Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

O ver the following week, Rosa was woken at dawn, her days filled with sword and battle magic training with Eli, followed by more magic lessons with Eldon. Sometimes, they only talked, Rosa, telling him stories about her life and asking what Deryn was like.

They talked magic, what was real, what wasn't, and more often than not, they argued. Rosa had tried to float a theory about how she was surprised science hadn't figured out how magic worked, and Eldon had almost exploded the library.

"I hate all these theories of magic and science!" Eldon exclaimed passionately. "Science is the study of logic, numbers, and of trying to make sense of things under lenses. Magic is the anti-science. It's visceral and metaphysical at once. It's like trying to catch lightning in a bottle, but the bottle is made of water and emotion, and set on fire."

Rosa hadn't mentioned it again.

Balthasar and Eli began work on her tower, and she wasn't allowed anywhere near it. Knowing her as well as they did, they ensured they magically warded the construction area to prevent her snooping.

"Eli is so excited by it," Balthasar said when she complained loudly to him. "Let him do this one thing for you."

"Why? You never let him create you a room," Rosa pointed out.

"I'm an artist. I need to have space that is all me to create."

"Whatever you say, artista ," she replied and kissed him, causing a sharp electric shock of magic.

"You're such a brat, Rosa Wylt," Balthasar said, in a way that made tingles run up her arms. "I'm starting to regret letting Eldon teach you magic if you're only going to use it to shock me at unexpected moments."

Rosa ran her thumb over the slight dimple in his chin. "Mmm, keep up the attitude and who knows where I will shock you next time."

Saul didn't return from London for over a fortnight. As much as he loved to annoy her, Rosa still hurried out to greet him when the helicopter landed.

"Little sister," he grinned, his golden hair like a halo in the bleak winter sunshine. He kissed both her cheeks, "Good to know someone missed me."

"Of course I did! You know how moody the Vane men get. You're the only one who gets my jokes," Rosa said, giving him a playful punch on the shoulder.

Saul slung an arm around her. "Please tell me you've cooked something delicious for a conquering hero."

"Did you bring someone with you? I didn't see anyone else in the cabin."

Saul's arm tightened around her neck in a playful headlock. "Shut up, Wylt! I've done well this time around, trust me."

"Trust you when you are trying to choke the love of my life? Unlikely, little brother," Balthasar said, waiting for them at the front door.

"Rosa can fight her own battles," Saul said but still kissed her cheek and let her go. "Where's Eli?"

"Up in Rosa's tower."

"Rosa's tower?" Saul raised a golden eyebrow. "I might've known you'd demand your own space. Now, all we need to decide is if you're a princess or a wit… Ow!" Saul complained as Rosa zapped him.

"Watch her," Balthasar warned, shaking his brother's hand. "Between Eldon and Eli's lessons, she's becoming rather vicious."

"Saul." Eli joined them, jacket off, shirt unbuttoned and covered with a thin layer of dust. "What kept you? I expected you back eight days ago."

Saul smiled charmingly."Let's go into an office, and I will show you."

Saul plugged his laptop into a projector and brought up a detailed map of England, Scotland, and Wales. It was unlike any map Rosa had ever seen before. The grounds were covered in lines like neon spider webs.

"Ley lines." Eldon appeared beside her, making her jump. "I can't believe you had someone skilled enough to record them in this detail."

"Lovely chap called Alfred did them for me in the '20s," Eli replied. "Okay, Saul, what's this all about?"

"It's about getting the clans to do their bit," Saul replied, and he clicked them, highlighting pinpoints of light. "These are all the weaker points from the Aos Si into our world. The Autumn Queen could use any of these to bring warriors through and cause trouble for us or to draw us from Gwaed Lyn. She doesn't need a solstice to do it. You know she can use her power on the portals whenever she sees fit. When I was in London much of what the Gwaed Gam clans are afraid of is being fodder for the fae. They are freaked out. Many of them, especially the younger ones, had never even seen a Seelie warrior, let alone Ryn Eurion, the fox bastard. Seeing them took the fight right out of them. They are scared, Eli."

"Their feelings and lack of spine is no concern of mine," Eli replied coolly. "And it's hardly my fault they stopped seeing the Seelie as a threat."

"They know you don't care. That's kind of my point. I spent the better part of a week convincing them that you wouldn't rather see them all dead," Saul huffed. "The Gwaed Gam aren't like us, I know, but you know they are still a part of us. I used every ounce of my charm, wit, and flirtation to convince them that a threat against Gwaed Lyn is a threat to us all." Saul clicked again, and another layer of colorful areas separated the countries.

