Chapter 27

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

C arys drifted along the edge of the hall for a few long minutes, her eyes darting between Cadell, then to Lachlan, then to Duncan, then to the head table again, where Eamer was still missing.

She slipped out the door as a new song started and people were moving into position and grabbing partners for the dance. Ducking into the hallway outside, she maneuvered around a clutch of guards and through the curtains that separated the corridor from the portrait gallery.

She saw Eamer standing at the end of the hall, near the wedding portrait of Seren and Lachlan. She was staring at the portrait as Carys approached, her deep-set eyes trained on the image of her dead stepdaughter.

Nêrys, I will remain in the corridor. If you need me, all you have to do is call.

With Cadell's voice in her mind, she approached Queen Eamer.

Eamer must have heard her, but she continued to stare at Seren's portrait.

The queen was wearing a velvet dress in a color that reminded Carys of dense moss in a shadowy forest. The velvet curved down her back and trailed along the floor, mirroring her waterfall of dark hair. The deep brown was threaded with silver at her temples, and bright red rubies glittered at her ears.

"We were very different; she never called me her mother." Eamer turned to her. "I understood. Elanor was more a mother to her than I was. By the time we met, she was already ten years old. Within a year she was in training with Cadell."

Carys approached carefully. "And you had never trained as a warrior."

Eamer lifted her chin. "I am the second daughter of Queen Orla of éire. I was trained in politics, languages, and foreign relations. From the time of my birth, I knew I would marry for political alliance." The corner of her mouth turned up. "So no. I never trained as a warrior. Fae guards protected me as a child, and fae-trained guardians followed me to my husband's court."

"And that's allowed? To have guards loyal to you above King Dafydd in his court?"

She cocked her head. "The Queens' Pact demands it. For political marriages and for children. Seren had a Cymric guard here in Robb's court as well."

"Good to know." Carys walked over to the bench where she'd sat with Dafydd the first time. "Why did you want to speak with me?"

Eamer joined her, sitting stiffly across from her. Carys didn't think she'd ever seen anyone with as straight a posture as Eamer's.

"You really are her twin." Eamer's eyes glittered in fascination. "I know I am Shadowkin. That I came into being by magic, the dark mirror of a human in your world. I know that somewhere in the Brightlands, my own twin exists, living a life with probably far more freedom than mine." She looked into the fire. "But I don't want to meet her. I don't want to know her. I have no need for her kinship or her regard."

"Did Seren?"

Eamer angled her head. "I never asked her. I would guess not. There are those in this place who dream of the sun, but I was never one of them. I would guess Seren wasn't either. Who would choose sunlight over magic?"

Carys smiled a little. "So you have magic?"

"All Shadowkin are capable of magic, though some spend more time cultivating it than others. Earth magic belongs to all of us if we know where to look for it."

"That wasn't an answer."

Eamer lifted one eyebrow. "I don't owe you an answer."

Carys didn't know what to make of this queen. At first she'd read Eamer's severity as hostility, but she was starting to think that wasn't quite right. "Did you like Seren?"

Eamer took a long time to answer. She folded her hands on her lap and considered her words.

"Seren was not someone I would ever choose as a friend," Eamer said. "She was reckless and judgmental. Quick to anger and too passionate in my opinion. She was raised by a father who adored her and indulged her, then fostered by a court who also indulged her because she was the only child of a close ally."

Carys smiled. "You're really good at not answering questions."

"It didn't matter that I didn't like Seren. She was Dafydd's daughter, the future queen of Cymru. My like or dislike did nothing for her. I tried to teach her temperance, which she rejected." Eamer released her hands, which gripped each other on her lap, and ran her fingers over a seam of her dress. "Whether I liked her or not had nothing to do with my regard for her. I am not a violent woman, but I would have killed to protect her." Eamer's eyes met Carys's. "Am I telling the truth?"

Yes . Cadell's voice came in her mind.

"Yes." Carys agreed with him. "So why did you tell Dafydd to leave her death as an accident?"

