Chapter 13

Ashley's ridestops at the edge of a body of water. He lowers me to the waterline, and his wave runs into the murky depths. He stands there, looking out over the lake for long enough that I start to wonder if this is it, but then the water starts roiling a fair distance into the lake, and I watch in awe as a palace emerges from beneath the surface like Atlantis rising from the sea.

It's far enough away that it looks green as it rises, and when it's done and the water stills, Ashley steps out onto the water without falling in like there's a glass bridge just under the surface. "We'll await Macfilsenghe within my palace," he commands.

I tentatively follow him, not sure if I'm going to fall into the water or if whatever is keeping him atop the water will work for me. It does, and I follow him, walking across the lake to the palace, which is significantly further away than I thought. The palace didn't look huge when it rose, but it is, and it takes us at least fifteen minutes to walk to it.

Is it atmospheric lensing that makes objects on the horizon appear closer than they are?

I don't know. I saw a short about it last week. It was this building in the middle of a lake that looked like it was at the top of a hill when the people were driving up the hill, but it was actually on an island or something below the hill. Commenters were shouting about atmospheric lensing for like five thousand comments.

Eh. The palace is bigger than I thought and when we finally reach the front gates, they're covered in seaweed, moss, and barnacles. Is this the underwater equivalent of ivy-covered walls? Yeah, I'm going to say it is.

Ashley leads me through a courtyard up a ramp to an open doorway. There are no doors, but when we pass through, I see that there's a gate that can descend and lock into place. Inside the foyer, another man, this one a deep forest green with hair the color of that blueish rock lichen you find on boulders when you go hiking in mountainous forests, stands waiting for us. He also forgot his shirt, but the leather straps seem to be a popular replacement, so he's dressed appropriately. He's dry, considering this place was underwater half an hour ago, so that's something.

The new guy examines me curiously.

"Make up the guest room. This is Macfilsenghe's Harbinger, Romily Butcher. Send a message to Merith. Invite them all, otherwise they'll show up without one and I'll be forced to make an example." Ashley sounds both arrogant and resigned at the same time. He gestures to the green man. "Harbinger, this is my brother, Conall. He will accompany you as you need until the Silverdover Clan arrives to retrieve you."

I don't know who Merith is, nor do I know who the Silverdovers are, but I am going to assume that someone is going to get Fox to come get me.

Conall holds out his giant hand to me. "You're smaller than the rumors made you out to be," he comments as his brother walks away.

I shrug, shaking his hand, because I don't know how else to respond to rumors about my size. I mean, most people have at least seen an image of me because of the picture that the depot sent out when Fox made me his Harbinger, and then plenty of people saw me when I live-streamed Fox's meeting with the council and again when Edovard met with them.

Ashley bellows into the depths of the palace, making my ears ring from the loudness of it, "Prepare a feast! The Silverdovers come!"

Conall grimaces behind his brother's back, and when Ashley is good and gone, he shakes his head at me. "He hates that we're beneath the Silverdover Clan. Your clan frustrates him with their insistence on existing without territory or title." He shrugs. "His discontent has served us thus far. Maybe someday we will rise above your clan too."

Considering I didn't know I was part of a clan, I'm happy to hear that we're not one of the small, powerless ones. I'm pretty sure it's saving my bacon right now. I'm not powerful enough on my own to save myself from these guys. The ward would obviously help, but finding myself in the company of people insistent on getting me back to my family is a bit of luck I'm more than happy to discover I have.

Also, I guess when Ashley said that Tova was beneath Gwendolyn he was talking about some kind of political ranking, not his value as a person. So that's better than I thought.

I type out my two questions and let RoboRom read them aloud. "How long before my family gets here? What is going to happen to Tova?"

"Ah. I forgot you were unspeaking," he confesses, gesturing to indicate we should walk down a different corridor than the one Ashley went down. "I will send the message, and I expect your clan to arrive within a few hours. Is there a reason anything should happen to Tova?"

"He's the reason I'm in Fae and not in California."

Conall grunts when he hears that. "He will likely slink back to his clan to plan his next attempt to convince The Mab to elevate him. Did he offend you?"

I shake my head because Tova was more pitiable than my first impression of him made him out to be. "I was more inconvenienced than offended."

Conall leads me up some very ADA compliant ramps to a corridor on the third floor. He stops at a door with two glowing lamps on either side of it and opens it. Inside, while not opulent, the room is comfortable with a lot of soft places to land: a double bed, sofa, overstuffed armchair, a nest next to the window, and a few spots on the floor with piles of pillows.

"You can rest in here until your clan comes to retrieve you. I'll send for you when they arrive." He points to a table along the wall and a spread of snacks and drinks appear there. "Feel free to eat and drink without obligation to the Thane Clan nor the realm of the fae."

The invitation has the weight of magical importance to it and recalls the rumors that eating in Fae has everlasting consequences. I think he just gave me permission to consume without trapping myself here, and that's more of a relief that I was expecting. I didn't even know it was a danger, and I might not have thought about it if he hadn't made a big deal about it.

I put my hand to my heart and bow slightly to express my thanks.

He smiles widely, backing out of the room and leaving me alone.

The lock on the door clicks into place.

I reach for the door handle, and my hand passes right through it. It doesn't exist except as an illusion.

Ok. I guess I'm not as much a guest as I am possibly a hostage.

Aaand I walked right into this plush prison.

Hopefully I'm being dramatic and they just don't want me wandering the palace unchaperoned. Yeah, that's probably it.

I sigh, looking at the food. Can kelpies lie in the fae realm? Do I want to risk it? Ashley bellowed about preparing a feast and said my Macfilsenghe would have to come retrieve me. Oh, maybe I should remind you that Macfilsenghe is what the fathers named Fox originally. That was his birth name, and it literally means "son." They had a hundred years to come up with something better, and they did that to him.

I think we all know why Fox is bad at naming himself, and I'm going to have to name him going forward. I've been thinking what to call him when we change our surname to Foxily. I haven"t decided on anything yet, but we have another decade before our deadline. We'll have to pick first names that mesh together well again. That way we have a nice surname built in for the next time; it's just a good standard practice to start now.

I pick up the pitcher of water on the table and pour some into a fancy goblet. I think if Conall was lying and there's a debt to pay for this, Fox will save me. After all, that's the terms he agreed to when he decided to keep me: I bring him joy and smiles, and in exchange, he keeps me safe.

Everything's going to be fine. Trust me.