"These are the Gwaed Gam clan regions. After convincing them that they are important, I also had to convince them that their region is their responsibility to protect. Any portals or weak spots in there will be guarded at all times by their own clansmen. Any Seelie that is stupid enough to come through, they can do with as they please." Saul looked at Eli nervously, waiting for his reaction.

Eli studied the map, hands in his pockets. "They've agreed to this?"

"Entirely. The Blackfoxs got huffy for a bit, but when I showed them how many entrances they have on their land, they simmered down."

Eli's face broke into a smile. "Well done, my boy." He patted Saul on the shoulder. Rosa lifted an eyebrow, and Eli turned the pat into an awkward hug. "Excellent work. I should send you south more often. Bal usually kills them when they start arguing."

Balthasar shrugged nonchalantly with an entirely unapologetic smile.

"Sometimes a scalpel is better than a hammer." Saul flushed with pleasure at Eli's unexpected warmth.

"Rhosyn, are you trying to teach my father how to be affectionate?" Eldon murmured to her as Balthasar, Saul, and Eli talked business.

"I don't need to teach him," Rosa said, giving him a sideways smile. "He only needed a gentle reminder. Look at Saul. He's good at this. He grew up in the courts. He's the diplomat. Eli should be sending him to deal with the clans more often as this has proven."

"You love them, don't you?" Eldon remarked.

She gazed at the Vane men, who were tall and beautiful, clever, complicated, argumentative, and in their way, honorable. "I do. They are my family. I'll do anything to protect them." Rosa took his warm, calloused hand. "That includes you too, my surly cousin. I won't let the Autumn Queen get her hands on any of you. If there's going to be a woman giving you a hard time in your future, it's going to be me."

"I have no doubt," he smiled.

"Now, Rosa," Saul interrupted, "I also met up with Cecily when I was in London and sent her to Province for a much needed holiday."

"You did what?" Rosa demanded. "You used compulsion on my mother?" Heat and power coursed through her, the light building in her hands.

"Simmer down, Wylt," Saul replied. "Eli told me to."

Rosa rounded on him, and Eli folded his arms against her temper. "Don't forget your mother is human, Rosa," he said firmly. "I promised Harold I'd take care of her. I don't want her at Gwaed Lyn until this business with the Autumn Queen is stable for her own safety. Besides, she hasn't had a holiday in years."

The light in her hands faded. It made sense, but she missed Cecily and the extra female presence. She'd wanted to show her the magic she was learning. Nevertheless, Eli was right. Cecily was in danger at Gwaed Lyn.

"Eldon, have you had any more visions of the Aos Si?" Eli asked.

"Not as yet. The Autumn Queen has placed new wards around the court, but I will find a way through. I'll try again tonight," he said and offered Rosa his arm. "Come, Rhosyn, we have lessons to get on with."

Her hair was like the dawn, a blaze of warm gold with strains of red blush. She was a body of soft curves and honey skin that held a faint shimmer of gold dust, blessings of her bloodline. It was so unlike his body of long muscle, sharp lines, and hard edges. Their coming together was like spring straddling winter, a streak of sunlight in a sleet storm.

Even without his memories, when he smelled apple blossoms, he would feel the sensation of her touch along his chest. His mouth would taste the fragrance of them left on her skin where he had placed them in swirling designs.

Nothing existed outside the feel of her, warm and tight around him, the way their magic had radiated out of their skin.

The summer afternoon in its hedonistic perfection broke away, and there was screaming, blood, and betrayal. There was snow and desperate pants and whimpering prey. There was the wild call of dogs and horns and hunters. There were desperate frozen lips pressed to his ear. "Save me, Myrddin. Save me."

Eldon woke in the cottage with a strangled scream and the cold, wet slick of sweat. His father's concerned face hung over him.

"Ugh, Bleddyn, what do you want?" Eldon groaned, sitting up on the couch.

"I wanted to see what was wrong," he answered, stepping back from him. "You sent out a panic beacon, so I got here as fast as I could."

Eldon noticed he never kept his Eli human glamour when they were alone. Perhaps he thought it would be easier to see him as he was, and not the human he masqueraded as. It made no difference to Eldon who had swapped names like underwear over the centuries.

"Sorry, I didn't realize I was sending anything out," he murmured as he smoothed the hair back from his face.

"What did you see, Merlin?" Bleddyn asked, sitting in one of the armchairs.

