Devin let go of Nessa for a moment as he closed the door. Nessa stumbled to the chair behind her and sat down. Devin came back and kneeled before her. Tears were trailing down her face.
“I thought Maureen loved me like her own child. She told me that.” Devin picked up Nessa and placed her on his lap. She hid her face in his chest and cried some more. “And Finn. There had never been anything more than friendship between us. I swear. He promised me that he had no feelings for me. Why would he change his mind now? I thought he wanted me to be happy. That’s what he told me when we agreed to call it off.”
Devin wanted to tell her that Finn was probably truthful, and that Finn’s feelings were more than likely for her power now, not her, but he didn’t want to make her cry more. The last bit of home Nessa had in the sidhe world was crashing down, and Devin didn’t trust anyone to be any better. Everyone had something to gain from Nessa. Devin wrapped his arms tightly around her and let her sob. He couldn’t protect her from them, but he could do just what he was doing. Hold her until she felt better.
Nessa washed her face one more time, and wiped the remaining tears away. She had cried for a good ten minutes before she was out of tears, and Devin had been there the whole time, just holding her. He didn’t tell her it would get better. He didn’t lie to her. He just held her and let her feel that he was right there with her. With the last wipe of the washcloth, she opened her eyes and looked into the mirror across from her. Her face was still slightly blotchy from crying, and her eyes were a bit puffy, but she didn’t cover it up with a spell like she had been taught from a young age. The sidhe were raised on lying, and now she saw the truth. The sidhe were evil, and she didn’t want to be a part of it any longer.
Nessa stepped back into the room and found Devin lying on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. The trees that made up the top of the room were parted slightly and one could see the nighttime stars outside in the dusky light.
“What happens when it rains?” Devin asked, not looking at Nessa as she approached the bed. It was a very logical question.
“They cover back together,” Nessa replied, like it was obvious.
“And when someone wants to attack you?” Devin asked, still curious about the ceiling.
“The trees don’t let them,” Nessa answered, unsure why he was talking about the trees. They had much more serious things to discuss.
“Oh,” Devin answered.
Nessa sat down on the bed, jarring Devin a little, but he didn’t seem to mind, or even notice for that matter. He was still staring at the sky.
“We need to get to my grandfather soon,” Nessa said, trying to get him back to planning mode and not stare-at-the-sky mode.
“The trial should be our priority,” Devin replied, still not watching her.
“I’ll deal with the trial and whatever they decide, we need to get you free of me now, while you still can,” Nessa said and looked to him for a response.
“The trial first, your grandfather second,” Devin restated his plans.
“Do you not get it?” Nessa asked, starting to get mad. She moved to block his view of the sky and was directly over him. “They don’t care if I’m innocent or not. They plan to just use me and throw me away. The sidhe are evil. We need to get you away from here now. If Maureen is offering to take you in as a day human, there can’t be good plans going on with that. You aren’t safe here. I can’t protect you.”
Devin hit her elbow, causing Nessa to fall down on him and thus giving him back his view of the sky.
“Argh,” she complained, pushing herself back up.
“There’s the spirit,” Devin said, smiling at her.
“The spirit to hit you over the head,” Nessa replied, moving to bat him playfully as her anger simmered with his smile. He had successfully brought her out of her moping. “But really, Devin. We need to get you out of here. There’s no place here for a day human.”
“Ahh, but here I thought I was special,” he teased and Nessa shook her head. This was a new side to Devin that she hadn’t seen before. He could actually joke around.
“Ronan can help us,” Nessa added. “He knows his way around the underground better than I do.”
“Is that where your grandfather is?” Devin asked.
“Yes, and that’s where we need to go as soon as Ronan gets here,” Nessa replied.
Ronan opened the door and entered the room as if on cue. Devin sat up and all humor was gone from him. He was back to his normal, all-business self. Nessa sighed and sat on the bed next to him. Having ‘Fun Devin’ was fun while it lasted, but she was sure now what needed to be done. She needed to get him out of the village and away from the sidhe. She had made him a target when she bound herself to him, and it was her responsibility to get him home safely. They needed to break the bond immediately.
