17. Maeve

17

Maeve

" D oes time flow faster or slower here on the Fae Court then on the Realms?" Maeve asked as soon as they were out from under the pounding spray of the waterfall.

"Slower, but not by much. Two days for every day that passes on the Realms, from what I could account for from my infrequent visits here."

Rodan's magic sparked like a shower of golden light in her mind's eye, drying and clothing them both. While what he attired them in was fine-woven, it was a great deal more informal than what he had put them in earlier. She was grateful to it, and began to explore.

The bathroom, for that's what this alcove with a waterfall and pool of crystalline water was, also contained basins of multicolored liquids which gave off different but enticing perfumes. Swallowing the temptation to touch each of them in turn, Maeve found her own reflection peering back at her from between branches of a tree, an ornate mirror fixed among the leaves.

The ceiling stretched so high above her head it was like a cathedral in each of the rooms, the swirling whorls of color and patterns mesmerizing the eye in a glittering gold and silver mixed with sunset hues.

Rodan paced at her side as she moved into what was the bedroom, and she was reminded heavily of the home they inhabited within the Fifth Realm, in Ferndale. The furniture appeared grown, the wood twisting like olive trees did. The bed was piled with furs and pillows, plush blankets and what looked like silk sheets peeking out from beneath.

Maeve went to the only windows, a pair of French doors leading out to a small balcony overlooking a set of gardens that were more wild forest than tended rows.

She wanted to hate it.

But she loved it.

Breathing deep, she let the blue glow flood under her skin, and her hair began to float behind her.

The Court stretched under her mental touch, which was soft as a graze. It was different than the sensation she had with the Realms, where the planet was both massive, powerful, but… sweet. Loving. Here, the Court was like having a grown child. Someone you had a different, more respectful relationship with.

The planet seemed to like her assessment, for she was flooded with the sense of it. The power.

"What are you doing, Maeve?" Rodan asked. "I feel something, but I cannot tell."

If he could not, with the bond in place, she was certain others would be even further in the dark if anyone else so happened to be tuned into her in the moment.

Which lead her to doing something her instincts told her to do. "Getting to know them properly."

She opened a portion of her mind to the Fae Court, a back door that let the planet meld with her, if only for a few moments.

But, oh, those moments stretched.

The Court touched upon her life, her past, and she sensed its great sorrow. Sensed it had a sort of stake in her, and it felt regret.

And, in turn, in her mind's eye she saw the progression of life on the surface of this world, the evolution of one form into the next and into the next, which ended with the Fae, who had arisen several tens of thousands of years prior.

Maeve saw how they had gained supremacy against those who had come before.

Because this planet had been inhabited once, by the Fae's ancestors.

She spoke to Rodan through their link. The Fae came from something like humans. Did you know?

I know rumor, and I know myth. I can show you both.

Nodding, Maeve turned from the balcony and shuttered the connection she had opened up to the Court, which seemed to say good-bye with a lingering touch. She smiled, for if she had been told a year ago that she would be friendly with living planets, and be awash in more magic than she knew what to do with, she would have laughed, incredulous and unbelieving. And then hungry to know more.

Even though the last eight months had been difficult, the repercussions life-altering, she would not trade this for anything.

Reaching for Rodan's hand, she gripped it hard. "Tell me about this rumor and myth."

His mouth thinned into a stark line, and through the bond came his response. There is much I would tell you, but I am sworn to secrecy by many vows. I can tell you this; Titania is not to be trifled with. She is more powerful than the rest of the Court put together, and she has wielded power on that scale several times over the millennia.

She chewed on her lower lip, asking back, will you tell me one day?

You know I will. The instant I'm able to.

Maeve let her fingers thread through his, and she tilted her head. "I don't like secrets."

"I know." His voice was gentle. "I am doing the best I can. I swear to you."

She nodded, letting go and moving away to explore the room further. He trailed a few steps behind, and she could sense his magic probing the area, checking for traps and spies.