" Her ."

"Was it still snowing?"

"Yes."

Bleddyn steepled his fingers in his lap. "How long?"

"I'm not sure. It could be a week or a month from now. We need to give Rosa the sword… formally ," Eldon said delicately not knowing how far Bleddyn was willing to stretch his Unseelie heritage. "The sword needs to recognize her so that the Seelie know it has been claimed. If they see it, and it's still Ryn's…"

"They can still try to claim the throne. With the Autumn Queen weakening, there are old ones who would happily slit Rosa's throat for a chance to topple the queen," Bleddyn finished.

"I don't suppose you've considered taking the sword for yourself, making a claim on both kingdoms and…going home."

"The Aos Si is not my home anymore," Bleddyn said sadly. "I can't even imagine what has happened to our old lands or what the Autumn Queen has subjected the Unseelie to. No, it is right that sword stays with Rosa. She earned it. It might be a good thing if it stays in the human world."

"I can only imagine what Rosa would do if she decided to go to the Aos Si and make a claim herself," Eldon laughed, but Bleddyn looked pensive.

"You don't think she would?" he asked, voice surprisingly uncertain.

"And leave the glowering, doting attention of so many Vane men? Why would she?" he joked, but his father didn't return the smile. "She's not going to leave, athair . You needn't look like you've been stuck in the ribs."

"I enjoy having her around," Bleddyn admitted.

"We all do, which is why we are going to do the sword ceremony in the next few days and make sure we can protect her when they come for it," Eldon replied with more confidence than what he felt.

Two days after Saul's arrival back at Gwaed Lyn, Rosa was summoned to the new door of her tower. She and Balthasar would now share a staircase, but at the top, there were now two doors. The newest was made of a golden timber and carved in a spiral pattern of roses. All the Vane men stood outside of it nervously, and only Eldon wore his typical bemused expression.

Balthasar sidled up beside her and kissed her knuckles. "My Lady of Gwaed Lyn, your chambers."

Eli and Saul pulled open the doors for her, and she stepped onto the plush carpet runner that covered the cold stone steps. Paintings done by Balthasar hung on the circular stone walls, flashes of color and beauty that she would take the time to study, but she knew their theme. It was the story of them, including scenes from the Aos Si. Still clutching Balthasar's hand, she reached the top of the stairs, and her new chambers opened up around her.

Where there used to be a stone wall, there was now a wide bay of stained-glass windows with soft couches for reading in front of them. Oak bookshelves lined the wall, some filled with books they knew she liked, and others empty to fill as she saw fit.

The portrait Balthasar had painted of her hung over a stone fireplace, and thick carpets covered the floor. There was a desk and plush chairs around the fire and stained-glass lamps to warm the space. Through a stone archway was her bedroom, complete with a small ensuite and deep tub. On the small ridges of stonework, there had been placed candles.

Like many of the beds in Gwaed Lyn, Rosa's bed was solid oak with its four posts carved with roses. The headboard of the bed was a stylized forest scene complete with wolf and stag. Fresh flowers sat in vases filling the chambers with sweet, summery scents.

"Do you like it?" Balthasar asked her, and she turned to wrap her arms around his neck.

"It's perfect," Rosa said and kissed him deeply. "Thank you for doing this for me."

"I had to stop Eli from going too crazy," Balthasar admitted. "He was getting ready to build a pocket dimension for extra wardrobe space."

"Shouldn't have stopped him." She grinned and left Balthasar's arms to hug Eli. "It's perfect. I've never had anyone do anything so nice for me."

Eli pressed his lips against her forehead. "You're most welcome, merch fach ."

"You haven't even shown her the best bit." Saul grinned lasciviously.

"You didn't put in a sex dungeon, did you?" Rosa asked him.

"He tried," came Balthasar's dry reply.

"A dungeon didn't seem your kind of proclivity," Eli said, and she hugged him tighter.

"Open it, Rosa," Saul asked and pointed to the tall wardrobe on the other side of the chamber. She indulged him but couldn't help but turn back and look at Eli when she reached for the handle.

"You remembered?" she asked.

"Of course I did," he said with an amused smile. "You made me read them to you so many times."

When Rosa was a girl, she'd bought a copy of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe on a rare trip to Penrith with her father. She enjoyed it so much that she asked Eli if he had the others in the library. After confessing his ignorance, he had promptly bought the complete set, and for months afterward, he had read them to her.

