang. I checked the caller ID. Zoe.
“Cara!” she sobbed when I answered.
“Are you okay? What’s wrong?”
“My house was trashed. Mam’s freaking the fuck out. Somebody came and wrecked everything, and she slept through it. Like, what the fuck?”
“I’m so sorry, Zoe. Is she okay?”
“No! She thinks it was your dad. She’s absolutely fucking terrified. All of our stuff is just… what the hell is wrong with him?”
“Just take care of your mother,” I said. “If it was my dad, he’ll pay for it.”
“What about you? Are you coming back here?” She sounded half-hysterical at the notion.
“No, I’ll sort something else out. Just in case it was him. Have you called the police?”
“Yeah, they’re on their way. I have to go. Be really careful, Cara. He’s a fucking psycho.”
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
She hiccupped a sob. “Darren’s bringing people over to watch the house. I don’t know. He sounded weird on the phone, like he was dying for a fight or something. Is it just me, or has the world gone wonky this week?”
“It’ll be okay. Stay in the house with your mam and let Darren sit outside in his car or something, okay?”
She agreed, but I didn’t believe her. I hung up and sighed. Realtín had already disappeared. Grim and I left the café.
I waited until we moved onto a quieter street before speaking. “If it wasn’t for the fact that Zoe’s mother slept through everything, I would have blamed my dad.”
Grim nodded. “At least she slept through it. It might not haunt her now. Although, I would not have been surprised if your father had been the one to do this. The air tastes of darkness, a reminder of the old Unseelie queen’s effect on the world.”
“People do seem angrier than usual lately. Is that a fae thing?”
“It’s likely,” Grim said. “Many fae encourage violence and madness. The consequences fill them up. Without a leader—”
“I get it.” I shrugged and walked faster. I had no idea where I was going.
Brendan fell in step with me.
I glanced his way. “Well, if you’re here, I take it something big, bad, and fae is going on.”
He reached for my hand then seemed to think better of it because he rubbed his chin instead. “Likely so. Your home was attacked, and I’m told the place you’re staying in was attacked. It’s time for you to stay with us.”
“I can’t stay with you lot. I’ll lose my mind.”
“You’ll be safe. What if our enemies decide to harm your friends next time?”
“And what happens to me when you don’t need me anymore? Am I as good as dead?”
He glared at Grim. “What have you been telling her?”
“He didn’t tell me anything!” I snapped. “Stop pushing him around. You’re as bad as those psychotic queens.”
“Take a break,” he said to Grim. Once Grim went around the corner, Brendan led me into an alley and pushed me against the wall of a shop. “I’ll keep you safe if you help me,” he said, staring into my eyes.
Hypnotic. Remembering Ronnie’s warning, I looked awa
y, but it was too late. Whenever I was around him, I forgot myself. I wanted to forget.
“My enemies are your enemies. I’m the only one standing in their way. There is nobody else who can help you now. And if you don’t help me, I will forget you. Do you understand? I reward the loyal, but I am not weak, and those who believe it only fool themselves.”
“I’ve never said you were weak. I don’t care about royalty and fae or any of that. I want a job and a home and a reason to forget about you people. You made me this way, and now I can’t get you out of my head, so stop using your magic on me before I forget why I should keep away.”
“Cara,” he whispered, his voice turning dangerously seductive, “why would you want to keep away?”
“You’re nothing but a bully,” I replied as calmly as I could with my heart racing so fast. “You dragged me into this, and now you want me to risk my life. Well, why not start buying my loyalty by being nice to your servants for a change? They’re my friends, and I am nothing to you. I’m not your subject. You don’t own me. We have nothing together. We are nothing together, and one day soon, we’ll forget all about each other, so why not make it easier now by being, I don’t know, pleasant?”
He flinched. “What will it take for you to cooperate without all of these incessant battles? I can force you to do anything at all, or have you forgotten?” He gripped my chin, and I got caught in his relentless stare. “Run into the road, Cara.” His voice crept over my skin, leaving dangerous kisses in its wake. “Run and run until you die, Cara.”
I had to run into the road and dance with the traffic, run until my blood painted the ground. I had to keep running and never—
“Cara!”
I came to on the edge of a path amidst the mingled sounds of car horns and shouting, Brendan’s arms wrapped around me as a truck sped by. He lifted me onto the sidewalk, holding me up because my legs had turned to jelly. I had almost done it. I hadn’t even fought back.
“You can’t do that to me!” I struggled, but he refused to let go.
“This is what we are,” he whispered in my ear, his arms still wrapped around me. “And this is what will happen to some innocent human, somewhere, every day I am not king. Without a leader, there are no rules. The fae and humans need me, and so do you. Are you really going to let your pride get in the way of that?”