Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

R osa found Eldon walking by the lake later that afternoon. After his story, both he and Eli had fled from the kitchen in a moody and sullen silence. Rosa had spent the morning in the library, reading books and staring at a portrait of Deryn. It wasn't painted by Balthasar but by Eli, and it was rendered in a stranger ikon style, similar to some of the murals Rosa had seen in the Autumn Queen's court.

What had happened to Nimue after she returned to the Aos Si? Had Rosa met her without even realizing? Would she also be wanting revenge for Ryn's death?

Rosa had seen a brief glimpse of the ripped open wound in Eldon's eyes, and a fierce protectiveness had welled up inside of her. If Nimue did come after her to get revenge for Ryn, Eli wouldn't get the chance to kill her before Rosa drove her sword through her.

What a bitch , Rosa thought, flicking through a copy of Arthurian Romances.

Edward Burne-Jones's The Beguiling of Nimue made Eldon look like a creepy old man and Rosa made a mental note to get Balthasar to do a proper portrait. A face like his would be difficult for any artist to render and do it justice.

Thinking about the story of Deryn's death, Rosa went to hunt down Eldon. Dressed in jeans, boots, and a cherry red overcoat, she headed for the lakeside.

Eldon sat hunched in the corner of the pergola smoking a hand-rolled cigarette.

"Want some company?" Rosa asked, stepping out of the wind.

"No," Eldon replied sending a cloud of clove-scented smoke into the air.

"Well, then this is going to be really uncomfortable for you," Rosa replied cheerily and sat down close beside him.

"What do you want, Rhosyn?" He stared out at the lake, his eyes still half lost in memory.

"Just thought I'd come and see how you are. It can't have been easy to tell us that story this morning, even as an abbreviated version. Eli has thrown himself into work, and the boys have gone off to hold Skype council meetings. We Wylts should stick together. You are suffering, so I'm here."

Eldon's lip curled. "This isn't me suffering. It's not even me sulking. This is me bearing a guilt amongst my many guilts. This is me…"

"Having a wordy pity party?" Rosa suggested. "It's a shame we don't have a pub. Pity parties should always be held at a pub."

"Would you like to go to a pub?" Mischief danced in Eldon's golden eyes, and he climbed to his feet.

"I would love to, but the nearest one is hours away, and the Vanes would freak out."

"Fuck the Vanes." Eldon offered her his hand. "We don't need a car… They will never know that we are gone."

Rosa took his hand. "I've no idea about what you're talking about, but I trust you."

Eldon led her out of the pergola and onto the shoreline.

"Yes, here," he muttered as he slowed near a pile of rocks. "This one will do nicely."

"One of what?" Rosa asked curiously.

"Think of ley lines as backdoors, Rhosyn. If you have the right backdoor established, you could cross into it from just about anywhere in the world."

"You built your backdoor to a pub!" She roared with laughter. "You really are my cousin."

"Don't let go of me," Eldon instructed. The hair on Rosa's body rose as he lifted his right hand and sketched an invisible symbol in the air. "Now walk."

The lake shoreline shimmered like heat waves, and they stepped through, suddenly standing in a grassy laneway.

"Where are we?" Rosa asked, pulling up the hood of her coat to keep the drizzling rain off her head.

"Glastonbury," Eldon announced and strode out of the lane and through the streets. They passed St. Benedict's cathedral, and Eldon stopped in front of a pub called The Lancelot .

"Considering who you are, isn't this place a bit wanky for you?" Rosa said, sitting down in a booth with their pints.

"Yes and no. Much happened in this place and most of the wank is the result of the glorious lies I created, so I feel rather justified that it worked," Eldon replied. "Cheers to lies well crafted." Rosa clinked her glass against his before relishing the bitter tang of stout on her tongue.

"What else is different about this place? It can't be the nostalgia."

"Most of Glastonbury is a magically dead zone, which means if the Autumn Queen is trying to spy on us, she won't be able to."

"If magic doesn't work here, how come your backdoor does?" Rosa challenged.

