Steal the Sun (Thieves #4)(47)

Dev had a big smile on his face as he pulled me off my chair and into his arms. “You see, my wife, it could be any of a number of people. They didn’t use my name so we have to consider the fact that they were talking about someone else.” He tipped my chin up so I was looking him in the eye. “So you and Daniel should wipe the morose looks off your faces. I have no intention of dying. I just got married and we’re having a baby. I promise I won’t die before I get a chance to be a horrible influence on our son. I have to live or Daniel will turn him into a comic book geek.”

Daniel grinned, obviously buoyed by the possibility that it wasn’t Dev. “I’d like to see you stop me.”

I let Dev pull me close, but I thought he was wrong. There had been something personal about that prophecy. Why had the matron touched me and spoken directly to me, as though we had a connection? They had been much more interested in me than in the Queen of the Seelie, whose territory they were in. She’d been more of a distraction than anything else. They had spoken to me and I knew deep down that their prophecy would have a direct impact. I wouldn’t weep for the Duke of Ain. I wouldn’t fight for him.

I turned my head and saw that Daniel was still wary as well. I knew what his first instinct would be. He would want to take me and Dev and get the hell out of Dodge. He would prefer to take us all back to Ether where he felt more in control. But the prophecy would follow us wherever we went. We needed to figure this out here. I just wished I knew how long we had before whatever was going to happen came to pass.

“I am going to contact our best soothsayers.” Miria stood, her decision made, and shook out her strawberry-blonde hair. “It is what I should have done the minute the bean si began their song.” She turned to Padric. “I believe one of the women in the village has shown great potential as a medium. Perhaps we can ask the spirits to guide us.”

The royal guard nodded. “I shall go and fetch her myself, Your Highness. If you would have the temple prepared, we can hold a séance as soon as I get back and we can try to get to the bottom of this.”

Miria turned to Sarah, who looked pale and sat quietly holding Felix’s hand. “You are a witch, correct?”

“I am, Your Highness,” she replied.

“Would you mind overseeing the preparations? You will know which herbs to use and which candles to burn.”

Sarah stood and bowed her head. “It would be my honor to do this for you. I know exactly which herbs to use. We must cleanse the space before we begin.”

Everyone was up and moving about as there were preparations to be made. It was like a great weight had been lifted because we now had something to do. Dev kissed me and once again promised me things would be all right before joining his mother and brother. They began to plan what questions they should ask the hopefully non-corporeal dead. Sometimes these things went awry and the corporeal dead showed up and they tended to be pissed off and usually carrying weapons of some sort. Daniel pointed this out and they all began to argue the probability of their conversation with the dead beginning the zombie apocalypse.

I watched as they plotted and felt distant from all of them at that moment. I let my arms cross and rested against the wall, watching Dev and Daniel and wondering just how far I would go to protect them.

“You don’t believe this shit any more than I do, Your Grace,” the Hunter said quietly. His brown eyes regarded me seriously. His voice was quiet. As Neil was caught up in the undead argument and Zack was patrolling, I doubted anyone else could hear our conversation.

“I still think it’s Dev.” There was a knot of anxiety that told me this loss was mine, not all of Faery’s. It would hurt my heart the most.

“I agree.” He leaned casually against the wall next to me. To the rest of the party, it probably appeared to be a meaningless conversation. As the Hunter continued, I knew it was anything but. “I know more than I have said to this point. Celebrating your marriage is the least of my reasons for being here. It would do nothing to help if I bring up my information now. It would only confuse the issue and stop me from coming to his aid.”

“If you know something, you have to tell me,” I whispered back urgently.

“I will,” he promised. “I need your help. The bean si were right. You are the only one who can stop this war. If you want to know how, I will tell you in an hour. Be ready when I come for you.”

My heart skipped an anxious beat. “When you come for me? Are we going somewhere? I don’t think my husbands are going to let me go anywhere alone with you.”

“If you want to save Prince Dev, that is exactly what you will do,” he hissed my direction.

“How will my being alone with an Unseelie noble help my husband?” I shot back at him. “That sounds like an excellent way to start a war and perhaps to lead Devinshea into a trap.”

I watched as the Hunter receded and Herne took his place. I noticed that they tended to function like this. They traded places whenever one seemed to fumble. This time the Hunter couldn’t handle a touchy female, so he tagged out and brought in the charmer.

Herne was gracious. “I apologize again, Your Grace. The Hunter is anxious about certain events, and it does nothing for his already questionable manners. He very much wants to avoid war. It’s not that he minds bloodshed but rather that he fears no one will win this battle. He’s an old and venerable spirit, but he’s still dependent on us. It brings out the worst in him at times when he’s reminded of his flaws.”