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Chapter 42
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Fairy-Struck Chapter 43
The next morning, I went downstairs and was told that my dad had left during the night. He'd gone back to Hawaii without me.At first, I was upset that Tiernan's outing had taken me away from the Council House right when I needed to be there, but then I realized that my father must have been waiting for an opportunity to leave without having to see me. Which meant that he would have stayed out of sight until I left; no matter when that was. So, I guess it was best that he left when he did, and I didn't have to stick around for weeks while he avoided me.We decided not to mention Brendan's little ambush to the Council. I didn't want to strain this new relationship I had with Councilman Murdock nor did I want Mini-Murdock causing any trouble for Abby. I was going back to Fairy, but Abby had to work in the same city as Brendan. Besides, I didn't think he'd try anything after his horrendous failure.There was no reason to remain in HR (the Human Realm) after my father's cowardly retreat
Fairy-Struck Chapter 44
I woke up in a dark room; lying on a soft bed. I blinked and tried to rub the sleep from my eyes but a heavy weight held my wrists back. The clink of chains alerted me to the fact that I was bound to the bedposts; my arms stretched out to either side of me. My heart sped up as I tried to peer through the darkness. The slim wick of a candle caught fire and my gaze swung toward it. A beeswax taper set into a simple, silver holder was held by an elegant but masculine hand. The small circle of light revealed very little of the man beyond the hand; only a bit of arm and chest.The flame flickered as the candle was brought forward and placed on the bedside table. Then, with a wave of the elegant hand, the whole room was illuminated. It seemed as if hundreds of candles had been lit but there was still only the one placed beside me. I blinked against the glare until I was able to focus. King Uisdean stood beside the bed, smiling softly."Greetings, Daughter of my Brother," he purred."Greet
Fairy-Struck Chapter 45
Here, at least, there was architecture better suited to a castle. The walls were polished onyx; glassy enough to cast reflections in and they soared up to a vaulted ceiling crisscrossed with dark wooden beams. The ground was slabs of malachite and the same green stone soared seamlessly up from the floor to form a line of flame-topped columns that ran down the longest sides of the room. At the far end there was a dais holding the high table and set before it were two lines of dining tables—one to either side of the room—placed parallel to the lines of columns. The tables were set end to end; forming two, long, continuous pieces. A very similar set up to that of the Twilight Castle but yet vastly different.The sound hit me first. Screeches, growls, roars, and chitters. Then waves of foul scent washed over me as we passed goblins, bogles, hags, and slimy kelpies who had changed from their normal waterhorse forms into something that vaguely resembled human. They had thick, seaweed-green
Fairy-Struck Chapter 46
The entertainments of the Unseelie Court would haunt me forever. Oh, they danced, drank, and made merry like they did in the Twilight Court, but in Unseelie, the merriment consisted of several rounds of rather inventive torture; inflicted on captured seelie fairies. Since the Fey were immortal, torture could continue almost endlessly; just so long as they gave their victims time to heal, and there were fairies there who had a blank, hopeless look to them that spoke of years of such treatment.By the end of the night, I was staring into my lap, trying to drown out the sounds that seemed to echo in my ears, with the deep, tremulous breaths I was taking. My eyes were rapidly blinking back tears and my throat was constricted from holding down my screams. My skin ran hot and cold as if trying to decide whether to be terrified or furious. The smell of blood was an undertone to burnt flesh and hair, and I was a step away from throwing up all over their feast."There is no feast without crue
Fairy-Struck Chapter 47
I watched Bress spiral out of control and his magic followed suit; condensing into a distressing mass of thunderclouds which roiled across the ceiling, sparking and rumbling like an angry beast. Bress shouted more insanity about his mother, his voice melding with that of the swelling storm, and I prayed silently for help. Tell me what to do. Please, God... Goddess, anyone, help me stop him. Help me save us. Then, suddenly, it came to me; an understanding as if I'd known Bress for all of my life. I knew why he was so angry, what had created the madness and violence in him... and what would quiet the storm."My son," I called in a breathy whisper, and Bress froze; the whip dropping from his startled grip as his whole body tensed. "Come here.""Mother," he whispered and closed his eyes tightly. "I hate you so much.""Why do you hate me?" I asked as the beaten fairy looked over her shoulder at me in shock... and hope."You made me like this!" He turned and yelled at me; thunder punctua
Fairy-Struck Chapter 48
We rode for hours; Bress driving the team of horses as I huddled inside the carriage, cradling Nighean as carefully as I could so she wouldn't be jostled too much. I'd given Bress my cloak since it was cold out, and I felt bad for not making him put his tunic back on before we left. I was warm enough inside the carriage anyway.Then a wave of magic gave me the chills, and I looked out the window to see packed-earth walls surrounding us. The dark intensified into a void, but Bress kept his rapid pace. I suddenly realized where we were; inside a large fairy mound. Was he taking us into the Human Realm first? Why?The passage brightened and then we were riding out into another forest. This one felt familiar, and I knew it was the Twilight Forest. What the hell? I hung my head out the window so I could shout to Bress."Did we just go through a fairy mound?""Yes," he called back. "The road between Unseelie and Twilight."Right; the paths between the kingdoms. I'd forgotten about those
