At Risk Read online

  Ironically, Aedus and Caelen, the two fae who were against Isaiah ever showing his face in Faerie, looked so much like Isaiah, they might have been related. Oh wait. They were.

  “If Charles does not return soon, he’ll be considered a traitor,” Aedus announced to the senior members of the council on either side of him.

  The king rose and everyone stood. This was a formal meeting called by the king and court procedure was followed even though we were in Cascade. His gaze had grown bright with golden flecks, his voice colder than dry ice. “Aedus, you will sit and speak no more unless I give you permission.”

  Aedus nodded curtly and slumped into his chair, looking very much the irritated teen rather than the sixteen hundred-year-old supernatural warrior that he was.

  Fin walked to us and reached across the table, giving my clenched hands a squeeze. “Ignore my grandson. He’s worried about his family, as we’re all worried about our loved ones and the future of Faerie. May I attempt to contact Charles?”

  “I can’t stop you.” It wasn’t the friendliest of replies but I was still reeling from Aedus’s comment about branding Charlie a traitor. What was happening here? We were friends, weren’t we? At the least, we were allies.

  “I will not take any action that might cause feelings of mistrust between us. You have shown yourselves to be deserving of our trust on every occasion.”

  Garrett sent me a private message. “The others won’t be satisfied until he makes the effort to convince Charlie to come back.”

  “Garrett and I give you our permission,” I said, eyeing the others. “But only King Finvarra.”

  Fin tilted his head in deliberation. “He is not within range.” Fin’s magic should have been able to sense Charlie’s presence in Faerie or our realm, which gave Fin a pretty good idea of where Charlie had gone.

  Lord Caelen pounded a fist on the table. “He is in the Demon Realm. He must be meeting up with the demon heir, Isaiah.” Caelen twisted toward Lord Argon, Brina’s father. “He’s most likely taken your daughter with him.”

  “She has journeyed with Charles in the past. They brought back several dragons to help in our fight against Naberia.” Argon relaxed back in his chair.

  At least we had one ally.

  “Do you believe he is there?” Fin asked.

  “I don’t know where he is.” That must have been the tenth time today I’d spoken that exact phrase.

  “But isn’t it a logical assumption? Why might Charlie go there now, when Naberia is searching for him? If it’s true, he’s put himself and Brina in great danger.”

  “May I speak, my king?” Lord Argon leaned slightly forward.

  “Of course.” Fin smiled at his ancient son, warmth now shining once more in his eyes. When he realized everyone other than Aedus was still standing he gestured for them to sit.

  “My daughter is no longer a child. She makes her own decisions and would not follow Charles blindly if she believed his purpose was fruitless or his motives without integrity. If she believed in his mission, she would find a way to accompany Charles no matter his opinion on the subject. She will protect him with every sliver of energy or power she possesses as she has set her heart and mind on a match between them.” Argon smiled at me. “We respect and love your son as one of our own. No matter what occurs, we will always welcome Charles, Garrett and you, Jacqueline, into our home.” He nodded in the formal way and we returned the gesture with deep respect.

  “Thank you. We also care for Brina,” I said.

  “She knows this to be true.” Argon’s smile grew a little wider.

  Aedus’s dark gaze shifted to Lord Argon. “Perhaps Faerie has more than one traitor.”

  “Out. Now. Before I throw you in a cell.” Fin’s aura gleamed with anger.

  Aedus rose from his chair and moved gracefully toward the door. He turned. “We’ll find him. My family will not die because your son is a coward.”

  Garrett and I allowed his words to evaporate without winning any reaction from us.

  When the door closed behind Aedus, Garrett spoke to the group. “Naberia’s demands were not made public before Charlie and Brina left together,” he said.

  “It is likely he does not know of her demands,” Lady Dinestri offered. “He has not run away, as Aedus says.” Her brows lowered. “What of the bear?”