Both enjoyed them immensely, much to the amusement and befuddlement of her parents. The wardrobe in front of her was glossy mahogany and carved with motifs—a large tree, the lamppost, the witch's ice castle, fauns, ships, and standing regally on top of a dais was Aslan himself, carved in perfect detail.

"The wardrobe wasn't what I was referring to, Wylt," Saul huffed.

"Shut up, Saul," Eldon and Rosa said at the same time. She opened the door and looked at the crushed mulberry colored outfit hanging inside.

"Ah…something you expect me to wear? Because I haven't played dress up since I was seventeen," Rosa said in confusion.

" Little Red Riding Hood , if I recall correctly," Eli said.

"How did… Never mind! I don't want to know how many of your creeping cronies have been spying on me over the years." She looked at the outfit again, and all that registered in her mind was leather. "Is there a reason for this?"

"You are going to a ceremony tonight, and it's tradition," Eli said smoothly. "Eldon will come for you at sundown."

It wasn't as bad as Rosa expected. Whatever the Vanes were planning, she had a feeling she wouldn't be the only one dressed for battle. Like the dress Eli gave her, the soft leather pants fit like a glove. There was a long sleeve shirt made of a warm, sturdy fabric, high collared and cut in a V-neck, the hem falling to her knees.

Next came a stiff leather breastplate that clipped firmly at her sides, and it was stamped with a stylized rose in the center of a seven-pointed star. Her vambraces were stamped with the same insignia and they fit her forearms perfectly. The knee-high boots she found were the same mulberry wine color, flat soled and buckled at the sides. She took a deep breath and looked at herself in the mirror. She didn't look like the heavy BDSM model she was expecting. She looked like a warrior.

There was a knock at her chamber door, and Eldon entered. He wore something similar in black, a merlin in flight instead of a rose over his chest.

"Rhosyn, you look wonderful," he said, giving her braid a playful tug. "That man of yours is going to fall all over himself."

"Thanks." She blushed. "You look pretty menacing yourself."

"It's been a while since I wore it," he admitted. "I'm glad Bleddyn has foregone cloaks for jackets, much easier to move in." He held up hers for her. It hung to her ankles with a large hood, her insignia on the back. She slipped it on and felt ready to take on the world.

"Come, Rosa, they will be waiting for us," Eldon said.

"Any hints as to what I'm about to walk into?"

"Not a single one."

Rosa only had to step outside to be thankful for the warm layers and new boots she had on. A bone aching wind had picked up, and she was quick to pull the hood up over her head.

"And you're sure that this ceremony can't be done inside?" Rosa asked as she hurried to keep up with his long strides.

"Absolutely sure," he said, dark hair blowing around him like a raven crown. "Nothing might happen, or you could easily blow up Gwaed Lyn, who knows?"

"Is magic always this temperamental?"

"Yes, and it's also true that it comes with a price." Eldon took her hand when they reached the forest so they wouldn't get separated in the dark. "You will forget about the price until it claims it, and then you will know the weight of it."

"What was your price?" she asked softly.

"Another time perhaps, Rhosyn. This night is about you, not about a bitter old magician."

"At least you still have your looks," she teased, and to her surprise, he laughed.

"You really are a brat," he squeezed her hand. "Come on."

A fire had been built on the lakeside, and Eli, Saul, and Balthasar stood around it solemnly as they approached. They were all dressed for battle, Eli in full Unseelie form and even more frightening wrapped in silver embossed leather, the silver star and wolf gleaming brightly on his chest. Saul's sign was a bear, Balthasar's a stag. They were all so serious that Rosa swallowed the cheeky comments that were threatening to bubble out of her. Balthasar looked her over, and though his face didn't change, his eyes burned so hot that she almost lost her nerve.

"Come to me, Rosa," Bleddyn instructed, and she shuffled to his side. He handed a long sword to Eldon. It was crafted of polished golden tinted steel that hummed with magic. Ryn's sword. She hadn't seen it since Pearl had torn her throat out.

"When the world of the Aos Si was completed, two tears were wept by the Creator God. One tear was golden dawn, and one tear was black night. From these tears, the people of the Aos Si crafted two swords to signify the sovereignty of Seelie and Unseelie, and the power and promise of the land flowed through them," Bleddyn recounted as he pulled Widow's Fury from the sheath at his side and held it up to the flames. "It has been thousands of years since these swords have been together. The Aos Si is broken, but hopefully, in time, it will right itself once more. The Autumn Queen's power is fading, and the sword of the Seelie is now yours, Rosamund Wylt. Do you accept it?"