“Ronan, we need a favor,” Nessa said, starting to talk before Devin could.
“Yes, we need you to help us find a man named Candor of the Ferguson tribe,” Devin added.
“No, we need you to take us to where grandfather is kept,” Nessa said over Devin. Devin shook his head at her.
“That can wait,” said Devin. “Right now we need to find Candor and clear your name.”
“No, we don’t. We need to get you out of here, right now,” Nessa answered.
Nessa didn’t plan to back down, and Devin didn’t plan to let her get away with sacrificing herself either. They were at a standstill and Ronan just watched from across the room.
“Glad to see you both also, cousin and day human,” Ronan said with a chuckle. “Not getting along?” He looked between them. Nessa was staring daggers at Devin, and he was completely ignoring her. Nessa turned to her cousin and gave him the sad puppy dog look she used to get her way one too many times in their lives. She needed him to agree with her and tell her what she needed to do.
“Will someone explain to me what’s going on and what the plan is?” Ronan asked.
Devin waved his hand at Nessa to go first.
“At the tournament last month, I bound myself to Devin to save his life,” she spat out. Nessa waited for Ronan to yell at her or something, but he just looked at her with an ‘is that all’ look.
“And that isn’t a plan. What are the two of you arguing about?” Ronan asked, as if it was nothing new.
“You aren’t upset?” Nessa answered his question with a question.
“About what? You found a day human that can see through magic and bound yourself to him? It sounds like the best mistake you’ve made in a long time,” Ronan replied. “What’s the plan about the trial?”
Nessa stared at her cousin, still in shock. It was against sidhe tradition to have any relation to day humans, let alone bind to one. Ronan had to know that at least.
“We need to find the man Candor,” Devin explained when Nessa didn’t. “He’s the only one not on the list of witnesses that could possibly support Nessa in proving that she didn’t attack Rhys. At least the only one that’s possibly still alive.”
“That’s a lot of possibilities,” Ronan added.
“Better than having none,” Devin replied. Ronan nodded. “All the McKinny witnesses have gone missing. We sent everyone home to their own tribes after the tournament. They should have been back weeks ago, but I’m afraid they probably met the same fate that was meant for us on our way here.”
“All of them?” Ronan asked, all joking gone. He was similar to his father now in his worry.
“All of them,” Devin repeated.
Ronan paced the room in thought as Nessa and Devin waited to hear what he believed. Ronan was the only sidhe they trusted, and they needed to know how he made the situation out. It wasn’t looking good to either Nessa or Devin. Devin was more patient as he watched. Nessa wanted to stand and stop her cousin and shake him until she got an answer from him.
“If I understand correctly, you want to break the bond and feel that’s more important than the trial,” Ronan spoke to Nessa first. “And you
feel getting Nessa off the hook for her brother’s death is the most important.” Devin gave one nod. Ronan’s serious phase was done, and he was grinning ear-to-ear.
“You guys like each other,” Ronan assessed, not giving a plan. “I never thought I’d see the day my prickly little cousin would like a guy- and to find one that likes her back.” He now had a full-scale grin plastered across his face.
“We do not,” Devin and Nessa replied in unison. Nessa glared at Devin for saying the same thing, and Ronan laughed more.
“Don’t you see? Each of you wants what will protect the other. If that’s not caring, then what is?” Ronan stopped next to Nessa and bumped her elbow. “Lucky for you, I can offer some assistance all around.”
Nessa looked up to her cousin. She was sure his answer wouldn’t agree with her. No one in the sidhe village viewed a day human as worthwhile. How could Ronan be happy she liked a day human?
“I don’t care what you say Ronan, Devin can’t suffer for me. I need to get him free of this bond now, so that he has a chance to get away. Being bound to me just makes him stuck here. I know sidhe policy about day humans, and I don’t care. He’s human, whether night or day, and doesn’t deserve to be stuck here and treated like a toy. No day human deserves that, no matter how annoying they are,” Nessa said before Ronan could continue. Devin raised his eyebrows at her last statement. Nessa stuck her tongue out at him.