Maeve went from watching Rodan subtly to observing him intently, noticing the way his black hair seemed to both soak in and reflect the light around him. How his powerful body moved. How his eyes found hers, again and again.

Rodan stopped what he was doing, staring back and a knowing smile curved his lips. "What are you thinking?"

Maeve reached for him and pulled him in for a kiss, relishing it with all she had. The way he smelled and felt, how he grasped her tight.

Rodan had traveled into death for her. He had done so much to stay at her side, to come back to her despite everything Icarus had put him through.

He was hers. Hers.

She moaned into the kiss, wanting to get lost in more than his mouth but in his entire body. She wanted him with every cell of her being. "Please," she whispered when he broke away, his expression wavering between heat and concern. "Can we?—"

"Not here," he replied. "There are eyes everywhere. And that, my love, is for the two of us alone."

"I want to kiss you."

"You can kiss me," he murmured, leaning down. "Just nothing you wouldn't want an audience to see, hm?"

She kissed him like he were the only oxygen in the room, hands roaming from his chest to his neck, playing in his long hair before cradling his face to keep him there. Keep him with her. They kissed until her lips were swollen. Rodan was stiff, pressed between them, and his little groans were like sweet torture.

"I wish we were home," she said when she finally pulled away, her breathing heavy.

He had a glazed sort of expression on his face now. "So do I."

Maeve laughed and kissed him again, swift and soft. "You drive me crazy," she said quietly, echoing the words from so many months ago. They were still true. "I've never—" she shook her head. "Never mind. I suppose I should be careful with my words, too."

"Yes."

The knowledge of being watched prickled at the edges of her awareness. Something in her was very, very sure he was correct. They were not exactly alone.

There was a knock at the door.

Before Maeve could leave Rodan's side to go to it, the door opened, and in stepped three women Fae. They each wore long, fine gloves to the elbow, and they curtseyed as one when she approached. They looked and felt young, compared to the weight of years she had sensed from the main throne room and receiving hall earlier.

"Lady Maeve Almeida," the first, a brunette, said as they all rose. "We are here to tend to you, to make you presentable for the Queen."

Glancing down at her outfit, which would have served well as court attire in the Realms, Maeve frowned. "What I'm wearing isn't good enough?"

The redhead giggled, a gloved hand before her mouth, and glanced at the one standing behind her. "It has been a long time since Lord Rodan was at the Court."

"And he is well-meaning," the final, a blonde, continued. "But our fashions have changed."

"There are others for him," the brunette finished, gesturing at the still-open doors. Two tall Fae noblemen stood just outside, bowing slightly when attention was focused on them. "You'll be separated for an hour, perhaps two."

Tell them no more than you would tell an enemy , Rodan warned in her mind, and went without argument to the door and the waiting attendants. But be a gracious guest. Always. I'll be right here, there was the sense of his touch through the bond, and I can get to you instantly.

Maeve's shoulders relaxed at the words, and she sent him her love. He shot her a smile, and then was gone, the golden door snicking shut behind him.

She turned her attention to the trio of Fae women. "What do I call you?"

Smiles that could have been exact duplicates of one another. Sweet and small. "I am Loralyn," said the brunette. "This is Cassidy," the redhead. "And Kaita. We serve as handmaids to the High Queen, as we are yet to bond."

Maeve tilted her head. "Does everyone do that?"

"Anyone from a house that matters," Kaita said, her blonde tresses done up in an intricate style making her look a full head taller. She was walking in a circle around Maeve, looking her up and down. "We're all sired from High Fae." She reached out and touched a lock of tawny hair. "You're so beautiful."

Taken aback, Maeve could only stammer out a quick, "If you think so."

The three tittered laughs, and then they were all circling her, each reaching out to touch her, lift her chin, cup her waist, raise her arms. "Anything would look good on you," Loralyn sighed. "Some people have all the luck." She tapped the side of her nose, which was, in Maeve's eyes, strong and perfectly suited to her striking features.

