Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

T he forest flashed beside them in streaks of black and moonlight. Rosa had been on fast horses before, but the Faerie mount moved so quickly that all she could do was hang on to Bleddyn and try her best not to fall off. They knew instinctively where every tree, boulder, and stream lay and never placed a wrong hoof. Rosa could hear Arthur's wild whooping laughter as the land was churned up beneath them, so unlike the commanding, frightening king he'd been on the moors.

You were saved by Arthur Pendragon; think on that . The more she did, the more embarrassed she became. Was she that desperate for Balthasar that she'd believe any old ghost? Somewhere in the afterlife, Glenna Wylt would be cursing her for a damn fool.

It felt like hours before they finally stopped running, and Rosa's legs were trembling from the effort of hanging on. Rosa couldn't help but think of how much Balthasar would have loved the Faerie horses. A sharp stab of longing went through her, and she crushed the thought. Balthasar hadn't fallen apart when she had been taken by the queen. He had made a plan and carried it out. She owed it to him to do the same and not fall into any more stupid traps the Aos Si set for her.

Now that the horses had slowed to a walk, Rosa could see what they had been heading for. In the pre-dawn light, she could make out a tree the size of a skyscraper.

"It still stands," Bleddyn said softly, gazing up at its glossy black trunk that was reinforced with stone arches, columns and retaining walls.

"It's not as it was, but many still call it home. The queen believed it was destroyed, and we have made sure that only those of Unseelie blood can find it," Eirianwen said, her eyes filled with relief.

"What is it?" Rosa asked.

"It is…home," Bleddyn replied. In moments, Unseelie filed out of the carved wooden doors built into the massive roots, filling the courtyard and surrounding them.

"Eirianwen! I thought you were dead!" a man hurried to her as she slid off the horse.

"Almost. I've been worlds away and back again," Eirianwen said, clasping his forearms in greetings.

"Bleddyn Seren Du!" a deep, husky voice called out through the crowd. The oldest fae that Rosa had ever seen came towards them. He carried a gnarled staff in one hand, his face lined and wrinkled. His long black and silver hair was wild with curls snarled with raven's feathers. To Rosa, he looked like the Wild Man, clothed in a tattered black cloak.

"He reminds me of you, Merlin, after your trip to the woods. Mad as a drunken cat," Arthur whispered, and Rosa swallowed her laughter.

"Shut it. That faerie has enough magic to turn you to ash with a glance," Merlin hissed.

Bleddyn dismounted and hurried to greet him. "I thought you would be dead by now, old man."

"I knew I couldn't die until you returned," the stranger said. He reached out and Bleddyn took his arm. "I felt you coming, and it's forced me to leave my caves for the first time in a century. I should strike you down for making me wait so long, impertinent king."

"I have missed you too, Bran."

"And who is this woman you have with you? A wife?" Bran asked, his black eyes fixing on Rosa.

"No. A fearsome daughter. This is Rosa." Bleddyn helped Rosa down off the horse, and Merlin and Arthur came to stand protectively behind her as the old faerie pinched her chin. Old, dark magic simmered in the touch. Next to Bleddyn and the Autumn Queen, Rosa had never felt such power.

"She has death and anger in her eyes. Heartache and destiny and something else that tastes of summer and winter's storm," Bran muttered as he let her go.

Rosa fought the urge to run to Bleddyn's side, lest the mad old wizard talk to her again.

"This is my son, Merlin, and a great king of men, Arthur Pendragon."

Bran gave them both an appraising look before turning to the Unseelie general by their side.

"Eirianwen, I asked you to look for allies, and you return with a brood of Seren Dus. It is a day of miracles." Bran cackled with laughter, and Eirianwen kissed his cheek. "Well done, my girl."

"Are the generals here yet?" she asked. "You did still summon them despite my absence?"

"Of course. Half of them were talking of breaking you out of the queen's prison themselves. Madoc was for leaving you to rot."

"I expected nothing less from the bastard. I have gained new insight into how we can get into the Seelie Court."

"Come along, Bleddyn. You and your family of Otherworlders need a bed and something to eat," Bran said and lifted a bushy eyebrow at Rosa. "You might want to keep an eye on that pretty daughter too."

