Chapter 16

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

R osa woke to the sound of Saul banging on her door. "Get up, Bal, we've got trouble," he said through the timber. "Don't make me come in there."

"Coming," Balthasar murmured and yawned. He ran a hand over Rosa's bare thigh, and she smiled, shifting herself backward into him. "Don't torment me, Wylt." He kissed the back of her neck before slipping out from under the heavy covers. He tied a robe about himself and moved to kiss her sleepy smile. "Come along, my Rosa. They'll want you too."

"Go. I won't be long." As he disappeared out the door, Rosa climbed out of bed and stretched. Her muscles were on fire, but the heavy exhaustion of the night before had lifted. She tied her own robe about her and opened the curtains.

Looking down at the snow-covered cottage, she saw Eldon smoking near the hedges. She'd watched him carry Nimue to the cottage the night before, but she had been too weary to worry about it. She doubted if he'd slept at all with the woman under his roof. Eldon Blaise is more than capable of taking care of himself . Rosa shook herself and went to get dressed. Whatever Nimue and Eldon had to sort out didn't concern her.

Downstairs, the Vanes, Zalan, and his generals sat around the boardroom table with the grim faces of the southern lords up on a screen. Rosa moved past the guards and took her seat in between Balthasar and Saul.

"What's happened?" she whispered to Saul.

"The south was invaded as I predicted," he replied. "They came through the other portals at the same time we were attacked last night."

"Maybe the Autumn Queen thought that she could bring her soldiers in on the sly and move north to take Gwaed Lyn," Rosa said, and Saul nodded.

"That was our conclusion too. It was lucky I had them watching the portals. Otherwise, she would've succeeded."

"Your forethought is commendable, nephew," Zalan said with a nod in his direction. "My own scouts have confirmed that the northern portals have been activated in the last twenty-four hours. While they appreciate the sport, we need to gather our strength and be better prepared when the next attack occurs."

"I would think that we gave them enough of a fight that they won't try again anytime soon," Lady Southgate said.

"She was testing our defenses. This is barely an attack," Eli interrupted. "The Autumn Queen will be back. You've all felt the shift in your abilities. Power is seeping from the Seelie, and the Autumn Queen must stop this trickle before it becomes a flood. It has already begun to snow in the Aos Si."

"How do you know of this?" Richard Riverclear asked.

"My son, Eldon, has seen it in a vision, and there is a fugitive from the queen's court that reports this also."

"A fugitive? They could be a spy, my king."

"Do you think that I'm so foolish as to let a spy amongst us?" Eli questioned, his voice dangerously soft. "I vouch for them and that should be enough for the likes of you."

"Of course. I meant no disrespect," Richard bowed apologetically. "It has been a long time since the fae has paid this much attention to us. Forgive me for my suspicion."

"Stay suspicious, Riverclear, for the Seelie are treacherous creatures. I've taken this fugitive's blood, and so you can rest easy. She is more than willing to kill the Seelie alongside us. Were my son able to join us, he too would vouch for her." Eli gave Rosa a questioning look, but she shook her head. Wherever Eldon was, he wasn't interested in being beckoned to meetings.

Nimue woke to the soft crackling pop sounds of the fire and Eldon's soft snoring. For the first time since she was released from the lake, her mind felt clear. More importantly, it felt like her own again.

On the opposite side of the room, Eldon dozed in an armchair. He looked drawn from using so much magic the night before, but he was still the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.

He'd barely aged in their long time apart. Only his eyes carried the weight of the years. She longed to ask him about his life if only to hear his voice. Gods save her, that voice. She knew by all the laws of nature she should be dead, but that voice had called her back from wherever her soul was journeying.

Nimue pulled the blanket up to her chin, ignoring the twinge in her shoulder and went back to sleep with the secret hope she might be able to win his trust back one day.

Rosa stood outside the gate of the cottage wondering if she should go in. It is your cottage, after all , a voice in the back of her mind said. It's not like you are going to interrupt anything . Rosa bit her lip. She'd seen the way Eldon had defended Nimue to Zalan.

During the battle, something had changed between them, and she didn't know what that meant. She gripped the bags in her hands tighter before pushing open the gate and knocking on the door.

"Rosa, perfect timing," Eldon answered the door and pulled on his coat. "I need to go and talk to Eli. Nimue is on the couch recovering. Can you…" Eldon seemed to struggle for the right words.

