13. Lira

13

LIRA

D espite my father's command, the Unseelie attacked even more aggressively. Dad dropped in front of Father, protecting both his king and me. With two gigantic men protecting me, Struan and the other Unseelie guards who had stayed behind at the door flew into the crowd, using their frost and illusion magic to force people back.

Yet, more pressed forward to take their places.

Caelan grabbed my arm, forcing me to stay back. "Don't make Tavish lose his focus. He needs to get the people under control, or more will rise against him."

I opened my mouth to tell him where he could go, but my lungs seized. My skin crawled, and the pressure in my chest built like I might implode. The sensation didn't feel like my own, and the memory of how I'd felt during the final part of the gauntlet resurfaced. One of the competitors had made me feel complete terror inside, and I'd struggled to function.

The common people didn't have weapons because the Seelie guards had confiscated them, but their magic wasn't hindered.

A creepy, lime-eyed woman near me grinned.

Something brushed against my side and leg, and a familiar warmth spread through me.

Nightbane.

His presence eased some of the influence the woman had to be pushing toward me.

Father and Dad grunted and fell to their knees. They weren't using their magic, which meant they had to be dry from the ordeal back at the cave.

"Erdan, no!" Mother exclaimed.

Flames shot from Mom's hands and hit the edge of the crowd. A man stumbled back, and both Dad and Father seemed to breathe easier. Mother mixed wind magic with her fire, creating a blazing tornado that swirled above the Unseelies' heads.

People's heads jerked upward, and they shrieked as the funnel descended toward them.

Frustration and rage slammed into me from Tavish, and then I sensed the sluggish sensation of his nightmare illusion.

The ground shook as Seelie used earth magic, and flames landed on Unseelie, causing more screams. Water slammed into some of the people at the back. A breeze picked up as if it was trying to push the frost, snow, and illusion magic away from us.

Terror had my blood freezing as the illusion intensified, and the urge to flee took hold, causing me to dig my fingers into the cù-sìth's fur.

I gritted my teeth, fighting the unwanted feelings. Two men charged Father and Dad, and I stumbled forward. The chaos seemed to only get worse.

Caelan caught my forearm and yanked me back just as Nightbane ran in front of me and shoved me, helping Caelan out. Nightbane snarled and ran past both Father and Dad and attacked the men threatening us.

His teeth sank into one man's throat while his long, thick claws ripped through the other man's chest. Black blood coated the greenish-tinged ends of Nightbane's fur.

The unwanted sensation in my chest lessened, and Tavish connected with me, Lira, get inside. You've already been attacked once, and I sense my people using magic.

I'm done with people—including you—telling me I should leave you. Everywhere I turned, another situation stacked up against Tavish and me, with people trying to keep us apart. I'm not going anywhere. Thankfully, both Father and Dad stood and removed their swords from their sheaths.

Both Unseelie and Seelie guards darted downward as the chaos intensified. Tavish's magic strengthened along with his frustration. Sprite, I swear. You're going to be the death of me.

A chill mixed with the ickiness of the nightmare magic blanketed my body.

Tavish cloaked me, hiding me from the others, and thanks to the cloudy skies, the sun's light wouldn't reveal my location. I growled faintly, frustrated that he was resolved for them not to see me out here with him.

The fire tornado touched ground, dividing the crowd, and Mother and Mom worked together to make a straight line of fire that held most of the Unseelie back except for the thirty in front of it who could still fight against us.

The clash of all the different types of magic had the ground shaking and sparks flying. If I were back on Earth, I would've sworn that we were either getting bombed or experiencing an earthquake during the Fourth of July.

All of a sudden, the front line of the group, still trying to attack us, fell to their knees and clutched their heads as Tavish's magic wrapped around each one of them.

"This ends now , " Tavish shouted, his face gray from the flush of his black blood. "Fighting against one another accomplishes nothing and only uses energy that needs to be conserved. We should be limiting strenuous activities that don't assist in keeping our community running."

The fire tornado vanished, and the Unseelie at the front whimpered in agony. Whatever Tavish was forcing them to experience left each of them completely immobile.

Silence spread.

Nightbane snarled, drool dripping from his teeth as he trotted back to the spot next to me. Even though Tavish had hidden me, the beast knew exactly where I was.