  “Charlie and Jay have been friends from the moment they understood the meaning of friendship.” Garrett smiled. “Jay is certainly with them.”

  “Your grace.” I looked to Fin. “Will there ever be a time when you would consider forcing my son into Naberia’s hands? Because if you do, she will imprison or torture him, then begin the battle when he is no longer able to help you win.”

  “I would never force any of my subjects or my family to exchange themselves for a false promise of peace,” Fin said without hesitation.

  “Not even to save Faerie?”

  “Faerie is stronger than one might believe. Even without the use of magic, the air is sweet, the weather temperate, the colors more vibrant than in any other realm. Some might believe we are weak. Lost in a magical fantasy of our own making. You’ve never seen us in battle.”

  Garrett leaned forward. “Charlie’s allies will not fight beside you if he is sent to the Demon Realm. They will return to their homes and bar their doors. You’ll be on your own. They may even seek vengeance.” He wasn’t pulling punches.

  The king turned to his council. “Faerie is prepared to do battle, but without the army Charles has gathered we will indeed be at a disadvantage. Better to fight now when we are ready than a thousand years from now when we may be weaker still.”

  I glanced at the others. The notice from the archdemon had shaken some of them. Naberia’s threats were frightening, but this was a group of High Seelie Fae who’d fought the armies of the Demon Realm for thousands of years. Who’d won each battle and never given up.

  Only Fin, Lady Dinestri, Lady Jorrenn and Lord Argon were completely on Charlie’s side. Caelen, Aedus and most High Seelie Fae who’d come from court were either on the fence or staring at us from the other side.

  “May Jacqueline and I get back to work? I’m teaching a class today,” Garrett said, deciding we’d had enough.

  “Yes, of course. Your work with the students is extraordinary. Thank you,” Fin said.

  “I enjoy it immensely.” Garrett was an excellent trainer, blending patience with a firm expectation that his students would give back one hundred percent every time.

  After nodding formally to everyone in the room, Garrett and I left hand in hand. Even though no one was around I sent a mental message: “This is messed up. What should we do?”

  “For now, go on as usual. Charlie’s away gathering allies. He isn’t hiding. He hasn’t betrayed Faerie. Nothing has changed.”

  “The entire atmosphere in Faerie has changed. A lot of our fae allies are on the brink of turning him over to my grandmother. I don’t get it.”

  “I trust your instincts, you know I do. We’ll remain alert and leave if the situation worsens.”

  I sighed and leaned against the most comfortable shoulder on the planet. Only a second passed before he’d wrapped his arm around my waist. “We’ll get through this together, love.”

  “Come to my office after class. We can brainstorm more then.”

  Garrett winked and smiled, doing his best to lighten my mood. That smile could curl my toes and warm my heart, but today, all I could think about was Charlie and what would happen when he showed up in Faerie again.

  After a kiss on the cheek, Garrett was off, heading to the gym to help the fae females our school served. Most had spent time as servants or were forced to give their bodies to members of Queen Fionna’s corrupt court. We taught them to fight with weapons, hands, fangs, feet, and the small amount of magic most of them possessed. War loomed, but these females would be prepared.

  Members of our Rogues Inc Team ran another school on our property in Crescent City, California. That
one was designed mostly for shifters and werewolf females who had no magic to call on but had the advantage of being able to use two forms for fighting. When a sword or knife was dropped in a battle, claws and fangs could take their place. We had to call off classes when the team took a job, but we kept most of the facilities open, even when classes weren’t in session. The females liked to practice and socialize and we’d even built dormitories for those who lived too far away to commute.

  A few fae were also students, but they didn’t speak English and kept to themselves a little more. Sasha’s mate Elle oversaw this group, teaching them English when she could and getting them into the school in Faerie whenever I had an opening. It wasn’t that the schools couldn’t be enlarged. Fin could do it in the blink of an eye. Finding instructors was the difficult part. Kaera, Brina’s sister, had taken the lead in Faerie; her skills with a sword, or any weapon, were legendary.

