Revealed in Fire (Demon Days & Vampire Nights #9)(59)

“I would never do that to Penny,” he said. “It’s no kind of life for a person like her. Or you. You remember that island—you were going stir-crazy. We all saw it. If Cahal hadn’t been there to train you—to challenge you—you would’ve swum out of there just to get a little action.”

“Don’t burst my bubble.” I felt my magic thrumming within me, responding to the mounting stress. More eyes found us as we approached the wide double door at the end of the path. Elves lurked by the walls, their hair as still as their bodies, watching us silently. They didn’t have weapons strapped to them, which wasn’t reassuring. They clearly thought they were weapons enough.

At the double door, one of the elves stepped forward, cloaked in a green tunic and purple breeches.

“Second, you have come to visit,” it said.

“I am now the First,” Romulus said, and I barely saw his bow through the thicket of people around us. “My mother is in good health, but she has decided she would prefer to stay within the Flush, governing the people there, than join the rest of us in resuming our duties.”

“Ah, I see,” the elf replied, and it didn’t seem like he really did. That, or he was relaying some subtle context that I wasn’t programed to pick up.

“Emery,” I whispered, and Halvor glanced back with a hard stare, no doubt to shut me up. Emery glanced over. “You’re going to have to start thinking things at me so I know what’s going on. I’ve gotten used to it, and now I’m flying blind. No one wants me to get bored.”

He nodded, and his thought message popped into my head. Can you hear me?

“Yeah. Good. What—” I zipped my lips as the elf continued.

“Your wing has been prepared, of course.” The elf fell silent as Roger made his way up the side of the procession with a confident swing of his shoulders and a commanding bearing. He was being professional. “Ah. And Roger Nevin. Yes, I had heard your two factions…connected once more.”

“Yes, it has been a remarkable pairing,” Romulus said, pretending the elf’s words didn’t drip with disdain. “Very effective.”

“Quite.” The elf paused, and no one rushed in to fill the gap with words. “Well. I’ll show you to your wing. Roger Nevin, your rooms are always available, as you know. My associate will show you the way. Romulus, you have some…guests with you, do you not?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, we do. We will be presenting them, in person, to the king and queen. Rooms within our wing will be sufficient for them.”

“Yes, except for the fugitive, of course. He’ll need to come with us.”

Penny shoved me out of the way and slipped her hand into Emery’s. “They won’t take you. If they try, we’ll resist.”

If they take me, make sure she stays safe, Emery thought, and I opened up my brain to all the voices around me. Thankfully, the shifters had taught the fae how to shield their thoughts, and I didn’t have dozens of voices battering me. Don’t let her try to rescue me. If they kill me, look after her. She’ll feel like dying. Don’t let her.

“If you die, we all die,” I said with zero sentimentality. It was a fact. Penny would resist, I’d help her, and we’d either all live and walk out, or all die for our efforts.

But if we were going to die, I intended to take as much of this castle down with me as I could.

“I am quite appalled by the lack of communication within your establishment, I must say,” Romulus said. “On our way out of the Flush, we left one of your smartest foot soldiers alive explicitly so that he might tell you our position on young Westbrook. I really dislike repeating myself, and I have had to do it far too often with your faction. Once and for all, he merely played a trick. Hanging does not fit the crime, not by a long shot. Moreover, anyone that is to be executed must have a trial with a high-standing custode present. Given he has not had a trial, he will not be executed, per the laws set forth long ago. I have brought him here in good faith so that he might have that trial, and I will stand up at it and wager his punishment, as is proper. Until then, he will remain in my care.”

“I understand, First, it’s just that… Well, that’s not how we do things anymore. Since you and yours walked away and left your positions empty, we’ve had to come up with other means by which to police our lands. The sun has set on your usefulness, something your kind brought on themselves.”

He just laid out exactly where the custodes stand in the Realm, Emery thought. On permanent vacation. They aren’t even going to pretend to honor the original agreement.

Darius had anticipated that, but he also believed Romulus would try to force the issue. I was safer with the warrior fae than without them, so said the Seers, but I’d be safer still with a big host of them away from the elves, in a place we could defend against Lucifer.

I just hoped I didn’t get kidnapped before any of that could happen. We were entering the belly of the beast.





Twenty





“We have come in good faith,” Romulus said to the elf, who had not budged. “We will keep Mr. Westbrook to his room until you can see him.”

“I think I’ll just take him with me.”

“We both know that isn’t wise, just as we both know what happened to the war parties that tried to do exactly that. I assume that message was delivered?”