"I'll watch over her. I thought she might need some clean clothes and some breakfast."

"You're a saint." Eldon kissed her forehead on his way out. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

Rosa watched him hurry out the gate and cross the grounds. She shook her head. Clearly, the battle had done his mood good.

Rosa went into the kitchen and unloaded the fresh bread, butter, and sugar. If she was going to babysit, she was going to need a decent cup of tea. She carried the other bag filled with clothes into the lounge room where Nimue dozed. Her eyes opened as Rosa quietly put the bag on a chair.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you," Rosa apologized.

"I was already awake. Eldon doesn't know how to be quiet when he's in a hurry," Nimue said as she sat up slowly. She smiled and Rosa paused. There was something different about it, about her , and she couldn't put her finger on it.

"How are you feeling?" Rosa asked, sitting down in an armchair.

"Sore, but well." Nimue moved the corner of her blanket to show Rosa her new scar. "Eldon is a fine healer."

"I'll say," Rosa murmured. "That looks months old already. I've brought you some clothes in case you wanted to get cleaned up. Men don't think about that kind of thing."

"You are very kind, Rosamund Wylt." Nimue tucked a dirty lock of hair behind her ear. "I have an apology I must make to you. Since I've been back, I haven't been myself. I don't know what Eldon did last night, but he's… fixed …something in my head that the queen did. I don't know how to explain it. It's as if a constant whispering has gone silent. I think she put it there so she could spy on me and on you all. It's gone, and I feel myself again."

"I've been subjected to the queen's special attention. You have nothing to apologize for, Nimue."

"I do though. I've been horrible to you, and it was as if I couldn't stop myself. I've been so jealous of you. The way Eldon…" Nimue's hands twisted together. "If you are willing, I'd like to start over with you."

Rosa watched her fidget for a moment before reaching over and putting a hand over Nimue's. "I'd like that. It would be nice to have a woman to talk with in this house full of men. I'm sure there is much you could teach me about magic that Eldon could not."

"Thank you, Rosamund Wylt." Nimue breathed a sigh of relief. "Deryn would want me to help in any way that I could. She would have liked you."

"Do you think so?"

"Of course. She used to have to manage Eli and Eldon the same way you do," Nimue replied with a smile.

"Would you tell me about her? Eli finds it too painful to talk about her much, and you'd sooner get blood out of a stone than memories out of Eldon."

"I'll tell you as much as I can. I know that everything that has happened has made it appear that I'm some monster, but I grieve for Deryn. I loved her like my own mother. More so in fact. She taught me kindness when all I'd known was cruelty. Whatever goodness I have in me was because she brought it out in me." Rosa pretended not to see Nimue brush the stray tears from her cheeks.

"We can talk about it later," Rosa said and got to her feet. "For now, how about you go for a shower, and I'll make you something to eat."

Nimue's smile was shy as she nodded, "That would be nice. I'm tired of smelling like dead Seelie."

"Did you know?" Eldon demanded, interrupting Eli's meeting with Zalan and his generals.

"Know what?" Eli replied calmly.

"About the cracks in her mind made by the fucking queen."

Zalan gave his generals a look, and they vanished out of the room. Eldon was crackling with energy that he was struggling to control.

"I take it the Seelie girl has survived the night," Zalan said to break off Eldon and Eli's glaring competition.

"Only just," Eldon replied. "I healed her of the poison and whatever the queen did to her mind. You had her blood, Eli, and you would've seen…"

"Of course I saw them. The queen has had that link open since Nimue arrived."

"Why didn't you heal her? I knew there was something different about her. You could've told me!"

"I needed to know that I could trust her before I did. I could have used that link for my own gain, but I didn't. I needed to see that she would fight its compulsion, fight for us, Eldon, and be truly on our side in this war. Last night when she saved your life, she proved that she is."

"She could've died!"

"So could you," Eli said coldly. "Ask which outcome concerns me most. I would've healed her today if you hadn't done so already. I'm glad that you did. Otherwise, you might never have believed or trusted her again."

"Bah! You're still playing your damn games instead of being honest with me…"

"Eldon, he was right," Zalan interrupted. "You are as stubborn and distrusting as Eli is. You never would've believed it if you didn't see it for yourself. You've closed your ears and eyes to her since she arrived."