Fairy-Struck Chapter 49
"Dad?" I asked as I sat beside Nighean's bed, waiting for her to wake up."Yes?" Keir smiled at me.It was getting easier and easier to call him Dad, which seemed to delight him to no end."Do you remember the night I made the cloud appear?" I was staring thoughtfully at Bress, who was seated across Nighean's bed from me; staring at me as if not only was I his entire existence but he was perfectly happy with that."Yes, of course." Keir frowned. "The night before you were crowned.""Is this what I did to our fairies?" I waved a hand at Bress."I..." my father's face fell. "Not this exactly. To achieve this kind of result, you have to pour stardust directly into your victim's eyes, but it's possible that you cast a version of it. Something less...""Consuming?" I asked."Yes," he agreed. "Less consuming. I don't have that ability, but magic always changes a bit in the transfer. Perhaps you're able to spread out the spell to affect an entire room full of fairies.""Or perhaps it
Fairy-Struck Chapter 50
That night, I stood on the dais in the dining hall and addressed the Twilight Fey. Keir remained seated behind the high table and allowed me to do the talking, but Cat was standing loyally beside me; looking ready to hurt anyone who reacted badly to my speech. I gave her a quick head pat to try and keep her calm, but I was pretty sure she was reacting to my nerves so it didn't do any good."You have all been so welcoming to me," I started. "You've made me feel as if I'm one of you, even though I know some of you were unsure of me in the beginning." I saw some of the fairies exchange confused glances. "You had good reason to be concerned. I'm only half fairy and although most of you are halflings as well, I'm well aware that it makes a difference when one of the halves is human."Cat whined and leaned against my side; causing me to steady my stance."I was born with great psychic gifts and was taught very early on how to control them," I went on. "Not so with my fairy magic. I've only j
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Fairy-Struck Chapter 67
Things have been quiet in the Twilight Kingdom. No one has heard a peep from Uisdean or his Dark Court. Although, we now have allies in the Light. Nighean, Aodh, and their mother Neala went home to Seelie, but they've kept in touch with us and have begun to gather supporters for peace between the kingdoms. So far, it must be a secret recruitment since the hatred between the Dark and Light Courts still runs rampant, despite the return of the prisoners, but I have hopes that someday the secret will come out.As far as my relationship with Keir goes, I now call him Dad more easily and try not to mention my other dad to him even though that relationship feels strained to the point where I despair that things will ever be right between Ewan and I. Cat remains a constant guardian and an occasional pain in the butt, especially when I'm trying to find some alone time with my other guardian. But Tiernan handles her antics as easily and as gracefully as he does mine.Tiernan. I'd never thought
Fairy-Struck Chapter 66
It turns out that changing or killing King Uisdean was not what Keir had in mind, but my surmisal had made him think. He wasn't ready to make any plans yet, but we had time, lots of it now that I was fey. We decided to let go of our issues with Uisdean for the moment and simply get to know each other as father and daughter.We had a full day to spend together, including a night of camping in the forest; if you could call it camping when you slept in a pavilion big enough for ten. Keir showed me how to properly call the twilight creatures and how to talk to them. Tiernan's explanation, when he'd told me that fairies could speak to all animals, hadn't been specific enough. We, as in the Fey as a whole, could speak to all animals but not as individuals. Each court had their own set of animals whom only they could communicate with. The Seelie had the diurnal animals who were active during the day, the Unseelie had the nocturnal creatures who roamed at night, and the Twilight had the crepu
Fairy-Struck Chapter 65
There was no need for me to wait another day before returning to Fairy since Keir could take me straight home. Home. Funny that the place I called home was now in the Fairy Realm. We left shortly after Uisdean did; Dylan to fire and do who knows what else to Adam Driscol while Keir and I went back to Gentry Technologies so we could use his personal fairy mound to get back to the Twilight Kingdom.A coach and a contingent of soldiers were waiting for us when we exited the rath. They were all sitting around a fire but there were no tents up so I assumed they expected it to be a short wait. Which meant Keir had perfectly timed his arrival into the Human Realm. I guess Danu did speak to him.The knights were well trained, Keir's personal retinue, the King's Guard, and they were mounted and ready to leave within moments. Soon, we were rumbling through the night-shrouded forest on our way to the Twilight Court. I sat back against the purple velvet seats and sighed deeply; going over the la
Fairy-Struck Chapter 64