Ronan laughed at Nessa, and she returned his laugh with a glare. Ronan walked around the bed and away from her punch-throwing radius. It wouldn’t have been the first time they physically fought. It had been a few years, but Ronan was like a second brother to her.
“Little cousin, I wouldn’t dream of a plan to hurt your day human. He doesn’t seem to understand that the predominant trait in the McKinny line is stubbornness.” Ronan patted Devin’s back. “The women seem to have the trait strongly. Sorry about that.”
“Then who do you side with?” Nessa asked suspiciously. There was only one reason to step away and get distance from her. He wasn’t going to side with her, and was trying to not receive her wrath.
“I have a compromise to suggest,” Ronan replied.
“And that is?” Nessa was impatient. Time was ticking away, and she needed to unbind from Devin. At any moment, the trial could continue or be over. Her death would mean his death.
“I go and bring Candor to the trial for my father, and you two go wake the old man since it takes both a day and a night human to do so,” Ronan said with a bow. “See? Not a problem. My dad will love me for being the good son and representing the family, and you two can get grandfather back in the game to shake everyone up. The sidhe have grown lazy without the old man around.”
Devin nodded at the solution. “That could work.” Devin was quick to let Ronan help. He trusted Ronan to do anything to save Nessa.
“And how do we know you won’t double-cross me and not get Candor?” Nessa didn’t want to ask, but she had to. Too many people she trusted full-heartedly had betrayed her already. Devin looked to her and gave her the ‘don’t you know’ expression she was getting more used to every time he knew something she did not. “What?” she asked both guys who were now staring at her.
“I don’t want to be king,” Ronan replied with the obvious answer.
“Sure, just like Maureen just wants to help me,” Nessa answered. She never imagined the day that Maureen would be as evil as she saw her now. The woman she knew as a child was gone.
Ronan sighed and paused for a moment. He looked unsure of how to tell Nessa the truth.
“He won’t make a good king, and he knows it. I believe his father knows it, even if he doesn’t admit it,” Devin replied, not exactly being clear.
Nessa stood and couldn’t control her anger much longer. Her fingers twitched with the magic she wanted to use to tie both the men up in her room. They were holding back. Maybe not lying, but it was just as bad. She looked from one to the other, giving each one last chance to reply. Ronan was still tongue-tied.
“He doesn’t exactly want to marry someone to produce heirs for the throne,” Devin replied cryptically.
Nessa let her magic go, and Devin and Ronan were pushed back onto the bed. The covers rolled up around them, trapping both men in her bed with just their faces free. Out in the normal world, her power wasn’t as strong, but within her bound room, Nessa found her power vast and controllable, at least when she wasn’t angry.
“I don’t like girls,” Ronan finally blurted out when he couldn’t even wiggle to struggle against the sheets swallowing him up. “I can’t be king, as the marriage would be a farce. And yes, my father knows that. We need you to take the throne in order for the McKinny family to keep power.”
The magic dropped suddenly and both Devin and Ronan popped up from the bed they had been pressed into. Devin hadn’t struggled against it, but he felt its strength. Nessa’s hand went to her mouth as she covered her surprise. Nessa had grown up with Ronan her whole life, and certainly never suspected that he liked guys. Devin was trying to hide his smile from her. She was already furious and flexing her magic, and he didn’t need to be hit unexpectedly again, but it was good to know she could control it. He had felt her magic trickling out of her for days, and he could start to tell the difference between the sidhe based on their magic. She was much more powerful than the rest of them, but she never showed any signs of really using it beyond simple tricks. He was glad to see that, if the sidhe made her angry enough, she could control it. She would be fine without Devin there to protect her once he left.
“Then we are agreed?” Ronan asked, getting up and dusting himself off. “I get Candor to the trial and my father, and you guys go wake the dead.”