"I do," she managed.

Eldon stepped forward and held the naked blade up to her.

"Grip this steel. Claim it as your own, and swear to any god that you owe fealty to that you are strong enough to be worthy of it," Eldon commanded.

Rosa took a deep breath and gripped the cold blade tightly in her bare hand. Hot blood trickled from the cuts it made in her palm, and the blade thrummed in her hand. Eldon let it go and quickly stepped back.

With her other hand, Rosa gripped the hilt. As she did, the stylized grip of golden leaves shimmered and shifted under her hand. Now there was a pattern of cold silver roses and stars, the gold in the blade vanishing until it was a shard of polished starlight.

As Rosa let the blade go, the blood on it shuddered, and the steel absorbed it. It trembled, shifting and shimmering, its long heavy weight changing, altering and shortening to tailor to her height, her strength, her reach. Magic, old and deep, ran along her arms, magnifying her own power until it was spilling out of her in a haze of pink and golden light.

"What is its name, Rosa?" Eldon asked.

She twisted the new blade in her hand, admiring its shape, remembering how she came to hold it. A name reached out to her, brushing against her mind. When her voice came out of her, it was deeper, a hum of metallic power mixed with her timbre. "Its name shall be Gaeaf Storom , the Winter Storm, and the end of the eternal autumn."

Balthasar stepped forward, belted a sword belt around her waist, and held a scabbard to her. As she slid in the sword, it shrank until it was a perfect fit. With smiling eyes, he buckled the sword to her belt. His own magic drifted out of his palm, a curl of midnight blue, and purred against her as he took her hand.

Eldon took her other hand, his magic the same golden yellow as his eyes. Saul took Balthasar's hand in a burst of pale green. Finally, Bleddyn joined the circle and took Eldon and Saul's hands. Curling silver light emanated from him and shot around the circle in a weave, pulling and combining the light of their power in an intricate knotwork that was so beautiful tears flowed from Rosa's eyes.

"Always remember that we are connected," Bleddyn said. "We are one, and we will always be strongest when we are together. This pattern is us, the Gwaed Teulu, bound for eternity through the bonds of magic and the Seren Du bloodline."

The beautiful moment was shattered as the Faerie Stones flared to life by the water. The family's magic pulled out of the weave and back inside of them.

"What the hell is happening?" Saul asked.

A figure burst through the portal, red cloak flying as they ran, and five mounted Seelie and a raiding party followed on foot.

"Get ready to engage," Bleddyn commanded, and Rosa pulled Gaeaf Storom from its scabbard. The others had swords in their hands, and as one, they ran toward the Seelie party. Blood roared in Rosa's ears as they moved like streaks of shadow in the darkness. She didn't have to look for Balthasar to know that he flanked her right side. She wouldn't have to hide from the fight, not this time.

They slowed and fell into formation as the Seelie raced along the shoreline in pursuit. "Help me!" the figure in the cloak screamed. "Help!"

Without waiting for direction, Rosa raced forward and pulled the frightened figure behind her. The sword in her hand hummed, and she launched herself with a violent rage towards a Seelie on top of a grey stallion. Gaeaf Storom cut through its armor, plowing hard into its chest and they toppled to the ground together. Rosa pulled her sword free and turned on the next.

Eldon was beside Bleddyn, the two of them moving as one in a bloody dance of magic and steel, cutting down whoever moved into their path. Balthasar and Saul had pulled off the other riders.

There was a sharp scream, and Rosa swung towards the sound. The figure in the cloak had been knocked to the ground. Rosa ran to their aid and met the raider blow for blow before Gaeaf Storom claimed limb and life.

A horn blast echoed through the forest, and the Seelie began their retreat. Rosa joined Balthasar and Saul as they went after them, cutting them down, dodging their sharp arrows as their Unseelie blood sung for violence and vengeance.

Two riders made the portal, swallowing them in a haze of light. The rest were cut down as Rosa and the Vanes cleared the forest. When it was over, Rosa made her way back to the sobbing figure on the ground.

"You're okay now. They are gone," Rosa said.

"Step back, Rhosyn. You don't know what kind of trap this is," Eldon began.

The figure on the ground was up in a moment, throwing arms around him.

"Thank the gods it's you! Help me, Merlin. Don't let them take me again!" The hood fell back, and a wave of copper blonde hair tumbled out.

Eldon shoved her away with a look of pure terror, his voice strangled as he choked, "Nimue."