There was a creeping lethargy seeping into my limbs. I couldn't lift my hands or focus enough to use either my psychic or magical talents. I started to slide down the back of the couch."It will wear off soon, I promise," Dylan whispered as he caught me and laid me down gently. "You're going to be okay, Seren.""You traitor," I whispered while I could still speak."Technically, I'm a double agent," he clarified. "I was a traitor when I left the Unseelie Court; this is redemption."A ringing came from a panel near the elevator, and Dylan glanced over his shoulder at it. Then he looked back at me sadly, gave me a gentle kiss on the cheek, and got up to go to the intercom. He pushed a button on it and spoke quickly. Then he went to the elevator and pushed a button there before he turned to face me once more."This will all be over soon." He smiled reassuringly. "Try not to upset yourself."I wanted to tell him to go to hell, but I couldn't move my tongue. It felt swollen in my mouth
Fairy-Struck Chapter 63
Finding that middle ground took a couple of hours. When I finally left the council chamber, I found Uncle Dylan asleep on the couch where I'd left him. He had his arms flung out to the sides, across the back of the couch, and his head was leaned so far back that his mouth dropped open a little; a prime pose for snoring. Unfortunately, my Uncle Dylan was too perfect to snore and slept peacefully without a single sound. I shook his shoulder, and he even woke up peacefully; his body gracefully shifting back into an upright position as he opened his eyes and placed them unerringly on me."We can go now." I looked over his tired eyes. "Thanks for waiting for me.""It's quite all right." He gave me a sleep-softened smile. "You're my blood.""You know, you're not half bad for a relative of mine," I joked as we headed out to the car.I was surprised to see that there was still a bit of daylight left. It had felt as if I'd been in with the council forever."I'll take that as high praise,"
Fairy-Struck Chapter 62
The entire San Francisco Human Council convened to speak with me. It was a little intimidating to be the center of their attention, especially since that attention was pretty damn intense. They had already been a meeting to discuss the possibilities of my new diplomatic status, and they had made notes, lists, and even graphs of how they saw my role playing out. Graphs! Damn politicians.I sat through most of the political BS with what I thought was a fair amount of poise; nodding my head in acceptance of the standard expectations they had for me: keeping the peace, carrying out execution warrants, that sort of thing. But when they started in on all the diplomatic duties I'd have to perform, I began to get nervous. I hadn't thought about all the parties I'd have to attend as both an ambassador and a princess. Or all the meetings I'd have to conduct with the fairy royals. The thought of sitting down to have a nice diplomatic discussion with my Uncle Uisdean was a little terrifying."We
Fairy-Struck Chapter 61
"Once more, if you please." Councilman Murdock was back to sitting across a tea set from me in the parlor of the San Francisco Council House."I can't give you specifics, Councilman," I said. "Just please help Amanda get home; she's been through a lot.""Of course, we'll help her," he huffed. "But you said you rescued her from the Unseelie. Isn't there something we can do?""Not unless you'd like to storm the Unseelie Castle." Dylan grimaced. "There's nothing that even we can do about it, Mr. Murdock. Princess Seren has done more than any fairy monarch has ever done concerning this situation. The idea that anyone could try and hold the entire Unseelie Court accountable for the abduction of one human girl is, frankly, laughable.""Councilman Murdock not Mr.," Murdock corrected in irritation; probably because he couldn't fault anything else Dylan had said."Ah." Dylan narrowed his eyes at Murdock and then waved a hand at himself. "Duke Dylan Thorn... of the Unseelie."Murdock swall
Fairy-Struck Chapter 60
"That was awkward," Amanda said."And totally stupid." I rolled my eyes. "This is my father's business. All of those fairies work for him so we weren't in any danger.""They were all fairies?" She gaped at me."Uh, yeah." I chewed at my lip. I hadn't thought of how to handle Amanda's knowledge of the Fey. "Look, it could be dangerous for you to talk about fairies. I'm going to take you to the Human Council, and they'll be able to help you get back home and sort things out but they're probably going to tell you the same thing; you need to pretend that you don't know anything about the Fey.""Trust me, I want this all to just go away," she said. "I'm not going to cause any problems. Besides, who's going to believe me? They'd lock me up in the loony bin.""Great." I grinned as we exited the elevator and headed toward the reception desk. "I mean about your not talking, not the loony bin part."Sunlight poured in from the wall of windows; blending with the artificial light shed by the
Fairy-Struck Chapter 59
We were almost to the fairy mound that led to Gentry Technologies when Aodh caught up with us. I've never been so happy to see a fairy in all of my life. I screamed like a little girl when he landed on the seat beside me and then jumped up in delight and nearly fell off the carriage."Thank Goddess you're all right," I declared as I hugged him."It's good to see you too, Princess." Aodh laughed and looked around. "Where are we going?""I need to get Amanda home." I waved toward the clearing Tiernan's coach was just entering. "I'm taking her back through the rath in Gentry Technologies, my father's company.""Oh, right, the human girl." Aodh cast a glance down to the carriage. "Is she all right?""I think she will be," I said confidently. "She's been traumatized, but she's already trying to move past it." I pulled the horses to a stop and handed the reins to him. "You couldn't have better timing. I need you to drive my carriage to the Unseelie Castle." Then I saw Tiernan come walki