“Is he really dead?” Devin asked, joining Ronan who was standing beside the bed. Neither guy looked to Nessa, who was still in a bit of shock. They said the old sidhe was sleeping forever, and to most people that meant dead, but Devin was unsure what they meant by it.
Ronan laughed. “No. He’s alive, but there’s magic all around him that’s keeping him asleep. He is protected by sidhe assassins. He won’t be easy to get to, but if you can get to him I promise to have everything set up here for your return.”
Devin nodded to him. Dead, but not really dead. That much he could handle.
“Do you know how to wake him?” Nessa asked her cousin. They were going into the situation completely unprepared out of necessity.
“No, but I’ve been told the instructions are on the box he’s in, hence the assassins that protect him at all times. Anyone that can get close enough can wake him,” Ronan replied.
“Are the assassins to keep him there, or us away?” Devin asked.
“Don’t know,” Ronan replied, moving toward the doorway.
“Do we need to bring anything with?” Devin asked.
“That I don’t know either. I was pretty little when they put him in there,” Ronan answered.
“Then how do we find him?” Nessa asked, joining in the planning.
“Take one of his blades,” Ronan replied. “It should lead you in the right direction.”
Devin nodded, but still wasn’t even close to being prepared. The old man was dead, but not dead. Hidden and protected, yet findable and possibly not protected. It was just one large riddle that Devin had yet to understand. It was beginning to seem like all the sidhe were one big puzzle.
“While I’d like to stay and help plan, I know that you might need a few moments alone before you run off to change the world.”
Ronan winked at Nessa and her cheeks turned bright red. Devin just shook his head to try to hide his smile. Ronan was pretty good at bugging his cousin. Ronan slipped out the door before she could muster a verbal protest.
“Protect him,” Devin pondered Ronan’s words as he went over the little information that they had gotten. “What does he need protection from?”
“People trying to kill him,” Nessa replied. “In his sleeping state, he can’t fight back.” Th
at made sense, but Devin thought maybe the assassins were more likely there to keep people like Devin and Nessa from waking the great king. It seemed maybe a few people, or more, didn’t want the old sidhe awake.
“And how will these assassins know not to fight us?” Devin asked. It wasn’t that killing more sidhe was a problem, but if the sidhe were on the same side as the McKinnys, then Devin felt they would be better left alive for Nessa to use later. She was going to have more enemies then friends once she became their leader.
“I don’t know. They don’t tell us younger sidhe much of anything, and I was only eight when they put him there. I know it had something to do with politics, but I never understood why they wanted him out of the picture. It was a better place here when he was around. He kept the sidhe in line. There were a lot less killings, and you wouldn’t return home to find the six men you took with dead. That never would’ve happened,” Nessa replied as she sat down. She didn’t have more information, but Devin still needed to plan a course of action for them.
“What do we need to take with?” Devin asked, looking around the room. Nessa’s things from her little, one-bedroom home before were in the room and strewn about just like they had been. She wasn’t organized in the least, just like the curls that bounced on her head.
“Weapons,” Nessa replied. “And that’s pretty much it.”
Devin nodded. He sat down and picked up the few blades on the coffee table that were his. If he was going into a battle, he would take the sidhe blades with him, but he would take his own weapons. They were much more comfortable. It was easier to fight with a familiar blade, and Devin didn’t doubt they would be fighting, one way or another. Nothing about waking a forbidden sidhe sounded like it would be easy.
“Do we wait for the trial to begin again to make our way out?” Nessa suggested. Her planning was top notch.
That was exactly what Devin was thinking, and he nodded. He picked up a sharpening stone and rubbed it down the metal of his own blades. They had no sense of when the trial would resume. They had to wait for her uncle to retrieve them. The rhythmic sound of the stone on metal was the only noise as Nessa went off to the bathroom to change. She returned in close-fitting black clothing. She tossed Devin a dark shirt, and he set down his blades. He stood and pulled his white shirt off his head and replaced it with the black shirt. It was snug, like Nessa’s, but he felt more than that. He felt the magic in the shirt. He didn’t ask, even though there was a spell on the shirt.