"Because she was already dead, and finding who killed her would not bring her back to life. Destabilizing the peace of Briton is not worth vengeance for one life, even the life of a beloved daughter. "

Carys was starting to understand. "But you know she was murdered."

"I have no doubt of it, and I never did," Eamer said. "That woman was healthy as an ox and suffering from a chest infection. There was no reason she shouldn't have recovered."

"But her death wasn't worth disturbing the peace?"

Eamer narrowed her eyes. "Have you ever seen war? Do you know what happens when society breaks?"

"No." Carys's voice was soft. "Not really."

"This place is not your world. Peace is not natural to the Shadowlands. We are magic and myth and every dark impulse that exists inside you. We must claw civility from the mud with power and domination. Because when peace breaks, good people become animals to survive."

Carys stayed silent. Eamer had clearly seen more than Carys ever had.

"When peace breaks," she continued, "who pays the price? Women. Children. The weak. But women and children most of all. No one wins a war. They are victors but never winners."

Carys was humbled by Eamer's clear passion for the vulnerable. "Is that why Seren was killed? Because she threatened the peace?"

Eamer sat back, and her eyes softened just a little bit. "Our island was at war for centuries. Millennia, maybe. The peace the queens brokered in this place has lasted for over a hundred years because good rulers and wise counselors put that peace over our own personal passions. Seren didn't understand that. Neither did Lachlan. They should never have married."

"But Dafydd said that Lachlan was going to hand the crown to his brother Rory."

Eamer nodded. "If they'd been successful in convincing Robb, the clan chiefs would have approved his younger brother, and a crisis would have been averted. But I don't know if Robb would have been convinced."

"Why not? "

"Robb was set on Lachlan being king. Determined to see it happen." Eamer's smile was rueful. "He should have left Lachlan in your world. Rory would be a far better ruler even though his father is loath to admit it."

"Why?"

"Dafydd raised Rory, and there is no finer man in this realm than Dafydd of Cymru."

"You love him." Carys felt herself soften for the stern woman who clearly loved her father's twin.

"Love?" Eamer lifted her chin. "I didn't marry my husband for anything as trivial as love . I married him out of respect."

"You've never answered my question, Queen Eamer. Why did you want to speak to me?"

"Because you're turning over stones that are better left alone." Eamer leaned forward. "I can't stop you, but I can warn you. Friendly faces are foes in the Shadowlands. Brutish honesty is the key to surviving here. Seren had no true friends in this place. Trust no one."

"Even Cadell?"

Eamer was quiet for a long time. "Who knows the mind of a dragon? Cadell was gone when Seren was killed. Have you ever asked him why?"

Cadell was waiting in Carys's room when she returned. The dragon was standing near the window, gazing out over the lights of the village and the twinkling blue lights of the forest in the distance.

"Cadell?"

"She's right." His face was a mask. "I never should have left her. It is my fault she died."

"Eamer probably doesn't know you went to take care of your children. She wouldn't doubt you if she knew that."

"It doesn't matter. I should have been here for Seren." His eyes were cold. "I didn't even suspect she was in danger. "

"Cadell, she was poisoned." Carys spread her arms. "Did you taste all her food? Could you have healed her when she got sick?"

"Perhaps. With a dragon at her side, no one would have dared attack her. And I might have been able to heal her. Dragon scales contain powerful magic." He looked at the floor. "I would have shredded my skin to keep her alive."

The pain in his voice was palpable. Carys ran to the giant man and threw her arms around his powerful shoulders. He stood motionless, but eventually he lifted an arm and wrapped it around her.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Carys said. "If there was anything I could do to bring her back, I would."

I understand, Nêrys. I would not ask you to do the impossible.

"You were taking care of your children," Carys whispered. "Seren knew that. She knew that, Cadell."

"There are many who could have taken care of the children. Dragons raise all our young communally. We have a different concept of family."

The clinical voice told Carys that Cadell was back to himself. "Good. You should tell me more when you take me to see a baby dragon."

"Absolutely not." He walked to the table and lifted the journal Carys had been keeping. "I think you can cross Eamer off your list. She was never suspicious to me, but it's good to have confirmation."