The other two touched their own perceived imperfections. A too-round face for Kaita. Cassidy patted her stomach, full and curved.

Maeve looked at each of them in turn, then said, "Perhaps I do not understand the customs of the Court, but from where I am standing, and with how I was raised, you all carry a distinct beauty."

Expressions softened, and then Cassidy and Kaita were pulling her into a room adjacent to the bathroom, filled with clothes and beauty potions. Loralyn saw Maeve's stunned expression and laughed. "The Court itself knows you are here, and had these rooms especially prepared for you."

"You speak of the planet?" Maeve asked.

"Of course. This castle is pulled from the earth, after all, and all you see here has been created solely for the pleasure of our Queen." More smiles. "It is unusual, for an unknown Fae to be found. Were you born on the Realms?"

"I call them home," she said, not meeting any of their eyes, but instead studying the array of fine clothing. "This is all fitted specifically for me?"

"It should be." Loralyn did nothing to hide the disappointment in her voice, though her next words were courteous. "Will you allow us to dress you?"

Looking at the straps and gauzy hangings of what was on offer, Maeve nodded. "I would be glad for the assistance."

They never stopped talking, the three Fae. Maeve learned much of them. They were all under two centuries of age, and because of the status of their families, any bond they would enjoy had to be approved by High Queen Titania herself.

"She has not approved a bonding in some time, not among the nobility," Cassidy complained. "Which is why we were all the more surprised to find you and lord Rodan did so."

The hair on the back of Maeve's neck stood up. From within, she could sense her bondmates attention.

Kaita finished buttoning the cuffs at her wrist, made of real pearls and edged with gold. "How did it happen?"

Everyone seemed to hold their breath, and then Rodan supplied her the words she needed, repeating what she heard in her mind. "It was a life-and-death situation. We did not know my true nature."

The three handmaidens let out sighs. "He is so handsome," Loralyn said. "Kaita saw a portrait of him in lady Kabira's chambers. She told us about it, but seeing him in person?"

They sighed again.

"The longest it took for any of us to bond," Cassidy continued. "Lord Rodan was thought to be waiting explicitly for the High Queen's approval."

"Or for Elias to be ready," tittered Kaita. "Now that one is fair game."

"You think you can bond with Elias?" Loralyn quipped, sweeping Maeve's hair into an intricate updo, pinning it in place with pearl-headed combs. Though what she was doing looked quite complex, there was not a single tug or pull. "I am eldest of us. Surely Titania will choose me."

Maeve stood there as rings of gold were slid onto her fingers, and bracelets cuffed at her wrists. She was dripping with jewels. Pearls and moonstone, gold and silver both. The three Fae women circled her, anointing her with perfume and cloth so fine it was like the very air.

They dusted the height of her cheekbones with glittering golden powder, and gave her earrings which both pierced and twined around her ears, giving her the facsimile of a pointed tip like them.

The trio had continued to banter among themselves, Maeve occasionally seeking an answer to a pressing curiosity. They attempted to pry information out of her, in turn, but she was careful with her responses, just as Rodan had warned her to be. It was, she thought at least, fairly obvious anything she said would be reported back to Titania.

And perhaps others. Rodan had always said the Fae were ruthless. For all their smiles and helpfulness, each one of these women could slide a knife in her back for all she knew.

The thought made her, with a minor push, make a jeweled dagger to hang from a golden belt at her waist. They all gasped to see it. "How did you do that?" Loralyn demanded, all trace of good humor gone.

Running her thumbs along the hilt, Maeve tilted her head. "It is customary in the Realms to go armed. I should have asked."

"You cannot go before the Queen with a weapon, no," Kaita said quickly, rushing forward to undo the belt. Then she jumped back as Maeve dissipated it into smoke. "You're a maker!" she said, her tone one of stunned amazement.