  I was surprised to see her waiting in my office when I got there.

  She smiled an unsure smile, then glanced toward Winter. He was at his desk in the corner, working on school records or the new calendar or whatever else needed doing. Thank the gods I didn’t need to deal with any of the paperwork.

  “May we speak alone, Jacqueline?”

  “Sure. Please sit. Winter, why don’t you take a break?”

  “Let me save my work and I’ll be gone in a moment.” He closed the laptop, stood, nodded to both of us and left, closing the door behind him.

  “How can you tolerate him?” Kaera asked staring at the closed door.

  “He was the first I interviewed and seemed the best. I’d rather not have to take care of all the record keeping myself. He does an accurate job and follows orders. He rarely speaks to me except to sometimes ask about Charlie or my life at home just to make conversation when we’re taking a coffee break.”

  “He is not from Cascade or even court. He says he was born in Skye Sidhe, yet he does not have an accent. His name is also odd. Even if his Naming Day name had the sound of winter in it, no fae parent would choose it for their child.”

  “Winter told me he’s worked very hard to speak properly, as he calls it. And he took the name Winter for himself. He says Winter Solstice season is his favorite.”

  “Coming from Scotland, he would most likely celebrate Hogmanay. At least he does not call himself Hog.” Her lips curled at the corners. Still the more serious of the two sisters, Kaera had loosened up a lot. Not as much as Brina, however.

  “I’m not sure I could have hired him if his name had been Hog. I’d spend my day trying not to laugh.”

  “You trust him?” she asked.

  “I do, but I don’t discuss anything too personal.”

  “You said you talk to him about Charles.”

  “Nothing other than his health and maybe what he’s doing these days. He does seem to brighten a bit when Charlie comes into the office. Maybe it’s hero worship. Would you like coffee or…hmmm. We may have something edible somewhere around here. Linn and I ate the last of the cake Elle sent to me yesterday.”

  “I am fine. Thank you. I would like to apologize for the way you have been treated. My father and mothers are appalled by the way Fin has allowed Caelen and Aedus and others to insult and badger you and Garrett as if you were enemies. This goes against the treaty we have sworn to as well as our own code of ethics.”

  “Charlie hasn’t run off. I hope you know that.”

  “Brina has not contacted me, so I am guessing she and Charlie are in the Demon Realm with your uncle.”

  “I don’t know where they are, but I’m sure they’re together. Jay is with them too.”

  “The bear. An odd choice.”

  “I’ve known Jay for most of his life. He’s so much more than you see on the surface or even what you hear when he speaks. Catch him on a good night when he lets his guard down, and you’ll be wondering who the changeling is. His empty-headed behavior is a defense mechanism he learned as a small child with drug addicted parents. He doesn’t show his true self easily. Not that he isn’t a world-class doofus at times. I don’t believe Charles could have chosen better.”

  “It has caused some discord here.”

  “In what way?”

  “Caelen and Aedus believe Aedus should either be running the show or at least been chosen as second in command. They are, as they would put it, from Finvarra’s pure line, descended from King Finvarra and Queen Aine. As much as it irritates me to say it, there is no better technical warrior in Cascade or at court, although a warrior in battle doesn’t always behave as he does on the sparring field. Kennet won against Aedus in a dishonorable way by attacking him mentally, Aedus has yet to be tested.

  “I remember.”

  “The fae do not use mind control in battle. It is abhorrent.”

  “Naberia will use everything at her command and she’s a master of mind control. I’ve had her in my mind. Kennet too.” I couldn’t hold back the queasy feeling that came with those memories.

  Kaera touched my hand and I met her gaze. “I am distressed that despite all you and your family have done for my people, we are not showing you the respect you deserve. I am pleased my newfound cousin, Isaiah, has been a proper friend to you and Charles.”

  “You don’t object to a half demon uncle?”