"This will not be tolerated." Tavish lifted his sword, his wings expanded and taut. "The people who led this attack will be placed in prison immediately . They will get the least amount of food for rising against their king and future queen. As for all of you—" He pointed the sword toward the people who'd been separated by the fire but would've attacked if they'd had the ability. "You won't be placed in prison, but my guards will take note of each and every one of you. If you do anything that makes me feel any discomfort, you'll be killed on the spot. I will not tolerate any of this anymore. I am your king , and Lira is my fated mate. I don't blasting care what you think because Fate decided it for the two of us. And I tell you, the Seelie are here to help protect us when the dragons return—because they will."

Struan flew over the crowd, taking note of each person.

The woman with the strange lime eyes took several steps back, scanning the area like she was searching for something.

Was it me?

There was one way to find out. Tavish, uncloak me. The imminent danger is gone, and I need them to see that I wasn't afraid. I need them to know I'm not a coward.

I need to make sure they don't try something again. He didn't even glance over his shoulder at me, pretending I wasn't even here.

I fisted my hands, my nails cutting into my palms. We talked about this earlier.

Blighted abyss, sprite. You're not a coward, but you're injured, and your magic is drained. You're struggling to stand. I hid you because I couldn't be there to protect you and you aren't strong enough to fight on your own. If I can't trust you to know when to fight and when not to, then I have to make the decision for you. His chest rose and fell rapidly.

His worry and fear choked me, causing me to hang my head in shame.

You're right. I was exhausted, had no magic, and my wings burned from my effort to protect Father and Dad. It's just hard to sit back and watch you and my parents risk your lives while I hide in the darkness… literally. I should be fighting alongside you. And that was my pride speaking.

I'll uncloak you, but I need to know that you won't act irrationally and get yourself hurt. He pulled back on the darkness, the chill leaving my body and ebbing from our bond.

Remember that when Pyralis returns to take me, I countered, wanting him to realize that his words would come back to haunt him.

The creepy-eyed woman's gaze immediately landed back on me.

That's different, and you know it. Tavish lifted his chin and cleared his throat. "Every person outside has been noted."

Father folded his wings as he moved around Dad to stand in front of the crowd next to Tavish.

"And every one of you should be ashamed of what you've done because your king has accomplished something Eldrin would never have been able to." Father wrinkled his nose and spat.

Neck cording, Tavish tried not to fidget, but I could see the way his head tilted back slightly and feel the suspicion that churned inside him.

My head spun, and I leaned on Nightbane, needing his support. I wasn't sure what Father had hidden under his wings.

"You have no need to worry about food because tomorrow, you will be returning to the true Unseelie land, Cuil Dorcha, where you can once again live, albeit with certain precautions now that you all fought against us again."

A collective gasp broke from the Unseelie. Hope bloomed in my chest, and my gaze went to Mother to find her beaming.

Did you know about this? Tavish connected, turning toward me. His brow furrowed as if he were attempting to solve a complex equation.

I shook my head, unable to form words even telepathically. I wasn't sure what made Father change his mind, but I was so damn thankful he had.

My heart quickened with the wondrous feeling coming from Tavish. The thought of returning home had alleviated part of the resentment within him, but then his relief disappeared as if a light had been smothered.

He pulled back his nightmare magic, giving the petrified men relief from their worst fears. "Upon our return, these men will be chained, so they still can't access Unseelie magic." Even though he sounded almost normal, I heard a growl in his tone. I could sense Tavish's concern about whether to believe Father.

"Excellent decision." Father steepled his hands. "But for now, everyone should eat up to ensure they have the strength for the half-day flight tomorrow."

My knees almost gave out thinking about Finnian and Lorne. I needed to heal them so they could make the journey, which meant I had to find a way to get my healing magic up to full strength.

Most of the people who'd rioted crossed their arms and narrowed their eyes, but a handful seemed thrilled without reservation.

"The Seelie king and I have several things to discuss, and once all has been settled, you will be alerted of our decisions." Tavish sheathed his sword and moved to my other side, placing me between him and Caelan.

"Until then, stay in your homes. If anyone leaves the land without permission, they'll join the others in prison." Tavish then waved at the men who had caused the riot. "Take them to the cells immediately and keep them away from Eldrin."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Struan bowed his head and then gave orders to the guards.

Tavish wrapped an arm around my waist and guided me through the castle entryway once again. Caelan and Father followed close behind us.

Something isn't right. Tavish clenched his jaw. I don't understand why your father did that. He didn't discuss our return with me. In fact, he seemed adamant that we should stay here. Will he find a way to take it back so more of my people will turn against me? Or does he want the Unseelie to believe I'm even more Seelie friendly, which would have the same end result—more people turning against me?