"We have not had one of those in many millennia," Cassidy said, and there was a cautious turn to her movements that gave Maeve pause. "How long have you known? Did it come into being with the bond?"

Maeve opened her mouth, unsure of the answer, when she heard Rodan's voice once more. How he managed to concentrate on the goings-on around himself plus this made her head spin, but he seemed at ease. "The bond is new, and my Fae powers untested," she said, hoping that was enough to quench the obvious curiosity shining in the Fae's eyes.

"You must be High Fae, then," Kaita spoke. "That is why the Court welcomes you so. There are fewer and fewer of us."

"I have never seen a maker," Cassidy murmured. "None of us have. Only heard of them."

Maeve did not know what any of this might mean, but did not want to venture further into questions and answers. They had strayed too close to truths she had no interest in divulging. Instead, she turned back to look at her reflection in the mirror.

She appeared as a goddess. Her midsection was exposed save for a slender gold chain with a small pearl pendant hanging from it resting just above her belly button. The cloth encasing her was base black, but glimmered with multicolored stars that caught the ambient light and refracted it like diamonds. Shoulders bare, the fabric hugged her breasts and hung off her arms, cascading to cuffed wrists. Loose, flowing cloth of the same color flowed from a jeweled golden belt slung low on her hips, studded with pearls and opal, shot through with veins of silver. They reminded her of harem pants, cuffed at the ankle but otherwise loose. She slipped her feet into gold and silver slippers encrusted with seed pearls, and found she liked this.

It was more jewelry and finery than anything she had worn before, except perhaps that fateful night in Visantium, and the thought was enough to sour her stomach, to turn this from fun to sinister.

"You will be the crown jewel of the court tonight," Loralyn said softly. "I believe we've kept you long enough. We will take you to Titania now."

Maeve was ushered from the massive dressing room. "What of Rodan?"

"He'll meet you after. There will be feasting and dancing throughout the night in honor of your bonding. The Queen wishes to speak with you." There was unabashed excitement in the woman's tone. "We have not had such an event in some time."

"Why?" Maeve asked before she could help herself, just as they came to the golden doors of her chambers.

Loralyn stopped with her gloved hand on the handle, then looked at the other two women and lowered her voice. "We have not had much to celebrate."

With that cryptic statement, she opened the door and the three ushered Maeve down the hallway.

They walked for some time, through several turns, but always there were windows, either in skylights or along the walls. Sunlight beamed through clear and colored glass depicting all manner of scenes. Some of them could have come straight from the Kama Sutra , but others were intricate flowering vines and spiderwebs, reminding Maeve of the time she had gone to the Winchester House in the Bay Area. Business had taken her into the city often, and she had decided to go tourist once. This place, with its seemingly infinite corridors and stairwells and gardens, would have been the delight of the late Sarah Winchester.

Rodan's laughter echoed in her mind, and a moment later she felt the caress of his attention. Whenever you get nervous, you start thinking of the strangest things.

I'm about to meet my mother , she shot back, though her lips curled in a smile. She was so glad to know he was with her, even if not physically. I think I'm going to puke if I linger on it long enough.

Be careful, my love, and keep your shields in place. Block even me if you have to, but make sure she cannot get into your mind. You do not want her there.

I remember , she said, sending a soothing touch through their link. Rodan had told her about the times Titania had opened his mind. Only once, he recalled, and he had realized in that moment she was capable of infinitely more than what she pretended to, calling it the most afraid he had ever been until then.

She was starting to get thirsty from the walk when they reached a tall pair of double doors carved completely from silver. Several Fae nobles congregated before it, but they did not look as though they were guarding the place. Rather, they appeared nervous, fidgeting where they stood.

Maeve wanted to reach out and taste their minds, to find their intentions, but she held back and slowed as her retinue did, waiting while Kaita went to the door and knocked three times.