"Agreed." Carys walked over and put an X after the queen's name. "Because even if she didn't approve of Lachlan and Seren's marriage, there is no way she would have killed Dafydd's daughter. It's not Eamer or Lachlan. That still leaves a lot of people who might have benefited from Seren's death."

Cadell read over her shoulder. "Why is Elanor on this list?"

"Because she was here, and she might have hated her daughter-in-law." Carys shrugged. "It was a long shot. I was writing down anyone I could think of."

"Elanor loved Seren like her own child. She raised her, and she has the same commitment to peace that Eamer has. You can cross her off. "

Carys narrowed her eyes. "But wouldn't Seren's death keep the peace if it kept Lachlan on the Alban throne? If she and Lachlan had moved to Cymru and let Rory take the crown here, it might have caused problems."

Cadell nodded. "Because everyone expected Lachlan to rule." He stared at the journal. "And while Seren's death might keep the peace in Alba, it has shifted the Cymric throne into disarray. Dafydd's heir is gone, and there is no clear successor since Dafydd and Eamer were never given children."

"Oh shit. I didn't think about that." Carys sat down. "So keeping the peace in one country means instability in another one."

"I suspect neither Eamer nor Elanor would choose to keep peace by cultivating instability in a neighbor," Cadell said. "Therefore I do not think either of them would have killed Seren."

There was a loud knock on the door.

"Duncan is here," Cadell said. "And he is brimming with ideas." He walked to the door and opened it. "Whatever you're thinking, it smells of fae."

Duncan strode in. "How do you even…" He shook his head. "It does have to do with the fae, but it might be our only option to find Seren's missing journal."

Cadell came to attention. "Why?"

"Why do we need Seren's last journal?" Carys frowned. "Cadell, obviously the one she was keeping right before she died is going to have the most information about who might have killed her."

"She had no idea anyone was trying to kill her, otherwise she would have told me. You should not go anywhere near the fae."

Duncan stood in front of Cadell. "I can protect her."

"Clearly you can't. You're human and you don't even have magic."

"And you're dragon, which means that I'm her only option because the moment we go on fae ground, she's going to be invisible to you."

"Which is why she must never set foot on fae ground." There was a red glow at Cadell's throat. "You are stupider than I thought you were. "

"She wants to find this journal? This fae can help her. She finds lost things."

The red glow got brighter. "Which might soon include you when I drop you in the loch."

"Okay, everyone, take a breath." Carys jumped between the two giant men. "Cadell, I do need to find Seren's journal."

His nostrils flared, but he remained silent.

"I trust Duncan, and so do you," she continued. "And remember, he has extracurricular activities."

The dragon's gaze never wavered from Duncan's face. "That makes no sense to me."

Duncan's expression was as stormy as Cadell's was. "She's talking about the sword, you great lizard."

Cadell's face moved ever so slightly. "Is it ready?"

"Almost, but I'm not going to go waving it about—that's as good as sending up a flare to the fae." He kept his voice low. "I do have… a dagger."

Cadell narrowed his eyes. "That's why the iron was light."

"It's bronze with a steel core, and Angus warded it. I can be discreet , but it will still work."

Cadell was silent, considering the idea.

"Added to the dagger," Duncan said, "Darius owes Carys a favor. We can ask him to help. No one is going to attack a human in front of a unicorn, not even a fae."

"I wouldn't count on that."

Carys raised a hand. "You know, I can probably help protect myself. I mean, the fae aren't usually ones to attack from the front. It's more likely to be a battle of wits than weapons." She looked between the two men. "Right?"

"The fae eat babies because they like the taste of human flesh." Cadell never stopped staring at Duncan.

Duncan said, "Not all of them do that."

"Keep telling yourself that fiction if it makes you feel better."

"I've made a decision." Carys closed her eyes. "We're going. Duncan and I will go talk to this fae person, Darius can go with us, and you will stay as close as you can. I'm the niece of the Cymric king, right? They're not just going to kill me."

"I do not approve of this," Cadell said. "But clearly I have been overruled." He stepped out of the window, and in seconds, his skin fell away and he took flight.