"The pretty daughter can take care of herself," Rosa replied, resting her hand on the hilt of Gaeaf Storom . Bran and the rest of the onlookers followed her movement, and a tremor ran through the crowd.

"So that is what I felt. You are the one who slew Ryn Eurion," Bran said. "The Seelie sword has remade itself for you already?"

"I made sure of it," Bleddyn replied with a feral grin that Bran returned.

"My king, we have much to talk about."

They followed Bran and Eirianwen into the curving arches of the roots and Rosa had to fight the urge to stop and stare.

"You'd want to be careful nothing flies in there," Merlin advised, his hand lifting her chin to close her mouth.

Rosa battered his arm away. "I'm in a freaking tree city right now. It warrants staring." Rosa let out a low whistle. "It's like Victorian London and Mirkwood had a baby city."

They exited the stone and wood entranceways, and if she didn't know she was inside of a tree, Rosa would never have guessed it. It was a crowded city of paved streets lit with lamps powered by magic.

Unseelie warriors moved between crowds of normal fae dressed in long dresses or strangely cut suits. Everyone stopped and stared at them as if they had two heads. Most took one look at Bran and scattered. Bleddyn's face was a mask of calm indifference as he followed the old faerie. The way he walked though told Rosa he could have led them himself.

A set of guards stood at a pair of black gates of obsidian. Bleddyn gave them a nod, and they obediently stepped aside.

"No one has been able to enter here since the last king died, but they still guard it," Bran said, patting the gate like it was an old friend.

Bleddyn drew Widow's Fury and slid it into a long slit in the gates. A shudder ran through the obsidian, the midnight blue of Bleddyn's magic curled out from the sword, and the gates opened on their own. Bleddyn pulled out his sword, and they fell into step behind him. There was an overgrown courtyard and a long wide flight of stairs that led up to locked and dusty double doors.

"This was the royal palace," Bleddyn said softly for Rosa's benefit.

Rosa slipped her arm around his. "Show me."

His power felt different, more , and yet despite the thousand small changes, he was still Bleddyn. She held out a hand behind her and Merlin took it. This place was a part of them too, and the Unseelie side of her that was Bleddyn's blood magic could feel a sense of homecoming.

Bleddyn led them through dusty hallways of stone and wood. The tapestries on the walls were crumbling with age, the murals dull and covered with films of grime. Parts of the stone were scorched from a fire hot enough to melt it.

Had there been a battle in here? Rosa could only guess. Bleddyn had never spoken of what had happened in the time between the queen killing the kings and him being taken prisoner.

Bleddyn pushed open another set of arched doors, and they entered a dark throne room. Rotting banners hung from the ceiling, and a set of thrones sat at the top of a dais.

Bleddyn let Rosa's hand go and slowly walked to the center of the hall, nudging the dusty ground with the toe of his boot.

"What is he doing?" Rosa whispered to Merlin.

"I do believe he's looking for another keyhole for the sword."

"Why? What do you think will happen?"

Merlin grinned in the bleak light. "I think you should just watch and remember what I said about swords, kings, and the land."

"Trust you to turn this into a teaching exercise," she grumbled.

Once again, Bleddyn slid his blade into a gap in the floor and turned the hilt like a key. Magic exploded out of him, filling the room before rolling through every part of the palace. Dust, death, and decay were stripped away and restored. Glass globes and candles filled the chambers with light. The standards that hung in the hall changed and unfurled. Rosa touched the impressed rose and seven-pointed stars that decorated her breastplate as her standard materialized.

Despite the huge outpouring of power, Bleddyn didn't look even a little fatigued. He looked like a wild, dark creature, as he had in the forest, at once as powerful and unknowable as a thunderstorm.

"I never thought I would see it restored in my lifetime," Bran said, staring. "Bleddyn, why did you stay away so long?"

Bleddyn turned to Merlin. "Take Rosa and Arthur and find some rooms for them. Rest because I'll need you tomorrow."

Rosa wasn't adept at court life, but she definitely knew when she was being dismissed by Bleddyn. "You should try to get some sleep too," she said and followed Merlin out.

"He's going to have a hard time of it," Arthur commented once they were out in the now clean hallways.