"It is a great secret only known to great wizards," Eldon exclaimed, making Rosa giggle. "Seriously though, I was the one that broke the magic in this place. Whatever magic remains here is what I have sewn back into it. This place holds my power in the very earth."

"Like a reserve?"

"I have never considered it that way, but yes, a reserve."

"The Autumn Queen can't find us, so I suppose that means Eli can't either?" Rosa raised a brow at him.

"Who knows what that man could do if he put his mind to it?" Eldon said dismissively. "You can't have any privacy at Gwaed Lyn."

"I know, but he's pretty good at giving it to you. It must be hard for you to be back there after so long. I was away in London for almost twenty years doing school and degrees, finding any excuse to do more, anything to prevent going back there," Rosa admitted.

"And now you are the lady of the house." Eldon grinned over the rim of his glass. "It took you no time at all."

"According to your father, I was the lady of the house by the time I was eight," Rosa said. "Now that I have my memories back, Gwaed Lyn feels better, like home. I terrorized Eli as a child, but he was very gracious about it."

"He would've loved every minute of it. You are the spitting image of Deryn, and she always wanted a girl," Eldon replied. "He would have doted on you. It's probably why he kept paying for whatever you felt like studying."

"I don't know about doted, but I have almost as many memories of him as I do of my real father."

"You love him."

"I love all of the boys in their way. Saul's the fun, annoying little brother I never had, and Bal… He's…" Rosa fumbled, blushing and grinning.

Eldon propped his chin on his hand and fluttered his long, dark lashes at her.

"Tall, dark, and dreamy?"

Rosa stuck her middle finger up at him. "Shut up. Yes, he's all those things, but he's also serious, intelligent, and sweet."

"You would be the only one game enough in all the worlds to call Leiddiad sweet . From what Eli has told me, he is a weapon."

"Yes, but he's my weapon," Rosa pointed out smugly.

"I still think you can't rely on him to protect you."

"The Treaty Ball taught me that," Rosa admitted softly. "The whole point of Eli wanting me there was to protect me from Celyn's intentions. Neither of them could protect me."

"You are lucky to have a magnificent sword to practice with, a king's sword."

"I don't know, I was thinking of giving it to Balthasar."

"Give it to Balthasar!" Eldon spluttered. "It's the royal sword of the Seelie kingdom! A symbol of its kingship. It has power in its own right. It's yours now, by right of conquest. If Ryn were the king instead of the Autumn Queen's consort, you would have a legitimate claim to the throne."

"Oh." Rosa sipped her stout nervously. "Is that why the queen wanted Widow's Fury ? To officially claim sovereignty over the Unseelie?"

" Yes , Rosa. This is exactly what she wants. Give it to Balthasar…bah!" Eldon got up and bought them another round of drinks, leaving Rosa to stew over swords and thrones and fae kingdoms. Eldon placed another drink in front of her, his frown gone.

"I don't see what a sword has to do with claiming a kingdom. It's only a sword."

"It is very different these days in the human world where the monarchy no longer holds absolute power, but this is a sword from an ancient culture. The sword isn't just a sword. It is a symbol, and symbols have power."

"Like Excalibur?" Rosa asked to get a rise out of him, but to her surprise, he just smiled.

"Exactly like Excalibur," he nodded. "Though you won't get more stories out of me today, so stop trying."

"Ow," Rosa whined childishly. A waitress came with bowls of chips and gravy, and Rosa could've kissed Eldon. "So what's your plan then? Get me some sword fighting lessons to ensure the Autumn Queen doesn't get the sword back?"

"And so you can protect yourself. Make no mistake, Rosa, she will send people after you. If her power is weakening, she will need to find a way to kill Bleddyn and take Widow's Fury to keep her claim. Now that you have the Seelie sword too, she will be frantic."

"Couldn't we just wait her out?" Rosa asked, stirring the gravy with her chip. "If her power is weakening, all we need to do is bide our time."