The door opened a crack, and the Fae handmaiden spoke briefly with the person on the other side before motioning Maeve forward.

As she approached the silver doors, Maeve could sense malevolence from those watching her. They were— are they jealous of this? She asked through the bond.

Yes , Rodan replied simply. An audience with Titania is highly sought after. She can mean many things to us.

Swallowing, Maeve stepped across the threshold, startled when the door immediately closed, blocking off the three Fae women who had escorted her.

"This way," said a melodious voice, and she looked to find a Fae with long golden curls to her waist, purple and emerald eyes shining. At Maeve's hesitation, the woman laughed. "Yes, dear bond-daughter, I am Rodan's mother, Kabira."

Maeve raised her mental shields, though she kept the bond open. It felt more natural to do so, and Rodan was not just in her mind. He was in every cell of her being. "I've heard of you," she said. "And the portrait you keep of him in your chambers."

Kabira smiled, the motion so much like Rodan's own it gave her pause. "He is my only child. To have issue at all is worth celebrating, but my son became emperor of his own world." Her expression turned icy. "Until someone stripped him of the position."

Maeve's eyes narrowed. "He's more than just a title."

Rodan's touch through the bond was soothing. Do not rise to the bait, love.

It's not just that. She gave Icarus the piece of Titania's hair that allowed him to summon me that night.

She had been sure she had told him, but then she felt her bondmates rising fury. Maybe not , she mused, keeping the thought to herself. "I think he's going to want to talk to you, and soon," Maeve said, staring without moving at Kabira. "Rodan would like to make a few things clear."

The Fae woman's gaze searched her face, and what she saw there made her already pale skin a shade paler. "Whatever you think I have done," she said, her voice low. "Know I've only ever had the interests of my son at heart."

There was the ring of a bell from deeper in the chambers, and Kabira glanced behind them, then motioned Maeve forward, wordless.

The corridor they went through was well-lit, with rich oil paintings hung on every square inch of wall between the tall arched doorways. Her attention went from one stunning scene to the next, before they crossed the threshold into a twilight bower.

Kabira curtseyed, then backed out the way they had come, closing a door as she went and plunging the space into indigo dimness.

Maeve blinked, glancing up to find the ceiling disappeared into swirling mist festooned with twinkling lights. What looked like the branches of trees held up the walls, and she followed their arching, black bark to a room covered in night-blooming flowers and floating orbs of gold and silver light.

It looked as though the stars had come to play, dancing between cushioned poufs and lounging couches blended with the natural surroundings, creating an ethereal sitting room. Soft music floated in from nearby, and Maeve felt her body sway a little to the melody.

Oh, how she missed music.

And then the source of it came into view.

Titania was dressed far more casually than she had been in the throne room, but she still dripped with wealth and power. A dressing gown in deep cobalt hugged her curves, chased with designs wrought in silver thread which caught the light. Her hair was unbound and fell beyond her hips, and while she had done away with the massive ornate crown, a diadem rested upon her brow.

Stormy blue and mahogany brown eyes fixed on Maeve, and there was a smile, then the subtle pop of a pressure change. "I have warded this room against sound," she said, her voice just as musical as what she had been singing before coming into view. "No one can overhear."

I can , Rodan said softly in her mind. I am here.

Maeve stood ramrod straight just inside the door to the wide room. "If my bondmate is privy to this conversation, so is yours," she said.

Titania's smile widened. "No, pet. I have held this bond for tens of thousands of years. I have not allowed Oberon access to me for eons. Not once I fell in love with your father."

Maeve pulled in a startled breath. "You admit it, then?"

"Freely. You are my only daughter." Titania moved further into the room, motioning at the chairs and cushions. "Please. We have much to discuss."

She did not want to sit, or to speak, and her magic rolled inside of her, trapped by her own shields. Rising emotions gave greater power, but it was harder to hold. Beginning to pace just inside the door, her slippers were springy on the living floor. Using her strongest mental shields, Maeve could still sense the planet under her wanting attention, focus. She shook her head, adding strength to those barriers.

