Once Broken Faith (October Daye #10)(133)

“I’m not going to give you the antidote just because you’re pissed that I helped someone hurt your precious brother.”

“I know.”

“It’s unreasonable of you to—wait, what?” The Luidaeg turned to look at me, cocking her head to the side. “What did you say?”

“I said, I know.” I shrugged. “I know you didn’t have a choice. You have to do what people ask for, as long as they pay you.”

Her eyes seemed to darken, bottle green shifting toward pine. “You know, do you? How do you know?”

“You sold some charms to my nursemaid, to keep me and Nolan hidden from the people who would hurt us. She said . . . she said it was worth what she’d paid if it meant we stayed safe. And they worked. They worked for a long, long time, until October asked you to help her find us. It’s sort of funny, really. You hid us, and then you found us, and you didn’t do it because you wanted to either time.” I forced myself to smile. My head was still throbbing, and every nerve felt like it was on fire. If I tried to open a gate, I’d probably dump myself into the Bay, and that didn’t change the part where I desperately wanted to try. I wanted to get out of here.

I wanted to save my brother. I had to stay.

The Luidaeg’s eyes had continued to darken. “Your nursemaid,” she said. “What was her name?”

“Marianne.”

“Marianne.” She said the name like it tasted of the finest wine in Faerie. “She used me to hide you. Your brother didn’t stay within the wards, and someone else used me to hurt him. Faerie might do better if all the Firstborn were gone, don’t you think?”

“You’re the only one I’ve actually met,” I said. I paused before adding, “No, wait, that’s not true. Amandine’s Firstborn, right? And Evening Winterrose. How many of you are there?”

“Don’t ask that.” There was steel in her voice. She took a step toward me. “Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to tell me what you want—exactly what you want—and I’m going to tell you what it costs. You’ll pay, or not, as you see fit. If you pay, you get what you asked for, and I let you leave here unharmed. If you refuse, you get nothing, and you may not find it that easy to get away from me.”

I stiffened. “I’m Tuatha de Dannan.”

“Yes, and you stink of burnt magic and overexertion. You couldn’t teleport to the corner store right now. You’re trapped with me until I let you go, and I’m not letting you go until you do what you came for. What do you want?”

“I want my brother awake.” The words came easily. Relief followed. Until I’d been speaking, I hadn’t been certain I’d be able to. “I want him to open his eyes and look at me. I want him back in the world, unharmed, unchanged, ready to be my brother again. I want him back.”

“Is that all?” The Luidaeg raised an eyebrow. “No bone for your puppy? No three wishes and a new toaster?”

“Madden finds his own bones, and I have kitchen staff. I don’t need a toaster.”

“I see.” The Luidaeg looked at me, assessing. Finally, she said, “Wait here,” and vanished down the hall, leaving me alone in the mess.

No, not quite alone: a cockroach the length of my index finger strolled along the wall, antennae waving, apparently unbothered by the fact that I was standing less than four feet away. I wrinkled my nose, but didn’t smash the disgusting thing. It could be the Luidaeg’s familiar or something. I didn’t want to come all this way only to incur her wrath over a bug.

The smell of lovelies-bleeding and kelp drifted in from the direction the Luidaeg had gone, notable mostly because it was so much fresher than the scum around me. The Luidaeg herself appeared a few moments later, a small vial in her left hand. Its contents were pearl gray and glowing like a fallen star. She held it up, showing it to me.

“Feed this to him and any sleeping potions will be cleansed from his body,” she said. “He’ll go back to sleep. He’ll sleep for eight hours. He’ll sleep restfully, and when he wakes, he’ll be fine. Eighty years out of time, but fine. That’s what you want.”

“Yes, it is,” I said. I started to reach for the vial, catching myself and pulling back at the last moment. “What does it cost?”

“Clever girl.” She smiled, ever so slightly. “I know why you sent Toby to Silences. I know she touched you without permission. I know she did it because she was chasing you, trying to make sure you didn’t abandon your post. And that’s what I want from you. If you take this from my hand, you take your throne as well. You will not be able to step down or step aside without my permission, ever.”

I bristled. “I’m not going to be your puppet.”

“Did I ask for that? I didn’t ask for that. I don’t care how you rule. I care about this kingdom having some stability. I have shit to do, and some of it includes Toby being clear-headed and focused enough to listen when I call for her. So I need you to stay on your damn throne.” The Luidaeg’s smile grew. The teeth were back. “No stepping down. No stepping aside. You die in the saddle, or you get my permission to leave.”

“What’s to stop me from breaking my word?” That might have been a bad question to ask someone like her, but I needed to know.