  “How can I? The king fell in love before he was the king and before Naberia was the archdemon. Isaiah was their child, an amazingly powerful child. Isaiah has chosen to support Charles and Charles supports Faerie. How a child raised by the monster could have remained honorable is beyond my ken, yet it is the truth.”

  I gave Kaera a quick hug. “Thank you for that. Isaiah isn’t always easy to understand, but he loved my mother and promised to keep us safe. He will never betray Charlie. Outside of my son, Isaiah is the single most important chess piece in this game. He’s studied his mother, knows her tricks. I doubt anyone else has a chance at killing her.” I sighed. “I wish I could wave a wand so the fae would see Isaiah’s true nature.”

  “The announcement regarding Isaiah’s connection to our king is another reason our people are divided. There is fear brewing. Fear that Isaiah may want to rule. Even fear that Charles, with all his magic, may try to take over Faerie.”

  “Charlie would never want that and Isaiah will go back to his realm when his mother is dead. Someone will have to lead his people. Rebuild his world.”

  “Charles has become a bridge between our realm and others. I’ve spent time in your world, always amazed by how one species can accept another so wholeheartedly.”

  “That’s not always the case.”

  “May I come to your territory and teach at your shifter school on occasion? I’d like to know more, especially now that the atmosphere in Cascade has turned sour. My father and mothers are unhappy in this atmosphere. Brina has always been more accepting of others, more open. I would like to be more like her.”

  “We would be honored to have you. Thank you for all you’ve done for the females here.”

  “Brina and I were fortunate. My father saw our interest in learning to wield a sword at a young age. He had wooden practice swords made to fit our hands, then dulled metal swords. When we came fully into our magic, he made certain we had the opportunity to train with weapons and magic for as many hours as we could manage.

  “Many other families thought he did us a disservice, but Brina and I will take down scores of demons when the battle is finally fought.”

  “We’re counting on you.” Kaera actually grinned. Something I’d only seen on rare occasions. “Come to Crescent City whenever you like. Elle is there and would love to get to know you. And you’ve worked with the team before.”

  “I remember. How is Heinrich?”

  “He’s very well.”

  “Please send my regards. To everyone, of course.”

  I tried to hold back the smile, but the Heinrich-Kaera attraction was getting harder for them to hide.

  “I’m afraid I have to go. I promised to take my
meal with my parents.” Kaera stood.

  “Please tell them I appreciate their support.”

  “I will.”

  As soon as Kaera left, Winter returned.

  “What are you working on?” I asked.

  “The class schedule for next month.”

  “I’m thinking we might have to close the school if the atmosphere doesn’t clear.”

  He straightened in the chair and linked his fingers together as if to steady them. “May I suggest you ask Liam to come to Faerie? He might be able to convince Lord Aedus to see things more clearly. It is obvious Charles has not run off like a coward. He would never…” His speech trailed off. “Forgive me. I am fond of your family, but I should not overstep.”

  “Like Farrell, Liam and Kellaine aren’t interested in returning to Faerie except on the occasions when they feel they have to refresh their connection.”

  “That’s unfortunate.” Winter glanced down at his hands.

  “Would you mind stopping what you’re doing and beginning a new project?”

  “Not at all.”

  “I would like you to gather information regarding Queen Aine.”

  “Queen Aine?”

  “King Finvarra’s mate. She’s currently in Tir Na NOg.”

  “Yes. What information do you want?”

  “Any information would be helpful.”

  “Of course. I’ll start with the archives.” Winter rose, nodded, pulled on his coat and started to leave. He stopped, not turning. “Is Charles safe? I’ve heard rumors…”

  “I believe he is.”

  His shoulders seemed to relax before he walked out and closed the door behind him. I walked to the window to watch as his short, yet powerful form made quick work striding across the yard that led toward the center of Cascade. A strange male, but one I could count on to get the work done.

  Coming from Scotland, he must have tales to tell. Maybe I’d ask him about it sometime.

  6

  Winter