"What do you mean?" Rosa asked.

"A king returning to a kingdom that he abandoned? It would be difficult to trust a king like that."

"He had his reasons," Merlin said. "If it wasn't for Balthasar, nothing could have convinced him to come back."

"They won't let him turn his back on his birthright again. A king is nothing if not a slave to his people. There will be opposition. We need to stick together," Arthur said.

"Don't worry, Pendragon. I'll ensure we find rooms that are joined so I can protect you from the scary faeries."

Rosa didn't want to let them know how thankful she was at that idea. Not all the amazed faces in the crowds that night looked happy to see the Seren Du family. If they decided to act, Rosa would feel better knowing Merlin and Arthur were close by.

"What happened to Eirianwen?" she asked.

"She was with us until we hit the black gates, then she slipped off into the crowd. No doubt wanting to be back in her own house," Arthur said.

"I thought she would stay with us, that's all." Rosa wasn't blind. She had seen the way Eirianwen had looked at Bleddyn when he had changed and the way she had guarded him at the ruins. It wasn't love when she looked at him, but deep heartache mingled with duty. Rosa thought Eirianwen would advise Bleddyn despite that, not abandon him as soon as he got back.

"Eirianwen has her own business and soldiers to tend to, Rosa. She'll return when she's needed," Merlin reassured her. "We are all subjects of the king now, whether we wish it or not."

After ensuring Rosa and Arthur were both sleeping soundly in their rooms, Merlin lifted the hood of his jacket and slipped out of the royal apartments. The palace halls were quiet, and the magical lights burned low as he walked silently through them. The guards at the black gates didn't blink an eye as he made his way past them and into the streets.

Too much magic . Merlin shook his head. He had never experienced anything like it, even in the Otherworlds. The entire structure of the tree city thrummed with a deep pulse of power. The streets were still busy with Unseelie, and everyone from the smallest child to the soldiers had more magic than most of the people Merlin had ever met. To the Unseelie, it was as miraculously mundane as the moon in the night sky.

How did Bleddyn shut himself off from such power? Merlin knew better than anyone did what it was like to close down huge parts of himself, and he was beginning to understand Eirianwen's confusion at his father leaving the Aos Si.

Bran had said that the allies had been called, and Merlin couldn't trust anyone's eyes but his own when taking the measure of soldiers. He had seen what the queen had at her disposal, and she was going to fight to her last breath to stop them from taking their magic, as well as Nimue and Balthasar, back. She would sacrifice every last Seelie if it meant winning.

Before dawn, Merlin crept back into the palace with a heavy heart. He was so caught up in his head he completely failed to spot Bleddyn standing in the shadows.

"Where have you been flying, my little Merlin?" Bleddyn asked, startling him.

"Out and about. Don't you sleep?"

"I sleep as much as you do." Bleddyn gestured at him. "Come with me."

Feeling like a guilty child, Merlin followed Bleddyn into his chambers. They were spacious and filled with a large, carved wooden bed, fireplaces, curving lounges, tables, and books.

"These were my rooms growing up," Bleddyn said, looking sadly around him. "I couldn't bear going into my parent's chambers. These will suit me just fine."

Merlin collapsed on a chair in front of the fire and kicked off his boots. "Did young Bleddyn have anything to drink?" His father smiled, and a decanter of a dark amber liquid appeared on a small table next to Merlin.

"Bloody magic. It feels wrong that there is so much of it around," Merlin grumbled. He poured them both a drink as Bleddyn joined him. "If I drink this, am I going to be stuck here?"

"Of course not," Bleddyn replied. "As for the magic, it's just how the Aos Si is. It flows so strong here that it's odd if you don't use it."

"Yes, but who's to say it won't kick me in the balls as soon as I get back to the real world? I am still part human after all," Merlin said.

"You will be fine, Merlin. Now tell me, where did you go tonight? I shouldn't have to remind you that you are only safe in the Aos Si while you are with me."

"And I shouldn't have to remind you that spying about incognito in an unknown city is what I do best." Merlin sipped his drink. It tasted of summer: sunshine, honey, flowers, and apples. He pulled a face until he felt a familiar burn run through him, and he sighed. It would have to do for the moment.

"What did you learn on your walk?"