I grimaced, trying to work out my own uncertainty. None of it made sense to me. Father was a man of his word, but he understood well how to play the political game and was adept at dancing around the truth without lying.

As soon as Mother, Dad, and Mom joined us in the entryway, Struan closed the doors.

"I thought they were taking the people prisoner?" Mom scowled.

"They are." Tavish turned to face my parents, keeping his arm solidly around me. "Prisoners don't travel through the castle. They'll be brought in through the window nearest the prison cells."

The night Tavish had taken me from Earth and brought me here, he had brought me in the same way.

"No one without a personal invite from the Unseelie king enters the castle," Caelan added, remaining on my other side as if we were facing an enemy. "It may not be the real Dunscaith, but we uphold our fae traditions even in barren land."

My stomach roiled. I'd hoped that we'd be beyond this by now, but the distrust between the two species made it hard to bridge the gap between us. Instead of posturing, I'd rather get to the point. "What was that out there?"

Father smirked. "Always direct, my little sprout. Maybe your bond with the frosty fae influenced you even as a young child."

A muscle ticced in Tavish's jaw, and I leaned into him, hoping to ease his trepidation.

"That's not helpful. You just declared that all the Unseelie will return to their land without mentioning it to Tavish beforehand. What's your real plan? Haven't the Unseelie suffered enough?" If he wanted me to feel ashamed of my fated-mate bond with Tavish, he'd soon realize it wouldn't work.

"Oh, Lira." Mother placed a hand on her chest. "That offer was sincere. Your father and I discussed it briefly, and when it became clear that you would fight us on taking you back to Gleann Solas and that the Unseelie wouldn't have enough to eat, we agreed to allow them back home."

Tavish scoffed. "I should have made the announcement after we discussed a strategy. This isn't your kingdom or your people, though clearly, you decided otherwise twelve years ago."

I winced at the resentment in Tavish's tone, but he had every right to feel that way. The Unseelie never should've been banished to begin with. "A discussion would've been the diplomatic way to go about it."

Father's face flushed a faint yellow. "There wasn't time, and I don't appreciate being questioned about my intentions or how I decided to handle the matter. Your people were out of hand, and Sylphia and I had agreed moments before the riot to take down the veil. I was assisting in calming the crisis."

So that was what the anxious discussions and looks they'd been exchanging before the revolt started had been about. Even though I appreciated the sentiment, I understood the outrage Tavish felt.

"A crisis I needed to handle." Tavish's fingers dug into my side. "And you even decided that we'd leave tomorrow while Lira is still recovering and can't safely fly, and two of my men are severely injured. The three of them can't leave tomorrow."

Unless I can determine what's hindering my magic from coming back. I'd had no issue healing during the gauntlet, and I'd been this drained then, too.

"We will assist them in traveling." Dad tapped the hilt of his sword.

"The Unseelie aren't in a situation where they can defend themselves." Mother bit her bottom lip. "Not if they're starving and fighting among each other. And Lira won't stay away from you long. Erdan and I have come to accept that, and it's best if you return to your traditional home and get stronger so we can fight the dragons together. They'll never expect that."

My throat closed. I couldn't believe all the anger and disgust I'd felt for these two people when I'd awoken in Gleann Solas when they were now doing all they could to keep me safe. They had been misguided, but maybe there was hope for peace between us.

"We'll also be able to get your cousin to speak sooner if Tavish, Sylphia, and I are at full power so we can get Lira out of this blazing vow." Father rubbed the spot over his chest where his magic lay underneath his heart. "Trying to repair that cave drained my magic. I barely feel a hint of it left." His expression crumpled. "I've never experienced it depleted like this. In fact, all the Seelie are growing weaker. And I fear we're going to need all our strength to retrieve Eiric and keep Lira away from Pyralis."

Mom winked at me, essentially telling me I told you so . She'd told me that my parents loved me and that eventually everything would work out between us. Too bad it had taken so dire a situation to get us to this point. We most definitely weren't in a place to win against the dragons.

If the cave hadn't collapsed…

The volcanic rock had caused the collapse, and the stones that had crushed the mushrooms had been a dark, smooth gray. The same type of stone that the arrow that had pierced my wings and injured them so badly had been made of.

My geology classes from college came rushing back to me, and the world stopped. "I think I know what's going on."