Titania was watching her passively, but there was something about her expression that reminded Maeve of Ankou. How he had looked at her. "It is wonderful to see you, at last," she said.

"What stopped you from coming to Earth?" Maeve demanded, standing now before Titania, far enough away neither could reach the other. "What prevented you from getting me? If you're so willing to call me daughter, why—everything? I was alone." She slipped on the last word, making it a whisper, and hated how it sounded so vulnerable. So very young.

Titania considered her for a moment before saying the only words that could disarm Maeve's rising fury. "I am sorry." She continued, settling into a massive armchair as she did. "It was a mistake to leave you on Earth, where there are so many powers at play I had not considered. My memory of those people and that world is quite different from the one you were reared in." She sighed and reached for a goblet of wine. "I should have raised you here. It truly would have been safer. I am glad you had your godhead to protect you."

Hackles raised again, and she bared her teeth. "I was not protected."

"Oh, you were. Not from humans. Gods powers would never see their form of life as any real threat. No. You managed to remain undetected by the true masters of that world, and good you were, or you would be dead." She stated it so simply Maeve could not help but believe her.

She sank onto a tall pouf, embroidered heavily and scented with lavender. "There are true masters of Earth?"

"Yes," Titania lifted a hand, and the floating, swirling orbs of light coalesced to form an orbiting planet with familiar-looking continents. "I did not realize Earth was a nexus. Foolish of me, I will admit. The signs were all there."

Maeve's head was reeling, and then she heard Rodan in her mind. I know you wish to know more, but that is no longer your home.

It's— she started to send back.

Beyond your reach. You are High Queen of the Realms, my love, not empress of Earth. If it is a Nexus, as Titania states, that means a great deal I can explain to you later, and soon. You need not get your information from her.

She swallowed, glancing at the table next to her with its carafe of clear water and red wine. "Is this for me?" she asked.

"Of course. Please help yourself."

Maeve was watched the entire time she poured herself a glass of water, drained it, and then poured another glass halfway with wine. Taking a sip, she asked next, "Why did you bring me and Rodan here?"

Titania crossed her legs at the knee and gestured at the rotating Earth with one hand. "You don't wish to know more about this?"

Shaking her head, she took another sip of wine. It was good. Exactly what she would have picked for herself given the moment. A potent blend. "I would like to know why now. I'm to have my coronation soon. Would you have my reign started in absentee?"

The orbs of light dissipated, floating around the room once more. Maeve batted one away when it got too close to her face, and was met with a zing of energy. The Court rumbled, and Titania laughed. "Do not offend it."

Be careful, my love.

Grinding her teeth and closing her eyes briefly, she breathed deep and strengthened those mental shields. She had the feeling her mother would know the instant they weakened. "Why now?"

Titania shifted. "Much has happened," she said, the words soft-spoken. "And more remains. Your father—Ankou—he and I spoke for the first time in too long." Hands twining in her lap, Maeve noticed the High Queen looked nervous, well and truly.

It very well could be a ruse. Please be on your guard.

Maeve sent an acknowledgement, then took a breath. "You said I was still with the Almeida's, after Ernest and Amanda's death. Why did you lie?"

Titania lifted her chin. "I did not lie. I reported what I had seen." Her chin trembled. "And I am so very, truly sorry, for all you went through because of my inability to see beyond the illusion."

Maeve's mouth went dry, and she sensed Rodan's shock and attention.

"I should have known Icarus would attempt revenge, but I never thought he would go so far as to hide the truth of my daughter from me. I did not know he could get out of his prison." She swallowed. "I did not know he was in league with a god."

Maeve downed her wine, gasping a little as the alcohol burned through her system. She set the glass down and leaned forward, speaking the same three words she had to her father only a few nights before.

"Tell me everything."