"That we are going to need far more men," Merlin replied. "The queen has us outnumbered three to one and that's just her soldiers. We have the able-bodied, but they aren't all fighters. Most of what remained of the Unseelie army is locked in the cells beneath the Autumn Court."

"What else?" Bleddyn steepled his fingers thoughtfully.

"They don't trust you. They are frightened."

"Good."

"No, it's not bloody good! The warriors came because of Eirianwen, not for you."

"I don't need them here for me. I don't care about their loyalties as long as it's to the Unseelie. I am a stranger to most of them. They have no reason to trust me."

"You are their king!"

"No, I'm not. Their king is dead, and I don't plan on staying. I'm acting as a caretaker, a way of unifying the power in the land and its people, so they are strong enough to destroy the Autumn Court. I'm not claiming kingship beyond what I already have."

Merlin took a long drink and fought the urge to lose his temper. "Bleddyn, it's not going to be as simple as you think. Don't you miss this place? Don't you care about it?"

"Do you care about Glastonbury?" he retorted. "That place is full of ghosts and pain for you. That is what this place is like for me. Everyone I know, apart from Eirianwen and Bran, is dead, Merlin. This place is the past, not a future." Bleddyn pushed his hands through his hair. "You saw for yourself the way the land, the animals, and the people reacted to me using my birthright. If I claim full kingship, it will be even worse. Everything is forced to obey me. There's no free will unless I give it. I know myself well enough to know I would abuse it to keep people safe. I love and hate that you can argue with me. I would never want to take that choice away from you in a fit of anger."

"You love that I argue with you? Is that the reason you love Rosa so much? I swear that girl is the personification of pig-headed. The way she attracts danger terrifies me."

Bleddyn laughed. "Of course that is why I love her. That and she's fearless. Even with the changes, she isn't afraid of what I am. She never has been. You said yourself that all the Unseelie fear me, what I am. I don't want to live with that."

"But this is the only place you can ever truly be yourself, Father," Merlin said softly. "I won't argue with you about it, but consider what I say."

"Very well. So we don't have enough men to attack the Seelie Court head-on, so we do it by deceit. We can find a way in to free the Unseelie that are in the cells under the Court, while we distract Aeronwen above ground," Bleddyn changed the subject. "What else are you thinking?"

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Merlin frowned and poured himself more summer wine.

"Aeronwen has the entire Unseelie as an enemy, and it's still not enough," Bleddyn said.

"I was thinking about her other enemies, and if the stories are to be true, even in part, she has a very powerful enemy indeed," Merlin replied convincingly. Bleddyn stared at him, his expression moving from curiosity to horror.

"Merlin, you can't be serious."

"Can't I?"

"It's suicidal. He is more likely to slay you than listen to you. That's if you could even find him."

"We could disguise ourselves as a Tithe. Go to the right place. See what happens."

"I forbid it." Bleddyn's voice was cold.

"You can't forbid me to do anything anymore. If it's the only way to get Nimue back, I'm going to do it," Merlin replied stubbornly.

"Please exhaust all other options before you decide. And don't you dare leave without telling me."

"I promise—" Merlin began as a sharp pain gripped his chest. "What in Dante's Hell is that?"

Bleddyn gasped beside him, the wine glass falling from his hands and shattering on the floor. "It's our link to Balthasar. Something has happened."

Merlin was on his feet in seconds, running as fast as he could to his chambers.

Arthur crashed into him, white-faced. "Quick, Merlin, you must come. Rosa won't stop screaming, I don't know what's wrong."

Merlin shoved him aside and found Rosa curled up on the floor, sobbing loudly. "It's okay, Rhosyn," he said uneasily. "I felt it too." He went to touch her, but her surging magic made him hesitate.

"He's dead, Merlin. Oh, fuck, she's killed him," Rosa groaned. She started to hyperventilate. "I knew we would be too late. I knew she would punish him…"

The ground underneath Rosa heaved and cracked, and the thorny vines of a rose bush streamed out around her.

Merlin backed up to her door. "Calm down, Rosa. Your magic is reacting to your emotions."

She screamed long and plaintive as a thick vine hit him across the chest, shoving him out of the heavy door that shut behind him.