"But she will not bide hers," Eldon shook his head. "She will throw something at us and soon. Your Balthasar will give you weapon lessons, or better yet, Eli will, and I will get you brushed up on some defensive magic." He pinched the bridge of his nose with a small groan of frustration.

"What?"

"It seems no matter what I do, I always end up in a position where I'm in the middle of a war and having to teach someone."

"Poor you for being blessed with such a specific skill set," Rosa said, flicking the end of her chip at him.

"Did I mention that all my students are cocky little brats? Though you are the first one that seems to think it's appropriate to throw food at me."

Rosa smiled at him, her mouth full of mushy chips and gravy, and Eldon shook his head in despair.

Four rounds later, the sun was going down, and the pub was filling with the evening crowd. Rosa was laughing so hard, it hurt as Eldon told her a story of the time he accidentally turned himself into a goat.

"Excuse me, Mr. Blaise?" A nervous-looking publican appeared at their table.

"What is it, William?"

"There's a phone call for you, sir."

"Really? Already?" Eldon asked. "It sounds like it's for you, Rosa."

"Oh, sure, throw me into it," Rosa grumbled, following William to the back office.

"Rosamund Wylt at your service," she answered pompously.

"Would you mind explaining to me how you came to be in a Glastonbury pub drinking?" Balthasar's voice was deadly quiet, like a blade in the dark.

Rosa could feel the cold disapproval radiating down the line.

"Sorry! Wrong number!" Rosa hung up the phone and hurried back through the crowded bar. Eldon was already outside, smoking a cigarette.

"Pissed off, are they?" he asked, stubbing out his butt. He was grinning like a maniac, and Rosa couldn't stop the bubble of hysterical laughter that rose up through her.

"Probably. I hung up before I could find out," Rosa said, and they both laughed uncontrollably. She took his arm, and they stepped through Eldon's door and into the parklands of Gwaed Lyn.

"Argh, I don't think I will ever get used to that," Rosa complained.

"You want to see something really amazing?"

"Yes!"

"Wait." He held up his long finger. "In three, two…one."

Eli, Balthasar, and Saul were suddenly standing in front of them.

"Where were you?" Eli demanded.

"Rosa and I went to the pub." Eldon shrugged. "It was her first lesson, and we needed the outing."

"You went to the pub without me? No fair," Saul said, crossing his arms.

"You could have told someone," Balthasar hissed. He was looking past Rosa's shoulder, not at her, and she knew she was in trouble.

Her temper frayed. "You Vane men seem to be forgetting I'm my own woman with a right to go wherever, whenever, and with whomever I like."

"I don't care if he is your cugino . You can't just disappear like that," Balthasar snarled, taking a step forward. Eldon moved protectively in front of Rosa and stared him down. Balthasar backed down before turning sharply on his heel and disappearing inside, swearing angrily in Italian.

"Shit, Rosa, he only speaks Italian when he's really upset," Saul said, looking nervously toward the mansion.

"I don't know what he's got to be upset about."

"Faerie." Saul tucked his hands in his pockets. "Think about it, Rosa."

"It wasn't like you had gone for a drive from Gwaed Lyn," Eli said softly, "You were hidden magically."

"You found us at The Lancelot !" Rosa pointed out, but her temper was gone, fizzled out until only guilt remained.

"I know my son well enough to know that he is creature of habit, and the only place he could go and be magically hidden, while still being in Albion, was Glastonbury. Another of your great failures." Eli looked at Eldon, his green eyes full of disapproval.

"So add it to your list of how I've disappointed you as a son." Eldon shrugged before he patted Rosa on her shoulder. "Thanks for cheering me up, Rhosyn."

"You're welcome," she mumbled as he headed for the cottage, leaving her to deal with the Vanes.

"Come with me, Rosamund," Eli instructed. She looked at Saul pleadingly.

"Nope, you're on your own," he said. "I'm going to see if Vera has cooked me anything for dinner. Quite frankly, I hope he gives you the cane for putting Bal through Hell."