"You don't understand. She…"

Zalan held up a hand and silenced him. "She hurt you, and you react out of that hurt. Doesn't this god you serve speak of compassion?"

"Don't talk about my god," Eldon scowled before turning back to Eli. "Anything else you want to tell me?"

"Only, well done." Eli's smile was filled with pride. "I heard your song. I've not felt power like that before."

"I had a hand from that god you mock me for believing in," Eldon said as he opened the door. "No more lies or secrets, Father, or I walk."

Zalan chuckled once he had gone. "By the old gods and the new, that boy is your son down to his toenails."

"Don't remind me. I thought after all this time, he wouldn't be so hotheaded," Eli said, tapping his pen against the table.

"That's your fault for mating with a Celt."

Eldon stormed through, along the halls and into the servant's passages. Zalan's army had filled the mansion, and not for the first time, Eldon was glad of the little cottage on the grounds. Too many people, too many immortals.

Heaven above, why did I think it would be any different if I returned here?

The smell of cooking meat, cinnamon, and roses assaulted him as he opened the door into the kitchen. Rosa, hair pinned up in a pile of curls, was ordering staff about as she helped Vera pull bread from the oven.

"Rhosyn, you know that Zalan brought help with him," he said, leaning against the doorframe. "You don't have to be in here, doing all of this."

"If my mother found out I hadn't helped out when Master Eli had a full house, she'd tan my hide. Coffee?"

"Whiskey?"

"Coffee it is," she replied brightly and filled another French Press.

Eldon sat down on a stool and put his elbows on the bench. Rosa pulled out two cups as she ordered the last of Zalan's staff out of the kitchen. "Not that I'm complaining about having the extra hands, but I swear some of these guys have never seen the inside of a kitchen."

"You might find that Zalan told them to help you, and they are more equipped to holding a sword than a serving tray."

Rosa blew a damp strand from her face. "That would explain a lot." She placed a steaming cup in front of Eldon and sat down opposite him. "What's with the face, Blaise?"

"Daddy issues," he answered before drinking some of the bitter black liquid.

"Sounds about right. If it makes you feel better, Nimue was up and about when I left the cottage," she said delicately. Eldon tried not to laugh at her subtle prodding. "She seems different."

"The queen was using her mind as a spyglass and slowly driving her crazy. I had no idea." He shook his head. "Maybe I should have. Eli knew it was there, but he wanted to make sure we could trust her before he removed it."

"That's smart," Rosa acknowledged. "Oh, come on, Eldon, don't look at me like that. Ever since you got here, I've heard about how evil she is and how the queen's always used her as a pawn. Links go both ways, and we are desperate to know what the queen is planning. If it had been anyone else, you would've used it to your advantage. You don't exactly see clearly when it comes to Nimue."

Eldon scowled into his coffee. "Maybe you're right. It doesn't matter now. I've closed all the gaps, so the queen is going to have to find another way to spy on us."

"Nimue seems a lot calmer because of it. We've called a truce."

"That's good to hear. She needs a female friend, and so do you."

"I think she needs you more right now. She'd do anything to protect you," Rosa replied.

"Her protecting me got my mother killed."

"We all make mistakes when we think we are doing the right thing." Rosa shrugged. "I can't say that I wouldn't have done the same to protect Bal. From what the stories say, you've made bigger mistakes than all of us put together."

"How many times do I have to tell you the stories are full of shit?" Eldon drank more of his coffee and let the heat seep into his empty stomach.

"Even the most exaggerated stories have a kernel of truth in them," Rosa argued.

"No, they don't."

"Oh? Why don't you tell me about Morgan then?"

Eldon's coffee cup shattered in his hand sending hot coffee and porcelain over the bench top. Rosa stared at him unflinchingly as she took the towel from her shoulder and mopped up the mess.

"I know you mean well, Rhosyn," Eldon began, managing to keep the anger from his voice, "but don't mention that name to me again. You don't have to bring up my mistakes. I live with the burden of them every day with no possible relief in a death that has been denied to me."

"You cannot die, but you refuse to live." Rosa threw the sopping towel into the sink. "We all fuck up, Eldon, but it's how we choose to move on and learn from it that matters. We all have things we need to atone for, so stop acting like such a fucking martyr."

Rosa stormed from the kitchen, leaving him too stunned to move.